#oh yes new format :) i found something i quite like

[thomine]

search in vain | xingqiu

RELATIONSHIP | xingqiu x reader

TAGS | general audiences, modern au, xingqiu's family owns a bookstore, xingqiu's ugly penmanship, some boss/employee dynamics, also a bit of rich/poor trope, not proofread

SUMMARY | somehow, someone always finds you when you're secretly chilling during work hours.

WORD COUNT | 1.6k words

INFO | au august 2023, day 21 (bookstore) | more

The storeroom of Feiyun Book Store is as bustling as the store itself. Employees rush in and out to meet the demands of customers, yet, despite the traffic, you’ve found a comfortable corner to tuck yourself away from your responsibilities. Behind the piles of freshly wrapped books, there is a tiny area hidden from view for boxes of damaged, imperfect, and vandalized goods. Everything is as still as a graveyard, and your back is pressed against the wall as these boxes act as your fortress.

The book in your hands is one of such books. Its once sharp tips are chipped, spine bent, and it will never find a home outside these grey walls, so you like to think giving it your attention, no matter how brief, is mercy.

It’s marked as a fantasy novel. Once, it was a genre on its own. There were thousands of books with a similar premise: a hero who seeks good and does all he can against evil with flashy superhuman powers, but it has since been clumped with the least liked novels of the century.

The story isn’t that bad, although it has not captured your full attention, and you perk up when you hear unusually loud footsteps.

The footsteps grow louder.

The second son of the founder of Feiyun walks past the tower of boxes. You raise the book higher to cover your face. The footsteps stop and a second passes. The moment you decide to peek, Xingqiu had to turn his head. His eyes meet yours through the slim gap between boxes, and as you sigh in defeat, he makes his way towards you.

“So this is your new hiding spot,” he says. You scoot to your side to make space for him. “Guess it’s our hiding spot now,” he cheekily adds when he squeezes beside you, shoulder almost touching yours.

“Not for long if you don’t keep quiet,” you whisper, narrowing your eyes because his smile is aggravating. “Was anyone following you?”

“I’m not a beginner.”

If middle names are a thing in the city of Liyue, ‘disappearing’ would be his. But that’s beside the point right now. Your new hiding spot of 3 days is at stake, and as large as the storeroom is, you’re running out of options. Plus, the untouched books act like a personal library which makes you fond of this area more than previous.

“Still, the moment you disappear the whole village looks for you.”

As if to prove your point, Xu calls for the young master. Poor Xu. To others, he’s the cashier of Feiyun Book Store, but everyone who works in this franchise knows he’s Xingqiu’s victim. When—not if, because everyone knows that the first son of the founder of Feiyun Book Store might not be reliable to single-handedly maintain the business so—Xingqiu takes the mantle, Xu will be promoted to Xingqiu’s secretary. It’s a lucrative and prestigious role, although debatable if it’s worth the trouble.

You tense, leaning towards the troublemaker till your shoulder collides with his. He doesn’t seem to care, both at your touch and Xu’s presence.

Xu doesn’t stop in his chase. He runs past the boxes, deeper into the storeroom.

Xingqiu nudges you, and when you look at him, he has the biggest smirk you’ve ever seen.

“I told you. I’m great at this.”

“You literally did nothing.”

“And neither did you. We work well in a team.”

You roll your eyes, trying to swallow a smile. Then, you return to your book. Whatever he wants to do is his business, but after a paragraph or so, you can’t focus. You look to your side, curious about the second son of the founder of Feiyun. He should have a book with him, but he’s busy scribbling away on a piece of paper.

He pushes it towards you, and you’re greeted with that familiar yet horrid handwriting. At least it has improved enough such that you can differentiate his ‘h’ and ‘n’s.

Isn’t that the book I recommended?

You take a glance at the cover, mostly for show as if you didn’t know. He passes you his pen, and you reply.

You probably noticed me here because this book cover caught your eye… I shouldn’t have read it.

He holds back a chuckle behind his hand. When he gives you a glance, his bright gold eyes feel like a warning as if he’s pinned down your weaknesses and will pick on them one by one, but there’s also a softness to them you recognise. It’s the same shine when he shares his thoughts on books and chivalry, on dreams and aspirations. It’s reserved only for Xingqiu—not the second son of the founder of Feiyun Book Store.

He slides the note to you, a new line written under yours.

You frown at the penmanship, needing to go through his words over and over again until you get a gist of what he’s trying to say.

Is that an unsold book? You know that’s not how you are supposed to use your employee benefits.

It was in the discarded pile, so it was already in this state before I touched it. I wouldn’t be reading this book if not for finding it here. You should be thankful instead of reporting me to your father. Either way, books here are so expensive.

We pay you well. You’re just stingy.

“Young master?” Xu’s voice echoes in the area. His hurried footsteps return, and it passes the both of you yet again. His desperate calls remain resolute as he dashes away.

You should really return. You give Xingqiu a long, hard stare. Scrunching your eyebrows for added effect.

That’s unfair. Here you are, enjoying the time of your life with a nice book. How long have you been here? I’ve only had a few minutes of fun.

Oh please. It’s not my fault you’re Mr Popular. Why are you here anyways? (P.S. I guess it’s been about 10 minutes.)

A lady wanted to ask me out for tea. (P.S. 10 minutes is significant… It’s still working hours, you know?)

Don’t you like tea? Why are you running away from her? (P.S. Your penmanship sucks so much I can safely ignore what you wrote <3)

“Actually,” you whisper, “I don’t think Xu will return. We can speak softly. Your penmanship is really hard to read.”

Xingqiu shakes his head, writes something down, and passes you the piece of paper.

I need to practice, right?

You roll your eyes but take the paper and continue the silent conversation. In the corner of your eye, you note how he’s entertained by your annoyance.

You didn’t answer my question. You write.

Xingqiu takes the pen from you and pauses. He’s staring at the paper.

Tea is not something to be consumed frivolously, and as a daughter of a high-positioned man, she should know that.

You have a few rebuttals to his claim, particularly on how he carelessly hands you packets of tea to try for a report on its taste. Something about gathering more than one opinion before he sends it to a famous opera singer. But this seems to be bothering him more than usual. He would have opened his own book and read with you if it was any ordinary day.

You know you can say no, right? In that flowery way of the second son of the founder of Feiyun Book Store.

He frowns.

I can’t. Even more as the second son.

He looks at you, and for a moment you forget he’s your future boss. Instead, before you is Xingqiu, someone stuck in a role he didn’t ask to be in.

You return your attention to the paper. All you can write is Oh. You aren’t sure what’s really happening. The world of the rich is a world you aren’t privy too, only that it is a cursed blessing.

He tugs on the edge of the paper, and you surrender it along with his pen.

The situation is complicated, so I won’t bore you, but I just need a little time to rest. Can you lend me your shoulder?

You squint, placing the paper near your eyes. His penmanship truly is horrible, but you’re acting this way because his request is preposterous! If anyone catches his head on your shoulder, you don’t have an excuse. Sure, you can say the second son of Feiyun Book Store is tired and just so happen to have chanced upon you as you’re neglecting your own duties as an employee of his future bookstore…

No, that’s even worse. You really have nothing to say to cover both your’s and his ass—except he probably doesn’t need you to reason for him. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, although preparing does hurt your brain as you wreck for ideas.

At one point you give up your act in trying to read his message. He takes the pen from your hands and your grip on the paper naturally loosens.

When the paper returns to you, you don’t have time to process his new message. He stands. Instinctively, you grab onto his wrist, only to realise what you’re doing. You release your grip and hide your face behind the paper, this time reading what he says.

I think I will make my leave. We do not want you to lose your job too early, do we?

“You can stay,” you say.

He smiles. When he sits at your side, you tap on your shoulder.

“For Xingqiu.”

His smile grows wider, and once his head connects with your shoulder, his breathing turns slow and heavy.

There are a few who rush through the storeroom shouting for their young master, but they cannot find him.

[the-guilty-writer]

Criminal Minds PRIDE Fic Challenge!

Here we go! First writing challenge ever and I'm even more excited about the theme. During June I ask fic writers to challenge themselves a little bit by writing a piece that is LGBTQ+ inclusive!!! Don't let the topic intimidate you; If you want to participate, but don't know where to start, there are prompts to help. All the fics will be collected in a Masterlist that will be avalible by July 1st.

Note: if you have accessibility issues with this post (or any of my posts!) let me know and I can send you the information in an accessible format.

Prompts and rules are under the cut!

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These prompts are only ideas to help get you started! You can write any LGBTQ+ centered fic you want! Feel free to modify any of the more specific prompts to your liking.

Prompts:

Character coming out to their friends/family/the team.

Character's found family is more supportive than biological family when they come out.

Characters go to a pride parade/festival/event!

Characters discuss queer coding in media.

Character(s) explains their new, queer relationship to a child.

Character 1's child comes out to them. They go to Character 2 to ask what they wish their parents would have done.

Character 1 is having an identity crisis (gender or sexuality). They go to Character 2 for help.

Character 1 is confident about their identity. Character 2 isn't, so they ask for some advice.

Character 1 takes Character 2 to a gay bar for the first time to act as their wingman/wingwoman/wingperson.

Character 1 is unsure if they're attracted to or envious of Character 2's confidence in their identity.

Character has been dating Morgan, but realizes they're not attracted to men. He isn't sure how he ended up in this situation twice, but it's the perfect opportunity for him to play matchmaker for his ex girlfriends.

Character comes out to the team (or it's just pride month) and Penelope goes a bit overboard with decorations.

For the writers who are intimidated by this topic or unsure if they can write it: write something with GN!reader. It's less intimidating than you think, and it can make someone's day to be able to read a fic they might otherwise not relate to!

Bi and Pan Prompts:

Character 1 has always thought they were straight, but they realize their feelings for their best friend, Character 2, are more than platonic.

Character 1 is in a straight passing relationship and worries about the visibility of their queer identity. Their partner is incredibly supportive in helping them express themselves.

(NSFW) What does Emily really do during a sin to win weekend?

Trans and Nonbinary Prompts:

Character 1 gives Character 2 a gender affirming haircut.

Hotch teaches Character how to shave.

JJ teaches Character how to do make up.

Character finds themselves needing gender affirming clothes. Rossi makes sure they have the best of the best.

(NSFW) Character 1 gifts Character 2 gender affirming lingerie and it gives them quite the confidence boost.

Aro and Ace Prompts:

Character 1 keeps trying to set up Character 2 with people/telling them to find someone to help ease their stress. Character 2 has had enough of it.

Character has a monthly spike in libido and it makes them question their identity. Spencer tries to help with a ramble about science (NSFW add on: and a few other ways).

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Rules:

The fic can reader insert, OC, character x character, general fic, etc. as long as the character(s) is from Criminal Minds (yes, even the ones I don't write for).

Fics can be any genre and can be platonic or romantic in nature... and yes, this includes smut (I know, I know my brand is ruined. Oh well). You must be 18+ if you are going to submit smut. You all know I love platonic fics very much if not more!

You can write something new or dig up something you've already written! I'm also happy to add on fics that are sent to me after the masterlist is posted.

Tag me in your fic or message me the link. Please list the ship, content warnings, and have a 1-2 sentence summary of your piece! If you have multiple pieces, you can submit a mini masterlist.

Be kind and respectful! Reach out to me if you have any concerns. This blog is a safe space!

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Thank you to @imagining-in-the-margins for the support and for sending some of the prompts from discord! (and telling me it's safe to tag @foxy-eva for this too)

[the-daiz]

#Acknowledge me

Synopsis; Kissing them and leaving a rather eye-catching lipstick stain on their lips

Genre; fluff

Characters; Kazuha, Diluc, Gorou, Itto

A/N; so I lost a bet... And I'm trying out a new format! Anyways, enjoy

Edit; this is getting a lot more attention than expected, I might do a pt 2 with other characters

–Kazuha

"I wasn't aware that you were one to wear such striking cosmetics." Kazuha cracked a tender smile, strolling closer to you, your back facing him, as he met your eyes in the mirror you stood before. You returned the gentle grin, placing down the thin lipstick brush besides the bowl of rich, scarlet dye. Your smile streched wider as you turned to face him. Excitement was quite evident on your features, but he was much too distracted by your... new look to notice, his gaze briefly straying down to your lips before snapping back to look up into your eyes.

"You like it?" You asked. He didn't miss the hint of cockyness in your tone. He let out a silent chuckle.

"Enchanting as always, darling." He responded, stepping closer. "I'm sure the crew will have nothing but words of praise for it too."

"you flatter me too much. But honestly, I simply wanted to do this." In swift motion, you briskly inched forward, leaning in front of your clueless partner and planting a quick yet firm kiss, not directly on his lips but a bit off to the side. Kazuha blinked in light shock. He hadn't expected your loving gesture, mostly because he knew it would make the lipstick fade, and he was aware of the effort it took to make it look this good.

You flashed him a closed eyed smile and innocently headed out of the room, leaving a slightly puzzled Kazuha behind. When he glanced in the mirror and spotted the rather eye-catching mark on the side of his lips, it finally occured to him what you meant by your statement. He smiled to himself and felt his face heat up, before following after you.

–Diluc

Diluc adjusted his ink-black gloves as he made his way into your room, searching for his usual morning farewell before he leaves the house for business. His eyes landed on your form, seated comfortably on a chair beside the window with your legs crossed, your hand grasping a book you had found lonesomely laying around the manor. He found himself admiring your preplection, how heveanly you looked under the reflection of the sun, then, his focus moved down to your lips, taking in the vibrant colour it was coated with. His gaze were lost on them, memorising every smitten detail he could note. The awful desire to kiss you only grew the longer he stared at you, but he contemplated the thought, he was headed off to the city afterall and it wouldn't be pleasant for him to walk around with stained lips, an obvious sign of-

"Diluc? What is it?" Your voice pulled him out of his daze.

"hm? Oh-" He straightened his back and awkwardly coughed into his fist, his eyes looking elsewhere. He hadn't realised he was staring. "It's nothing."

"You sure?" You raised a brow at him, the corners of your mouth curving into a teasing grin.

"Yes. Its just- I'm heading out." He announced, glancing at you. You hummed, placing the book down on the small table before you. You stood up and walked over to him, gently grabbing him from the sides of his face and leaning in to connect your lips. He gladly returned your warm kiss, his eyes fluttering shut to relish in the fleeting moment. You pulled away and smiled at him, before glancing down at his lips. Your thumb pressed down and slided over them, as if smudging something on his face.

Now he stood at the entrance of dawn winery, a handchif hovering a mere inch over his mouth, his brows knitting together as he wondered if he should wipe the bright stain off or leave it as a thoughtful gift from his lover. So long as he didn't run into the obnoxious Calvary captain, no one would give him any trouble for the unique and rather obvious mark on his lips. He exhaled from his nose and tucked the beige fabric into the pocket of his uniform as he exited his hime. He hid his bashfulness as some of the staff's gazes lingered awkardly on Diluc's face.

–Gorou

Gorou bit down on the end of the chalk pencil as his eyes skimmed through the transportation reports. His eyes glanced over to the pile of papers stacked next to him, worn out and crippled after one of the soldiers accidentally dropped the large envelopes into a stray puddle on the way to deliver them, now he had to wait for a new copy to arrive because the majority of the words on the papers were smeared and incomprehensible. His ears twitched when he heard the tent flap open, followed by footsteps nearing him.

"A set of dry reports for you, handsome general." You bent down and placed the stack of envelopes down beside Gorou. He peered up at you, flashing you a greatful smile as a flush of heat crept up his neck at the teasing nickname.

"I didn't expect them to get here so quick. Thank you, Love." He gave a quick nod and glanced back down at the papers laying before him, returning back to his duties. You stood still for a few seconds, your brows frowning a bit when he didn't comment on your bright lipstick. Had he not noticed it?

"Hey, Gorou."

"Yes-?" He turned his head up, his eyes still locked onto the documents. You quickly leaned down and gave him a kiss. His eyes widened at your sudden action. He stared at you for a few moments once you pulled away, then looked away, his face red and flushed in embarrassment.

"Y-you-" he stummered. He cleared his throat, avoiding your gaze. "You should really give me a warning." You raised a brow at him. He still didn't notice? You shrugged. He's bound to notice either way. Gorou continued his work as you left the camp, his flusteredness slowly dissipating. Unbeknown to him, he had a smeared kiss stain on his lips. Naturally, he was rather confused at how strange his soldiers were acting when they spoke to him, some not even daring to look him in the eyes. Even Kokomi looked like she was about to burst into a fit of giggles whilst she addressed him.

Imagine his surprise when he catches his reflection in a body of water, his eyes instinctively straying down to his mouth upon catching a glimpse of something unfamiliar, something... Strawberry coloured. He squinted his eyes.

Oh

–Itto

"(Y/n)!!!" Itto happily trotted towards you. You whipped your head around at the call of your name, clutching the grocery basket tighter to your side. You jolted when Itto wrapped his arms around your waist and swept you off your feet, a wide grin splitting across his face. He tightened his grip on your waist, drawing your face closer and sealing your lips together in a kiss. It lasted longer than he had intended.

"I missed you!!" He whined, gently placing you down as his hands moved to rest and your hips. You glanced down at his mouth then chuckled. Seems like he did your job for you. Your hand moved to caress his cheek.

"Itto, we literally saw eachother two days ago." You responded, lightly tapping the side of his face.

"I like your lipstick!" He beamed, then licked his top lip. "Cherry flavoured." You laughed, much louder this time.

"Boss!!! Where did you run off to?" You both turned to the sound of multiple footsteps, only to be met with the three members of the infamous Arataki Gang. They glanced at you, their lips forming an 'o' shape in realisation. You smiled awkwardly at them and gave them a small wave, which they enthusiastically returned.

"oh, right! Sorry, cute face, I've got some business to take care of." He let go of your sides. "business only me, of course, the great and strong Oni, can deal with." He flashed a confident grin, his hand sliding over his hair dramatically. You sighed and shook your head, a smile adorning your features. Before he walked off to his little gang, you hurriedly placed a kiss on his cheek, creating yet another mark on his face. He smile widened obliviously at you in response.

With that, he was off to fend off evil, all while his band members stifled in their laughs, waving him off whenever he asked 'what was so funny'.

[writingsfromhome]

The Ex-Text

Prologue (the text)

A/N: warning that this fic does include cheating. I’m trying something new with this format, just a road trip story which is one of my favourite tropes everr. Plus a lot of drama. It was too short to split into parts but I liked the idea of some logues lol. Main should be out soon. Hope y’all like it too. <3

Prologue (text) / Main (ex) / Epilogue (what’s next)

————————————————————

YN:

“He’s cheating on me,” I spit into the phone. My best friend gasps. “I saw him! He’s fucking cheating on me Taz what do I do? Do I confront him? Should I wait ‘til he gets home?”

“Where are you?” She asks.

I’m standing in front of the glass window to the bar that my boyfriend sits at. He’s facing a woman in black, with his hand on her knee, and a smile brightening his face. I blink, my focus going to the reflection in the glass. I look back at myself, dazed and heartbroken and disheveled.

“I’m-“ my voice cracks. I was not going to fucking cry here. I sniffle and move down the street to a parkette, a bench warmed by the sun invites me to sit down. “I’m at this patch of grass that’s a pathetic excuse for a park. Taz I don’t know what to do!”

“You don’t have to do anything right now. Where are you exactly? Let me come to you! Or come over. Don’t do anything rash-“

“I want to,” I sniffle. I wanted to, but all the energy had been drained from my body as soon as I sat down. “I was planning my future with this fucker. I…I thought he was going to propose soon! I caught him looking at rings the last time we were out remember? Do you…d’you think they were for her? Oh my god I’m such an idiot Ican’tbelieveIdidn’tseeit!”

It wasn’t British of me at all. At all. But I hang my head and sob. I couldn’t hold it in, my future crumbles before my eyes and all I can do is cry.

“Fuck’s sake,” I hear Taz say. “I’m coming to get you.”

I don’t remember much of what happened after that. How long I sat there until Taz found me—she’s tracked my phone. She called us a cab and taken me to her place where I crash on the couch for three days. Ethan had called and texted me, growing progressively worried. Until he showed up at Taz’s and her fiance had kept him out.

I always wanted to be one of those girls who was strong and tough, who could tell a guy who she’d been dating for nearly two years where he can shove it when he cheated on her.

Instead I was the girl who curled up even tighter when she heard his voice at the door. When he shouted her name over her best friend’s fiance’s body (that was built like a brick, I knew he wasn’t getting past).

I was the girl who snuck into the flat when I knew he was gone to work to get everything out with the help of friends.

It was two weeks before I could face him. He’d apologized, tried to give excuses but I was so numb by then I’d just let him ramble before giving an excuse about having to go and leaving him behind. I never quite got the closure I wanted but I was okay with stuffing it into the dark parts of my mind and never thinking about it again.

That is until 10 months later an invitation shows up in my inbox.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say at the notification. My colleague in the next cubicle turns his head and I duck down. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

I click the email subject * Ethan and Van Make it Forever *

If you’re reading this, you mean a lot to us!

Join us on October 17 for a small (medium) celebration of love and commitment. No gifts, just your sexy selves.

Glitter rains down on loop over the invitation while dreamy clouds move on loops from side to side in the back. My own thoughts loop: is this a fucking joke?

“Y/N?”

“Yes?” I look up over the cubicle to where my name’s being called. My manager points to the room he’s in.

“We need minutes?”

“Oh…” I glance at my growing inbox. I didn’t actually have the time to lend a hand but I didn’t know how to say no. “Be there in a minute.”

My colleague beside me glances over and shakes his head. I shrug my shoulders and take my laptop in to spend the next hour in excruciating pain as I take pointless notes on a meeting I have no clue about. By the end of it my fingers are cramping and my inbox had doubled.

I had forwarded the email to my best friend by then and when I get back to my desk, collapsed in my seat, I read all of her 13 texts. They weren’t family friendly and they definitely make me feel better. I wasn’t crazy. My ex who cheated on me had invited me to his wedding.

My phone vibrates, Taz. But instead it’s a number I’d only ever gotten bad news from. One-time bad news I’d dubbed the ex-text. I open it:

Did you get the invite too?

•••••

Harry:

The invitation wakes me up, and I untangle myself from the warm body beside me to get my phone. Apparently I’d missed a phone call too.

I open the email and can’t help the laugh that comes out. Obviously nothing is funny, it’s unbelievable.

“Hm?” The woman beside me stirs, but my eyes are glued to the invitation. What a bitch, I can’t believe she had the audacity to invite me to her wedding!

I remember it so vividly, my girlfriend of years telling me she wasn’t in love with me anymore. That she met someone new. I’d asked how long, I had to ask again before she told me. Since the spring. So I had been walking around and living my life for over three months thinking my girlfriend loved me, that we were soulmates and all the other bullshit.

I couldn’t be depressed, I lived that next month with a drink attached to my lips at any given moment. It ruined me. It ruined my whole life. And then I got angry, that was when the drunk phone calls and late night messages began. I found out the person who replaced me. I stalked him on the internet and when I found out he had a girlfriend, it was my lucky day.

I’d texted my ex then, hoping this piece of news would be the end of that relationship. She’d come crawling back to me. Instead she had said, I know. He’s breaking up with her he just needs some time. Harry nothing’s changed, we’re not going to get back together.

I put on my detective hat, somehow through some intense stalking and help from a friend I’d gotten this stranger’s number. Then I’d texted her the screenshot, the photos on my ex’s private page of her and him. I was dropping a bomb on this random stranger but she needed to know. That’s how I justified it.

It was over a year since this all came about and everyone in my life expected me to be over it. Including my ex. I text her, hoping her number was still the same.

Are you really inviting me to your wedding with him?

She responds immediately, I thought we were at a place where I could. That you could be happy for me? It’s been so long.

She was delusional. How could I ever be happy for me after she left me like that, blindsided and broken hearted. The only conversations between us since then were when she wished me happy birthday. We never spoke.

Did he invite the girl he left behind too? I go with snarky, my favourite tone.

No ofc not. But are you coming? You can bring a + one.

I’ll see

Hope to see you there. xx

She really was delusional. A part of me wanted to show up, prove to her or me or the universe I could get on with my life. But I also didn’t want to be in this alone. I put my skills to work and an hour or so later, after the girl I woke up with had gone home and I put my empty coffee mug in the sink I text her. The stranger whose life I had imploded.

Did you get the invite too?

[weixuldo]

unconditionally // ch 2

anakin x reader

(a/n: so these chapters r gonna b longer cause i have way too much to say abt this heheh, im also posting on ao3 now if you like that format better :/ it’s linked on my master list :)

you unexpectedly watch the kids for the night

warnings: cursing, asshole behavior

__________________________________________

You woke up the next morning to a text from “Anakin”. You yawned and squinted at your phone. Basically every day, come over at 3:00 and leave when Anakin shows up. Except Friday, you had that day off.  Easy enough. Hopefully he wouldn’t come back too late, you still had school after all. 

You stretched and got out of your bed. As you finished your morning routine you began to plan out your week. 

Breakfast, class one, study in the library, class two, lunch, go over to Anakin’s,  entertain the kids, back to the dorms, homework, sleep.

Your weekend really just consisted of your friends dragging you out to the mall to shop for “party clothes”. That really just meant trying on skimpy dresses that cost way too much. However this weekend you actually had money to spend. 

You were all trying on outfits for this new fancy bar that recently opened. They were practically bursting with excitement to go to it on opening night next month. The bar was high profile and you had to “know people” to even get on a waitlist. Kind of a hassle you thought. But you didn't mind treating yourself to some new fashion. 

You found a unique sage green dress, it wasn’t too revealing but it wasn’t quite modest either. It cascaded off of your shoulders, really highlighting your collarbone, the silky material clung to your hips perfectly. You looked damn good. 

You decided to splurge and buy the dress. Your friends were astonished you actually bought something for yourself, usually you never made personal purchases for pleasure. 

__________________________________________

Monday rolled around and you drove to the house one more. Once you got there you realized he never gave you a key. Shit.

You debated calling him, what if he was in a meeting? But what if he didn’t get your text. You began to worry, it was only your second day. 

Soon you felt a small hand tug on your shirt. You looked down to see two little pigtails. 

“You’re back!!” Leia exclaimed, hugging your leg. Luke followed soon after clinging to your other. 

“Hiii, guys!” you exclaimed, hugging them back. 

“I’m sorry i’m just standing here, I forgot to ask your dad for a key” you admitted, sheepishly.

Luke smiled and pulled out a key from his pocket. It was a small brass key with a temporary tag that had your name on it. You gladly received the key and Leia spoke.

“Daddy said he’s really sorry he forgot”

“Oh no worries!” you said thanking the twins. 

You unlocked the door and the kids bounced right on in. 

“How was school? Was the bus ride nice?” you asked them as you placed your things on the marble countertop.

“It was so cool! We learned about volcanoes, they explode!! Like boom-pew-pssh” Luke exclaimed enthusiastically as he made motions with his hands. 

Leia giggled then said “Well I learned about long division! We divided seven digit numbers!”

“That’s awesome you guys! I’m really proud of you!” you said encouragingly.

Leia pointed to your bag, “Do you have homework too?”.

You nodded, “Want to do our homework together?”.

“Yes! Yes, please!” she exclaimed, grabbing her bag.

The three of you sat at the counter for a while doing your respective work. Every now and then Leia would tease Luke about his handwriting and you had to assure him it was very good for kids his age. You sliced up some fruits for them to snack on while they finished up. 

Around 5:45 the front door clicked open. Anakin walked in with an empty coffee cup in hand. 

“Daddy!!” the kids exclaimed, hopping off their stools to greet their father.

He dropped his bag and held his arms out to embrace them.

“Hey guys! How was your day?”

“I learned about volcanoes!”

“That's great, bud!” Anakin exclaimed.

“I did long division!” Leia said proudly.

Anakin kissed her on the cheek, “That’s wonderful, Princess”.

He rose from his position near the floor and made eye contact with you. His eyes seemed to subtly change. They were colder. 

“Hello, F/N”

“Hi” you said back, shyly.

“I see you got the key. That was my mistake.” he said stiffly.

You began to shake your head, “no, don't worry about it! I should have remembered to ask” you offered.

He looked at you for a moment before curtly nodding. 

You began to gather your things and say goodbye to the kids. Anakin , on the other hand, had already retreated to his room upstairs. You figured that was your cue to leave. 

__________________________________________

The next two weeks went by rather quickly, Anakin sent out the same scheduled times to you and you went. Each day was filled with quality time with the twins. Luke seemed to be developing a small crush on you. It was amusing, but you made sure to remind him of the kids his age.  You grew accustomed to their banter, Leia usually the one coming out on top. 

You also learned that their mother had died shortly after giving birth to them, and it seemed their dad was still sensitive to the topic. As for Anakin himself he hardly spoke to you at all, mostly he just glared at you from a distance. But he was paying your bills, so you didn’t complain. 

Today was Thursday and you were making crafts with the twins, once again, on the marble counter. They originally wanted to go to the park, but a big thunderstorm decided to pass through. So now you were watching  Leia make a “magical butterfly community” while Luke did a “robot-dinosaur mega-world”. You aided them only with the glitter and glue, Anakin would be pissed if it got everywhere. 

”Daddy seemed annoyed yesterday,” Leia said to Luke while she stamped blue butterflies on the paper. 

“Yeah” Luke agreed, not really paying attention.

She rolled her eyes and you offered your opinion.

“He seemed irritated, yes. But he seems like he acts like that alot” 

“Yeah but he usually isn’t rude like that, I’m sorry.” she said, taking some stickers from the sheet in front of her. 

Yesterday was rude? Anakin was normally rude, yesterday was downright disrespectful. You had gone to the bathroom and were not in your normal spot at the counter when he walked in. He kind of flipped out on you for not “watching the kids” and threatened to fire you. Honestly, once you got in your car you began to cry. But you told yourself he probably just had a bad day or something. Plus you needed the money. 

“I think your dad doesn’t like me” you half laughed, playing with the glitter cap.

Leia shook her head, little brown braids swaying. “No, he does. He would have made you quit if he didn’t”.

You were curious, “what do you mean by that?”. 

“He’s nicer to you than he was to any of the other nannies. He doesn’t yell at you”

He was usually more of an asshole? You couldn’t even imagine the damage he caused the other poor nannies. Though you still had a hard time believing he liked you. 

Soon enough you heard the door open and a familiar set of footsteps enter the house. Your heart began to quicken, was he still mad at you?

He sighed loudly as he shook off his raincoat. You heard mutter a curse under his breath. Once he stepped into the kitchen he smiled at his kids. As they greeted each other you studied him. He was tall, slimfit, and had great muscle definition on his arms. His hair looked particularly enchanting with raindrops adorning his curls. He was a beautiful man. 

He looked at you with less disdain than you expected. “It’s raining pretty hard, huh?” you offered, expecting him to say “obviously” or something else to make you feel stupid.

Instead he responded truthfully, “yeah, I hate rain almost as much as I hate the beach”.

“The beach?” you laughed.

He rose to his full height and gave a small smile, “Mhm, it’s hot and there’s sand everywhere, not to mention all the little shells you step on trying to get to the ocean”.

You giggled again, that was the most he’d said to you without being cold or sarcastic. 

“I guess we’ll never do a beach day then” you smiled at the kids. 

After cleaning up you said your goodbyes and headed towards the door. But before you made it into the rain Anakin called your name. 

“Yes?” you asked, confused. 

He walked over to you and grabbed an umbrella out of the holder by the door. He opened it on the porch and motioned for you to join him. 

He walked you out to your car, holding the umbrella over you as you put your bag in the backseat. 

“Thank you,” you said to him. You were honestly confused as to why he was being oddly nice to you after being so rude yesterday. 

“Don’t want you to catch a cold and give it to my kids,” he said.

Aaand there it was. 

“Of course, thank you anyways though” you smiled. 

You were focused on getting in your car, but you missed the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

__________________________________________

The school day ended with buzzing excitement. That new bar was finally opening tonight and campus was in a frenzy. Everyone was seeing if they knew someone who knew someone that could get them in. Your friends paraded around the fact they were already on the list, while you could honestly care less. But, alas here you were doing your makeup and sporting the sage green dress you bought a while ago. 

Once you were finished you took a minute to check yourself out in the mirror. Damn, ok… you looked hot.

You smiled at your new found confidence and began to put on your heels. You grabbed your keys and began driving off campus. Soon your phone began to ring, you looked down and it was Anakin. Confused, you answered the call.

“H-Hello?” 

“Hey, I’m really sorry, but do you think you could watch the twins tonight? My department is having an impromptu dinner. I’m sorry, I’ll pay you double-”

He sounded genuinely sorry.

“You don’t have to pay me extra Anakin, I’d be happy to” you smiled, the bar could wait.

“Ok, thank you so much F/N” he said.

“Oh! I was going out with some people, so I’m still in my outfit. It's not inappropriate, is that ok?” you asked, thinking about the kids.

“That's fine,” he said before promptly hanging up. 

You shook your head and took a deep breath as you got ready to call your friends… they were not going to be happy.

__________________________________________

You arrived at the grand mansion in record time. You really didn’t want to make him have to wait for you to get there, he might get mad at you. You knocked on the door since you knew he was home, you didn’t want to just barge in. The door opened slowly but Anakin wasn’t the one standing there. Instead there was a man with a clean beard and nice sandy brown hair.

“Hello there” he said in a jovial tone. 

You blushed, not expecting some random guy to open the door. “Hi”.

“You must be F/N, I’ve heard alot about you” he said stepping aside so you could enter the house.

Before you could respond Anakin interjected from the top of the stairs.

“From the kids, they won't shut up about you”.

He was walking down the stairs buttoning up his suit. Both men were dressed in formal attire. The bearded man had a gray suit while Anakin wore a black one. 

“You two look very nice” you offered. The bearded man gave a sweet smile while anakin just kind of stared at you.

“Oh, by the way you can call me Ben” the bearded man extended his hand to you.

You shook it firmly and smiled. 

In your peripheral vision you saw Anakin’s gaze traveling up and down your body. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry Anakin, I didn’t have time to change… Do you have anything I can change into by chance?” all of a sudden you didn’t feel so confident under his watchful gaze. 

He handed Ben the car keys and asked him to bring it around as he asked you to follow him upstairs. 

This was the first time you had been in Anakin’s room. The interior was mostly black and white with an occasional splash of color. He sighed before opening the closet. Far in the back there was a box with some clothing. 

“It’s not fancy, but it's better than what you’re wearing,” he huffed. He must really think you’re revolting…. You just felt awful now, what if he made assumptions about you? Would he not let you work for him anymore?

You were pulled out of your thoughts as he tossed a baggy t-shirt and some sweats at you. They smelled different than him, they had a lingering scent of perfume. 

“I have to leave now, once you put them on leave my room and close the door, the kids are in the playroom” with that he left.

You took off your green dress, maybe you wouldn’t wear it anymore… you felt embarrassed. You put on the other clothes he gave you, they were obviously women’s clothes, they fit you well and the sweat pants hung off of your hips nicely. You sighed and went to find the kids. 

__________________________________________

You found them playing connect four on the floor of the playroom. When they saw you their eyes lit up and they ran to greet you.

“I thought you weren’t coming back til monday!!” Luke exclaimed.

You laughed, “surprise!”. 

Leia pulled back to look at you for a moment, “wait did daddy give you that?” she asked, pointing to the clothes.

“Oh! He let me borrow them” you explained. 

“Wait, aren't those mom’s old clothes?” Luke said.

What.

“Yeah, that’s why I was asking,” Leia said back to her brother.

Anakin.

Let you wear his wife’s clothes?

The kids showed you a picture of their mother wearing the exact same outfit, lying on the sofa downstairs. She was beautiful. 

Leia looked so much like her, the resemblance was uncanny. 

While you were having an internal crisis as to why Anakin let you borrow those clothes, the twins couldn’t be less bothered. They had never met their mom, and to them she was no more than a fairy tale character. It was kind of sad, but maybe it was better that they weren’t stuck mourning her death.

The rest of the night you continued to make dinner for them and ended up on the sofa watching 101 Dalmatians, once again. Around the halfway mark both twins were fast asleep on each side of you. You smiled, you felt a sense of family amongst the kids. You weren't really as close with your friends recently, and your love life was a fucking joke. But at least you had two people who were always excited to see you.

You too began to doze off at some point. You dreamed of the early stages of spring, the baby animals, fresh dew drops on petals in the morning, the fresh air, the love. You must have been deep asleep because when you woke up the twins were nowhere to be seen. 

You shot up in a panic before you heard a strong voice behind you.

“Don’t worry, Ben and I put them to bed” Anakin was sitting at the kitchen counter, a glass of wine sitting beside him. 

You exhaled and walked towards him. “Why didn’t you wake me? I could have put them to sleep.” 

He took a sip of the maroon beverage as he looked at the wall in front of him. “You looked peaceful”.

You rubbed the rest of the sleep from your eyes and took the seat beside him. “How was the dinner?”.

He slowly turned to face you, “It was well, Ben and I had a few drinks”.

You smiled, you could smell the liquor on his lips. “By the way, thank you”.

“For what?”

“The clothes, Leia told me…You know you didn’t hav-”

“It’s fine.” he took another sip of the drink in his hand. 

You looked down at your hands, what now?

He stole another glance at you, “They’re just clothes F/N”, after that he tipped the glass towards you and arched his brow.

You gave a small smile and took a sip from the opposite side as him, the wine went down nicely, it tasted expensive. You scrunched your nose as the alcoholic burn traveled down your throat.

He huffed out a laugh before looking forward again.

“I see you watched that damn dog movie again.”

Oh. 

“I’m sorry, I can tell them no when they ask next time”

Maybe it was his buzz or maybe it was truly just him. But he faced you with a look you had never seen on his face before. It was sincere, adoring and somber all at the same time, “No, I enjoyed seeing my kids with you on the couch watching that movie.”

In a way you felt guilty, you were in his wife’s spot, in her clothes, with her kids, watching her favorite movie… He only said that because he was replacing you with her. 

With that you took another swig on the wine. 

***

(a/n: Ok soo im in love with this fic..Yall dont even understand, there are already 54 pages on my doc and ive only written 6 chapters)

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taglist: @katsukiswrld , @wtf-andys , @angeelcoree , @jetiikote , @khaleesihavilliard, @sxoulchvn

[creamymilkk]

I hope ur still active but can you do teenage Kyle finding out his s/o has a thing for red heads??

🦊♡ “I mean.. yeah..I do have a thing for redheads…" ♡🦊

༉‧₊˚ #Teenage!Kyle x GN!Reader 

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

█▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒𝟐𝟎%

███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒𝟓𝟎%

█████▒▒▒▒▒𝟕𝟎%

███████▒▒▒𝟏𝟎𝟎%

██████████ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞

. ˚₊ ꒱ Pairing/Pairings: Teenage Kyle and Reader.

༉‧₊˚ -Format: Headcanons/Blurb

× &﹕Summary: All of your friends try to bring up a fact about you to Kyle but you didn't want that until he found out...

×﹕♺ AUTHOR’S NOTE(S): Hey! Im getting back to writing:D so I will 100% be more active, AND MY GOD THIS IDEA IS SOOO GOOD!! I’m in the writing mood sooo BLURB TIME:3 (Y/F = Your friend’s name, E/N = Ex name.)

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵　　‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

♡- Let’s begin, you two met at highschool. Sooner and later, you two become a thing. Which you two were honestly such a power couple.

♡-  I mean everyone wanted a relationship like you two, even Wendy wanted Stan to act like his best friend. ANYWAYS, back to the main thing.

♡- Let’s just say when you introduce your new boyfriend to your friends, let’s say they were giggling and whispering to you about your boyfriend…

♡- “Really, y/n? I thought you were done with…” before your friend could finish the sentence. You were already pulling Kyle away from them. 

♡- He was already wondering what ‘you were done with’ her words not his. He kept asking you what they meant but you kept changing the topic.

♡-”Hey sweetheart, what was your friend about to say-”

♡- but before he finished “Look at the time! I have to go to math class, I don’t want to be late like last time!!” Then you were fast walking to your ‘math class’ even though you were just going to the bathroom.

♡- You were just shy about the topic and didn’t know what Kyle would say.

♡- Kyle would usually drop the topic after knowing you didn’t want to talk about it but he couldn’t get this out of his mind. So he did some digging (by digging just asking your friends)

♡- And oh boy..he didn’t think it was that..

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵　　‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

Kyle didn’t know what you were hiding, I mean it couldn’t be that bad right? The red head boy just sighed as he closed his locker. The school day couldn’t be faster? I mean for him, the day went slower than a snail. Yes. A snail. But luckily he made it through lunch time, where he saw your friends looking at him and was giggling. Then there was his partner, in the middle. Blushing like crazy, soon they made eye contact. Then they quickly stood up and headed to the bathroom, he just knew there was something she was hiding. But he couldn’t quite pin what was the reason, they couldn’t tell him. So he walked where your friends were. They all saw him walking towards him. They all stopped talking and passed ‘shhh.’ ‘He's coming, act normal!!’ 

“Hey you…” one friend said to Kyle, so awkwardly. “Well me, Y/F and Y/F have to go… to the bathroom!” the friend said and got up with the other friends. Leaving the awkward friend with Kyle. Great. “Um ... I really need to go also! See you!” they said trying to leave before this gets anymore awkward. “Hey no wait-” Kyle said while grabbing their arm. “Look. I really need some answers and I think you might know the answer.” He said while trying to make them sit down, he really hoped that they might answer the question. “Okay fine! What is it?” they said their voice was growing louder than before. “What’s Y/n hiding?” “What do you mean?” “You know what I mean! The reason why you guys were giggling” He said clearly getting annoyed. He knew they were acting dumb. “Ohhh! That” they giggled. “I thought Y/N already told you” Starting to smirk at him, “Well if they did, I wouldn’t even have asked you!” he said, getting mad. “Okay, so you already know they dated other people right?” “um..yeah?” He said confused. “What’s E/X hair color?” “Red?” “yup! Now what's E/x hair color?” “Red?” ‘What are they getting on?’ he thought. “Now what's your hair color?” “It’s Red.” “your so dumb.” “huh? What do you mean, I don’t get it.” “dude. Y/N has a thing with red heads.”

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵　　‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

♡- So there he was in front of the bathroom, waiting for you to come out.

♡- He couldn’t help but get flustered. Something about that just made him blush just like his hair color.

♡- He used to hate his hair when he was younger, I mean Cartman made fun of him for it. Nobody even used to like it.

♡- Just you liking his hair color just made him blush like crazy. So you did kinda boost his ego. 

♡- When you finally came out and saw him. All you could do is stare at him, your friends already quickly told you what happened. You were going to kill F/N.

♡- “Hey Y/n, I finally found out what was brothering you!”

♡- he said while smirking just a little.

♡- “So your into read heads?” He said clearly knowing how much that made you blush like crazy. Just. Like. His. Hair color. He thought.

♡- “NO!” you almost yelled.

♡-  “So all of your friends are lying to me?” He said while lightly laughing.

♡-  You sighed, you couldn’t hide it anymore. “I mean.. yeah..I do have a thing for redheads…”

♡-  He couldn’t help but blush. Those words just made him melt.

♡-  You looked up and there was your boyfriend, blushing, eyes wide open, and lost for words. All of that ego was now gone.

♡-  Of course, you couldn’t help but giggle.

♡-  So you kissed him.

♡- “God..I love your red hair.”

♡-  Kyle was just standing still, with such a love struck smile.

[tyrant-tales]

Brat!

Hiii! First fic!

An: I had alot of fun writing this! Sorry if it's a bit ooc! Enjoy! I FINALLY FIXED THE FORMAT! ENJOY MY LOVES

Warning: this is a tickle fic, if you dont like that, just move along!

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Prompt: All the Archons meet up, and a specific bard is pestering the geo archon. Good thing he knows how to put him in his place.

♡~~~♡~~~♡

Ah, what a glorious day. All the archons, with an exception of 2 or 3 (we don’t talk about it.), had met up in the beautiful land of Sumeru. Nahida had offered the Sanctuary of Sarasthana, but the others said just somewhere outside would be better, mainly not to be a slap in the face to her. They instead found each other at a peaceful waterfall. 

“Ah, hello Barbatoes! It’s a pleasure to have you here!” The child smiled.

“No need to be so formal, just let loose. What is it the traveler calls you? Nahida?” The bard laughed.

“Oh, yes. Sorry, I don’t remember any of you from before I lost my memory, apologies for my formality,” she finished by placing a hand to her chest, “Nahida is fine, thank you.. what is it? Venti?”

“Yes, Venti! Not bad for a kid.”

“Oh don’t bully her, I know Diluc has mistaken you as a fifteen year old, yes?” A certain Geo god poked in.

“It happened twice! You need to let go of the past, Mr. Zhongli!” Venti scrunched his nose as he poked Zhonglis chest.

“Oh please, it truly is a pleasure to watch the oldest Archon play around with a practical child,” Ei stepped forward from behind Nahida. Nahida laughed.

“Why do you guys hate me?” Venti frowned.

“For the record, I don’t hate you. I find you mildly amusing to poke fun at,” Zhongli crossed his arms and blinked. 

“Ugh, you’re always so mean, Mr. Zhongli.”

"I am not mean, I just-"

Before the two could start arguing, a green box appeared between the both of them, only to explode. 

“Be nice. My first time meeting you after losing my memory 500 years ago, and you act like children? I am the actual child here and I act better!” 

Ei choked back laughter, “I’d listen to her, she is the goddess of wisdom, after all.”

Venti started to argue but Nahida held up her finger, “Moving on,” she paused and glared at Venti, “I had Traveler teach me how to make Sumeru specialties, please enjoy!”

…… (pretend I wrote about them eating, I don’t have the creativity to actually)

“Wait, is Focalors not coming?” Venti tilted his head.

“Oh, no. She sent a letter. Apparently a big trial involving the traveler is going on today. Something to do with a train of missing women. I do hope they figure it out,” Nahida bowed her head.

Ei nodded, “Sounds like the traveler gets into way too much trouble. Everywhere they go, they end up in some grand scheme.”

Venti elbowed Zhongli, “I agree. Hey didn’t you fake your death while they were in Liyue? Some welcoming for the ‘Great Hero of Teyvat’!” 

Zhongli grabbed his side, “You seem to like pushing your limits, Barbatoes.”

“Always so uptight! Maybe you should relax!” The bard smirked.

“Don’t you dare.”

“And if I dare?” He started poking the stoic man’s side, only for said man to grab his wrist as a final warning.

“Lay off.”

“Such a buzzkill.”

“Did I mention that I prefer peace in my nation? Don’t start something we all know you can’t finish, Venti,” Nahida grew a flower, letting it blow with the breeze towards Venti.

“Getting told off by the youngest, isn’t that sad?” Ei sipped her tea. 

“Do not forget that I am also the wisest. I know how that situation would play out for both of you,” she fiddled with her hair, “Come to think of it, actually, that would be quite a sight to see. Continue if you wish, I suppose.”

“I say, if he continues, he’s going to get his ship wrecked,” Zhongli threatened.

“To change the topic, oh and it’s too late. They’re arguing,” Ei sighed.

“Just let them go on, he’ll learn his lesson eventually,” Nahida grew a new purple flower and passed it to Ei.

“Oh, this is beautiful! What flower is it?”

“It’s my specialty! I believe my people call it the Sumeru Rose.”

“It is very pretty."

Meanwhile:

“If you so much and poke me one more time, Venti, I will personally make sure you learn not to do it again,” Zhongli attempted to stand, only to crumble in on himself due to a jab directly to his hip.

“Ohh! That’s a new one!” Venti yelled as he reached to do it again. He would’ve succeeded, had he been a little quicker.

“I warned you, Barbatoes.”

Suddenly, Venti had been flipped onto his back with a vengeful-looking Zhongli sitting on his thighs.

“Heh…”

“Don’t kill him!” Ei called out.

Zhongli refused to look away from the younger, but replied, "No promises."

“I… had this coming,” Venti tried to wriggle away, but failed.

“Yes. You did,” Zhongli scowled, placing a jab to his side. 

“Ihi think we could stihil tahalk about ihit.”

“Hm,” the older moved his hands to hover over the bard's stomach.

“Ihi dohont think this ihis necesSAHARAY!”

“Oh, but it is!” He made this comment as he skittered 5 fingers across the other's stomach.

"Nohoho!!"

With the more peaceful archons:

Ei sipped her tea, "How long do you think they'll go for?"

Nahida tilted her head, "I would imagine that Zhongli will not stop until he gets an apology and a promise that he'll be left alone."

"That does sound realistic. If I recall correctly, however, Venti is rather stubborn. It might take a moment for that apology to even be considered."

"From what I've gathered, he also cannot take what he dishes out," the child paused, "Oh! I forgot to mention Sumeru`s fine desserts! I'll bring it up when Ventil should apologize."

"Perfect." Ei smiled. However, she immediately covered her ears due to the screech coming from the god of freedom.

"Wow," Zhongli almost stopped, "That will be noted."

Nahida glanced over, "What did you do?"

"Squeezed his knee. Though, I didn't expect that," he lifted his hand that wasn't in use and pointed to a very, very red Venti, who was still trying to muffle his laughter. Emphasis on 'trying'.

"Shuhuhut uhup!" 

Zhongli smirked, reaching back to the poor bard's knee, "Well that is not very nice, now is it?" 

Que the shriek.

"Oh my, you are so loud! Too bad the entirety of Teyvat is now unable to hear because of it," Ei teased. If there was a color redder than Venti was before, he was that now. 

"Shuhuhush!"

Zhongli almost laughed, almost, "Do you not learn? Respect your elders!" 

And another screech.

"Leahahvehe myhy knehe alohohone!" Venti screamed, starting to kick violently.

"Then be nice."

"Whyhyhy?" 

"You kind of asked for it," Nahida stood up, "is now a good time to mention that dessert is ready?"

"Ohh, nice. If only a certain archon would apologize so we could eat without ear-piercing screeching," The electro archon stood as well. Walking over to Venti and squeezing his ribs.

"NEHEVEHER!" 

"No dessert for you, then." 

"THAHAT'S NOHOT FAHAIHIR!!" 

"Then say sorry." 

"NOHOHOHO!" 

"In that case, you made me do it," Zhongli shot both his hands up to the younger's upper ribs. Ei laid off, not wanting to overwhelm Venti.

"NOHOHO! OKAY OKAHAY IHIM SOHOHORRY! STAHAHAP!" 

With that, Zhongli stopped and climbed off of Venti. Said god took in greedy breaths. 

"Are you done with pestering me now?" 

"Yehes."

"Okay. Then shall we start dessert?" Nahida skipped over to the other three, a little rosyness dusting her cheeks. Everyone decided not to mention it, mainly because they wanted their fair share of dessert.

It's safe to say Venti chose not to annoy Zhongli any further.

[inscrutable-shadow]

Whumptober 2023 Day 6 - Opening Act

@whumptober-archive

Alt Prompt - Lab Rat

In at the wire, amirite? And a form experiment? During Whumptober? Less likely than you'd think! I can't put a readmore in a chat format I am so sorry hopefully the new post shortening feature is sufficient ;-;

I don't feel comfy deciding how much of the Doc's backstory is canon to FCD right now so have a new banner, I guess. They should be about nineteen here, and this is one of their first subjects. Have them being horrifying for a bit lol.

contains: gore, medical experimentation, medical malpractice, lab whump

also available on ao3!

Partial audio recording recovered from raid of former Astra Group research facility. Subject has been identified from accompanying documents as subject 003-CV. [rustling sounds, as if the recording device is being worn around the DOCTOR’s neck. their voice is louder than 003’s because of the resonance.] 003: W-What are you going to do to me? DOCTOR: (brightly) Mm, well, I was thinking, given your broad shoulders and larger than average chest cavity, that you would be an excellent subject for my experiments regarding the integration of a secondary pulmonary system into a living human. I believe I have found a pair that will quite fit you.[sound like velcro pulling and leather stretching] DOCTOR: Ah, take care when you pull at the restraints! They are quite secure. I would not want you to injure yourself. 003: Extra lungs? What do I need extra lungs for? DOCTOR: Just think of the applications! You could hold your breath for twice as long. With some additional modifications, perhaps even breathe in and out at the same time. Much more efficient. Though, well, you are unlikely to do either. I am not arrogant enough to assume that my first attempt at this procedure will be that successful. 003: So I’m going to die? DOCTOR: Like as not, yes.  003: Didn’t you take an oath or something? Do no harm? DOCTOR: Me? Oh, certainly not! Even if I were in the habit of making promises I did not intend to keep, my education was… unorthodox. Not that I truly mind spinning public falsehoods, but life is easier when you keep those to a minimum, I think. [the clinking of metal tools] DOCTOR: Plus, I believe those sorts of ethical quibbles only hold the art of medicine back. To truly drive progress forward, we must be willing to do what was previously held to be impossible. 003: Wait! Er, why are you doing this? Surely there’s some other way to- DOCTOR: Ah, I see. You are working with a faulty premise. I am not some young, idealistic doctor blinded to ethics by their drive to seek the truth. On the contrary, I do this because I love it! [DOCTOR laughs] DOCTOR: Slicing through skin, pulling apart sinew, grinding through bone, I find it all absolutely delightful. Hold still a minute, quick pinch coming… 003: (slurred) What… what’d you give me? DOCTOR: That should numb the pain and prevent you from moving. It is a little experimental thing I have been working on. We shall see if it works, no? 003: Please… no… DOCTOR: Hush, love. The less you talk, the less it will hurt. [slicing sounds. 003 screams.] DOCTOR: (gleefully) Oops. I lied. [more slicing sounds. 003 continues to wail and moan.] DOCTOR: (giggling) Pardon me a moment. Need to… step away to compose myself… Ah, this is incredible! [their voice is muffled, as if pressing a hand over their surgical mask. the laughter’s volume is unchanged.] 003: You’re insane! DOCTOR: (still laughing) Oh, certainly! Glad to see you understand! [more giggles and a few deep breaths, then the slicing sounds resume.] DOCTOR: Oh, this is my favourite part. [the whirring of a bone saw. the DOCTOR hums a folk tune, possibly ‘Daisy Daisy’. 003 screams louder than previously, but is cut off. recording ends.]

taglist: @athenswrites, @i-eat-worlds, @demondamage you seem invested in doc stuff so idk if you want to be tagged? just let me know!

[roxie-roo]

Day 2: A Hermit Hollow Ficlet

@majickth hello again! I figured I'd try my hand at a style that you've been going for with the ficlets. I'll admit, it was a bit of a challenge, because I'm not used to writing in first person. But I did my best, and I did a thing! I'm actually kinda proud of it! I'll be mixing ficlets with this style, and my usual writing format, just to keep things interesting! Enjoy!

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

[ The following is a transcript of notes taken from the online journal of GRIAN ████. Certain words have been removed per request, but the remaining text is otherwise unaltered. ]

Scarland is a rickety old building, definitely a scam. Everything about it lives and breathes "Scam". Though, I suppose that's part of its charm. At least the owner certainly thinks so. I'm not desperate but,,, oh who are you kidding, Grian. Yes you are. I just need the money. That's all.

Scar welcomed me into the shop with a bright smile. The cat followed behind me for a while, before curling herself up near the back, by a curtain.

"What's back there?" I asked once Scar was done talking.

He looked back at the curtain, his grin brightening as he grabbed my arm a bit roughly and tugged me forward.

"Only the best psychic this side of the Hollow!" He declared proudly as he shoved the curtain aside unceremoniously. The fortune teller sat in a booth, and looked not unlike your stereotypical psychic. Scarves and gold and crystal balls. All bullshit, I think.

She seemed startled out of her... sleep? Trance? I couldn't quite tell. For a split second, and I might just need new glasses, I saw a tuft of fur under the scarf. She was quick to fix it and look up at me with a wry smile. Her teeth looked pointed, and her eyes had a cat-like quality to them.

"Hello, child.." her voice sounded odd. Almost like she was trying to fake it, sound older than she was. "Have you come to get your fortune read?"

"I- not really-" I tried to say, but Scar cut me off.

"Oh come on, where's your sense of fun! Go on, give him a read, Mary!"

"Mary" beckoned me over with a.. hand? Paw? "Yes, yes, come child. Let Mystic Mary see what the future has in store for you. Give me your hand."

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it. But I held my hand out to her. She took it in both.. I'm almost 90% sure those were paws, was she some kind of cat? Either way, I gave her my hand, and she looked into her crystal ball. Red smoke faded into view, and she stared harder. I stood there, unamused for a few seconds more. Then I heard her gasp.

"Oh... oh dearie me.." she whispered. "That- that cant be good.." she gripped my hand tighter. "I fear you, young man, are in terrible danger.."

"Uh-huh..." I rolled my eyes again. I felt something sharp poke my hand. Yep. Those were claws. Great.

"You have a sister who lives here.." how did she know that? "If not for your sake or mine, for hers. Stay safe.. I fear you're in grave danger.."

I carefully took my hand away and left, but that conversation stayed in my head that whole night. What did she mean danger?

Curiosity got the better of me. It always does, doesn't it? I stayed behind to hear Scar and "Mystic Mary" talking.

"Did you really not see anything, Lizzie?" so Mystic Mary was a fake. I knew it.

"Yes! There was nothing there, nothing but... a- a glowing eye.."

"You don't think..."

"They've already found him..."

Okay, back up. Who's "they"?

What am I getting myself into here?

[starset21]

Disclaimer: I only own my original characters, I've done some research but there will likely be Navy/military inaccuracies, and I do not consent to the posting, translating, or publishing of my work to any 3rd party site, the only place it may be found is on tumblr and Wattpad under @.itswildflower

A/N: This story is heavily inspired by the hallmark movie of the same title and is very self-indulgent. I'm also trying a different format than I'm used to using so it may change in the future chapters. Hope everyone is having good winter holidays!

Looking for the other chapters? U.S.S. Christmas Masterlist 

Summary:  Kate and Jake take on New York City

Chapter 5: New York

“Oh! Look at this! Oh, I can't wait to see the rockettes and the the rockefeller Christmas tree, the decorations on fifth Avenue, but first, we gotta get New York pizza!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

“Okay, she's gonna wear me out. Now, the ship leaves at 8 P.M. on the dot. Don't be late,” Jackson reminded them.

“2000 hours. Roger that. I think the historical building is right up here,” Jake told Kate, taking her hand in his.

“Do you keep records of all the performances?” Kate asked the lady at the front desk.

“We sure do. The older ones haven't been transferred to the computer, though. We've had all kinds of personalities to perform for the troops. You said 1965?” she asked.

“Yes,” Jake nodded.

“The Polaris, right?” she asked again and Kate nodded.

“Do you see a Dorothy in there?” she asked.

“Oh! Here it is. It looks like Dorothy Milne. It lists her employment as a dance instructor,” the lady told them.

“Just like the journal says,” Kate whispered to Jake.

“She actually worked at the ovation dance studio right here in the city,” the lady told them.

“I could hug you right now,” Kate grinned and they headed out.

“We might just solve this Christmas mystery after all,” Jake told her, nudging her shoulder. 

“I can't believe it! The ovation dance studio is actually still around! Wonder if Jonah tracked her down there. I remember the last passage in his journal said…” 

"I saw Dorothy perform last night with the uso. She's breathtaking. It was like she was floating on air. I got to talk to her again after the show, and she's truly everything I imagined. Sweet, smart… But when I went to find her this morning, her brother said Dorothy left on the cargo plane. It's crazy, but I feel like I've known her forever. I have to find her after we dock in Norfolk."

“We might just solve this Christmas mystery after all,” Jake told her, nudging her shoulder as they headed into the dance studio. There were little ballerina’s dancing around the room.

“They are so sweet,” Kate couldn’t help commenting.

“Aren't they? Today's the dress rehearsal for our big Christmas show. Can I help you with something?” the instructor asked.

“Yes. Hi, I'm Kayleigh Wells of the Norfolk register newspaper. This is Lieutenant Seresin,” Kate introduced.

“Nice to meet you both. What's this about?” she asked.

“We're looking for a woman who might be a military spouse. Her name is Dorothy Milne. Apparently she worked here years ago,” Kate told her.

“Yes. Dorothy was my teacher as a girl. I eventually bought the studio from the owner,” she crossed her arms.

“Could you tell us more about her?” Kate asked.

“She, uh, moved to New York to be a rockette, but her dreams never quite panned out, so she worked here instead, and would sometimes perform for the troops with the USO,” the woman told them.

“Any idea where she was from?” Kate asked.

“Kansas City, I believe,” she told them.

“Do you have any idea if she was married to a pilot named Jonah?” Jake asked.

“I remember there was a pilot she met on an aircraft carrier. He came to find her after the ship docked. Surprised her with roses right here in the studio in the middle of class! But she had a boyfriend at the time who she said was planning to propose, so I'm not sure who she ended up with,” she told them.

“Any idea what Jonah’s last name is?” Kate asked.

“It was so long ago. After that Christmas, we were told Dorothy moved to California. But that's all I know. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help.”

“Thank you,” Kate gave her an appreciative smile.

“I think we could use a snack right now, have you ever had roasted chestnuts?” Kate asked Jake.

“No, actually,” Jake told her. Kate smiled and went up to a cart selling them.

“We'll take two,” she told the man and went to pull out some money.

“I got this,” Jake told her, handing the man money.

“Thank you. All right. Let's see what this is,” Jake said as they began their walk again.

“Mmm! Lot sweeter than I thought,” he told her after having one.

“Hmm. Kinda how I feel about you,” Kate teased.

“I'll take that as a compliment,” Jake laughed.

“So, have you ever been to New York before?” Kate asked him.

“When I was six my parents brought me here for Christmas,” he told her.

“Before the divorce?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah. It was our last Christmas as a family together,” he bit his lip and looked down.

“That's bittersweet.” Jake nodded.

“Yeah, but it was the best Christmas I ever had,” he looked at her.

“Well, I think it's nice that you have those memories. Whenever my dad would be home for Christmas, we'd always go to Picasso’s diner and we would get semi crispy bacon. It was kind of our thing. Semi crispy is the only way to go,” Kate told him.

“I know, right?” Jake asked and Kate laughed.

“That looks really familiar. New York model train museum annual Christmas show! I went there when I was here with my dad,” Jake pointed out.

“Yeah? Come on, you wanna go? It'd be fun!” Kate exclaimed.

“Uhh... I don't know…” he trailed off.

“Oh, come on! You said it yourself, best Christmas you ever had,” Kate taunted.

“All right, yeah. Let's do it,” Jake smiled.

“Okay. Perfect,” Kate smiles, taking his hand and pulling him along. 

“This really brings me back,” Jake says as they wander through the train exhibits. “You okay?” Kate asks.

“Yeah, it's just, uh… I remember my dad taught me how trains worked when we were here. And after the divorce, that's pretty much all we talked about trains, planes… Pretty much anything with a motor. You know, we never went too deep. Stiff upper lip, you know?”

Kate nodded. “My mom was the complete opposite. I think after my dad died she was just so heartbroken all she wanted to do was talk about him, but… I couldn't do it,” she told him.

“Why not?” he asked.

“It was too painful,” Kate shrugged.

“I'm sorry. He died from an accident, right?” Jake asked and Kate nodded.

“I was 16… The day everything changed,” she told him.

“My dad says he was a great man,” he told her.

“He was. And he loved us very, very much. So all the times he invited me to go on the Christmas tiger cruise, I should have,” Kate sighed.

“Well, I'm sure he understood. It's not easy being a Navy brat,” Jake tells her.

“Yeah, well, it's something I still regret to this day.”

“Look, don't beat yourself up over it. Believe me, I get it. All the moving around, the uncertainty… Our dads were gone for months at a time,” Jake told her, nudging her shoulder.

“Well, you're lucky yours is still around. You should cherish that,” Kate told him.

“I do. You know, he… He bought me this little red train…” Jake trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“At the gift shop here. Ahh. I drove that thing around on every surface of our house until the wheels fell off,” he told her.

“That's really sweet,” Kate smiled.

“I'll never forget that moment we picked it out together. Cost five dollars, but… Nothin' meant more to me than that train.”

Kate paused at one of the displays. “Do you still have it?” she asked.

“Got lost in one of the moves,” Jake shrugged.

“I'm sorry,” Kate apologized, she knew the feeling of losing something in a move fairly well.

“It's the memory that matters, right?” Jake asked. Kate nodded.

“Hey. Let's go check out the north pole train!” Jake exclaimed.

“You know what? I'm gonna get us some hot chocolate, but I'll meet you over there?” Kate asked.

“All right,” he smiled and headed over to the display. 

“This is flight 747 to JFK tower, comin' in for a landing,” a little boy is flying a toy plane around.

“Copy, flight 747. Proceed to runway one-zero-niner and wait for clearance. Psst!” Jake pretended like he was a tower operator.

“Psst! Copy,” the little boy responded.

“I brought Teddy here for the trains, but he's obsessed with flying,” the dad laughed.

“Smart kid. You know, Jake is actually a fighter pilot in the Navy,” Kate told them, walking up with two hot chocolates.

“Whoa,” the kid marveled.

“At your service,” Jake tipped his imaginary hat.

“Do you fly off aircraft carriers?” the boy asked.

“Sure do. But flying off the carrier is the easy part. Landing, that's the hard part,” Jake told him.

“That's so cool! I want to be a Navy pilot!” the kid exclaimed.

“Well, you certainly can if you put the work in. Here. This…” He pulls out a pair of wings that they give to the kids on the cruises from his pocket. “Is for you, eh?” he offered with a smile.

“Whoa! No take-backs?” the kid asked.

“No take-backs, buddy. Promise,” Jake smiled.

“You just made his Christmas. Thank you so much. Have a great holiday,” the dad told him.

“Merry Christmas,” Jake told them as they walked away.

“You know, you were really good with him. And did I just hear you say, "merry Christmas"?” Kate asked.

“Yeah, well, don't tell my shipmates,” Jake told her.

“Oh, no, they'd never believe me. Hey, we should probably go get something to eat, and I know a place that's gonna actually change the way you see Christmas forever,” Kate grinned.

“Mind games, huh?” Jake asked.

“It'll definitely mess with your brain. Come on,” Kate laughed and took his hand in hers. 

Christmas music played quietly in the background.

“Brain freeze!” Jake groaned.

“They don't call it the colossal Christmas cocoa for nothing,” Kate laughed.

“We don't mess around here. We take Christmas very seriously. Two burgers coming up,” the waitress told them.

“Thank you. I feel like I don't have a care in the world right now. Honestly, that's not happened very often,” she told Jake.

“That's how I feel when I'm flying my jet over the ocean, those moments when I'm at total peace. Until I realize I have to land on a ship that feels like it's the size of a postage stamp,” Jake laughed.

“Does that ever scare you?” Kate asked and Jake shook his head.

“I love every second of what I do. The adrenaline and the rush… I don't think I'm scared of anything,” he told her.

“Not even Christmas?”

Jake raised a brow. “Christmas? Why would I be scared of Christmas?” he asked.

“I'm just sayin', it… Kind of seems like you've been running away from it,” she told him.

“What do you mean?”

“Based on what you told me earlier, it seemed like maybe your parents got divorced shortly after your trip here,” she said simply.

“Yeah, well, after that, it was mostly mom and me at Christmas. Just wasn't the same without my family together. Just couldn't really see the magic in the holiday anymore,” Jake shrugged.

“I'm sorry.”

Jake waved her off.

“And I'm also sorry 'cause I totally judged you,” Kate apologized.

“It's okay. I know I can be a bit of a Christmas curmudgeon,” Jake nodded.

“A bit?” Kate teased.

“Mmhmm,” Jake laughed.

“Well, it's okay. If I wave my merry magic wand, maybe you'd think about embracing some new Christmas memories,” Kate tried.

“Hmm? Like what?” he asked.

“Like, you know, today, we… You made the little boy smile at the train show, right?” Jake hummed in response.

“He met his hero. And we saw the world's most adorable dance troupe, and I wasn't gonna say anything, but it appears that you actually took a bite of your candy cane,” Kate told him.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Jake hid the candy cane.

 “I haven't had this much fun in a long time,” he told her.

“Good!” Kate smiled.

“You're amazing.”

Kate tilted her head questioningly.

“The way you made me imagine our day like a living scrapbook. You really have a way with words,” Jake clarified.

“Well, I'm a writer. So…”

“You're much more than that,” Jake told her, and it felt like he was looking into her soul.

Her phone started buzzing and Kate smiled apologetically before reading the text messages.

“It's my mom. Oh, my gosh, we have to go. It's 7:30!” Jake’s eyes widened and then they were both collecting their jackets.

“Uh, sorry! Forget the burgers!” Kate called to the server.

“Sorry. Here you go! Merry Christmas,” Jake added, placing money down on the table.

“Yeah, merry Christmas! Sorry!” The two of them ran out.

“Taxi! Taxi!” Kate yelled and it only took a moment before one pulled up and they got in.

“Pier 90,” Jake told the driver.

“We're almost there,” Kate groaned as they got stuck in traffic with 10 minutes till the ship left.

“We're never gonna make it. Maybe we should run,” Jake suggested.

“Run?!”

“Yeah. We can do it. Come on!”

Jake was handing the driver money and climbing out of the taxi. He took Kate’s hand and they began running.

“Go, go, go, go!” he encouraged.

“You're crazy! Whoa! Excuse us! Sorry!” Kate yelled as they ran by people.

“It's this way! Hi, Santa! Oh, wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Jake had to stop and put some bills in the santa’s bucket.

“Merry Christmas!” he exclaimed as they took off running again.

“You barely made it, Lieutenant,” one of the sailors greeted them as they climbed aboard the ship.

“I can't believe we just ran 15 blocks,” Kate panted, trying to catch her breath.

“I know,” Jake laughed.

“Thank you for today. You know, for all the memories. The new ones.”

Kate smiled.

“You're welcome, Jake.”

[anamardoll]

Film Corner: The Invitation (2022)

I've always found it harder to review movies I liked than ones I don't like; somehow it's easier for me to lay out nitpicks in an orderly manner than it is to explain in essay form what worked in something that left me Kermit-flailing with joy. I've been ruminating on how to tell you all about movies I've liked lately when I suddenly remembered the wonderful old "Movie Yelling With X and Y" and realized that was precisely the format I've been needing, and immediately roped Kissmate into a Discord where we could yell happily at each other. I'm very happy with the result and I hope you are too! --- The Invitation (2022) Songbird: (singsong) Soooo, now we've seen The Invitation (2022). I sort of knew what to expect because I'd seen the trailer way back in the day (it was quite a hit on Twitter when the trailer was released, if I recall correctly!) and was expecting suspense and probably some sort of vampires. Whereas you went into the movie completely unaware of what it would be about. What did you think? Kissmate: You told me there was a girl who goes to meet up with new family and vampires are involved. That was all I knew going in. Once we started and all the subtle Dracula hints began, and maids started dropping like flies, I was still a bit surprised by the ending. Not surprised that the handsome asshole was Dracula, just surprised by what he wanted her for. Songbird: Oh my gosh, the Dracula hints! This was such a fun ride for people who love that book (me!), especially coming down off of the "Dracula Daily" tumblr fun. The house is called "New Carfax" (Carfax Abbey is the estate purchased by Dracula in the book, the sale of which Jonathan Harker facilitates and which is why he later knows where to find the count), one of the brides is named "Lucy" (Lucy Westenra being one of Dracula's most memorable victims), and the Butler is named "Mr. Field" in the movie and credited as "Renfield" in the script/credits (Renfield being Dracula's devoted servant even whilst imprisoned in the asylum run by one of Lucy's suitors). And I'm pretty sure there's a couple named Jonathan and Mina Harker! Just so many delightful Easter Eggs if you're a fan, but you don't have to know the book to enjoy the film. But, yes!! How applicable is this film to all of us? You're lonely, you're looking for a little human connection, you take one of those Ancestry DNA tests, you find a long-lost cousin, he invites you to Britain to meet the rest of the family (who are all super sweet and super psyched to meet you!), and then it turns out they are planning to marry you off to an ancient vampire (implied to be *the* Dracula) as part of an ancestral tri-bride blood pact codified centuries ago because it turns out that (a) your family is that particular vampire's lawyers, and (b) they don't have a lot of marriageable women at the moment and you showed up in just the nick of time as far as they're concerned. Whomst among us hasn't had that happen? Kissmate: Oh god, the Alexander Family. You have Oliver, the long-lost cousin, being such a delightful little manipulator. Anyone who knows the red flags are seeing them pop up all over the place from his first scene (he's overly generous to get her to England alone, mentioning the family scandal being something the family is Totally Happy about now, keeps bringing up the hot rich Dracula figure as such a nice guy to know, etc). And then when she walks into the room to meet her whole Alexander side of the family, the camera is careful to show that only 3 other women are in that room full of men, and they are clearly either serving maids or older women who married into the family (rather than blood relations and eligible debutantes). The elder patriarch even says something about how the Alexanders keep having boys like that's a bad thing. How Evie, a biracial Black woman, didn't fucking run out of the room right then and there is amazing. Like, *I'm* a white man and that room was way too white man for comfort. I do have, like, ONE nitpick I have about the whole thing, but provided that the bad guys are totally desperate, it might not be fair. Songbird: Yes! Oliver's manipulation, really the manipulation being practiced by the *whole family*, is just so delightful because it walks that perfect delicate line between "is this overly intimate to the point of being creepy" or "are they just really sweet people who aren't very good at boundaries". I love the conversations between protagonist Evie and her friend Grace because they really tease out those concerns in a realistic way! Evie and Grace are both Black and they have reasonable concerns about this lily-white British family and whether it's normal for them to be so accepting and overjoyed at finding a Black offshoot of the family. An offshoot created when a ancestral lady of the family had a secret out-of-wedlock biracial baby with a Black footman, no less! They have big meaningful conversations about British colonialism and racism (and I'm convinced that's why some reviewers got pissy about the movie, but that's another thing) and whether Evie should be suspicious of all this positive attention and love-bombing being heaped onto her. What's your nitpick? I'd love to hear it. Kissmate: Well, the vampire Alexander Bride died rather than kill and eat the help. And there's no more Alexander women to replace her with. They're fucked, but wait what's this, another Alexander woman found through the magic of the internet and DNA matching! Awesome! But there's a Problem: She's a waitress, and has been for a long time. She's seen helping the serving maids from minute one of her arrival. She even says to them, "if we don't help each other out, who will?" WE. As in she sees herself as one of the hired help. So doesn't that mean THE CYCLE WILL FUCKING CONTINUE? and Evie will starve herself the way the previous Alexander Bride did? Anyone who spends five minutes with Evie can tell she'd rather starve than eat a servant. Did no-one think to consider that? Songbird: I don't think they *can* consider it, to be honest. Dracula, the brides, and the Alexander family all seem so genuinely puzzled that Evie isn't ecstatic, delighted, *grateful* to be plucked out of artistic obscurity and financial hardship to be given this amazing "gift" of ultra-wealth and eternal life and youth. Down to the very end, I think every single one of these rich people just cannot understand that there are people out there who wouldn't trade a stranger's life for wealth and comfort. Even Lucy, the most sympathetic of them all, says that the previous Alexander Bride (Evie's ancestress Emmaline) was "sick" and "confused". Lucy seems to think that Emmaline got some kind of vampire dementia rather than simply unable to remain a monster-married-to-another-monster any longer than she already had. I did think it was interesting that Lucy brought up that "women had fewer choices in my time" and Dracula sneers that "modern women" are so ungrateful. There's a lot in the movie about class and gender and social/family pressures. Evie is being pressured by her family to marry Dracula for the good of the Alexander clan, but the pressure doesn't really have any weight behind it (emotionally and psychologically, I mean) because *she doesn't know these people and doesn't care about them*. Like, I can well imagine it may have been hard for Emmaline Alexander to refuse when Dracula came a' courting back in the day because she wouldn't have wanted him to slaughter her people. But Evie? These assholes are strangers to her! So when she gets a chance to run, of course she does! I love that. Kissmate: You bring up Lucy, and I want to continue that. She's only 100 years old. Women had- Wait. American women had the right to vote by the 1920s era. British women had to wait a couple more decades, right? Don't remember when, but that would explain Lucy's more sheltered views. Was Lucy British? Viktoria was Bangladesh, Emmaline was British. What was Lucy? Songbird: I think they're all British, regardless of where they call home. Wait. Hang on, what was the list? "At the dinner table, Walter welcomes the three great families: the Billingtons from Whiteby, the Klopstocks from Budapest, and the Alexanders of London." (LINK) ...Oh my god, it's another Dracula reference. London, Budapest, and Whitby are all locations that are meaningful to Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel. But yes, Lucy is British by birth. As for British vs American suffrage, they were basically around the same time. 1918 for British women and 1920 for American women. (Mind you, this was still just for *white* women. Which Lucy is. But Evie is not.) Though it is interesting that when we talk about, say, women's right to work (for example) we're often talking about *white* women's right to work and ignoring the fact that women of color were already working because they were slaves or servants to the upper classes. So Lucy probably was raised with the expectation that she would marry and her husband would take care of her in exchange for her perfect obedience. So even if Evie had been raised contemporary to Lucy, they would have been raised with different expectations: as a Black woman in 1920s England, Evie would've had to get work. If she married well then good for her, but she wouldn't have been raised with a "good marriage" in mind as an end goal for her. She would've been taught from day one to work hard and take care of herself. I just think that's interesting, when we're talking about the contrast between "modern women" and women from Lucy's era: it matters very much what social class we're talking about! Kissmate: That is very true, and Lucy does seem like she was meant for good breeding with nobles, not so much the physical need of busy body and hands. Poor girl. Complete tangent here, but hear me out: the entire bit with "thorned bars to keep the shrikes out" always had me baffled. Because it wouldn't keep shrikes out! It would do the opposite! Shrikes love to pick up grasshoppers and lizards and impale them on nearby thorn bushes, or metal spikes, and pick off the food from the kabob. So it's a nice little nod to Vlad "Dracula" Tepis the Impaler, but those bars would just attract them, not keep them away. Also, and I could be wrong, but I swear the bird that flies into the window looks more like a swift than a shrike. Which is the bird her servant is probably named after (Mrs. Swift). So you're being warned about impalement, but then it's a songbird that flies into the window. So many metaphors to put there. Songbird: The bars on the window are strange. The movie makes a thing of them that never seems to go anywhere. I wasn't sure if it were another Easter Egg (there's no bars on the windows of Dracula's castle in the book, as far as I can recall, but it may be a visual element from one of the many movie adaptations?) or if it had something to do with Emmaline's captivity (do we ever see if the other rooms have bars on their windows) or something else entirely. So the bars were strange to me. If the bird hitting the window is foreshadowing for poor Mrs. Swift then it's one I admit I missed! Can we talk about how charismatic Walt is, to the point where you're rooting for him and Evie to get together even though you suspect it's not a good idea? Can we talk about Bride Viktoria and how I usually hate womanly "cat fights" in movies, but really she's just embracing being a gaslighting chaos demon as a way to pass the centuries? Delightful. Kissmate: Regarding the bars, my money is on the captive-keeping option. And yes, we can! That man was 100% Bad Mistake Material. Like, fuck is that actor so pretty! And his smile! Gah, he can turn anyone male-sexual into a mess. It's no wonder he stole Evie's heart. I'm wondering how he keeps Viktoria around, unless he likes her chaotic messes. I can see him getting bored and then she just *does something*, and like that, the evening/eternity is entertaining again. Songbird: Yeah, I definitely got the impression that Viktoria was the Chaos Bride where he enjoys her tendency to let lose and break things (that he can either join in or have the pleasure of cleaning up), that Lucy was the Gentle Bride where she soothes and pets him when he wants an emotional support teddy bear, and I think he was hoping Evie was going to be the creative, artsy, intellectually-stimulating bride that challenges him and keeps him mentally sharp and active. Really, I was deeply impressed with the romance! You know, because *vampires*, that Harry-Hook-Playing-Vlad-Tepes is bad news (just like you know that Cousin Oliver probably isn't as friendly as he seems) but they're all very good at emotional manipulation! I love that because I really do expect someone who is hundreds of years old and who relies on lies and manipulation in order to survive to be GOOD at it, and he is! He's gentle, he's teasing, he's loving, and yet there's those tiny little flashes underneath that I can see as an older, more jaded lover but which I totally would have smoothed over in my younger years like Evie does--like when he says he's not a good guy, just an asshole trying to impress her, and she insists that he's a sweetie and that the tough guy thing is just an act. Sometimes it *is* and act but sometimes it *isn't* and as you get older (and have your heart broken a few times) I think you learn to listen to those little jangling warning bells and remember that sometimes people do tell you exactly who they are. Kissmate: The three Brides being his Ego, Superego, and Id sound fucking perfect, as well as emotional manipulation being honed after eons of practice. This movie had so much love and thought put into it! Like... art and insight blended very well into a blood wine smoothie. Songbird: Beautiful. And such a satisfying ending, too, like genuinely really empowering. I loved every minute of it. ❤

[trinrose3]

Forgiveness is best served with a new shirt.

little fic about my ocs Alexander and Fredrick :). I wrote this in my notes app don’t judge if the format is fucked lmao. Warning I wrote this at like 2:30 in the morning and yes I said I was gonna go to sleep but the fic vetoed that.

SO sorry for lack of context for this lmao

————————-

“Need help?” Fredrick looked up from where he was struggling to put his shirt on. Alexander’s eyes were filled with guilt, but then again when weren’t they as of late.

“I...do not need assistance but thank you.” He said hesitantly. 

Alexander sighs as he steps closer to where Fredrick sat, floor board creaking and groaning as if they were filled with as much displeasure as the two of them were.

Gently, oh so gently, Alexander grabbed onto his new shirt, one not stained and crusted with blood. 

“Life your arms,” he demanded, “You needn’t act. I…always thought you were never good at acting but it appears I was quite wrong.”

Fredrick winced, and not from the pain in his shoulders from lifting his arm halfway. He refused to look back into his prince’s eyes. Despite them being a cool light grey they were somehow always filled with warmth. He decided that he needed to focus on his breathing. 

Deep breath in. He could feel the prince’s warmth. He could vaguely hear Alexander’s rambles to himself. Complaints here and there about the dingy room and how he missed having a palace to his own. He could hear the birds as they chirp outside, unaware of the turmoil churning within their land. He could feel his own heart beat.

Deep breath out. He could feel a gentle touch, soft as if too afraid that he would hurt him, as if too afraid to uncover any more truths. He could feel the now dull aching of his body. Pain was something he was used to, and at times found comfort in. Pain meant you were alive. Pain meant you could still feel. Emotionally or physically. It signaled that you were still human, not a ruthless killing machine.

“I forgive you.”

A quick sharp breath in. His eyes shot up in shock. Pain in his chest, as fingers were grasped at his collar. How could he forgive him? After all the lying? After all the secrets? 

He searched those wonderful grey eyes in confusion. The warmth was still there. 

“Forgive me? How? Why?” The dutiful guard dog could not understand. 

Alexander’s hands slightly trembled as they brushed off invisible (or maybe not considering the state of the room they were in) dust from the new clean shirt.

“I may be foolish at times but I am no fool. If you didn’t…do what you did, then…things might have gone a lot worse. For both of us.For all of us.” Fredrick watched as Alexander swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn’t help but do the same. 

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” 

The two of them stayed in the silence. Neither wanted to move or look away but both were too afraid to speak. So still they stayed. 

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

[twopoppies]

Hello! Thank you for the reblogs of what looks like a spectacular concert last night. : )

Re: the finger pop gesture Harry made during Medicine: I knew I had seen that ages ago and at first thought it was something Bing Crosby used to do. But the youtube rabbit hole I just went down showed me no, it's even worse LOL.

Lawrence Welk used to do it at the end of his television theme song. IIRC it was sort of a signature gesture to mimic the sound of a popping champagne cork.

(Could the gesture have traveled through pop culture to the point where it means something, er, more risqué now? I wouldn't be a bit surprised. But the Lawrence Welk show is where I remember first seeing it. (Thanks for making me watch with you and burning that into my memory, Grandma E.))

Apparently I can't directly link to a youtube video in the ask format, but the title of the video I found is, "Lawrence Welk's Theme BUBBLES IN THE WINE 1979" and the gesture is at the 1:36 mark. Oh Harry. You are hilarious.

LOL! That’s quite a rabbit hole. But yes, it’s not a new gesture. Harry’s done it himself in moments that have nothing to do with innuendo. It’s just the timing and the whole mood of the performance in this case.

[longmonthartist]

A Brief History of K18 Fanfics Part 3 (Final)

Preface

Thanks for reading Part 2 and I hope you all found some enjoyable stories out of the list. I’ll be covering the contemporaries (2020s) this time but just like the previous list, I’ve included a few authors missing.

2nd Generation K18 Writers (Late 2000s to mid 2010s) Continued

IncognitoMan1-2-3-4

While IncognitoMan1-2-3-4 has only written one K18 series: “A Perfect Love”, it was a really well written series of short stories, with some written in 3rd person perspective while the last two chapters were from Krillin and 18’s perspective respectively. All in all some solid K18 stories that won’t leave anyone disappointed.

Shepherds-Glen

Shepherds-Glen, aka Alison is more of a DBZ generalist than K18 specialist. Nevertheless, her K18 stories story: “The Reluctant Mother To Be” is definitely worth a read with the sheer amount of love shared between our favorite couple. How K18 reacted to the news of Marron’s conception was cute to say the least too. This being said, it’s a shame this author, like some others, tend to leave her stories unfinished, so do expected some cozy first few chapters but ultimately no resolution to the story.

Kanthia

Kanthia has written a lot of DBZ stories and amongst them there’s only 1 K18 story and yet that alone is enough to put her on this list. “I Fell in Love with a Black Hole” is a very realistic take on how 18 would’ve behaved right after Cell Games, leading her to eventually seek out Krillin. I won’t go into much detail, as this is a fairly short piece but the writing and characterization more than made up for it. Do give this author a chance especially if you are into more realistic, non-fluff depiction of 18.

LPphreek

Another DBZ generalist who has only written one K18 story. This being said, his masterpiece: “Counterfeit Emotions” is an incredibly detailed and in-depth take on 18’s cyborg psychology and, excuse me for saying this, but one of the best depiction of 18’s mentality there is. If you don’t mind something a bit more real and angsty, LPphreek’s story is a great read both for his character depiction but also for his craft.

Gemini30 (English version by BadMonster-Fr)

BadMonster-Fr is a French author who has written quite a number of stories in French. One of her stories on FF.net, titled: “Love’s Not Away” is a translated version of one written by Gemini30. This is a very sweet and complete K18 get together story. Do give this lovely work a try, all chapters are fast reads, making them good relaxing short reads after work. Oh, did I mention she finished this series, yes, there’s a satisfying ending at the end too.

Draquia

Draquia has written only 1 DBZ story, and that just happened to be “Lovefools Part 1”, a great story portraying 18 trying to save her brother with the help of Krillin. The story has been completed with satisfying ending too and at 78k, this short novel should keep any K18 lover occupied with its engaging and unconventional plotline.

Contemporary K18 Writers (2020s)

By the 2020s, most fanfic authors have already learned all there is to learn about writing structure and format and stories are getting increasingly longer, with many works akin to short novels. All of the 2020s authors I’ll introduce here have written some full and completed master pieces, starting with attention grabbing intros and ending with plot-wrapping conclusions. Needless to say, the development in writing style is thanks to earlier works, as it is simply impossible for a community to progress to this point without prior examples.

Benisadog1

One of the most well established K18 lemon author there is, Benisadog1 has written just about every single imaginable steamy encounter between our favorite couple, with the scenarios ranging from their honeymoon to AUs and even an unlikely adventure they shared with Future 18. Of the three stories he has written so far, “K18 Movie Dates” is a hilarious depiction of K18 getting sidetracked while watching movie, “The Punk and the Geek” is an ongoing AU where punk 18 met office nerd Krillin, and “Krillin and 18 Lemon Anthology Series” a close contender to the best compilation of K18 steamy short stories.

One thing that sets Benisadog1 apart from other lemon authors is the inclusion of decently developed plot that connected the lemon with actual stories, making his work all the more enjoyable to read. On a side note, his chapters tend to be on the longer side and require some time to read through. Rest assured though, this lemon master’s works will not disappoint.

Literal Winter

An incredibly detail and plot oriented author, Literal Winter’s stories all involve very carefully crafted plots and engaging twists and turns that, despite their creativity, still matches the tone of DBZ. While not all of his stories are strictly K18, all of them more than gave this couple the time and respect they deserved and can be viewed as having the K18 side plot within the overarching story. I will give each one of his stories a brief summary below, seeing that I’ve personally read and reviewed all his works so bear with me.

“Facing the Future”, his very first work is a very engaging story of how 17 and 18 went to retrieve cure for a sick Krillin from the future timeline and the collaboration they shared with Future Trunks. While Krillin isn’t featured for the majority of this story, he is definitely involved as it is 18’s love for him that drove the cyborg woman forward.

“Twin Paths” offered a very plausible of why the future androids differ so much from their present counterparts and is totally worth a read.

“Vengeance Granted” portrayed another possible storyline that replaced Resurrection F. Here, the Z-fighters (including K18) had to fight a Frieza who has done something to their beloved dragon balls. While the premise may not be attractive to everyone, I argue this is one of his most creative pieces yet.

He has also written “Our Past Together”, a heart-warming non-action K18 one shot and an entry to K18 month.

Last but not least, his still ongoing work: “Dragon Ball Z: New Future” attempted at describing how post Goku Black Trunks would’ve tried reshaping the DBZ timeline starting from pre-Android saga.

Do give his stories a read, this author has a habit of completing his stories and if you love action oriented DBZ stories with heavy K18 involvement, Literal Winter will not disappoint. Just heads up that he is a Vegeta fan and for those K18 fans disliking Vegeta (I know there’s quite a lot in this community), his stories “Vengeance Granted” and “Facing the Future” may be too Vegeta heavy at times.

SuperSimpleStuff

SuperSimpleStuff is of European origin and although English is her third language, she has written two very engaging K18 stories “That first Time, you and I” and “From birth to rebirth: the incomplete story of Androids 17 and 18”. The best way to describe SuperSimpleStuff’s writing, or SSS for short (she has given me consent to address her as SSS), is that they are very unconventional in both plot and writing structure but can be very engaging, even to the point of jaw-dropping if readers were willing to invest the time.

“That first Time, you and I” for example, is a very well written K18 lemon that focused more on the couple’s psychology while engaging in the act of passion. It might just be me, but rarely do female authors write lemon and when they do, it’s very different than ones written by male authors. SSS is no exception as it’s possible to read from her words the tenderness of K18 in the act.

“From birth to rebirth” is a 17 and 18 story that features a lot of Krillin in some chapters. This story really sets itself apart from other DBZ stories with the amount of OCs in it. In a sense, SSS has crafted a standalone world for 17 and 18 populated with all the characters the twins have come across in their life. While this story is currently on hold (stopped right before Buu saga), the existing 50 chapters more than covered the cyborg twins’ journey sufficiently and detailed their growth throughout the years.

I may be a bit biased with the amount of communication I have with SSS, but do give her stories a try. If you can enjoy the dozens of OCs all with colorful personalities and their interactions with 17, 18, and Krillin, her story can mesmerize you since in her world, 17 and 18 always take center stage unlike DBZ.

AutumnKL/LongMonthArtist

After some debates, I have decided to include myself on this list of contemporaries. Although I shouldn't evaluate my own work, if you love K18, do give my stories a read. I try to do this lovely couple justice.

Final Words

This last post concluded my little write up of K18 fanfic history. It is by no means complete as I am aware many stories, especially those hosted in long-since-deleted DBZ shrines may never see the light of day again. I do hope to bring attention to the many wonderful stories written of this lovely couple though, and if possible, to document this shared bond we’ve all experienced.

Feel free to use this list as an example to compile your own list or better yet, become K18 writers if you haven’t already. It goes without saying that the number of people writing K18 is in sharp decline now that Dragon Ball Super anime has ended and the DBS manga hardly contained any traces of K18.

While this is not a call to action for writers, let me just say that it is never too early or late to get into the fandom as an author. You’d be surprised at the amount of K18 fans still out there eager for good reads.

[uglytsumugi12]

shine▲polyhedric tri-lights 【ep 6】

♢ characters: sora, tsukasa, madara

♢ season: winter

― ☆ ―

〈 After finishing the skating session, in Starmony Dorm's shared room 〉

Sora: ♪~♪~

(When in doubt, gather information!)

(Both Shisho and Senpai have gone back to their rooms, but Sora will use his leftover energy to collect more knowledge in sports fashion magazines!)

(It's true we live in an era where anything can be found in e-book formats using a tablet and such, but…)

(Sora feels he can learn much more by feeling the texture of the paper while reading~♪)

(Hm… Oh? Giant-san is a model in this magazine!)

(Giant-san must be so warm with so much fur on. It definitely was a good idea to have him teach us his knowledge.)

(Sora feels Giant-san's "color" is really close to what the fashion company's looking for.)

(If we all spend more time with Giant-san, surely we'll be able to find a new us, too~.)

Tsukasa: What are you reading, Harukawa-kun?

Sora: Oh, Tsuka-chan! Good work today!

Sora is reading a fashion magazine! It's full of brand new discoveries and sooo fun!

Would you like to read it with him? Sora's sure it'll be twice as much fun if you join him~♪

Tsukasa: It's unusual for you to read a fashion magazine.

Hmm. I see some casual and street styles over here. Do you like this kind of clothing?

Sora: Nope. Sora's reading it as a part of his current job!

Our new challenge is to show a more sporty side of Switch.

Tsukasa: A… sporty side of Switch..?

Well, this is surprising me a bit, considering your unit's usual theme is centered around magic.

But I suppose new challenges are essential in the idol industry. It's necessary to be like an arrow from a bow.¹

I'll be supporting you from afar, Harukawa-kun.

Please let me know if I can help in any way. We are one of the few classmates in NEW DIMENSION, so…

Let's do our best together so keep up against the other agencies.

Sora: Thank you so much, Tsuka-chan~. Sora will do his best too!

Ah, speaking about cooperation… Can Sora ask you something~?

Tsukasa: What is it? I'll answer to the extent of my abilities.

Sora: Well, everyone in Switch is inexperienced in sports clubs, and we're all feeling kinda lost.

Tsukasa: Inexperienced and lost..?

Now that's new. Are you guys trying to venture into something you have no experience in?

I think taking on this challenge is a good thing, but you're still very skilled at games. Was going in that direction a bad idea?

Sora: About that, Sora and the others are in a complicated situation.

This project is a menace from the past that came for us!

Tsukasa: A menace from the past..? Do you think you could explain further?

Sora: Of course! Sora will try to make it short~

That "menace from the past" Sora mentionned earlier is a prediction Shisho made during Sora's tarot reading.

When the unit was first formed, our proposal looked like… "The 'S' in Switch stands for the 'S' in sports!". It was quickly approved, and we had to work with it.

Tsukasa: Switch doing sports? That's quite puzzling…

Sora: Hmm~. Did Sora simplify his explanation too much? Communication is hard.

Tsukasa: Nono. The point came across well through that summary somehow.

For instance, Knights used to go by the name "Chess".

Switch was going to be a sporty unit at that time. I suppose that proposal from the past was simply dug back up.

Sora: !! That does fits in the timeline!! You're so smart and helpful, Tsuka-chan~☆

Tsukasa: Hehe. What can I say? I guess my daily studies do come in handy.

…Alright, let's not cheer up over that too much. Back to the initial topic.

Sora: Tsuka-chan? Your "color" seems so serious suddenly.

Tsukasa: Yes. If you see it that way, then I think your perception is correct.

Maybe if this was only casual chatting, you could've kept on with your praises longer…

The more you talk about Switch like that, the more this situation feels sort of… off.

Sora: ….?

Tsukasa: You said earlier you wished to talk to someone with experience in sports club. Of course, if I can help with my own experience in the archery club, that'd be great.

But I feel like you're not exactly aware of the important thing here.

I suppose that proposal for Switch was made right after you entered Yumenosaki Academy, right?

If I'm not mistaken, it was around that time when Switch's activities began.

Sora: Yes. Shisho invited me to join his unit. Of course, our bonds weren't as strong back then.

Is there something wrong about that…?

Tsukasa: Well, yes. It would make sense if you were the one to make this proposal, since you are very good at sports after all.

However, that proposal was submitted shortly after you joined the company--Back then, Switch was a sports-oriented unit, right?

Neither Aoba-senpai nor Sakasaki-senpai give off a sporty impression.

So isn't it puzzling that they still chose to present Switch in such a way?

Perhaps the seniors are hiding something about circumstances concerning Switch's formation.

Sora: Hiding something…?

(Shisho and Senpai are lying?)

(That's… No way, no way! It can't be!)

(We've talked about it and promised the three of us would work hand in hand for Switch…)

(That's why Sora's sure they just forgot about it. Yesterday was a tough day, after all.²)

Tsukasa: Are you okay, Harukawa-kun? You've suddenly gone quiet…

Sora: S- Sora is okay. HaHa~, he was just very deep in thoughts!

Sora was a little taken aback by what Tsuka-chan said.

But, Sora isn't the same as he was before, where he'd watch and worry silently about his unitmates' "colors".

Tsukasa: Hehe. And here I thought I was the only one who had grown.

I can see that you're growing the same way. I'm sure the current Sora will be able to tell why Switch has changed course.

Sora: HiHi~♪ Just as you said, Tsuka-chan~♪

Sora's sure he'll be okay now!

Sora will prove the current Switch is no longer what it was last year…☆

〈 On the evening 〉

Sora: Thank you so much for today, Giant-san!

Madara: Don't mind it! I've learned a lot myself, too.

If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me. We do share the same room and same agency, after all!

Sora: …Well, about that…

Sora: Sora needs your help with something. Can he ask you a favor?

Madara: Hoo..?

— 1- okay i had some trouble adapting this one but this basically means literally. "to be able to pluck the eyeball of a living horse" which is to be alert and "outmaneveur" others to gain more profit..so acting smart but theres also some notion of doing something really quickly? theres some kind of reference to competition as well isnt there..i rly love this expression, it does fit idol industry a lot. i thought using an archery metaphore fit tsuka more 2- here sora describes it as like…the hardest day of the year? i mean technically since the year just begun its kinda ok BUT DAMN :((

― ☆ ― ♢ previous chapter ♢ next chapter

✦ masterlist

[renegadesfic]

Repossession - Vex/Zahra

Vex/Zahra smut, set mostly within the bounds of TLOVM. This is pretty much entirely gratuitous NS/FW so if that's not your thing, scroll past. Spoilers for early TLOVM season 2. Posting from mobile so if I need to touch up formatting later I will. AO3 Link

"You still owe me."

Vex quirked an eyebrow. “I had kind of assumed that would be disregarded, considering… everything.” Osysa letting her go had been an indicator of that in itself, she had figured, although it wasn’t unlike Zahra to pursue her own avenues of repayment for a debt. Vex remembered too many hookups for that - and cursed herself now for even thinking about them, trying to turn her head before Zahra could see her cheeks brighten just a little.

“Not money, Vex. You showed me up. I don’t take well to being shown up.” Zahra, either not noticing or ignoring Vex’s attempt to break eye contact, stepped back into her field of vision. “So you owe me.”

“How exactly do you expect me to repay a debt that isn’t much more than a stubborn woman’s metaphor?” Hopefully the flush had faded from her cheeks, because Vex really wasn’t in the mood to deal with whatever teasing Zahra would have her endure that was more than she was already putting her through.

She mustered a dramatic roll of her eyes. At least there was that.

Zahra didn’t answer immediately, instead grabbing Vex’s arm - oh gods, she could feel sharp nails dig into her skin ever so slightly and it was ever so slightly too much - and pulling her several steps away from the rest of the party. “You plan on resting for a night before pressing on, yes? I have some ideas…” she trailed off. Vex knew damn well why she was trailing off, not that she wanted to acknowledge it. This was a proposition, and even if she didn’t know Zahra’s mannerisms well enough to notice it in itself, she certainly knew the subtle transition - not subtle enough - from fingertips on skin to sharp, almost claw-like nails.

“You are fucking insufferable.”

“And yet you have suffered me so many nights before. Can you really tell me you’re not interested? Have you found some new commitment since you made off with the Take’s hard-earned coin?” Vex blushed again, this time not turning her head away quite fast enough for Zahra to not catch the heat in her cheeks. “No, you’ve not. Are you still living in fear of commitment? Still-”

“I am not afraid of commitment,” she hissed. “I am, if you haven’t noticed, rather busy saving the world.”

“Yes, of course. You do well at keeping yourself busy, Vex’ahlia.” Was that meant to be taken at face value? Was there an intentional, if subtle, innuendo somewhere in there, or had she been spending too much time listening to Scanlan talk?

Or, worse, had she been indulging in her fantasies too much to not read more into it?

“I get it, you want to have sex,” she growled - was it a growl or a grumble? “But as I said, I’m rather busy. And you and Kashaw had probably better be going home.”

“And miss the opportunity to spend a night with you again? Do you think I don’t miss you?” Zahra smirked, earning another grumble from Vex. It wasn’t something she could ignore at this point, the heat slowly pooling in her gut, but she would have to try - she wasn’t giving in to this. Not now, of all times, when they were so busy, when she had just-

She’d rather not think about what she’d just done. That was the last thing she wanted to think about.

At some point, thinking about Zahra’s nails dragging lower than they had any right to had climbed several spots on that list.

“I don’t think you missed me at all. I think you will take any opportunity to get under my skin.”

“I don’t want to get under your skin, Vex’ahlia.” She paused, contemplating. “Just under your clothes.”

Ah. Pretending to contemplate. Gods forbid Zahra ever say anything unplanned. She was, unlike many other members of the Take, incredibly good at restraining her impulses. Rough-and-tumble mercenary work does tend to invite people with a tendency to jump the gun, to stab first and ask questions later. Zahra, she presumed, had gotten as high in status as she was by doing things the slow, cautious, and painstaking way - by thinking before speaking, thinking before so much as twitching a finger toward a weapon.

“Bear got your tongue, darling?” Vex was drawn from her thoughts by a snide remark, punctuated all the worse by Zahra’s nails pricking marginally deeper into the skin of her upper arm.

“Shut up,” she half-hissed. “I am not in the mood for games, Zahra. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired. Dying will do that to a person.”

“Understood,” Zahra said, immediately pulling her hand away.

Was that it? It was that simple?

When Vex dared to steal a glance at the tiefling again, she caught a glimpse of what might have been guilt crossing her face.

Oh. She genuinely did feel bad about it.

Well, that made her feel worse, not better.

“Zahra?”

“What?” There was an edge to her response, a bite to it that Vex knew from experience only came up when she really was upset. She swallowed her pride. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in what Zahra was proposing. It was just…

“It’s been a while,” she finally said, “since I’ve done anything like that.”

“Done what?”

Was she really going to make her say it?

“Had sex,” she muttered. “Since I’ve had sex.”

Zahra quirked an eyebrow at her, finally turning to face her attempted conquest again.

“Is that an invitation?”

“It…” she hesitated. The rest of the group hadn’t seemed to notice, even now, that they had drifted from them to talk, and it seemed they were settling down for the night. If there was a time, it would be now, before things got too dark to find a good place for their… activities.

“It could be,” she finished, “if you’re still up for the challenge.”

Zahra smiled. Not a smirk, not this time - a genuine smile.

“I am always up for a challenge, Vex’ahlia.” She turned to the others. “Vex and I will be back in a few,” she called. “We’re going to have a meeting of the minds.”

Is that what she was going to call it?

Her brother, ever wary, narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure, sister? It’s…”

“It’s been a long day, yes, I know. I’ll be fine. Just away a few minutes.”

She didn’t miss the look of fear that crossed his face, if only for a moment.

“Fine,” he acknowledged. “Be careful?”

“I always am,” she smiled, and turned on her heel.

—-

“So,” Zahra began. “How do you want me?”

“Getting straight to the point, are we?” Vex smirked, which earned her a wink in response.

“We did say we wouldn’t be long.”

“Mm… and here I was looking forward to taking our time.”

“Maybe you should have come up with a better excuse then,” Zahra purred, pushing Vex back a few steps. She felt the bark of one of the pines lining the clearing they’d found prick into her back.

“You’re the one who told them we were leaving,” she grumbled, resisting the urge to arch her back as the other woman placed her hands delicately around her waist. “Maybe you should have come up with a better excuse.”

Instead of saying anything back, Zahra closed what had previously been a rapidly narrowing gap between their mouths, kissing her hard and fast and warm, gods, her mouth was warm, she knew tieflings ran hot but fuck…

She pushed back into the kiss, a whimper escaping her throat as the tiefling nipped at her lower lip with her teeth, sharper than average, sharp enough to sting. Zahra’s right hand moved from its place around her waist to find purchase in her hair, first curling her fingers lightly between the strands. Vex knew what was coming, of course she did, they’d done this more times than she’d care to admit - she cared to admit less that she’d lost count - and braced herself.

The moan that escaped her when the fingers curled hard, sharp, sudden into her hair, pulling it tight from her scalp, was not something she was quite capable of bracing herself for. Vex felt the other woman grin against her mouth, pulling away only long enough to take a breath before going back to her work, tongue hot and wet in Vex’s mouth. She moaned again, hands grabbing more desperately than she’d like at Zahra’s clothes, trying to draw her closer despite their bodies already pressed together. The tiefling’s other hand trailed up her stomach now, sliding carefully under her top, testing the waters. Rewarded with another whimper and an obvious arching of her conquest’s back, she continued, finding the soft, delicate skin of Vex’s breast and running her nails gently over the sensitive flesh.

Oh, gods.

Zahra pulled away again, mouth separating from Vex’s with an audible pop.

“Having fun yet?” She smirked, winking at her prize.

“Stop talking and take me,” Vex growled, and the tiefling’s smirk grew wider, her lips curling further as she suddenly tightened her grip around Vex’s breast, her mouth moving from just in front of Vex’s lips to the crook of her neck, kissing and sucking at the skin.

“Don’t you dare leave a mark,” she hissed, but Zahra paid no mind, catching a mote of skin between her teeth and biting down. That earned the loudest noise Vex had made since this whole thing began, her hands tightening on the fabric she had been holding onto as if it were a lifeline. Again, she felt Zahra’s lips curl against her skin, the kissing stopping for a brief moment as if she needed to savor the moment.

Vex was sure as hell savoring it, so she couldn’t really blame her.

The pause ended as suddenly as it began, Vex beginning to shudder as Zahra kept at it, tugging at her dark, now tousled hair again as she continued toying with the skin she had been given free rein to torment. Whimpers came more quickly and openly now, bubbling up and spilling out of Vex’s open mouth, desperate, wordless pleas for more interspersed with loud gasps, attempts at keeping air in her lungs as Zahra forced more out with each bite, each movement of fingers over skin. She flicked a nail across Vex’s nipple, and the half-elf very nearly came undone at the motion, a long, loud whine escaping her as she almost crumpled. Zahra took the hint, stepping back just a few inches and nearly dragging Vex to the ground, forcing her legs apart with one hand and placing herself between them.

“You want me?” She looked directly into Vex’s eyes, a burning passion reflected in the expression she wore. Whatever carefully curated energy Zahra normally carried herself with had been tossed away, as Vex’s shirt now was, a mix of ferocity and desperation taking its place.

“Please,” Vex gasped, digging her hands again into the loose fabric of Zahra’s clothes.

“You can ask nicer than that.”

“Please, Zahra. Please, gods, take me.”

“Please what?” As if Vex’s cheeks couldn’t get any brighter.

“Please, ma’am…”

“Good girl.” From there, the tiefling wasted no time, pulling the fabric away from Vex’s lower half, tugging hard to expose sensitive skin to the cold air of their environment. Vex shivered for a moment, a chill setting over her.

That chill was quickly replaced by two warm fingers at her cunt, aching and wet and wanting. Fluidly, slowly, not quickly enough, the digits were pushed inside her, Vex moaning low and long and loud as Zahra touched her in a way that was familiar despite years of its absence, the slickness she had produced making every movement nearly effortless as she slowly came undone. Zahra pressed deeper, free hand coming to trace patterns from Vex’s jawline down to her collarbone, one thumb pressing gently against her throat as the other rubbed small, fast circles against her clit. The noises Vex made were unignorable, she could only hope that they had gone far enough away that no one would hear.

Or she would hope that, if her mind were not entirely consumed by the almost too warm fingers thrusting and curling inside her, nearly bringing her to her breaking point within barely a couple of minutes. It didn’t feel like such a short time - it felt like hours, Zahra continuing to drag desperate whines and ragged breaths from the half-elf with every movement of her fingers, Vex squirming and writhing beneath her as her entire body warmed with the all-encompassing pleasure of being touched like she hadn’t in years. Whatever she occasionally indulged herself in with her own fingers, in the privacy of a rarely-earned room to herself in an inn, was nothing compared to what Zahra could do to her with just a few minutes of undivided attention. And undivided it was - the fierceness in her eyes did not seem to fade, at least not for the moments where Vex could keep hers open long enough to look at her.

“Good girl, Vex,” Zahra purred, the half-elf still whimpering beneath her fingers, wet and warm at her touch. “Very, very good.”

“Zahra,” she gasped, the first actual syllables she could muster the will to release from her mouth in place of the desperate whines that had been filling the air before. “Zahra, please-”

“Please what, darling?” Darling. How dare she turn the pet name she loved to use against her, what a cruel twist to her words. What a way to get under her skin. What a way to make her come undone, the heat in her gut bordering on burning her up, her hips rocking hard and forceful against Zahra’s torturously steady movements within her.

“Please let me cum, ma’am,” her voice broke as she forced the words out, no choice but to acknowledge the unavoidable sensation of her body being pushed to its farthest limits, her restraint barely holding itself together as Zahra continued her pace.

“Good girl,” Zahra purred again, but did not give her further instruction, and Vex knew what would happen if she came without the woman’s permission, so she couldn’t, instead resorting to desperately grinding her hips in the vain hope that Zahra would let her finish.

“Zahra- ah- please, ma’am, please-”

“Cum, Vex,” and with the simple, one-word order whatever was left of her restraint left her, a strangled scream tearing itself free of her throat as Zahra curled her fingers just right, just right into that sweet spot that made Vex come entirely undone beneath her, writhing and moaning and gasping for air as her body shuddered with wave after wave of blinding orgasm, her vision going white for a moment.

When the haze over her mind cleared and her body stopped the worst of its shaking, she opened her eyes just enough to see Zahra licking her fingers clean, the tiefling leaning in close to bring their lips together again. Vex could taste herself on the woman’s tongue.

She had, in fact, missed her. And after that display, she was pretty damn sure that Zahra had missed her back.

Zahra offered her her clothes back, Vex still struggling to hold herself together as she clumsily dressed herself again. She shook as she stood, steadying herself against the tree Zahra had pressed her against just a few minutes before - how long had it been? Minutes or hours? - as the tiefling wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Well?” Zahra asked, her lips curled up in a smile again.

“Holy fucking shit,” Vex breathed, no other words filling the space.

“You definitely missed me.”

“Yes.” Vex answered without hesitation. Zahra just smiled wider.

“I think that will do as repayment for that debt, Vex’ahlia.”