#oh and tags are below the cut ‘cause I didn’t want this post to be super long

[fangirl-dot-com]

🎩Track 7 - Look What You Made Me Do

*this chapter was sweet but fun to write! I hope you all enjoy!!*

TAG LIST IS CLOSED

Max thought that apologizing to Logan would have been easy. He’d just go to their hotel the morning after when everyone had had a chance to cool down. What he wasn’t expecting was to learn that you, Logan, and the whole Lamborghini team had packed up and left in the early hours of dawn. 

Oh well, the Dutchman thought that Jeddah would be a good time to truly apologize. 

But, Jeddah came and went and the drivers were still given the cold shoulder. 

During the weekend, Max could see how, well, cocky the two Americans had gotten. But they had a reason to be. When Logan and you were finally put in the interviews together, you shied away from the others. 

Even the podium of a second 1-2, your first win of the season and the first shared podium with Max, was cold. The two of you paid no attention to the Red Bull driver, only seeking out to spray your race engineer Lyla and then the team below. 

Charles had another try in Australia. Another 1-2 and no amendments. At least Logan was currently the championship leader. If he wouldn’t talk, he could at least enjoy the joys that came with being P1. 

Japan ended with Logan in P2, surrounded by Max in P1and Charles in P3. This time, Max had made an executive decision to corner the blond on the way out. He had put his hand on Logan’s shoulder, only for the latter to reel away like Max’s hand burned him. 

Max looked at him with sympathy. “Logan, come on. Please let us apologize.” 

Charles had stood behind Max in some weird moral support. However, that was the wrong choice as Logan now felt trapped. 

With fire, he was able to spit out, “I don’t like your little games or the tilted stage that is supposedly supposed to be yours. I got on that podium and made it mine.”

The Monegasque huffed. “Logan, you’re being unfair.” 

Logan responded with a sarcastic laugh. “You made me play the role of the fool. Just leave me alone.” 

Logan brushed past the two of them and was able to get out with no one else coming up to try to apologize. 

Max sighed, defeated once again. Charles could only offer a hand of comfort, also feeling the hole that you and Logan were supposed to take up in his life. But Max wasn’t about to give up. If there was one thing his dad taught him, it was to keep pushing until you got what you want. 

China also came and went. No progress was made. And yet another podium shared. Logan was back to being P1, then you in P2, and a surprise P3 of Lewis. How the dumpster fire of a Mercedes was able to stay ahead of Max? No one knew. Turns out, Max’s throttle was stuck and he couldn’t overcome it. 

To your surprise, Lewis didn’t push trying to talk to the two of you. He knew first hand that talking in a crowded space wouldn’t work. 

When it was Miami time, the group was still sulking. Their paddle games weren’t the same without Charles making fun of your black and yellow clothes or Logan learning some new Dutch sentence from Max. 

George was thankful to be on the receiving end of a handful of texts from you and Logan. Just mundane things that he was actually relieved to get. Because you or Logan weren’t talking, no one knew really what the two of you were up to. It seemed as though the two of you only posted after races. 

Lewis sighed as he looked at his teammate. “Any news from you know who?” 

It was as if saying your names would cause another blow up to happen. 

George only responded in small grunt. “Looks like they’re back home. Logan texted me that they’re in the same press conference as us, Max, and Charles. It’s going to be like a bomb waiting to go off.” 

The smaller Briton put his head in his hands. “We really messed up.” 

George snorted. “Yeah. But Logan will forgive us. I can feel it.” 

Well, Lewis was right. The tension in the room was so thick that a mere kitchen knife would not be able to cut it. It looked as though you had taken the inside seat, almost protecting Logan from having to sit anywhere near the others. 

Charles felt some hope when you shot him somewhat of a sad smile. But to him, it was progress. Logan, however, looked miserable. George wanted to cry when he resembled the 2023 Williams version of himself. He wanted to lean over you to talk to him, but the questions began to start. 

A woman raised her hand first. 

“Question for Logan. We’ve seen a dominant Lamborghini in the past opening races and we’ve seen that your driving style has changed a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your mindset and how you decided to go about the new car?” 

Logan licked his lips as he brought the mic to his lips. A small smile made its way to his face. 

“I got smarter and I got harder, in well, the nick of time. In December, Lamborghini reached out with an offer than had to be decided quickly. There really wasn’t time to think about it. So, I just went with it.” 

This time a man raised his hand. 

“A question for Y/n. We saw that you and Logan had completely blacked out your social medias. And during that time, some fans thought you had died. Thankfully you didn’t.” 

A few laughs arose from the crowd, you and Logan included. 

The journalist continued. “Can you maybe give us a comment on how you went from, well, your career dying to becoming what it is today?” 

Your quirked an eyebrow and smirked at the man. “I rose up from the dead. I tend to do it all the time. People put me down until I feel like I can’t get back up, and then somehow, I always get back up and then just do my thing. That’s mostly why my nickname is Phoenix for people close to me.” 

Another man raised his hand. “A question for the table. We haven’t see any paddle matches between the six of you in a while. Do you think that this weekend there might be some friendly competition back in the paddock?” 

Beside you, Logan inhaled sharply. 

George took the initiative for this one. “We’ve been very busy with the first few weeks. We all have gone separate ways between weekends. But maybe Charles and Max just got tired of losing to us.” 

Lewis snorted while Max and Charles gawked at the tall Briton. The snort, in turn, made you and Logan chuckle a bit, which was caught on the mic for everyone to hear. Charles rolled his eyes. 

“I am actually a good paddle player. Just someone seems to not want to go for the ball.” 

He was currently giving Max a bombastic side eye while Max narrowed his eyes back at his rival. On the inside though, they were buzzing at the fact that you and Logan had joined in on the banter (even if it was just a few laughs). 

While they were having a stare down, you chose to raise the mic. 

“Like George said, we’ve all been busy. Logan and I fly back to Milan almost every week when we can to keep the car up to the standards that it needs to be.” 

Logan nodded before continuing. “If we want to stay on top, then we have to put in the work for it.”  

The press for the drivers rounded up quickly after a few more questions. The tension was still there, but a few answers of praise for the two from the four lightened things up. 

You and Logan watched as they left, but the two of you took spots in the back to watch the team principals’ conference. You smiled and pointed out how they put Michael right in the middle of James and Zac. Logan could hardly keep his snort in. 

He leaned over and whispered, “Is it bad I want to see him drag James?” 

You shook your head and whispered back, “I want to see it too and Zac.” 

Michael adjusted his shirt and looked out to the crowd. He smiled a bit when he saw you and Logan laughing in the back, shoulder to shoulder. He knew he had one of the best driver lineups of the grid, and he wasn’t about to let them go. Right now, he had some teams contacting him about the length of your contracts. However, he left them unanswered. 

With a clearing of a throat, the journalists settled down as someone asked the first question. 

“For Mr. Vowles, Williams haven’t been doing too well this season so far. However, Alex has mentioned that most of the upgrades from the car had come from Logan himself. Do you think that if you kept Logan on for another year, things might be different?” 

James ran a hand through his hair. “Well, all we can do is throw ‘ifs’ around and speculate a reality that might have happened. I wouldn’t be able to answer that.” 

“Another question for James. How does it feel seeing Logan on the top step almost every weekend so far knowing that he could have had that with Williams?” 

“I personally don’t think Logan would get on the podiums in our car. He got lucky with Andretti and Lamborghini. Honestly, if any of the drivers had the car that they had, they’d probably get the same results.” 

Michael rolled his eyes a bit, knowing that the gesture would be caught on some camera, but he really didn’t care. 

“A question for Mr. Brown. Y/n L/n brought a 75 percent win rate to Arrows’ wins last year. Why did you and McLaren decide to terminate her contract?” 

Zac grunted as he shifted in his seat. “Well, like with all drivers, we just have to look at who is on the market. And going with Alexander seemed like the right choice.” 

The journalist took a breath before continuing. “Do you feel the same after Alexander and the team have failed to obtain points? And Alexander has DNF-ed in the past three races?” 

The McLaren CEO shook his head. “We took a gamble. But I have no doubts in the team. Like I said, we had to keep our options open. Keeping L/n would have just set us back.” 

The same woman who asked Logan a few questions now gestured to Michael. 

“Mr. Andretti, first congratulations to you and your two drivers for leading the championship. I know you must be very proud.” 

Michael smiled as he spoke into the mic, “Thank you very much. I couldn’t be prouder of Logan and Y/n. They both put in so much work during the winter break. I am just glad that we can give them a car that they deserve. They’re both good drivers, and I don’t believe that it was just luck that got them here.” 

The woman smirked, knowing that she was pushing buttons, but no one seemed to mind. 

“Following up with that, how what was the decision like to bring Logan and Y/n to the team after two failed campaigns in both Formula 1 and IndyCar?” 

You leaned over to Logan. “Ooooo it’s about to get good.” 

Your boss smiled as he thought over his question. “Well, we knew that we needed two drivers who were already comfortable with each other. We’re a team first and if our drivers can’t get along or their driving styles aren’t compatible, then we don’t have a firm base. Mr. Tonino and I had a few drivers that we’d be willing to talk to.” 

“And were Y/n and Logan on that initial list?” 

He nodded. “I had a list of names and Logan’s and Y/n’s were in red and underlined. Mr. Tonino was very adamant about the two of them. Because he is the big boss man.”

That made people laugh, including the two of you in the back. 

Michael continued, “He had full say of who he wanted to drive his cars and that happened to be our duo. Looking at the analytics of their driving, they were almost identical. It would have been a shame to let them slip through our fingers.” 

He looked out beyond the crowd at you and Logan. You two were looking back with wide but thankful smiles. He knew that you had given up on your careers in motorsports. He just hoped that he was giving you everything that you could ever want. 

The press conference wrapped up quickly after that. You and Logan found yourselves going over some last minute details before the day was done. Logan sighed as he put his head on the halo of his car. 

Your eyes help sympathy for your boyfriend. You walked over and placed a hand on his back. 

“Come on Logs, talk to me.” 

He turned his head, cheek still pressed against the carbon fiber. 

“I miss them, but they hurt me so much. And I don’t want to be hurt like that again. I don’t trust no one and no one trusts me.” 

You bent a bit to get closer. 

“Listen to me baby. They treated you terribly, but I’ve also seen how happy they are that you gave them a second chance. I really think that they want to be genuine, it all just went a bit too fast. The world moves on, another day another drama, but not for us. We’re still stuck in the mindset that if we mess up, we’ll get booted immediately.” 

Logan sighed as he stood upright to take you in his arms. He kissed the top of your forehead and rested against your hair. 

“I understand. All I’ve been thinking about it karma. It feels like the world moved on, but not me. Like, maybe I got my karma when Williams dropped me, but I feel like they haven’t gotten theirs yet.” 

You snorted and pulled back to look him in the face. 

“Baby, I think Max’s karma is that you’re going to take the championship away from him this year.” 

He smirked down at you. “Oh yeah sweetheart?” 

You leaned your head up to look him in the eyes. “Most definitely. Now, let’s go. We have a sulking rival pair to talk to.” 

Logan went back to his hiding place in your hair. 

“Do we have to?” he whined, really not wanting to talk to them now. 

Your hands went up and ruffled his hair, making him huff. 

“Fine. We can do it after you win your home race.” 

Logan smiled. “But it’s your home race too.” 

“May the best driver win?” 

“May the best driver win.” 

“AND IT’S LOGAN SARGEANT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE IN P1 AT HIS HOME RACE HERE IN MIAMI! Y/N L/N BRINGS IT HOME SECOND, WITH LAMBORGHINI’S FIFTH 1-2 FINISH! GEORGE RUSSELL FINISHES IN P3 WITH MAX VERSTAPPEN ON HIS TAIL!” 

Logan breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed out of his cockpit. As he stood tall, he look around at the screaming crowds. They were all for him and you. You tugged on his sleeve to bring him down into a hug. 

On the side, George stood next to Max and Lewis and just watched as you two bounced up and down in each other’s arms, ecstatic about a home race win. When Max and Lewis left, Logan turned around and headed straight to George. 

The tall Briton was not expecting a hug, but his arms immediately wrapped around the shorter blond. He could feel Logan shaking, maybe signaling that he was crying, but George didn’t say anything. He remembers that he was always the crier during his first points and his first win. The two pulled apart. 

“I’m going to talk to the group later tonight if that’s ok?” Logan asked, wanting to heal his aching heart. 

George nodded and patted his arm. “We’ll talk. Go get your interviews done winner.” 

Logan smiled before giving him one last hug. He jogged over to get weighed and then went to talk to Jensen Button. 

Jensen was happy to see a very smiley Logan, something he hadn’t seen since Bahrain. The older man put a hand on Logan’s shoulder. 

“So Logan, congratulations on bringing Lamborghini’s fifth 1-2 finish this season. How are you feeling?” 

Logan laughed before answering in the mic, “I feel so light, it’s unreal. I just finally feel like I can do my job and do it well.” 

“If you could have a phone call with the old Logan, what would you say or vice versa?” 

“Oh, the old Logan couldn’t come to the phone because he’s dead. I’m really a new person and version of my best self this season and I don’t want to dwell on the past anymore.” 

Jensen chuckled. “Good man. Now go get your trophy.” 

Up on the podium, you, Logan, and George were a stark contrast of the past few races. This time, the two of you interacted with George and sprayed him back. 

When you and Logan changed, you were surprised to see Max, Charles, and Lewis waiting in your garage. Logan looked down at the floor with a guilty expression. He had tears in his eyes when he went to apologize. 

“I am so sorry for how I have acted. I-” 

Lewis held out a hand to stop Logan from talking. The Briton sighed before he spoke. 

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” 

When Logan and you went to retaliate, Max cut you off. 

“If there’s someone who needs to be sorry, it’s us and the entire grid. I know we can’t talk for them, but we can talk for us.” 

Charles took a tiny step forward. 

“Looking back, we should have formally apologized before jumping into some pseudo-friendship that was built on a bad past. We should have treated you better last year and we have no excuses.” 

Lewis took over. “But now we have a chance to do better, to ask for forgiveness. I know the whole saying is ‘forgive and forget’ but there really is no true forgetting. It’s always going to haunt you and us for a while. But we want to start again.” 

Max looked down at the floor. “What we’re saying is that we miss you and we’re hoping that you’ll forgive us.” 

You and Logan shared a quick glance before smiling. 

You turned to Charles. “We’ll take all the ice cream that you can give us and we want to spend time with Max’s cats.” 

The three’s heads shot up and they looked at you with wide eyes. 

Charles gawked. “That’s it?” 

Logan raised an eyebrow. “I mean, we can think of other things if you’d like that. I’ve been wanting a few new cars and a yacht.”

Max winced. “No we can do a cat playdate.” 

The Ferrari driver pulled out his phone. “Getting the ice cream sent now.” 

Lewis looked at them with narrowed eyes. “What do you two want from me?” 

You and Logan smirked at the Mercedes driver. 

“We want Roscoe.”  

venus2 has posted

venus2 oh, look what you made me do

liked by maxverstappen1, sargeantgirlie, lamboduo, and 1,204,294 others

f1_grid_gang dare I say my family is back together??

my_goat_logan OH YEAH THAT'S MY CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER

ferrari&lambo we're looking Logan 👀

lewishamilton yes, I've seen that you and your teammate have kidnapped my dog 🤨

venus2 all for a good cause

phoenix95 he's fine with his siblings and yes all vegan treats ☺️

lewishamilton fine.

logan.nation these are the type of posts I missed

phoenix&venus they got the band back together 😭

nomoreloscar now we just need other drivers to apologize as well

phoenix95 has posted

phoenix95 I'll be the actress staring in your bad dreams ✨

liked by charles_leclerc, Dior, paddlesixtet, and 2,305,869 others

beelamborghini my queen bee 🐝👑

y/n.nation ok but the helmet slaps

lambo_duo nothing is better than seeing those two on the podium

usaF1 that and hearing the star spangled banner almost every week

wtf_isa_km AMERICAAAAA RAWWRRRR 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

charles_leclerc was the sparkle necessary petite abeille

phoenix95 better watch it leclerc or Leo is next 🙂

maxverstappen1 Charles, you better run and hide your puppy in those massive pants of yours

phoenix95 🫵🤣

charles_leclerc I thought you liked the cloud pants ☹️

maxverstappen1 wait I do!!

venus2 simp.

rariferrari her lap pace is just 🤌

lambof1 this is just a proper racing team

TAG LIST: @fionaschicken @myxticmoon @cherry-piee @blueberry64857959 @glitterquadricorn @lizzypiastri @sam-is-lost @spilled-coffee-cup @ilove-tswizzle @the-untamed-soul @allenajade-ite @starssfall @torchbearerkyle @judespoision @halfdeadsage @juniper-july19 @severewobblerlightdragon @thatgirlm @gods-menace @ineedafictionalman @namgification @dark-night-sky-99 @samantha-chicago @2pagenumb @treehouse-mouse @fangirl125reader @megatrilss1885 @kagatinkita @itsjustkhaos @nikfigueiredo @awekbachira @vellicore @skepvids @sunrizef1 @stan-josie @fanficweasley @hiireadstuff @barcelonaloverf1life @c-losur3 @graciewrote @bruhhhhhhhhehhhhhhh @tallrock35 @ashy-kit @kat-su @minkyungseokie @lozzamez3 @leslieis-crying @adventuresofrose @lighttsoutlewis

[rizatouchesthewalls]

everyone who writes and supports miles smut can block me, that includes 42 btw.

PLEASE SHARE THIS TO ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS AGED UP MINORS (SPECIFICALLY MILES MORALES)

TW: BELOW THE CUT IS DISCUSSION OF P//DO, UNDERAGE CONTENT. (I don’t go too far into detail but I know some people have been affected by it).

elaboration on why aging up (for sexual purposes) is bad

miles is canonically 15 and dont even pull that “he’s aged up” shit with me cause you know damn well on aged up fanfics they use pictures of CANON MILES. so its pretty obvious u have the teen in your mind. and you know what the ones that are around his age are annoying too but it doesnt put nearly of a bad taste in my mouth as the GROWN ASS ADULTS who make that shit.

and btw dont go and say “oh, it’s hormones and plus miles has hormones” and to that i have to say:

1. if you are a child who likes miles like that, fine, deal with that shit in private tho. you posting s*xual content of a minor is catering to creepy adults online

2. if you’re an adult saying that shit then i can say nothing less that you have the mindset of a groomer. You’re not very far from the mfs who say that “teenage girls are at their ripe age at 16.” you as an adult SHOULD NOT be using teenagers having hormones to your advantage and excuse. That’s disgusting.

“they’re just a fictional character” 😟 can you get a grip? go outside. Miles is a fictional character who is BUILT and DESIGNED to look like a teenager. And astv aint that unrealistic that you can say he’s ambiguous. He’s not. And even if he was he does activities that I do as a teen—I go to high school, I’m nervous about my future—miles is literally a relatable teen, as he was designed to be.

“Then stop looking for the smut posts.” I DONT NEED TO! It infiltrates my ASTV tag and at times the Hobie Brown tags too. You act like your tags aren’t public. If someone wanted to read a Miles fic that was normal fluff they would have to scroll through some smut too!

anyway thats all and dont even both coming up in my comments and reposts throwing a hissy fit you niggas r weird asf and can block me. maybe then id see less weird shit on my tag page. do us all a favor and log off.

+ Update: His ages from any other media isn’t a valid excuse. If you were clearly writing for canon adult miles you wouldn’t have astv miles as the icons and astv as the tag.

+ Update: Miles is CANONICALLY 15 in the first movie, and somewhere in the last movie he was YOUNGER. As mentioned above, mentioning other media as an excuse is bs when in the movies your writing for (itsv, atsv) he’s clearly a minor.

+ The thing that pisses me off the most is how ya’ll act like the people who are uncomfortable are weird. Are you not writing s*xual content about a 15 year old on a daily basis? please.

+ Fiction DOES affect reality. Why do you think people have nightmares after horror? Why does a sad film make people cry? Why does a deep movie change perspective?

+ In the scene where Miles argues with his parents, he says something along the lines of “I’m 15!!!” So if you think he’s not underage, you either didn’t pay attention or don’t have google. Plus what 18 year old discusses college that late? (without any other discussions prior?)

+ if you like little boys stop tryna hide that you like little boys it makes you even more manipulative and gross. no but in all seriousness telling minors that behavior is okay has gotta be SOME form of grooming on a more subtle scale. sorry if that’s too bold for ya’ll but as someone who’s been tricked into thinking content like this was okay when I was younger, I can confirm that this isn’t okay.

+ If to prove character that’s canonically a minor isn’t one you have to pull up seven different source materials that barely correlate to the one you write for, that character is still a fucking minor! It’s giving “she’s actually 3000!!!” when she looks 8.

yeah. kay bye!!!

[jouska-the-deer]

The Red Thread of Fate

Rating: General Audiences

Content Warnings: Brief Implied Anorexia

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Soulmates, Qixi Festival, Chinese Mythology, Post Canon

Word Count: 6889

Summary: Amy goes on an adventure with Sonic to find an old man in Chun-nan who can see people's destinies, though, who he is and why she wants to find him are things she's too nervous to say. Little does she know, Sonic has something he's too nervous to say to her as well.

Notes: The warning, "brief implied anorexia", is for a scene where Amy is eating with Sonic and she reflects on her dieting habits. Feel free to skip this fic if that would make you uncomfortable, but for everyone else, I hope you enjoy reading.

Here's the link to The Red Thread of Fate on Ao3, otherwise, continue reading below the cut.

-

Outside of an apartment building in Station Square was Sonic the Hedgehog, who had been spending the past few minutes pacing next to the entryway talking to himself. 

“I mean, the worst thing that could happen is her just saying no… No, actually she could cry, but she’d probably just laugh it off, right? I mean, we’re friends, and if that’s how she wants it to stay, then she’d know I’d be cool with it.”

A multitude of people passed by Sonic on their morning commutes. Some glanced at him with confusion. Some with awe, followed by confusion. Sonic couldn’t care less about what any of them thought. 

“But, ten years is a while. She’d probably be mad. ‘Oh great. Nice of you to ask me out years after I stopped caring.’ …She wouldn’t say that, right?”

He sighed, brushing his quills back. “Well, there’s only one way to find out…” 

Turning around, he jumped upon seeing Amy pushing open the door. Her face was determined and fixed entirely on her phone. 

Sonic didn’t react in time and she crashed straight into him, causing them to topple onto the sidewalk. 

“OOF! Sorry sir! I didn’t mean-” After pushing herself onto her hands and knees, she finally saw his face. “Sonic?” 

Her cheeks went bright red, not too dissimilar to Sonic’s at the moment. 

“Uh, yep. Could ya… maybe get off of me?” 

“OH!” Amy shoved herself back, getting up and offering Sonic a hand. “Sorry. My mind was in another place just then.” 

“It’s alright,” Sonic said, taking her hand and getting helped onto his feet. “Falling is one of the things I’m best at. So, no harm done.” 

Amy chuckled, then gasped. “Hey! I was actually just about to call you, so this is perfect!”

“Perfect?” 

“Yeah!” She reached down and grabbed her phone off of the sidewalk, wiping the screen and pocketing it. “I was gonna ask you to come with me on an adventure!”

“An adventure huh? Sounds fun! Where to?” 

“Chun-nan. Ten years ago I met an old man there who knew the destiny of every person in the world. I wanna find him again, and I need your help.”

“Whatcha need help with?” 

“Well… spotting him.” Amy scratched her neck bashfully. “I don’t know where in Chun-nan he is, and you know how often I can… miss what’s right in front of me… so having an extra pair of eyes would be great.” 

“Alright. Got his name or what he looks like?” 

“I don’t know his name, but he was an old human man with a long white beard who wore traditional yellow robes and…” Amy hummed to herself, staring off into space, “a bag too, I think? Oh! And he had a book. He was definitely carrying a book.” 

“Definitely huh? I’m guessing the book was pretty important?” 

“Um! Nope! Definitely not! Just a book! Haha…” 

“O…kay…?” Sonic shrugged. “Well, no time like the present. You ready to head out?”

“Yes! Um, are we taking the Tornado?” 

“Actually, I happen to have something even faster!” Sonic reached behind his back and revealed that he had the red Chaos Emerald. “I can warp us straight there… unless you wanted to take the scenic route?” 

“The more time we have to find him, the better!” 

“That’s cool with me.” Sonic placed his free hand on Amy’s shoulder. “Chaos control!” 

In an instant, they were on the other side of the planet standing on the sidewalk of a busy street. A few people were startled by their sudden appearance, but they quickly got back to whatever they were doing. 

“Hmm… maybe the capitol wasn’t the best spot to go first,” Sonic muttered, looking around.

Their surroundings hadn’t changed too much despite the massive distance; Cramped streets that felt even more cramped with all the skyscrapers towering above them. There were differences, however, such as the time being twelve hours later and the streets being lined with romance-themed decorations.

Amy chuckled nervously. “Huh… I guess they celebrate the Star Festival here…” 

“Or something similar. I wouldn’t be surprised given the Sunrise Archipelago and Chun-nan aren’t too far from each other.”

Clearing her throat, Amy stared at the ground. “I swear I didn’t mean to-” 

“It’s alright, Amy,” Sonic interrupted. “No worries. I still wanna help find that man you’re looking for.” 

“Oh.” She brightened up. “Oh! That’s great! I knew today was gonna be a great day! Running into you before I could even call… You having a Chaos Emerald on you… It has to be fate!”

“Uh, sure.” Sonic scanned the busy crowds. “Well, assuming the guy hasn’t had an attire change since way back when, it shouldn’t be too hard spotting an old man in traditional clothes, even with how busy it is.”

“Then let’s get started!” 

Amy happily started weaving through the sea of people, hopping around in hopes of seeing the old man. Sonic followed and kept his eyes peeled, enjoying the distraction and definitely not putting off the question he’d wanted to ask that morning.

-

Finding a single old man in one of the most populated countries on the planet would be a completely impossible task for any normal person. Sonic and Amy, however, were not normal people, so the task was only mostly impossible. 

A couple hours into their adventure and they’d scoured most of the city, coming across very few people matching Amy’s description, as Sonic figured. At the very least, Sonic was enjoying the sights, sounds, and many of the smells. The restaurants they’d been passing were starting to make him pretty distracted, and a nice lunch seemed in order. 

“Hey, Ames? How about we take a quick break to grab something to eat?”

“You can grab something to eat while we look, but I’m just gonna skip breakfast.” 

“Breakfast?! You haven’t eaten today?” 

“It’s too many Calories.”

“Too many-! I promise you’re gonna get in your 10,000 steps today! Come on, I know a great place south of here.” 

“But we’re losing daylight!”

“It’s a street food place with takeout. Let’s go!” 

“But-!” 

Amy immediately went quiet as Sonic picked her up and rushed south, arriving at the food cart in less than a minute. Among the signs on the cart, the word ‘Malatang’ stood out the most. 

“Alright so here’s how it works,” Sonic said, setting her down and gesturing at the stall. It had a plethora of ingredient skewers on trays up front and several vats of boiling broth in the back. “Pick out the stuff you want and put it in one of these baskets. After that, pick how spicy you want the broth and they’ll boil all the stuff and put it in a bowl for us to take. Don’t worry about the price; It’s dirt cheap and I’ve got plenty of money.”

“Umm…” Amy blinked, seemingly having caught none of what he said and spent all of his explanation staring at him. 

“You alright?” 

“Uh! Yep! But… Could you repeat… everything you just said?” 

Sonic hummed inquisitively, but obliged.

In the end, Sonic got mostly meat and mushrooms cooked spicy enough to make Amy wince, while Amy got tofu and vegetables cooked in a mild broth. After grabbing a couple of drinks as well, Sonic paid (it really was dirt cheap) and they took their bowls and chopsticks to go. 

“Follow me,” Sonic said, already leading Amy down the street. “I know a perfect place to sit down and eat.”

“But we have to find the old man!” 

“It’s a great place to people-watch, don’t worry!” 

Amy sighed. “Fine.” 

“You’re gonna love it, I promise.” 

Just a short walk later, they arrived at a large flower garden. As would be expected of a public garden on a romantic holiday, it was decorated with plenty of hearts and filled with tons of couples. 

Sonic easily walked under the floral arch marking the entrance, but Amy halted just before it. 

“Um…” 

Looking back, Sonic tilted his head. “Something wrong?” 

“Well…” Amy shrunk in on herself. “It’s just… If we go in there together… with it being the holiday and all decorated like that… people might think we’re a…” she looked away, “…couple.” 

“Maybe.” Sonic stepped over to her, concern in his eyes. “Would that make you uncomfortable?” 

“…Would it make you uncomfortable?” 

“Not really,” he said simply. “People are always making assumptions about me, but I only care about what my friends think.” He stepped around, directly into Amy’s view. “So, what do you think?”

“I…” She took a deep breath. “Well… if you really wouldn’t mind…”

“I’m the one who decided to take you here. Let’s just enjoy the scenery, alright?” 

“Yeah.” Smiling lightly, she nodded. “Okay.” 

They made their way inside. Not too long after, they found an empty bench at the top of a hill and sat down. 

Sonic immediately tucked into his food, but Amy hesitated. Noticing this, he nudged her with his elbow. 

“I’ve gotten food from that cart a few times. You’re not gonna get sick if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“No. It’s just…”

“Don’t lie about not being hungry. I heard your stomach growling earlier.” 

“Wait, you did?” 

“Nope, but now I definitely know that you’re hungry.” 

“Ugh.” Amy glared into the distance. 

“So…?”

“I’m trying to stay healthy.” 

“There’s lots of good nutrients in this stuff. Especially what you got.” 

She groaned. “I don’t know if it’s good for my figure.” 

Sonic frowned. “I thought you said you’re trying to stay healthy.” 

“If I look good, then I’m probably healthy.” 

“I think it’s more important that you feel good. And, if you’re hungry, then you don’t feel good.” 

“Well, I’m not going to feel good if nobody wants to look at me,” she huffed. 

“Who the heck are you trying to look good for? Because whoever they are, they don’t sound like people worth trying to impress.” 

“Come on! You wouldn’t want to date a giant slob, would you?!” 

They both froze. 

Amy stuttered. “I-I didn’t mean-! Um! I wasn’t implying that I was specifically trying to look good for you, just-! I meant hypothetically, if you wanted to date someone, not me in particular-” 

Sonic placed a finger on her lips, his expression firm. 

“If I was the kind of person who cared about what you looked like over how you felt, I wouldn’t deserve you.” 

Pulling back his hand, Sonic studied Amy’s baffled expression. 

“Y-You wouldn’t deserve… m-me?”

“Absolutely not,” he said confidently. “Someone as great as you deserves only the very best. And besides, trying to impress me with good looks wouldn’t work anyway, because I don’t really think about looks at all.” He picked up his chopsticks, then smirked. “So if, hypothetically, someone wanted to catch my attention, they’d have better luck with a good heart and genuine smile, and those are things anyone can have no matter what they look like.” 

“U-Um…” Amy chuckled bashfully. “O-Okay.” 

Sonic gestured toward her food, and Amy finally picked up her chopsticks and tried a bite. 

It was incredible. Salty and savory, with a little kick of spice. The tofu and vegetables were cooked to perfection, and they combined into a spectrum of flavors that perfectly complemented each other. Amy was helpless in preventing the delighted grin that pushed up her cheeks. 

Her attention was drawn to Sonic softly chuckling beside her. 

“See,” he said, his smile warm as he looked into her eyes. “More beautiful already.” 

And now, Amy’s cheeks were on fire. And she knew she couldn’t blame it on the street food. 

She snapped her gaze to a random patch of flowers, acting as though it was the most interesting thing in the entire world. 

Satisfied, Sonic returned to eating his food and enjoying the scenery…

…Until he heard Amy trying to conceal herself sniffing. 

“Amy? Are you- Hey, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable-”

“No. You didn’t,” she said, laughing lightly as she wiped the corner of her eyes. “It’s just…” 

Sighing, she looked off into the distance. “When I was younger, I worked so hard to be someone that… that you’d want to be with. I watched what I ate, worked out every day, and it was all…” 

“Amy…” 

Slowly, she brought her attention to him. Entirely silent. 

“If I knew you were doing all that, I would’ve told you to stop… even if I wasn’t the best at separating health and looks back then.” Sonic placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t change yourself for anybody, but especially me. Okay?” 

Amy looked at his hand on her shoulder, then averted her gaze from him entirely. “Okay.”

“Promise?” 

Briefly, she looked at him again. “Promise.” 

“Good.” Sonic smiled. “Now, eat up. We’ve got a lot more searching to do when we’re done.” 

Amy smiled too, returning to her food and continuing to enjoy it. 

Quite a few people passed by as they ate, some giggling and talking amongst themselves upon seeing them together, but neither Sonic nor Amy paid them any mind. The thoughts of random strangers didn’t matter when they had good food and good company. 

-

As soon as Sonic and Amy finished eating they got back to searching. The capital had a noticeable lack of old men in traditional clothes walking around, so they turned their attention to the small towns and villages between major cities. 

Besides slightly upping the number of men they came across who better fit Amy’s description, the change of location also brought a much needed change of scenery. Even with the festival decorations, the concrete and skyscrapers of the city couldn’t beat the traditional architecture the smaller locales featured. In fact, the villages and towns often had the nice architecture as well as more festival decorations than the city.

However, despite the boost in many areas, Amy’s morale was starting to decline. Sure, they were finding a few more people that better matched her description, but that also meant they were getting more false positives. Only an hour had passed and yet Sonic could clearly see the frustration growing in Amy’s eyes. 

The sun was setting and the street lanterns were lit. They’d just arrived at a village Sonic was already familiar with and he had an idea that he hoped would lighten the mood. 

“One sec, Ames. While I’m here there’s someone I’ve gotta talk to real quick.”

Curiosity slightly overtook the frown on her face. “You know someone here?” 

“I know a lot of people here. Chip and I helped out the village elder during the Dark Gaia crisis, and I came back quite a few times to check in on everyone.”

An elderly woman’s voice piped up just ahead. “Ah! Welcome back, Sonic. It’s so good to see you.”

“Hey Lin! It’s good to see you too.” 

The little old woman looked Amy up and down as she slowly made her way over. 

“And who is this?”

“I’m Amy Rose,” Amy said. “Sonic was just telling me that he’s been here before, and then you immediately walked up and said hi to him. He seems to have friends absolutely everywhere.” 

“I would assume so. He’s got such a wonderful heart, so who wouldn’t enjoy being around him?” 

Sonic awkwardly coughed into his arm. “Uh, anyway, I was actually about to go look for you. You’re good at noticing things, so I was wondering if you saw the village protector around. I figured Amy and I could stop by to say hello and give him a snack while we’re here.”

“Well, you’re in luck! He flew over a moment ago and landed just past the northern gate of the village.”

“Great! Thanks for the help!” 

“You're very welcome. Enjoy the rest of your date.” 

Sonic let out a nervous laugh. 

“Uh…”

“I-It’s not a date,” Amy quickly clarified. “We’re just here looking for an old man with a book who can see people’s destinies.” 

Lin chuckled. 

“You two are in Chun-nan searching for Yue Lao on the evening of the Qixi festival, and it’s not a date?” 

“Wait,” Sonic said. “You know about the guy we’re looking for?” 

“Of course I do.” Lin glanced at Amy, who was starting to sweat. “And I believe Miss Rose here knows more about him than she has let on.” 

Sonic hummed and looked to Amy for her response, but she was entirely turned away. 

“I… Um…” 

“Well,” Lin announced, smirking, “I hope things work out for your two. Have a nice night.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Sonic said. “You too.” 

“Goodbye,” Amy barely spoke up.

Lin walked away, leaving Sonic and Amy standing silently at the entrance of the village. 

“Come on,” came Sonic’s voice, soft and reassuring. “We’ve gotta swing by the shop to pick up something for the village protector.” 

“You’re…” Amy slowly looked at him. “You’re not mad at me?” 

“I could tell you were hiding something from the start, even if I didn’t know what it was.” 

“But you still decided to help?” 

“Well… yeah! I told you it sounded fun.” His voice grew quieter. “Though, I still wanna know who exactly we’re looking for.” 

Amy’s ears went back, and her eyes went to the ground. 

Sonic sighed. “That’s alright,” he said. “Maybe you can tell me later. But for now,” he stepped closer to Amy, patting her on the shoulder, “we’ve got someone else to meet.” 

Amy gently smiled, going along with him.

Sonic decided to purchase a meat bun at the local shop and was now taking Amy north through the village.

“I should take ya back here when you’ve got more of an appetite so you can try one of these,” Sonic said, raising the meat bun into view. “Chip and I stopped and had a few when we were here, and they're amazing.” 

“I’m surprised you guys had time to stop for anything given all the places you had to go.” 

“If we didn’t stop for breaks there was no way I’d have had the energy to do anything, especially with how I was spending the nights running around at a snail’s pace as a werehog.”

“Oh right. I almost forgot about that.”

“You’d think seeing the guy you were crushing on as a big scary monster would leave a bigger impact.” 

“I’d seen bigger and scarier. And it’s not like you changed on the inside. Even if I didn’t recognize you at first, as soon as you saved me, I knew it was you.” 

Sonic scratched his neck. “You make it sound like there’s nobody else that’s willing to help.” 

“Oh there are, but nobody else does something nice and then runs away before I can even thank them.” 

As they made their way closer to the northern gate, Sonic kept his eyes on it as though it were the most interesting thing on the planet. 

“It just… feels weird to be thanked for something I was gonna do anyway. There’s no reason to make a big deal out of nothing.” 

“See, that’s what I mean. Even with that big fluffy exterior making me confused, your big fluffy heart showed off that you were definitely my S-” She cleared her throat, looking away. “My friend.”

Sonic chuckled, looking around as they finally passed through the gate. After a brief silence, he glanced at Amy.

“It meant a lot to me, you know. That you didn’t care what I looked like.” He stared at the ground as they continued walking. “I know it might sound… pretty strange… but it was kinda comforting to know that you still felt the same about me regardless.”

“It is kinda strange,” Amy said, her voice having a twinge of emptiness to it. “It’s not like my feelings for you would’ve mattered… you didn’t like me the same anyway.” 

“I…” He stopped walking.

Amy stopped with him and huffed. “Don’t bother pretending. You didn’t want to date me and that’s… fine.” 

“…I agreed to a date.” 

“You forgot about it.” 

“It wasn’t my-!” He gritted his teeth, his unoccupied hand clenched into a fist. Slowly, he took in a deep breath, and let it out. 

“I did forget about the date… but that’s because I was pulled into another world and didn’t get back until after it was over. I know you didn’t believe me then, but after all the adventures we’ve been on, surely you believe me now. Stranger things have happened.”

Amy let out an uneasy moan. “But that wouldn’t make any sense!”

“I swear I’m telling the-” 

“You couldn’t have really wanted to date me! It was just a fluke!”

“…Huh?”

“You had a million chances to go out with me and the one time you promised to you didn’t show! I don’t know why you agreed that time but it was clearly a mistake!”

“It wasn’t a mistake!” 

Amy froze, mouth agape at him. 

“It… wasn’t a mistake.” He swallowed thickly. “My mind got sidetracked by the adventure, but I was still looking forward to our date when I agreed to it.” He looked away. “I’m sorry that I didn’t show up, but I want you to know that I’d never leave you hanging like that on purpose. Getting your hopes up just to break your heart… is way too far.” 

The night air went quiet, beside the rustling of leaves.

“…You really wanted to go on a date with me?” 

“Well… yeah.” Sonic scratched his neck. “And… this morning… I uh…” 

A loud screech was heard just up ahead, drawing their attention. 

“What was that?” Amy asked.

Sonic sighed, half in disappointment and half in relief. 

“That, is who we’re here to see.” 

Amy started jogging ahead and Sonic followed close behind. 

After passing a few rock formations, Amy let out a gasp. 

“Oh my gosh!” 

Perched on one of the western cliffs was a glowing phoenix. As soon as he saw them, he jumped from the cliff and soared around the clearing. After coming to a landing on the path, he tilted his head at them. 

“Amy, I’d like you to meet the local villager protector.”

“A phoenix!” She let out a delighted laugh and waved. “Um, hello!” 

When she returned her arm to her side, Sonic gently took her wrist and placed a meat bun in her hand. 

“Here. He’d probably like a snack, don’t you think?” 

“Oh! Yes! I think he would.” Amy stretched out her arm, holding the meat bun out to the phoenix. “Here you go! Sonic says they’re really good.” 

The phoenix reached down and gently plucked the meat bun out of Amy’s hand. After taking a few steps back, he spread his wings and started flapping, lifting himself off the ground and taking to the sky once again. His luminous feathers shimmered against the night sky, shining bright as the moon as he soared around the clearing once again before landing back on the cliffside to enjoy his snack. 

Amy turned to Sonic, giggling helplessly. “That was amazing! I’ve never seen a phoenix before! Thank you for showing me!” 

“No problem, Ames! I knew this would help lift the mood!” 

Letting out a softer giggle, Amy rubbed her arm. “You brought me here to help me feel better?” 

“Of course! I couldn’t just let the disappointments keep getting you down without giving you something exciting to pick you back up.” 

“Oh.” Amy blushed, looking away. “Thank you.” 

“Sonic! I had heard you were visiting.” 

Sonic turned to see another familiar resident of the village just past the gate.

“Zonshen! Nice to see ya!” 

“Nice to see you too,” the kind elderly man said as he walked over. 

“How’s your back doing?” 

“It’s doing great! Charles’ training is really paying off.”

“Oh! Amy, this is Zonshen, the village elder and doctor. Zonshen, this is Amy.”

“Hello,” Amy said, giving him a polite wave.

He looked between Sonic and Amy. “I’m not interrupting anything here, am I?” 

“N-No!” Amy choked out. 

“We were just trying to find some guy named ‘Yue Lao’ or something and decided to take a break,” Sonic more calmly explained.

“‘Some guy’? ‘Yue Lao’? You two are looking for the heavenly matchmaker?” 

“Heavenly matchmaker?” Sonic glanced at Amy for an explanation but she was hiding her face. 

“Yes?” Zonshen said. “The god who ties together future lovers with the invisible red thread of fate? You did not know this?” 

“Uh, no.”

“Yet you were looking for him on the night of the Qixi festival? It is a good time to look, being a romantic holiday and all, but how could you not know?” 

“Well A- …I didn’t get many details about who he was before we went on the search.” 

“Oh. Well, I hope you can understand my confusion. Hmm.” Zonshen looked at Amy. “Is your friend doing alright?” 

“Huh?” Sonic looked at her, noticing her stuttered breathing. “Amy?” 

He reached out, touching her shoulder, and she let out a strangled yelp and bolted. 

“Shoot! Um, later Zonshen!” 

Zonshen’s farewell was faint as Sonic immediately chased after Amy. To his dismay, she was already out of sight. 

Quickly, he ran to Wang’s shop, as it was within eyeshot of the village exit. 

“Hey,” Sonic said to him, “did you see a pink hedgehog run out of here?” 

“No? Wasn’t she with you when you bought something? Did something happen?” 

“Don’t worry about it, but hopefully that means she’s hiding somewhere in the village. I just have to find her…” 

An idea popped into his head. 

“Thanks anyway. Later.” 

He walked away and took out his communicator, finding Amy in his contacts and giving her a non-emergency call. 

Keeping an ear out… he heard a man’s voice belt, “'cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars,” before Sonic was already at the source of the music. 

Hiding behind a few decorative vases, he was met with a very red-faced Amy with her finger on her phone screen, having dismissed the call with great haste. She froze upon seeing him, then curled in on herself and let out a pained whine. 

“It’s alright, Amy.” 

“No, it’s not!” 

“I’m still not mad, I promise.” 

“Yeah right!” 

“Lin already hinted at something about him being related to romance and I’d already accepted that. All that Zonshen did was give me a little more info.” 

“You know I dragged you out here to find a matchmaker! Don’t you feel betrayed?!” 

“You didn’t drag me anywhere. I chose to help you look, and I still want to.” 

Slowly, Amy looked up at him. “You… But why?” 

“Because it’s obviously pretty important to you. Plus, the journey’s been fun so far.” 

“Are… Are you sure…?” 

“Of course!” Sonic said, offering his hand. “Let’s get going.”

Taking his hand, Amy let Sonic pull her up. 

“Thank you…” she said bashfully.

“No problem!” After turning with Amy to leave, he gave her a questioning glance. “What was with your ringtone?”

“Haha! You don’t need to worry about that!” 

Sonic rolled his eyes with a snort. 

-

Their search continued on, though it was quieter than before. Despite the reassurance, Amy was clearly still embarrassed about the whole thing. Sonic hoped that she’d calm down with time, though time was a thing they were also working against. 

After two hours, they were overdue for another break. They’d come across a couple of shrines to Yue Lao, but Amy’s frown upon seeing them only showed Sonic how disappointed she was to not see the real deal. He figured giving the shrines an offering in the hopes of having him show up was out of the question.

“Amy?” Sonic softly spoke. “How about another break?” 

She didn’t reply, only followed him to the top of a hill overlooking another small village they had yet to explore. Sonic sat down facing the village, and Amy followed. 

“Nice view, right? The sky’s pretty clear out here, and the village is all nice and decorated.” 

Amy just stared ahead, silent. 

Rubbing his arm, Sonic looked away from her. Something needed to be done, but he didn’t have any more ideas. At least, not any that’d be any good at cheering her up from a mood as low as it was. Still, he had to try something. 

He opened his mouth to speak…

…And Amy spoke instead. 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, voice empty. “Haven’t you figured out why I wanted to bring you to Yue Lao?” 

Sonic idly combed his fingers through the grass. “To see if we’re connected,” he looked at her, “right?” 

“Yeah.” Her eyes were still locked to the same place.

“Do you… want us… to be connected?”

Amy blinked, finally turning to look at him. “You… think I wouldn’t?” 

“Uh.” Sonic tried to ignore the jump in his chest. “Well, you’ve… kinda been a bit more subtle for the past few years. I figured you’d… I dunno… lost interest or something.” 

Laughing weakly, Amy brought her eyes to the stars. “If only it was that easy.” 

Sonic leaned back, looking up at the stars as well. 

“Ten years ago,” Amy said, “I was just passing through Chun-nan on a night like this one. It was just after I’d met you and… just after you’d first rejected me.” Her eyes wandered to the mountains in the distance. “There was… a little doubt in my mind that we’d ever end up together. My cards had told me we were destined to, but…”

Sonic’s ears went back, pain in his expression. 

“Anyway,” she continued, “I was out looking for you, but instead I found the old man. He was reading a book very closely, and when I asked him what it was about, he explained that it contained the names of all couples who would eventually fall in love. I asked what he needed it for, and he said he used it know who to connect with a magical red thread that always brings those couples together.”

Amy crossed her arms. “I told him to prove it by telling me who I was destined to be with. He… chuckled… and told me your name.” 

Sonic gaped, though Amy was too busy looking away to see his reaction. 

“I was so happy, but when I asked him when we’d get together, he told me to just… have patience. That in the end, all the pain and heartache would be worth it.” She growled. “Well, I think I’ve waited far too long without any actual proof we’d be together. I just ran off without seeing this thread for myself, and I’m not making that mistake again. I wanna find him, and I wanna make him show me our thread or admit he was mistaken, because maybe then I could finally just…” She whined, voice going quiet. “I could just stop thinking about… us… so much.” 

“Amy…” 

“And that’s why-!” She cleared her throat. “That’s why I wanted to bring you here. I needed to see if we’re really connected or not, and I wouldn’t be able to see our thread if you weren’t here with me.” She hugged her knees. “I promise I’m not trying to pressure you into anything; You said yourself that I’ve been more… subtle recently. I just want a definitive answer on whether or not we’ll be together in the end, even if…” she swallowed thickly, “…it means learning we… won’t. I’m just… so sick of being uncertain…” 

“Amy.” 

Sonic took her hands in his, grabbing her attention. 

“Sonic?” 

“I… know you just had a whole speech about waiting forever on me, but… I need you to stay here for a little bit.” He offered a reassuring smile. “I’ll be right back, okay?” 

Amy laughed nervously. “And you’re not gonna tell me why you’re leaving me here?” 

“Nope. It’ll make us even for the whole ‘not explaining who we’re really looking for’ thing.”

Amy sighed. “Touché.” 

“I’ll be quick. I promise.” 

“…Alright.” 

They let go of each other’s hands, and Sonic ran off toward the village. 

As soon as he arrived he stopped to catch his breath, though not due to the run there. 

“Okay. Okay. Cool. Cool. Cool. Just need to calm down and look for something really nice to give Amy to make up for ten years of rejection as well as not asking her out during this entire thing so she doesn’t feel like I’m messing with her when I ask her out right now.” 

He started running again, though at a more reasonable pace for the safety of everyone around him. 

“There’s gotta be a shop or cart or anything that has something she’d love. Should I get her multiple things? How much time would that take? I told her this would be quick but-” 

Not paying attention, a wave of yellow fabric flashed in his face as Sonic ran into someone. Before they could even fall to the ground, Sonic agilely swooped around and caught them, pushing them back to their feet. Something they were holding hit the ground, so Sonic picked it up for them. 

“Sorry about that!” Sonic apologized, holding out the object, a journal, to the person he nearly knocked over, who appeared to be an elderly man with a long, snow-white beard. “I should’ve been paying better attention.” 

“Oh, it’s alright,” the man said, taking the journal. Upon getting a better look at Sonic, he smiled brightly. “Sonic the Hedgehog! It is about time your numerous travels cause us to cross paths. May I ask what you are doing on this wonderful night?” 

“I’m actually in a bit of a rush but I’m looking for something nice to give my friend for- well it’s a lot to get into but she deserves something amazing and I promised to get back to her really soon so I’ve gotta go!” 

“Would this friend happen to be Amy Rose?” 

“Uh yeah? How’d you know? Wait! I don’t have time for-”

“How lovely! I have something you should give to her.” 

From a pack at his side, he pulled out a red thread. It glinted under the moonlight as he presented it to Sonic. 

“Huh.” Sonic was thinking about getting Amy some flowers and/or desserts, but a red thread seemed perfect. Symbolic gestures were right up her alley. 

“This thread may tangle and stretch, but will never break. Once tied you two may travel any distance apart, but it will always bring you both back together.” 

“So it’s made of real quality stuff then? How much you want for it?” 

“Nothing,” the man said, placing it in Sonic’s hands. “You were destined to have it, and I have plenty more to go around.” 

“If you say so, then thanks! But I really have to go now!” Sonic said, already turning to leave. 

“Enjoy your date!”

Not bothering to correct him, Sonic called out, “Thanks again,” as he sped back to the hill. 

Upon his return, Amy stood up and sighed. 

“Sonic… let’s just go home.” 

Sonic stopped in his tracks, hiding the thread in his hand. “Huh? You’re giving up?” 

“This whole thing was silly anyway. Even if we searched all of Chun-nan, who's to say this matchmaker god isn’t just somewhere else? What are the odds we’d even come across him anyway? He probably travels everywhere all the time.” 

“I travel everywhere all the time, yet you run into me constantly.”

“I know, but…” 

She turned away. “Maybe… being uncertain… is just a part of life. Even if I find him and get the answer to this one question… I’ll just have a million more.” Her ears drooped. “It was comforting, to always believe we’d be together in the end, and I worked so hard to make that dream a reality… but, I didn’t even let myself consider whether it was your dream, too. This whole time… I was hardly listening to what your feelings were in all of this…” 

Sonic stepped up to her, taking her hand into his own.

“Then listen to me now,” he said, looking into her eyes and capturing her attention.

“Even if you’ve supposedly only been thinking about your own wish for us to be together, that hasn’t come across to me. I mean, you’ve been so much less upfront that I thought you might not be into me anymore, remember?” 

She nodded. 

“Right. So don’t let yourself feel bad about that. You’ve been an amazing friend to me ever since I met you… even if I wasn’t a fan of how clingy you were at first…” 

“I’m s-”

“Nuh-uh. You’re listening right now.” 

Amy sighed. 

“But uh, anyway… I just… I wanted to… uh…” He closed his eyes, letting out a breath. “This morning… didn’t you wonder why I was right outside your apartment when you ran into me?” 

Amy blinked, looking off into space before returning her gaze to him. “No. I… was so distracted by my plans that I didn’t even think about it.” 

“Right. Well, there’s a reason I was so willing to go along with your plans despite how suspicious they sounded, and that’s because… I was gonna ask you out.”

Amy’s mouth hung open. 

“Like… on a… date?” 

“Y-Yeah.” He looked away. “I was a bit nervous considering the whole, you know, not being sure you still had feelings thing. Plus… I was, I am… kinda worried about how you’re gonna take all this.” 

“I-I’m taking it j-just fine! Keep talking!” she urged. 

Sonic peeked at her expression. She was completely engrossed. 

“A-Alright. Anyway, I just wanted to say that… I also feel, comforted, by the thought of you… being there for me. It was a huge relief to hear you’re still interested, and… well…” 

Finally, Sonic raised his fist and uncurled his fingers, revealing the red thread in his hand. 

Amy gasped upon seeing it. She covered her mouth with her free hand. 

“Maybe life’s confusing, but… I don’t want this to be something you’re confused about anymore. Even if we never find the old man, I hope I can show you that I’ll always be there for you, no matter what…” Sonic gazed at her hopefully. “…If that’s still what you want.” 

Amy was breathing heavily, but her face was adorned with a smile. “Y-Yes,” she said. “Of course that’s what I want.”

Smiling himself, Sonic searched for one end of the thread…

…but then it shimmered in the moonlight and moved on its own, tying each end of itself in a perfect little bow around Sonic and Amy’s pinky fingers. 

“Huh?” 

“What?” 

They stared, confused and shocked. 

Amy cautiously reached for the thread with her untied hand. It gave in under her touch, but gently tugging at it only caused it to effortlessly stretch, and letting go caused it to slowly tighten back to its original state.

“Sonic,” she said, slowly looking up at him. “…Where did you get this?” 

“Uh… down in the village. I ran into some old guy and-” He froze, feeling as though the wind was knocked straight out of him. 

“Are you saying…?” 

Sonic slapped a hand over his face. “Argh! I was so focused on getting you something nice that I didn’t even realize how obvious it was that I found him!” He turned toward the village. “Maybe if we go right now he might still-”

This time, the wind really was knocked out when Amy pounced on him, delivering a crushing hug as they toppled to the ground. 

“I don’t care!” she wailed, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. “You went to get me something nice and then brought back something that made my dreams come true!” 

“Woah, are you okay?” Sonic asked, feeling a wetness on his shoulder and Amy’s chest shaking against his own.

“This is the best day of my life!” she sobbed. “What you did for me is better than anything I could’ve ever imagined!” 

Sonic wrapped his arms around her and caressed her back, letting her cry as much as she needed to. Once her breaths started to calm, he finally voiced his thoughts.

“You know, I was kinda hoping to ask you out after all this, but it feels like we’ve already been on a date since we teleported here.” 

Amy laughed. “I think most of the people who saw us today thought the same.” 

“Oh definitely.” 

Out of the blue, Amy flinched.

“Oops!” she yelped, pushing herself off his chest. “I should probably-”

Sonic kept his hands firmly on her back, gently halting her movement. “If you wanna move, that’s fine. But…” he smiled bashfully, “this is nice.” 

Amy blushed deeply. “Are you sure?” 

Reaching for her face, Sonic wiped away her old tears, the red thread trailing behind his hand’s movement. 

“I’m sure, Amy,” he said, returning to caressing her back. 

Slowly, she lowered herself back down, resting her cheek on his chest. 

“Thank you, Sonic. For… everything.” 

“And thank you, too. Today’s been a lot of fun.” He lifted his hand to get a better look at the red thread. “I’m looking forward to all the other adventures we’ll have together.” 

They stayed in each other’s arms looking out at the stars. The best part of that night, was that they could take their time laying on the hill, and then go back home with the rest of the day still there to enjoy as well.

-

Notes: Thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think about my work!

For those wondering, Amy's ringtone is "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay. I also considered making it "Can't Hide Love" by Earth, Wind & Fire but thought it was too obvious of a pick.

Also, fun fact: In the original Chinese myth, the red thread of fate is tied around each person's ankle, but I decided to keep it as being tied around their pinkies because I couldn't figure out how to incorporate it into the story naturally.

[heyo-428]

So I said i’m a comment on a post I would share my Rafal playlist with you all and I want to preface this by saying some of these songs are based off my own interpretations of his character or personal headcanons.

Tagging the sge prequel fans bc obvi

@liketwoswansinbalance @thescarlettshrimpernel @harmonyverendez @discjude @rosellemoon

The songs with reasons are all below the cut!

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!

Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift

- Do i need to explain?

Mastermind - Taylor Swift

- “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid

So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since

To make them love me and make it seem effortless

This is the first time I've felt the need to confess

And I swear

I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care”

THATS THE MOST RAFAL THING EVER

Also the last line, reminds me of the scene where he’s talking to the students and getting them to hell him fight against Rhian he says something like “if i’ve gone to far it was to protect everyone”

Sign of the Times - Harry Styles

- Idk reminds me of his death

- And “we never learn we’ve been here before” makes me think of the fact he got stabbed by the Storian in Rise and Fall and the symbolism it holds.

Mercy - Shawn Mendes

- “I’m prepared to sacrifice my life” is when he jumped in front of Rhian in Rise

Bad Habit - Steve Lacy

- “I wish I knew you wanted me”

Idk it’s giving James X Rafal yk

People I Don’t Like

- Fits his personality lmao

Murders - Miracle Musicsl

- “All for nothing at all” IS HIM DYING IN FALL LIKE “oh i did all that for rhian and got nothing in return”

Gilded Lily - Cults

- Same as above “Haven’t I given enough?”

- Also, “Always the fool with the strongest heart”

Christmas Kids - Roar

“You’ll change your, and change your mind, and leave this fucked up place behind, but I’ll know I’ll know.” Rhian killing and taking his identity and Rafal being the only who knows :(((

Heather - Conan Gray

- Another James X Rafal one but “But you like her better, I wish I was Heather,” BUT MAKE IT KYMA BECAUSE APPARENTLY JAMES AND KYMA ARE A THING? (Where did Soman find that one? Up his ass?)

Another Love - Tom Odell

- Him not being able to show sympathy for anyone else really because he’s wasted all his time and energy on Rhian

If I Killed Someone for You - Alec Benjamin

- Since Rafal had changed who he was for Rhian to be good I thought this was fitting since the point of the song is “I killed a part of myself for you, am I enough now?”

Many more Taylor Swift songs but I didn’t want my playlist to be a ton of Taylor Swift. I can’t think of some off the top of my head right now.

[fionajames]

my OCs

Sorry this took so long guys! It was long to type out and I also have a good excuse: I was at basketball and cut my big-toe-nail in half horizontally so had to clean and bandage and what not.

My puppy says hi, btw! (She sat on my lap as I typed this. She was for once not hyper and when she's like that I cuddle her as close as possible.)

@skellymom you asked to be tagged when I posted this so here you go! :D

I rlly hope y'all like this: I've had these guys for a while but never typed up all this stuff.

ALSO IF SOMEONE WANTS TO DRAW THESE GUYS (IDK WHY YOU WOULD CAUSE IM LIKE, IDK, I JUST DONT THINK PEOPLE CARE ABOUT ME AND MY STUFF) THEN GO AHEAD I WOULD LITERALLY CRY OF APPRECIATION

Enjoy!

Request things please!!!

STUFF BELOW THE CUT ITS JUST SUPER LONG!!!!!

OCs included:

Dhole

Vector

Menace

Dice

Bloodshot

Xi

Mit

Vick

Meerrt

Dhole (CT-8019)

Dhole is a member of the Coruscant Guard and has curly black hair with the ends dyed the same red as the red armour. His helmet is designed with striking resemblance to both Wolffe and Fox’s.

He has the trademark tan skin as the rest of the clones as well as dark brown eyes and two obvious scars; one on his chest and the other covering his entire left arm.

Dhole is a literal ray of sunshine and when he was a cadet, he constantly followed Wolffe and Fox around - which gave him his name. My idea is that Dholes do exist in Star Wars but they are rare and only live on one planet. Dholes look like a combination of a fox and wolf. 

Everyone in the Coruscant Guard is super protective of Dhole because he’s so sweet and literally cheers up everyone. The 104th thought Wolffe was like the scariest person ever and wasn’t soft to anyone until one day they got back from a mission and their Commander was barrelled over by an energetic ray of sunshine and the entire 104th gasped when Wolffe smiled. Their reaction was priceless.

Dhole makes friends with basically everyone, even Senators he’s in charge of watching over. One time, he befriended and saved Bail Organa who then told Fox if Fox didn’t promote Dhole, Bail would join the Separatists. Fox gladly gave Dhole the rank of ARC Trooper.

Dhole befriended Ahsoka once and when he heard about how Tarkin was being sexist and racist he grabbed his pistols to go kill him without a moments hesitation. It took Fox, Thorn and Vector holding him back to stop him.

He did the same thing when he heard Palpatine denying Fox time off work, but overall loves his job. Dhole is very sweet, but also protective in a strange way. He won’t hesitate to hurt/kill someone if they’ve hurt his friends or brothers and most likely will get away with whatever he’s done.

He’s the sunshine of the Coruscant Guard and you hurt him, you die.

Vector (CT-8124)

Vector is a member of the Coruscant Guard and best buds with Dhole. They are quite similar as they are both kind and sweet except Vector is a lot shier. Vector got his name from a little boy he saved as a shiny. The boy asked what his name was and Vector had to explain he didn’t have a name. The boy almost cried before telling Vector that they could share a name - and dubbed him Vector as that was also the boy’s name.

He is the definition of ‘the poet’ from ‘soldier, poet, king’ by the oh hellos. His smart and quiet, but when he speaks up, everyone listens. No one but Dhole really knows his opinion on his work - but he really isn’t bothered by it. The only thing Vector hates doing is paperwork because whilst he’s the best out of the Guard in getting it done fast and well, he finds it boring and time-consuming.

Vector has the same tan skin as the rest of the clones and honey gold eyes. He has brown hair that's dyed blonde on the ends. He has a scar that goes from his right eye, over his nose and then down to the base of his neck. He got the scar from a piece of shrapnel during the First Battle of Geonosis - as all clones (apart from those still on Kamino) participated in the battle.

Everyone in the Guard loves Vector - although in a different way to the way they adore Dhole - and it’s well-known that wherever Dhole is, Vector will be hiding behind him quietly in the shadows.

Vector’s helmet is the same as the regular Corrie helmet except he has a little sun emblem on the forehead - whether it's a nod to Dhole’s sunny nature or not, no one really knows.

Because Vector is so quiet and introverted, he mostly just hangs around with Dhole - and their inseparable - but he also loves Cody, as his Ori’vod respects his silence and is the only other person to figure out a type of communication Vector is okay with.

Menace (CT-7874)

Menace is like Hardcase combined with Fives as a Coruscant Guard member. He’s caff addicted because he loves the energy hit and would probs do drugs if Fox didn’t yell at him so much every time he thought out-loud what it would be like to take them. He’s done deathsticks several times but isn’t addicted cause he’s smart in how he takes them.

Menace got his name because that's what he is - a menace. He’s moody and smart, daring and proud but overall he causes enough chaos that he should be a 501st trooper. He’s best friends with Dice and Bloodshot, and is the bad influence of everyone. He’s got the classic look of a clone trooper except dark brown hair instead of black hair. Menace has a scar covering his left eyebrow from being attacked by an assassin who was trying to kill a senator. Although Menace is chaotic and stupid and fun, he’s devoted to his work and does work very well. He’s kind of like the Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine Nine) of the Coruscant Guard. Menace is the ‘soldier’ again from ‘soldier, poet, king’ by the oh hellos. He’s strong and dedicated, and too determined to be knocked down.

Him, Hardcase and Fives get along like a house on fire and have collectively taken days of sleep from Rex and Fox. His helmet is the classic Corrie helmet although the top left side is completely painted black with licking ginger flames around it - to symbolise Menace’s first helmet which got destroyed in a bombing.

Dice (CT-6346)

Dice has short black hair, tan skin and brown eyes - like the classic clone look. He’s never bothered to change his hair or anything. He has a burn scar that covers his right eye and eyebrow, and a torso scar from his left ankle all the way up his leg and back that ends at his collarbone. Dice is also a member of the Coruscant Guard. He’s the definition of the moon personality - very private about his anxieties and such. 

Captain Rex met Dice when he was a shiny and gave him his name upon witnessing the clone bargain his way out of a situation. Dice is a legend and board/card games and is incredibly smart. When dealing with a particularly hard case, Fox always turns to Dice for help. He’s smart, thoughtful and calculating, but he’s a really nice person too. He’s not introverted or extroverted and is just happy to help. Dice loves his work because he loves the challenges different cases provide and finds them interesting to explore. 

Dice has the classic Corrie clone trooper helmet except a red dice simple in the middle of the forehead.

Whilst Dice is best friends with Menace and Bloodshot, he’s really close with Rex because he’s the one who gave him his name. Dice can be a little chaotic but he’s usually pretty chill - but always chill with Rex. They get along so well because Rex seems him as a combination of Fives and Echo - smart, funny, kind and everything else.

Bloodshot (CT-3496)

Bloodshot is the ‘king’ of ‘soldier, poet, king’ by the oh hellos, and he’s the most serious of the group. He and Fox get along like a house on fire because their both so tired of the Guard’s antics. He’s a sweet and kind guy and quiet but not in a shy way. Quiet in a menacing way. 

Bloodshot has short light brown hair, tan skin and brown eyes, and he’s extremely fit. He has a going from his stomach up his chest, over his neck that hooks around his right ear. He got the scar when he was attacked by an assassin - crazy similar to Menace. He’s dedicated to his work because its his work and no one really knows his other thoughts on the topic.

Bloodshot’s helmet is a regular Corrie helmet with splotches of red over the eyes and a red ‘blood-drop’ on the forehead.

Bloodshot got his name because he drinks a lot of caff - religiously, like man must drink caff - and that causes his eyes to go bloodshot quite a lot. He’s humble about how talented he is as a fighter and extremely quick-witted. When Bloodshot yells ‘Shut up!’ everyone freezes. He’s not the eagerest to do things, but isn’t lazy in the slightest.

If someone is upset you can count on Bloodshot and Dhole going to hunt down and kill whoever hurt their Vod. 

No one really understands why Menace, Dice and Bloodshot are so close but they click in a way that you can tell means their platonic soulmates and the truest of brothers.

Bloodshot managed to gain Plo Koon’s love when he rescued a stray-runaway-Youngling and returned her to the Kel Dor. He’s the Ori’vod of the group and is the only possible (apart from Dhole) who can convince Fox to sleep, and takes his responsibility with pride. Although, he probably needs sleep just as much as the Commander.

Xi (CT-5113)

Xi is a member of the 501st and has wavy black hair that falls to just below his ears, brown eyes, tan skin and a small Republic symbol tattooed on his nose. He also has a scar from the tip of his middle finger on his right hand that travels up to his elbow that he got from a crash-landing. 

Xi is sort of a combination between the soldier and king from (yet again) ‘soldier, poet, king’ by the oh hellos. He’s funny and kind yet courageous and loyal. Rex is extremely proud of Xi because he’s done many things that have rightfully earned him his ARC Trooper status. Although many people don’t believe it at first, Xi is a strangely good mechanic - and is often the one to fix things in time-ticking situations. 

He’s best friends with Mit and is absolutely obsessed with music. Like, most listen to music. 

Other than Rex and Mit, Xi gets on with Jesse and Fives amazingly as they share several similar personality traits. They once had a bit too much to drink and got lost on Coruscant but that's a story for another time. 

Ahsoka and Xi also get along because Xi is always by her side - no matter what. He would be crushed if anything happened to her. Like his Padawan, Anakin and Xi are friends because of their loyalty, but also love for mechanics. It’s not rare to find them ranting about mechanics together.

Xi’s helmet is similar to Fives except he has painted a blue ‘scar’ over the right eye to match Anakin’s and the left half of the face has Ahsoka’s face markings except in blue. There are two ‘teardrops’ underneath the right eye - which Tup later copied. 

Xi is slightly more extroverted then he is introverted but he hides his emotions a lot because he fears that he is being weak and that others have bigger problems than him so he shouldn’t complain. One time, he bottled his emotions up for so long he eventually shattered and Rex spent hours with him calming him down.

Mit (CT-5114)

Mit has a black buzzcut, tan skin and gold eyes with several small scars but none extremely big or noticeable. He’s a member of the 501st and was promoted to ARC Trooper at the same time as Xi for an amazing mission they completed all by themselves. His helmet is the ARC Trooper helmet - like Fives’ - but he has the visor outlined in blue - like Rex’s - and two matching teardrops to Xi’s under the right eye. He has a star personality as he is fun to be around and focuses on enjoying life. Mit’s funny, soft, gentle and brave and contrasts Xi in several ways. Mit is more of a rules-follower than Xi and gets along with Echo well because of it. He and Kix also get along for reasons they don’t really understand.

Mit’s a bit more introverted than extroverted, which contrasts well with Xi, who’s the opposite. Whilst Xi bottles up his emotions, Mit is a lot calmer than that, and very in control of his negative emotions. If he really needs to vent, he will go to Xi or Kix. 

Mit really loves reading, and will basically read anything he can get his hands on. It’s not rare to find him dangling from his bed with a datapad scrolling through a book too deeply fixated to hear anything anyone else is saying. 

Because he loves to read so much, Mit is the resident clone-translator, and together he and Obi-Wan have translated many things for the others. Sometimes, the two will have conversations in front of others in a different language just to annoy them, and that's where their friendship formed. Mit once saved a small Nautolan boy who only spoke Nautila and managed to get him home. Whilst Xi is good at mechanics, Mit is smart in languages and random knowledge, and the pair use those skills to help the 501st get out of a lot of difficult situations.

Vick (CT-2323)

Vick has neatly cut black hair, tan skin and brown eyes - the classic clone look, just like Dice. He has three triangular scars on his right arm and a scar covering his stomach that he earned when he was attacked by a beast during a mission. He’s a member of the 212th. Vick is the soul/heart as he is very upfront with his beliefs and heart-strong instead of head-strong. He’s sarcastic, brave and kind with everything he does and Cody adores him for it.

Vick’s helmet is the classic 212th clone trooper helmet with two yellow triangles - points facing down - on the cheeks. He’s best friends with Meerrt as they balance each other out extremely well.

Vick is close with Cody as they share the same stupid recklessness but love for the others of their troops and their General. Obi-Wan and Vick get along very well after Vick, Cody, Meerrt and Obi-Wan once got stranded together on a mission and they all discovered Vick’s strange talent in tea-brewing. Now, when they want tea, they hunt down Vick and beg him to make them the drink.

Vick hates drugs and deathsticks but likes to drink on the occasion, as it helps numb the constant reminder of the war. Cody and him sometimes barricade themselves in the barracks and drink till they can’t remember their names in sorrow, side by side for comfort.

When the 212th were on Ryloth, Vick befriended a Twi’lek boy who he constantly denies having a crush on - but most of the 212th don’t believe him. They manage to catch up occasionally and Vick always comes back grinning.

Vick absolutely adores learning about new and different cultures - not the food, as Meerrt has asked several times, no, he loves learning about their non-food-culture. Upon going to new planets, he sticks with Obi-Wan if they don’t speak the same language and asks for translations, which the General happily does.

Meerrt (CT-2361)

Meerrt looks the same as Vick although his hair is slightly longer and scruffier. There is a burn scar covering his left ear and as a result the hair around it was singed slightly so he buzzed it and also has weaker hearing in that ear. 

When Vick, Obi-Wan, Cody and him were stranded and they discovered Vick’s tea-making skills, Meerrt got burned in the crash that led to his scar.

He has the classic 212th helmet with a yellow sun emblem on the forehead - similar to Vector’s - and yellow stars on the sides. 

Meerrt loves astronomy deeply and endlessly, and spends hours researching it. He has a sun personality meaning he’s slightly more extroverted and bubbly, all smiles for days. He’s encouraging, sweet and funny and the kinda guy you go to for a hug.

Meerrt gets on with Cody because he can cuddle up to the Commander and not get reprimanded or teased for it. Sometimes a clone needs sleep and affection. He also gets along well with Waxer as they both met little kids they sheltered and protected for a bit.

Meerrt met a little Togrutan boy whilst on a mission - who later turned out to be Force-sensitive and was taken to the Temple - who he immediately bonded with. Meerrt had a breakdown when they were separated and stayed gloomy for weeks.

Meerrt doesn’t really like alcohol, deathsticks or anything of the sort but juice like its water. Whenever he can, Meerrt buys as much juice as possible to keep and savour. 

Meerrt is a really heavy sleeper and - like most other clones - often has night terrors. He’s mostly silent during these - unlike Vick who screams and thrashes like he’s being attacked and makes everyone pity him - but often seeks comfort from either Vick or Cody afterwards and have a cup of hot chocolate.

Meerrt’s favourite planet they’ve been to is Naboo - where he first participated in the Blue Shadow Virus mission - and he’s visited several times. He once met Padme who showed him around her planet and they built a sweet friendship because of it. 

*sighs* that was VERY long and I apologise to anyone who read all of that.

Thoughts on my ocs, please share?!

If anyone wants oneshots/headcanons with these guys (or not!) please please please pleasseeeee tell me!!!!!!

Have a lovely day/night/whatever your time is!!!

[seidenbros]

Hello you lovely people. 💚 I can't believe that there's really 1.5 k of you following me and I feel so honoured and blessed because I got to meet so many wonderful people. Of course, something like that calls for a celebration. The celebration will run until February 5th 2023 because that's my birthday, and I think that's a good date to stop that. Instead of writing myself, I'm going to give you a list of prompts (SFW, NSFW and scenarios). Just send me an ask telling my which prompt you want to do (you can combine them AND they can be done by multiple people) and which pairing you want to write it for (The Witcher and Stranger Things, any pairing you want). I'll read all of them, reblog them, and compile a list at the end to get them all together. When you post it, please tag me and tag it with #staffis 1.5 k celebration Among all those who reblog this post and who help spread the word, I will give away five sets (maybe more, we'll see) of stickers, and among those who write for this, I will give away 3 handpainted bags with the Hellfire Club Logo and little Eddie on the other side.

Gonna put the prompts below the cut, because otherwise, it wil probably be way too long. If you have any questions, my askbox is open. This is a way to celebrate, as well as spreading some love for other writers 💚💚

Lyric Prompts

“Every time that we meet I skip a heartbeat.” (Heartbeat - Scouting for Girls)

“I will always be right here to hold your hand.” (The Little Things - Keywest)

“Cause I need you so much, I can’t lose you.” (Hole in My Heart - Luke Friend)

“I’m not perfect, but I keep trying!” (Perfect - Hedley)

“Sometimes you make me a better person, sometimes you bring out the worst.” (Little Too Much - Natasha Beddingfield)

“If you wanna fight, I’ll stand right beside you!” (The Heart Never Lies - McFly)

“You have stolen my heart.” (Stolen - Dashboard Confessional)

“Let’s compare scars, I’ll tell you whose is worse.” (Swing Life Away - Rise Against)

“If I can’t have you right now, I’ll wait dear.” (Patience- Guns n’  Roses)

“I love you till the end of time. Come what may!” (Come What May - Moulin Rouge OST)

“For the person 15-year-old me would be proud to have known.” (Battle Cries - The Amazing Devil)

“Baby, you’re all that I need.” (Bed of Roses - Bon Jovi)

“I know there’s someone out there feeling just like I feel.” (Handwritten - The Gaslight Anthem)

“You’re the only one I see, love, and that’s the one thing that won’t change.” (Never Stop - SafetySuit)

“I love her because she moves in her own way.” (She Moves in Her Own Way - The Kooks)

“Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer.” (Thunder - Boys Like Girls)

“I know it’s late, but I had to get out and… somehow I ended up at your door.”

SFW Prompts

“Of course I came for you. I will always be there for you, no matter what!”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t want you to see me like that.”

“Where does all the blood come from? Are you hurt? Wait… This isn’t your blood!”

“Oh God, what on earth have you done now?”

“I am so in love with you and it hurts like hell that you don’t even notice!”

“I hate to ask this of you, but can you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?”

“You have no idea how much I want to choke you right now!” “Ohh kinky.” “Not like that!”

“You know, a hug can be like medicine and make some of the pain go away. Wanna try?”

“Will you please, please just kiss me now?”

“I’ll kick his ass, if you want me to. No problem at all!”

“Is it okay, if we just lie down and watch a movie? I’m not feeling so good.”

“The frosting goes on the cupcakes! You’re not supposed to eat it just like that!”

“I just want to be alone, is that so hard to understand?”

“It breaks my heart to see you like this!”

“Even after everything we’ve been through, I’d still choose you. I will always choose you!”

“Scoot over, I’m gonna get in bed with you. You need some cuddles.”

“It’s alright! It was just a dream, you’re safe here. Tell me all about it so I can fix it, hm?”

“I know it’s not the best, but-” “I love it!”

“I really wish I was enough for you, but that’s never gonna happen.”

“Well then, who do you like?” “Oh, maybe the person I talk to all the time, the person I talk to every fucking day!” “You talk to me every day.” “Yeah…” “Oh!”

NSFW Prompts

“How about you put these lips to work instead of just talking all the time?”

“Will you stop talking, or do I have to make you shut up?”

“Don’t hide from me. Let me see you!”

“I need to feel you… Now!”

“I had a dream about you last night. Woke up hard/wet. Wanna hear about it?”

“Are you gonna be a good girl/boy for me?”

“Care to elaborate why you are going through my drawer and what you’re planning to do with that vibrator?”

“Now, now, don’t play shy now. Let me hear you!”

“You taste like heaven, and I can’t get enough.”

“Stop wiggling around, I’m trying to sleep! Wait… what’s tha… oh!”

“Fuck… just… right there! That feels so good!”

“Feel what you’re doing to me? That’s all because of you!”

“Take off your clothes. Slowly. I want to watch you.”

“I know you said no marks… But what if I put them where nobody except for me will see them?”

“You act all innocent and look so sweet, but I know what a dirty mind you really have.”

“We have to be quiet. If you make a sound, I’ll have to stop!”

“You tell me to stop teasing you, yet you moan all the time.”

“When I tell you to sit on my face, I want you to sit, is that clear?”

“Oh no, don’t stop on my account. I’m really enjoying the view.”

“I don’t like being told what to do, unless I’m naked. So can we move that to the bedroom?”

“Can I watch you?”

Scenarios

A is talking on the phone to someone, while B comes up behind A and successfully distracts A with kisses to the neck, making A end the call early.

Baking together for the first time, which ends with flour and other ingredients where they don’t belong, and lots of laughter.

Lying in each others arms after having sex, while A finally confesses their feelings, and B falls asleep before they can even hear it.

Tracing your fingers over your lover’s freckles or even connecting them with a pen while they are asleep.

Sitting in silence watching the stars, hands inching closer, until they finally interlace their fingers, smiling to themselves.

Giving your crush your scarf and your gloves in cold weather, because you want to keep them warm.

Waking up to your lover pressed against your back, already awake, but they don’t want to get up just yet.

Coming home to find your lover made a pillow fort, ordered pizza and already got a movie set up for you to watch in that fort.

Going to a family wedding with your best friend, who you introduced as you boy-/girlfriend so that your family doesn’t try to set you up with someone - that means you’ll also share a bed for the night.

Coming home to smoke in the kitchen, because your lover wanted to make a cake for you, but is an absolute disaster in the kitchen.

Teaching your crush how to dance, because they want to know the basics for an event, which ends in lots of body contact, beating hearts, and an invitation to be their date for said event.

Being on the phone with your lover and they tell you “I love you” for the first time before hanging up, which makes for a very interesting next meeting.

Being at a loss for words, not able to express how you feel, so you just pull the other one close and kiss them instead. Actions speak louder than words.

Making it through a family dinner or some other event to come home and help each other out of these clothes. Unzipping a dress, unbuttoning a shirt with lots of soft touches and kisses that turn carnal at one point.

You come home drunk from a party, and your partner takes care of you, makes sure you get to bed safe, have enough water, and you tell them that you appreciate it, but there’s this wonderful person, who already has your heart, so you have to behave.

Going for a drive in the middle of the night, because you both can’t sleep, listening to your favourite songs and singing along, trying to be louder than the other one.

Surprising your loved one with recreating your first date, asking them if they remember all of that.

Scars tell the story of where we’ve been, they are a part of us, and you show that to your loved one with kissing all of their scars.

Gonna tag some mutuals who might enjoy this 💚 @thefreakandthehair @indouloureux @magnoliabutters @jadeylovesmarvelxo @sweetpeapod @ethereal27cereal @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @latenitewolves @amzngdevil @luteandsword @tellhound @jesskier @writingmysanity @dancingwiththefae @wren-of-the-woods @flowercrown-bard @kodiakwhiskey @open--till--midnight

[bettimbellis]

A Collage (of Yelling)

I saw someone do something like this to advertise their fic- they linked the fic, and then put in a little collage of various comment snippets. I can’t find the post to show off- someone please do let me know if you’ve seen that, I want to credit them. 

Either way, my Hollow Knight post-Black-Egg-Temple fic (linked here) has 209 comment threads on it. I’ve gone through and found some bits. These bits were mostly chosen for entertainment/intrigue value out of context- a lot of my favorite comments didn’t get in. 

Got some good reviews there, I think. Anyone wanna see the collection I have of Discord screenshots from folks yelling at me about this fic?  (Seriously though, thank all of y’all who comment, yell in the tags, whatever- I love it. Really helps keep the writing muse going, too.)

Image descriptions below the cut. 

[Image ID: a collection of bits of text placed on a light green background, in several groups. Text is as follows. 

Excuse me who gave you the right to hit me with this line at seven in the morning”, with an arrow pointing to the left. also it feels like there are many things to be concerned about lmao  God, Hollow is such a poor baby. A lanky wet cat left in the rain. Hollow, that feeling is love, dear, no need to feel so confused about it. Hornet, my sad dumb little spider baby, go to bed. in summary holy shit this is fucked sounds like stressTM can these characters stop being so relatable good Lird *smacks my face* Hornet. Hornet. the fuck HOLY FUCKING SHIT [all caps] It was so soft!!!! And then it became *so goddamn angsty-* *squints harder*  Wet rag is my new favorite character. *thunks my head on a wall* Gosh darn it Oro course you had to have integrity But also OW MY HEART?! SHATTERED?1 POOR BABY HOLLOW IM GONNA CRY Gosh dang. The last chapter was a little lighter, but apparently you were just holding back for this one.  (Chp. 3) I stg this whole chapter made my emotions whip back and forth between “awww :)” and “awwh :(” and “oh. Oh no baby do not think like that”.  Augh. just, augh. / ...except that bit at the end. ...except that last sentence, ‘cause, yeah. / *hides face in hands* this has been exhausting for everyone, apparently. Hollow knight or: when you are so touch starved that your standards for touch that you want are somewhere in the abyss that has spawned you.  Whatever the FUCK happened in the last section is Oh Lord Oh God What The Heeeeeellll Ohhhh My Goood No Waaayyyy... Will be waiting for the next chapter STARING at ao3...

i was so relieved to read this that i accidentally put my phone in airplane mode trying to respond “it is startled out of its pleasant memory-” pLEASANT???? PLEASANT!?! Hollow no. HOLLOW NO- / why does this for some reason almost feel like fluff.  My urge to keysmash at you is strong Just. God. Everything about this is so fucked in so many ways.

Something about this line just makes me want to. Maybe stab the king in the chest. Repeatedly. And then throw them off a bridge. Idk Actually many things about this chapter make me want to stab the king in the chest repeatedly and then throw them off a bridge. Because *holy shit* Hollow, honey, you have so much trauma. OMG ghost, what have you done [stressed emoji] Okay then. Well. Um. That’s a lot to happen.  God it’s such a mess Ah yes, the eldritch nonsense trying to approximate a living creature, my beloved PK you ass. PK you absolute ASS get over here I wanna hit you with something heavy-  oh / im immediately punched in the face okay thank you for that Right off the bat I am mildly excited about this chapter solely because you played with text formatting and that makes my serotonin levels rise. I don’t know why but thank you for that.  CONFUSION SOUP I’M FHDHDJFKFKGH I wanna join the cuddle pile :<<< let me in [holding Hollow gently in both hands] / I will get you all the fresh-dirt-scented soap Fucking superb you funky little vessels. Oh boy! Spiraling!

Oh this chapter hurts ‘specially bad. Because it wasn’t enough to be possessed and neglected and quite literally tortured and driven insane, now we gotta have more medical issues and amnesia-  I fuckign cried at this one, oh my god. Pain is always a tearjerker, but it’s nothing compared to someone who’s been in pain so long finally getting that first big moment of *realizing they’re wanted* and *heard* and *healing*  And I gotta say, (this is gonna sound bad) I really do love Hollow’s victim blaming. Or how it’s written. I love how you write characters in pain <333 “Oh, just a quick chapter to read before bed,” I thought to myself. “I will enjoy it and feel a normal and manageable level of emotions about it.” / ...Thanks for making me all teary in the wee hours, now I’ll never get to sleep! (...I mean this as praise.) Oh. Oh Hollow. So wrapped up in the need to be useful. So incapable still of seeing that their own gut-wrenching familial love might be returned in kind, whether they have some designated purpose for their existence or not.  Yeah. Relieved. / Oh, Hollow... You have already left kudos here :) [three times] / Have I ever been told the definition of insanity?  honestly the body horror was the /least/ disturbing thing in this chapter. not to say! that it was not disturbing - even then, less the horror and more the. context. i want to punch TPK. into a lake. that is on fire.

First comment of my first reread, and MAN. This opening hits just as hard the second time.  Keep in mind Hollow Knight was made by Australian people Hollow 100% deserves a nice date at the palace if they so wish. anyway, I feel very emo about Hollow, all the time.  HOLLOW IS LETTING THEMSELVES HAVE WILL, LET’S GOOOOOO Ghost is doing Fine:tm:, Hornet is doing Fine:tm:, Hollow is *actually* doing pretty well Good news! Hollow is an emotional wreck!  Hornet is doing sooo normal right now (lying).

TLDR; amazing story, glorious update, poor Grimm, I Am Desperate For Shield Lore, someone please tell Ghost it isn’t their fault, the entire gaggle of siblings needs a group hug, I Am Going To Put The Pale King’s Corpse Through A Shredder, and Hornet needs another good cry. 

anyways fuck you for writing this keep it up

[amaranthhiding]

A Metal Pursued by the Witless is FINISHED!

(Yep, you read that right. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s done. I posted all three final chapters in one go.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43389420

Pairings: Sam/Rowena Rating: Explicit Words: 46,557 Chapters: 11/11 Tags: Adventure & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Action, Humor, Magic, Witchcraft, Curse Breaking, Travel to Exotic Location, Soft Rowena, Protective Sam, Protective Rowena, Mutual Pining, Sam POV, Rowena POV Prompt: SPN RarePairTober 2022 day 19 prompt “Fool’s Gold” Summary: Rowena shows up at the bunker after she has been targeted by a lethal curse with the sole goal of destroying her. Under the shadow of this ticking timer of doom, she and Sam are left with a handful of days to prevent a slow, painful death. The search for a cure sees them on a last-minute flight to Central America. (Or my attempt to escape the cold and gray of real-life winter by traveling to faraway places in my mind.)

Cover created by the author [The hidden jaguar silhouette in the image above is taken from silhouettegarden.com.]

Excerpt of chapter 9 under the cut:

For several long seconds, the silence was broken by nothing but the low hum of magic near the stairway. Then she heard something like a cough, certain it stemmed from the opening in the ground. Oh, bloody Hell. She really had to crawl over there in the most undignified manner, didn't she? At least the Coven wouldn't bear witness. That small reserve of strength she'd found somewhere inside of herself was used up like nothing as she pulled herself through the grass. Despite her own labored breaths, she tried to listen intently so that she wouldn't miss any further sounds from below. Her body seemed to consist of nothing but pain at this point and she just wanted it to stop, to receive a single moment of peace so that she could catch her breath again. But alas, she was well aware there were only two possible paths out of this for her, and one of those ended in Hellfire. The other… She heard a quiet splash, somewhere deep down in the darkness of the lower level of the ruins, followed by another cough. And then a breathless call of her own name, tinged in enough desperation that it touched that frozen spot inside of her which she'd only recently discovered was still alive. If she hadn't made up her mind already, she surely would have now. After one last glance at her dead nemesis who had so kindly shown her the way, she thought, 'To Hell with it all,' and rolled herself over the edge of that dark opening with all the elegance of a felled tree. As she dropped through the air rapidly, she thought that if Sam did even so much as hint again that he didn't have her trust, she'd forever remind him of this moment. Cold water broke her fall none too gently, causing new pain to surge through her body. The waves of her impact crashed down on her, surrounding her from all sides and pulling her deeper, ever deeper. Having lost all sense of direction, she struggled weakly in the doomed attempt to swim with a body that had given up on her. As water rushed into her lungs, she thought that maybe she should have chosen Hellfire after all. Then she felt an arm around her midsection that steered her back to the water surface where she coughed and wheezed for air even more vehemently than before. Sam's body was warm in the cold water, giving her a focal point as she got her bearings, blinking against the drops splashing into her face. Read the full story on AO3. @spnrarepairbunker

[xxwritemeastoryxx]

WIP Purge

Where my untouched and forgotten work in progress goes to the trash bin. But before they meet their demise, I figured I'd show you what is being tossed and give my thoughts on them before they never see the sunshine again.

However, if in the future a part of me feels like I can go back to it, this is the post where it will be saved. Unless tumblr eats my tags and I never find it again after this is posted.

ANYWAYS! From what I can tell, no major warnings are needed for what is below the cut. Please note that this is in fact a very long post filled with commentary that is either ramblings, me occasionly giving thoughts in bold mid wip to address things, and so on.

This is mostly for you guys to see what could have been as well as some comedy. If you have any thoughts on these, please feel free to comment on them. I really want to know what you guys think.

Have fun! And thank you for participating in this purge.

Eyes On Me

If I'm not mistaken this had been a request that just fell through the cracks before I had my breakdown. This one was from when I first started attempting to write for MCU characters. I tried going back and rereading and replanning this fic, but everything I tried to do didn't work. So it sat there unfinished. Maybe one day I'll come back and give Druig another try.

I need you to come back to me.

The words may have been rushed and loud to anyone that had been close by but to Y/N she couldn’t even hear them. Her mind blocking out the words in one way or another. Images flashed before her eyes. Ones that she’d hardly recognized but felt oh so familiar to her.

I don’t want to hurt you. Come back.

The words were muffled in comparison to the chaos that echoed within Y/N’s ears. The screams of the scared and injured only gripped the hold on Y/N tighter that it felt like she couldn’t breathe. Death and destruction louder than the calming words that were being attempted to bring her back from the madness that was consuming her.

What Y/N didn’t know was (What didn't she know?!?! Cause I sure as hell don't remember lmao. )

“She’s struggling.” He said as he shook his head. “One moment she’s fine and she can fight it off, but in the next it’s like-” He couldn’t find the right words to explain the battle Y/N would lose with herself. Druig’s mind only comes up with the smallest comparison to Thena that very night in Tenochtitlan.

“As if she is stuck in between the past and the present.” Gilgamesh said with a nod in understanding. “You grow worried with how long she’ll be able to fight it off before you’re fighting her to come back to you.” His eyes landed on Thena as she brought a glass up to her lips and took a drink. “Some days it is as easy as telling her a few words, and other days it takes a while to break through to her.”

They both watched as Y/N and Thena began to toss their heads back in laughter at whatever was said in their conversation. The details were unknown to the men, but it was something that had actually brought a smile to both of their faces. The two women had been close before they all had gone their separate ways.

Thena only ever laughed that hard when Y/N was around. And it was only ever Thena that could ever get Y/N to be still for longer than five minutes. Though over time Y/N had been able to adapt and be content with boredom, it was then that both Druig and Gilgamesh had seen how calm Y/N was.

“What caused it?” Gilgamesh asked a moment later.

“We take trips when she needs them.” Druig began. “Staying in one spot gets to her at times. She chose the destination not knowing what to expect, it had been centuries since she had last visited. When we arrived, we were met with war among the civilians. She killed ten humans before I was able to get through to her.”

I REALLY REALLY loved the relationship between the reader and Thena. I really wanted that sibling relationship between them, and it just sucks that my brain refuses to make this fic work.

—--------

Untitled Shower Thoughts

Legit, if you looked at the doc name it's what the name of it is. I had an idea mid-shower for this particular scene but for the life of me, I cannot remember what it was for. But it was going to be angsty apparently. I don't even know what character was supposed to be used for this one either.

"What changed?"

There was a time that I felt peace with you by my side. I never went without and you showed me what it was like to be loved. But it wasn't me who changed. " She shook her head slightly. "You left. Maybe not physically but you weren't here with me. Together, I longed for the peace we had, the longing hurt. And the days you were on a mission, I felt peace."

For a moment she believed that as she said the words there would be some kind of ache in her chest. Some guilt at falling out of love for him. Some anger at him for leaving as he always did, even when she asked him to stay. All she felt was as if she was talking to an old friend she hadn't seen in a while. He may not have admitted to himself, but Y/N knew he has left long before she even began to feel lonely.

—--------

ONLY WITH YOU

All I know was this was supposed to be a request that I couldn't bring myself to finish before I did a 'reset.' It was going to be one of those 'Everyone lives in the Avengers Tower' fics and I cant remember what it was that made me not want to finish it. Maybe it was the fact that in my notes for this, that this was supposed to be tooth rotting fluff and the tooth rotting stuff I couldn't get my brain to focus on.

When Y/N first officially met Loki, she had just returned from a mission she had been on for the last few weeks. Just like many had, she had witnessed the events of New York first hand. While she hadn’t fought him face to face like some of the others, she had been happy to see the man in cuffs and being taken back to Asgard. And when the news began to spread that the Asgardian would be returning to New York, she was against it. An agreement had been made and she wasn’t the only one who shared the same views.

By the time she returned, the team had already gone through the motions of being on standby for Loki’s arrival. He and Thor had taken up residency on one of the floors of Avengers Tower for a whole week before Y/N returned. And when she met the God of Mischief….

{Insert details things} (What details cause none of it is happening)

In the end, Y/N left with tears of frustration in her eyes. Minutes after leaving the room she volunteered herself for the next mission even though she had just gotten back. Anything to put some space between them after an interaction like that one.

Months had come and gone with Y/N doing what she could to avoid Loki. While at first it had been out of anger and hatred, now it had been mostly for the sake of giving him whatever space he needed. To allow him to adjust to a life not only on Earth, but working to be a part of the Avengers.

Y/N knew this wasn’t easy for anyone. Not when there was an occasional throwing New York in Loki’s face from time to time. Most of the Avengers were on high alert with Loki around. And when he was put on missions, chaos usually ensued when some of them felt as though they couldn’t turn their backs on him. Even Y/N had been guilty of doing the same when they first started going on missions together.

It wasn’t until their next mission together that something seemed to change between the two.

When Y/N woke up in the med bay, she wasn't surprised to see the familiar faces of Natasha or even Steve talking as they sat beside her bed. What she had been surprised by was Loki standing by the entryway to her little sectioned off room. There was a look of relief on his face as he watched her eyes open and watched as her eyes focused on him. He gave her a slight nod of his head before turning and walking away.

“How long have I been out?” She asked a moment later as she ran her hand along her forehead. There was an echo of an ache that was currently making it’s presence known the longer she was awake.

“Almost two weeks.” Steve said as he leaned forward in his chair.

“We weren’t sure how much longer we could take you not being around.” Natasha said jokingly as she laid out the blanket on top of Y/N. “Some more than others couldn’t leave your side.”

“That someone being you?” Y/N asked as she looked over at Natasha with a small smile pulling at her lips.

Natasha chuckled. “Someone actually has me beat.” She noted before looking towards the entryway.

While Loki wasn’t there anymore, Y/N knew exactly who Natasha had been talking about. If she hadn’t seen Loki there when she first woke up, she wasn’t sure if she’d believe what Natasha was telling her.

Y/N’s eyebrow raised slightly. “Really?”

“He only leaves your side when someone else comes to visit you.” Steve added. “I’ll admit when he carried you in, we weren’t exactly accepting of the idea.”

“We had no idea what was going on after your coms went out

I really wish I had finished this one. But I also think the lack of interaction with my Loki fics just depresses me and I think that's a reason that I've kind of stopped writing things for him. Bummer I know.

—---------

Untitled Elijah Fluff

Apparently I can't finish the fluffy things my brain tries to come up with.

For the first time in quite some time, things had been quiet. Threats didn’t come and go as frequently or there was no need to be constantly looking over their shoulders for something that may or may not be coming after them. And for once The Mikaelson family could easily let their guard down and actually enjoy life.

Klaus, Hope and Hayley had found themselves on a family trip across Europe. All of it as educational as they could make it while letting Hope take in other parts of the world. A chance for her to grow and learn things that only HaYley or Klaus could teach her as the hybrids they were.

As for the rest of the Mikaelsons, they stayed put in New Orleans in hopes of making the city better. A chance to unite the factions and make the city thrive in a way that it never had before. And it was working for the most part. Even they knew that not everything would run smoothly while attempting to make things better.Nothing ever more than they could handle in the process. Not when the leaders of the factions were moving to make the same peace the Mikaelsons wanted.

Y/N and Elijah had been lounging in the study. Each of them with a book in their hands. While Elijah was catching up on his reading, Y/N had been reading a grimoire that had been passed down to her. It had been the first time she had actually sat down and went through it.

There was a time Y/N had believed her family had lost the grimoire years before she had become of age. After facing their last threat, Y/N found it among the ruins of her family home. It took her some time before she actually decided to crack open the book and peek at the pages. But once she had, she didn’t regret it.

The pages had been filled with spells and details that she hadn’t believed were possible. Spells such as these ones should be hoped to keep out of the wrong hands. And as she flipped through the pages, she would seal the page with a spell making it only visible to those with the best intentions of using the spell.

But in the last hour, her eyes had been glued to a spell that occupied one of the pages. The design on the page had been intricate. Words covered the page in a language she wasn’t sure she could even pronounce, let alone read in that moment. But it was the images that were drawn on the page that held her attention.

Vines grew up along the page towards the top of it. A handful of seeds drawn as if it had been the one to drop the seeds into the ground that allowed the vines to grow and thrive. Intertwined in the vines had a few different images of life.

Y/N stared at the spell in front of her. She must have read and reread it several times since she had found it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she translated on the page for the millionth time trying to make sure she had in fact translated the spell correctly.

With each word that came out the same each time, excitement rose within her. For each word that had gotten her mind to click in the correct order, it made her heart race. And when she got to the very last word, a gasp passed her lips at the realization of what she found.

"What is it?" Elijah asked from across the room.

He had been watching her for the last several minutes. He had watched as she had been so focused on the page in front of her that she hadn't even heard him speak to her moments before. With every tilt of her head and every purse of her lips as she worked on it.

Y/N's head shot up at his words. The first time she registered his voice in a while. She could see the curious look on Elijah's face and all she could do was smile at him. She couldn't even make the words form that were wanting to be said. She didn't know how to say them without getting anyone's hopes up.

Not with this. Not with the potential to bring a new life into the world. Where loopholes can be had. Someone in her family was crazy enough to do it. She just needed someone other than the love of her life to be the first one to hear it.

She gave him a smile as she got up from her seat, the book closing with her pointer finger holding its place. She walked over to him, before leaning in and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I promise to explain later." She said before standing straight. "I just need to talk to your sister before anything."

"Freya isn't here." He said with a raised brow as he watched her begin to turn and walk out of their study.

"I never said I needed Freya." She said as she looked over her shoulder at him before leaving the room altogether.

Elijah shook his head and chuckled as he heard her feet pick up as she rushed to find Rebekah. As she did, there was a flicker of hope that ignited within him. If this was the spell he believed it to be, things would surely change around there for the better.

—---

Enchanted

This fic had notes to be a song fic to Taylor Swift. But I have no idea where the hell I was going with this fic. I think reader was supposed to have her memories compelled away and the familiarity of things was supposed to trigger something to remembering her first night meeting Elijah. But once again, I can't get my brain to want to come back to this one.

"You seem rather uninterested to be here." The voice was familiar in a way that Y/N couldn't help but turn around rather quickly, her drink almost spilling over the rim as she turned.

The moment she had turned, there was no recognition of the person who spoke moments before. Even as her eyes wandered over the man before her in the three-piece suit. His brown eyes took in her appearance just as she had, but there was a gleam in his eyes that had screamed at Y/N that he was familiar with her. As if he knew her more intimately than she believed.

She quickly shook the thoughts from her head, before giving him a small smile. "Unfortunately any time I'm dragged to an event such as this one, I tend to grow bored with it halfway through the night. Attend one and you've seen all of them."

That caused a small smirk to pull at the man's lips. The smirk itself had caused something to stir within Y/N, but the source of it all was still buried deep within her. Something that she was questioning more as the minutes passed.

"And what of our hosts?" He asked curiously as he tucked one hand into his pant’s pocket. "I'm sure they'd be worried if a benefactor such as yourself was uninterested in this get-together."

"The Salvatores have the city's best interest at heart." Y/N knew that was a lie. She knew that it was the farthest from the truth. That this party was nothing more than to reach into the deep pockets of the benefactors of the city to ensure their organization was continuously thriving. "My continuous contributions don't mean they are aiming to please their guests once boredom strikes."

The smirk tugged at his lips for another brief moment before it left his lips altogether. The way her heartbeat had quickened had told him she was lying. Even if it was the tiniest of lies, he rather enjoyed that she even disliked the Salvatores' actions in their business.

"What if I could persuade you to turn your contributions to another organization that pull\ their efforts towards what the vampires of the community actually want?" His eyes never left hers as he said the words.

As she took in the words, they held familiarity, as if they had this exact conversation before. A small smirk had pulled at her lips. "And how do you intend to persuade me?"

He chuckled before his attention had been caught by the change of music playing. He tilted his head towards the dance floor before holding his hand out to her. Her eyebrow raised as she observed his hand.

"Give me this dance to provide all the information you need to make a decision. And if you decide to hear more, we can take our conversation elsewhere."

After a moment, she nodded her head before placing her hand in his. "One dance. You better start talking."

A small smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as he began to lead her towards the dancefloor. Once a spot had been occupied, he spun Y/N before bringing her towards him and taking her free hand.

—-----

Untitled Mafia based Series

Let me tell you. I really wanted to dive into another Series with Elijah. But the amount of Series I had going on with that man was bad at the time. So I kind of put it on the back burner and then it never got finished. Maybe one day.

Y/N’s fingers were quickly tapping away on her keyboard. Her eyes watched as each word formed on the screen, making sure there had been no mistakes. The sooner she got this story done, the sooner she could leave the office and go pick up Elijah from the airport. While his flight wasn't due to land for several hours, she was anxious and excited for him to come home.

(Insert the shit ton of space that was in between things)

Y/N leaned against the door frame looking into the study. She watched as Elijah read a book as he sat in his favorite chair. A smile played on her lips just watching him sitting there. They had been through a lot recently and seeing him relaxed for the first time in a while was a nice sight. “Hey.” She said to get his attention.

Elijah looked up from the book, a smile growing on his face as he saw her. “Hey.” He responded back. He closed his book and placed it on the stand by his chair before standing up. “Is everything alright?”

She smiled and entered the room walking towards him. “Everything is fine.” She said with a nod as she stopped right in front of him. “Actually I'd say everything is perfect.” She placed her hand on his cheek. “You are home, we are safe, and we are together.”

Even though Y/N's words made him smile. She was wrong. There was still plenty of dangers that lurked in the shadows. Many of them were on the brink of making their moves and Elijah knew it was only a matter of time before he had to leave Y/N again. In fact it was just a few short days away. A sigh passed his lips as he ran his hand through her hair. “I won't be home for long.” He admitted.

“But your brother can handle this.” Y/N said shaking her head. “You just got back.” Her voice broke at the end.

“I know I did.” Elijah said knowing that his departure would make things worse for Y/N. “But Klaus isn't going to be able to do this on his own.”

Y/N shook her head again as tears began to fill her eyes. “I can't bare the thought of you being shot at again. You were supposed to come home and stay home.”

“I have to do this, Y/N/N” He said placing his hands on her cheeks hoping he could get her to understand. “This is the last time. We take out the Salvatores once and for all and then we will be able to live in peace.”

“What's to stop anyone from picking up where they left off?” Y/N asked worried. “Nothing will change if you do this.”

“Nothing will change if we don't do anything.” Elijah shook his head. “It won't stop. They killed Henrik and attempted to kill me all because Klaus went after one of their properties. What will happen if we leave them be?” Elijah couldn't even think of the possibilities but her had to get Y/N to understand. “If we don't do this now, what is to stop them from coming after the rest of my siblings or even you?” He shook the images from his head as he moved one hand away from her cheek. “I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you.”

Y/N looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back at him. She didn't want to tell him like this. She didn't want to say it just because he was leaving but he needed to know. “It wouldn't just be me anymore that you'd have to worry about.”

“What do you mean?” Elijah asked with a raised brow.

“I hoped that I'd be able to tell you with us celebrating you were home and staying home,” she sighed slightly. “but you need to know before you leave again. I'm pregnant.”

-_-_-_

“Y/N is pregnant?” Klaus asked as he looked at Elijah.

Elijah nodded. “She was hoping to tell me with a private celebration that I'd be staying home. Instead we started arguing and in the middle of it, she told me.”

“And you wish to be with her instead of being here.” Klaus noted.

“Of course I would.” Elijah said with a nod. “She kept it to herself for a month while I had been recovering in hopes that after everything I had been through it would help keep me from coming back “

“And yet you wanted to come back and help me handle things.” Klaus sighed. “You do realize if they find out about her pregnancy they could use that against us.”

“You think I don't know that? That is all I have thought about since she had told me. Word of this gets to them and it will be her they take next. This child is the next generation for us.”

“An heir to our Kingdom.” Klaus noted. “The Salvatores won't take kindly knowing that.”

“Precisely why I asked her to go stay with her parents. If she is out of the country until this over she'll be safe.”

Klaus shook his head. “Sending her to England doesn't make this go away.”

“No but keeping her out of their grasps for now is all I need.

_-_-_-_-_-_

“How is that wife of yours?” Damon asked as he sat across from Elijah. “I heard she was in England. Is there already trouble in paradise?’

“She is visiting family.” Elijah noted. “We are fine. I would have joined her on her visit but there was business to attend to.”

“Right.” Damon said as he smirked a little. “I only ask because my cousin saw her out while she was visiting as well.” The words alone had caused Elijah to stiffen. “She seemed rather upset about something. not to mention my cousin also mentioned she saw Y/N and her mother walk into a maternity store.”

“You know women these days.” Klaus said hoping to give Elijah a moment to collect his thoughts before doing something he'd regret. “They like to imagine what it would be like by walking through stores.”

My notes had a lot of details. Such as how this would begin along with how Elijah had gotten injured. Yet any time I went back an read through to try and get my brain going, nothing helped.

---------

KLAUS SOULMATE AU

First of all I have no idea how this one hasn't been done, because I absolutely love soulmate AUs. And this is whereit makes me a bit sad that I couldn't finish this one.

"It's her isn't it?" Rebekah said as she came to stand beside Klaus.

Klaus had never taken his eyes off of the woman. His head nodded in confirmation. "It is."

"Then why aren't you down there introducing yourself to her?" She asked. "The last time she had been reincarnated you let her go without so much as a word to her."

Klaus looked over at his sister. "And she lived a long and happy life. The first one she's had in all of the times she'd been reborn. I can't risk it."

"We will keep her safe." Rebekah tried. She knew how much Klaus had wanted to be with his soulmate. But the world was cruel in the ways that Klaus had lost her time and time again.

"Have you forgotten that it always by yours or even our brothers' hands that she dies?" His eyes narrowed at her before returning to looking down at the street.

The woman had stopped at booth with dozens of boquets of flowers. Klaus watched as her eyes looked over the arrangements before a small smile pulled at her lips. Klaus knew exactly what her favorite and a small smile of his own formed as he watched her grab them and pay the vendor.

"This time will be different." She said placing her hand on Klaus's shoulder. "We wont interfere, we wont even speak with her."

"The last time that happened, our brother used her to prove a point." Klaus noted, not taking his eyes off the woman.

"Kol is in a different country, he wouldn't be able to play his games." She wanted to try anything. They were all fortunate to have their soulmates in their life, except for Klaus.

"No." He shook his head. "She'll live a full life this time around just as she had previously."

_____

Untitled Crossover fic

I always love challenges, trust me, I really do and I was ready to take this one full on. But I couldn't figure out how to make this one work. And that also makes me sad. So have a bit of a fic that would have been interesting but will never happen.

Her heart felt like it was hitting aginst her ribs as it beat quickly. The blade of the knife only centimeters away from her neck. Dean hesitating the moment she stepped in the way. She watched as her brother glared at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean's voice raised as he dropped his arm, ensuring the knife was away from her.

"Stopping you." She said as heart calmed in the slightest. But she didn't dare relax. Not right now, not when she needed to make things better.

"Move, Y/N." His voice held finality. He had expected his sister to move out of the way and let him finish this. The fact that she had stepped in moments before his blade would have come in contact with the vampire's neck made his blood boil.

She was protecting the vampire that stood behind her. And it proved to him every horrible thought that had been going through his mind the last several weeks when he couldn't get ahold of her. How vague she was on the phone when she finally did answer.

Y/N should have known better. She knew she shouldn't have kept this from any of them for so long. She should have been honest from the beginning. Not the quick and vague text she sent to her brothers or the vague answers she gave Elijah about her family. But she had pictured doing things differently and this wasn't it.

"I'm not moving." She said as she stayed in her place. Even as Elijah attempted to pull her a step or two back to give the hunter some space, she refused to move. "Let it go, Dean. There's no one to fight here"

Even as she said the words, her eyes shifted over to Sam who had just entered the room. There was a look of confusion on his face as he took in the situation.

"You should listen to her." Elijah's voice was calm. If anything, Y/N could pick up on the slight annoyance in his words.

_____

Untitled Bucky fic

Yeah I have no idea where this one was going. I don't even know what the whole plot was for this. My notes have nothing.

"Trouble in Paradise?"

Y/N shook her head quickly and looked over at Sam. "Um, quite possibly. Bucky has been-" She let out a sigh. "He's closed himself off again and I can't seem to get him to open up this time."

_______

Untitled who knows what.

My brain comes up with ideas but there's some pieces missing apparently because IDK who the reader is gonna be pissed at in this one.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.” Y/N’s voice raised a little more as she raised her finger towards him. “I made the decision to do this. Maybe next time you’ll actually listen to me.”

Thank you for reading the purge. Remember any comments or thoughts on this would be welcomed. Would you have read these fics? Was I crazy for even thinking of the idea? Or are we glad this is going into the trash?

[showf4lls]

ɞ ― flufftober [2022] !

hey y’all! i’ve decided to try doing flufftober this year! i can’t promise to deliver on all the requests within the month of october as i’m a full-time student, but i’ll try my best. if i connect with it i’ll for sure write it at some point, but if i can’t write it for any reason i’ll respond to your ask and let you know! 

here’s how it works!

below the cut i’m gonna be listing fluffy [or potentially angsty] prompts to choose from. to request, send the request and the character you’re making the request for into my inbox. once i accept a request, i’ll cross out the prompt on this list, that way i don’t get too overwhelmed (if i’m feeling up to it later on, i might add more prompts to the list so don’t worry so much, it just kind of depends on how i’m feeling!). i’ll write the request whenever i get the chance and respond to your ask when it’s done with a link to the post. check here to see who i write for, and feel free to check here for which asks have been accepted or to see if i’ve made progress on any requests. i simply don’t have the time to be posting content every single day, but i wanted to do something for october because it’s my favorite month of the year (and not because of halloween). also, if you want to be tagged in new posts, drop into my inbox telling me about what you’d like to be tagged in and i can do that for you!

feel free to send any suggestions for additions to my inbox, or just give me your thoughts/input on the event (as long as they’re kind)! you have until october 31st at midnight to submit requests for the event. happy flufftober, y’all!!

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU’RE A PART OF WRITEBLR AND YOU DON’T WANT YOUR PROMPTS BEING USED FOR THIS EVENT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I’LL TAKE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY THANK YOU

♡ ‧₊˚ “you are the home i always needed” ♡ ‧₊˚ “no one is as important as you” ♡ ‧₊˚ “honey, wake up. it’s time for me to go to work” / “...five more minutes” ♡ ‧₊˚ “hey, do you think we’re partners in every life?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “you’re so warm...” ♡ ‧₊˚ “come sit with me” ♡ ‧₊˚ “come on, love. let’s get you home” ♡ ‧₊˚ “stay as long as you want” ♡ ‧₊˚ “your hands are warm” ♡ ‧₊˚ “I’m on my way, love” ♡ ‧₊˚ “oh, stop pouting, i’m coming” ♡ ‧₊˚ “you know, i only tease you ‘cause i love you” ♡ ‧₊˚ “need any help?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “there it is, there’s that smile!” ♡ ‧₊˚ “you got me flowers?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “aw, did you miss me?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “wait, you think i’m cute?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “it’s better with you here” ♡ ‧₊˚ “you’re welcome to stay, if you want” ♡ ‧₊˚ “what, am i not allowed to look at you?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “is that my shirt?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “let’s go somewhere, just you and me” ♡ ‧₊˚ “i was worried something happened to you” ♡ ‧₊˚ “how about a kiss before i go?” ♡ ‧₊˚ “thanks for being here with me” ♡ ‧₊˚ “keep it. it looks better on you” ♡ ‧₊˚ “i couldn’t stop missing you if i tried” ♡ ‧₊˚ “you feel like home to me” ♡ ‧₊˚ “i will never not think about you” ♡ ‧₊˚ “i didn’t want to wake you up...” ♡ ‧₊˚ “don’t worry, i’ll be here when you’re awake”

[mrfancyfoot]

WIP Wednesday!

The fics and content below are NSFW, so please do not interact unless you are 18+.

I have a number of things that I’ve been working on!  Chapter 10 for Community Magic (Obey Me) should be up in the very near future - it just needs some ironing out and editing.  I also have another prompt fill that I’ve been working on for CM, and I’ve been making strides on picking up Some Assembly Required (Dragon Age) again (which has had its own difficulties related to my health).

Teasers for Community Magic under the cut!

This Obey Me fic and spin-off are both rated E(xplicit) primarily for smut.  There is no explicit content for the first teaser below, but there is for the second (asking the important question of “What’s Devildom porn like?”). Relationships: Diavolo x f!OC x Barbatos (and combinations of) Please read tags/warnings on linked fics.

Make sure you follow me here or on AO3 for notifications when these get posted. :)

Community Magic Ch. 10 (Teaser Excerpt):

Director Thrallhammer let out an exasperated sigh and dug his DDD from his jacket pocket.  “Apologies, someone’s been messagin’ me.”  He moved his glasses from atop his head to the bridge of his nose.  “An’ tha someone’s…Evie.  Missed ‘er call a bit ago.”

Diavolo’s brows raised in interest - hearing of his exchange student was far more captivating than incident reports.  “Oh?  How is she doing?  This would be her first day on the job.”

He watched the orc scan over the messages with a scowl, make a false start, then finally roll his eyes.  “Yer exchange student’s adopted a poltergeist.  Its name is Frank.  …She named it.”

Thrallhammer tossed him his DDD, showing the bevvy of messages he had received from Evie over the past few hours.  “I tasked ‘er with gettin’ inta tha cursed office next to mine.  Mostly been vacant ‘cause no-one wants to deal with the mess.  Hones’ly thought it would take ‘er a coupla weeks to get in there.”

He knew the room.  Was such a task a bit much for a new student?  Perhaps Thrallhammer had been counting on that to keep her busy while he was unable to supervise.  His thoughts shifted once he read her messages. Though it had been overrun with curses, it didn’t appear to have been a match for their exchange student after all.

Evie: [Good Morning.  Are there any records about the office or anyone here that I could ask about its history?]

[It’s covered in all sorts of curses but also pretty strong containment magic.] [Def at least 2 different sources.] [I can def undo all of this but] [Pretty sure something’s contained inside.  Is that safe to release?]

[Okay, so I’ve removed all the curses, jinxes, hexes, etc etc] [Whatever’s in there went quiet while I was working.] [Can’t feel what it is b/c of the barrier] [But I haaave Suspicions.]

[Okay, I opened the room!] [It’s an absolute mess.]

[Can I keep the poltergeist?]

He couldn’t stop the laugh as he pictured her standing there like a child holding some wild animal and asking if she could please keep it.  A sentiment that he himself knew much of from doing the exact same to Barbatos over the years.

     To be continued...

Catch up on Community Magic here so you’ll be ready when this chapter’s posted!

Community Magic: The Extras - The Toy (Teaser Excerpt)      The next prompt entry for my CM spin-off.  Not CM canon.  This is a long one and may be broken up into a two-shot.  I’m also considering a continuation for Barbatos.

Tags (subject to change): smut, non-con becomes con, magic sex toys, size kink, knotting, demon anatomy, angst, soloF, M/F long distance play, phone sex, PIV sex, desk sex, AFAB f!OC, she/her pronouns, named f!OC

Regarding non-con tag, by virtue of the magic toy’s design, none of the parties can consent to What’s Happening because they aren’t aware - once Evie/Diavolo are made aware, it becomes consensual.

Primarily Diavolo x f!OC but others are implied/background.

Summery: After having his toy supplier reverse engineer Evie’s broken vibrator, Asmo gifts her with the first prototype to try out.  He also happens to receive a set of fleshlights made from the same material that he gifts to some of his favorite people, not realising that they had been charmed as a set to calibrate to the user of the bullet vibrator he had given Evie.

Evie’s excitement at finally having a new toy to use managed to outweigh the embarrassment of receiving it from an overly jubilant Asmo.  He bid her a giggly, “Have fun!  Hope you think of me~” with a wink when she waved him off from her door.

It wasn’t until a few days later, a Friday after a particularly trying day of event planning with the boys, that she finally got a chance to try it out.  Getting home, she beelined for her bathroom to scrub up and then fully planned on falling asleep to some self-indulgence.  The others were mostly out and about, so there shouldn’t be any interruptions.  Her door was locked and warded just in case.

She spent some extra time under the hot spray of water, feeling it begin to melt away the tension from the day.  After hopping out, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and padded to her bed and dug the bullet toy out of her nightstand.  Flinging herself onto her bed, she finally had a chance to examine it closer.  It looked and felt very similar to her old one as she turned it in her hand and located the button to power it on.

It rumbled to life on a low setting that increased or ebbed as she scrolled through the patterns.  She held the button to turn it back off until she needed it.

Now…did the Devildom have porn?  Like, it was always an assumed thing that Hell would have tons of kinky stuff.  That could be…exciting.  She wondered how different it would be from human porn.  Though she did worry briefly about coming across anything else.  What was considered taboo or problematic in Hell?  She already knew that many demons fetishized humans and demi-humans.

She felt silly typing just the word 'porn' into the Crow browser search on her DDD but it wasn't like she had any idea of where to start.  But oh, were there results.  XDevil, 666sluts, DemonsDen, HellXXX, SuccubusLovers, Hellfiretube, Fuckdevil…  And niche sites for everything imaginable, including just normal, vanilla human porn…through the lens of it appealing towards demons.  That was a whole mental exercise she didn’t want to deal with right now.

Clicking on the top result, she was greeted with a screen full of lewd video previews and recommended tags and categories.  Interestingly, and what shouldn't have surprised her at all, there were categories and tags for demon features like horns and wings and tails.  Demon ‘types’ was new to her and she wasn’t quite sure what it meant in this context.  Following the category link only led to more questions.  Did type of demon really affect their anatomy that much or was it just aesthetic preferences?  Even ‘horns’ and ‘tails’ had subcategories.  Straight, curly, sharp, dull, big, small, fluffy, scaly, slimy…

This was overwhelming and more worth inspection when she wasn't actively trying to get off, otherwise she would just keep following tags and related content forever for the fascination while neglecting her goal of getting off. Fifteen minutes on the site and she hadn't even watched anything!

A preview caught her eye, a teacher-student roleplay it looked like, featuring an attractive pair of demons.  She opened it and was greeted with a video player showing off a much larger male demon dressed in a suit lecturing a smaller student dressed in an unfamiliar school uniform.

Making a decision, Evie reached for the vibrator again, turning it on and finding a setting she liked.  Leaning back into her pillows, she pressed the rumbling toy to her clit and sighed happily, unaware of the momentary glow of the toy and a sigil embedding itself intimately as she did so.  Opening her eyes, she returned her attention to the video paused on her phone.

     To be continued...

[hargrove-mayfields]

RULES: Make a new post and spell out your URL with song titles then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL. (If you want to!)

Nobody tagged me but I wanted to hop on this! It seemed fun!

___

Ha Ha You’re Dead- Green Day

As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone- Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn

Refugee- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road- Elton John

Rebel Yell- Billy Idol

On the Wagon- Green Day

Vacation- The Go-Go’s

Every Grain of Sand- Bob Dylan

-

Mary Jane’s Last Dance- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

A Matter of Trust- Billy Joel

You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC

Faust- Paul Williams

In From the Outside- Cinderella

Even Flow- Pearl Jam

Lover’s Cross- Jim Croce

Dear John- Cyndi Lauper

Silver Threads and Golden Needles- Linda Ronstadt

aka my Billy playlist

I’ll pass this on to some people in my recent notes/messages in no particular order: @eddie-munsons-guitar86 @mrsblackruby @strangebrainrot @c0bblenygma @deardmvz @ariesbilly @iwigyousub @ickypuppi3 @throwthisawayplease @hephaestn @monochromegee @officialsteveharrington @opaldraws @andromedaspark @irishbeings @catharrington @avalonlights Also! If you see this and want to join in, do it!

[everyonesfavoritepipecleaner]

Found

Summary: in which Spencer finds a whole lot more than a book

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2500 on the dot!

Genre: fluff, fluff, fluff ☁️

Content Warning: none!

A/N: this is the first piece of writing I’ve ever released from my drafts and into the light of day and I’m slightly terrified so bear with me!! when I wrote this I was picturing baby Spence, just so awkward in the absolute cutest way where you can’t help but fall in love with him, but there’s nothing that ties it to a specific time in the show

tagging @notanotherreidgirl - finally posting this a whole two days later, yay!

please feel free to let me know your thoughts and feedback! alright, that’s enough from me. I hope you enjoy!!

There are some people who fall in love with strangers they pass on the sidewalk, who take the long way home in search of adventure, who are predisposed to peer through the rough edges of the world in search of the beauty between the cracks.

Spencer Reid has never been the type.

He’s sitting on the metro, heading home after a long day. The team hasn’t been called on a case in almost two weeks, though there’s still the ever-present backlog of paperwork to trudge through. While Spencer normally doesn’t mind the more mundane parts of the job, it’s gotten to the point where even he has to admit he’s ready for a change of pace.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

The question cuts through the noise of the metro and Spencer snaps to attention. He looks around in a split second of confusion before he realizes his satchel is taking up the last empty seat.

“Oh. Oh! No, I’m so sorry,” he apologizes as he scrambles to pull the bag onto his lap. He had been so lost in his own thoughts he didn’t notice the train had grown so crowded.

“No, that’s okay!” you assure him and plop down with a small sigh of relief, resting your own bag on the floor under your seat.

Spencer, who in his flurry of movement had really only looked at your torso and your shoes, casts a curious glance to the side.

He almost wishes he hadn’t, because he’s not prepared for what he sees—sitting next to him is quite possibly the most beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes on. Not beautiful in a purely physical way, though he certainly thinks you are, but more so in the way that he can tell you’re wholly, unapologetically yourself. That you’re comfortable with who you are and your place in the world.

You’re a breathtaking, captivating presence, and his typically over-active mind is devoid of all thoughts but these: he wants to say hello, he feels like your paths were supposed to cross, and it doesn’t make any sense that he’s thinking this way about a complete stranger who’s spoken a total of nine words to him. Your mere existence and subsequent proximity to him have caused something to short-circuit in his brain. As he’s trying desperately to work up the courage to introduce himself the train comes to a stop—yours evidently, because just like that, you’re gone.

Disappointment settles hard into his chest. Why can’t he be more confident, more outgoing? It shouldn’t have taken him four stops to decide to strike up a conversation. He stares intently at the spot where you had been, hoping to solidify your presence in his mind, when it catches his eye: the well-worn cover of a book peeking out from below the seat. He thinks it must have slipped from your bag and leans down to grasp it, turning it over gently in his hands to be met with the title. Anna Karenina. Tolstoy.

A smile tugs at his lips as he recalls the story. He’s read it countless times, and judging by the condition of the book, so have you. His heart rate increases at the thought that you have something in common. It increases further still when it crosses his mind that there might be something identifiable in the book…something that could help him return it to you, to see you again.

He cracks open the front cover and as luck would have it, finds your name — Y/N Y/L/N — scrawled out in sweeping letters. However, that’s all he finds. No phone number, no other means of contacting you. Just your name.

His tongue pokes out to run over his bottom lip as he considers asking Garcia to find your information. But would that be crossing a line, having the FBI’s technical analyst look you up, just so he can return your book? Probably…definitely. He resigns himself to the fact that it makes more sense to turn it into the transit authority lost and found and hope it makes its way back to you.

That can wait for tomorrow, he decides, and tucks your book into his satchel where it sits among his own. Some selfish part of him wants to keep it for a while longer, if only to prolong that connection he felt. It was such an innocent moment, an everyday interaction between strangers, and yet he can't stop thinking about it.

About you.

When he arrives home, he settles onto his couch and pulls your book back out, handling it delicately like it might shatter in his hands. He opens it up to find it’s marked with annotations and doodles in the margins, sticky notes folded over the pages, and your favorite lines highlighted in a myriad of colors. Intrigued, he flips back the pages and starts from the beginning, allowing himself to be immersed in your world of thought. He almost feels guilty for peering into this window of your life you surely weren’t planning on sharing with a stranger on the metro, analyzing your handwriting and trying (but ultimately failing) not to profile you through the lens of your observations.

Almost being the operative word here. He’s too wrapped up in the honesty of your commentary, the optimistic openness your handwriting conveys, the thought-provoking questions in the margins, and the highlighted quotes that are all of his favorites, too, to feel truly guilty about anything. In fact, it only serves to heighten the inexplicable way he feels drawn to you. He wonders how it’s possible to feel this strong of a connection solely through a fleeting glance, a few words spoken, and thoughts written on a page.

He huffs out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle. For someone who touts the cold hard facts of science all day, he often forgets how much of a romantic he is at heart. He can practically hear Morgan teasing him for believing, even for a millisecond, that finding this book was part of the universe’s cosmic plan, set in motion eons ago to bring two strangers together. He shakes his head as if to clear the thought, but continues exploring the notes you left in the margins anyway.

It’s the early hours of the morning before Spencer finally manages to tear himself away from your book. He simply couldn’t find the willpower to put it down, memorizing the looping curves of your handwriting as he re-lived the story through your perspective. He can’t help but laugh to himself, because of course the most brilliantly annotated book also belongs to the most mesmerizing girl he’s ever laid eyes on. After spending the night engrossed in your thoughts, he has to remind himself that he doesn’t actually know you.

But he wants to.

God, how he wants to.

At work the next day, Spencer walks into the break room with Anna Karenina still in hand. While it’s far from unusual for him to be preoccupied by a book, it’s the dreamy smile on his face that catches the attention of his teammates.

“Morning, Spence,” JJ chirps from her spot at the table with Penelope.

He doesn’t respond, too focused on the quote in front of him, ‘I always loved you, and if one loves anyone, one loves the whole person, just as they are and not as one would like them to be.’ It’s been highlighted so many times that the color has bled through the page and the words have taken on a subtle fade, their ink lifting ever so slightly with each pass of the highlighter. In all the times you’ve re-read the book, this is the line that stood out to you every single time, and the thought fills him with an unexpected sense of warmth.

The girls exchange a knowing look, and JJ elbows Penelope when she notices Spencer almost pour salt into his coffee instead of sugar.

Never one to exemplify patience when she feels there's gossip to uncover, the tech analyst strides over to him and plucks the book from his hands before he can object. She studies him, an uncontrollable grin breaking out on her face as he grows progressively more red under her discerning gaze. Penelope Garcia may not be a profiler, but she’s second to none when it comes to sniffing out potential romance.

“Spencer Reid! Who’s Y/N?!” She squeals gleefully as she opens the front cover and sees your name.

“Um...no one?” he says, well aware of the fact that there’s no way Garcia will drop the subject until she gets an explanation. Her raised eyebrow and crossed arms prove this, and that’s all it takes for him to cave.

“Really, I don’t know her. She sat next to me on the metro yesterday and it must have slipped out of her bag. I read it and all of her annotations last night and she just—she seems so smart, and witty, and sweet!” He rushes, hardly stopping for a breath between words. “And maybe it’s all in my head—or my heart, I don’t know —but I feel like I’m supposed to see her again.”

“You want me to look her up?” Penelope asks, all too eager at the chance to play matchmaker.

Spencer’s face changes from scarlet to a deep vermillion, “The thought did cross my mind, but, uh…it just feels like an overstep? Like I said, I don’t even know her.”

“You’re overthinking things, Spence,” JJ chimes in, “I mean, everyone’s so easy to find on social media nowadays that I don’t think—”

“I’m not on social media,” Spencer’s quick to remind her.

“Well, you’re a special circumstance,” she laughs at his interruption, “But my point is, looking someone up online to return a lost book is not as weird as you’re making it out to be.”

He considers it, about to ask his friends exactly how one goes about contacting the person who could quite possibly be the love of their life on the internet, when Derek walks over and delivers the words that signify the end of their two-week paperwork streak.

“Hotch needs us in the conference room.”

__________

Spencer steps onto the metro, ready to head home after an exhausting case. He’s staring blankly ahead, his mind running over all the things that went well and all the things that should have gone better, when a familiar face catches his attention. You look up and catch him at the exact moment he’s noticed you, the flicker of recognition shining behind your eyes. His mouth goes dry and he can hear his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He’s been able to think of little else than this moment since he missed his chance to say hello six days ago, but now that it’s here he has no idea what to do.

“It’s you,” he finally manages to murmur, cringing the second the words leave his mouth. Miraculously, his reaction doesn’t phase you, a laugh tumbling from your lips that threatens to melt his heart.

“It’s me,” you answer with a warm smile as he settles down into the seat next to you. “I’ve been hoping I’d run into you again.”

“You have?” he asks, incredulous. It never crossed his mind that you might have been thinking about him as much as he was thinking about you.

“Mmhmm,” you nod eagerly, and he’s sure he’s never seen anything so adorable, “I’m Y/N.”

“Dr. Spencer Reid, but just Spencer — Spencer is fine!” he rushes, his face heating up when you giggle.

“Well it’s nice to officially meet you, just Spencer,” you say, a teasing smile tugging at your features.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Oh! I, actually—“ he clears his throat as he reaches into his satchel to retrieve your book, “I actually think I have something of yours. It was on the ground under your seat the other night.”

“Oh my God! I’ve been looking everywhere for this, it’s my favorite book! I was so upset when I thought I’d lost it. Thank you!”

“I planned on taking it to the lost and found,” he insists, “but then I read it and read your annotations—which were incredibly insightful, by the way—and I…I think I held onto it hoping I’d see you again, too.”

“Well, lucky us,” you marvel at him, “I guess some things are just meant to be.”

“Yeah,” he agrees, “yeah, I guess they are.”

“Wait. Hold on.” You pause, circling back to something he glossed over. “You read all of Anna Karenina in less than a week?”

“One night, actually,” he blushes.

“Wow, who are you Dr. Reid?” you ask, and there’s your laugh again, the lilting sound that makes him feel lightheaded as he smiles back at you.

The train begins to slow and you start gathering your belongings. “This is me,” you say reluctantly. “Listen, um, I know this is a bit forward, but would you want to go out sometime? Dinner, maybe?”

He’s fully beaming now, “Yeah — yes! I’d love that.” The way your face lights up when you hear his answer makes him certain he’d be willing to do absolutely anything to make you happy.

“Great!” You take out a pen and scribble something under your name on the inside cover, then hand the book over to him. “Here’s my number.” He opens his mouth to protest that he can’t take your favorite book, but you grin and shake your head as if you can read his mind.

“Add your own annotations and give it back to me on our date. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I think it’s only fair since you’ve already read mine,” you say with a wink. You wrap your hands on top of his to solidify his grip on the book and he’s quite literally shocked by the lightning he feels chase through his veins at your touch.

He blinks back, awestruck. At a loss for words for maybe the first time in his life, all he can manage to stammer out is a soft, “okay.”

“I’m really glad we met, Spencer. I’ll see you soon?”

“Yes. Yes, definitely! I’ll call you,” he says, standing up to follow you to the door as you step out onto the platform.

“Looking forward to it,” you reply with a giddy smile. You turning to wave to him as the doors close and the train pulls away, leaving you silhouetted in the fluorescent lights. He stares after you like he’s been waiting in the dark his whole life and you’re the first light on the horizon—the dawn of a new day, a promise of good to come.

There are some people who fall in love with strangers they pass on the sidewalk, who take the long way home in search of adventure, who are predisposed to peer through the rough edges of the world in search of the beauty between the cracks.

Spencer Reid has never been the type.

But with you, he feels like he could be.

[executeness]

In which NHS and WWX use their arranged marriage as an excuse for insincere, dramatic courting and everyone else suffers

Starring: @aethersea as hummingbird, @words-writ-in-starlight as Gabriel, and myself as Errant, the bitch in blue

The images are all screenshots from a Skype chat. Transcript below the cut. I’m sorry, I know it’s more accessible without the cut, but I don’t have it in me to put a 2.4K word post on ppl’s dashes.

Note: Found this in my drafts and went why? haven’t I posted this yet? Oh right I was going to Tag It Properly with accents or w/e but uhhhhhh... fuck it!

Errant: NHS and WWX engagement of convenience

hummingbird: now that would be a fun fic

Errant: They're bros, just bros engaged to be married

hummingbird: they're also the two people in this whole show most likely to spend every single night getting drunk and causing merry chaos through every city of every street

hummingbird: it would be the most chaotic marriage in a very long time

Errant: Probably a marriage arranged when they were pretty young and the adults involved still had some illusions about them getting more responsible with age

Gabriel: God, NHS and WWX are engaged and they put on this HUGE performance of swooning into each other's arms every time something goes slightly awry and NHS one time sees a snake and flings himself at WWX like a kid hurling themself at their parent's neck, and everyone is like "well at least this will keep them both Out Of The Way" while LWJ just absolutely drowns in envy.

Errant: And then NHS and WWX are actually in the same room for any significant length of time and the adults are left calculating whether there's any polite respectable way to bow out of the marriage arrangement just to, y'know, keep the buildings of the cultivation world standing

Gabriel: They got tipsy and made out one night in the spirit of experimentation and then they kind of frowned at each other and simultaneously went "well" and decided they would just have nice quiet affairs.  NHS is gay and WWX is bi but like.  It's just.  It's weird.  

hummingbird: as they get older they sometimes contemplate the merit of loud, flamboyant affairs, just for the drama. they have fun scripting some of the fights they'll have about it

Gabriel: WWX uses the engagement as an excuse to call NMJ "da-ge" just like NHS does and on the one hand this is a great marriage, like, politically, it's going to do great things for QingheNie, and it's nice that he's going to marry NHS (Not A Competent Cultivator) to the rising genius of the cultivation world, and it's great that NMJ has a brother to marry off so that he, personally, can focus on the more important issue of not dying of qi deviation any time soon, but also.

ALSO.

This Wei kid is going to drive him fucking insane before they're even married.

Errant: They would be RIDICULOUS if they were engaged and meanwhile the peacock would kill something for Yanli to even draw a little closer to him when startled? To smile at him sometimes and put her hand on his arm? Where are the snakes when JZX wants his fiance to leap into his arms (he ends up leaping behind her anyway)? H o w are NHS and WWX doing this

Gabriel: On the one hand JZX would peel his skin off and jump in vinegar before he ever asked Wei Fucking Wuxian for advice but also hEY WHAT'S YOUR SECRET

Gabriel: (Someday, eventually, LWJ and WWX get married, and NHS shows up to the wedding with the biggest most expensive wagon of gifts he could get his hands on and tells everyone who will listen about how lucky LWJ is and honestly it's a weird vibe, compared to pretty nearly everyone else at this wedding who is only barely convinced that the Yiling Patriarch didn't enchant LWJ into this.)

hummingbird: YES

hummingbird: nhs plays the tragic bereaved ex with absolutely no actual rancor and approximately three dramatic swoons per hour, and this while everyone else is standing around having awkward polite chit chat over canapes

Gabriel: LWJ has come around to NHS with the slow and confused progress of going from "you're going to get to marry the love of my life and I hate your fucking guts on principle but also I'm aware of how unfair that is so I will reserve myself to quiet glares from the sidelines" to "you were one of very few people to maintain even a neutral stance on the love of my life and you seem genuinely sorry he's dead so I guess we're alone in that camp and I should at least consider you an ally" to "you brought the love of my life back to me, and then hit him with a clue-by-four and made him come propose to me and then brought us a large collection of porn for a wedding gift?????" with VERY little in between those three states.

Errant: WWX gives NHS a booklet and gets a dramatic public kiss. JZX assumes it is poetry. It is not poetry. He does not discover this until after gifting Yanli a small booklet of poetry (it is, at best, endearingly bad). He swipes the booklet WWX gave NHS for "inspiration" and not only gets an eyefull of gay porn with no warning whatsoever, but ALSO gets caught by WWX, who goes into dramatics about JZX only liking men and leading on perfect angelic Yanli

Errant: Also NHS and WWX bicker gleefully over who gets to have affairs with whom

Gabriel: "I think Mianmian seems like a gentle lover," NHS muses, three jars of wine in.  "I want her on my list."

"You don't even LIKE women!"

"So????  Mianmian seems great!  I would buy her nice hairpins and we could go dancing!"

hummingbird: wwx decides he wants someone on his list from each sect and they start fighting over mianmian, The Only Sensible Person In The Jin Sect

Errant: I ENDORSE THIS MESSAGE

Errant: EVEN BETTER

hummingbird: mianmian does not hear about this, but jzx does and is conflicted over whether he has to challenge wwx to a duel now

hummingbird: conflicted bc he WANTS to, but he always wants to so he can't tell if this is a reasonable response or not

Errant: ... NHS seems too twink for WWX to call er-gege loudly and in public but I mean. Would that really stop him.

Gabriel: They meet XXC and Song Lan and after they're gone, NHS leans over to WWX and whispers quietly, "So, since he's your shishu, I get dibs on Xiao-daozhang, right?"

"He's a priest, A-Sang!"

"What's your point?"

Gabriel: Counterargument, they BOTH call each other gege and it's making everyone around them insane.

WWX, pouting dramatically: "Nie er-gege, buy me lunch?"

NHS, flinging himself into WWX's arms: "Of course, Wei gege, what's your pleasure?"

JC, so red he could feasibly be mistaken for a lantern: "GREAT NEWS! I'M GOING TO KILL BOTH OF YOU!"

Errant: OH. GOLD STAR TO THE SECT LEADERS FOR MATCHMAKING THE BIGGEST PAIR OF PILLOW PRINCESSES IN THAT GENERATION

Gabriel: I MEAN? PRETTY MUCH?

hummingbird: nhs is constantly buying wwx ridiculous gifts and no one can tell if wwx actually likes having seventeen near-identical lavishly embroidered kimonos in different colors (that he rarely wears, largely bc he doesn't want to get them dirty while training) or if this is some weird elaborate game of chicken they have going

Errant: NHS tries to imply that he'll have an affair with JC if WWX isn't careful. WWX basically falls over laughing and goes YOU'RE WELCOME TO TRY IT DEAR

hummingbird: for like a week nhs takes that as a dare and puts in a valiant effort

hummingbird: wwx spends that week following nhs around and crying out in anguish and woe whenever nhs flirts with jc, dramatically concealing his definitely-not-grinning face behind one of the twenty-three painted fans nhs has given him to date

hummingbird: this is partly so he can watch his brother get increasingly furious and partly so he can step in and rescue nhs when jc inevitably actually loses it

Errant: Obviously the adults have shit gaydar (the boys were just convenient) but who's going to look at them and see right through them like Wow. That's not even slightly going to work as an actual romantic/ sexual relationship

hummingbird: shijie has known from like day 2

hummingbird: jc still has not noticed

hummingbird: he gets deeply offended whenever nhs flirts with other people

hummingbird: lxc, in his position as resident owner of the lan braincell, notices, but doesn't really know how to have a conversation about it with his brother

Gabriel: He resorts to just wingmanning WWX hard and assuming that eventually either LWJ will admit his feelings or WWX will notice his

Gabriel: It. Does not quite work out.

hummingbird: he keeps arranging for wwx and lwj to be placed in the same groups for training groups, only then whenever they get back nhs and wwx run dramatically into each other's arms

Gabriel: NHS takes a while to notice that the only person more viciously angry when he flirts with other people than JC is LWJ but hey listen he wants his fiance to have the best! Maybe if he flirts even harder with everyone under the sun, someday LWJ will be so outraged that he's driven to defend WWX's honor! Wouldn't that be romantic?

Errant: Does he start flirting with LWJ or?

hummingbird: nhs has planned out like eighteen different dramatic fights with lwj over his fiance, trying to figure out the exact right nuance of bowing out with grace and yet still fighting hard enough to show to everyone everywhere that wwx is a catch and lwj is lucky to have him

Errant: WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE HOW LWJ HANDLES ACTUALLY UNWANTED FLIRTING

Gabriel: NHS flirts with LWJ one (1) time, and it's the only time he ever sees WWX actually bothered by it.  It's so jarring to see WWX's sun-bright smile flicker into something mildly pinched and frustrated that NHS drops the act immediately and asks if he's feeling unwell.

hummingbird: yes good

Errant: Okay but: who catches them in an extremely compromising position, maybe in their underrobes, b/c Nie Huaisang was trying to draw a porn position and couldn't figure out whether something was anatomically possible

Gabriel: Oh obviously it's LWJ.  This is the this-universe version of him finding JC, WWX, and NHS drunk and roughhousing, right?

hummingbird: absolutely

hummingbird: he tells Nobody

hummingbird: his brother is worried about him for like a WEEK afterwards, thinks maybe he's caught a cold or something and won't admit it

Gabriel: It's not--it's not against the rules.  It's disgraceful, to be sure, and a clear sign that NHS is not good enough for even such a rampant delinquent as Wei Ying, that he would seduce someone before they were even married, but they're engaged and it's not against the rules and he doesn't understand why he keeps seeing this flash of NHS yanking his hands off WWX's hips like he's been burned and the rumpled half-slipped collar of WWX's undershirt, showing a collarbone and a shoulder and the muscle of his chest and--

hummingbird: omg he goes straight to 'nhs is the real bad influence here'

Gabriel: LWJ is spending time in the cold spring for a different reason than healing, when LXC blithely sends WWX to find him.  He hasn't been able to fucking concentrate on meditating since he saw--this is ridiculous, and offensive to his sensibilities, and a clear indicator that something is wrong with his golden core, so therefore: cold spring.

Errant: First line of defense: sword Second line: Cold spring Third line: panic

hummingbird: wen qing is also one of the people who notices very quickly that this is never going to hold water as a real relationship. she's too busy to really get involved in any of this nonsense, but somehow no matter how many times she explains to wen ning that they're not dating and none of their fights are real, he still ends up roped into their ridiculous break-ups and their even more ridiculous dramatic reconciliations

Gabriel: Wen Ning, sweet kind boy that he is, has been convinced three separate times that they are really genuinely having a permanent falling out, and even if they're not going to get together together he still wants them to be friends, okay, jiejie????

hummingbird: "every goddamn time" wen qing mutters to herself as she finds wen ning once again carrying notes between wwx and nhs in the dead of night. everyone is supposed to be asleep. she was out doing recon for her secret wen tasks, and her baby brother was supposed to be asleep, but instead he's out here catching his death of cold as he runs messages back and forth for these two MORONS

hummingbird: "but jiejie they're not speaking to each other! this is the only way I've gotten them to talk in three days!"

Errant: Consider: NHS has a moment of deviousness and convinces LWJ to spar with WWX so NHS can do "figure studies"

Errant: WWX is under strict instructions to make the positions as compromising as possible

hummingbird: absolutely devastating for all involved

Errant: They're sparring, they're sparring, they're sparring... HOLD THAT POSE. LWJ is basically pinning WWX to a flat surface (vertical or horizontal) they're both breathing hard and the tiniest bit sweaty and at first WWX is joking and laughing (maybe flirting! In front of his betrothed! Shameless!) But then there's one where he's just staring into LWJ's eyes and LWJ completely loses the plot

Gabriel: NHS's sketches of it are uh.  Not Suitable For Public Viewing.

hummingbird: honestly he's not sure he should even show wwx

Gabriel: He and WWX have this in common, the being a good artist, and in this AU LWJ definitely hears NHS offhandedly mention that he wants to get WWX to paint one of his fans, have you seen how lovely his painted flowers are, Lan-xiong?  And then maybe Huaisang could paint it with watercolors!  WWX prefers black and white, anyway, wouldn't that look lovely?  And LWJ can't even begin to define the rush of bitterness that almost blinds him, he just cuts a frigid glare at NHS and sweeps away before he can see the satisfied smirk that spreads over NHS's lips behind him.

hummingbird: oh nice

hummingbird: hmm. how much goading can lwj withstand before he just up and leaves? gets himself an assignment chasing monsters somewhere just so he won't have to look at huaisang's stupid face anymore

Gabriel: Well, after the whole cold pond cave debacle, LWJ can't leave, because he's been given a task, he has to carry the Yin Iron, and WWX is trailing after him (NHS told him to go) and when NHS joins them he can't get rid of him because he's the bane of LWJ's existence but also he is the brother of a sect leader and he could go crying to his brother and make Lan Xichen's life very hard.

[nevillesimp]

can you write a fluff with neville where you guys are cuddling and then you kiss and it starts getting kinda heated but the twins walk in

Interrupted

Sighing, you curled further into Neville's chest, basking in the warmth his strong arms provided you. After a particularly stressful lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Neville had practically mewled when you asked if he wanted to cuddle in his dorm. His hand enveloped yours as he took off towards his dorm, his mind already forgetting the stresses of the day.

You threw your leg in between his, laying on your side as you rested your head on his shoulder. You traced mindless patterns against his chest, sighing with content. Glancing up at Neville, you found that he was already looking at you, a lopsided grin decorating his face. He placed a kiss on your forehead before leaning back again, his eyes fluttering closed. 

You admired his delicate features, still in disbelief that you could call him yours. A small smile tugged at Neville's lips as you watched him, only causing your heart to beat slightly faster.

"I can feel you staring, flower." You blushed while he chuckled, his eyes cracking open to see his flustered girlfriend. You couldn't help but giggle alongside him as you hid your face in his shoulder. The smell of flowers and dirt overwhelmed you as you took in his scent, your face only reddening at your actions. 

"I love you, Neville." Your words were somewhat muffled as you were still cuddled into his broad shoulder, though you knew he'd heard you when a content sigh was heard from beside you. 

"I love you too, flower," Neville hummed, joy evident in his voice. This wasn't the first time you'd confessed your love for each other, though you were still giddy each time. Moving so you could see Neville, you noticed he must've felt the same way as you as a large smile spread across his face. You both lied together, occasionally sharing a laugh or snuggling closer, never able to get enough of each other.

Turning to get more comfortable, you moved your leg up higher against him, your knee resting at the top of his thigh. You could feel his heartbeat quicken under your hand as he shifted beside you, his hand tightening lightly around your waist. Deciding to think nothing of it, you scooted closer, still trying to find a more comfortable spot.  A low groan halted your movements.

"What is it darling, " you questioned, eyeing your nervous lover. You reached up to stroke along his cheek in what you hoped was a soothing act, though it only made his situation worse. His teeth sunk into his lip, not trusting that he'd be able to hold in his groans if he opened his mouth to answer you. Curiosity overcame you as you tried to figure out what was bothering Neville, your brows knitted together until you spotted the issue. "Oh, I see now." You giggled at your boyfriend's situation as his hands flew to his crotch. 

"Y/n, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen, it's just your leg kept rubbing- and then you started-" He was cut off as you captured his lips in a loving kiss, warmth rushing through you. "Merlin, I'm so lucky to have you." Before you could react to his words, he pulled you into another kiss, this one more passionate than the previous one. 

After several more desperate kisses, you turned to straddle Neville's lap, causing him to whine at the much-needed friction. You leaned down to press searing kisses along his neck, pausing at his sweet spot to suck love bites into his skin. After indulging yourself in littering his neck with marks, you eagerly returned to his lips. Neville ran his hands up and down your thighs, grabbing your ass every now and then, as you continued to kiss him senseless. His hands trailed up your torso, pausing at your chest to massage your breasts. You whined at his actions, the sight of him marveling at your chest only turning you on more. 

You rocked against him, desperate for more. It'd been weeks since the last time you'd had sex, your pent-up frustration only spurring you on. As you continued to move against Neville, you leaned down again, pressing your lips to his neck once more. There was nothing you loved more than to admire the marks you'd left on your boyfriend's neck, a lingering reminder of the time you spent together. 

Neville moved from your chest back down, grabbing your ass as he pushed your hips down into him. The feeling of you flush against him as you sucked harshly on his skin was bliss, though he grew needy for more. He began to tug at the hem of your shirt, signaling for you to take it off. 

"Getting a bit desperate, darling?" You couldn't help but tease him as he groaned from below you, your hands making quick work to pull your shirt over your head. The sight of you topless above him left Neville at a loss for words, his cock straining against his pants. "Enjoying the view?" All Neville could do was nod furiously as he struggled to keep his hands off you. 

You slipped off your bra, tossing it to the floor before you turned your attention back to your amazed boyfriend. You fiddled with the buttons of his shirt before sliding it off him, your eyes raking over his exposed upper body. He whimpered as you slid your hands against his chest, kissing your way down until your face hovered above his crotch. Just as you were going to unzip his pants, the door of Neville's dorm flew open, the sound of George and Fred's voices filling the room. 

"Ronniekins, mum sent you a-" The twins stared at you dumbfounded, speechless at the scene in front of them. Neville rushed to pull you to him, shielding your bare chest as he held you to him.

"Get out! Ron isn't here!" Neville glared at the Weasley twins as he gestured for them to leave, his chest still heaving from your previous antics. You were absolutely mortified as you hid into your boyfriend, ready for this moment to end. George and Fred practically ran out of the room, slamming the door behind them. You could just barely hear one of them mutter a locking spell from behind the door before silence filled the room once again. 

Neville quickly turned to you, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright, love? I swear if they say anything-" You cupped Neville's face before kissing him, attempting to forget the awful intrusion.

"I'm fine, Neville. Please, let's just forget that happened." He nodded before taking you in his arms again as you buried your head into his chest.

"So... where were we?" 

a/n: I’m so sorry for not writing, I’ve been running low on motivation to write, but I’ll try to post more frequently. I hope this answered your request, it may be a bit steamier than what you asked for, but I couldn’t help myself. Thank you so much for the request, I appreciate every single one I get! Also, let me know if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list

taglist: @imsearchingforclarity @mychelleop69 @msmimimerton @scram1326

[duckymcdoorknob]

Little angst oneshot because I’m exhausted and still have to go back to my hell camp of a school tomorrow.

Inspired by this post here. I envisioned one specific scene as soon as I read it. So thank you @p0et-is-my-persona !!!

CW BELOW THE CUT: D34th of a background character. Izuku freaks the fuck out.

Slipping Through My Fingers

Ships: Absolutely not

Warnings: See above

Prompt: See above!

Tags: I DONT TAG MY ANGST SORRY. If you wanna be added to angsty taglist, shoot me an ask!

No one expected the time when Izuku finally fell apart. The pressure he had on him was immense, and no one seemed to understand. Hell, the only outlet he had was Kacchan, who told him to get over himself anytime he even considered asking for help.

—

Trying to control Blackwhip was like trying to herd cats. He had been doing his best, but it was so difficult to control. While trying to focus on conjuring it, he had to focus on not letting it get out of hand.

“Ugggghhh!” Izuku groaned into his hands for the nth time that morning, “All-Might, what can I do to make this easier?”

His teacher chuckled, “Exactly what you’re doing: training. You have to focus on one thing at a time with your new quirk. If you’re too focused one element of it, the other element won’t come out.”

“Yeah but, I don’t want it to get out of my control again. The first time was just… so scary.”

“I understand.” The blonde man said with a patient smile and a hand to the boy’s shoulder, “Try again.”

So, he did. Izuku tried to focus only on conjuring Blackwhip. When he did so, it came out much more than he had imagined, causing immense panic immediately. “ALL-MIGHT? HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP?”

“Close your eyes! Think of a good moment you’ve had lately!”

The green-haired hero closed his eyes harshly, trying to replay his memories like a record. Except, when he went back in time, he only thought of the bad moments. The times he got low test grades, or Kacchan yelled at him, or his quirk wouldn’t work, or his classmates looked at him with fear for a week after the 1-A vs 1-B incident.

“Young Midoriya?!” His teacher cried out to him.

Oh no, it must’ve made the feral quirk worse.

What can he do? What can he do? What can he do?

He closed his eyes again, breathing in and in out slowly. He thought of the time Iida and Todoroki offered him their lunches when he didn’t bring his own. He thought of the Mario Kart tournament in the common area, when him and Denki absolutely obliterated everyone. He found himself chuckling lightly, they really were the perfect team.

Memory after memory, the hissing whips emitting from his knuckles began to recoil into his hands. It took a while, but finally they stopped.

With a sigh of relief, and a wide smile, Izuku fell back down to the ground. The boy covered his eyes with his arm, breathing heavily.

“Great job, Young Midoriya.” All-Might said, placing his hand on the hero’s head of messy green hair.

The young hero sighed heavily. Who knew it would be this hard? Regardless, he stood slowly to his feet, and began preparing for the next aspect of training. Now that he knew how to control it, it would be a helpful tool! Right…?

—

As the villain ravaged through the city, destroying everything in sight, Izuku was struggling to stay calm. The world that he knew was being absolutely decimated, how could he not panic?

Breaking him from his panic were the cries of a little girl and her mother. They were stuck atop a building and trying to hide from the villain. Or, they were.

In a flash, the green-haired hero made a beeline for said building, running and jumping as fast as he could to get there.

Upon his arrival, he barely had time to react to the villain throwing them both off of the roof.

“BLACKWHIP!” He cried out to himself, aiming his hands downward.

Wisps of blue and black strands emerged from his fingers. They flailed about blindly, for Izuku hadn’t mastered its control yet.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus, luckily a strand wrapped around the little girl… but her mother was falling too quickly.

“Nonononono!” Izuku shouted, jumping from the rooftop and grabbing the girl midair, “I CAN MAKE IT!”

Unfortunately for him, as he caught the woman, her head collided with the pavement below. The young hero fell to his knees in horror as the realization struck…

He had let her die.

This little girl had no mother and it was going to be his fault. She has to grow up without her mama to teach her. He robbed her. He robbed her of her mother doing her hair, robbed her of her first big achievement that her mother got to watch. He robbed her.

Pro heroes soon arrived on the scene, leading the boy and little girl away from the deceased woman. It didn’t matter though…

Nothing mattered. They were a day late and a dollar short.

It didn’t matter, because she was already dead.

“C’mon, little guy. Let’s get you back home.” The gentle voice of the number two hero filled his ears as a hand grazed his shoulder, “You tried your best.”

“You tried your best…”

The provisional hero’s figure began to heave as he breathily fought through sobs.

—

Hawks had been silent the entire way back to U.A, not wanting to further upset the boy. He shot a quick message to Aizawa, figuring that Izuku’s teacher could be more helpful than himself.

“Hey, Aizawa. It’s me. Your green guy is pretty shaken up, can I bring him your way?”

“Of course.”

“Just be prepared. I don’t know when he’ll finally let it out. His wisps went awry, and someone slipped through his fingers today.”

“Gotcha. See you soon.”

The two arrived, agonizingly quiet. Making their way back to the dormitory, they ran into Aizawa along the way.

“I’ll leave you two be.” Hawks announced, shortly before squatting to meet Izuku’s eye, “Make sure you try your best to tell him exactly what happened. He’s here to help.”

With a short nod, the green-haired boy fought the residual sniffles with his life.

When the two males locked eyes, Aizawa gave his student a patient smile. “Hey there, problem child. Care to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“I… I don’t think I’m ready sir.” Izuku replied sheepishly.

“That’s alright. I won’t force you.”

The two shuffled about along the path, with the green-haired boy collecting cool pebbles he found.

“Let me tell you a story, Midoriya…” the long haired male said suddenly, sitting down on the sandy ground, “sit.” He said, patting the space next to him.

Izuku listened intently to the story his teacher told him. It was about his first time as a provisional hero. He had let a villain get away after his quirk malfunctioned.

“Yeah but…” he mumbled, “you didn’t kill anybody…”

“I- what?” Aizawa was taken aback. Did Izuku really think he killed the woman?

“You might not have killed someone… but I did. I made such a careless mistake and someone suffered for it.” The boy sighed, as if he was about to reveal a secret, “I can’t control Blackwhip, case in point. You can’t rely on me to be out there anymore.”

“Midoriya-“

“You can’t let them call on me for any more missions!” Izuku stood to his feet, attempting to walk away.

“Mi-“

“Please, Mister Aizawa! I don’t want to kill anyone else!”

“Midoriya!” Aizawa grabbed the retreating hero by his wrist, “You didn’t kill anyone! This wasn’t your fault!”

“But it was!”

He wasn’t sure if it was from the hero’s despair, or frustration, but Shouta saw the boy growing more and more agitated.

“You can’t give up now.” Aizawa ordered, “One little mistake shouldn’t floor your entire hero career. With a little training you can-“

“I just don’t understand! Why do I waste all my time training on a quirk that doesn’t work when I need it most?!” Izuku shouted as he threw the pebble he was holding at the ground. In his anger, he unintentionally channeled a tiny bit of OFA in his finger, which made it slam into the sand into a poff.

Aizawa instinctively jumped backwards, hair floating and eyes red.

The green haired boy’s angry face dropped. His arms fell lax against his side as he staggered a few steps backward, falling harshly on his behind. Tears slowly began to blur his vision. “I-is that how lowly you think of me?“

“Sorry it’s just…It’s just a force of habit, Midoriya.” the hero replied softly.

“You all just think I’m some kind of monster.” As sobs began to heave from his chest, the boy shook. “It’s not fair. I didn’t sign up for this…”

Focused red eyes started to show a tinge of sympathy as they watched the scene in front of them.

“I knew th-that it would have repercussions but…” Izuku began to giggle as he slowly fell apart, “I-I thought I would be treated more humanly! Not like some machine that went awry, not like a villain.” the laughter stopped. Beautiful emerald eyes stared up into Shouta’s own red ones.

“I-is that really how y-you all s-see me?”

Eraserhead was taken aback so harshly that his quirk faltered. He looked upon his student with pure remorse, slowly moving toward him. “Midoriya-“

“N-no! Leave me alone!”

“I know you’re upset-“

“Upset? I let someone die today!”

“You can’t save everyone!”

“I’ll be damned if I didn’t try!” As soon as the words left his lips, the green- haired boy slapped both hands over his mouth as both heroes’ eyes widened. Izuku sputtered out profuse apologies as his teacher moved toward him.

Aizawa knelt down to his student’s level, sitting on the backs of his calves. “You tried your best.” He whispered, pulling the boy into a gentle embrace.

The walls that Izuku had put up proceeded to fall. Though he tried to keep it in, the young hero began to wail. He sobbed into his teacher’s shoulder as soon as he felt the reassurance he needed. “I-I cou-ldnt s-save her! I-I’m a mur-derer!”

“It wasn’t your fault. You tried everything to keep her safe. What matters is, you saved the life of that little girl.” Aizawa said gently, “You gave her the gift that not many heroes would’ve given her. You chose her first, and that’s a mark of a good hero.”

The long haired man held the boy in his arms as he sobbed harshly. “You’re worthy. You’ve done well. I’m so proud of you.” He gently rubbed his thumb on the spot where Izuku’s shoulders met.

Shouta felt his heart shatter into pieces as his student sobbed into his shoulder. He was powerless now, only being able to hold the lamenting child in his arms.

That’s all that Izuku was…

That’s all that this poor boy was.

That’s all that the boy who couldn’t catch someone was.

A child.

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————