#passing code to methods

[sickfreaksirkay]

to be fair considering the fact that i didn't actually attend the lab that i just wrote a 2000 word report on i did a pretty good job bullshitting

[baffledapple]

once again i am being subjected to "educational courses on generative AI" (lengthy advertisements that the higher ups want us to watch so they can say that we are trained in AI)

[relto]

this thing wont build my software package because the singular test doesnt run through, and now ive discovered that this happens because when you try to create an instance of this specific class the program just spaces out. no response. other classes work, it seems like a weird quirk of the class im inheriting from.

[sayangrafayel]

LADS react to you fainting (often, like, often often)

This was a request! How would they react if you often faint? Do they have their own methods to deal with it?

Sylus, Xavier, Rafayel, Zayne, Caleb.

Sylus

When he found out about this, he always send either one of the twins or Mephisto to accompany you anywhere if he can't be present himself.

It's just so you won't be alone (he's worried you might pass out in dangerous positions or places).

Every time you'd pass out, he'd be so worried like it's the first time all over again... :(

Xavier

He's always with you or waiting to see you, so you'll be good hands.

You both turn on location sharing, so if you're not with him and you start feeling like you're about to pass out, you send a code word to him and he immediately teleports to wherever you are.

The first time this happened, he got so nervous and thought you worked too hard on the job. Until now, he still helps you to fill your quota so you won't be too tired or overwhelmed.

Rafayel

Oh. He's the one who gets worried the most.

Honestly, the first time this happened he would probably pass out too because his blood pressure became too much for him to handle. 😭 oh my sweetheart.

Because of your bond, he can probably sense everything you're sensing. So when you're about to pass out he'll immediately do what needs to be done.

Zayne

As he is your primary care physician, he's probably the best to have for this situation.

He knows all the step. Give you fresh air, elevate your legs, loosen your clothing, helps you lie down.

He just needs to look in your eyes for a second to see you're about to pass out and immediately do his own protocol.

Caleb

HE GETS SO WORRIED. But he knows how to handle it 100%.

Gets you a medical therapy dog to help monitor your vitals (along with his gadgets too).

He also knows what to do, makes sure not to panic too much because if he panics then you'll panic too... so he has to stay strong for the both of you. He's your rock after all. You can always lean on him.

[jojotier]

cmon intellij equals()/hashcode generator. you know its me

[mandoalorian]

crimson fever [bucky barnes x f!reader]

Synopsis: In the icy shadows of 1944 occupied Europe, you uncover a dangerous Hydra secret that could shift the war’s tide. But Hydra’s ruthless scientist, Arnim Zola, marks you as a threat, unleashing a sinister drug—“crimson fever”—that set your body and soul ablaze with an unrelenting desire. As you fight to protect vital intel, your path collides with Sergeant Bucky Barnes, your childhood friend from Brooklyn, whose unspoken love for you burns brighter than the war’s chaos.

Warnings: 18+ explicit, smut, sex pollen that comes with themes of dub-con, unprotected p in v, oral (f receiving), fingering, exhibitionism sorta, reader is drugged via injectables, descriptions of pain, canon typical violence, torture, one use of Y/N, Winter Soldier foreshadowing.

Word Count: 6700

Author's note: Thank you to @notreallythatlost for helping me with all the German translations. I love youuu. ღ

ᯓ★ Masterlist

✮ PROJECT: WINTER SOLDIER ✮

Objective: Develop a serum enhancing physical strength, endurance, and healing, surpassing the Allied “Super Soldier” serum used on Captain America. The serum is paired with psychological conditioning.

Methods: Subjects— prisoners, captured soldiers, “recruited” operatives undergo experimental injections and brutal brainwashing techniques including sensory deprivation, electroshock, and chemical inducements to break their minds.

Timeline: Initial trials are active in an underground facility, in occupied France. Production to be scaled by 1945. Report to Johann Schmidt.

Der Winter Soldier wird die Zukunft von Hydra sein. (The Winter Soldier will be Hydra’s future.)

You hunched over the decrypted Hydra message, your eyes burning from hours of work, fingers smudged with pencil lead. The office buzzed with quiet urgency—typewriters clacked, a radio hissed static, and your fellow codebreakers murmured over their own stacks of intercepts. You’d been at it since dawn, unraveling Hydra’s coded transmissions, each one a puzzle that could save lives or lose them. Your role as a linguist, fluent in German and trained in cryptography, made you vital to the Allies, but tonight, the weight of what you’d uncovered felt like a stone in your chest.

“Carter, you need to see this,” you called, your voice sharp, cutting through the room’s hum. You pushed your chair back, the wood scraping the floor, and held up the decrypted page, its typed German translated into your neat handwriting. Your heart raced, the words searing your mind: Projekt Winter Soldier.

Peggy Carter, poised in her tailored ATS uniform, strode over, her heels clicking on the hardwood. Her dark eyes flicked to the paper, then to you, sharp and assessing. “What’ve you got?” she asked, voice crisp but laced with concern.

You swallowed, pointing to the key lines. “It’s Hydra. Something called ‘Project Winter Soldier.’ They’re experimenting—on people, not just weapons. It mentions a serum, like what they used on Captain Rogers, but… different. They want to create operatives with no will, no memory. ‘Perfect obedience,’ they call it.” Your voice trembled, and you tapped a name scrawled at the bottom. “Signed by Arnim Zola. He’s running it.”

Peggy’s jaw tightened, her fingers brushing the paper. “Zola,” she muttered, disgust curling her lips. “That man’s a butcher with a scientist’s ego.” She scanned the text, her expression hardening. “This is big. If they’re building mind-controlled soldiers…”

“It’s worse,” you interrupted, voice low, glancing at the other codebreakers—two women, heads down, oblivious. “They’re testing it now. Somewhere in France. Prisoners, maybe captured soldiers. They mention a ‘prototype’ and… something about breaking their minds first.”

Peggy’s eyes met yours, a silent understanding passing between you. “We need to get this to Colonel Phillips. Tonight.” She turned, barking at the codebreakers. “Eleanor, Joan, wrap up and secure the files. We’re locking down.”

You nodded, heart pounding, but a flicker of pride warmed you. You’d cracked this, you’d found the truth. You thought of Bucky Barnes, your old friend from Brooklyn—his cocky grin, the way he’d sneak you comics, the almost-kiss on that Coney Island pier in ’39. He was out there with Captain Rogers, fighting Hydra. This intel could help him, keep him safe. You tucked the thought away, focusing on the task, and began gathering your notes.

The door crashed open, wood splintering, and you froze. Four Hydra soldiers stormed in, black uniforms stark against the office’s warmth, their rifles gleaming with that eerie blue glow of Hydra tech. Peggy spun, drawing her pistol, but a soldier fired, a blast of energy grazing her arm. She hissed, diving behind a cabinet.

“[Y/N], get down!” Peggy shouted, but you were already moving, shoving the Winter Soldier intel into your blouse, your hands shaking. The codebreakers screamed, scrambling for cover, and you ducked behind the desk, heart hammering. The soldiers barked in German, their voices harsh.

“Die Linguistin! Bringt sie mir lebend!” one ordered—The linguist! Take her alive!—and your blood ran cold. They wanted you. Your codes, your knowledge, or… the intel you’d just found.

You grabbed a letter opener, its dull blade a pitiful weapon, and crouched, peering through the desk’s gap. A soldier loomed closer, his boots thudding, and you lunged, stabbing his thigh. He roared, backhanding you, and pain exploded across your cheek, knocking you to the floor. The room spun, but you scrambled up, clutching the desk, only to feel iron hands seize your arms.

“No!” you yelled, thrashing, but the soldiers pinned you, their grips bruising. Peggy fired from cover, dropping one, but another blasted the cabinet, forcing her back. You kicked, aiming for a groin, and connected, earning a grunt, but a rifle butt slammed your temple, and darkness flickered at your vision’s edge.

“Enough,” a new voice said, cold and precise, cutting through the chaos. Arnim Zola stepped into the room, his small frame dwarfed by the soldiers but radiating menace. His round glasses glinted in the bulb’s light, and his smile was a thin, cruel line. “Fräulein, you are far too valuable to kill.”

You glared, blood trickling from your lip, the intel paper crinkling against your skin. “You’ll get nothing from me,” you spat, voice hoarse but defiant.

Zola chuckled, a dry, hollow sound. “Oh, we shall see.” He nodded to the soldiers. “Take her to the transport. We have… experiments to conduct.”

A soldier jabbed a syringe into your neck, and a sharp sting gave way to a creeping warmth, a sedative, dulling your senses. You fought to stay conscious, to memorise Zola’s face, his words. “Winter Soldier…” you mumbled, half-delirious, and Zola’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of surprise.

“Secure her,” he snapped, and the soldiers dragged you toward the door, your legs buckling. Peggy’s shouting your name followed you, but the world blurred, and you were gone, the intel tucked against your heart, a secret you’d guard with everything you had.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

You’d been gone for weeks, a fact that gnawed at Bucky Barnes like a wound he couldn’t stitch. He stood against the command post’s wall, dog tags clinking under his olive-drab jacket, his eyes scanning a corkboard plastered with mission lists, reconnaissance photos, and urgent telegrams. His fingers, calloused from gripping a sniper rifle, hovered over a typed sheet, and then froze.

Your name stared back at him, stark in black ink: Allied Linguist, Captured, Hydra Facility, Occupied France.

His breath caught, sharp and painful, like a blade between ribs. You—his friend from Brooklyn, the girl who’d steal his cap and run, laughing, through Prospect Park, the one he’d nearly kissed under Coney Island’s Ferris wheel in ’39—were in Hydra’s hands.

“Goddamn it,” he muttered under his breath. He ripped the paper from the board, the pin clattering to the floor, and his hand trembled, betraying the storm inside. Memories flooded him: summer nights on your stoop, your hair tucked under a scarf, teasing him about his latest dame. But truthfully, he only had eyes for you.

“You’ll run outta girls to charm, Barnes,” you’d said, smirking, but your eyes had softened, holding something he’d been too dumb to name.

He’d leaned in, heart pounding, only for Steve’s call to break the moment. Then the war came, you to London cracking codes, him to the front with Steve, and letters faded. Now, Hydra had you, and the thought of you in Zola’s grip—Zola, whose name he’d heard tied to twisted experiments, made his stomach churn.

“Hey, Buck, what’s got you lookin’ like you swallowed a grenade?” Steve Rogers’ voice cut through, steady but concerned. He stood across the room, all Captain America in his blue jacket, leaning over a map with Colonel Phillips. His blond hair caught the dim light, but his eyes locked on Bucky, reading the tension in his friend’s stance.

Bucky strode over, boots thudding on the creaky floor, and slapped the list onto the map, scattering pencils. “It’s her, Steve,” he said, voice tight, low, like he was holding back a shout. “From Brooklyn. You remember her—used to tag along with us, always givin’ me hell.” He swallowed, jaw clenching. “Hydra’s got her. Says she’s a linguist, crackin’ their codes. She’s in one of their damn facilities.”

Steve’s eyes widened, flicking to the list, then back to Bucky. His memory was sparking. “The one who’d sneak us into the library after hours? Yeah, I remember.” He straightened, voice firming. “She’s tough, Buck. But Hydra…”

“She’s more than tough,” Bucky snapped, then caught himself, running a hand through his dark hair. “She’s… she’s family, Steve. And you know what Hydra does…” His voice cracked, and he gripped the table, knuckles whitening. “We gotta get her out. Now.”

Colonel Phillips, puffing a cigar, looked up with a scowl, his weathered face etched with irritation. “Sergeant Barnes, we’ve got ops stacked to the ceiling,” he growled, exhaling smoke. “Hydra’s got captives everywhere—this linguist ain’t our priority.”

“She is to me,” Bucky retorted, his voice low but fierce, eyes boring into Phillips. “Sir, she’s got intel—Hydra’s codes, maybe more. She cracked somethin’ big before they took her. Losin’ her gives them an edge.” It was a half-truth; he’d burn the world for you, intel or not, but he knew Phillips needed a reason.

Steve studied Bucky, seeing the truth—the kind of loyalty that went beyond duty, rooted in Brooklyn’s streets, in quiet moments you’d shared. “Colonel,” Steve said, voice calm but unyielding, “the Howling Commandos can handle this. We hit the facility, get her out, and cripple Hydra’s operation. Two birds, one stone.”

Phillips grunted, stabbing his cigar into the ashtray. “Fine, Rogers. But if this goes south, it’s your ass.” He waved them off, turning to an aide, already dismissing the matter.

Bucky exhaled, tension easing a fraction, but his heart still raced, pounding with fear for you. He met Steve’s gaze, a silent thank-you passing between them. “We’ll get her, Buck,” Steve said, clapping his shoulder. “Promise.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said, voice rough, folding the list and tucking it into his pocket, next to a faded photo—you, him, and Steve at Coney Island, 1939, your smile bright as the summer sun. He headed for the door, the room’s chaos—officers shouting, radio static—fading behind him. Outside, the Howling Commandos lounged near a jeep, cleaning rifles and trading jabs in the grey dawn.

“Sarge, what’s the word?” Dum Dum Dugan called, his mustache twitching as he tossed a flask to Gabe Jones, who caught it with a grin.

Bucky held up the folded list, his sergeant’s calm settling over him like armour, though his voice carried an edge. “We got a job,” he said, eyes scanning the team—Gabe, Jim Morita, Monty Falsworth, Jacques Dernier. “Hydra’s holdin’ one of ours—a linguist, key to their codes. She’s in a facility in France. We’re hittin’ it, gettin’ her out, and blowin’ the place to hell.” He paused, his grip tightening on the paper. “She’s from my neighborhood. Means somethin’ to me. You in?”

Gabe nodded, his smile fading to seriousness. “Always, Barnes.”

Dum Dum cracked his knuckles, grinning. “Hell, Sarge, let’s give them a mornin’ they won’t forget.”

Jacques smirked, twirling a knife. “Pour la France,” he said, voice low, and Jim and Monty murmured agreement, their faces set.

Bucky forced a smirk, but his mind was on you—alone, maybe hurt, fighting Zola’s experiments with that fire he’d always admired. He touched the photo in his pocket, your face burned into his memory, and whispered, so quiet no one heard, “Hold on, doll. I’m comin’ for you.”

The words were a vow, and he’d keep it, no matter what Hydra threw at him.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

You lay curled on a thin cot in a Hydra cell, your body trembling, skin flushed with an unnatural heat that made your pulse race and your breath come in shallow, desperate gasps. The crimson fever drug, injected by Arnim Zola weeks ago after your kidnapping in London, burned through you, twisting your mind with a relentless need you fought to suppress. Your blouse, torn and stained, hid the crumpled Winter Soldier intel you’d kept secret, its paper pressed against your chest like a talisman.

You’d overheard Zola’s gloating—his “perfect obedience” experiments, the “winter soldier” prototype—and your linguist’s mind clung to those details, even as the drug threatened to unravel you. “Stay sharp,” you whispered to yourself, voice hoarse, your nails digging into your palms to anchor you against the fever’s pull.

Outside, Bucky Barnes crouched behind a snow-dusted ridge, his M1 Garand rifle steady in his hands, breath clouding in the frigid air. You weren’t there to see it, but you’d have felt the weight of his resolve, his heart pounding with one thought: getting you back. The Howling Commandos flanked him—Dum Dum Dugan reloading his Thompson submachine gun, Gabe Jones checking a radio, Jim Morita adjusting his scope, Monty Falsworth and Jacques Dernier wiring explosives. The plan was tight: hit hard, find you, blow the place to hell. Bucky’s jaw clenched, your face—Brooklyn summers, that Coney Island almost-kiss—burning in his mind.

“Ready, Sarge?” Dum Dum asked, his moustache twitching as he grinned, though his eyes were hard, scanning the bunker a hundred yards away.

“Let’s give ‘em hell,” you’d have heard Bucky reply, his voice low, all sergeant, but laced with something raw. He signalled, and Jacques tossed a smoke grenade, grey haze cloaking the ridge. The team moved like a well-oiled machine, slipping toward the bunker, their boots silent in the snow. Gabe’s radio crackled, confirming Allied distractions were pulling Hydra’s outer patrols away. Bucky’s heart thundered, not for the fight, but for you, trapped in Zola’s nightmare.

A Hydra guard at the entrance barely turned before Bucky’s knife found his throat, a silent kill, blood dark against the snow. “Go,” Bucky hissed, and Jacques’ charges blew the steel door, the blast rattling the night.

Alarms screamed, red lights pulsing inside, and Hydra soldiers poured into the corridor, their blue-energy rifles spitting death. You heard the gunfire, distant but growing louder, a chaotic symphony that stirred hope in your fevered haze. “Help…” you mumbled, clutching the cot’s edge, your body shaking as you tried to sit.

Bucky ducked behind a crate, returning fire, his shots precise, dropping two guards. “Push through!” he shouted, voice cutting through the din. Dum Dum’s Thompson roared, mowing down a squad, while Monty and Jim covered the rear, grenades shaking the walls. “Lab’s that way!”

Gabe yelled, pointing left, where a sign read Forschungsbereich—research sector. Bucky’s gut twisted, Zola’s name a poison in his thoughts. If Zola had touched you…

“Keep movin’!” Bucky ordered, leading the charge past sparking machinery and shattered glass, his boots slipping on spilled chemicals. Jacques planted more explosives, grinning like a kid with firecrackers.

“Pour la France!” he muttered, wiring a console. You heard the blasts, closer now, and dragged yourself upright, your vision swimming but your will iron. The Winter Soldier intel crinkled against your skin, a secret you’d die to protect.

The cell block was a maze of iron doors, damp concrete slick underfoot. Bucky rounded a corner, gun raised, and there you were—behind a barred window, slumped but alive, your hair matted with sweat, eyes flickering with fever. His heart lurched, he called your name, voice raw, cracking like a boy’s. A Hydra guard lunged from the shadows, but Bucky slammed him against the wall, the man’s skull cracking with a sickening thud.

“Bucky?” you whispered, your voice weak but sharp with recognition, cutting through the drug’s fog. You staggered to the bars, fingers trembling as you gripped them, your blouse clinging to your fevered skin. The needle marks on your arm stood out, angry red, and your breath hitched, a mix of relief and desperation.

“I’m here, doll,” Bucky said, fumbling with the lock, his hands shaking until Gabe tossed him a pilfered keyring. “Hold on.” The door swung open, and he was at your side, dropping to his knees, his hands cupping your face. Your skin burned under his touch, too hot, and your eyes, though glassy, locked onto his, a spark of you still fighting. “It’s me,” he said, voice soft but urgent, thumb brushing your cheek. You leaned into his hand, a whimper escaping, your body trembling with something more than weakness—a need that alarmed him.

“Bucky… they… Zola…” you stammered, your fingers clutching his jacket, nails digging in. “Crimson fever… it’s in me… burning…” Your voice broke, shame flickering in your eyes, but you forced out, “Winter Soldier… I know… they’re making…” You trailed off, a shudder racking you, and Bucky’s blood ran cold, the intel’s weight hitting him.

“Shush, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” Bucky hummed, his arms tightening around your body, not caring about any intel. Not caring about the war. Not caring about anything. Just you. 

Your shaky hands went to pass him the intel, but failed with exhaustion. “Winter. Soldier.” you bit out again, aimlessly, the words tasting bitter on your tongue. 

Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “Winter Soldier? No, no doll, it’s me. It’s Buck, from Brooklyn,” he was misunderstanding, and you couldn’t blame him. “What’d they do to you?” he growled, his voice low, rage barely leashed as he saw the needle marks, the fever’s flush.

But you couldn’t get your words out. 

He scooped you up, your weight light but your grip fierce, your head lolling against his shoulder. “I got you,” he said, standing, his arms steady despite the chaos. Your breath was ragged, too warm against his neck, and he felt the drug’s unnatural pull in your touch, your fingers clutching too tightly, too desperately.

“Base is rigged!” Jacques shouted from the corridor, where the team held off reinforcements, blue energy scorching the walls.

Dum Dum’s voice boomed, “Thirty seconds, Barnes!” Explosions rumbled, the facility shaking as charges blew.

“Bucky, the intel…” you mumbled, half-lucid, patting your blouse weakly. “Winter Soldier… don’t let them…” Your voice faded, the fever stealing your strength, but your words seared him, tying your fight to the horror he’d only heard whispers of.

“I won’t,” he promised, voice fierce, dodging a blast that charred the wall. It was an empty promise, but that didn’t matter right now. He still didn’t understand completely what you were mumbling about. 

He carried you through smoke and gunfire, the Commandos covering him—Monty tossing a grenade, Gabe firing steadily. “Stay with me, doll,” he said, his boots pounding as he reached the exit, the night air hitting like a slap.

The bunker erupted behind you, flames licking the sky, and the team piled into a stolen Hydra truck, Gabe at the wheel. Bucky slid you into the back, climbing in beside you, holding you close as the truck lurched forward, tires crunching snow. Your fevered body curled against him, your hand still clutching the hidden intel, and Bucky’s mind raced.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

You slumped against Bucky Barnes in the corner of the Hydra truck’s cargo bed, your body a furnace of torment, every nerve alight with the crimson fever drug’s cruel fire. Your skin burned, slick with sweat despite the November chill, and your pulse thundered in your ears, each beat a drum urging you toward something you barely understood. Your blouse, torn and clinging to your damp skin, hid the crumpled Winter Soldier intel you’d guarded since London, its paper a faint crinkle against your chest.

The drug, injected by Arnim Zola during those weeks in his lab, twisted your mind, flooding you with an aching, primal need that made your thighs clench and your breath hitch in sharp, desperate gasps. You fought it, nails digging into your palms, but your body betrayed you, hips shifting restlessly, a soft whimper escaping as you pressed closer to Bucky, his warmth both a lifeline and a torment.

Bucky held you tightly, his arm a steel band around your shoulders, his wool jacket rough against your cheek. You felt his heartbeat, steady but quick, through his chest, and his breath clouded in the cold air, his dog tags clinking faintly as he shifted to shield you from a gust. His eyes, shadowed under the swaying lantern’s amber glow, darted to you, worry carving lines into his face. You’d seen him tough, cocky, tossing quips in Brooklyn diners, but now he was raw, his sergeant’s calm fraying at the sight of your trembling hands, the way your fingers clutched his sleeve like he was the only thing keeping you sane.

“Doll, talk to me,” Bucky whispered, voice low, meant only for you, his lips brushing your ear. His calloused hand cupped your cheek, tilting your face to meet his gaze, and the touch sent a jolt through you, your body shuddering as a wave of heat pulsed low in your belly.

You moaned softly, unintended, and your eyes fluttered, half-lidded, the drug amplifying his touch into something overwhelming, intoxicating. Your hips twitched, pressing against his thigh, and you bit your lip, shame flooding you even as your body begged for more.

The Howling Commandos sprawled around you, their presence a grounding hum amid your chaos. Dum Dum Dugan, sprawled on a crate, polished his Thompson, muttering, “Damn roads are gonna shake my teeth loose.”

Gabe Jones, at the wheel, cursed as the tires skidded, shouting, “Hold tight, this ain’t a Sunday drive!” Jim Morita cleaned his rifle, Monty sipped from a flask, and Jacques toyed with a looted Hydra grenade, whistling a French tune.

You looked at the men. If you wanted, you could have had any one of them. They could have given you what you needed. But it was the Sergeant who had owned your heart since the very start. He was the one you trusted more than anyone else. The infantry’s banter was a lifeline, but they didn’t see your state, didn’t hear the soft, needy sounds you stifled against Bucky’s neck.

“Bucky…” you managed, voice cracked, barely audible over the truck’s rumble. Your hand slid up his chest, fingers curling around his dog tags, the metal cool against your burning skin. The contact sent another shiver through you, your thighs squeezing together as a fresh surge of desire made your breath hitch, a low, throaty moan escaping before you could stop it. You were drowning in it—the fever’s heat, the drug’s relentless pull, the ache that coiled tighter with every second. “I… I need to tell you,” you whispered, urgent, your lips grazing his ear, the intimacy of it making your skin prickle. “Alone.”

His pulse spiked—you felt it under your fingers—and his eyes widened, alarm mixing with something deeper, unspoken. “Okay,” he said, voice rough, glancing at the team. The Commandos were distracted, Gabe wrestling the wheel, Dum Dum arguing with Monty over the flask. Bucky shifted, easing you behind a stack of crates, the wood splintered and cold against your back. He knelt in front of you, his hands steadying your shoulders, his gaze searching yours. “What’s goin’ on, doll? You’re burnin’ up,” he said, thumb brushing your cheek, and you gasped, your body arching toward him, the touch igniting sparks that made your hips rock involuntarily.

You swallowed, tears welling, the shame of your need warring with the urgency to speak. “Zola… he gave me something,” you said, words spilling in a rush, your voice trembling. “Called it crimson fever. It’s… it’s making me want things. Need things.” Your breath hitched, a sob catching as you clutched his wrist, your nails digging in. “It’s in my blood, Bucky. It’s burning me, making me… want you. Not just want—I can’t stop it. If I don’t… get release, he said I’ll go mad.” Your cheeks flushed deeper, not just from fever but humiliation, and you looked away, tears dripping onto your lap.

Bucky’s breath caught, his hand tightening on yours, crumpling the edge of his jacket. You saw the horror in his eyes, but also love, fierce and unyielding, rooted in Brooklyn nights when you’d danced around his teasing, your laughter brighter than the city lights.

“Jesus,” he muttered, voice hoarse, pulling you closer, his forehead resting against yours. Your breath mingled, hot and ragged, and you moaned again, your body reacting to his nearness, hips shifting, thighs trembling as the drug surged. “You don’t gotta be sorry,” he said, cupping your face, wiping tears with his thumbs. “This ain’t you—it’s them. Hydra. Zola. If they’re doing this, only God knows what else they have planned.”

Your body didn’t care for words. You didn’t need empathy. You pressed against him, a desperate, unconscious move, your hand sliding to his chest, fingers splaying over his heart. The drug made every touch electric, and you gasped, your skin flushing from chest to throat, a sheen of sweat glistening in the lantern’s light.

“Bucky, it hurts,” you whispered, voice raw, your lips brushing his jaw, leaving a faint heat. “I’m burning… I need you.” Your fingers tightened, tugging his jacket, and your hips rocked again, a soft, needy sound escaping as you fought the urge to climb into his lap. 

Your thighs clenched, the ache between them pulsing, and your breath came in short, frantic pants, each one a plea you hated but couldn’t stop.

Bucky’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with a mix of guilt and desire he hated himself for feeling. You saw it—the way he fought his own reaction, his breath hitching as your touch stirred him, his love for you clashing with the drug’s twisted demand.

You were so needy, so clingy. And Bucky knew it wasn’t completely you, right? None the less he swallowed, trying to ignore the erection pressing against his trousers, begging for release. Every time your fingers grazed him even in the slighest, he felt like he was going to explode. The war had him touch-starved and desperate, that’s for sure. 

“Listen to me,” he said, voice low, steady, though it shook at the edges. “You’re stronger than this. We’re gonna get you through this, you hear me?” His hand slid to your neck, holding you gently, and you whimpered, the contact sending a shiver through you, your body arching, breasts pressing against him as another wave of need made you tremble.

“I trust you,” you said, voice breaking, your eyes locking onto his, lucid despite the fever’s haze. “Only you.” Your hand found his, guiding it to your waist, and you gasped as his fingers brushed your hip, the touch sparking a moan that made your thighs quiver. You were losing ground, the drug’s pull relentless, but your trust in Bucky—forged in Brooklyn, in quiet moments he’d never forgotten—kept you tethered.

The truck lurched, Gabe shouting, “Road’s blocked! Barn up ahead, half a mile!” The Commandos shifted, readying gear, their voices a blur.

“I have one grenade left.” You just about made out Jacques’ annoucement. 

But Bucky’s world was you, your fevered whispers, your body trembling with a need that wasn’t just the drug, but you, the girl he’d loved since that night on the Coney Island pier.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

You stumbled into the barn, Bucky’s arm steadying you, his warmth the only anchor against the crimson fever’s relentless fire. Your body was a storm of torment—skin flushed and slick with sweat, pulse hammering like a war drum, every nerve alight with a desperate, aching need that made your thighs tremble and your breath come in ragged, needy gasps. The drug, Arnim Zola’s cruel creation, had twisted your desire into something overwhelming, your hips shifting restlessly, a soft whimper escaping as you pressed against Bucky, his scent—wool, gunpowder, and something uniquely him—igniting a fresh wave of heat low in your belly. Your torn blouse clung to your damp skin.

The Winter Soldier intel was still hidden against your chest, a secret you’d guarded through weeks of captivity. You fought the fever’s pull, nails digging into your palms, but your body betrayed you, craving Bucky with an intensity that left you dizzy, your lips parting as another moan slipped free.

Bucky shut the barn door with a creak, sealing you in a fragile sanctuary, the wind’s howl fading to a low moan. He set the lantern on a crate, its glow catching the worry in his blue eyes, the tension in his jaw.

You felt his gaze, heavy and searching, as he knelt before you, easing you onto a makeshift bed of hay cushioned by his folded greatcoat, its wool warm from his body. Your hands clutched his jacket, fingers trembling, and you gasped, a shudder running through you as his touch sparked electricity, your hips twitching involuntarily. “Bucky…” you whispered, voice raw, your eyes glassy but locked on his, a flicker of you shining through the fever’s haze.

“Doll, I’m here,” he said, voice low, hoarse with worry, his calloused hand brushing your cheek. The contact sent a jolt through you, your body arching, a soft moan spilling out as your thighs clenched, the ache between them pulsing sharper. He froze, his breath hitching, and you saw the conflict in his eyes—love, longing, and fear that this wasn’t you, just the drug. “You’re still burnin’ up,” he said, thumb tracing your jaw, and you whimpered, your skin flushing deeper, a rosy heat spreading from your chest to your throat, glistening with sweat in the lantern’s light.

“Bucky, please,” you pleaded, your voice trembling, urgent, as you grabbed his wrist, guiding his hand to your waist. The touch was fire, and you gasped, hips rocking toward him, your body trembling as the drug amplified every sensation. “I need you… it’s too much.” Tears welled, shame mixing with desire, but your eyes held his, fierce despite the fever. “I told you… I can’t fight it.”

He exhaled, shaky, his hand tightening on your hip, his dog tags clinking as he leaned closer. “I’ve wanted you forever,” he said, voice raw, breaking. “Since that damn pier in Brooklyn, since you laughed at my dumb jokes. But this…” He gestured to your trembling form, his eyes darkening with guilt. “I don’t wanna take advantage, doll. I need this to mean somethin’ to you, not just… Zola’s poison.” His thumb brushed your lip, and you moaned, loud and unrestrained, your body shuddering, thighs squeezing as a fresh wave of need made your breath stutter.

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes — ever the gentleman.

“Don’t make me beg,” you said, voice sharp, almost a growl, your hand sliding to his neck, fingers tangling in his hair. He moaned, and the sound of his voice was like velvet. “I want you, Bucky. Always have. The drug’s making it worse, but it’s me.” Your eyes burned into his, lucid, defiant. “I trust you. Make me feel good. Please.” Your hips shifted, pressing against him, and a desperate, throaty moan escaped, your skin prickling as the fever surged, your pulse racing so fast you felt it in your throat.

Bucky’s resolve cracked, his breath ragged. “Alright, honey,” he whispered, voice thick with promise. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll make you feel good, I swear.” He kissed you, slow and deep, his lips soft but hungry, tasting of salt and desperation. You melted into it, your body trembling, a gasp catching as his tongue brushed yours, sending shivers down your spine. Your hands clutched his shoulders, nails digging in, and your hips rocked, the drug making every touch a spark that set your nerves ablaze.

He pulled back, eyes searching yours and you could see the question he wanted to ask ‘Are you sure?’, and you nodded, breathless, your chest heaving. “I’m sure,” you said, voice firm despite the fever’s haze.

He eased your blouse off, careful of the hidden intel, his fingers brushing your skin, and you gasped, your body arching, nipples tightening in the cold air. Your skin flushed deeper, sweat beading on your collarbone, and you whimpered, thighs trembling as his gaze alone sent a pulse of heat through you.

Bucky’s hands were gentle, reverent, as he traced your curves, his fingers lingering on your waist.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, voice raw, and you shivered, a soft moan escaping as his words stoked the fever’s fire. He kissed your throat, lips warm and deliberate, and you gasped, head tilting back, your pulse hammering under his mouth. Your body reacted vividly—skin flushing from chest to cheeks, thighs clenching as a fresh wave of desire made your hips rock, the ache between them unbearable.

“Bucky, touch me,” you pleaded, voice desperate, guiding his hand lower, your boldness driven by the drug but rooted in trust.

He nodded, his forehead against yours, breath mingling. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, his fingers sliding down your stomach, slow and deliberate, tracing the soft skin above your thigh. You trembled, a sharp gasp tearing from you as his hand brushed closer, your thighs parting instinctively, inviting him.

Your skin prickled, sweat glistening, and your breath came in short, frantic pants, the drug making every touch electric. His fingers found your warmth, teasing gently, and you moaned, loud and needy, your hips bucking toward him, thighs quivering as a jolt of pleasure shot through you. 

“Bucky…” you breathed, clutching his wrist, nails digging in, your body tensing as he explored, his touch careful but sure.

Your reaction was immediate—muscles tightening, a flush spreading across your chest, your breath stuttering as his fingers circled, coaxing waves of heat that made your toes curl. You arched, hips rocking in rhythm, and your moans grew sharper, each one a desperate plea. The drug amplified every sensation, your skin hypersensitive, and you felt every callus, every movement, as if he were rewriting your nerves.

“Feels… so good,” you gasped, eyes fluttering shut, your thighs clenching around his hand as a coil tightened inside you. Bucky watched, his breath ragged, worry flickering but desire burning stronger.

“You’re with me, doll,” he murmured, kissing your jaw, and you nodded, a tear slipping free as pleasure overwhelmed you.

He shifted, lips trailing down your chest, and you whimpered, your body trembling as he kissed lower, his breath warm against your stomach. “Gonna make you feel even better,” he promised, voice low, and you gasped, hips lifting as his mouth found you, his tongue gentle but deliberate. 

The sensation was a lightning strike—your body jolted, a cry tearing from your throat, your hands tangling in his hair, tugging hard. Your thighs trembled, muscles quaking, and your breath came in short, desperate gasps, the drug making every lick a pulse of fire. Your skin flushed deeper, sweat beading on your brow, and you moaned, unrestrained, hips rocking against his mouth as pleasure built, sharp and relentless. “Bucky… oh, God…” you gasped, your voice breaking, your body tensing as you neared the edge, every nerve singing.

He pulled back, kissing your thigh, and you whimpered, desperate, your hands tugging him up. 

“Need you… now,” you said, voice raw, your eyes locked on his, lucid despite the fever. He nodded, shedding his trousers, dog tags clinking, and leaned over you, his body warm, grounding. 

“Tell me you want this,” he said, voice thick, needing your consent, his worry clear.

“I want you, Bucky,” you said, fierce, pulling him closer. “Always.”

He guided himself, the moment of connection slow, deliberate, and you gasped, a shudder running through you as he filled you, the sensation overwhelming, amplified by the drug. He was big, bigger than you had ever had before. He stretched you and you felt your body clamp down around him. Bucky’s cheeks flushed pink and you felt his short fingernails dig into your hips as he steadied himself. Your body reacted vividly—muscles clenching, thighs trembling, hips rising to meet him.

“So good…” you moaned, nails digging into his back, leaving crescent marks.

He moved, each thrust a rhythm of passion and care, his lips brushing your ear, whispering, “I’ve got you, doll.” 

You brought your hands up to his face, guiding him to your lips as he thrusted into you. This was more than sex — a cure to your condition. This was love. You kissed him slowly, leaning into the softness of his lips. He smelled like lingering smoke mixed with a sweetness you just couldn’t describe. It was familiar, like the cotton candy you picked at and shared on the pier at Coney Island.

“Do you remember that time when we stood at the edge of the pier and you were showing me the constellations in the sky?” You asked, your eyes finding Bucky’s, watching him as he fucked you.

“Mm,” he nodded his head, wordlessly. “Wanted to kiss you so bad that night.” He breathed into admittance. 

“I wanted you to kiss me too.” You replied before your words were cut off with a loud moan. Bucky grabbed your calves, pulling them up to his shoulders allowing him to go even deeper, hitting you at a new angle. Lewd, wet sounds echoed in the barn and you had visions of someone walking in. It only spurred you on even more. 

Your breaths mingled, your cries soft but desperate, the drug’s urgency blending with love. Your thighs tightened around him, hips rocking, and pleasure coiled tighter, your body trembling as you neared release. “Bucky…” you gasped, voice breaking, and he kissed you hard, just like he’d always imagined, deep and grounding, as you shattered, a cry muffled against his shoulder, the fever’s grip breaking. He followed, his climax a choked wave, shooting a warmth that painted your walls, arms tightening to hold you close.

The barn fell silent, save for your ragged breaths and the hay’s rustle. You collapsed against him, trembling, the fever’s heat gone, leaving you fragile, your skin cooling but slick with sweat. Bucky pulled his greatcoat over you both, shielding you from the cold, and held you, your head tucked under his chin. The lantern flickered, casting long shadows, and shame crept in, your voice small. 

“Was it… just the drug?” you asked, clutching the intel in your blouse, fear lacing your words. “Did I… make you?”

“No,” Bucky said, fierce, tilting your chin to meet his gaze. “It was us, I’ve loved you since Brooklyn, since that pier. The drug didn’t make me want you—I always did.” His voice cracked, and he kissed your forehead, steady. “You’re not broken. You’re mine.”

You nodded, tears spilling, but doubt lingered, Zola’s experiments haunting you. “I’m scared,” you whispered, voice barely audible. “What if they’ve changed me?”

“They haven’t,” he said, stroking your hair. “You’re still you, still the girl who cracked their codes, kept that intel through hell. I won’t let them touch you again.” His promise was fierce, but you felt the war’s weight, Hydra’s reach, and the shadow of what you’d uncovered.

Outside, Gabe’s voice cut through, soft but urgent. “Sarge, we’re clear. Ready to move.” The Commandos, loyal, unaware of the barn’s secrets, waited in the snow.

Bucky helped you sit, adjusting the greatcoat, his touch gentle. “We gotta go,” he said, voice low. “But I’m with you, every step.” He stood, pulling you up, and you leaned into him, steadier but haunted, the fever gone but the intel and emotional weight lingering. The barn door creaked open, moonlight spilling in, and Bucky led you out, his arm around you, ready to face the war—and Hydra’s lingering threat.

You followed Bucky back to the van. “Write to me?” You asked, locking a subtle finger with his, so that his men wouldn’t notice.

“Of course I will.” He promised, pressing a kiss to your forehead. He didn’t care if anyone saw. The last thing he’d do was want to keep you a secret. He had dreamed of you, of this, since 1939.

“And after the war, you’ll find me on the pier at Coney Island, waiting for you.” You told him, an oath that you’d protect with your life. You didn’t want anyone other than him. You would wait for him, even if waiting meant forever.

“I’ll be there.” 

You believed him.

“You’ll come home, won’t you?” The question lingered with uncertainty and worry as the Winter Soldier intel burned in your pocket.

“Do I look like a man who’d keep my doll waiting?” Bucky smiled, his blue eyes twinkling like an aurora, full of love and hope. 

Yeah, you believed him.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔:･

Taglist: @notreallythatlost @houseofaegon @bunnyfella @sunday-bug @wintrsoldrluvr @maryevm @mcira

If you want to be tagged in all my future Bucky/Sebastian works, let me know. <3

[passions-and-pupils]

Shen twins + Shang twins au where the transmigrators have to communicate through increasingly absurd methods to avoid suspicion

Listen, I just feel there is no way the originals would let their brothers be alone with each other. OG!Shang Qinghua (I’ll come up with better names later) wouldn’t want his brother to ruin their carefully crafted reputation by associating with people as widely gossiped about as the Shen twins and Shen Jiu would think Airplane!Shang Qinghua super suspicious because “no one’s that pathetic, it has to be an act”

They also both would be very alarmed that someone wanted to talk with their brothers alone and not allow it on principle.

So the transmigrators have to A. Confirm the other is a transmigrator and B. Find out what the others changed all without their brothers getting suspicious.

Shen Qingqiu tries to be subtle, and Shang Qinghua if he’s ever read a book titled “proud immortal demon way but Shang Qinghua is so caught off guard (he thought he’d have to ask) that he starts choking, making a massive scene but at least confirming they were both transmigrators

Shang Qinghua tries to pass notes in English but neither of them are fluent anymore and they see each other so rarely that it takes months for Shen Yuan to communicate he had no idea what that note said and for them to agree to using pinyin instead.

They then switch to hiding notes on the others peak in specific places but Shen Jiu finds one and becomes determined to crack the code and find out what it says so Shen Yuan panics and tells Shang Qinghua they have to stop because if he got enough notes Shen Jiu could definitely figure it out.

They try meeting in the middle of the night but both of their siblings follow them so neither of them actually go to the meeting spot.

Things get easier when their brothers are peak lords but they also get busier. They can interact now but there are disciples everywhere and theres never a time they are both free and seperated from their brothers for more than a few minutes at a time. Shen Yuan to talk in code but Airplane doesn’t catch on so Shen Yuan straight up tells Airplane to request a day off to go on a trip on a day Shen Yuan was also off.

By the time they finally get a full conversation alone it’s been multiple years and they barely know anything about each other, not even IDs have been exchanged. They spend the whole time telling each other what they had already done and have no time to actually plan anything.

They start writing letters in pinyin because Shen Qingqiu doesn’t have the time to decipher unknown languages as a peak lord. But this time OG! Shang Qinghua finds out and gets highly suspicious.

OG! Shang Qinghua asks Shen Jiu if he knew why their brothers were writing letters in unknown languages and they end up teaming up to try and find out

The transmigrators are so horrified when they see their brothers being friendly towards each other they actually agree to stop writing to each other if it meant their brothers wouldn’t become friends. It’s to late. The consequences of the OG’s becoming friends are dire for not only the other peak lords but for the cultivation world as a whole.

[satinestales]

❝here i blur into you❞ | qimir x fem!reader

pairing: qimir x fem!reader

summary: you've been stranded on an unknown island with your nemesis for weeks now, the air getting filled with unpalatable tension as you try to find a way to get away from him. one afternoon, the tension breaks as he offers his knowledge to help you train.

warnings: english is not my native language, reader also has a twin and has a similar situation as osha, reader is a bit paranoid, lot of foreplay from qimir, teasing, fingering, cunnilungus, vulgar terms,

now playing, acquainted by the weeknd

He smelled like sandalwood, filling the air every time he passed you by or handed you a plate of food. For the first few days, you ignored it, letting it brush against your nose, your thoughts concentrating on how to get out of the island or how to kill him without breaking the code. But after nights and nights of sleeping in the same cave, sharing his space, and smelling him in every corner, it started to drive you crazy.

You lost your nerves last morning during your hand-picked breakfast when he strolled into the cave after his morning swim, water still dripping from his hair, the smell punching you in the nose, leaving you dizzy and breathless. You didn't know where you wanted to go, but as you picked up your things and bottle of water, it wasn't your main concern.

The smell itself didn't bother you. He bothered you. You knew exactly what game he was playing. With your sister, he played the role of a big brother, older protecter that she always wanted and wished for. With you, his mask dropped, revealing a charming seductive character. Every time he handed you something, he towered over you, gazing into your eyes so intensely it made your knees shake. Or when he walked towards you, he took his time, his eyes going up and down your figure until they fixated on you, staring at you until he came so close you could feel his breath brushing over your face. The slightest touches of his hands, the knuckle strokes, the skin contact when he healed your wounds.

He was trying to seduce you, knowing your weaknesses, just so you'd turn your back on the jedi and stay with him. As a padawan, desire was one of the forbidden emotions, alongside hate, anger, and fear. You never felt the touch of another, not one you desired.

His act had its way with you. You didn't deny it, but it was just a role for him. A mask he put on whenever you were close. You wanted to know the real him and maybe even try to help him. Instead, you were met with lustful eyes and breathtaking smell of his. A few days ago, you returned his gaze when he spoke to you, to try to read his thoughts and emotions. You only saw the colour red.

After you stormed out of the cave, leaving Qimir wondering, you kept walking around for about thirty minutes before you found yourself surrounded by smaller rocks, standing ankles deep in a hot sand. It wasn't that far away from the cave but far enough to get away from him and his sandalwood smell.

You dropped your bottle and some spare clothes on one of the flat rocks, letting yourself fall on your ass, letting out an anxious breath. You had no idea what you were going to do, how to act, or how to survive the upcoming days. You were certain Sol was going to find you and save you. You started to think about Yord and Jecki. You weren't that close to Yord, even in your padawan days. Jecki, you knew from afar, but she always had a soft smile on her lips. Your heart ached for them, feeling guilty even if there was nothing you could do.

You sat there for hours, staring at your dirty shoes. You were frozen. You needed to train. You were sure there was going to be time when you would have to protect yourself against Qimir and his brute strength. He killed Yord with his bare hands. As long as you would attack his hands first, you'd be safe.

You found a branch, pictured it as a lightsaber, and started repeating over and over fighting methods you were taught by your master. You held up till the sunset, and when the sun rose again, you picked up the branch and started again.

You didn't bother with breaks. You kept going till your knees gave up, and your arms fell by your side. Your chest rose up and down fast as you sat down, the branch falling metres away from you. You rested your head against the closest rock, daring to close your eyes. You were away for almost a day, with no food, just water to keep you company. You slowly started to regret leaving so impulsively, but you had no idea what you would do if you'd stay another minute around the intoxicating smell of his.

You had to fall asleep, your body reacting to the unknown sound earlier than you. Trying to compose yourself as you rubbed your cheek, painful and red, from resting against the hard rock. You picked yourself up, turning around to find where the sound came from. It didn't take you long, for Qimir revealed himself, appearing just a few metres away from you, a bag around his shoulder. He took you in, scanning your body like he was searching for any weapons or injuries. He found nothing, only a thin branch right behind your feet.

"You could at least take some food." he broke the brooding silence and your mutual staring contest. His voice was soft, small tug on the corned of his lips. He wore his usual beige shirt, transparent to his muscles. You shook your head, trying to focus on something else than his forearms as he put down his bag to take out the stuff he brought you.

"I'm not hungry," you lied, holding steadily your position, scanning his every move. He took out all the food to put them on the rocks in front of you, gently, making sure not to drop anything. He didn't forget to bring you fresh water, new clothes and a lightsaber.

Lightsaber.

You took a quick step back at the sight of the lightsaber, your ankle meeting with a rock. He brought a lightsaber. He was going to kill you now. You were sure of it.

"It's for you," he read your mind, making himself a place to sit next to the food, lightsaber at the opposite end of the food row. He tilted his head, softly smiling at you. "The tide is going to end by tomorrow," he said, his eyes set low, eyebags underneath. "you could disappear."

"What do you want?" you asked, attitude and hidden fear in your voice. Why was he helping you. Why did he inform you about the tide and possible escape. Was he planning something?

"For you to eat," he smiled, his teeth showing up for a second. "I have no desire to hurt you or let you die of starvation." His hands rested on his lap, his eyes soft and gentle, morning sun reflecting in them. He was beautiful in this light. But you shook that though away.

"What's with the lightsaber," you pointed with your head to the weapon, not daring to move, feeling his eyes burn into your skin.

"I made it for you," he replied quietly, looking over at the saber. You flinched when he slowly stood up, walking towards it to pick it up, holding it so the handle could be in your direction. He was close, too close to your liking, a small circle of rocks surrounding you two. "Figured you'd want one." he purred, taking slow steps towards you, not breaking his gaze at you. Like he was waiting for you to run, taking in every detail of you.

He stopped at arm length, lifting the lightsaber to you. You didn't move to take it and just stared at it. It was small compared to his hand, plainly black.

"How long is it since you've held one?" he asked, almost in whisper, looking down at you with curiousity. You didn't answer, forcing to look away from the saber, mirroring his intense gaze. You tried to read him again but failed. You were too tired to even see one small thought. He took a step closer, instinctively you wanted to take a step back, but the rock behind you made you stumble, Qimir's arm catching you sharply, pulling you back up.

He was so close now that the saber handle was touching your ribs, his breath tickling your face again, the sandalwood, again, penetrating the air. You tried to move away, pushing against him, but he didn't move an inch. He looked like a marble statue against the light.

"Take it," he growled, shaking with the saber a little. When you still didn't move, he took your hand and placed it on the weapon, his grip strong and tense. "Turn it on," he moved even closer, the head of the lightsaber pushing against his abdomen.

Turn it on.

You repeated his words.

Turn it on and get it over with.

Only you couldn't. You tried to force your hand to move, but like someone froze it, it was paralyzed.

"I'm not like you." You managed to let out, breaking your neck to look up at him. "I don't attack the unarmed."

"When did I attack the defenceless?" he asked, still holding your arm firmly, keeping you standing in one place. His hair fell like a black curtain around his eyes that stared into yours, awaiting an answer.

"Jecki," your voice broke at the memory of her. She had no reason to be there. She should have been safe at the temple.

You heard him take a deep breath, his fingers slightly amplifying the pressure around your wrist. "She attacked first,"

"She was a child." You raised your voice, trying to move away from him but as much as you wanted he didn't let you.

"Your Master brought her there. He knew the risk." He replied, his voice soft and calm with no hints of remorse.

"What do you want?" You cried out, furrowing your eyebrows. You wanted to scream at him, punch him, fight him, erase the stupid smell he had that drove you crazy and confused your thoughts.

"For you to eat," he repeated, stupid smile dancing on his lips. For a second, you wondered why he wore a mask to hide his beautiful face, but you quickly erased it. With the final push, he let go of your arm and stared at you as you made your way towards the food. You devoured embarrassingly quickly, forgetting about the claim you weren't hungry. All the time he stood there, watching you carefully.

When you finished eating, you took advantage of the bird that took Qimir's attention for a moment to hide the fork and knife behind your belt. It was stupid, but it counted as something. You could sharpen it using the rocks and use it when he'd attack you in your sleep.

"Why won't you kill me?" You asked after you finished your plate, reaching for the water bottle. You felt his stare. Everywhere. At that point you didn't know if he was still playing the role of a whore or he just had a staring problem. Both options made you nervous.

"As I said, I have no desire to." He smiled, kneeling down to squat. He slowly started rolling up his sleeves, the scars on his arms now more visible than ever. His long, thick fingers were wrapped around the lightsaber, his other hand now hanging in the air.

It was useless talking to him. It was obvious before, ridiculous now. You nodded, accepting you won't get any honest answer out of him.

"Thanks for the food, you better get going now." You slowly stood up, your stomach full and warm. "Time for your daily swim." you added, hoping he'd leave you alone till tomorrow when you could swim to the other side and leave this abandoned island.

You didn't hear him letting out a chuckle, his dimples showing. "I can take one here," he pointed at the calm water in front of you, guarded by gigantic rocks.

Great.

"Do whatever you want," you murmured, trying to convince yourself you're okay with his presence. Naked presence. You saw him the first few days, where you followed him every morning, not trusting anything he said. He invited you to join him every time, and every time you didn't say anything, just stood on guard, scanning and taking in every movement he made.

He was well built, with big arms, strong back, and powerful legs. Was he stripping in front of you as a part of his act, or was he just that unbothered by your presence. You hoped it was neither. You rather got tricked than ignored.

"Okay," you heard him murmur, walking towards you for his clothes. You flinched, taking a big step away from him, finding the lightsaber lying in the sand. As he slowly made his way to the water and started to undress, you took the lightsaber in your hands, feeling it, remembering the last time you held it.

You started your routine again, this time with your lightsaber, the branch left lying in the sand. You were well aware he was watching you, motivating you to show off and not to embarrass yourself.

Minutes ran by before you heard a splash, Qimir walking out of the water. You didn't even think to turn around, but your body decided for you. Your head tilted his direction, your eyes going up and down his figure. It wasn't the first time you saw it but this time you saw it from a clear view.

Suddenly, you had a hard time swallowing the saliva forming in your mouth, your heart aggressively punching your ribs.

Focus.

You quickly turned your head back, hoping to remember what you were doing before you scanned his form. You wondered if it would hurt, or would it be pleasurable.

You felt shame thinking about these things, but you never received an answer. The Jedi around you never answered, and those outside you didn't trust.

The unknown heat overtook you again, you had to close your eyes to regain your focus. Instead, The Force directed you back to him. His grin fixated his lips as he put on his clothes, not bothering to dry himself. Water droplets falling from his hair to his shoulders, his muscles forming themselves against the skin-tight robe.

Opening your eyes, you took a glimpse of your lightsaber, unaware of Qimir slowly approaching you. You practised your movements, your hand twists, and leg work. You had to get used to the weight of the lightsaber after years of not touching one.

You stopped yourself from turning his direction when you felt his touch on your shoulders.

"Keep your shoulders back," he whispered, forcing your shoulders back into their correct position. You froze, now only focusing on the warmth reflecting of his body. He bent over so his lips could reach your ears, and his hands travelled down to your biceps. "Your elbows up. You have them too low." he simply added, his lips brushing against your ear, sending shivers down your spine. You pressed your legs together, unaware of your need.

You listened to him, tho, keeping your shoulders and elbows in the position he moved them. His hands didn't touch you fully, only tickling the surface of your skin, but it was enough to make you burn.

"You need to spread your legs," he added, hearing a small smile while informing you. You fought the urge to turn and hit him in the face with the lightsaber handle.

When you didn't listen, he forced his knee between your legs, forcing them apart.

"So you don't fall over," he whispered against your ear, the little hair on your neck standing up.

"I didn't ask for help," you uttered, bitterness in your tone. You wanted him gone, but not for the same reason you did yesterday. For the reason that he made you have physical reactions without touching you. Having to press your legs together because of his voice. Feeling your skin burn by feeling him pressed against your back.

"You obviously need it," He smiled against your earlobe before pulling back just to let his hands fall onto yours, checking the way you hold your saber. He fixed the placement of your fingers, his breath on your neck erasing all of your thoughts. His warm wet chest pressed against your back, his breath tickling you. Your ass pressed against his abdomen. It was all too much for you. You shouldn't be feeling this way.

Yes, he was attractive. Yes, he was charismatic and soft when he wanted to be. But he wield the power of the dark side. He couldn't be trusted. You were scared the dreams you were having so often might become true.

"Use your thumb," he woke you up from your thoughts, pushing himself against your back as he held your hands. His voice was low and dark. "Place it on the top to hold it steadily. That way, it won't slip out of your hands, and you won't have to use strength to keep it in place." Even the way he talked and taught you almost drove you over the edge. You knew that's what he wanted and fought hard against it.

"I know how to hold a lightsaber." You hissed, shaking off his hands. Regretting it as his hands found its way to your lower back, pushing in, you had to hold back a moan,

"Straight posture." he simply said, ignoring you, leaving his hands on the back of your hips. You focused on taking deep breaths, hoping the heat between your legs would go away.

Almost as if he felt it, his hands moved from the back to the front, tickling the exposed skin of your stomach. You wanted to cry out, his touch driving you insane. You wanted to do something and, at the same time, nothing. You wanted him to take you, but you also wanted to drive the lightsaber through his skull.

"You won't fight anyone without a straight posture," he emphasized, pushing his fingers into your stomach, holding you in place.

"I've fought many people without you before." you replied angrily, a small moan leaving your lips at the end of the sentence as he moved his fingers lower, under your belly button.

"And did you win?" he mocked you, whispering into your ear. His hands right above the place you used your fingers while wishing they were his.

You were done with his stupid comments and mockery, pushing against him to turn and punch him, but he didn't let you move a muscle. He was too strong.

"What do they teach you," he asked, genuine curiosity in his tone. "They don't teach you how to stand still or how to hold a lightsaber. Only how to surpress your emotions to become a hollow shell."

"That's not true," you argued. "We are taught to control our emotions, to feel them but not to let them get the best out of us."

"So why do you supress what you really want?" his voice turned into whisper again, his thumb making circling motion on your lower stomach. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew you were about to give up.

"Why do you shy away from your desire?" he added, using little to no strength to bring you skin to skin to him, feeling his length on your lower back.

Accidental moan left your lips. You closed your eyes out of embarrassment, wishing he didn't hear that. But you weren't that stupid.

"It's the path, path to the dark side." you stumbled over your words, feeling his fingers go lower, right above the belt of your pants.

Fuck.

"Then stop me," he whispered, his index finger going slowly underneath the hem of your pants. "Stop my hand. I'll let you." he added.

You didn't move a muscle. Only rested your head against his chest and let your arms fall by your side, lightsaber falling into the sand. You wanted him, and he wanted you. There was no reason to fight it. That was a problem for your future self.

"Tell me," he purred, his right hand painfully slowly maling their way to the hem of your panties. "Has anyone ever touched you like this?"

He was mocking you, playing with you. He knew no one ever had. You didn't count. "No," was your simple answer, wanting to dig yourself a deep hole in the ground and bury yourself in it.

"How does it feel?" he asked, his fingers finally reaching your wet bundle of nerves, slowly starting to circle your clit. You grabbed his arm out of shock, digging your nails into his skin. It felt too good. You were dripping wet, it was too easy for him to find your weak spot.

"As a Jedi, you can't even be with the people you love," he murmured into your ear before starting to leave small kisses down to your neck. "Can't give them the pleasure they deserve."

His fingers started to go up and down your clit, always stopping right before your entrance. You wanted to start begging for him to take you, but you didn't want to embarrass yourself more than you already have. You didn't pay attention to anything he was saying, only focusing on his fingers driving you crazy, making it difficult to keep a steady stance.

"What kind of life is that? Hmm?" His sloppy kisses and his fingers teasing your core themselves, almost had you falling over the edge. You were so touch deprived you were surprised you didn't cum when he touched you for the first time.

"Qimir," you cried out, wanting his fingers inside of you already. The first time, you said his name out loud. And he listened. His fingers stopped their movements, deserving an annoyed groan from you. He took them out of your pants, placing them on your waist to circle you so he could be face to face with you.

He didn't say anything before he bent his legs, kneeling in front of you, letting the sand swallow him. He looked up at you with pitch-black eyes, hinting on your pants. You understood, taking your time but nodding, letting him take off your pants and underwear.

The urge to cover your face and run away was strong, but the feeling of his mouth on your clit was stronger. You cried out hard, grabbing his hair as he dipped his tongue between your folds. This is what the Jedi deprived you of. You wanted to scream.

Qirim's tongue moved with rhythm against your dripping cunt, his fingers holding you still by your hips. Your hands were tangled in his hair, tugging on them every time he moved his tongue, teasing your entrance.

"Fuck," you hissed, your knees bending. Qimir quickly caught you, not stopping assaulting your clit. "Qimir, please," you begged. You weren't sure what you were wishing for anymore, but his name in your mouth felt almost as good as his tongue felt between your folds.

Your arms moved from his hair to his shoulders, holding yourself steady when his hand left your hip to put them between your legs. You caught a glimpse of his face when you looked down. Lustful dark eyes, messy hair, sweaty against his forehead, his nose and mouth covered in your slick. The view itself almost had you cumming on his tongue. So when his fingers joined the game, pushing inside of you, betwen your walls you let a pornographic moan. You were alone on this island but if someone was on the other end, you were certain they could hear you.

His fingers moved fast, in and out of you, spreading and curling inside of you. He was gentle with you at first but as he felt you getting closer and closer to the edge he threw all the respect out of the window, fucking you mercilessly with his thick fingers.

If his mouth and fingers had you screaming his name you wondered how his cock would feel.

"Qimir, I'm- " you cried out, wanting to warn him, but he felt it. The way your walls started to contract, crushing his fingers inside of you. His tongue kept circling your clit, adding to the pleasure. You were sure you formed new scars on his shoulders as you came hard around his fingers and tongue, failing to catch your breath and keep your legs straight and strong.

He held you for a few minutes as you rested against him, his lips still glossy with your wetness. Without thinking, you bended over to press your lips against his, tasting yourself, mixed with the flavor of him.

[saphronethaleph]

"Pick up" some Power Converters

“...no, what you want to do is to have most of the shipment be something innocuous – on every run. That way, even a random inspection probably won’t find anything. If you absolutely need to break that rule, still have some innocuous crates, but what you also want to do is to build up a friendship with the inspectors. Find out their routines if you can, and test out if you can bribe them to not bother looking – then you can aim the vital runs to be specifically with the people who you can bribe.”

“You’re sure that works?” Dodonna asked.

“Well, yeah,” Luke replied, with a shrug.

“Luke?” Leia called. “Luke?”

She leaned around the door. “How long have you been in here? We’ve been looking for you for twenty minutes.”

Luke frowned, then glanced down at his comlink. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“We don’t know your com code, kid,” Han provided. “You didn’t get around to telling us.”

Luke’s expression cleared.

“I have been going through Threepio if I need a com discussion,” he admitted. “I guess that’s not going to work if we’re staying with the Rebellion long term, though, I really should give you my com code-”

“Not now,” Leia objected. “What were you talking about, anyway?”

“He was giving us lessons,” Dodonna provided, indicating every single intel operative on Yavin IV and about half of the other Rebel Alliance techs sitting around.

“It’s basic stuff, right?” Luke asked. “I’m surprised you don’t know it.”

Leia frowned. “Lessons in what?” she asked. “Farming?”

“Well, sort of?” Luke replied. “Not moisture farming, not that bit, but the other stuff. I guess it’s helpful, and I’m glad to help!”

“What other stuff, then?” Han asked, leaning on the door, then got out of the way as Chewbacca made a questioning noise. “Right, sorry Chewie…”

“You know,” Luke said. “The basic stuff. Hiding stashes, underground hyperlanes, gun running, how to deflect attention from an enforcer without their realizing you’re doing it. Burning out slave collars, dead drops.”

He shrugged. “Farming.”

Leia blinked.

“That’s… not farming,” she said. “That sounds like a hostile-environment intelligence agent tutorial… how would you pass off vital information?”

“Let’s see…” Luke frowned. “One option – disguise it as something innocuous, while anyone would assume you’d hidden it in a much more complex way. Option two – copy it, send both versions by different routes or hide it in two different places. If you’re willing, get tortured, then crack under torture and give up one of them – that means they’ll believe they’ve got everything. Then another choice is to make it completely public, that’s a bit of a last-chance thing but if you make it completely public then everyone gets to see it including your intended recipient.”

He glanced up at her. “I guess you did the first one, gave up one location but they decided to keep looking for the other, and that’s what led them to R2? Or did you use one of the other methods? I could keep going.”

Leia shook her head.

“Okay, I’m convinced you know what you’re doing,” she said. “But how do you know all this stuff?”

“Do you not?” Luke replied, sounding slightly baffled. “This is boring stuff. Kid’s stuff, you’ve got to do it right but it’s a yawn fest. How does nobody have any ideas about it?”

“I know,” Han declared.

He pointed at Luke. “Farmboy, yes. Tatooine farmboy. The only thing that planet exports is crime.”

Luke looked momentarily offended.

“...yeah, I guess,” he agreed, relenting.

[favefandomimagines]

Radio Silence (f.l)

Summary: violence against healthcare workers is ramping up all over the country...Y/N just never thought she'd be on the receiving end of it.

Request: @darkxdemonx Can I request a Frank Langdon x reader where they are married

This might be a bit long but like when Dana got punched out in the ambulance bay, reader goes out to take a break out in the ambulance bay but gets stabbed and she collapses and no one knows where she is, like she's not answering any of her pagers, Dana then goes out for her smoke break and finds her in a massive pool of blood. Like really angsty, nearly dead when found, maybe goes in a coma from blood loss. Meanwhile Frank is a mess and losing his mind, wants to help but not allowed, Robby shouts at him to leave. Happy ending tho!!

Again sorry it's so long i had a vision😂

AN: we got some more angst up in here lol similar to my fic ‘Nightmare’ but different because violence against healthcare workers is a very real thing! the united states health care system is not fun so please be kind to your healthcare workers (nurses, doctors, techs, receptionists, etc.)

The halls of a hospital never truly slept.

The Pit, the nickname for the ED, got its name for good reason. No matter what hour of the day, it was always on the edge of boiling over.

Dr. Frank Langdon leaned against the trauma bay sink, scrubbing blood from beneath his fingernails. It wasn’t his patient. He’d just stepped in when the intern froze, eyes wide at the sight of arterial spray. Another Wednesday night turned battlefield.

Frank had worked here for almost five years. He’d seen everything: stabbings, crashes, shootings, overdoses, children dying in their parents’ arms. But these days, his reaction to the madness had changed. He still worked like a machine—focused, methodical—but he carried more weight now.

Because somewhere in this chaos was Y/N.

Dr. Y/N L/N. Internal medicine with a trauma focus. Brilliant, steady, beloved by patients and staff alike. She was the calm eye of the hurricane, a quiet counterbalance to Frank’s intensity. They'd met four years ago during a particularly nasty Christmas Eve shift. He'd been elbow-deep in a gunshot wound; she’d been treating a hypothermic homeless woman in the next bay. Their first real conversation was over coffee and an argument about the hospital’s underfunding.

They’d gotten married two years later in a small ceremony on a rooftop in downtown Pittsburgh, surrounded by all of their coworkers, with, ironically, the sound of sirens echoing faintly in the distance. It was perfect.

Frank glanced at the clock: 12:54 p.m.

“Have you seen Y/N?” he asked Dana, the charge nurse, as she passed by.

Dana exhaled through her nose and sipped her Diet Coke like it was the only thing holding her together. “She said she was heading out for a break about twenty minutes ago. Ambulance bay, I think. Didn’t even take her coat. I told her it was too cold.”

Frank nodded, trying not to let the worry show on his face. “I’ll check on her in a bit.”

“Don’t take too long. Triage is drowning and psych just offloaded another patient.”

“Business as usual,” he muttered.

||

Y/N rubbed her temples as she leaned against the cool brick wall outside, the night pressing in around her. The hum of fluorescent lighting spilled out from the ambulance entrance behind her. Somewhere down the block, a siren wailed. She could still hear the garbled voice of the dispatcher over the radio inside. Another incoming GSW. ETA twelve minutes.

Just twelve minutes of peace. That’s all she wanted.

It had been a hard day. Her patient in Bay 4 had coded. A young woman with lupus and sepsis—gone before they even got the second round of epi in.

No one said it aloud, but the attending had paused long enough that Y/N could see the uncertainty on his face: Should we even keep going?

“Sometimes I hate this place,” she whispered to herself. And yet she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

Her pager buzzed softly, but she ignored it for now. Just one more breath.

“Hey,” came a voice.

Y/N turned, expecting to see one of the residents or maybe a paramedic coming in from a call. But it wasn’t a face she recognized.

The man standing in the shadows of the ambulance dock was disheveled. Gown askew, shoes missing, an IV still taped to his wrist.

“I’ve been sitting in there for hours,” he said, voice slurred but angry. “No one does a goddamn thing.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said gently, instincts kicking in. “Let me take you back inside and get someone to—”

“You people think you can just ignore people like me,” he snapped. “Let us rot in the waiting room while you just pick who you treat.”

“That’s not true,” she said, cautiously stepping forward. “I promise you—if you’ll come with me, I can help.”

He didn’t move.

And then something flashed in the dim light.

Y/N’s eyes widened.

“No—wait—”

The knife plunged into her abdomen. Once. Twice. A third time, as hot pain exploded in her core and blood began to soak her scrubs.

She gasped, stumbling backward into the brick wall. Her legs gave out beneath her. The man turned and ran, his footsteps vanishing into the night.

The world tilted. The air turned cold. She tried to reach for her pager, for anything.

Frank… she thought, before her vision blurred into black.

||

The clock ticked toward 1:30pm, and the ER pulsed with the uneasy rhythm of a shift that had gone on too long. Monitors beeped in overlapping tones, overhead pages droned, and the smell of antiseptic and stale coffee hung thick in the air.

Frank was elbow-deep in a consult on a ruptured spleen. He should have been entirely focused—the kid on the table was pale, blood pressure tanking—but something gnawed at the edge of his consciousness.

He hadn’t heard from Y/N in almost an hour.

That in itself wasn’t that unusual; sometimes they were just too busy to check in. But he’d texted twice. Paged her once. Silence. No read receipts. No reply. The longer it went, the more the unease in his chest spread like a slow bleed.

“Dr. Langdon, do you want to hang back and walk the family through the consent?” asked one of the interns.

Frank blinked, realizing he’d been standing still, staring at the surgical consent form without reading it.

“No,” he muttered. “You go. I’ll be back in a few.”

He checked his phone again. Still nothing. He sent another message. You okay? Where are you?

No answer.

“Hey, Dana,” Frank said as he approached the central nurses’ station, tension wrapped tight in his voice. “Has Y/N come back from her break? I haven’t heard from her in a while.”

Dana looked up from the computer, frowning slightly. “Not sure. That was about, what, forty, forty-five minutes ago?”

“That long?” he asked, his voice tightening.

“She probably ran into a call or went upstairs. You know how it is.” She reached for her coat and half-empty pack of Camels. “I’m heading out for a smoke. I’ll keep an eye out.”

Frank gave her a small nod, but the unease was already rising, thick and bitter in his throat.

The wind had picked up since earlier, biting through Dana’s thin hoodie as she pushed open the door to the ambulance bay. She lit her cigarette with one hand, shielding the flame from the wind, and took a long drag.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

The rust-red bricks along the far wall glinted under the fluorescent security lights. One of the gurneys had been left by the door, probably by the last EMS crew. Dana glanced around, exhaling a stream of smoke. She turned to lean against the concrete barrier—

—and froze.

There was something wrong with the ground just past the dumpsters.

A shape. Crumpled. Still.

Dana took a slow step forward, her cigarette falling from her hand and landing in a puddle with a soft hiss. Her eyes adjusted. Her breath caught.

“No… no, no, no—”

Y/N’s body lay curled on her side, her scrub top soaked in dark red. Blood had pooled beneath her, so much blood that it had started to dry around the edges where the wind had cooled it. Her pager blinked weakly in the dirt beside her, flashing with unanswered alerts.

“Oh god! Somebody help!” Dana yelled, her voice cracking as she sprinted the remaining distance. She dropped to her knees beside Y/N, her hands shaking as she checked for a pulse.

It was there—thready. Weak.

But there.

“Hang on, sweetheart. Hang the hell on,” Dana whispered, pulling her phone out with fumbling fingers.

She slammed her fist against the emergency call button near the entrance, and the alarm echoed inside. The ER doors burst open seconds later.

“She’s here!” Dana cried. “It’s Y/N! She’s been stabbed! Get a crash cart—now!”

The emergency doors burst open as a trauma team scrambled into the ambulance bay. Y/N was already on the gurney, Dana at her side, pressing gauze to her abdomen.

“BP 60 over palp! We’re losing her!”

Frank heard the shouting from halfway across the ER.

“Trauma code in bay two!”

Then he heard the name.

“Y/N.”

He was already moving, sprinting through the corridor like a man possessed. He shoved past techs, interns, anyone in his path.

“Make way!” someone shouted.

He turned the corner and stopped cold.

There she was.

Pale. Unconscious. Her blood soaking the sheets of the gurney. The paramedic was holding pressure to her abdomen. A nurse straddled her on the gurney doing compressions. Dana stood off to the side, her face streaked with tears.

Time slowed.

His ears rang.

“No…”

He surged forward.

“Frank -- stop!”

Dr. Robby appeared, physically blocking him as the trauma team wheeled her toward Trauma Two.

“Let me in! That’s my wife!” Frank shouted, his voice raw and cracking.

Robby grabbed him by the shoulders. “Frank—listen to me! You can’t go in there. You know you can’t!”

“I can help her! She’s dying—Rob, please—”

“You’re too close!” Robby shouted back. “You’ll make a mistake! Let us do this!”

Frank stood frozen as the doors slammed shut between him and Y/N.

He heard the words no doctor ever wants to hear.

“Get the paddles!”

“Clear!”

“She’s coding!”

He leaned against the wall, sliding down until he hit the floor, fists clenched in helpless fury.

Somewhere behind the trauma doors, they were fighting to save the love of his life.

And for the first time in his career, Frank Langdon couldn’t do a damn thing.

||

The ICU felt like a different world from The Pit. Here, the chaos dulled to a constant, rhythmic hum—ventilators sighing, monitors beeping steadily, a far-off intercom calling for someone who wasn’t going to answer anytime soon. It was colder here. Quieter. Too quiet.

Y/N lay motionless beneath crisp white sheets in Room 6. Machines surrounded her bed like silent sentinels—an IV tower hung with fluids and antibiotics, a central line dressing at her clavicle, a monitor displaying a sluggish heart rhythm, and a ventilator that rose and fell with an eerie mechanical breath.

Her face, usually so expressive and animated, was pale and still. The only color came from the bruises along her collarbone and the deep purple dressing taped across her abdomen—evidence of the emergency surgery that had saved her life.

Barely.

They’d told Frank she lost almost half her blood volume. That the knife had nicked her iliac artery. That she flatlined twice on the table. That it was a miracle she even made it to the ICU.

But none of that mattered now.

She hadn’t woken up.

Two days. Forty-eight agonizing hours.

Frank sat beside her, still in the same rumpled scrubs he’d worn since the night she was brought in. His white coat was draped over the back of the visitor’s chair, stained and wrinkled. His hands—usually so steady in the trauma bay—trembled slightly as he brushed a piece of hair from her forehead.

He hadn’t left her side.

He couldn’t.

A soft knock came at the door. He didn’t look up.

Dana stepped in quietly, holding two cups of coffee. She paused at the edge of the room, looking at the woman in the bed—her friend—and then at Frank.

“You look like hell,” she said gently.

Frank exhaled, but didn’t smile. “Thanks. Just what I needed to hear.”

Dana set the coffee down on the tray table. “She’s strong, Frank. Stronger than anyone I know.”

“She shouldn’t have been alone out there,” he whispered, voice raw. “She shouldn’t have gone out there by herself.”

Dana sat in the other chair, watching the rise and fall of Y/N’s chest beneath the blankets. “We all take breaks. That’s not on her. And it’s not on you.”

“I’m her husband,” he said quietly, his eyes never leaving Y/N’s face. “I’m supposed to protect her.”

Dana blinked hard. “You’re not Superman. None of us are.”

Frank didn’t answer.

They sat in silence for a long moment, the kind that only happens when grief and exhaustion weigh heavier than words. Eventually, Dana stood.

“I’ve got a shift starting downstairs,” she said. “Page me if anything changes.”

He nodded, barely perceptibly.

When she was gone, he took Y/N’s hand in his, carefully avoiding the IV line in her wrist. Her fingers were cold but pliant. Not lifeless. Just… sleeping.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You’re probably sick of hearing me talk to you. I don’t even know what day it is anymore. They say I should go home. Get some sleep. But I can’t. Not until you wake up. Not until I see those eyes again.”

His voice caught.

“I miss you. I keep thinking about stupid things, like how you always steal the last dumpling or leave your coffee half-finished. And the way you laugh when you’re too tired—like it slips out without your permission.”

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the back of her hand.

“I would trade places with you if I could. In a heartbeat.”

The monitor beeped steadily beside him. A nurse came in quietly to check vitals, adjusted a setting on the ventilator, then nodded and slipped out again without a word.

Frank closed his eyes.

“Come back to me, Y/N. Please.”

||

The silence was so complete, so constant, that Frank almost didn’t notice it when something shifted.

A tremor.

Not in the machines.

In her hand.

He opened his eyes slowly, sure it was a trick. But no. Her fingers twitched again. Slight, but deliberate.

He sat up sharply. “Y/N?”

The monitor picked it up a beat later—heart rate climbing, irregular but stronger.

Her eyelids fluttered.

“Y/N. Hey—hey, it’s me. I’m here. I’m right here.”

Her eyes cracked open just barely, unfocused and glassy. Her lips moved soundlessly.

Frank hit the call button like his life depended on it.

“She’s waking up!” he shouted, heart slamming in his chest. “She’s waking up!”

The nurse from earlier burst back in with another in tow, both rushing to her side. A doctor followed moments later. The ventilator hissed louder as they began to adjust her settings.

“Pupils reacting. Respiratory effort increasing. She’s coming out of it.”

Frank stepped back only when they made him. But he stayed in the room. Wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Y/N’s eyes drifted toward him. Not quite focused. But there was something there. Recognition.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered. “You came back.”

And she squeezed his hand.

||

Y/N was already awake when the first light filtered into the ICU room.

She hadn’t slept much. Her body still ached with a dull, bone-deep heaviness, and her dreams remained fragmented with flashes of blood, pain, the cold pavement of the ambulance bay… and Frank’s voice, calling out for her through it all.

But today wasn’t about that.

Today was about moving forward.

She was going home.

Slowly, she turned her head and looked around the room that had been both prison and sanctuary for the past two weeks. The IV pump next to her bed had fallen silent. The heart monitor still blinked lazily, a green line rising and falling with steady rhythm. The ventilator had been removed days ago—thank God—and her throat was no longer raw, just hoarse.

And there, in the recliner next to her bed, was Frank.

Sleeping.

If you could call it that. His posture was too stiff, one hand curled into a loose fist, the other resting on the side of her bed as if he couldn’t bear to let go even in unconsciousness. He hadn’t left her side. Not once. Every shift change, every sunrise, every IV bag swapped—he’d been there.

She reached out, her hand trembling slightly from residual weakness, and brushed her fingers over his knuckles.

“Frank.”

He stirred immediately, like her voice had sliced through whatever shallow dream he was caught in. His eyes flew open—still bloodshot from days of sleep deprivation—and landed on her.

“You’re awake,” he said softly, voice cracking as if speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile peace.

“I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to the place,” she whispered, a crooked half-smile forming.

Frank chuckled under his breath, half-relieved, half in awe. “You’re the only person I’ve ever met who gets sentimental about the ICU.”

“Only because I lived,” she replied.

The smile faltered for a second as the weight of that truth passed between them. She had come dangerously close—too close—to not surviving. And Frank had been the one forced to watch it all unfold.

He reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing gently just below her eye.

“I almost lost you,” he said, barely audible.

“But you didn’t,” she answered.

And that was all that mattered now.

Nurse Harper arrived with the discharge kit—paperwork, instructions, prescriptions, a light wheelchair, and a pair of hospital-issue grip socks that had somehow made it into Y/N’s collection of personal effects.

“You get to keep the socks,” Harper joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Best part of this entire experience,” Y/N deadpanned, her voice still raspy.

Frank helped her change slowly, his hands moving with reverent care, as if she might break from even the lightest pressure. He’d seen every inch of the damage—the surgical dressing on her abdomen, the fading bruises across her ribs, the angry red line where the chest tube had gone in.

But now he was dressing her in something soft and warm: a loose hoodie and sweatpants she had worn on call too many nights to count. A symbol of normalcy.

“Thank god I’m getting out of here before I hit a three-week ICU bill.” she muttered as he gently eased the hoodie over her shoulders.

Frank smiled but didn’t answer. He was too busy memorizing the curve of her smile.

Dana arrived with coffee and a ridiculous pink balloon that said “YOU DID IT!” in rainbow foil letters.

“I figured something sparkly was in order,” she said, setting it down at the foot of the bed.

Y/N laughed, then winced. “You’re trying to kill me all over again.”

Dana gave her a careful hug. “I still can’t believe it. You being here. Walking out. There were moments we didn’t think you’d make it.”

“I had good people,” Y/N said. “You. The team. Frank.”

Dana turned to Frank. “You should’ve seen him. Total menace to every intern and med student on shift. I think Robby almost sedated him.”

Frank shrugged. “I’d do it all again.”

The door opened again, and this time Dr. Robby himself entered. He looked uncomfortable, like the emotions he’d been suppressing for two weeks were threatening to break through. He carried her discharge summary, eyes darting to Frank and then back to Y/N.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat. “Vitals stable. Labs look good. You’re officially kicked out of the hospital.”

“Such warmth,” Y/N said with mock affection.

He handed her the paperwork, then added quietly, “You’re a fighter. I hope you know that.”

Y/N’s smile softened. “Thank you for keeping me alive.”

“Wait!” Y/N stopped him. “What about work?” She asked.

The entire room froze.

Dana choked on her coffee.

Frank’s head snapped around so fast Y/N half-worried he’d pull something.

Even Robby blinked.

“Excuse me?” Dana sputtered.

Frank leaned forward, gripping the back of the chair. “Y/N. You just woke up from a coma. Two weeks ago. You were nearly exsanguinated in a parking lot. Maybe take a beat?”

Robby crossed his arms, giving her a look that hovered somewhere between clinical concern and sheer disbelief. “You’re seriously asking about your next shift right now?”

Y/N shrugged, wincing slightly as her stitches pulled. “I just… I want to know what the path back looks like. I don’t want to sit around doing nothing. The longer I’m away from trauma, the more I feel like I’m forgetting how to do it.”

Dana leaned in, deadpan. “You forgot how to breathe on your own. Let’s maybe start with that.”

“I’m not saying next week,” Y/N said, a little sheepish now. “I just… I need a goal. Something to work toward.”

Frank crouched down beside her so they were eye level. “Hey. You’re not less of a doctor because you need time. Okay? You lived through something people don’t come back from. You’re not behind. You’re alive.”

That word hung heavy in the room.

Alive.

Y/N looked down at her hands, at the bruises fading on her wrists from countless IVs. She hated feeling weak. Hated feeling like a patient. But Frank was right.

Robby finally broke the silence, voice softer now. “We’ll start with outpatient follow-ups. PT. Maybe some consult work once you’re cleared. Low-intensity stuff. You won’t touch a trauma case until we all agree you’re ready. Mind and body.”

She nodded, subdued but still determined.

Dana sighed. “God help the next resident she precepts. They’re going to get a surgical evaluation and a motivational speech.”

Y/N smirked. “I’ll start charging by the hour.”

Robby handed over her discharge paperwork. “No shifts. No heroics. No ‘I feel fine, let me just assist on this one case’ nonsense. If I so much as hear you peeked into the ED, I will personally sedate you and send you back up here.”

Frank raised his hand. “I volunteer as the sedative delivery system.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth lifted.

She folded the paperwork across her lap and glanced between the three of them—her mentor, her best friend, and her husband. All of them looking at her like she was precious and maddening and slightly out of her mind.

“Okay, okay,” she relented. “I’ll behave.”

Dana snorted. “We’ll believe that when we see it.”

The air outside felt like another world. Clean. Brisk. Fresh in a way the ICU air never could be.

Y/N paused on the hospital steps, squinting into the light, her hand shading her eyes. She turned her head slowly and looked at Frank.

“You ready?” he asked, the car keys dangling loosely in his hand.

“No more hospitals,” she said.

“For a while,” he added.

“For a long while.”

He opened the passenger door, and she eased in with a quiet grunt of effort. He adjusted the seatbelt for her, checking three times to make sure it wouldn’t press against her surgical site. When he closed the door and circled to the driver’s side, he paused for a second, staring at the hospital behind them.

Then he climbed in, started the car, and reached for her hand.

Y/N laced her fingers through his.

They drove away slowly, the hospital growing smaller in the rearview mirror. The road ahead was long—and healing would take time—but they were together.

And that was enough.

[crabsnpersimmons]

i realize i never posted these boys

these are my boys for my restaurant AU: "Have You Eaten?"

the basic premise is this: Y/N works a stressful job where keeping up appearances is paramount. They often treat their clients to a meal at their favourite restaurant, run by the DCA boys—the nutrition-conscious chef Sun, the sweet and friendly chef Moon, and the charming front of house Eclipse. Y/N always orders something small and light so they can focus on talking with their client and maintaining appearances—nothing too large, nothing messy, nothing indulgent. Then after the meal, they walk their client to their car and they wait for their client to leave. Secretly, Y/N is a glutton. Once their client leaves, they hurry back to the restaurant, where their true meal is hot and ready for them.

Eclipse: Welcome back, Starlight! Ready for your second course?

Moon: Do you wanna skip straight to dessert? I tried a new recipe for donuts!

Sun: No. The hour is late, you should have something simple and adequately filling before bed.

Eclipse: Or... maybe you're interested in something "off the menu?"

they're a silly bunch (:

some other notes under the cut

the title is "Have You Eaten?" which is a common greeting in multiple languages. There's something warm about being greeted with this check-in to make sure you that have taken care of your body.

the restaurant is mostly based on a Hong Kong style cafe (a cha chaan teng) but the specials change often and often branch into other types of dishes and cuisines, because the boys like to experiment with new recipes.

Eclipse does have 4 arms, but he usually hides his second pair away because he's found it disturbed customers.

they can eat as an alternative method of recharging, and they can turn off their taste buds. Sun in particular has a bad habit of eating food scraps.

the DCA's relationship with each other is... complicated? They don't exactly like each other but are forced by their code to remain within a certain distance to each other. So they begrudgingly work and live together and cause trouble for each other's lives.

despite having separate bodies, their code forces them to stay within a certain radius (1515 feet, or the approximate distance between the 2 furthest points of the Mega Pizzaplex). They wear clip-on earrings to extend the range whenever they need extra space (usually Eclipse, hence why he has so many).

Eclipse is the oldest—he was built first for the theatre. Many years later, Eclipse was moved to the daycare to entertain children. But since they were short-staffed, Sun and Moon were built using Eclipse's code to help him at the daycare.

their pizzaplex was left to ruin and the three of them got out and were picked up by an old chef, who took them in and taught them everything he knows before leaving his restaurant to them and passing away.

i would like to write something for this AU. The main story still needs some work, but I have a lot of little drabble ideas that I might write. Or maybe it will be an AU full of drabbles. That's a possibility too. Although I would like to explore stories with other y/ns, like one who is a picky eater, one who has a lot of food allergies, etc.

also head's up: innuendos. innuendos everywhere. (most of which are Eclipse's fault)

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Unexpected Surprise

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Warnings: fluff

Summary: You up and leave your old life behind for a new job in a state you’ve never been to before. While on the plane, you meet a very interesting genius who has nothing but facts about almost everything. What you think is a cute date turns into something more when you see him at your new job.

Square Filled: "It's a success." for @mfbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3

x

Never did you think you would pack up your entire life just to move across the country for a job. Yet here you are. On a plane going to a state you’ve never been to before to start a job you never thought you’d get. You applied to be the technical analyst for the FBI after being the tech girlie for the LAPD. The job was so far out of reach so when you got the job, you almost shit your pants.

They wanted you to start right away so you had to pack up whatever you could and move out there immediately. For the next few weeks, you’ll be flying back to California to get the rest of your things. There is a cute little apartment you were lucky enough to find, so you were able to get some of your things shipped over there.

During the flight, you try to calm yourself with some relaxing music but your thoughts are too loud to silence. Instead, you take out your laptop and work on some code you’ve been dabbling in for the past few months. You can create a lot of code with your skills, but you decided to focus on hacking and digging in places you shouldn’t be.

Perfect for the FBI.

Two hours pass by while you’re creating a theme for a website when you notice it. Out of the corner of your eye, you see that your shoelace is untied. Your tray is down, your laptop and a snack rest upon it, and your bag is by your feet. It’s a fucking shoelace, Y/N. Ignore it. You try so hard for five minutes before you feel the urge to fix it. Maybe that’s why you’re so good at what you do. You pick at the details until what you’re left with is a pretty picture that’s easy to read.

Fixing your shoe is a need, not a want.

You keep shifting, hoping to get your foot closer to you so that you can tie your shoe, but to no avail.

“Do you need help?” You lift your eyes to look into honey-brown ones. The man on the aisle seat next to you has a kind smile on his face. “I can tie your shoe for you.”

“Why would you do that?” you ask without moving your foot.

The stranger holds up his phone which has a black screen. “My phone died, and I’m quite bored.”

“Okay,” you giggle.

You lift your foot and he rests it on his thigh. His long and nimble fingers grab both ends of your shoelace and start to tie it.

“No one quite knows the first time shoelaces were used to secure shoes. In fact, most reports indicate that shoelaces are as old as shoes themselves. Archaeologists believe that ancient peoples used shoelaces for the same reasons we currently use them, experimenting with materials to influence comfort, fit, and even style.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. They think that about five thousand years ago, during the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods, cavemen and women also used specific shoelace designs to distinguish between tribes. Most importantly, shoelaces kept early man’s shoes tight and fitted, accommodating their need to travel long distances for food, water, and shelter without causing severe damage to their feet.”

“You just know everything, don’t you?”

“I am a certified genius,” he grins.

“Is that so?”

“Quite. Did you know there are multiple ways to tie your shoe?”

“Please divulge that information,” you smile.

“First, you have the standard tie.” He ties your shoe using the most basic method that every adult knows how to do. “We have the famous ‘Bunny Ears’ way.” He unties your shoe just to tie it again using what children call ‘bunny ears’ since the loops look like ears. “Third, we have the better bow shoelace knot.” It’s like standard but he wraps the shoelace twice around his finger instead of once. “Finally, a classic, the double knot for extra security. See? It’s a success.”

“Who knew there were multiple ways to tie a shoe,” you smile.

“I did, and now so do you.”

“I’m Y/N.”

He smiles and sets your foot down. “Spencer Reid.”

“So, are you flying away from home or toward it?”

“Toward it. I was visiting my mom in Texas for a week. What about you?”

“Toward my new home. I’m from California, but I got a new job in Virginia. I’m kind of nervous about it. I’ve never done anything like it before.”

“What is it?”

“Tech work. I have a masters in computer science. I worked for the LAPD before, but I couldn’t pass up on this offer. I’m kind of nervous, to be honest. I’ve never even stepped foot in Virginia before. I don’t know anyone here.”

“You know me,” Spencer smiles kindly.

“That I do.”

The rest of the flight is smooth sailing once you and Spencer fall into easy conversation. You didn’t even know three hours had passed because he was that easy to talk to. Like the gentleman he is, he walks you to baggage claim and waits for you to get your bag even when he grabs his.

“When do you start your new job?” he asks.

“Monday.”

“I know this might be a bit forward, but I’d love to show you around Virginia if you’re not busy this weekend. I’m sure you have a lot of unpacking to do.”

“Not that much. Like I said before, this was sudden. All my things are still in California. I’ll be moving them in gradually for the next month or so. I can hang out tomorrow if you’d like.”

“It’s a date,” he smiles. His words suddenly register in his head and he starts stuttering and blushing. “Not like a date, date. I meant that I’ll see you tomorrow as in it’s confirmed.”

“Spencer, it’s okay. It can be a date,” you laugh.

“Okay,” he blushes more.

“You’re cute. I have to pick up my rental so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After exchanging phone numbers, you part ways. Your apartment is thirty minutes from the airport and already has the necessary furniture you had shipped over--bed, couch, dining table, and two chairs. The other things will come when you have time to bring them over. There are a few boxes you had shipped that contain kitchen and bathroom items so you don’t have to go out and buy all new things.

Before, you were nervous about starting this new job. Now, you’re nervous about your date with Spencer. He’s very cute and charming, but you don’t want to mess it up. Even if he isn’t boyfriend material, he definitely has the potential to be a really good friend. Look at you, already thinking about him as a boyfriend. You really are in over your head.

The next day, Spencer picks you up without a car. He likes using public transportation and refuses to even let you drive. You two started out in a cafe to get something to eat before he took you sightseeing around Virginia. There is a beautiful botanical garden here that is his favorite, so that’s where you two are.

“So, genius, have any facts or tidbits about this place?” you ask.

“The idea for this garden came from Thomas P. Thompson, Norfolk City Manager from 1935 to 1938, and Frederic Heutte, a young horticulturalist. Heutte had a fondness for azaleas and thought Hampton Roads had a climate uniquely suited for growing the plants. Thompson and Heutte believed that Norfolk could support an azalea garden to rival those of Charleston, SC, which even during the depression years drew thousands of tourists annually.”

“Wow, you’re just a fountain of knowledge.”

“That’s not all. Within less than a year, a section of underbrush had been cleared and readied for planting. By March of 1939, four thousand azaleas, two thousand rhododendrons, several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees, and one hundred bushels of daffodils had been planted.

“In August of 1939, Representative Colgate W. Darden Jr. secured an additional one hundred and thirty-eight thousand, five hundred and fifty-three dollars for the Azalea Garden, and the founding of the Old Dominion Horticultural Society provided volunteer labor to assist the Garden. By 1941, the Garden displayed nearly five thousand azaleas and seventy-five landscaped acres that were encompassed by five miles of walking trails.”

You don’t know Spencer well at all but hearing him spew facts like he has them stored in his brain for later brings a smile to your face.

“Well, they did a good job because this place looks beautiful.”

Spencer looks at you and smiles. “Yeah, it is.”

You and Spencer spend another hour walking around the garden while he tells you facts about the different flowers and plants. Afterward, he takes you to get ice cream before bringing you home. He walks up the porch steps leading to your apartment building, and you stop before you can open the door.

“Would you like to come in? I don’t have a lot of furniture, though.”

“I appreciate the offer, but no.” Before your shoulders can deflate, he quickly adds, “It’s not because I don’t want to. I do, but I want to do this right.”

“Right?” you ask.

Spencer smiles and he leans in closer to you. You stay completely still because you don’t want to mess this up. You don’t want to kiss him if that’s not his intention. He does kiss you but on your cheek. Even when he pulls away, you can still feel the skin he touches tingling.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Good luck on your first day.”

“Thanks,” you whisper.

“I’ll call you tomorrow to see how it’s going.”

With that, Spencer leaves. Thoughts of him swirl around in your head for the rest of the night, are embedded into your dreams, and even when you wake up. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You get dressed and drive to the BAU where you’ll be working. Their current technical analyst is leaving so she’ll be training you to take her place.

After signing in at the lobby and getting your badge, you make your way to the floor where the BAU is. Penelope Garcia is waiting for you outside of the bullpen, and she smiles when she sees you.

“Y/N, right?”

“Yes, you must be Penelope Garcia, right? It’s nice to meet you. So, you’re leaving the BAU?”

“Yes, sad story. I love this team but I got a better job opportunity to work overseas. However, I trust that you will be more than happy here. I know you’ll do a great job because I picked you, and I’m never wrong. Let me introduce you to Hotch and the team.”

She takes you to Agent Hotchner’s office who is stern but welcoming. “You’ll be shadowing Garcia for a couple of weeks.”

“Yes, sir,” you nod.

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll leave you in the trusty hands of Garcia.”

“Come on, let’s find the rest of the team.”

You meet JJ, Emily, Tara, Luke, and Matt, all of them friendly and welcoming. The last person on the team is someone you never thought would be here. Spencer turns with a coffee in hand, and his eyes widen when he sees you. Not out of shock, but pleasant surprise.

“Of course, you’d work here,” you chuckle.

“Do you two know each other?”

“Kind of. We met on the plane ride over here, and he showed me around Virginia over the weekend.”

“Look, I understand if you don’t want to see me again outside of being professional.”

Ever the gentleman, Spencer is. “Dr. Reid, are you sad about that?”

“Yes, I am. I like you, and I’d like to see you again.”

A blush creeps up your neck but you try to keep it at bay. “Well, you’re about to see a whole lot of me because I am not going anywhere.” You smirk. “I’ll see you around, Dr. Reid.”

You and Penelope walk off but you turn back and give him a flirty smile. He chuckles to himself and smiles as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“I can already see it. You two will become the next Me and Derek.”

“I have no idea what that means, but I hope it’s a good thing.”

“Oh, it’s a very good thing,” she giggles.

You can’t wait.

x

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[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

riddle and how he views his mother

Consider this a part 2 to this analysis! A while ago, I was asked "Why doesn't Riddle resent his mother?", which is the question that the original analysis answers.

Recently, Riddle's Night Sky's Chiffon vignettes were released into the world, and it contains a lot of interesting details that expand on how Riddle views his mother. I wanted to commentate on this new information and how it supports what I said in the original post.

The topic of mothers comes up in these vignettes. Deuce, who was talking about his own mom, quickly realizes that it's awkward to mention parents in front of Riddle, so he apologizes. To his surprise, Riddle is super chill about it and tells Deuce he doesn't really mind, so be at ease. And then Riddle states it outright, clear as day: "I'm grateful to my mother."

Deuce follows up with a comment to the effect of, "It looks like moms are strong in every family", to which Riddle actually agrees.

Riddle credits his mom for his ability to do many things in the present. For example, he took gymnastics classes so he was able to pull off the ballet in this event (one of the Princess in the Tower's required activities). He also learned social dancing, which comes in handy for formal events such as Ghost Marriage and Glorious Masquerade. Most notably, Riddle excels in academics--he is noted as being top of this grade multiple times, has prevented any students in Heartslabyul from dropping out, and is able to memorize 3 magic engineering/coding textbooks in only just a few minutes + helps to keep Malleus at bay in a recent main story update--something which no one else would be able to achieve. He's also able to cast powerful spells in quick succession as the result of his magical training from a young age. It can be argued, then, that despite Mrs. Rosehearts' methods, she did ultimately instill many useful skills in Riddle to set him up for success as a mage. He recognizes the value in that, and acknowledges her for it. There is always a part of Riddle that thinks he is a "better" person today because of his mother's discipline, even if he is just now starting to question her methodology.

He is disciplined and capable because of his upbringing--this cannot be denied. And Riddle can't find it in himself to resent his mother because of that. This woman raised him and taught him all these things because she genuinely believed this was what was "best" for him. How can he hate her for that? For just doing what she thought was her "best"?

I also want to point out how Riddle and his mother are shown to be "one and the same" in these vignettes. Later on, Riddle expresses that he wants to send out a mass email commanding all the Heartslabyul students to prepare at least 10 lanterns each to release in the night, or else there will be punishment awaiting them. He worries that the mobs won't be motivated to help without the threat of a punishment looming over them. Sure enough, when Trey and Cater pass on Riddle's order, the mobs complain and talk about how much nicer it is around Heartslabyul without the dorm leader breathing down their necks. However, the two third years then remind the mobs that while Riddle is strict, he HAS helped them. He provides test notes, edits essays, and hosts study sessions for his dorm members. The mobs eventually realize they need Riddle around, so they end up pitching in and getting those lanterns.

THIS IS PARALLELING MRS. ROSEHEARTS. Like his mother, Riddle is very strict with those under his care--but it comes from a place of his "love", from wanting to see them succeed. And, like Riddle is with his mom, the mobs cannot detach themselves entirely from their dorm leader. I know that book 1 primarily paints Riddle adopting his mother's attitude as a toxic thing (and it is, when it gets out of control)--but with moderation, it also has its useful applications, as we see in these vignettes.

Now let's not get it twisted; none of this erases the absurd restrictions imposed on Riddle, her intense rage, or the child neglect/abuse committed. What I am saying is that she is a person too, not a blob of all things bad in the world. She deserves grace and to have her positives acknowledged too--and this naturally feeds into Riddle's complicated feelings about her, especially now that he sees her bad sides... something he never really faced before.

Riddle's vignettes end on a hopeful note, though I don't know if the characters themselves realize the implications of it. The final scene takes place with the lantern-filled sky, and Deuce wondering why the Princess in the Tower grew her hair out so long to begin with. Was she planning to escape all along? But Jack explains that the witch that kidnapped her wanted the Princess to grow her hair long. The Princess in the Tower obeyed this wish, even though maintaining such long hair is a hassle. To this, Deuce comments that she really must have seen the witch as her mother. Riddle then says that no matter how precious the hair was, it's still cumbersome. "She can't even walk like this." AND THEN RIDDLE JUST CASUALLY SLICES HIS HAIR OFF, NO HESTIATION... ONE CHOP. Deuce panics because the ends look ugly, but Riddle simply replies there's no need to worry, "I do not need long hair anymore."

DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THAT MEANS???????? ? ??? ? ????? Long hair is the symbol of Rapunzel's oppression. It is something she maintains because her oppressor, Gothel, told her to. But long hair is also what ultimately frees her from the tower. The same is true of Riddle. He largely does what he is told to by his mother, believing that she is always correct. Riddle almost doesn't leave the library (despite the long hair being an easy way out) because "I've decided. Never again." He's so close to locking himself up in that metaphorical tower and not allowing himself out for fear of incurring her wrath for disobeying. And in the end, Riddle is still able to leave that tower. He so easily slices his long hair, something which prevents the Princess--HIM--from walking. But in severing that thread, CUTTING THE HAIR, he is freeing himself and finding a way to walk independently.

Maybe Riddle can't do it today (as he so clearly still respects his mother and all that she has done for him)... maybe not tomorrow, either... but someday. Someday...!! Someday, Riddle will be able to "cut his long hair" and walk on his own 😭 and then his life will truly "begin"... Why this nuanced writing get shoved into a vignette and not in the Wish Lantern event story itself, I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND--

[mariasont]

theory and practice

a teasing conversation ensues when you boldly suggest becoming rossi’s fourth wife.

pairing: dave rossi x reader warnings: fem!reader, flirty reader, flirty rossi, power dynamics perhaps? rossi thinking of moral complexities of a relationship etc etc, probably an age gap? it's not explicitly mentioned but home boy is old as dirt prompt: here wc: 0.6k

Rossi tries to focus on the article in front of him, but he can practically feel your eyes burning holes in his cheek. He almost snorts. You’re not even subtle about it. He wonders idly, if you’ve blinked yet.

“You know, if you stare any harder, you’re going to hurt yourself, bella. What exactly do you need from me?”

You tip your floppy head back slightly, resting your chin on your hand and giving him a blatantly flirtatious once-over. “Tell me honestly. Do I have what it takes to be Mrs. Rossi number four, or should I keep working on it?”

At this point, Rossi doesn’t even blink. You’ve made it somewhat of your personal mission to charm him into an early grave ever since day one at the BAU. Your methods are disarmingly cunning, subtle enough to pass unnoticed by less discerning observers, yet transparent to him in their seductive intent. 

There was that memorably orchestrated coffee delivery — leaning forward with an excessive grace, making sure his peripheral vision had an unobstructed view down your blouse. Or the occasion you casually suggested a shared hotel room on a stakeout, ostensibly to save departmental funds.

Honestly, your relentless pursuit of his accelerated cardiovascular decline would almost be flattering — if it weren’t so damn effective.

Rossi gives you a slow, contemplative look, barely masking the amusement tugging at his lips. “Well, I have to warn you it’s a notoriously rigorous screening process. Think multiple rounds of very thorough interviews, background checks, and extensive compatibility testing. You might want to clear your schedule.”

Adjusting your position to sit up straighter, your arms press your chest together, the angle leaving little to his imagination. Rossi’s eyes are thankfully hidden, but he knows you know what he’s looking at. 

“I’m fully committed, Rossi. Hit me with your best shot. I promise, I can handle it.”

Rossi snorts softly, folding his newspaper and setting it aside. The sports section can wait — something he rarely admits, but this is far more interesting.

He gives you his undivided attention, leaning back comfortably.

“Alright. First question. Exactly how many FBI dress-code violations do you intend to commit on a daily basis?”

“Well, how many does it take before you feel obligated to reprimand me personally? I’ll aim for one more than that.”

He exhales slowly. “Ambitious, aren’t we?”

“You have no idea. But feel free to find out.” Your grin widens as you trail a fingertip casually along the rim of your sunglasses. “I’m even more ambitious up close.”

He allows himself a momentary consideration of the tantalizing hypothetical you’ve so generously presented. He wonders how you’d truly respond if, just once, he abandoned his better judgment and actually called your bluff.

You’re lucky, really, that he’s a man who still maintains a stubborn adherence to decency. That years spent navigating the ethical complexities of this job have given him ample reason to value his own carefully upheld morals.

Without said deeply embedded moral compass, however, he’s rather certain neither one of you would emerge unscathed.

“As enticing as I find your enthusiasm, perhaps its best to keep your ambitions strictly theoretical. For now.”

Rossi barely has time to appreciate the fluid grace with which you rise from your lounge chair before you lean in close, eyes level with his own. His breath stills subtly as your lips touch his cheek. 

“Every great idea begins as just a theory,” you say. “Remember that.”

He watches with reluctant open approval as you walk back toward the house. Settling back into his chair, Rossi resigns himself to the knowledge that his professional and personal resolve will continue to be rigorously tested.

Perhaps retirement would have been a safer choice. Still, he allows himself a moment of indulgent appreciation as you disappear inside. After all, even the strongest moral fortitude deserves a brief lapse into harmless admiration now and again.

join me at the beach for my 1 year/4k event!

day 5 extras

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[nihilityuniverse]

𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 | 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐱 𝐅𝐄𝐌! 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 ᴏꜰ ᴛᴇʏᴠᴀᴛ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘀.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

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Story inspired by Acheron's Lore, Power, and Personality...

ENG is not my First language

I do not own Genshin Impact or any of the pictures used.

Do NOT Repost

Story also available on WattPad: Chapter 0 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

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Chapter 0 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏

𝐀 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐨

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Eight members of the Harbingers had gathered in the palace-like church. Inside, the air was so frigid that the nation's flags began to freeze, crackling under the intense cold. No candles lit the space; only the ethereal glow of the polar lights streaming through the stained-glass windows provided illumination.

A petite woman with long hair, her eyes concealed behind a delicate white lace mask, hums a familiar lullaby from her deceased friend as she leans against a casket. Her voice echoes softly in the frozen stillness.

The eight other Harbingers watched her from a distance, each wearing a similar coat of identical design. By order of Her Royal Highness Tsaritsa, all Harbingers were required to attend the funeral, even the elusive 0th Harbinger.

The 0th Harbinger, code name: Innamorati — The Lovers;

A figure shrouded in mystery and danger, Innamorati remained an enigma even to her fellow Harbingers.

Known only by whispers and rumors, she was a being crafted by the Cryo Archon herself, a weapon designed to challenge the Celestial Gods. Hidden away for years, her existence was the subject of much speculation.

Some Harbingers were indifferent, focusing solely on the success of their plans, while others were intensely curious. Pierro, the Director of the Fatui, claimed to know nothing about her, adding to her mystique.

Rumors abounded: some said Innamorati would annihilate anyone who crossed her path; others believed she had perished decades ago, her legend merely a shadow from the past.

What they all knew for certain was that Innamorati had a notorious reputation for forgetting critical missions assigned by Tsaritsa herself. This unreliability made her both feared and ridiculed within their ranks.

"We are gathered here today to remember our dear comrade," an old dwarf with a long nose and mustache solemnly broke the deafening silence. "In honor of her sacrifice, all work shall halt for half a day as the nation mourns her passing."

"Hehe, merely half a day...?" Pantalone laughed coldly, crossing his hands in front of his chest with a mocking smile. "People say the Northland Bank's true currencies are blood and tears... But mayor, even speaking as a banker, that sounds a little unconscionable."

"Rosalyne died in a foreign land," Arlecchino stepped forward, her crimson red X-cross pupils glowing dangerously bright with annoyance. "But you heartless businessmen and dignitaries always find a convenient excuse to remain in the comfort of your homeland..." She frowned. "You couldn't hope to understand, so why don't you keep your mouth shut?! We don't want to make the children cry."

"Hey, c'mon now, even I don't think this is the right time or place for a fight," Childe chipped in, lazily sitting on one of the wooden benches.

"Utterly risible!" Sandrone mocked, and the machine behind her emitted an audible angry sound.

"Though her methods tarnished her honor, Lohefalter's sacrifice is a great pity. Her loss shall not hinder our progress," Capitano's deep voice resonated through the entire palace, catching everyone's attention.

He turned towards the Doctor, his face hidden behind a dark veil. "But Dottore... What of Scaramouche and the Gnosis from Inazuma?"

Dottore smiled, twirling a tube filled with blue liquid between his fingers. "Conventional wisdom holds that Divine Knowledge cannot be rationally comprehended. After conquering the Divine Gaze, he will make his next move."

The heavy, frozen church door creaked open, allowing the bitter winter air to sweep inside. Everyone turned their gaze towards it, even Columbina, who had paused her humming. 

A woman, clad in a coat of the same design as theirs, stepped into the church, holding a red paper umbrella. The door closed behind her with a resounding bang. The click of her heels on the marble floor echoed through the hall, a stark contrast to the silence that had filled the room.

Her face remained obscured by shadows, yet every person in the room knew instinctively that she was not someone to be trifled with. 

The sense of her power and presence was palpable, a mutual understanding among them all. To cross her would be to invite disaster.

This was Innamorati, the 0th Harbinger, a figure shrouded in mystery and danger, whose very presence commanded respect and fear.

As she advanced, the air seemed to grow even colder, the weight of her presence adding to the already frigid atmosphere. Each step she took resonated with authority, and the silence in the room deepened, a silent acknowledgment of her status among them.

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Finally, you found your way to the place where the funeral was to be held. You hadn't thought you would make it in time, given the ferocity of the snowstorm that had nearly obscured your path and made the journey treacherous.

Your heels clicked sharply with each step as you approached the group of people gathered at the center, where the casket lay. You set your red paper umbrella on one of the wooden benches, the action deliberate and unhurried. 

As the shadow over your face disappeared, the polar light from the stained-glass windows illuminated your features.

With the shadow gone, the collective breath of the eight Harbingers halted involuntarily.

Your beauty was striking: peach-colored, plump lips; long, dark eyelashes framing eyes that seemed to hold the very essence of winter. Your skin was pale and flawless, with a cold radiance that mirrored the icy surroundings. Your presence was both ethereal and commanding, a juxtaposition of delicate grace and chilling power.

You stopped a few steps before the group of Harbingers—your comrades—and looked up at them. 

"0th Harbinger, Innamorati... That is what they call me. You may call me whatever you wish," you introduced yourself, your voice ethereal and soft, yet so cold and lifeless it sent shivers down their spines. "This must be the first time we meet."

"You are quite late, Lord Innamorati," Pulcinella, the old dwarf, addressed you with a mix of respect and caution.

After all, The top-ranked Harbingers, from rank 1 to No. 3, possess powers that can rival the gods. So what about No. 0? Could she surpass the powers of the gods? Or even be greater?

You let out an annoyed sigh. "All the snow-covered streets look the same, and the blizzard did not make navigating to this gathering any easier."

Pantalone chuckled, turning towards you with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"If I had known, I would have taken you with me in my carriage, Lady Innamorati. Alas, I am left to wonder why there were no escorts ready for you. I thought I had ordered the highest-ranked Skirmishers for your protection." His voice was dangerously smooth, laden with speculation, hinting at the rumors of you annihilating anyone who crossed your path.

Before you could respond, Childe interjected from the side. "Huh? The oh-so-feared Innamorati getting lost in a mere snowstorm? This is truly a sight to behold." His tone dripped with mockery. 

"Were you also getting lost on the way to your missions?" His voice carried an angry undertone, bitterness seeping through his words. 

He had often been the one to hurriedly take on your missions at the last minute, running from one nation to another like a lackey. The mission to obtain the Geo Archon's Gnosis had been assigned to you, not him, nor the now-deceased Signora. In the end, he had faced severe repercussions after the Northland Bank had to pay heavy reparations.

If gazes could kill, Childe would have been long dead under Pantalone's icy stare. Though his slight smile remained, his eyes closed behind his glasses, he radiated a murderous aura. He longed to hear your voice again and to capture your attention. Such a rare opportunity shouldn't be wasted.

"Insolent child! How dare you—!" Sandrone hissed at Childe, her anger palpable. She, too, feared inciting your wrath. If Childe weren't a fellow Harbinger, Sandrone would have killed him long ago for destroying her ruin guard factory.

"It's time to end tonight's foolish theatrics." 

A deep, husky voice resonated through the church, cutting through the cold silence like a blade.

The man stepped forward from the shadows, his right side concealed by a dark mask. It was Pierro, the Director of the Fatui, and his presence commanded instant respect.

His voice, cold and demanding, echoed with authority as he advanced towards the casket.

"Right now, you have no captive audience," he said, his gaze sweeping over the assembled Harbingers and guests, silently commanding them to gather and pay heed.

You stood on the opposite side of Pierro, your own presence a stark contrast to his imposing figure.

"Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice, and let this nation endure for all time," Pierro intoned, his voice carrying the weight of solemn duty.

The assembly lowered their heads in reverence, eyes closing as he delivered the farewell speech. Your hand drifted absently towards your Divine Key, a subconscious gesture.

"In the name of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa," Pierro continued, his voice imbued with a steely resolve, "we will seize authority from the gods."

After several minutes of mournful meditation, Pierro broke the silence and left the building, his movements purposeful and commanding.

The others followed in silent procession, a testament to their respect and shared grief. You took your red paper umbrella, closing your eyes briefly before stepping into the freezing, snow-covered landscape.

"Absolute peace."

As you all departed, the church behind you began to freeze over, layers of crystal ice encasing it under the unyielding winter sky, which shimmered with the ethereal glow of the aurora.

"Such is the gift from the Tsaritsa, such is Her Majesty's benevolence," Pierro declared, his voice carrying a chilling reverence as he halted and gazed up at the celestial lights.

"Now you rest in this coffin, encased in layer upon layer of ice. But, Rosalyne, I promise you..."

"Your final resting place will be the entirety of the Old World," Pierro's voice echoed through the night sky, his farewell imbued with a cold resolve that matched the frozen land around you.

As you watched the polar light dancing across the vast darkness of the sky, a thought surfaced in your mind. You had never known this person, but you had made a promise to someone...

You halted in your steps and glanced back at the frozen church.

Some tasks have to be done, even if they seem pointless.

Amidst the snow, you caught a glimpse of shadowy hands emerging from the icy landscape, reaching out towards the sky one by one, as if seeking transcendence. As you blinked, everything returned to normal.

"Another Memory..."

"Lady Innamorati, is something the matter?" Pierro's voice broke through your reverie as he noticed you staring back at the frozen church.

"...meaningless," you whispered to yourself, yet the faint wind carried your words to Pierro. 

"Pardon?" Pierro asked again, this time capturing the attention of some of the other Harbingers, especially Dottore. The Doctor, ever curious, considered whether you might make an intriguing subject for his experiments.

"It's nothing. Continue without me. I wish to be alone," you ordered, your voice light as silk yet cold as ice. Pierro nodded, casting one last glance at you before leaving. 

Dottore lingered a moment longer, watching you with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. As he did, the falling snow seemed to halt and move backward, defying the natural order.

"Existence is fleeting as the dawn's dew," your voice echoed in a dimension separate from the real world, where time had ceased.

Dottore's breath caught as he watched you, disbelief etched across his features. His analytical mind struggled to comprehend the anomaly unfolding before him.

"Yet, I guide the wandering souls on the still waters of oblivion..."

The dimension around you cracked like glass, shattering as you began to walk towards the church.

"...and weep for the departed."

A powerful gust of wind struck Dottore, and in that moment, he perceived everything yet nothing. The world seemed meaningless and empty. He felt his body ascending, his soul slipping away...

"Don't look back..." Your ethereal voice called to him, a beacon of light in the encroaching darkness.

He felt a pull from behind, "Move forward," you whispered. In the next instant, he stood where Pierro had asked if you were alright moments before.

Dottore's breath hitched, his cold heart pounding faster than ever. This was neither a dream nor an illusion. He knew this with certainty. What had just happened? The question echoed in his mind, a mystery as deep as the winter night itself.

One thing was certain: he had unmistakably felt the presence of the Almighty One—the Divine Creator.

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Reblog if you like this story

[babyarmywrites]

真夜中のドア - kim seungmin

Synopsys: Everyone told you they loved you—except the one who mattered most. But when words finally fail, love finds another way to speak.

Word count: 4,1k

Genre: fluff, slight angst, but happy ending

Warnings: none

You didn’t think you’d end up here—not really. Not at a company this big, not coordinating stages for a group as high-profile as Stray Kids. You’d started with small freelance gigs in college—community plays, university idol groups, indie concerts in cramped basements with fog machines that barely worked. But you were good. Fast. Quiet. Reliable. The type of person who knew how to get ten things done without asking twice. You didn’t try to charm your way into rooms. You just worked your way into them.

JYP had called you after a rushed recommendation from someone on the production team of a survival show you helped coordinate. You were supposed to be a temporary fill-in. One showcase. One comeback stage. And yet, somehow, you stayed.

It wasn’t glamorous. It was lugging cables before sunrise and running through camera blockings during lunch breaks. But you liked the chaos. The adrenaline. The rhythm of fixing problems before anyone else even noticed them.

That’s how you met Seungmin. Or—how he started noticing you.

At first, you barely interacted. You were all business: headset on, clipboard in hand, mic assignments color-coded and memorized. Seungmin didn’t say much either. Just a polite nod here and there when your paths crossed in rehearsal spaces or backstage.

But it changed during a rehearsal for an end-of-year special.

One of the junior staff dropped the wrong music cue—twice. The rest of the team scattered to fix it, but you were already crouched behind the console, rewiring the audio jack and muttering into your mic. You didn’t notice Seungmin watching from the side until the song started clean, without a hitch.

Later that day, you passed by him in the hallway. He paused. Just long enough to say, “You saved that rehearsal, you know.”

You blinked. “Just doing my job.”

He nodded slowly. “Still. Thank you.”

You didn’t think much of it. But he did.

After that, it kept happening. Little moments. He’d offer you a drink when you stayed late. Ask about the work no one else noticed. Mention your name when thanking staff after a shoot. He’d linger in conversations a little longer than necessary. Ask for your opinion during stage reviews. Smile more when you were around. You weren’t loud. You didn’t chase attention. But you were there, holding the chaos together. And somewhere along the way, Seungmin stopped looking past you like everyone else had. He started looking for you instead.

It doesn’t happen all at once. Seungmin’s always been the type to notice the small things — the way someone stirs their coffee before drinking, the way staff tie their shoelaces before a stage. He’s observant by nature. Methodical. Practical. It’s what makes him so steady under pressure. But with you, he starts noticing things he doesn’t have a reason to.

Like how you hum quietly under your breath when checking lighting cues, a habit so consistent he begins to recognize which checklist you’re running through based on the melody. Or how you tug on the sleeves of your hoodie when you're stressed, trying not to show it. He catches himself smiling when he hears your voice through the comms, even if you’re just calling out, “Group B, standby.”

Then one day, something small shifts.

You’re both reviewing the stage rundown for an upcoming music show — the group’s set is stacked, and the transition time between songs is tight. You sit cross-legged on the floor of the rehearsal room, laptop balanced on one knee, scribbling notes in the margins of your clipboard. Seungmin sits across from you, sipping from a protein drink, eyes drifting over your concentrated expression.

“You’re always this prepared?” he asks lightly, more curious than teasing.

You glance up, a bit surprised he’s talking. “Someone has to be. You guys don’t make it easy.”

He smirks. “Fair.”

There’s a moment of silence, but it’s comfortable. Familiar.

“You ever do something completely out of your comfort zone?” he asks suddenly, eyes not leaving yours.

You blink. “Why?”

“No reason,” he says quickly. “Just wondering.”

But that night, as he lies awake in bed, he thinks about how asking you to dinner would be out of his comfort zone. Not because he doesn’t want to — but because it would make this real. And real is terrifying. Still, the thought lingers.

A week later, after a particularly brutal day of rehearsals, you’re sitting on a bench just outside the studio building, sipping canned coffee and scrolling through lighting corrections.

Seungmin finds you there. He sits beside you without saying a word at first.

“Long day?” he finally asks.

You nod without looking up. “Stage four had a flickering LED panel, and the fog machine almost killed our mic levels, but… other than that, totally smooth.”

He laughs, a sound you’ve grown to love. He’s quiet for a beat, then says, “Hey.”

You glance over. “Yeah?”

“I was thinking…” He hesitates, lips parting like the words might float away before he catches them. “Do you want to grab dinner sometime?”

You blink, a bit caught off guard. “Just the two of us?”

He nods slowly. “Yeah. I mean—if that’s okay. I figured… we spend so much time working, maybe it’d be nice to just… not work. For a bit.”

You smile, heart doing something traitorous in your chest. “That sounds nice.”

He exhales — half relief, half disbelief. “Okay. Cool. I’ll… I’ll text you.”

You bump your shoulder lightly into his. “Don’t forget the emoji.”

He grins. “Not a chance.”

And when he walks away that night, fingers twitching at his phone like he can’t wait to type something ridiculous, Seungmin feels something strange bubbling under his skin. Not panic. Not uncertainty. Just… anticipation.

Because maybe this is out of his comfort zone. But maybe that’s exactly where you are.

Your first dinner together isn’t what you’d call romantic — at least, not by the usual standards.

There’s no candlelight, no nervous flirting, no dramatic confessions. Just a small, cozy restaurant tucked into a quiet side street. Seungmin picked the place himself, promising the kimchi jjigae was the best in the city — and he wasn’t wrong. You sit across from each other in a booth, steam rising from your bowls, and somehow the conversation flows with surprising ease.

You talk about everything and nothing: awkward rehearsal moments, your mutual hate for faulty headset mics, the time a stage light exploded mid-performance and Seungmin didn’t even flinch.

He makes you laugh — really laugh — more than once. And beneath his usual composed, dry exterior, you catch glimpses of something softer, something that only shows when he’s around you. Meanwhile, Seungmin watches you quietly, like he’s seeing you clearly for the first time, wondering how he ever thought you were just part of the background.

When he walks you back to your building that night, hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets, there’s a pause at the front steps.

“Thanks for tonight,” you say, half-smiling.

He nods. “I liked it.”

You’re not sure what you expect next — maybe a hug, maybe a goodbye — but instead, he says, “Wanna do it again sometime?”

You nod. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

From there, it’s a slow evolution. Neither of you announces it, labels it, or tries to define what it is. But suddenly, Seungmin starts waiting for you after rehearsals. He saves a spot for you at lunch. He learns how you take your coffee and always shows up with it before show call. His playlist changes — softer songs, more warmth.

You stop pretending you don’t notice the way his eyes follow you across the room, how his hand lingers just a second longer on your back when he walks past, or how his lips twitch up when you say something only he finds funny.

The others start catching on quickly.

Han nudges you during mic check one day and whispers, “When’s the wedding?”

Felix just grins knowingly. Hyunjin raises a teasing brow every time Seungmin’s voice softens around you. Even Minho, ever the observer, once walks past and mutters, “You’re doomed,” to Seungmin with a smirk.

But Seungmin doesn’t care. He’s not the loudest about it — he never will be — but he starts showing you in a hundred little ways: in the packed dinners he brings to late rehearsals, the forehead kisses he sneaks when no one’s looking, the way his messages always end with “Get home safe.”

Eventually, during one of those quiet moments, curled up together backstage after a long week, he turns to you and says, so simply:

“I think I’ve been yours for a while now.”

And just like that, you know.

This wasn’t loud. This wasn’t sudden. But this? This was love.

Over the next couple of weeks, without a grand gesture or without an elaborate conversation on where you two stand relationship-wise, it becomes clearer and clearer that you two are, in fact, a couple.

You feel it from small gestures. In his attentiveness, that seems to be exclusive to you.

You step into the rehearsal room just as Seungmin and the others are wrapping up their practice. The moment he spots you, his face lights up in a way that makes your heart skip. As you walk over, he subtly brushes his hand along your lower back, guiding you gently through the cluster of people. You barely notice the casualness of the touch, but others around you exchange knowing smiles.

Later, when you sit side by side on the couch, his fingers find yours, intertwining just briefly before he lets go, as if holding your hand too openly would be too much for now. Still, the warmth lingers.

During a break, you catch him watching you from across the room. His eyes are soft, full of care, but he quickly looks away when you meet his gaze. Only you understand what that silent glance means.

Later, you find a small note tucked on the side of your water bottle — a simple "Good luck today!" scrawled in his handwriting. You smile, feeling the comfort of his thoughtfulness.

He leans in close, whispering a teasing nickname only you know, making you laugh until you nearly fall over. It’s in that moment, your laughter echoing between you, that he squeezes your hand and you realize: you’re his, and he’s yours.

When the day cools down, Seungmin takes off his hoodie and gently drapes it over your shoulders, his fingers lingering for a heartbeat before he pulls back, shy but proud.

Finally, as you stand together waiting for the others to finish, he leans in just a little closer, the space between you narrowing naturally — a quiet promise, louder than words.

Doomsday comes a few weeks later. You’re sitting across from Seungmin, the small café around you humming softly with quiet conversations and clinking cups. He’s telling one of those goofy stories — the kind only he can pull off, full of awkward mishaps and exaggerated expressions.

You can’t help but smile as he talks about the time he accidentally wore two different shoes to practice. And then, just as he’s about to demonstrate his “fashion disaster,” he trips over an imaginary obstacle and nearly knocks over his coffee. You burst out laughing, the kind of laugh that feels like it’s been waiting to escape all day. It bubbles up from deep inside and catches you off guard. When you finally catch your breath, the words come tumbling out, almost like a surprise to yourself:

“I love you.”

Seungmin freezes, eyebrows rising in surprise, his smile faltering for a brief moment. You stare at him, suddenly embarrassed and wishing you could take it back. But then, instead of saying anything, he just grins that quiet, warm smile you’ve come to know so well. He reaches over, lightly bumps your shoulder with his own, and says softly, “You’re something else.”

That little gesture feels like a promise — a gentle acknowledgment that, even if he’s not ready to say the words yet, he feels the same.

In that quiet, shared space, you realize something: love doesn’t always need to be spoken. Sometimes, it’s carried in the small things—the pauses, the touches, the way someone holds you like you matter most.

Maybe, just maybe, that’s enough for now.

Confession No. 1 - Han Jisung

Han slides into the room where you’re working, headphones hanging around his neck, fingers nervously drumming on the table.

“Hey, can I steal you for a sec?” he asks, trying to sound casual but failing spectacularly.

You look up, curious. “Sure, what’s up?”

He pulls out his laptop and opens the remix project for Super Bowl. “Okay, so here’s the deal—I’m totally stuck. My brain is fried, and this remix needs to slap, but I just can’t get it right.”

You grin. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

As you dive in, tweaking beats and layering sounds, Han watches you with a goofy smile. “I swear, you’re magic. Honestly, if I didn’t have my amazing girlfriend—the world’s best PR manager, by the way—I’d be on my knees for you.”

He smirks, clearly proud of that. “But seriously, you and Seungmin? You’re good for him. Like, really good. I’m happy he’s got you.”

You smile, pleasantly surprised.

Then, Han freezes for a second, cheeks reddening. “Uh, so, I just want to say... I love you.”

You blink, caught off guard.

“No, no!” he blurts out quickly. “Not like that! I mean—platonic love! Like, I love your skills, your brain, your patience with me being a mess.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “Only you could make a platonic love confession sound so confusing but endearing.”

Han grins, relief washing over his face. “Yeah, that’s me. But seriously, thanks for helping me out. This remix’s gonna be fire.”

You exchange a smile, the music between you somehow feeling even better now — like the beat of a friendship that’s growing stronger every day.

Confession No.2 - Lee Know

The rehearsal studio buzzes with the usual energy, but you notice Lee Know standing off to the side, his brow furrowed and fingers tapping nervously against his thigh. The stage layout had been changed last minute, and you can tell it’s throwing him off—he’s worried the choreography won’t come together right.

You catch his eye and head over, holding a water bottle. “Hey, you look like you need this more than anyone right now.”

He accepts it gratefully, taking a few sips before letting out a shaky breath. “Thanks. This last-minute switch… it’s messing with the flow. I’m worried the moves won’t translate the way they’re supposed to.”

You smile gently, trying to ease his tension. “You’re one of the best dancers I know. The moves might change, but your skill doesn’t. The energy you bring? That’s what counts.”

Lee Know looks at you, eyes softening. “You’re right. I’m just... stressed, you know?”

You nod. “Totally understandable. But you’ve got this—and we’ve all got your back.”

For a moment, there’s silence, then Lee Know glances down at the water bottle in his hand and mutters, almost under his breath, “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I love you.”

You blink, surprised, but before you can respond, he shrugs, flushes a bit, and quickly adds, “Not like that, obviously. Just… you’re one of us now. You’re a good person.”

And just like that, he turns on his heel and disappears back into rehearsal like it never happened, leaving you smiling quietly to yourself, warmed by the unspoken trust.

Confession No.3 - Changbin

You step into the practice room balancing a tray with coffee cups, hoping the caffeine boost will lift their spirits during the long rehearsal. Changbin immediately zeroes in on you, snatching a cup like it’s a lifeline.

“See? This is why I love you!” he declares, clutching his chest with mock drama. “You get the assignment right every time.”

You can’t help but laugh, shaking your head at his antics. He leans in, voice dropping to something softer, more sincere. “Seriously though. You’re amazing. I hope he tells you soon. You deserve to hear those three little words.”

His words catch in your throat. The truth is, you’ve been waiting—patiently, hopefully—for Seungmin to say it. But a week has passed, and the silence has started to sting. The fact that the boys know about your inner turmoil makes it a hundred times worse.

Changbin’s teasing cheerfulness fades when he catches the look in your eyes. “Hey, don’t let it get to you. Sometimes people show love differently. You just gotta give him time.”

Just then, Seungmin walks in behind Changbin, catching the last part of the conversation. He pauses, watching you with a softness that speaks volumes, but he doesn’t say the words himself.

Instead, he quietly places a hand on your shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.

You look up, searching his face for a sign, but all you see is a tender hesitation.

As he steps away, your smile falters. You clutch your coffee a little tighter, the warmth not quite reaching your heart.

Confession No. 4 - Felix

Felix’s kitchen smells like cinnamon and vanilla, soft lo-fi music buzzing from a speaker near the windowsill. You’re elbow-deep in flour and laughter, icing cupcakes with reckless abandon while he watches you with that signature sunshine smile.

“Seungmin told me you’ve been a little… distant lately,” Felix says gently, placing a tray of cookies into the oven.

Your hands pause mid-swipe of frosting. “I’m not trying to be. It’s just—hard, I guess. Waiting.”

Felix nods, pulling off his oven mittens and leaning on the counter beside you. “He’s scared, you know. Seungmin’s not the type to fall easily. But when he does? He falls hard. And when someone gets close, he holds on with everything he has.” His voice is soft, but certain. “He’s not good with words like that. But he’s trying. I know he is.”

Your throat tightens, and before you can stop yourself, the tears come.

“I know he loves me, I can feel it in the way he acts, the way he looks at me,” you whisper, voice cracking. “I just… I need to hear it. Words matter to me. They always have.”

Felix reaches for a tissue and hands it to you wordlessly, letting you cry without making it feel dramatic. He then embraces you, whispering "We all love you" into your ear, reminding you how much you mean to their group. Not just Seungmin. Then, as if on cue, the front door creaks open.

You freeze.

Seungmin’s voice calls out casually from the hallway, “Felix? I left my charger—”

And then he sees you—eyes red, shoulders trembling, face turning away.

You don’t give him a chance to say anything. You’re out the door before he can take a step closer, leaving the smell of cookies and unspoken feelings behind.

Confession No.5 - Bang Chan

You’ve never felt quite this heavy leaving work. The rehearsal schedules were brutal today, and Seungmin barely looked at you during the debrief. Not out of malice, but distance—a carefully placed wall you can’t seem to get through anymore. You told him you loved him. Weeks ago. And he still hasn’t said it back.

You hear footsteps catching up behind you in the parking lot, and you already know who it is before he says anything.

“Hey,” Bang Chan says, offering a warm smile as he falls into step beside you. “I figured I’d walk you out.”

You smile back, but it doesn’t reach your eyes.

He doesn’t say anything at first, letting the silence settle gently between you. When you reach your car, he leans against the door and folds his arms across his chest, looking up at the night sky like he’s thinking through a thousand words before choosing the right ones.

“You’ve become… really important to us,” he says at last. “To all of us. But especially to Seungmin.”

You blink, not expecting him to go there so directly.

“He’s scared,” Chan continues, gaze steady now. “Scared because what he feels for you is big. Bigger than anything he’s felt before. And Seungmin isn’t used to that. He’s not the type to say ‘I love you’ lightly. He’s the type to mean it so much, it paralyzes him.”

You exhale slowly, pressing your fingers to your temple. “I’m not asking him to be someone he’s not. I just—needed something. Anything. To know we’re not just… stuck.”

Bang Chan’s voice softens. “You’re not stuck. You’re building something. And I know it’s not easy when you speak different love languages. But trust me—he hears you. He sees you. And he loves you, even if he hasn’t said it yet.”

You don’t realize your eyes are watering until he pulls you into a quick, reassuring hug—the kind that feels like family.

“We all love you, by the way,” he murmurs. “Even if that guy is being his typical emotionally constipated self. And if he somehow messes this up…” He pulls back and grins. “We’re keeping you anyway.”

That makes you laugh, even through your tears. A small sound. A spark of something hopeful.

+1 Confession No. 6 - Seungmin

Seungmin had always thought love was supposed to be quiet. Comfortable. Easy. Something that slides into your life unnoticed and stays without needing much from you. He’d seen it in his parents, in a few of his friends, in books and movies where the feelings were loud, but the foundation was steady.

But then there was you.

And suddenly, love wasn’t quiet.

It was terrifying. A loud, messy thing that threatened to unravel all the careful walls he’d built for himself.

At first, he told himself it was fine—more than fine. You made him laugh like no one else. You were good to him. You were good for him. But then came the weight of it: the way you looked at him like he hung the stars, the way you said “I love you” like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And he couldn’t say it back.

Not because he didn’t feel it—but because he did. Too much. Too deeply. Too dangerously.

He couldn’t sleep tonight, even though his body ached from the day’s schedule. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the sound of Felix’s soft snoring doing nothing to quiet the noise in his head.

You had cried in Felix’s kitchen. He heard it. He saw it. And when you ran past him, your shoulders curled in on yourself, he felt his entire world shatter a little more.

You weren’t drifting away from him. He was pushing you.

All because of fear.

Fear of what being with him would do to you—an idol’s life wasn’t designed for softness. For midnight phone calls, or spontaneous weekend trips, or even the comfort of privacy. Loving him meant carrying the weight of shadows, secrets, scrutiny. It meant living with uncertainty and restraint.

And yet, what scared him more than all that… Was the idea of losing you.

So he gets up. Puts on a hoodie. Slips out of the dorm into the quiet night air. His heart hammers against his ribs the entire cab ride to your apartment, his thoughts spiraling in every direction.

What if you’re asleep? What if it’s too late? What if you don’t want to see him?

But when the elevator dings and he finds himself outside your door, his fingers hesitate only a second before he knocks.

You open the door seconds later, wrapped in a loose sweater, your eyes wide with confusion and a soft thread of worry. “Seungmin?”

He doesn’t speak at first. He just steps inside, gently closing the door behind him. And when he turns to face you, his breath catches.

You look like safety.

And he’s never needed it more.

“I’m sorry,” he says first, voice hoarse. “I should’ve come sooner. I should’ve said it sooner.”

You blink at him, uncertain. “Said what?”

He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself. “I’m not good with words. Which is stupid, because they’re literally my job. But when it comes to you, I never know how to say what I’m feeling without sounding like a complete idiot.”

Your lips part to respond, but he holds up a hand, trying to keep the dam from breaking too soon.

“I didn’t say it back that night,” he continues, stepping closer, “not because I didn’t mean it. But because I meant it too much. And I was scared. Scared that I’d ruin you. That being with me would make your life harder, lonelier, more complicated.”

Your breath hitches.

“But the truth is,” he whispers, voice cracking, “you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And it kills me that I made you feel unwanted or unloved, when the truth is—I’ve been in love with you for a long time. I just didn’t know how to say it without breaking something.”

He laughs, but it’s shaky, and his eyes are glassy now. “Turns out I broke something anyway.”

Tears stream down your cheeks before you even realize it, and you reach for him without hesitation, curling your hands into the fabric of his hoodie. “You didn’t break anything,” you say softly. “I just needed to know I wasn’t loving you alone.”

He cradles your face in his hands like you’re the most delicate thing in the world, his own tears finally falling. “You’re not. Not even close.”

The kiss that follows is slow, aching, desperate. It’s the culmination of all the words he couldn’t say until now—the soft tremble of his lips on yours, the way his hands hold you like a promise. You melt into each other, your tears mixing, but neither of you pull away.

You just breathe, together.

Wrapped in the warmth of a love that took its time—but arrived all the same.