#one i need to re-train and relax a little bit(i also think because they want to go prepared they don't want to lose

[celibibratty]

when i watched the game i always thought that our main characters kill the bosses on day by day(the next day), but now that we played, actually I think they kill all of them on ONE single day!?, make sense based on the clock they have in the table, this fajar they kill during the day(15:00), this sean in the afternoon(19:00), this kuroki at night(22:00), this jinfeng at dawn(02:00) and this yang in the morning(05:00), see, all in the same day just different hours, WOAH, our protags are hardcore, fight with a bunch of people in a whole day!?, imagine being punched and stabbed several times in a day(I think they do get hurt sometimes), after all of this, they deserve some rest(when you do this wude ending, their rest is heaven, apparently😑💦)

[brucewaynehater101]

Have you ever read a fic called A Medication On Railroading? Because I think you'll like it. Basic summery with no spoilers: Jack takes Tim on a trip to Atlanta and then leaves him in Atlanta so he goes train hopping to get home. Very hurt/comfort.

But it also gives me an idea that I'm not sure where to share. What if that wasn't Tim's first time getting home like that? Maybe the first time was just New York when he was say... 9 years old? His parents took him with them to a Gala and Jack thought Janet called him a car home and Janet thought Jack took care of it. Neither one did and Tiny Tim figured out how to get home on his own. It happens again when he's 11 so he already knows what to do, he studied up in case it happened again.

After the second time, anytime Tim is with his parents he keeps his camera bag on him at all times which has 300 dollars in it that he can use on getting home. Tim also discovers during the second one that trains are *way* better than busses and cabs. He's all alone, just him and the scenery and whatever cargo his car holds. He can Fully Relax. He doesn't have to be the perfect heir, he doesn't have to smile for the cameras, he doesn't have to be quiet or good or perfectly polite. He can scream and laugh and cry if he wants to and no one will ever know! He can sing and curse and throw rocks at things! He can be a *kid*.

After Tim becomes Robin, he never calls Batman for a pick up if he's abandoned somewhere and instead will make his own way home. Heck, after some missions with Young Justice he will turn off his trackers and ride trains home so that he can loudly vent about them without having to worry about anyone ever knowing what he said!

This does become a slight problem when he's 17 and Bruce needs him for something and finds out from Bart that their mission ended a day and a half ago. But Tim never called for pick up. And his trackers are all offline. And he never hit his emergency beacon and *no one can find him*. Bruce totally isn't freaking out. The other Bats totally aren't freaking out. Young Justice totally isn't freaking out. There totally isn't a panic spreading through the super hero community about Red Robin maybe being dead I a ditch somewhere and how both Batman and his team will react.

Tim meanwhile is straight vibing as he reclines on a stack of bags of rice like they're pillows, singing along to some sound track he downloaded onto his MP3 player, having turned the volume to max and nearly screaming the lyrics because it's the one time he feels like he can.

Yes! I love that fic you mentioned. It's really really good. Perhaps I should re read it since it's been a minute.

Also, I absolutely adore the little tidbit you've added. A few things to note that I love about it:

No one else knows/finds out until he's Red Robin

It's a semi-decent coping mechanism. He gets to chill out, vibe, and process. He's also in touch with nature and music during this.

Tim drops his various masks to simply exist for a bit

Tim chilling on some rice bags in a train cart with an MP3 player (not even his phone. This indicates he's fully offline during these trips)

A few additional notes to add. One, this could buff up the canon notion that pre-Robin Tim traveled far to go see Dick at the circus and convince him to become Robin again. If Tim had already done that twice unexpectedly, he'd do swell when he actually plans to do it.

Two, Tim probably created a white noise generator or something to give him totally privacy on his "me trips." This is why Kon and Superman freak out. They can't hear him.

Three, he probably gets covered in grime, dust, and dirt. He's no longer in the pristine environment he grew up in.

Gods. That sounds so nice and relaxing. I'm actually kind of jealous. Just the wind, music, and the slowly changing scenery? Fuuuck.

[neophele]

Travelling Together - NCT Dream

genre: fluff, bf content, gn reader c:

No warnings, sorry if the formatting is strange I did this all on mobile :s

Mark

Would definitely love to visit somewhere new and interesting, especially if its somewhere you two can drive/rent a car/van and have a roadtrip. Driving past all the landscapes, architecture, freedom to come and go in your own time? Loves it. On that note, maybe even a campervan or mobile home type thing so you can go on a long roadtrip, sleeping in campsites under the stars. Would love to go somewhere where you can stargaze and lie there, hand in hand, tucked under his arm, whispering sweet words into your ear. But in general is just so incredibly happy to go along with whatever you want to do, he loves seeing you happy so everything makes him happy if you are! He also just loves to wander and find out where you guys end up, no destination, finding joy in the journey. One arm is always around your waist or shoulder, or your hands are interlinked, and when it gets busy he lets you put a finger through his beltloops or tucks a hand im your back pocket to ensure you don't get seperated. Definitely a sensible packer, and is willing to keep watch of important things like passports/money/etc but gets very worried about losing them so maybe ... just reassure him and help him keep track of things... Only a bit stressful to travel with, mostly because he tends to overthink, so probably needs you to be a calm, reassuring presence that reminds him this is a holiday — fun and relaxation is the whole point. Wants matching tourist shirts or something silly as a souvenir to remind you of the trip. Every time you wear it even if its just to go to bed or lounge around the house, his dreamy, hazy smile lets you know exactly how lost he is in the memories of your trip.

Renjun

Wants to look at the scenery and appreciate the views, probably gets a little melancholy watching the clouds passing across the sky in a new place, so you have to wrap your arms around him and re-anchor him to a tangible happiness. He would love to travel by train and watch the scenery rolling past on the way to your destination. Visits to historic sites and art galleries, linking pinkies with you and quietly wandering, preffering places with less crowds so you two can appreciate the stillness in silence — of course, he always whispers to you that you're more stunning than any of the art, more divine than any holy site, more brilliant than any natural or manmade wonder. Most sensible packer, brings anything he thinks you might forget and even things for emergencies (medicine, bandages, you name it — he has it). Insists on sharing dishes every meal, so you both get to try as much food as possible! Probably orders way more than you can finish because he gets excited about trying all the foods. Possibly wants you to pose for him so he can sketch/paint you as a present/souvenir, either that, or wants you to do some kind of activity together like pottery painting or making something and exchange the pieces as a souvenir.

Jeno

Introverted staycation type, but if you convince him, he'll go wherever you want — he can't resist when you talk so excitedly about the place you've always wanted to visit, and the warmth he feels inside when he thinks about being the one he accompanies you there? He's melting. Willing to pack for both of you, but wants you to take on some of the responsibilities so it's as stress free as possible for the both of you. Likes staying in a hotel where neither of you feel burdened to cook or clean, and of course how soft the mattress is. Wherever you go, you'll end up hiring bikes and trapsing the sights on two wheels. Whether it's a super bikable place or not he can handle it, but would probably give in to you if you weren't up for it (might suggest trying to find a tandem bike or put you in one of those lil carts you put kids in the attatch to the back of the bike). Also wants to try all the local delicacies. Does the cute thing where he feeds you his food and wants to hook his arm with yours when you do a cheers and drink something (even if it's literally just iced coffee). After a long day of biking, sightseeing, and eating, he enjoys coming back to the hotel to wind down by watching something on the hotel room TV, curling you into his side on the bed so you can't escape. Gets matching fridge magnets for both of you as a souvenir, and displays his proudly on his fridge as a daily reminder of the sweet vacation you both deserved, and seeing yours on your fridge reminds him of how much you enjoyed it too.

Haechan

Chaotic but in a good way? Spontaneous and poorly planned, but when you get there, you wouldn't have it any other way. Getting lost is an adventure that leads you to backroads with the most delicately beautiful architecture, booking a hotel two hours from the airport means you get to take a train across the area and see rolling landscapes you'd never imagined, even a miscommunication due to the language barrier means you end up trying one of the best dishes you've ever tasted but would otherwise never have tried. You get by even if you forget something, because Donghyuck is by your side with his tongue in his cheek and a clever response that. He navigates around an unfamiliar public transport system flawlessly, then whines that his feet hurt and you need to rub them when you're back in the hotel. It's impossible to decide if he's the best travelling partner or the worst. It's a misadventure that'll end up being one of the unforgettable memories you share, one that gets slipped into every conversation. Full of laughter (and maybe a few heated discussions that always end up in kissing away pouts and hands comfortingly rubbing your back), the only souvenir of the trip that you need is the train ticket you bought but never used, as it was for the opposite direction than you needed.

Jaemin

"Let's take one bag it's easier that way," type. Wants to share all the essentials (steal whatever you pack), but always carries the bag regardless of how little of it is his. Just picks it up and takes it, no questions. Constantly asks you if you're excited, because he's excited. Might even want to plan the trip himsef and surprise you with the location/accomodation because he loves seeing the pout on your face when he reminds you it's a secret, (and then of course the way your face lights up when you see the hotel room). Probably wants to stay in a nice hotel near a city centre so you're as close as possible to all the sights and attractions, and so he can stand behind you and hold you in his arms while you watch the sun go down from the hotels big window, pressing kisses into your neck as you sigh contentedly. Prefers to walk around and see what looks best in person rather than making plans beforehand, and whenever your eyes linger on a storefront or ask another question about a museum you've walked past, he'll squeeze your hand and lead you towards the entrance. Takes SO many pictures, and frames a lot of them when you get back so you can always look back on the trip. Even if it's a photo without either of you in it (although you are the subject of the majority of his shots), the way its a subtle reminder of the private memories you shared is more precious than any trinket or tourist trap.

Chenle

Chenle wants to pay for everything and feel like he's treating his baby u knoo. Wants to get a business class flight/train/cruise/whatever to the destination you've only ever dreamed of visiting, then rent out a whole airbnb house or apartment with the best view of the city. Part of the reason he does this is because he wants to have the option to cook for you in the kitchen if you don't feel like going out, and impress you with his chef skills (he loves the domesticity of it). When you do go out, he's not afraid to talk to locals and charm them into telling him where the best spots tourists don't know about are, and somehow gets you into all the best places, and spares no expense making sure you have the best experience. No matter how much or how little, he just wants to take away your burdens for the duration of the vacation and shower you with affectionate touches, exquisite food, and sentimental experiences. As much as you both love the expensive gifts, both of your favourite souvenirs would have to be the postcards of the city you bought, complete with notes handwritten by each of you. Even if he teases you after reading the touching words, he knows he'll treasure it forever

Jisung

Nervous about missing the plane, jittery on the way to the hotel, overthinks what he should wear for the weather. But despite the overthinking and nerves at your first proper trip together, your fingertips tracing patterns on the palm of his hand as you excitedly look out the window, he realise it's something he doesn't need to worry about — you're there with him. It's a traditional, fly somewhere nearby, mid-price hotel kinda deal, but everything is special and novel when you do it with hands interlocked and eyes darting to meet in the middle when you both remember it's really happening. Together, you do your best to make the most of everything, rinsing the overpriced hotel breakfast buffet for all it's worth, walking the streets and basking in the unfamiliar side of the sky, taking as many photos of eachother (and together) at historical or scenic sites as your phones allow. Jisung's hand pulls you along when you get tired of walking, his long legs and irresistible smile dragging you into another burst of energy as you cram in another museum before lunchtime. At first your dissapointed that in the blur of excitement and adrenaline, you forgot the get a proper souvenir. But when you realise its been months and the hotel shampoo and bodywash that sit in your shower are still untouched, you know that they'll stay that way, a soapy reminder of your first holiday together.

[thehackneypony]

How's Leaky Cup doing?

i know i kind of fell off the planet haha… the horses are all doing fine!

quick answer:

- leaky cup has not grown an inch, but he is developing into a hunky little man

- yoyo is happily snoozing with her friends in a stress-free field

- chalk is being boarded for training/ leased to my mother. she was out of work for a very hot minute due to bleeding ulcers— but the horse coming out of that recovery had a brand new, relaxed mental state! super proud of her

- bugsy is mostly retired due to arthritis, but enjoys trail rides and lots of carrots— fun fact: two separate dentists have looked at bugsy’s teeth and thought him to be in his mid to late twenties instead of like 18-19yo. not a huge jump and just conjecture, sometimes previous dental care or lack thereof can affect how a horse’s teeth look.

longer answer:

something medically happened to me almost a year ago and caused me a lot of trauma lol, i was emotionally uninvolved with my own life— got a promotion and threw myself into work and away from horses or my friends. yoyo & leaky are boarded with a very nice lady— i get updates and texts on them and their needs so i can still schedule the vet and farrier. chalky and bugsy are being doted on by my mom everyday.

my life is constantly being sorted and re-organized, and in this journey i realized i’d always put everything into caring for animals as an excuse to not take care of myself. thankfully, i have someone in my life that cares and helps me to see where i’m not taking myself into account. it’s really a struggle with my heavy work-load and life responsibilities-in-general to balance all that i want to accomplish for both my career and my own personal interests; to be terribly honest, with both the guilt and exhaustion from falling out of habits and healing, i’m having a really hard time finding motivation to go to the barn. i teach my mom lessons, so i get to see chalky and bugsy every week— but yo-yo and leaky have fallen to the wayside unintentionally, and i’m having a really hard time finding my way back to them.

i’m still a bit lost in the sauce of balancing my own life after everything haha and because of that i’ve been toying with the idea of downsizing just a bit.

yoyo is my forever baby, her and bugsy will happily live out the rest of their years with me. chalky is the horse i usually consider my heart horse— she’s so mare-ish and high maintenance i love her— but she also requires a lot of constant work to burn off her anxious energy and tire out her brain. i wouldn’t trust her sensitive emotions with just anyone, but i also know i can’t commit to working her 6 days a week anymore. if i can find a good lease for her, that would be ideal tbh— she can be veeeery fancy with the right rider, and a really fun trail partner. the hardest one is leaky, who i’m very genuinely considering finding another home for. it was such a great learning experience meeting and working with him— but we never really clicked, and i feel like i’m not the best opportunity for him. through professional training we’ve gauged he’d be a rockstar at cross-country— just an absolute tank on the course. he’s outpaced a selle francis/irish sport-horse cross and proven to be the bravest horse you’ve ever met.

the problem is that he has yet to be started under-saddle, and besides the regular handling of a boarding facility, has mostly been left to his own devices with his boy-band herd out in the field. i’ve never sold a horse before, have no idea where to start— and am unsure if i could even find someone interested in him as he is now. tbh, i think a bigger part of why i haven’t really done much more than just think about this is that i’m also just hesitant to let go. even if we don’t click, i’ve cared for him and watched him grow. he’s still one of my babies, and while it would be a suuuuper helpful financial decision to sell— if feels like closing a big chapter on my life that i thought would never end. it is a constant dilemma that keeps be up at night haha

i really appreciate the Ask <3 i keep forgetting i have tumblr— and by extension this huge community of horse people i’ve come to consider friends— to help me. it’s hard, and i’m still learning to ask for help. i hope everyone has been surviving, thriving— and enjoying their new year!!!

[mistydeyes]

hiyaaaa i saw you were doing pairings, and i thought id go for it! i’d like you to ship me with one of our gorgeous cod/mw2 boys 🫶

my name is Aia, and I’m a student!

personality: to start off, i’m very introverted (ITSP). i need a lot of alone time to recharge, but i can manage to be around people even when im drained if i like them enough 😭

i have a tough outer shell - not tough in the way that i’m rude or stuck up, but i never really open up about my feelings, or about anything in general. i don’t like talking about myself much with people i don’t really know, and i’m very independent - id rather be on my own. i only open up with, and wanna be around the very few people that i trust - they get to see my softer, more relaxed and true authentic self. and they also get to see my much more energetic and funny side! it all depends on my mood, but it’s usually a mix of both.

i’m very understanding, and i’m VERY empathetic. i can empathise with pretty much everybody and i’m great at giving advice, or even just listening to people’s struggles if that’s what they want. but i can also be extremely blunt and honest at times since i really hate lying & sugarcoating things.

i’m really confident, yet humble. i’m an extremely secure person, and nobody’s words really get to me 😭 i absolutely do not tolerate disrespect and i will cut somebody off or put them in their place if they’re disrespectful enough. I am really humble, however.

this sounds so conceited, but i’d say that i’m really funny 😭 all of my friends describe me as funny, i’m known as the “funny friend”, and i always make people laugh unintentionally! i also laugh at others jokes a lot - i have a hard time taking many situations seriously because of my fkn clownery 💀

the thing that i don’t like about myself however, is that i can be very airheaded and a little like… gone? like very just… unaware and in my own bubble. sometimes i’m extremely clumsy and foolish n shit 😭 i can also be very stubborn at times.

temperament: i’m pretty sure i’m choleric and melancholic! i don’t know a lot about temperaments and such, but i think i’m those two. mostly choleric tho… i think i’m 60/40.

what type of person i am: i’m pretty sure i’m level headed and adventurous. i’m chill, understanding, confident, kind, passionate, and hardworking! i’m mostly logical, but i can be emotional when needed. i’m also extremely loyal and trustworthy.

hobbies: i have quite a few!

- gym/bodybuilding :p

i absolutely ADORE working out, and it’s my main hobby that i tell people about

- cooking & eating :)

- drawing & painting <3

- gaming!

- boxing c:

appearance:

for my body, i’m 5”2/158cm, and i’m normal weight. i go to the gym a lot, so my build is pretty muscular, but i still look feminine overall. my body is like, balanced, i’d say :) i just have an overall fit look!

my face is kind of hard to describe so bare with me! i’m kurdish, so i have very strong individual features, but theyre all in harmony.

My eyes are big, brown, and round. My nose is hooked. my lips are kind of thin, but not overly thin, and theyre kind of bow-shaped :). my eyebrows are thick and dark. my face shape is oval/upside down triangle! my skintone is like… medium? it’s for fair but not super olive either. my hair is thick and dark brown. it is kind of medium length, a bit below my collarbones, and i like to keep it straight, but it is naturally wavy. i have curtain bangs too :)

that was all!! tysm <333

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick (a/n thank you for submitting! I love the amount of detail you put in this and I hope I did you justice!)

How you met: Civilian As you sat in the relief of the cool fan breeze on your face, you re-wrapped your hand with your light blue handwrap. In recent months, you started to train in the ring more often and you loved the gym you found. The air smelled of sweat and the sound of grunts and punches filled the room but it satisfied your competitive spirit. "Aia, you're up!" your trainer called and you walked to the ring to find your opponent. While he was taller and more muscular than you, his kind smile made you feel a little bad for the ass beating you were about to deliver. You had see him around before but this was the first time you would have a session with him. "Kyle," he said as he approached you and gently shook your hand. "Aia," you exchanged and soon took your stance. It was clear when you started that Kyle was a pressure fighter, bombarding you with a barrage of attacks then retreating out of your reach. While his goal was to exhaust you, you were an out-boxer and focused on anticipating his attacks and returning them with a long range punch. Most out-boxers were taller than you but you were able to methodically plan your attacks and kept Kyle on the offensive. You danced around the ring, making intense eye contact with his dark brown eyes until you finally managed to land a winning punch to his sternum. As he fell, you stood above him in victory. "Good match," you complimented as you held out a hand and helped him up. "That was one hell of a punch," he said as he massaged his chest, "I definitely have to train with you more." "Looking forward to it," you replied and exchanged numbers with your new gym buddy.

A peek into your relationship: When you weren't going to the gym with your boyfriend, you enjoyed a nice night in with a cookbook and drinks. Tonight, you and Kyle were attempting to make creamy garlic chicken pasta, a recipe he had suggested. You danced around the kitchen as Kyle took care of the chicken and you handled the pasta. "Babe, this is a great chicken," you said as you peeked a head around his torso, "some might call it im-peck-able!" Your corny joke was met by a hearty laugh from him as you kissed his cheek. "That was bad," he replied and you rolled your eyes as you finished draining the pasta. "I'm just eggs-centric," you said with a smile and this one was met with groans. As Kyle tossed the pasta, he kept poking fun at your humor. "You know, love, if you just told me one of your jokes I probably would have doubled over laughing," he said and sat down on the couch next to you with two bowls. "True but I would never have found the best gym partner," you countered and he nodded in agreement. As you ate your dinner and exchanged more dad jokes, Kyle was happy that he had found the perfect person to be his best friend and to kick his ass at the gym.

[somnia-project]

6 - Exhale

[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter] Words: 2,819 Rated [EX] - Here is an explanation of my rating system. Pairing: ChiLumi Summary: I forgot how to write straight people. 🤡 This was originally supposed to be part of chapter 5 but, well... Partly I wanted to separate it so ppl not interested in the sex bits can skip it, I guess. Read on Ao3, Read on Wattpad, or continue to read here on Tumblr below. It's only been 3 months since the last chapter?! I don't know what to say for myself about this one. Read more starts at the beginning because we're getting right into it.

“Lumi,” he swallowed, “I really want to kiss you right now.” He could hear her breath hitching in her throat, followed by a small whimper as she parted her lips. “Please…can we…” Tartaglia’s words trailed off.

“Yes,” she whispered and moved forward, brushing her mouth against his. They stayed like that for a moment before he leaned in for an awkward kiss. He opened his mouth just a bit to slip in his tongue, the taste of salt sticking to him. A shaky sigh escaped her body before she kissed him back with wine and passion on her tongue.

Tartaglia could feel the blood rushing from his head as she became more unwound the longer she kissed him. It wouldn’t be long before he was about to lose control himself. Just making out with her was wracking his nerves more than he’d expected. Maybe he was still too intoxicated for this.

Lumine slid her hands from Tartaglia’s chest around to his sides, causing him to flinch. The chill of his damp shirt ran across his body as she moved her chest against his. He whimpered at the feeling of her breasts pressing against him through the fabric, so he pulled back and grabbed the hem of the shirt and began to lift it off of her.

“H-Hey!” she protested, grabbing his arms, but Tartaglia quickly shushed her.

“It’s only fair that I rinse the salt water off your body too, right?” he justified. It was also a chance for them to slow down for a moment. He would never admit as much out loud, but she didn’t need to now that; what if he ended up humiliating himself?

No. It was his boundless confidence that got him through the Fatui training and deadly missions in the past. He could handle a little bit of sex…

…probably.

Lumine relaxed her grip on him and sighed. 

“Arms up.” He shook his own arms slightly to coax her. She closed her eyes and lifted her arms over her head and he peeled the cold, damp shirt from her pale skin, throwing it to the side. He wrapped his arm around her back and held her close, giving her skin a warm respite from the cold air.

“Now you’re going to be salty again,” Lumine pouted. Tartaglia traced his index finger down the bare skin of her back, causing her to shudder.

“Forget about salt water,” he said. “Only think about me.” He tilted her face upward and kissed her again, feeling bold since she had let him undress her.

“It’s cold in here,” Lumine said. Tartaglia slipped his arm under her legs and stood, lifting her in his arms and making his way past the door as she covered her chest. When they passed through the threshold she grabbed the door frame with her free hand, stopping him from moving any further. He looked down at her to see what was wrong.

“We haven’t finished bathing yet,” she protested.

Tartaglia chuckled and lowered his forehead to to hers.

“We’re about to get dirty anyway.”

Lumine let go of the door frame and he carried her toward the bed. As he was about to put her down she threw her arms around his neck and held tight.

“Wait!” she demanded. “We’ve still got wet clothes on!”

Tartaglia laughed, rubbing his hands between her shoulder blades.

“All right.” He let her down to her feet, where she quickly re-covered her chest and ran to one side of the bed.

“You go first,” she ordered as she turned her back to him. It was cute how she acted shy around him. That attitude was for him and him alone; nobody else got to see her like that. Only him.

He removed his underwear and climbed into the bed, covering his body up to his shoulders with the sheets and propping himself on his side. He watched as Lumine also removed the rest of her clothing. She quickly covered herself as much as she could with one hand, awkwardly squeezing her legs together as she hurried under the sheets as well. 

The two of them stared at each other in silence, both knowing that without the sheets they were fully exposed to each other. Her face was flushed red and she looked at him with anticipation. It reminded him of that first night in Morepesok where they had shared a bed together. This time was different. They weren’t under his parents’ roof anymore. The way that they looked at each other now was far from chaste.

Tartaglia moved his hand between their faces, palm open, for Lumine to rest her own palm on top. It wasn’t just pinkies, all of their fingers were interlaced this time.

“Ajax,” she whined as she moved closer to him. He felt his face heat up at the sound of his own name; she had never called him that before, not even in his own house. It felt more intimate. It emphasized how he was naked before her, stripped of everything that others had intended for him and leaving him feeling as though he were someone entirely new in that moment, someone he wanted to be.

Everything else — titles, expectations, fears — they melted away as her lips overtook his own, as she bit and sucked on his lower lip. He let go of her hand to trace down her side, stopping to grab her hip and pull her closer. He bent his knee forward and she wrapped her leg around him, settling herself onto his thigh.

It seemed that she had anticipated this, losing all reservation as she began to have her way with him. How long had she felt so strongly about him, and why had she been trying so hard to hide it up until now? Perhaps those questions no longer mattered, not when she sucked on his collarbone and reached between his legs to grasp him in her hand.

It moved fast from there, and before he knew it he found himself on top of her, surrounded by sensations he’d never felt before. With a push and a mutual gasp, heavenly warmth spread through his entire body. It felt as though something was unfurling inside his chest that was so profound he was unsure of how to react to it. It urged him to keep going. He bent to reach her face and kiss her again.

And then Lumine whimpered, pressing her palms against his chest and knocking his hip with her knee. There was an odd sensation that brought their passion to a halt: she was so tense that Tartaglia could not move any further inside of her, nor could he pull out.

Nothing like this had happened in the novels he’d read, but they were just novels. Those kinds of books weren’t exactly a how-to guide on romance. He had to figure out what was happening before things got too awkward and ruined their entire night.

“Uhh, Lumine?”

“WHAT?!”

Too late. Her outburst made her tense up even more, gripping him to tightly that it was almost painful.

“Haah, Lumi, calm down,” he breathed and tried to compose himself. “I-I can’t move, so I need you to relax. Hey…” He propped himself on his elbows and lightly rubbed her temples, making little circles with his fingertips in soothing motions. She took a few deep breaths, and he could feel her start to loosen up beneath him.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Lumi,” he said. “Did I fuck this up?”

“No! Ah…”

She tensed up again, and he did his best to not overreact. If they both panicked it would all be over. This was not how Tartaglia wanted their first time making love to turn out. He wanted to make her feel good, love her physically, but it felt like her body was rejecting him outright. As much as he didn’t want to cut it short, he had to accept that maybe they just weren’t ready for it yet.

But if we can’t do it now when we’ve already come this far, will there ever be hope for us in the future?

Doubt lingered in his mind. He could have her. They were already in that position. Forcing his way into a night of passion and letting their relationship implode in a single grand conquest was an option. It was a poor option, but still presented itself nonetheless. He could pretend that he loved her and then run away back to Snezhnaya and wait for her to chase him down and cut out his tongue. 

However, that wouldn’t the victory he was striving for. He was trying to gain her affection, not make her hate him even more. Hurting her and betraying the trust that she’d put in him to even get them there in the first place would only make him a coward in the end. 

“We…we can stop,” he offered.

“I…” Lumine hesitated for while before she let out a long sigh. “I want…”

“Hm? What do you want?”

She didn’t answer, pressing her lips together and looking to the side to avoid his gaze, or maybe just to avoid the question. Tartaglia shifted his arms again to interlace their fingers again, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

“Let’s take a minute to just breathe,” he said. “Is that all right?”

Lumine nodded.

He rested his forehead on the pillow beside her and listened to her take steady, controlled breaths. He wondered what was going on inside her head, if there was something that caused her to hesitate or if she couldn’t control it. He admitted to himself that he was afraid she didn’t want him around, that he was only in her way. The thought of her leaving scared him. Tartaglia… Ajax didn’t want to be alone anymore.

“Lumine…” He breathed across her neck, feeling her pulse through his lips as he planted gentle kisses on her skin. She ran her fingers through his hair, turning her head to expose her neck to him even more. They touched each other softly, wordlessly, and eventually she relaxed enough to where he could move again. When he pulled back, she suddenly gasped and grabbed his biceps.

“Ajax-!”

He froze his hips and lifted his head to look down at her, face red, eyes shining, with her bottom lip sucked between her teeth.

“I’m sorry! Does it hurt?” 

“No,” Lumine shook her head, “please keep going.”

With those words she rolled her hips forward, thrusting him deeper into her core. Tartaglia choked out an airy moan, overwhelmed by the sensation of her warmth.

“Tell me what you want,” he said, voice cracking as he reached around to cradle the back of her head.

“I — haah — I want you, Ajax.”

Their lips met, shaking, hesitant at first. It wasn’t long before they found rhythm with each other, tongues and fingers intertwined while they rocked their bodies together like gentle waves. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or all of the new sensations he was experiencing, but everything began to spin.

Lumine hooked her leg around his hip and spun them both over, ending up in a position with her legs spread on either side of his hips. Sweat, salt, skin flushed and tight with goosebumps, she was fully exposed on top of him. Tartaglia let out a breath in awe in the short moment when he could see her full body. The moon shining in from the window highlighted the details of her skin; the tan lines from her gloves and dress, the creases where her stomach and breasts folded just so slightly, the dimples on her thighs where she pressed against him.

There was no more hesitation in her movements. As soon as Lumine had him where she wanted she started sliding up and down on his cock, hands gripping his sides and mouth reaching to kiss and suck on his chest. When she moved up Tartaglia could feel her pulling him with her, never fully separating, sending ripples of pleasure through his entire lower half. He ran his fingers through her hair, desperate for something to grab onto but never pulling, only gently gripping and letting go with repeated motions.

The way she used his body to please herself without a hint of shame…he thought to himself that maybe his battle for her affection was over before it had even started. She didn’t care about anything else, only how they came together in that room.

At that point both of them had completely lost themselves to pleasure. There was nothing left in that room but sweating and moaning and grunting, punctuated by a mewling sound Tartaglia didn’t even know he could make when Lumine used her teeth to tease one of his nipples.

“Fuck, you’re so good, babygirl,” he managed to whine. She only moaned in response and sped up her movements, drooling over his chest as her arms began to shake while she wrapped them around the back of his neck…

…and then, after a moment of silence where Tartaglia felt like he was in a vice from his head to his dick, Lumine cried out in relief. After the initial outburst she continued to pant over loud, drawn out moans as she heaved to the point where he feared that her lungs might give out.

He moved his hands to her thighs to steady her as she leaned back, her posture more relaxed now. The saliva that trailed down her chin glistened in the moonbeams that shined through the window, dripping down and mixing with the rest of the fluids between them. She gazed upward, not focused on anything in particular, simply taking deep breaths and swallowing audibly as she continued to pulsate around him.

As much as he enjoyed seeing her like that, he wanted her to acknowledge him. He tensed, throbbing inside of her as he gripped her thighs in his hands, the sensations making her jolt with a little yelp.

“Hey girlie,” he purred, “look at me.”

She did. Lumine looked down at him with those big, golden eyes as if she’d forgotten where they were and what they were doing. She then reached down with both hands to meet his and stroked his fingers before coaxing him to intertwine them with her own again. The two of them connected felt perfect to him. The way she smiled, the subtle movement of her rocking her hips against him again…

…Tartaglia never wanted that night to end.

“You can move,” Lumine told him as she picked up her pace again. “I want to see what kind of face you make when you cum.”

“Be sure to keep your eyes on me then,” he retorted as he gave her a light thrust. He started out safe, unsure of how much power he should put behind it. It was going so smoothly, he didn’t want to ruin it.

Lumine chuckled, “You can go harder than that.”

He thrust again, this time coaxing a little moan out from between her lips.

“Harder.”

Again.

“Harder.”

Eventually he managed to put enough force into fucking her to quench her thirst, replacing her demands with sounds of pure pleasure. Her hands followed his own back down to her thighs, and Tartaglia could see everything once more. Her skin glistened with sweat, her breasts bounced in time with her body, and flame began to mix with gold between her legs. Unlike earlier, he could slide through her so easily now, and she moved her hips in time with his, letting him know how good she felt when she cried out.

“Yes, yes! Oooh, Ajax, I think I’m-!”

“Keep your eyes — haah — open,” he reminded her between moans. He felt the tension in his abdomen reaching its peak. “You — ah — wanted to see my face, remember? I’m almost there, Lumi.”

“Please!” she begged, pushing her knees in around his waist. “If you do then I’ll-! I’m going to-! Aja~x!”

The way that Lumine whined his name sent him over the edge. A guttural moan escaped his throat as all of the tension in his body suddenly released at once inside of her, making her gasp. He felt his eyes roll back, his face hot and his throat becoming dry as she kept riding him through his orgasm.

“Yes, that’s it!” he could hear her say through her panting. She tensed, shook, then let out a cry even more visceral than the last as she clenched around him so hard he thought she might never let go. Then, she collapsed on top of him, exhausted.

When he came to his senses he moved his hands to her head, petting and stroking her hair. Lumine scooted up his chest, and both of them were still heaving for breaths as they crashed their lips together anyway in passionate fury.

He smiled against her, reveling in his victory.

[tatorthots]

— “my boyfriends here”

Featured: Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki x fem!reader

cw: suggestive content, fluff, slight crack

Synopsis: bnha boys reacting to “my bf’s here” tiktok prank while they’re half asleep

a/n: i think my favoritism really showed because before I knew it I basically wrote a mini prompt but also soft!Shoto is my absolute weakness and I’m not sorry about it ,he’s my babygirl

Status: re-edited !

DEKU

To say you were beyond curious to know how your sweet boyfriend would react to this viral tiktok prank was a major understatement. Would he be mad? Would he be upset? Or would he just be confused and see though your little charade? The possibilities were endless given his mellow and slightly anxious personality

This meant you had to make sure to wait for the perfect time to strike — a.k.a after a grueling day of training. Deku is always exhausted after training sessions, and he always opts to make a beeline towards your dorm after showering to tell you about his progress and talk about your day until his eyelids get too heavy to keep open; which usually takes no time at all

So you went through your usual routine with Deku, scolding him over pushing himself too far, talking about rising heroes or new petty villains, and brushing your fingers through his curly locks until he fell sound asleep, all the while you took care to keep yourself positioned on the edge of the bed for easy access to move around. Slowly sliding away from Dekus hold on you, you positioned the camera facing the bed and hit record

“Sweetheart.” You softly cooed, “Sweetheart wake up,” leaning over the bed you gently shook Dekus arm, “ Come on Izu, you have to wake up,” clearing your throat and raising your voice a little you prodded, “my boyfriends on his way!” Shaking your boyfriend a few times more, you bit your cheek to hold back the laugh already threading to spill out as you quietly buzzed with excitement and curiosity. With one more gentle shake, Deku began to stir under the sheets as his voice groggily spoke, “H-huh? What’s wrong…?” Nuzzling his face back onto the pillow, you noted how he took a deep inhale of your scent on the fabric before relaxing back into his peaceful slumber. Honestly could he get any cuter? But you couldn’t let this distract you! You had a mission to complete!

So tugging on his shoulder you made sure to speak clearly, “My boyfriends coming. You need to wake up!” Furrowing his brows, still half asleep, Deku finally began to flutter his eyes open, “Boyfriend…? Where?” Confusion was clear on his face as he looked around the room, “…why is he coming?” He asked and you swore right there and then you could’ve absolutely melted at his dazed eyes and quiet voice, but all of it only prompted you to tease him further. “Since my boyfriends coming you have to go!” Faking a worried face, you added a little panic to your tone, “He said he’s almost here Izu!” At this point, Deku began to sit up from his comfy position to try and get a better understanding of what was going on. His muscles ached and his eyelids were half lidded with sleep still evident on them. Looking at you with a pout on his lips he whined, “But.. but I just got here?” Staring wide-eyes at your boyfriend you were surprised to see he believed your little prank amidst his tired haze and he was actually pouting at the idea he had to leave due to someone else and not because of someone else. Honestly, could you do no wrong in this man’s eyes? The amusement in your eyes sparkled as you watched him slowly start to connect the dotes together.

“Wait,” knitting his brows in sleepy concentration, he glanced around again, “I’m your boyfriend.” Turning to you with almost caution he stared at you with a questioning look on his face, “I’m your boyfriend… right?” And with the doubtful voice at the end and his tired, bewildered state you finally burst out laughing. “Sweetheart, it’s just a prank!” You giggled as you held your stomach, “Did you really think I had another boyfriend?” Looking at you with owlish eyes, Deku lovingly smiled as he watched you practically cackle, even if it was at his expense. Her laugh is like a melody, he thought. Finally, after easing from your fit of laughter, Deku reached out his arms to wrap around your waist to pull you into bed with him. Gasping at the sudden action, you relaxed your body when you felt him bury his face in your chest. So you moved your arms to envelope his head in your embrace, and cascaded your fingertips across his scalp as small giggles still flowed through your lips. Meekly glancing up at you his freckled skin was colored in a soft hue of pink, “But I am your boyfriend.. right?” Softening your gaze, you pressed your forehead against his and kissed the tip of his nose, “You’re my whole heart.”

BAKUGO

Another mundane evening of studying in your dorm while your fussy boyfriend slept on your bed was about to take a turn for something far more interesting. Katsuki has always nagged you for scrolling through your phone too long, claiming “you’re gonna rot the lil bit of brain ya got left” as you rolled his eyes at his middle aged mindset. But thinking about it now, he might’ve been onto something

Being on social media was what lead you to this brewed up little scheme of yours. It was a few days ago that you were going through your fyp on tiktok that you kept seeing videos of people pranking their partners by claiming their “bf/gf” was on their way, and seeing the panic, worry, or confusion on their partners face as they awoke to sudden news always made you tear up in laughter. Of course, you took into consideration the pros and cons of doing this to your boyfriend, but you figured ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’

Standing from your desk chair, you giddily set up your front phone camera angled towards Katsuki’s sleeping figure. You knew once you lit this match you’d be in for an explosive reaction; or at least, a rather entertaining one given your boyfriends personality, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

With a deep inhale and a puffed chest, you cautiously leaned over katsuki and lightly shook his shoulder. “Babe, you gotta wake up,” moving your hand down to take the blanket off of him, you tried your best to seem hurried, “C’mon baby he’ll be here any minute and you can’t stay here!” Katsuki stirred a little and languidly curled his fists tighter as a disgruntled frown tugged on his lips, “… I’ll.. kill,” feeling his body start to exude a little heat you flinched back while you stared amusingly at him, “him..” oh my god, you thought, this is actually better than I imagined, covering your mouth to muffle your giggles you decided to keep going to see how far you could take things. “No Katsuki, my boyfriends coming and I don’t want him to see you!”

For a moment there was silence. Hm?, quirking your head in confusion you shifted closer to his body wondering if maybe he didn’t hear you. “I said I don’t want h—“ but before you could finish repeating what you said the sleeping blonde shot his eyes open and immediately snapped his ruby gaze on you. Startled you stood up from your sitting position on the bed and nervously laughed. “What did you say?” His voice was low and groggily but the laced venom in his tone was unmistakable, “Who’s coming?” Taking a step back, you raised your hands up in defense, “My.. my boyfriend is co—“ “WHAT BOYFRIEND?” Shooting up from his resting position, Katsuki flung his legs off the bed; a fiery rage reflecting off his eyes and a tight-lipped sneer pressed on his lips. At this point your skin was practically glazed in a thin sheen of sweat, and regret began to pool in the depths of your stomach. Sure, you knew there was a chance — or high chance — of your boyfriend blowing up a bit, but you didn’t expect him to get this riled up. You knew you had to give up your stunt immediately if you wanted to come out in one piece, or before Katsuki went on a rampage accusing anyone of being your so-called ‘boyfriend’; not to mention he’s already particularly feisty when woken up. So swallowing the lump in your throat you tried to ease the building tension, “Wait Katsuki l-let me explain! Heh I didn’t mean t—“ “No, you’re gon’ fuckin listen to me,” standing up, he kept his voice eerily leveled, “I’m your boyfriend. Don’t you dare make the mistake of forgetting that,” taking slow strides he began stalking towards you until he inevitably backed you into the wall and cornered you with an arm pinned next to your head. Obviously you knew Katsuki would never hurt you but this unsettling calmness made every fiber of your being stand on edge. Your wide eyes stared up at him as he looked over you, and any attempt of talking was cut short by the sudden dryness in your mouth. A chilling silence gloomed through the room until he finally spoke.

“And if there’s another man,” cocking his head to the side, he lifted your chin with his index and thumb to guide your attention towards him before leaning in closer and fanning your lips with his breathe, “tell him I’m not going anywhere.” Blinking your eyes a few times, you couldn’t help but feel a new sort of excitement gather in your stomach. The way your boyfriend became so greedily possessive, even under the impression there was another man, he still chose to claim you as his — even willing to fight for it. “Katsuki…” averting your gaze from his piercing stare, a light blush colored your cheeks, “it was just a.. um it was just a prank I saw on tiktok.” Pointing to the camera facing the bed, he glanced over to look at it with a raised eyebrow. He scoffed. Turning back at you a smirked settled on his rough features, “A prank, huh?” Brushing his thumb over your lips he pressed his body closer to yours and you gasped at the feeling, “Well then,” narrowing his gaze at you a new glint reflected off his eyes before chuckling, “can’t just let ya toy with me without any consequences,” leaning his head to whisper right above your sweet spot on your neck he continued, ”now can I?”

TODOROKI

On most days you preferred to spend your time in Shoto’s room. After all, his comfy floor mats were far better than your cold hardwood flooring. Sure, most of the others thought his redesign was a little much but most people also preferred to come into his room to lounge around. Hard work really pays off, right?

However, instead of spending the afternoon reading a book while your boyfriend naps on your lap, you decided to play a ligh-hearted prank on him. It wasn’t too far of a prank and you overheard your other classmates talking about some viral stunt couples were doing to their partners. It sounded fun enough, and you’d be lying if you weren’t curious to see how your socially awkward boyfriend would react

So after spending a while combing through Shotos mismatched hair and admiring his peacefully sleeping figure as he kept his arms lazily looped around your waist and his head securely tucked on your lap, you figured now was as good as time as any. With careful movements you straightened up and cleared your throat

Gently caressing Shotos cheek, you brushed a few start strands of hair away from his face and leaned down to gently whisper, “My love, wake up,” cascading your fingertip to follow the bridge of his nose you prodded on, “my boyfriends coming, and he can’t see you with me.” Nuzzling his face onto your thighs, your boyfriend only hums in absent acknowledgment. Smiling to yourself at how cute he looks. He always looks so serious when he’s awake, you thought, but he’s really so vulnerable around me. Honestly, you almost felt bad stirring him awake for the sake of a silly joke but you figured you might as well finish what you started. “Shoto, I’m serious,” you lightly laughed, “you have to wake up!”

At the sound of you using his actual name, Shoto immediately perks up, and his body tenses as an icy blue eye fluttered open to look at you. “Who…?” Softly groaning he tried to blink his sleepiness away, “Who’s coming?” And just by the look glinting in his eye, you could tell he was already worried and on high alert, but that look paired with his squished cheek still on your lap you couldn’t help but tease further, “My boyfriend!” Gently lifting his head off your lap, you tried to bite back the cheeky smile threatening to show on your face, “He’s on his way right now and you can’t be here!” At this point your boyfriend was still trying his hardest to fight off his sleepiness as his mind starts to race and questions bounce around of what exactly you meant by that. “But I’m already here?” Groggily ussuing his arms to lift himself up to meet you at eye-level he knits his eyebrows with a serious look in his eyes, “Besides this is our room. Even if he wanted to come here I wouldn’t allow him to.” And god how you wanted to hold his face and pepper a million kisses all over. But instead you could only quirk your eyebrow in amusement and force on a serious facade, “Ah, is that so?” You muse, “Then how about I meet him in my room instead?” Shoto simply stared into your eyes with an unfamiliar type of steadiness and focus in them as a second passed by, and then a minute. Now — absolutely wide-awake — he pauses entirely.

“No.”

Covering your mouth to muffle your bubbling giggles, you couldn’t help but burst out in laughter as your boyfriend eyed you questioningly. “My— hahah!— my love,” flicking your gaze at him you smile dotingly, “it was just a joke.” But still your boyfriends face stares in confusion, his steely gaze ever so hyper focused while unconsciously biting his lip. So with an airy sigh you reach out to place your hand on his, “I don’t have another boyfriend silly,” flicking his forehead with your other hand you genuinely asked, “.. why would you accept that so quickly, Sho?” It was a sincere question, and although this all started with light-hearted fun it did concern you a little that he didn’t retaliate or question you at all. Watching as he averted his gaze in thought, you felt your heart start to speed up as you awaited his answer. Nervousness all of a sudden overtaking your mind. “Hm..” he started and your ears perked up at the sound, “I wouldn’t say it was something I accepted, but I am aware of how others stare at you when we’re together,” suddenly his cheeks seared red, “You’re strong, talented, and compassionate. You have everything it takes to become a top hero someday and your charisma never fails to captivate a crowd.. so.. I would understand why someone else would be your significant other,” narrowing his eyes as a sorrowful grimace flashed across his face — almost unnoticed — his final words practically shattered your heart to pieces, “Even then I wouldn’t leave you y/n…” turning his attention back on you he held a new intensity and tenderness in his eyes, “I love you.” Blinking a few times you hadn’t realized the tears beginning to blur your vision, and with a defeated exhale you pulled him into your embrace, holding him as tightly as you could. “I would never choose anyone but you Shoto.” And with that you felt him ease into your arms, happy and in love.

[purplesugarbabe]

Andddd finally it's time for some headcanons! I am recently re-watching Slam Dunk since it's one of my most favorite anime series. Enjoy! ✨

"Shohoku edition"

(part 1)

Hanamichi Sakuragi:

Our beloved troublemaker is more than he seems. Although he is known for his short temper, Hanamichi is far more sensitive than most people think. He deeply cares about his teammates, even a little bit for Rukawa, and for his friends. Honestly, he loves hanging out with his silly friends, they make him happy and always encourage him in their own way to continue being himself and achieve his goals.

He is willing to do anything he can in order to make his loved ones happy and sometimes even those he considers as rivals. From time to time he calls Oda to find out how he's going and to talk for a bit, he won't admit that to anyone of course, apart from Mito who is his most trustworthy friend.

Hanamichi is actually really shy, especially when it comes to girls. What if he says something wrong and upset them? What if Rukawa's crazy fangirls start yelling at him again? He wouldn't want that all. In general he is just an angry cinnamon roll that deserves all the love in the world.

Kaede Rukawa:

Incredible, fantastic, unique, popular, handsome. Those are some of the words his fangirls would use to describe the #11 of the basketball team. He never seems to care though. Kaede has no time for relationships and falling in love, his biggest passion is basketball (and maybe sleeping). It's not that he will say no to someone who will really care about him and support him but he isn't in the mood for all that doki doki stuff.

As he has mentioned many times, he loves sleeping. It's not hard for him to fall asleep in class, while he drives his bike early in the morning or while taking the bus/train. He has actually missed his destination because of that a few times. Apart from that he is someone who works hard and wants to make his dreams come true. Underneath the expressionless look on his face hides a very competitive and emotional person.

When he has free time, he usually sleeps or listens to music. It helps him relax and take his mind off practice for a little bit. He enjoys staying home and watch a movie or take his bike and go for a ride when the neighborhood gets quiet. Kaede is actually a very sweet person who has priorities.

Hisashi Mitsui:

A gangster. Another troublemaker. A brokenhearted person. Always an excellent basketball player. Hisashi has always been on my favorite characters because what he went through was very realistic and painful. He gave up something he loved because he got hurt while trying to prove his worth but never stopped loving it. That's our sweet boy. Even though he tries to act cool, Hisashi is an awkward young man. He is very shy deep down.

Also with Miyagi and Hanamichi they like to pull pranks on Rukawa, which leave him completely unbothered. Hisashi actually likes reading books and sports magazines. He tries to be the best he can so reading about other people's achievements inspire him to achieve his goal. Sometimes he looks himself in the mirror and smiles because his front teeth are fake and he's worried someone may notice.

He is someone who would easily fall asleep while watching a movie or reading a book. Compliments actually make him blush, although he likes being encouraged and feels confident when people praise him, it's only inside the court. If someone makes a compliment, he feel really awkward and blush. He is simply a person who needs love and affection.

Miyagi Ryota:

What can be said about this sweet short king? He is someone who enjoys the feeling of being appreciated and taken care of. He likes having someone who will encourage him and feels really proud when his teammates and friends tell him he's doing an excellent job.

Miyagi actually feels uncomfortable about his height, he would love to be tall like Sakuragi or Rukawa. Maybe girls would find him more attractive him then. When he has free time, he spends it pulling pranks on Mitsui. The look on his face is priceless every time. Other times he will go for shopping with Ayako, he enjoys spending time with her and discuss with her about his hopes and dreams.

Miyagi isn't afraid to get into a fight, if his friends need help, he is the first to step in. He is actually pretty skilled and quick so he has a big chance of winning. He someone who takes his time while taking a bath. The warm water makes him relax and enjoy the moment. All he needs is attention and love.

I hope you liked it! ✨

[downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles]

Could u also do the four with an S/O that can read them like a book, and just out of no where knows what’s going on and gives random (good) advice? Thank you so much!!

Agh, anon, your requests are a breath of fresh air—feel like I'm going back to my roots with these classic headcanon-type posts 😭💜 I figured this would be a good post to go into some of the problems the boys might have, if you don't mind!

The Boys with an S/O who can read them like a book:

Donatello

• His latest projects, practical and obscure, have not been going well as of late

• He's in a slum and can't seem to get out of it, trying incessantly to fix the various issues to no avail

• It's not often he gets like this but it's here and he's irritable—unable to peel himself away from his projects even late, late into the night when he should be in bed

• You find him up way past the hour in his lab, having heard him tapping his instruments, shuffling around the space, he's not making an effort to be subtle but generally no one approaches him in these times

• Well, except for you

• He doesn't quite notice your presence until he turns around to find you leaned on the doorway

• "You know, all this stuff isn't going to run away from you," you say diplomatically. "It's going to be here when you wake up in the morning. So why don't you go to bed, Donnie?"

• "Because I have to figure out what's wrong," he sighs. "If I don't do it now, I'll..."

• You walk over and take the empty pipette from his hand, setting it down on the counter behind you. "You have all the time in the world to tackle this stuff; you really should go to bed, Donnie. Like I said, your projects aren't going to be gone in the morning, or the next, or the one after that. You shouldn't live life with a constant sense of urgency."

• It may not be what he really wants to hear, but he can't deny that he is impatient at times and tends to prone to anxiety when things keep going wrong.

• "You...may be right. Possibly. Maybe," he says, a hint of defeat. "Okay. I'll go to bed."

• Kisses the top of your head on his way out.

• Someone to understand and give him a gentle perspective without judgement is a very welcome change

Leo

• Leo always has a looming feeling of being unprepared

• What if Mikey won't be paying attention when he needs him to? What if Raph has an explosive episode on the surface and puts their mission on the line? What if Donnie's equipment fails them at the worst moment?

• It's why he's always harking on everyone to make sure everything is in place, pushing for training, trying to avoid creating conflict. He just wants everyone to be safe, and so the micromanaging begins.

• His brothers have been more uncooperative and uncoordinated than usual

• Meditates excessively when these things are on his mind, today being no different—he enters a distant state of mind while doing mundane tasks and his usual practices that makes him feel unapproachable

• You find him doing it yet again, he's cleaning his portion of the lair and re organizing things he's already organized

• "What has you so frazzled, Leo?" you ask.

• He doesn't even respond until he's done setting his books back in order.

• "Nothing," he says. "I'm doing what I always do."

• "You sure?" "Because it seems like you're stressing right now."

• "I'm fine. This is how I relax."

• You take a seat on the edge of his bed. "So you are stressed?"

• Leo hadn't seemed to notice the words he'd used but knows he can't backtrack.

• "You can trust your brothers, you know that, right?" He sits down as well and sighs. "Even when you guys are a little...off beat, you always pull through, don't you? That's why you're so good, it's because you can improv and adapt. There have been times where you are totally not on the same page and still managed to make it out, and pretty successfully, might I add."

• He contemplates for a minute. You're right; with or without all of his excessive efforts, they always found a way.

• "Hearing it from someone else makes it easier to see, I guess. Thank you, (Y/N), I'll keep that in mind."

• The surprise advice is unexpected but appreciated, as no one can make him relax like that besides Splinter

Mikey

• He doesn't realize just how obvious he is when he's bothered

• Genuinely confused when point out his fiddling with random stuff, going back and forth to the kitchen more than normal, a little quieter than you're used to. Weirdly enough, he gets a bit lethargic when things like this crop up because he thinks so much

• Like now. He's used to being low-key criticized for his natural behavior and mindset, but a guy can only take so much, can't he?

• He doesn't want to feel like a kid and like he's incompetent, yet he feels that way at times due to how people talk to him

• He's fidgeting with some trinket on the couch when you approach him and seems unenthusiastic

• "Oh, what's up babes?"

• "You're doing the thing again," you say with a chuckle, "being told you're doing something wrong feels pretty bad, huh?"

• He's a little confused

• "What do you mean?"

• "I mean that sometimes your family doesn't understand that you function a certain way and, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but at the same time, we have to be conscientious, don't we? Not every criticism is a personal offense, so try not to take it to heart too much, babe."

• He takes a moment to process, but you know he's got it when his eyes light up and he puts down whatever he's messing with

• "How come you like...always know what to say, angelcakes? You're so smart!"

• Will end up coming to you instead when he's got a problem if Leo or Donnie's a part of it, because they used to be his go-to, but telling it to his partner just hits different

• Your words actually stick with him and he's not too stubborn to take them in stride

Raph

• To be honest, Raph doesn't do well with being confronted while he's angry in general...

• Tends to blow steam off in his gym or practicing with his sai (or, if he's in a REALLY bad mood, knitting) though can only spend so much time doing that

• Not before you say something, at least

• Raph is a highly emotional person, not limited to anger. But this of course makes him an accident waiting to happen at times because of his intense disposition, so his attitude can be shit-starter, especially with Leonardo because he envies his position leader

• So, he's been clearly fuming and you've decided it's time to say something

• He's at his weight bench repping it out

• "Have another argument with Leo?"

• "Something like that."

• "You understand he's under a lot of pressure, right? That being team leader isn't that easy?"

• "What would you know?"

• "It's not hard to figure, Raph, you guys are being actively hunted and the responsibility's on him to keep you safe when Splinter can't be there. Yes, that's you too. Try putting yourself in his shoes and think about how that would make you feel. It's hard? Yeah. I know it's not what you want, but you have your own special place in the family, and no one can replace you. Think about how much Leo and the rest of your brothers would flounder if you weren't there. They need you where you're at, just like you three need Leo. You're their big guns, big guy."

• Of course, he doesn't want to admit that you're right, that hurts the pride

• But deep down he knows that it's true.

• "I'll tell y what, baby girl, you've got the nerve, I guess. I ain't saying you're right or anything, but..."

• He's always going to remember this, but unfortunately, he won't always heed your advice. It gets lost in the moment and it's his personal problem that he must deal with himself.

[miekasa]

random boyfriend levi hcs (modern au)

↯ pairing: levi ackerman x (fem) reader

↯ genres and warnings: modern au, fluff, i feel like he would honestly just be a quiet, gentle soul if given the opportunity to relax for once in his life lmao

↯ notes: i was planning to do some levi hcs, and then i got a request for them so yay! here you go, enjoy!

Has a carafe and fills it every morning (because he finishes it every day). He also absolutely does get his 6-8 glasses of water in on the daily thank you very much.

Oh he likes bubble baths. Not into lighting a thousand candles around him (altho he does like candles). Maybe one or two. Doesn’t stay for very long, but does like to get a good soak every once in a while, after he’s already showered of course.

Likes showering with you. A lot. Not necessarily for sexual antics, but he just likes it. Likes it a lot when you get all soapy and then hug him. 10/10. Although shower sex is always a welcome added bonus.

Fluffs your pillows for you in the morning behind your back. Not sure why it’s a secret for him, but it just is.

He’s like a fucking VIP member at SoulCycle or some shit and enjoys taking you with him to the classes just to see you sweat and suffer LMAO

Doesn’t mind doing things late at night with you, actually prefers it to some extent. Just don’t ask him to do anything dumb.

“Do you wanna walk to McDonald’s and get a McFlurry?” “No. I fucking hate McDonald’s and it’s 2am.” ....... “Do you want to drive around and maybe get some chinese food on our way back?” “... I’ll get the keys, let’s go.”

Surprisingly, likes to bake. It’s somewhat relaxing and therapeutic for him. He’s not the best at things like brownies and cakes and icing and decorating and all of that, but is really good at smaller, I suppose more refined desserts.

Think things like little fruit tarts, lemon squares, creme brûlée. Things that might not require a lot of ingredients, but are very particular in technique.

He doesn’t mind cooking though. But he likes cooking for other people best, not to mention he can be picky about his take-out. It can become a chore to him otherwise (and you can miss him with that meal-prepping bullshit), but he doesn’t mind cooking dinner if he knows it’s for you and him to share. And is willing to honor any particular meal request you might have.

Not exactly a wine connoisseur, but he doesn’t mind having a glass with you when you ask. He keeps bottles you and his friends get for him, but he doesn’t know shit about tasting and pairing and all that. If he needs to know or needs a recommendation, he’ll ask Erwin.

Into niche home design things like lighting fixtures, finding the perfect handles for his furniture and drawers, and things of that nature.

Very much a DIY kind of guy, and your fixer-upper. Need to assemble furniture? Fix a broken TV? Re-tile your bathroom floors? Levi’s your guy.

Loves candles. Not super sweet smelling ones like birthday cake and vanilla bean, but loves lighter, fruitier scenes like eucalyptus mixes, lemon, even sage. Always has candles on hand and never misses a single Bath and Body Works sale.

On that note, yes he does coupon. Why wouldn’t he? Capitalism already sucks and everything is so expensive, he’ll take a bargain where he can get it.

Never owned a speaker because he never saw any use for it, but one day, you coerced him into having a mini-karaoke session while you were cooking together and he found out he enjoyed it quite a bit. (The music playing a loud, not the karaoke. Even though he’s a pretty decent singer).

So when you bought him a record player for his birthday, it easily became one of his most valued possessions. And he’s really enjoyed collecting vinyls.

Other than that, he’s open to most kinds of music, and likes it if you make playlists for him—otherwise he’ll just listen to whatever you have made.

Levi and Erwin are presidents of the Beyhive but you didn’t hear that from me. Nothing but respect for THEIR Queen Bey.

Enjoys taking walks and going running when the weather is nice, and likes having you along with him. It’s actually on occasion on which he prefers to hold your hand in public. You don’t always talk much, but it’s still nice and Levi really relishes in it.

Genuinely laughs out fucking loud whenever you put a face mask on and cannot take you seriously for the next 20-35 minutes LMAO

“Hey, Casper, did you want me to get you a glass of water on my way back.” “FUCK YOU MY SKIN IS GLOWING LEVI!! GLOWING!!”

Despite that, he still fucking steals your other skin scare!! Like retinol isn’t expensive as hell!!

Likes getting massages from you, and may or may not have feigned or exaggerated soreness form his workouts a few times to get one.

Fucking hates pumping gas, but doesn’t trust the little brats at the gas station to do it for him, and would rather eat a pair of jeans than let you get out and get gawked at, so he does it himself.

If you’re in public doing something/looking at something and taking too long, Levi will just start nudging you to get you moving. Like if you’ve already spent 10 minutes looking at different pasta shapes in the grocery store, he’ll put a hand on your waist and slowly usher you back to the cart so you can actually finish your shopping (and go the fuck home).

On that note, he pulls you/grabs at you quite a bit, usually to out the way of other people or harms way (or so he claims). For example, pulls you back further onto the sidewalk while you’re waiting at the crosswalk; further away from the lines on the ground near trains and busses; away from Hange.

Really likes kissing you. Not in public, but doesn’t mind having you all over him in private. And honestly, when he wants it, he doesn’t mind being all over you either.

He’s a particularly big cuddle bug in the morning bye.

Likes it when you drive. Mostly because he can just chill in the passenger seat and take a nap.

LMAO he can’t ride a bicycle. If you taught him, he’d probably pick up pretty quickly, but nobody ever taught him so he doesn’t know how yet.

(When you find this out, you’re VERY eager to teach him and Levi feels like he might have finally met his demise). “Do you want some training wheels, Levi? I saw a pretty pink pair in the toy store on the way here.” “No, fuck you, I just need to find my balance—hey, don’t let me go! Do you want me to die???”

Despite not liking having his photo taken, he’s a pretty good photographer and doesn’t mind taking pictures of you.

Keeps a picture of you and him inside his wallet. You don’t know that it’s there.

Despises the dentist with every fiber of his being and would not fucking go if you didn’t force him to. Seriously, you have to book the appointment for him and everything or else he’s just not make one or go.

And it’s not even like he has bad teeth?? They’re fine, maybe just in need of the regular professional cleaning. He just hates people prodding inside his goddamn mouth.

Which is very weird and you tease him very loudly about because he’s fine with the doctor?? And the ophthalmologist?? And everything else but the dentist LMAO

Quite spontaneous with dates in all honesty. Sometimes he just sees shit or has an idea and asks you if you’d be down.

Not one for cliche coupley items, but you do have matching sneakers. (They’re his favorite pair of sneakers).

Picks up things you’ve left laying around and puts them in their proper place. “Levi have you seen my—” “It’s on your desk. Where it belongs.”

Museum dates! Not that he cares for the pompous air of museums, but objectively they’re nice. Quiet, pretty objects, clean. Overall, not so bad. Just don’t take him to a fucking history museum.

Has a habit of kissing the palm of your hand. It’s his silent way of telling you he loves you.

Lays his head on your lap when you’re sitting on the couch. Claims he’s not keeping up with your shows but secretly is. Curls up into a ball and takes a nap halfway through tho.

[tennessoui]

You know one of my favorite Star Wars fic tropes? Evil, feral Anakin being horribly mistreated his whole life and hurt, and then being comforted and nursed back to health by Obi-Wan. And instantly imprinting on him, like, in a "I will kill anyone for you" way. Could be any Obi-Wan! Nice Obi-Wan for that sweet sweet hurt/comfort and kisses and turning Anakin from his murderous ways with the power of kindness! Evil Obi-Wan for sweet double trouble action and delicious obsession with each other!!

this is also one of my favorite star wars tropes!!! i love a needlessly protective and feral Anakin who distrusts everyone except for Obi-Wan.

unfortunately. um. this went a little sideways. and there is no being nursed back to health. but there's some delicious obsession and protectiveness and also future mutual obsession so i'm counting the prompt fill as like 3.5 out of 5 stars for following the prompt, which is. let's be honest, higher than most of my prompt fills. this is a bit dark and contains references to mind tricks, but there is no sex or kissing that could be construed as dub con. just like. dub con emotions i guess

(2.2k)

Quinlan has that look in his eyes, as if he’s about to say something that he knows Obi-Wan won’t like.

Carefully, Obi-Wan puts down his cup of tea and laces together his fingers in his lap. He can already feel a seed of anger blooming inside of him. Since Anakin has re-entered his life and the Temple, he’s found that this deep, swirling rage is harder to give to the Force. And easier to feel at a moment’s notice.

Like almost all the differences in his life now, this can be put on Anakin through no fault of the boy’s own.

After all, Obi-Wan thinks to himself, it is much easier to feel this sort of fury at the galaxy’s injustices when living with someone who has suffered most all of the most grievous kinds.

“Just say it, Quinlan.” Obi-Wan says.

Vos clears his throat. “Where is...your charge?”

“My charge,” he repeats, unimpressed. “You know his name.”

“I know both of his names,” Quinlan fires back. “Does he prefer Anakin or Vader?”

The anger inside of him grows larger at the mention of Vader. As if Anakin would ever prefer the name Sidious gave to him. As if he had chosen it for himself.

As if the Jedi had played no part in the birth of Vader.

“Anakin is asleep,” is all Obi-Wan says.

Quinlan makes a show of peering down the hallway of Obi-Wan’s quarters to the two closed bedroom doors. “In whose bed?”

His hands tighten into fists beneath the table. “That is a bold accusation to make.”

“Why?” his old friend’s posture is forcibly casual, slumped in his seat and hand loosely wrapped around his cup. Obi-Wan wonders if this is how he looks when he’s undercover on missions. The thought settles heavily into his stomach and makes him sit up straighter. If this is a mission to Quinlan Vos, then what is his objective? What does he want with Obi-Wan?

With Anakin?

“The boy’s legally allowed to spread his legs for anyone he wants, Obi-Wan. He's nineteen and everything.”

Obi-Wan can feel his teeth grind together. The fury in his chest is building at an alarmingly fast rate. The thought of anyone touching Anakin like that when the boy’s so obviously traumatized and in need of a tender hand--if he were a lesser Jedi, he’d snarl at Vos to leave.

“Any consent Anakin offers anyone would be dubious at best,” he snaps. “He is nineteen, but he has spent the past ten years of his life being tortured and enslaved by Darth Sidious.”

Quinlan narrows his eyes and looks over Obi-Wan’s face. “That’s not your fault,” he finally says quietly, leaning forward as if to grip his arm before he thinks better of it. “Obi-Wan, listen to me. What happened to Anakin is tragic. Awful. Despicable. But it is not your fault.”

Obi-Wan looks away, his jaw clenched tightly before he forces himself to relax. “I only blame myself for not verifying what I was told.”

“Do you blame the Jedi Council then? For sending the boy away?”

“My master begged me to train the boy, Vos. And while I was in the Halls of Healing, they sent him back to Tatooine. And no one ever checked to make sure he got there. Sidious grabbed him because we--because they allowed him to. And then spent ten years torturing and breaking down a child right under our very noses! Who would you blame, Vos?”

“Sidious,” the other man answers easily. “The Council had no way of knowing that Sidious even knew about the boy, that he was in any danger at all--”

“He was nine!” Obi-Wan roars, slamming a fist on the table, unable to swallow the dark, heavy fury anymore. “He was a child. A slave! They were going to send him back there!”

“To his mother!”

“To his chains,” Obi-Wan corrects fiercely.

Vos purses his lips and crosses his arms. “He is not a child anymore, Obi-Wan. He’s a killer. He’s dangerous. It’s worrying to me that you can’t see it. Or don’t want to see it.”

Obi-Wan wants to scoff. Anakin Skywalker is not dangerous. The boy gets night terrors, begs to be let into Obi-Wan’s bed, and can only sleep if he’s being cuddled up against his chest. He holds his blasted hand in public because he’s terrified of being separated from Obi-Wan again. He’s refused to even touch his lightsaber since the first night Obi-Wan stumbled upon him, bleeding in one of the lower levels of Coruscant. There are some days he won’t even let Obi-Wan touch him to hold him, and he shakes apart in the shadowy corner of his closet, reliving traumas Obi-Wan can’t help him with.

Dangerous. Dangerous.

“No, Obi-Wan, come on. You have to see. The boy’s turning you against the Jedi, against the Council!” “He doesn't need to," Obi-Wan says coldly. "The Jedi seem to be doing a fine job of that themselve."

“That's what I'm talking about!” Vos exclaims, waving an incensed hand. “The Obi-Wan Kenobi I knew would never say that! He would never think a bad thing about the Order, let alone say it! Let alone threaten to leave in the middle of a war if the Council didn’t grant him permission to keep the boy in his rooms! People talk, Obi-Wan! They’re not being kind!”

A thought bubbles up in Obi-Wan’s mind, vicious and sharp. Obi-Wan should not expect kindness from the Jedi. Not about Anakin. Everything they’ve ever done to and said about the boy proves that. Obi-Wan would have to abandon Anakin again to ensure the Council’s kindness and trust in him.

Obi-Wan would rather die than abandon the boy now when he needs him so obviously. He’d rather Fall than turn his back on Anakin, even if that’s what it took to stay in the Order.

“I think you should leave, Vos,” Obi-Wan murmurs quietly. “I think there is little left to say.”

His old friend stares at him from across the table in shock before he stands up without another word. At the door to his quarters, he freezes but doesn’t turn around. “You are attached, Obi-Wan. The Jedi Council will not stand for it. They will not allow it to continue.”

There’s something off with his voice, but Obi-Wan is too concerned with what he’s said to focus on anything else. “What do you mean?” he asks sharply, springing to his feet.

But Vos just shakes his head and leaves.

Obi-Wan collapses back into his seat as the door slides shut behind the man, his head buzzing with thoughts. That had sounded like a warning. Would the Council be so bold, so cruel, as to separate Obi-Wan and Anakin forcefully?

Yes, the thought flashes across his mind, followed by a swell of fury.

And then there’s a sleepy little questioning tug on the bond stretching between him and Anakin. His charge must have just woken up and found Obi-Wan still missing.

Obi-Wan tugs back, helpless against the urge to comfort Anakin. The bond explodes in a tidal wave of joy, the way it always does when Obi-Wan uses their illicit connection to communicate. He hadn’t in the early days, too afraid of the Council and the Code to do something so forbidden.

Now he cannot seem to muster enough regard for the Jedi to care. It is nice to feel Anakin in his mind, where he belongs. Where he’s always belonged.

---

In the bedroom that Obi-Wan keeps on insisting is not theirs, Vader allows his eyes to open as he slips out of meditation. He had been too forceful there at the end with Vos, fed him the exact words he needed him to tell his new master.

That sort of mind trick is too sloppy and easily discovered. It is much harder to trace emotional manipulation, especially over time. He’s been doing it for months now, the Jedis’ mental shields no match for his raw power trained to be sharp as a vibroblade.

It’s all just been a matter of slowly strengthening the other Jedis’ already existing mistrust and doubt about him, all the while crying to Obi-Wan about his past and his fears. It served to highlight the Jedi hypocrisy to his new master, and when he felt that first seed of anger grow in Kenobi’s mind, he encouraged it to grow faster.

The downside, of course, has been that Obi-Wan sees him as a scared child in need of protection. Vader is working on that too though, lengthening the touches they share and letting his shields fall at inopportune moments, like when he’s playing with himself in the fresher, so his master understands that Vader is capable of bringing him pleasure of all kinds.

It’s very important Obi-Wan understands that he can get everything he needs from Vader alone. There will be no one else, for either of them.

Sidious will die soon. The Jedi will die sooner. Vader and Obi-Wan can take their proper place, as Emperors of the Galaxy.

After Obi-Wan falls, of course.

It won’t take long now though.

Joy at the thought of one day looking into Obi-Wan’s golden eyes pushes Vader out of their bed and into the common area. He rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand a few times, and then it’s Anakin who’s crossing the space separating him from his master so he can settle in Obi-Wan’s lap.

Obi-Wan accepts him into his arms immediately, and Anakin has to fight the urge to smile in victory as he squirms in an attempt to get comfortable, only stopping when he’s straddling his master, sitting directly over his cock.

He wraps his arms around his master’s neck and buries his face in the juncture between his shoulder and throat.

Feeling daring, he licks slightly at the skin there, just to feel the way Obi-Wan’s hands tighten on his hips. “Missed you,” he murmurs, inhaling greedily.

Nothing in the entire universe smells as good as Obi-Wan, holds Anakin as gently as Obi-Wan, cares as much about him as Obi-Wan does.

He’d kill everyone in the galaxy for his master, if it was asked of him. He wouldn’t even think twice about it. And one day, soon, his master will feel the same.

Especially when his pesky Order has been dealt with, an execution order stamped with Sidious’ name. The only good thing his old master has ever given him.

The Jedi will die, Anakin will be blameless, and Obi-Wan will be safe from harm’s way. That’s why he’d had to push Vos so messily at the end there. Obi-Wan needs to be safe before the planned Order #66, and there’s no telling what Sidious will do now that Anakin has escaped.

“I heard voices,” he prompts, when Obi-Wan seems content to just sit silently and trace shapes on the bare skin of his back.

Obi-Wan hums. “Yes,” he admits. “An...old friend came to visit.”

Anakin bites gently at the skin of Obi-Wan’s throat and pulls back enough to make eye contact. He doesn’t know if his eyes are blue or gold right now, but either way Obi-Wan seems entranced by them. Riveted.

He pouts. “Your old friends never stay around long enough to meet me,” he says with a tremble in his voice, as if he cares about Obi-Wan’s old friends.

Obi-Wan reaches a hand up and thumbs over Anakin’s bottom lip. Anakin holds his breath. It’ll ruin everything if he sucks at it right now, despite how much he’s craving to map the whorls with his tongue.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan breathes out, and Anakin changes his grasp so he’s now holding tightly to the front of his robes. “I must tell you something you may not want to hear.”

The Dark inside of him roars and snarls at this statement. If Obi-Wan has decided to make him leave, Anakin will not go quietly. Anakin will kill the entire Jedi Order himself, until this glowing angel--so warm, so bright in the Force--only has him.

“The Council will try to take you away from me,” his master murmurs.

Anakin makes his eyes go round and wet. It’s not even that much of an act: he just has to think of Obi-Wan agreeing with his stupid Council, and suddenly he’s appropriately tearful and afraid.

“No, no, Anakin, don’t cry,” his master croons, grasping the back of his neck and touching their foreheads together. Then, in a firmer tone, he says the words Anakin has been waiting to here for months. “I will not let that happen. We must leave the Order. I’m sorry, dear one. I can only imagine how much you wanted this place to be your home.”

Anakin has to rip his head out of Obi-Wan’s grasp and bury it in his neck so his dear master can’t see his smirk. Oh, Obi-Wan. The man may never understand that the only thing Anakin wants is already holding him tightly against his chest.

But Anakin will remind him. Anakin will remind him for the rest of his life.

“When do we leave?” Anakin whimpers, wondering if he’s overdoing it slightly, but Obi-Wan’s grip on his back only tightens.

When Obi-Wan speaks, his voice doesn’t waver at all. There’s not a single shred of indecision in his force signature either. “Tonight,” his master says, brushing a barely there kiss against the crown of his head. “We leave tonight.”

Vader smiles in bliss and burrows impossibly further into his master’s arms, nipping at his master’s skin again, just because he knows he will not be pushed away. This is the safest place in the galaxy, and now it will be his forever.

Victory tastes sweet. Obi-Wan’s skin tastes even sweeter.

[lubdubsworld]

Blackberry Winters.

PART 1 🌸 PART 2

Namjoon Werewolf Au!! 

Pack Head Alpha Namjoon and mate OC!

Arranged marriage sort of?

Pack dynamics / strangers to lovers. 

Part 3

“You did not think to tell him no? To demand that you had every right to stay there?” Her mother in law looked disappointed ,  eyes trained on her as Jiah carefully pulled the blouse of the tunic down over her tummy, frowning when she realized that it didn’t do a thing for her figure.

She felt self conscious, the grey cotton of the tunic making her feel drab and lifeless. Why did she always choose clothes in colors like this? Why did none of them fit her right? Why did she never make an effort to look at least a little good. Her hair was limp, a mousy brown and while it was thick, it had no luster… Why didn’t she use one of the hundred powdered mixtures the village healer liked to give the younger women?

“Jiah, are you listening to me?” Namjoon’s mother said sharply and Jiah jumped a bit, guilty.

“I didn’t want to be a bother..”  She said nervously, not sure how to handle her mother in law. On the one hand she seemed to be understanding of her many hang ups, but she also looked impatient and upset, anytime Jiah failed to stand up for herself.

Lady Kim drew herself up to her impressive height and Jiah cowered. She’d hung around enough pack bonfires to recognize that stance and that gaze. The woman was about to give her a piece of her mind.

Sure enough, her voice thundered when she addressed her.

“If you keep viewing yourself as a bother, I’m not sure how others will begin seeing you as anything else. You’re the head alpha’s mate. Your place is by his side, helping him with the crown on his head. It’s not a choice. Your duties are not mine and I am tired of doing them for you.” She snapped.

It stung. Guilt churned and Jiah could feel the beginnings of one of her episodes. The ones that always left her shaking and breathless. Much to her surprise, Lady Kim’s gaze softened at that and the next second she was being drawn into a warm embrace.

“Good lord child, why are you so terrified? Has my family not been kind enough to take away this stark terror out of your veins?” She sighed deeply. “You must not let your fears dictate your life. I want you to live your life, pleasing the person you’re bound to .”

Jiah felt her shoulders sag. Please the person she was bound to.  Of course. Namjoon. It all came down to the alpha wolf. And how was she supposed to please him, if he couldn’t bear to be in the same room as her?

“Yourself.” Lady Kim’s voice, laced with amusement made her jump.

Jiah frowned, pulling back to look at the older woman in confusion.

“You’re bound only to yourself , Jiah. You need to please yourself. To do and be the person you want to be. And then everything else will fall into place.”

Jiah watched as the woman went back to the door, calling for and directing a few more workers as they finished setting up the outer courtyard of her living quarters. Still a little chilled, she grabbed a thick coat from the small cupboard by the door, draping it over herself and tying it together with the sash. She moved quickly to the door, watching her mother in law talk to the workers, looking them straight in the eye , firm and clear in her instructions.

It was fascinating.

Lady Kim’s stance fairly vibrated with power and her voice brooked no disobedience. People looked at her and listened. They saw someone who knew what she was talking about and many a time, Jiah had felt it herself, the comfort of someone reliable. Someone who wished no ill on anyone.

Namjoon’s mother had lost her husband at a young age. Namjoon had scarcely been a babe of two when it had happened and the entire pack had expected the young wolf to lose his birthright as the heir. It was unheard of for a mate to take over the head alpha’s duties but Lady Kim had risen to the occasion with an elegance that had stunned everyone. The woman had met pack leaders and settled disputes, had negotiated boundary conflicts and made elaborate plans for new buildings , all while carrying around a babe that was still fed at her breast.

What was more, she had defended her position against the men who had wanted to usurp it. Mnhyuk and Jaejoon were two of her husband’s cousins, eager to sink their fangs into the woman to mate her, just to be able to get their hands on the pack. They were terrible men , even worse wolves. Their ideas on how the pack ought to be run dripping with archaic ideals and oppression of women.

But Lady Kim had humiliated them, told the whole pack in no uncertain terms that the next pack alpha would be Kim Namjoon. Her son would be raised to rule the pack with kindness and understanding and she would make sure of it.

The tales were told with hushed tones of disbelief and admiration and Jiah had listened to them with hunger and aching. Had felt such a huge surge of affection for the matron , had wanted to hug her and tell her she had done a great job.

And standing here as her daughter in law, she realized that she would be a fool not to listen to her. Not to learn from her. Especially when it was obvious that in the entire pack, the only one who didn’t seem to hold Kim Namjoon on a pedestal, was ironically his own mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ They’re going to challenge you again. I can feel it.” Taehyung said gruffly, dropping the bundle of scrolls on the table and Namjoon flinched, head throbbing.

“That bad?” He asked hesitantly and Taehyung nodded.

“They want you to re-negotiate that treaty about courtesans owning property. Think it would make them quit the profession… if you let them own stuff” Seokjin said quietly and Namjoon bristled.

“They are no different from any of us. They work for their pay too. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to do what they wish with money that they’ve earned?” He demanded angrily.

“You’re a good man Namjoon. A fair one. And you’re striving to build a pack that treats all it members as equals . Obviously people who thrive on abusing their power aren’t going to like that. Especially Minhyuk and Jaejoon’s pups. Those two are terrible.”

“You should accept their challenge and just rip their throats out someday.” Taehyung said firmly AND Namjoon gave him a glare.

“I’m not going to shed blood without cause, Taehyung. Don’t suggest that. Even in passing.” He said firmly and the younger beta bowed politely in apology.

“Where is Jiah?” Seokjin asked casually.

Namjoon glanced at him, brows raised.

“Since when are you so familiar with my mate, hyung?”

Seokjin rolled his eyes.

“She used to come sit with me, when I watched over the herds on the outer pastures. Sweet little thing really. Very funny too.”

That made Namjoon pause.

“Funny?” He asked, completely confused.

“Witty. She would make these clever little riddles and jokes that would always leave me in stitches. We made a game of it. I would give her one of my funny jokes and she would give me a riddle. Is she feeling better now?”

Namjoon who was still kind of struck dumb by the idea of his cowering, reticent mate doing something as…. Normal and friendly as laughing and being witty….. could only stare at Seokjin in confusion.

“I…. Yes. She’s well. We’re expecting a pup.” He said softly.

Both Taehyung and Seokjin went still.

“What?!!! Why didn’t you say that first?!!” Taehyung exclaimed, offended.

“It’s not that important…” Namjoon waved it off, reaching for the scrolls , “ what about the treaties, then? You did tell Jungkook we aren’t changing anything right?”  

Seokjin scoffed.

“ Only you would say that these treaties are more important than your own pup.” He snapped.

Namjoon sighed a bit at that.

“I don’t mean that. I’m just saying, what she needs now is to rest and take care of herself and the baby. I’m not what she needs . I’ve arranged for her to stay in some private quarters with the other women.”

Seokjin sighed deeply. After years of being one of Namjoon’s trusted friends, he could feel his heart ache for the younger and all that he hid from the people around him. He reached out and gently placed a palm on Namjoon’s shoulder.

“ Namjoon, you don’t have to do all of this by yourself. Tae and I , we can take over duties a couple of days a week… You can relax… Maybe spend some time with your new wife….”

“She hates me.” Namjoon said softly. “ I spent a whole month trying to talk to her, all she did was tremble and shake. Even when we…” Namjoon exhaled sharply, “ Even in bed , she made me feel like I was some kind of…. Predator.”

Taehyung bit his lips, looking worried.

“You’re not… You’re not going to break the bond are you?” He asked nervously.

Namjoon sighed.

“I’m not. I may have considered it, before . But now… She’s with pup. I can’t do that to her. I don’t want to either.”

“Why did you pick her?”

Namjoon stayed quiet.

“Because you wanted a wife who wouldn’t ask or demand or complain.” Taehyung said distastefully.

“That’s not… You make it sound so terrible. I’m supposed to be taking over pack duties, supposed to renegotiate every single treaty we’ve drawn in the past twenty years, not to mention get the entire pack ready for the winter…. Of course I wanted a wife who would adjust. Have you seen the omegas in our clan? The ones I could court ? They want to leave on trips… They want to visit the neighbouring packs…. They want me to arrange festivities and feasts for every damn thing…. You think I can marry someone like that??” Namjoon snapped angrily. “none of them understand a damn thing about helping me out. They’re shallow and vain. Jiah… I chose her because she didn’t seem like one of them. She seemed like she could understand what it means to be my wife. But I was wrong. I thought she understood my responsibilities and was giving me my space…. Turns out she just thinks I’m some kind of monster she needs to run and hide from.”

Seokjin reached out, patting his back soothingly.

“Namjoon I understand… It’s been hard on you, and you’ve been doing all of it by yourself. Its bound to take a toll. And that’s why I think you should take a few days off, a week. Give us all the instructions. We’ll carry it all out. You can relax.”

“That’s exactly what my uncles want. For me to slack off. They’ll summon the council and want to challenge me again. I can’t afford it. “ Namjoon shook his head.” Not until the babe is born and my position as pack alpha is solidified. I can’t let them use this against me.”

Seokjin and Taehyung exchanged looks.

“Joon-ah….”

Namjoon gave both of them a tired smile.

“I’ll be fine hyung. It’s going to be okay.”  He said reassuringly. “ The council’s meeting tomorrow right? I’ll try to go over these tonight.”

“Its already past sundown.” Taehyung said worriedly.

“Then I better ask the maids to keep enough oil for the lamp to last.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What are you doing here?” Namjoon blinked, staring at her like she was out of her mind and Jiah flinched. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. But the sight of him made something curl in the pit of her stomach. He looked exhausted. Like he had been up all night. She wondered if perhaps she ought to retreat. Go back to the private quarters he’d arranged for her.

No. No , you will not chicken out of this.

“ You have a council meeting, this evening. Could I come with you?.” She said softly, watching his face carefully. She tried to read his emotions, tried to look for traces of irritation or anger but all she found was a sort of hopeless resignment. Like he had stopped trying to fight whatever was bringing him down.

“Come with me….?? ” Namjoon stared at her like he wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about.

She inhaled sharply.

“Your mother told me I could go. As your mate, I’m allowed to sit in on council meetings. She told me it’s a new provision. That you were the one who had it written in. So perhaps, you should… let me come with you.”

“My mother-“ He paused, sighing. “ You don’t have to do everything my mother asks you to.”

She blinked, the words throwing her off. The truth was, she had been the one, tailing the older woman all day, trying to see what she did and how she did it. Lady Kim had merely offered to help her do her duties. She had mentioned in passing, that for centuries , mates hadn’t been granted many rights of their own. Namjoon had spent the past couple of years making a lot of amendments to pack laws and the council hadn’t taken to kindly to all of them.

“ Of course. I just thought that, as I am your mate , perhaps I should accompany you. ” It was a miracle, the way her voice came out, steady . Not at all betraying the nervousness coursing through her veins.

“Jiah…. I’m not sure.” His voice dripped with hesitation and she flinched. Oh, well, no one could blame her for not trying.

“If you don’t want me there, that’s fine.” She said quickly.” I’ll go…”

She turned around, feeling her face burn red as she quickly descended the stairs to the courtyard.

“Jiah wait!!” His voice made her still.

She turned around swiftly.

“I didn’t mean to imply that I did not want you there. I just….Council meetings aren’t short. They tend to go on for hours. Will you be alright?” He asked gently, gaze dropping surreptitiously to her middle.  

It took her a minute to understand what he was even talking about.

“I… Oh.” She quickly pressed her palms to her stomach, confused. “ I mean… I may have to be excused a couple of times to relieve myself. I’ve been doing that way more often than usual.” She laughed.

Namjoon’s lips quirked in a hint of a smile and she flushed. Surely, her stern mate didn’t want to hear about her body functions? What was she even doing…

“But, yes. I wouldn’t mind sitting with you. Truly.” She said quickly.

Namjoon nodded.

“Well, then. You can come with me. It’s an hour before sundown… I’ll come fetch you myself.”

“Yes , alpha.” She said brightly, curtsying lightly and immediately feeling like a fool.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They’re called red feathers …” The healer, a middle aged woman called Selma,  opened a small earthenware jar to show her the contents. Jiah peered into the jar, catching sight of a bundle of dried flowers and roots.

“These can help me…?” She asked dubiously and Selma gave a quiet chuckle.

“They help you sleep better and also help you relax. They’re good for you. You won’t feel this anxious if you take them regularly.” She said calmly.

“Oh… alright.” Jiah nodded, glancing carefully at her mother in law who was standing elsewhere, looking through an assortment of salves and tinctures. “ Can I…. is this safe for Namjoon?”

Lady Kim stilled, turning around to glance at her sharply and Jiah stiffened. God, her impulsive mouth. She wasn’t even sure why she said it. Just the whole , helps sleep better , had immediately reminded her of how tired Namjoon had looked.

“I’ve already tried to get him to drink some of it. He refuses.” Lady Kim said tiredly. “ He feels that it may affect his mental faculties”

“Auntie Selma?” A high, soft voice rang through the hut and Jiah glanced up. She went still, catching sight of Jisoo, dressed in red velvet and all of her ornate jewelry.

“Ah… Jisoo…you’re back.” Selma said cheerfully. “ How can I help you child?”

Jisoo stared at her, eyes steady and unreadable.

“I need some wild carrot seeds and ginger roots.” She said softly and Lady Kim scoffed.

“I hope the man you’re taking into your bed is not who I think it is , Jisoo.” She growled. The younger woman merely bowed.

“I’m but a courtesan, my lady. I go where I am asked to.” She said softly.

Lady Kim sighed.

“Then perhaps you should go back home. Now.” She said sharply and jisoo flushed and ugly red.

“Your son wants me to visit him for tea , this evening. I was hoping to meet my lovely lady there…but I hear you no longer stay in his hut.” Jisoo turned to her, tone dripping with acid and Jiah swallowed nervously.

“I… I’m…” She couldn’t quite talk, much less think of something to say.

“Because she is with child.” Lady Kim said sharply, a hint of triumph in her tone. “ Namjoon’s child.”

Jisoo had gone paper white, her face pale and bloodless.

“What?” She whispered.

“It’s true. She carries my son’s heir. You know what that means, Jisoo. It means they are bound, for life. I like you. I respect your courage and admire your talents. You are beautiful and you deserve a mate of your own. Do not pursue my son.” Lady Kim said firmly.

Jisoo didn’t respond for a few seconds.  

And then she bowed again .

“Like I said, my lady. I only go where I am called.” She said quietly.

She turned on her heels, stalking away and Jiah could only stare after her, heart pounding a bit at what had just happened. She wasn’t sure why she felt so much disquiet. She’d never had high hopes of fidelity from Namjoon. The entire village knew that Jisoo had been his paramour. But now that she had seen how dismissive the younger girl was of her, she felt the unaccountable urge to fight back. To stake her claim.

“You look pretty upset. Don’t let her bother you. Namjoon will not break his vows.” Lady Kim said quietly and Jiah gave her a soft smile, although her heart still raced. She remembered how pretty the girl had looked in all her brocades and velvets. She stared down at her own murky yellow dress. She couldn’t go to the council meeting, dressed worse than a courtesan. Couldn’t embarrass Namjoon like that.

“ My Lady….” She turned to her mother in law. The older woman hummed, returning to examining the shelves.

“What is it, child?”

“Can we stop at the seamstress’ hut on our way back?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whatever Namjoon had been expecting, as he knocked on his wife’s private quarters, it hadn’t been this.

He stared , or to be more accurate, gaped at his wife, completely thrown by her appearance.

She looked…. Cheerful.

That was the only word he could think of, taking in the warm yellow and green fabric of her gown, all with an abundance of ribbons and lace. She had also clearly made some effort to tame her hair.

Not a very successfully attempt, considering the dozen strands sticking out of her bun and curling over her bare neck and shoulders …..but an attempt nonetheless.

Which reminded him.

Why was her neck bare?

“I…. have you forgotten… part of your dress…?” He asked awkwardly, gaze trained on the pale, blemish less expanse of skin in front of him. Too much of it was on display he felt.

“Oh?” Jiah twirled about for a second, glancing at herself. “ Not at all, my alpha. This is how it is.”

Namjoon blinked.

“Right… the night is getting colder. Perhaps a shawl?” He suggested tactfully.

Jiah frowned, sticking a hand out of the door as though to the gauge the night air.

“Really? Feels quite warm to me.” She said thoughtfully.  

“It may be cold for the baby.” He said quickly and that made her pause. She glanced back down at her tummy and he wondered what she expected to see, every time she did that.

“Perhaps you’re right alpha….let me be back.” She floated back into the hut and he sighed in relief when she reappeared with a white fleece shawl over her shoulders.

“Shall we go ?” She asked quietly and he hesitated before slowly offering her his arm. She gripped it lightly, and they began the short walk to the main village square where the council usually convened.

“You… You’re better adjusted to this place now?” He asked carefully, trying to find the girl he had taken to his bed. The terrified, nervous , trembling young girl.

Jiah didn’t respond at once.

“I… I’ve been drinking some of Selma’s potions. They help.” She said quietly and he frowned.

“Potions? Potions for what?”

“They help with my nerves. I get scared easily…imagine things ….” She trailed off nervously.” I’m very anxious by nature and it gets worse in a new place. With new people.”

Namjoon considered that carefully. That made sense. Perhaps, that was why she had been so odd.

“The potions help?” He asked carefully and she nodded.

“Yes…that and your mother.”

“My mother?”

“She’s very kind to me.”

Namjoon laughed a bit at that. In all the years he has had people talking to him about his mother, the word ‘kind ‘ had never come up.

“ I’m being honest….she has helped me adapt to this place. To see how things are run. I… I don’t want to be a bother. I want to pull my weight. In the pack. To help in any way I can…”

Namjoon felt a sudden unaccountable fondness bloom in his chest at the innocent words.

“ That’s very virtuous of you.” He said seriously and she flushed.

They didn’t say anything else, continuing the rest of the path in companionable silence Namjoon spotted the seven council members gathered around a blazing fire and lightly stepped closer to her.

“You can stay close to me. You don’t have to answer them.  If they try to draw you into any controversial topic, just ignore them. I’ll handle it.” He said quickly.

Jiah gave him a wide eyed, nervous look but nodded quickly, fingers moving from his forearm to his palm , linking with his own and gripping tight.

“I’m here. You’re not alone.” She said quickly and it was ridiculous, how the words actually helped him relax just a little.

Taking a deep breath, he led her on to the meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note : i thinks its about time i accepted that this is a full blown fic and not just a drabble. fuck my life. 

Note : Red feathers are actually herbal medicines used as anti depressants. So this is just werewolf au equivalent of therapy. 

[hartigays]

big brain thot: wheezie being the one to get rafebarry together👀👀

“wheeze, you can’t just show up here like this.”

she hasn’t even gotten off her bicycle yet, helmet still in place and everything. she looks up at rafe with big eyes, rolling them as slowly and dramatically as humanly possible.

“i just did,” wheezie points out, unclipping her helmet and setting it in the front basket of her bike.

rafe eyes her warily, then relaxes a bit. his eyes flicker back towards the trailer. “how’d you even know i’d be here?”

“topper,” she tells him simply, shrugging.

“topper?”

another overly-dramatic eye roll. “yes, topper. he came by looking for sarah and i asked him if he knew where you were. i need help with something.”

“and topper told you i’d be here?” rafe asks, brows raised.

topper is a lot of things, but is he the type of person to send a kid to a coke dealer’s trailer? no, absolutely not.

“i encouraged him,” wheezie replies, a little too vague for rafe’s liking. he narrows his eyes and she sighs. “fine, i kicked him in the crotch until he gave it up. happy?”

rafe snorts at the mental image.

wheezie finally climbs off her bike, standing in front of rafe with her arms crossed. “so, are you going to help me or not?”

he really doesn’t want to say yes. but he’s sort of always had a soft spot for wheezie - she’s one of two people who don’t make him feel completely homicidal.

(the other is sitting back in the trailer, smoking a joint and watching some boxing match on his old as shit tv. the thing has antennas, for fuck’s sake.)

rafe glances back at the trailer again, then turns back to wheezie, scrubbing a hand over his face. “fine. but you can’t come inside, wheeze, i’m serious.”

“why, because of drugs?” wheezie snorts, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “please. i’m pretty sure you smoked weed in my room when i was like, five.”

“that’s not the point,” rafe huffs, his fuse shortening ever-so-slightly. “just tell me what you want.”

for the first time since her arrival, wheezie looks mildly uncomfortable. she bites her lip, looking towards the treeline.

“i want to learn how to fight,” she says, and her voice sounds so small that rafe sort of feels… bad.

which is like a new milestone or whatever, so this is sort of a big moment for him.

“why do you need to learn how to fight?”

wheezie doesn’t say anything for a long stretch. then, her cheeks get red, and the words burst out of her. “i’m getting picked on at school, alright? this girl keeps saying she’s going to beat me up after class and i can only hide from her for so long, you know?”

rafe is mildly taken aback, never figuring wheezie for the type to get bullied. she always seemed self-assured and well adjusted, with a sizable group of friends and an active social life. for a middle schooler, anyway.

“what’s her name?” rafe asks, indignant on his sister’s behalf.

if he had to choose a sister to be the target of bullying, it’d definitely be sarah. wheezie, on the other hand, is just a kid. and if someone is threatening to kick her ass, rafe sure as hell is going to find out who.

“i’m not telling you her name, rafe,” wheezie says. “i don’t want you going and knocking her door down to threaten her or whatever. i want you to teach me how to fight so i can hold my own.”

rafe would probably just kill the kid, not threaten her, whoever she is. but he doesn’t tell this to wheezie, biting his tongue for once.

he rocks back on his heels, then sighs, and beckons for wheezie to follow him into the trailer.

wheezie throws her arms up as if to say fucking finally, following rafe inside.

barry is still smoking on the couch, but when he sees wheezie trailing after rafe, he has the presence of mind to put the joint out with an awkward cough.

“you gonna tell me who your little friend is, country club?”

“i’m his sister, wheezie,” she says before rafe can speak, rolling her shoulders back and holding barry’s gaze steadily.

“wheezie?” barry repeats, then laughs, wagging his finger in her direction. “you funny, kid.”

wheezie gives rafe a look, clearly judging him for his choice of company.

“jury’s still out on you,” wheezie tells barry, eyeing him.

barry actually throws his head back when he laughs this time, and rafe can’t help but eye the line of his throat, his mouth going a little dry.

the worst part is, wheezie notices him staring. she raises a brow at rafe. he just coughs and looks away, regretting every decision he’s made in the last ten minutes.

“look, she wants to learn how to fight,” rafe tells barry. “i figured two heads would be better than one?”

“or you just a pussy and know you can’t beat nobody’s ass, rafe,” barry says, reclining back on the sofa, staring at him through heavily-lidded eyes.

“neither can you,” rafe reminds him.

always reminding him. where rafe has failed, barry has too. rather consistently, as a matter of fact.

“fair ‘nough,” barry says after a stretch, leaning forward again. “two heads, then.”

wheezie coughs, and they both turn to look at her. she gives them a bored look. “are you two done having a moment? or do you still need a minute? because i can step outside if- ”

“shut up, wheeze,” rafe groans, pushing her towards the couch.

they spend the next hour and a half discussing fighting techniques, and the cardinal rules of fighting. the ones rafe and barry abide by, anyway.

there aren’t many. they spend the majority of the time discussing technique.

when wheezie gets sick of listening to them yammer on about the different types of headlocks, she starts to get restless.

“oh my god, i didn’t come for the rules of fight club, alright? will one of you just show me how to punch this bitch in the face?”

both barry and rafe shut up immediately, barry’s mouth dropping open in mild surprise.

rafe just snorts, mumbling fair enough under his breath.

and that’s how rafe ends up watching barry do some sort of shadow boxing with wheezie in the living room. rafe re-lights the joint, watching the scene before him in amusement.

“no, kid, you ain’t gotta do all that fancy shit with your legs,” barry is saying at one point, then demonstrates some sort of kick for her.

rafe forgets sometimes that barry has military training, and despite the fact that he gets his ass beat on a regular basis, he’s a pretty damn good teacher.

the joint is long gone by the time wheezie looks at her watch, cursing.

“shit. rose is gonna kill me,” wheezie mutters, fumbling for her phone.

“just tell her you’re staying at a friend’s,” rafe suggests. “it’s too dark for you to bike back anyway.”

“you could always drive me, you know,” wheezie reminds him. then, her eyes flicker down to what’s left of the joint (basically, the filter) and backtracks. “well, he could.”

she’s pointing at barry, and barry shrugs.

rafe, however, finds himself wanting wheezie to stay. dare he say it, he might’ve actually missed his sister.

he’s pretty sure he’ll regret it later, but regardless he says, “we’ll get you something to eat and you can crash here if you’re too tired to go home after.”

something to eat ends up being freezer-burnt pizza rolls, but wheezie doesn’t complain. she eats her food while scrolling through her phone, glancing up at rafe and barry every now and then.

they’re conversing quietly about a drug deal they have set up later, a big one. rafe doesn’t think wheezie is listening, but he also doesn’t notice the way she keeps glancing up at them, her eyes flickering between them with an unreadable look on her face.

and then, out of nowhere, “are you guys dating?”

rafe looks at her sharply and he sees barry do the same out of the corner of his eye. barry’s mouth had shut so quickly that his teeth clacked together, and rafe can see him rubbing at his jaw.

“what the hell, wheeze?”

wheezie raises her hands in mock-surrender, but still rolls her eyes. “it’s just a question, geez. but thanks for the answer.”

“the fuck is she talkin’ about?” barry asks, his gaze flickering between rafe and wheezie.

“you two,” wheezie explains slowly, looking almost bored. again. rafe is starting to think he’s had a bad influence on her. “you’re dating, right? like that’s why you’re always here, right?”

the latter question is directed towards rafe, and he feels his stupid cheeks betray him, burning red.

“oh, right. you’re men, of course you haven’t talked about it,” wheezie sighs, then stands up and brushes invisible crumbs off her shorts. “well, i conveniently have to use the bathroom, so. use this time wisely, i guess?”

then wheezie disappears from the small kitchen, leaving rafe and barry sitting in thick, palpable silence.

“so… what the fuck just happened?” rafe asks when he can’t take the uncomfortable silence any longer, pointedly not looking at barry.

when barry shifts in his seat, rafe can feel it, and he realizes all at once just how close they’re sitting.

“she thinks… “ barry trails off, shifting in his seat again.

“that we’re dating,” rafe finishes, swallowing around the golf ball-sized lump that has mysteriously appeared in his throat.

rafe can feel barry looking at him. he can feel the heat of his gaze, and wow, wheezie is taking a really long time in the bathroom.

“that what we been doing, country club?” barry asks, and rafe looks over at him so quickly that his neck pops.

rafe searches barry’s face for any trace of humor, but comes up empty.

they’ve been practically living together for months, ever since rafe gave up trying to please ward and joined barry’s little side business. and if he really thinks about it, they have lapsed into something almost nauseatingly domestic.

it’s like. like rafe’s been in this weird, fucked up relationship this whole time, and he’s just now realizing it. and realizing, at the same time, that he doesn’t want it to end now that wheezie has gutted them both and laid everything out in the open, where neither of them can hide.

jesus fucking christ, is he in love with barry? barry the drug dealer?

well, rafe supposes that’s what he would call himself now, too, so. maybe it makes some sort of sense after all.

“i don’t think so, but i think we should now,” rafe finally says. he doesn’t know why he says that last bit, it just sort of slips out before he realizes what he’s saying.

but he doesn’t take it back either.

barry is too quiet next to him. the silence goes on for far too long, and rafe is starting to debate internally whether or not he should dump wheezie’s body in the swamp or somewhere off shore.

finally, barry speaks. “startin’ to think you may be onto somethin’, rafe cameron.”

“so is that a yes?” rafe huffs, already feeling exposed enough as it is. he doesn’t need barry speaking in shades of gray.

suddenly, there are fingers wrapping around his jaw, gentler than rafe would’ve anticipated, and then barry is turning rafe’s head and kissing him.

like, really kissing him. rafe feels like he’s being turned inside out, his insides shifting and adjusting, rearranging and adapting to make room for barry.

it’s not a particularly long kiss, but it’s sure as hell the best one rafe has experienced in his life.

“they teach you that in the army?” rafe asks when barry pulls away, aiming for nonchalant but failing due to the heavy rise and fall of his chest. and the fact that he can’t stop staring at barry’s mouth.

barry just smacks the back of rafe’s head, shoving him lightly. “get the fuck out my kitchen, country club.”

rafe is about to respond when the bathroom door opens, and wheezie pokes her head out.

“ugh, thank god you’re finally done. you should invest in a bathroom fan, you know,” wheezie tells barry, “i could literally hear everything.”

she shudders and gags, barry laughs, and rafe vaults himself out the nearest window.

well, he tries to. barry catches him by the waist easily, dragging him back into his seat. wheezie just rolls her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“okay, well, since you’re done being a drama queen, i think i’d like that ride home now.”

[shipskicksandgiggles]

omg 30 with harley and peter pretty please? <33

y’all fucking saw that prompt list and had the same thought and I respect that

prompt: hey bud. I didn't mean to reveal that I can read minds but I gotta know what in the actual hell is going on in your head, do you live like this? always??

Read Saw it in the Movies here on ao3

~~~

He wasn’t born with the ability to read minds. At least, he didn’t think he was. 

The truth is, he couldn’t remember much from before New York. 

Well, that was sort of a lie. He remembers Tennessee a little bit, and his mom vaguely. He thinks he might have had a sister. He knows he was adopted. That’s why he has a different last name from his dad, because once all this was over, he might be able to go home. Still, his dad-

“Hey, is it cool if I go to the movies with Harry?”

“Is your homework done?”

“Mostly. I just need to edit that English paper, but our teacher says we do better if we take a break between finishing and revising it.”

“Then I don’t see why you can’t. Do you need any money for tickets or snacks?”

“I think I still have some left over from my last birthday. Harry, he says we can go!”

Harry Osborn popped his head out from where he was hiding. “Thanks Mr. Stark!”

“Don’t mention it, kid. Say hello to your father for me when you see him.”

“You got it, Mr. Stark. Come on Harley, let’s get going.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”

When he first started being able to read minds, there was no going to the movies. There were no friends. There wasn’t anything really. Just a dark, soundproof room, and a lot of doctors. 

Now he could filter out everyone else's thoughts. They were still there, but it was more like a quiet buzzing that he could block out instead of the hurricane of noise he used to feel. 

The movies are one of his favorite places to go because most people have similar thoughts, and Harley doesn’t have to focus so hard on dampening them. 

“Hey, wait a second kiddo.” Harry was already out the door when his dad stopped him. 

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. You’re okay, right?”

“Never better.”

“Good. Don’t stay out too late please. My new intern is coming in to train tomorrow, and I want you to meet him.”

“Okay. What time is he getting here?”

“He should be here around 10am. You don’t have to be in the lab then, but just come down before he leaves please.”

“Sure. And I promise I’ll be on my best behavior. I won’t even try to read his thoughts like I did with the last guy.”

“I appreciate that. As much as I like not having a spy in my lab, I also like avoiding people finding out about your abilities via insane scandals. Now go, your friend is waiting.”

“Thanks dad!” He ran to meet Harry, who was waiting patiently by the elevator. 

“Did you dad want something?”

“It was just about some work stuff, nothing to worry about. Seriously, if we don’t leave now, we’re going to miss the movie.”

~~~

Movie theaters were Harley’s favorite place in the world next to his dad’s lab. Being enveloped in a large, dark space felt safe, and he loved the general excitement it seemed to radiate. 

Basically, it was the ideal place to let go for once.

“Are we thinking action or horror?”

“Action,” Harley replied immediately. As much as he loved the movies, scary ones always brought out the worst thoughts in people. 

“Predictable. Two for Batman please?” Harry addressed the box office attendant. 

“We could always go see a rom-com.”

“Why do you hate me?”

Harley took his ticket with a snort. “Because you’re my best friend. It’s, like, a legal requirement.”

“Fair enough. The opening credits should start rolling soon.”

As they settled into their seats, Harley waited for the lights to dim, closed his eyes, and opened his mind to the people around him. It was so nice to just relax for once.

“You’re not going to fall asleep again, are you?” Harry asked. “I will stop going to the movies with you if you keep doing this.”

“No, I just love the feeling of the sound coming up. Try it.”

“You’re so weird, man,” he said, but complied regardless. “Now what?”

“Shhh.”

Moments later, the speakers rang to life, and Harley tapped into the positivity around him. 

Harry grunted. “I guess you win this round, Keener.”

“Always do, Osborn.”

They quieted down to watch the movie, and Harley let it roll over him. Maybe he needed to take breaks like these more often. 

~~~

But of course all good things must come to an end, so obviously he woke up the next morning with a migraine.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself. He had shit to do that day and a migraine was going to make everything awful. 

When he got migraines, he couldn’t control the thought flow as well, and that made for all sorts of problems. Usually when this happened, he locked himself in his room and didn’t come out until it was over, but he made a promise. 

He slowly eased himself out of bed and got dressed, keeping the lights off the whole time. It took some time since pretty much everything hurt, but he managed. 

Walking with his eyes closed wasn’t really an option, but he used the wall to guide himself to the elevator and slumped inside. He was able to hit the down button, and let himself be carried downwards, trying his best to hold himself up on the hand rails. 

The lab doors opened automatically upon his approach, and he glanced up quickly to see a boy hunched over a work station, clearly absorbed in whatever he was doing. 

Thank god, Harley thought. If he’s focused, his thoughts won’t hurt.

Then he walked through the door and was met with a wall of chaos. 

Somehow, his dad’s new intern had Star Wars quotes, Star Trek theories, equations for quantum theory, and the chemical equations for his own work all in his head, along with things Harley could never begin to decipher.

“Hey, you must be Harley.” The guy noticed him. “I’m Peter- hey are you alright?”

“Headache,” he gasped, trying not to pass out as his voice bounced around inside Harley’s skull. 

“Should I call someone?”

“My dad- Tony,” he stuttered. “Is he-?”

“Shh, shh, hey it’s okay. I’ll get him, you’re alright.”

Harley thought heard him start to yell ‘Mr. Stark!’, but before he saw whether or not his dad was there, he collapsed, and everything went dark. 

~~~

He came to in a hospital bed with a handsome man he didn’t know sitting in the chair next to him, holding his hand. 

“What happened?” he groaned.

“You’re awake,” the person said. “Thank god. I mean, we didn’t think you were going to die or anything, but you just keeled over. Is that normal for you?”

“Pretty safe to say it’s not,” he snorted humorlessly. “Peter, right?”

“Yeah. This isn’t really how I expected to meet you.” 

“I'm with you. Talk about bad first impressions.”

“I’ve seen worse. Seriously though, are you okay?”

“I am now. Sometimes I get these nasty migraines, and it got so much worse when I walked into the lab because-” he froze. 

“Because what?”

“Okay, listen, I barely know you and I don’t usually tell people this, but I can sort of read minds, and dude, what the actual hell is going on in your head? Do you live like this?”

Peter blinked at him. “I… do.”

“That sucks. You should really get that checked out.”

“You can read minds?”

“Yeah.”

“How?” 

Harley shrugged. 

“What am I thinking now?”

He really didn’t want to subject himself to Peter’s brain again, but his headache was gone, so it should be all right. Harley reached out with his mind to tap into Peter’s, only to discover that the buzz was no longer there. 

“I don’t know,” he laughed. 

“But you said-”

“I know what I said. Hold on.” He focused harder on it, and sure enough it was gone. “Holy shit, it’s finally gone,” he said gleefully. “Dad!”

“You’re awake! We were worried about you.”

“Dad, I can’t hear thoughts anymore!”

“What?”

“I can’t read anybody else’s thoughts! I’ve tried, they’re just not there anymore.”

“How can that be possible?”

“I don’t know. Maybe his thoughts overloaded my circuits or something. It makes sense since they’re the last ones I read.”

He squinted at Peter. “Do I want to know what’s going on in there?”

“No you don’t,” he and Harley said in unison.

“Noted. I’m going to go get the doctor. You might need to go in for a CT scan and an MRI, but if you can’t hear thoughts anymore, that’s good news.”

With that he walked out, and the room lapsed into silence. 

Harley leaned back in the bed, reveling in the quiet. 

“How long were you able to do that?”

“So long,” Harley said without opening his eyes. “It’s been years.”

“Wow.”

“I’m not going to miss it, that’s for sure.”

They listened to the bustle of doctors and nurses outside for a while until Harley spoke again. 

“Hey, I know we just met, but can I ask you something?”

He stirred in his uncomfortable hospital chair. “Sure.”

“Why were you holding my hand when I woke up?”

“I don’t know, you see it in the movies all the time, so I just thought, you know…”

Harley burst out laughing. “Oh man, that’s amazing. Maybe once I’m out of here, you can hold my hand for real, all right?”

Peter grinned. “I think we could make that happen.”

[shepherds-of-haven]

I hope you’re having a great day Lena! I was just wondering if we could have any fluff facts about the shepherds as a whole! Like fun tidbits of how they interact with each other, what some of them do if they have the same day off, does anyone host weekly game nights?? I hope that makes sense! Reading the recent short story on Patreon I love seeing how the characters interact with one another and now I need moreeeeeee🙏

Ooh, great question! I’m feeling curiously tapped dry at the moment, so I’ll probably have to reblog this as more ideas come to me; I’m so happy you’re enjoying the short story, btw!! 💖

Some group dynamic headcanons:

Many of them steal clothes from each other. Briony wears a cute sweater of Shery's (she asked), Ayla gets cold so she just takes one of Red's jackets from a chair (she didn't ask), Chase gives Tallys his scarf one day and Riel corders Trouble a pair of gloves from a fashion line he favors because his old ones are holey and they get into an argument about it... This leads to some recruits mistakenly thinking that the captains are all involved in some sort of mass relationship because they keep walking out of each other's rooms wearing each other's clothes. (The recruits believe a lot of really dumb stuff, if you couldn't tell. They LOVE gossip. It's like a competitive sport in the compound)

There is a weekly card game night, initiated and organized first by Chase, but it grows bigger over time, with snacks, cakes, drinks, and new games being procured! I'd actually say it's more like every ten-fourteen days or so than on any set weekday, and is typically proposed by anyone who senses that they or others need to blow off some steam. They all tend to meet in a private common room and either just chill and play some card games and casually drink and listen to music, or they get LOUD and raucous and play more risque non-card games (like Question or Command/Truth or Dare). The loud nights are more like once a month or bi-monthly, though! They take place in the captains' lounge so dumb recruits don't get to join! It's rare that they're in there all doing the same thing, though: maybe half will be at the table playing card games while others will be broken up into smaller groups, say arm-wrestling in the corner or playing chess at the smaller table or reading, but they're all there! Game nights are almost never held unless everyone is there, which is extraordinarily difficult to schedule, but they all make an effort to make it happen--even those who first had to be dragged into it, like Blade or Riel!

Speaking of chess games, Red and Riel have a standing game where they complete at least four more moves every night that they're around and able to meet up after dinner. Planning their next move helps them both break up the monotony of the day, and it's something they enjoy immensely. However, whenever he gets called away on a mission, Red gets sick with worry that Riel's been cooking up all sorts of schemes while he's been gone, so sometimes on the road he has, like, a schematic that he doodles on trying to anticipate Riel's next move, and it's very nerdy and ramps up in joking Anxiety. Riel, graciously, goes easier on him on nights after he comes back from long trips, though he denies it

Similarly, Blade and Trouble have a standing training session once a week where they just beat the crap out of each other. This is generally where they do the majority of their talking

Briony and Ayla first had an agreement that they would get the other one up if they overslept (Briony tends to be the one who oversleeps while Ayla is better about being up at dawn, but Ayla is really grouchy if she went to bed late and Briony is the only one who can handle her), which morphed into doing runs and sparring together at dawn and having breakfast frequently!

The girls have a standing spa night once a month where they all get together in a room (usually Shery’s) and basically do sleepover stuff and relax and chat and catch up for a few hours. This also sometimes involves showing each other new outfits that they bought that month! Sometimes there are even group baths in the big common bath, but these are rarer because Shery is shy and Tallys doesn’t like sitting in hot water getting pruny

Chase and Trouble drag Red and Halek to go drinking with them around once a month; sometimes Blade is persuaded to go if Trouble can get the drop on him and punch him hard enough to wind him. It’s complicated

Riel and Shery, of course, have tea together once a week! You’re not allowed if you can’t bring a chill vibe (Riel’s rules). Tallys, Lavinet, Halek, and Red are occasional visitors; Briony is allowed on a good day. Blade would be allowed but he has 0 interest

Similarly, Lavinet hosts a weekly brunch, either in a courtyard or at some restaurant in town! Typically it’s a girl thing and Ayla, Briony, and Shery are the most consistent attendees, but Chase has snuck his way in there often, and Riel, Halek, or Red pop up occasionally!

Tallys and Halek cook together! It’s not all that often and doesn’t seem to have any set way of materializing--it just happens somehow--but they both very much enjoy it! Sometimes they cook dinner for the whole group and have a little dinner party that they both secretly get excited for! Sometimes Shery bakes the dessert!

Riel noticed that Tallys has a little garden that she spends time weeding, so he sends gardening tools or special seeds when he thinks she needs them and she leaves baskets of vegetables or vases of flowers in his office. All of this is done without exchanging a word

Chase sporadically teaches Briony acrobatics and things like tightrope walking, just randomly whenever they’re both idle. She teaches him how to gut people with bare fists and also sometimes they paint! 

Caine caught Red grazing in the pantry late one night and now it’s like a Thing where they pass each other in the kitchen and Red sort of just looks the other way re: Caine’s bedtime and what on earth he’s doing up so late and Caine doesn’t tell anybody that Red is just absent-mindedly eating a loaf of bread at 2 AM because he was too busy working to remember to eat dinner. It’ll be like, “there’s some turkey leftover from dinner in the cold box” “oh hey, Caine. thanks. ...so, what’s the news from the midnight watch tonight?” “i’m going to go hunt ghosts on the seventh floor with my friends!” “...okay! have fun!”

Lavinet has a monthly shopping trip where she updates her wardrobe, and it is very common for others to accompany her around the city and just shop while they drop! Common partners are Shery, Briony, Riel, Chase, and once memorably Blade, who didn’t know what he was in for!

Trouble and Ayla are wildly competitive and keep arm-wrestling each other for money; this becomes a bi-weekly sporting event that is eagerly attended and bet upon by third parties

There was ONE group karaoke night. ONE. Most of them got so blackout drunk that they swore to never do it again. Even now, several of them go green whenever they hear a popular bar song (“Don’t Piss Where You Plant Your Flowers”) being sung, especially badly

The game of "telephone" gets really bad in their group. It's like, Shery will say to Briony that she's worried because she thought Riel looked a bit peaky and feverish. Briony will say in passing to Trouble that Riel is getting sick and Shery is worried. Trouble will say to Tallys that Shery is worried sick because Riel is bedridden. Tallys will be mixing herbs and Chase will ask what for and Tallys will reply that Riel is sick, but because she's mixing herbs, Chase will surmise that the sickness must be quite advanced, and will later say, "Damn, have you seen Riel? Seems like he's really sick." Red will interpret this as "I have seen Riel for myself and have determined that he's extremely ill." At least four people will bust into Riel's room, expecting him to be on the verge of death, despite the fact that they saw Riel that morning. Riel will be fine and very annoyed at the intrusion.

They rarely go out as a group to bars and establishments outside of the compound (too chaotic as well as risky, for one thing, and also, recruits don't need to see their superiors like hanging out of bushes and dancing on tabletops drunk out of their minds, and also, "Mages can't drink" (lol)), but when they do deem it a worthy occasion (Trouble's birthday, say), the girls are very punctual when getting ready, and the boys are almost always extremely late due to various shenanigans (Chase forgot that he put a booby trap on Red’s door, covering Red with flour, or a cat somehow slips into Trouble’s room and steals, like, a detonator or an important key, and they have to go chasing it across the city). This has led to the girls coming late on purpose in order to even out their arrival, but mysteriously, this has only led to even later start times, meaning they often don’t get started until like 10 or 11 PM when the most well-intentioned souls meant to be in bed by midnight... that never happens, either!

One such night once led to them ending up on a ridge in the Sun’s Embrace, like a mile outside of the city, in order to watch the sun rise together, because hiking in the dark while blasted out of their minds sounded like a really good idea. They all made it, and the dawn was spectacular, but the moment was ruined when Tallys said softly, “It’s the beginning of a beautiful new day--” punctuated by Trouble abruptly throwing up in a bush and Riel just flat-out passing out

[spiltscribbles]

Miss you and your marvelous writing!!!! Just a prompt if you’re up to it 😊 exes wolfstar staying friends but sirius gets into a new relationship and he brings his new boo to somewhere he took remus and remus gets sad 😭 but they get back together eventually

Notes: OMFG BABEY! this is so SO beyond precious of you! i adore you to bits! thank you for the sweetness and for this scrumptious angst🥺🥺 i really hope you like it😭😘😘💜

.-

SEND ME A PROMPT  |  A Reblog means SO SO much! I ADORE YOU💜💜

.-

“He can just be so… So” James pauses right then, takes off his cap with the hand that’s still clutching his baseball bat, and ruffles his hair with the other.

“Un-opinionated,” Remus offers half heartedly as they turn the block to the small coffee shop nearest school, both of them freshly showered after the required morning workouts for Tuesday and Thursdays. It’s the first semester in which Remus has actually joined in on the seven minute track, considering the fact that even despite their crazy contradictory schedules with all the sports and extra curriculars they each had, Sirius always made it a point to buy their ice coffees and drop it off to Remus, sometimes leaving them a quarter of an hour late for first period, or as just a quick drop and dash if one of them had an exam. 

It was sweet, considerate. It was Sirius showing how much he cared because he’s never been one for words, even if he would frequently print off the little texts Remus would send him about how Sirius made him feel, and hang it up on the wall besides his bed, along with photos of them and Remus by himself and a few of their other friends too.

But yeah… None of that is really a thing anymore, not the coffees or the texts or the promises of being one another’s always. Not after calling it quits in early January because they knew by August they’d be working with thousands of miles between them and a three hour difference on top of that. It just wouldn’t have been feasible in the long run, and sure— Remus was the one to broach the topic and he knows that Sirius was hesitant about the logical side of it, but sometimes Remus wishes Sirius had fought harder, had argued louder, had wanted Remus more. But that’s a ridiculous expectation, and he had only admitted as much to Lily. And at the end of the day, it was the right choice, because it’s only early May now, and Remus can’t imagine how sick he’ll feel once catching his flight to Berkeley, and they’re steadfastly back in the best friends category of things. He can’t fathom how it would’ve been if they spent all these months and the ones after being together in all those intimate ways, knowing that they’ll be so far apart soon enough.

It was the right decision for the both of them and their friendship.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that,” James says, bringing Remus out of his gloomy contemplations while opening the glass door to Three Broomsticks, sporting a thin smile that he always has on when he’s trying to be kind even when he’s irritated as all get out. 

Remus snorts at him, elbow checking his side as he walks past. “Well he’s sharing that dorm with you and Sirius in New Haven, so I guess you’ve got that to look forwards to.”

James’s face pulls into a grimace and their typical barista nods their way, already receiving their orders through the app and sparing them having to wait in the queue. “Maybe Pete’ll grow his own personality in university, yeah?”

“Sure Prongsie,” Remus says, noncommittal as he checks his phone and lies against the windowpane, already exhausted by the morning. “And if he doesn’t, I’m sure Sirius is about to blow his lid any day now.”

“It’s going to be funny as fuck, and you won’t even be there to see the debris,” James counters, sounding pleasant enough even though Remus knows that he’s nearly as pissed off as Sirius is about the decision for him to go back to his home state for undergrad. 

“You’ll send pictures though.”

“Of course Moony my old friend,” James jokes, tossing him a wink as they straighten once spotting their coffees being rung up. But as Remus takes a step forwards, he notices that a familiarly tan pair of hands are reaching for them, and when Remus looks up he feels like an idiot for not noticing him sooner. Because there Sirius is, dashing as ever in their school’s maroon blazer and tan pants, and his hair is windblown and shining as it falls midway of the nape of his neck. But Remus doesn’t really have the chance to appreciate just how damn good looking his ex-boyfriend is, rather, he’s more distracted by how Sirius doesn’t even notice him or James as he pivots around and hands over the second cup to a beaming Gideon Prewett. Their heads incline while they exchange a few words that are absolutely impossible to pick up in the crowded cafe before they bump their shoulders together and walk out the opposite door.

And it feels like nothing else watching that exchange— like their was a hammer and pick chipping away at his stupid, weeping heart.

“I think they’re just doing a project together,” James says lowly in Remus’s ear, clapping him on the back in reassurance, and Remus loves him, but he’s not in the mood for false platitudes, feels like there is a ugly, burning fire festering deep in his stomach and making Remus want to hurl all over the wooden floors.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he replies instead, mild as he discretely picks up his phone again and opens up to the last conversation he had this morning.

R: need intel 

L: Say more sexy things to me, lover 

R: sirius and Gideon

R: what’s going on there

L: I’ll take a look, dw

Buoyed by Lily’s scary levels of detective skills, Remus returns his phone to his satchel and signals James to follow him to pick up their actual drinks. “C’mon, Flitwick hates it when we’re late.”

.-

“Do you want the good news first, or the bad.” Lily asks Remus later that morning during their shared free period, dropping her bag on the tabletop that they typically commandeer towards the back of Hogwarts’s library, nearest the windows and tucked away by the shelves.

“Is there actually any good news? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better.” Remus asks, single brow cocked as he shuts his history book and tosses it to the side.

“Well your hair looks especially nice today,” she offers with a small smile, sitting besides him and ruffling his curls.

“Thanks, I suppose. But I’d rather just get to it. And don’t sigh at me like that! All long suffering and all.”

Rolling her eyes, Lily gathers her hair into a high pony before turning to Remus fully. “You’re my best friend, I love you more than just about anyone. You know that, right?” Lily asks him, stiff stance relaxing when he nods in turn. “Then understand that I’m saying this from a place of love, but you don’t get to be mad at him, okay. You’re the one who called it off Re, you’re the one who wanted you guys to go back to being friends to avoid that messiness in August. And you know I respect the decision, but also it wasn’t the only one to be had. I mean look at James and I—“

“You’re going to Columbia Lils,” Remus bristles, hates how defensive he’s getting all of a sudden. “That train ride is like two hours and some change at the very most. It’s not the same.”

“You guys could’ve made it work,” she insists, green eyes blazing in the dim light. “He’s crazy about you, and you’re in love with him— Like ass backwards in love. You can’t just cut that off like it’s nothing, damn it, Remus.”

He can feel his own ears reddening and Remus hates it, hates how today had started off so innocuous and now it’s an absolute shit show. Remus hates that Lily is always correct about everything, and hates how Sirius probably is regretting telling Remus he still fully intends to ask him out to prom, and hates how much he loves him— how whenever he looks at Sirius it’s just a deluge of wanting and adoring and regretting and needing to feel his lips against Sirius’s own again like a drug, how he’ll never forget how he tasted like coffee beans and cigarette smoke and the strawberries he ate every morning besides his breakfast. Remus hates it all and he can’t figure out how not to feel like suddenly everything is slipping out of his hands like sand drifting through his fingers.

“He’s probably not that crazy over me anymore considering he’s getting Gideon Prewett coffees now, so maybe it’s the right decision after all.” Is what Remus decides to tell Lily instead of that whirlwind of clashing feelings.

“Oh Christ,” Lily huffs, dropping her head back like she’s asking for strength from the heavens above. “Look, Dorcas tells me that they’ve only been out twice. And Marlene says that it’s nothing intense. Just a movie and then he went to go watch his nephew’s little league game.”

“Oh,” Remus intones, because, no. No he will not start crying like this is some fucking Nicholas Sparks novel, and he’s the wayward lead making all the worst decisions. He’s not going to cry damn it!

He is not a bird, and this is suppose to be happening, and none of this has any real consequence at the end of the day. He and Sirius broke up, and Sirius can go out with whoever he pleases— even if it’s good looking, ginger athletes.

Remus is fine.

“Remus,” Lily gently consoles, lacing her fingers into his own that’s resting on his lap, and squeezing for good measure. “Benjy told Mary, who told me during Calc that Gideon doesn’t expect anything. Sirius told him he’s not looking for anything long term.”

“That’s dumb,” Remus retorts, trying to hold everything in so that Lily doesn’t give him that concerned, doe eyed face of hers, like when he’s spent a week living off of protein bars and double shot espressos preparing for finals. “Gideon’s great, and there on the soccer team together, they would be perfect.”

“Remus, stop.”

“And he’s going to Dartmouth, so he’ll be super close for like weekend excursions and all of that.”

“Remus!”

“The more I think about it, Lils, the more it makes sense. They just fit.”

“Sure, those are all nice attributes,” Lily says, peering up at him disappointedly. “But he’s not you.”

Like a legion of angels singing in the distance, the bell begins to shrill for next period and Remus is spared from giving that statement any mind.

.-

He spends the rest of the week acting as if he hadn’t even seen Sirius that morning whenever around him, and internally analyzing each and every exchange between them, and comparing to them to when he sees Sirius chatting with Gideon. And it’s not fun to say the least. It’s like a flashback to when he was trying to hide his crush on Sirius back in Freshman and most of sophomore year, but somehow worse. It’s worse because Remus had him, had Sirius in all the ways someone could ever want an other. He had Sirius’s languid morning kisses, and Sirius’s bark like laughter. Remus had Sirius being nervous the first time Lyall came for his typical Christmas visit, and Sirius had to try and impress him along with Remus’s mom as more than just the friend he hung around with at school. Remus had Sirius’s gruff voice when they were in bed and getting tangled into one another, and Sirius’s dopey looks in the middle of class when he’d be gazing over at Remus instead of the board. And if Remus is being honest, he knows he still has all those things, but it’s suddenly and searingly clear that some time— sooner rather than later— they’ll all leave, abruptly disappearing and shattering Remus’s world in their wake. Because eventually all of those different facets of Sirius’s won’t be Remus’s anymore— they’ll be Gideon’s or some other boy he meets in New Haven. And Remus can’t even be upset at it, he doesn’t have a claim to any of Sirius anymore, doesn’t get to call any part of him his.

And it’s probably the worst Remus has felt since that first night after their break up, because he’s eating every moment he has with Sirius like he’s famished and Sirius is the last meal he’ll ever know. He wants to memorize every part of him before he can’t have any of it. He wants to unravel every layer of Sirius, and kiss it for the final time, and it’s like saying goodbye a thousand times over, strangling his heart and splintering something desperate deep inside of him.

Like now.

It’s edging on midnight, and they drove up to the lake front near their suburb, with Sirius lying with his head on Remus’s lap and his long, muscled body lying against the tattered blanket beneath them. And his eyes are fluttered shut while the speaker they brought croons out the indie playlist they like most from Spotify.

And Remus can’t help but feel like this is one of their last nights like this, alone and quiet and together without any other specter of some other partner. So he watches him, watches the moonlight pacing over his nose and the high bones of his cheeks and across Sirius’s eyelids too. Remus watches his ink  like lashes kissing his skin, and wants to touch the divot of his cupids bow like so many times before while his other hand cards through Sirius’s hair. 

And Remus lets himself want Sirius and wonders if he’ll ever stop wanting, craving, loving him.

“I can hear you thinking Moons,” Sirius says, fluttering his eyes open and crunching up before Remus can even respond. “What’s going on?”

“Huh? What do you mean? I’m fine.” Remus all but sputters, folding his knees against his chest and wrapping his arms around them, feeling somehow vulnerable in blistering ways. “Nothing is going on.”

“Pff,” Sirius gives him a pointed look, settles down so that they’re side by side and tries to get Remus to look at him head on. “You’ve been strange all week, Moony.” 

“That’s not—“

“And then tonight, you didn’t even tease your ma when she was telling us about that patient who puked all over her shoes.”

“Just tired is all.”

“But had enough energy to smoke half the joint I brought.” Sirius says with a snort, looking frustrated again when Remus didn’t even flinch a smile at the counter. “Remus, talk to me.”

“It’s fine Sirius,” Remus sighs, suddenly remembers how exhausting all their arguments were in the past. How Sirius tries getting him to speak everything in his mind, as if Remus could even put them into words. 

“Okay, then tell me why you rejected my offer to go to that Frank Ocean concert. You’re obsessed with him.”

“’S in July,” Remus reminds him lightly, focusses on the way they can see the North star glimmering against the horizon instead.

“And, so?” Sirius asks, sounding more than a bit scathing. “You’re not leaving for another month after that, you trying to cut me off completely by the summer or something?”

“Don’t be an idiot.”

“Don’t be condescending.”

“Sirius, just leave well enough alone. Holy shit.”

“I can leave it alone if you can actually tell me what the fuck is going on with you,” Sirius snaps, standing up now, probably because he always likes using his height advantage on most people whenever he gets all pissy.

“You can be such a prick sometimes, you know that?” Remus snarls at him, following suit and dipping his head back just slightly so that they’re eye to eye. “Not everything is on your schedule, you know that.”

“My schedule!” Sirius’s brows jump to his hairline, and he breaks into that manic laughter that springs up only when he’s so angry he can’t put his thoughts together. “I’m trying to do as much shit with you as possible before you leave, because for some stupid fucking reason I’m going to miss you when your across the fucking country! But yeah, whatever. If you’re actually just sick of me and my presence or what the fuck else, you can just—“

“I would’ve assumed you wanted to go with Gideon,” Remus blurts out, simply unable to hold it back any more, unable to pretend like he’s not suffering a thousand fresh paper cuts every time he even glances Sirius’s way these days. He can’t do this, can’t pretend to just be friends when they were— when they are— so much more than that. “To the concert I mean. I just assumed—“

“No,” Sirius says, seething as he storms up to Remus— close enough that the tips of their noses brush up against each other. 

“No? Excuse me?”

“No Remus you don’t get to do this!” Sirius repeats, voice going frayed at the edges as their glances level. “You don’t get to pretend as if I want anyone more than I want— than I’ve always wanted you. And you don’t get to float around for the rest of your life pretending as if this’ll ever change for me. As if you can’t hit me up in fifteen years when I’m married with kids, and ask to get back together, and think  that I wouldn’t drop it all for you.”

Remus’s heart begins to thud, loud and painful against his ribcage, and his lungs feel like they might collapse the instant Remus let’s the tears swimming in his eyes sprinkle out. “Sirius, I ca—“

“I’ve been in love with you since before we were suppose to mean what that meant, damn it, Remus! And you’re the one who called it off!”

“It was the right decision.” Remus croaks out, plunging his hands into his hoodie’s pockets, doesn’t want Sirius to see the way they’re shaking.

“”For you. The right decision for you.” Sirius presses, his gray eyes dark underneath the stars. “And you know I’d do anything you wanted of me, but you don’t get to be mad at the ways I cope. And you sure as fuck don’t get to be jealous of fucking Gideon Prewett, as if he can hold a match to you.”

“Oh.” Is all Remus can gather to say, peering back down at his shoes and pressing together his lips, feels the most lost he ever has while around Sirius. “I love you too, you know that. You know I love you so much that it hurts sometimes— That was never the problem.”

Sirius makes a strangled sound deep in his throat, and the next second, Remus can’t feel the warmth of his body besides him because Sirius is darting over to the cusp of the lake and kicking at a rock. “Fuck, Remus. You can’t just say that, all right! You can’t because none of this is fair, or okay. And I fucking hate it and I hate this and—“

“Maybe we can try,” Remus says, quiet but unshaken. And he watches as Sirius slowly turns back around, face scrunched up in utter confusion, but eyes glittering with something like hope. “I love you Sirius, and you love me. And Lily’s right, fucking hell she’s so right. I can’t just turn it off, okay. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I can’t. I can’t be around you and not want every part of you. But I also can’t let myself stay away from you. So let’s try, and it’s probably a stupid difficult decision, and we’re going to be frustrated and we’re going to miss one another but I know there’s going to be no one I want more and I think you migh— Oof.”

Remus can’t continue rattling off any of the reasons why they should get back together, because Sirius is somehow magically popping up in front of him— his large hands cupping against Remus’s jawline and his thin lips crashing against him, and Remus can only wrap his arms around Sirius’s torso and give him back all he’s pushing forwards.

And it might’ve been a minute or an hour that past, but Sirius is pulling back with a face that looks lighter in ways Remus hasn’t seen on him since the breakup all those months ago. “I’d literally agree to anything if it means we can stay together, Moony. Absolutely anything.”

Remus feels the strain against the apples of his cheeks as he beams at him at the sound of the oath. “Yeah, me too Padfoot. Always and forever, it’s you.”

.-

My Other Wolfstar FIC💜