#thank you Zane for being normal

[daisyblog]

Zane Lowe

Our Story Masterlist Summary: YN is mentioned in Harry’s interview with Zane Lowe.

Based on this request.

“Nice nails” Zane compliments Harry who’s sitting in the seat opposite.

“Thanks” Harry politely replies as he glances down at his turquoise nails sitting on his lap. “Thanks for having me”.

After discussing Pleasing and he loved the idea of It, Zane asked “What made you want to do that?”.

“I think for me like…a big part of it is…like I really like making stuff and I really like..kind of coming up with ideas and collaborating with other…especially YN who again is very creative…I feel like I’m really lucky with people around me both personally and professionally that I get to work with are really fun to work with and…you know working’s like my favourite thing to do so..based on the fact that I think obviously it begins as a hobby so then like getting to make stuff for work I feel like is a real gift. I think if I didn’t think about it too much I would be making music and putting out music constantly…but I’m also aware that I’m a total control freak and I want everything to be perfect..so the idea of like oh I made these four songs I’m just going to put out an EP…It’s just not how I think of it”.

---

“You're faced with a time when you can’t do that…and the great leveller of like it doesn’t matter how much money you have, doesn’t matter where you live, doesn’t matter this doesn’t matter that…you can’t travel you can’t do this, you can’t go outside your house..It’s like suddenly you’re forced to not be this musician guy, you’re forced to be like a boyfriend, brother and a son…and all of those things..and actually I feel like I..you know kind of had a little bit of a chance to focus on that at least for a moment..umm and just stop and kind of take in a lot of stuff and…remember things, you’re kind of gifted this stolen time” Harry explained his view on the world pandemic.

“You mentioned being all these roles…you mentioned being a boyfriend, what was it like during these times?” Zane quizzed. “Because I imagine you got a taste of what it’s like being a “normal” couple”.

Twisting and playing with his rings on his fingers, Harry explains “Umm…YN has always been my comfort you know and I’d like to think I’m hers too…she’s been a big part of my life and…we’ve been through so much tougher…that it was kind of nice to just stop and take that in.” Zane nodded, an indication for Harry to continue “So when the pandemic hit..we isolated in LA for a while..I saw it as a time for us to be just us…but YN did find it hard because she has such a big family…and umm she just wanted to be closer to them…especially her grandparents and siblings”.

“Yeah I can imagine that being hard..being so far away” Zane sympathised “I don’t mean to pry into your personal life but what do you mean by time for just you two?”

“Like..we’ve never known anything other than travelling..or just being surrounded by other people and just having to plan everything in so much detail..to like not be seen you know…so we kind of got to see what a normal like would be like, whatever a normal life is..if that makes sense?”. 

“Yeah it makes total sense”. Zane agreed and could see that Harry craved a little normality in his personal life. 

“I suppose..I’m just like really lucky..because YN just gets it. She got put into the limelight the same as us..you know..so yeah she just gets it and I’m just so lucky” Harry continued with a slight giggle as he repeated how lucky he was. “I think what I’m trying to say is…I hit gold when it came to YN…she really is my best friend too and yeah…it was nice to be just a couple without the added pressures.”. 

---

“We have to acknowledge this because..you know we at one point we were going to this in the United Kingdom”. Harry nodded in agreement “But there’s something wonderful about being in this afterglow of Palm Springs..which is I'm sure is how you feel a little bit after these two amazing headline shows…you seem so chilled you know” Zane laughed but continue “There must have been a relief that you did it?”.

“I just..you know I knew I was going to put something out…whether it’s a show or an album or a song I want it to be perfect..and umm…I think like that’s why I take so much stress on I think around something like Coachella..cause I feel like I want it to be good..like if it’s not going to be good I’d rather not do it..so you know in that kind of setting, no matter what it is kind of…you know the dust or the wind or however many things, it's like so many things can go wrong in that situation..and it's not your show and it's my first festival so…you know I’m kind of going out to the crowd and I like knowing what I’m stepping out to” Harry rambled with a nervous chuckle at the end.

Harry continued “and that was really terrifying”.

“What was your instinct when they asked you to do it?” Zane interrupted.

“That’s too scary and I’m gonna say no” Harry laughed “But..uh YN was like you need to say yes and was just so encouraging and supportive..you know…plus she’s like my biggest fan so of course she wanted me to do it!”. 

“So..would you say YN helps with the nerves?” Zane asked curiously.

“I was so nervous..like so nervous..and I remember YN being on facetime to Louis before the show..and them both saying just to be myself and to enjoy…and when I was out there I just focused on being me and nothing else”. Harry spoke freely. “Their advice definitely helped…’cause I had the best time!”. 

“Late Night Talking?” Zane stated.

Harry let out a shy chuckle “Uhh…yeah” Harry leans his head on his hand to try and hide is cheeky smile “It’s about YN…well I don’t think it’s a shock to anyone”.

“So…would you say the whole album is about YN?” Zane asked confidently.

“Uhh..most of it..yeah pretty much” Harry smiled “She’s just been a constant in my life..since like we were what..sixteen or seventeen..you know..she’s my life..and I don’t have to pretend to be anyone other than myself around her you know…it’s just easy and I love that about our relationship.” Harry explained.

---

“Matilda really shows emotional intelligence and how you were thinking about someone at that time.”. Zane begins to talk about the middle song on Harry’s album. 

“Uh…yeah…I actually didn’t write Matilda”. Harry revealed, causing Zane to looked shocked. “YN had this conversation with someone…and she was getting to know them…and they opened up to her and she was like that’s not normal…so she was almost like writing down what she wanted to say to them…and I was like how many people could relate to this you know…and we agreed that it would make a beautiful song for those who needed to hear it”.

“Waw! It holds a real powerful message and I think even if people don’t feel those things…I think it definitely makes them feel something.”. Zane spoke with passion in his voice. 

“It definitely does….and it was just about saying I was listening….that was YN’s purpose to it”. 

---

“Boyfriends” Zane began “It is a great song..It’s from a male perspective, it’s a very knowing song..and It’s a very self-aware song..you have to have some self-awareness to write from that perspective surely”.

Harry answered immediately “Yeah for sure…Boyfriends was written right at the end of Fine Line” Harry explained “Boyfriends is about like…we’re all flawed you know..and I think pretending like we’re not, I just don’t get it..It’s acknowledging my own behaviour, it’s looking at the behaviour I’ve witnessed..I grew up with a sister so it’s like watching her date people and watching friends…but at the same time admitting I’ve not been a perfect boyfriend either”.

---

“Love of My Life..I’d always wanted to write a song about like home and loving England…and all of that kind of stuff..and it’s kind of hard to do that you know”

“So Love of Love My Life is about home and England?” Zane asked with a slight smirk on his face.

“As I started making them album…I realised it wasn’t about the kind of geographical location…it was more of an internal thing” Harry tried to hide his bashful smile by rubbing his finger under his nose.

“Do I see Harry Styles blushing?” Zane began to tease Harry.

Harry lets out a loud chuckle and tries to hide his face in his hands “You know..I’ll admit that I blush sometimes…especially when it comes to YN!”. 

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[seospicybin]

TOO HOT TO HANDLE.

PART IV

Seungmin x reader. (s)

Too Hot To Handle Masterlist

Synopsis: You and Seungmin become contestants in a reality dating show, Too Hot To Handle. (8,5k words)

Author's note: Enjoy the last part and let me know what you think about it :)

Even though you've been given the space that you asked for from Seungmin, being on your own makes you feel a little empty inside. Maybe you're so used to having him around and even when you're not in the same room, you know you can always find him nearby.

But this... having this much space doesn't help you find the answer. If anything, you find yourself unable to think or come close to a decision.

You're deep in your thoughts when Zane steps in, finding you lounging on the sun chair next to the cabana.

"Hi," he softly greets with a warm smile.

You return the smile, "Hi."

He comes closer and then sits on the end of the lounger, "How are you doing?"

You fold your hands in front of you and just say whatever is in your head, "I'm doing good," you reply with a normal answer.

Zane nods with his smile that doesn't wear off even for a second as he stares at your face.

"You have a nice smile," you compliment, "A nice, bright smile."

One compliment and he gets flustered already which you find very endearing.

"That's very nice of you. Thank you!" He says with a smile that grows bigger on his face.

He hesitantly places his hand on your knee and rubs his thumb on the skin that's warm from basking under the sun for some time.

"Are you comfortable with me?" He suddenly asks.

"Surprisingly yeah, I do feel comfortable," you honestly answer.

He slides his hand down to your shin, touching you as he speaks, "If you're comfortable with me... just know that my arms are open for you," he says.

Zane is not shy to be very open which is unlike most men you've met who chose to play it cool and have a superiority complex.

"My head is..." you pause to inhale air, "it's a mess right now."

He bobs his head, intently listening to you with his hand constantly rubbing up and down your shin.

"My attention has been shifted," you tell him.

He licks his lower lip and hesitantly asks, "To me?"

"To you, yeah," you confirm with a nod.

"With you, it's just... I don't know how to explain it. I just want to know you," you vaguely answer, unable to crack the need in your head into words.

"Probably because I offer a lot different than most of the men here," he says, sliding his hand down to wrap his hand around your ankle.

He squints as he looks at the sun then looks back at you with an intense stare into your eyes, "Fairly speaking, you haven't had a chance to learn about me," he says.

That's true. Things could have gone differently if Zane came before Seungmin and it's only fair if you give him the same chance you've given to Seungmin.

"Tell me something about yourself then," you let him have his chance.

Zane thinks for a moment for a piece of himself he wants to share with you.

"I grew up without a father so it's been just me and my mom.. all my life," he openly shares.

You didn't expect him to share a very personal thing about himself but you appreciate him for that.

"That's crazy because I went through the same thing too. My father walked out on me when I was five," you share back.

It's even crazier that you open up to him more than you intend to but maybe that proves a connection is there.

"I can relate to that cause I know the pain and that's something you and I could connect on a whole different level," Zane says, finding something in common with you that would help both of you to bond.

Zane rests his hand on your knee again and deeply looks into your eyes.

"I don't want you to think that I'm just my looks. There's far more than what you see," He adds with his smile disappearing from his face only to show you how earnest he is about his words. For now, you decide to take his words into account to see if there's a connection between you and him.

-

YOU: I'm getting to know Zane better but the fact that I care about Seungmin is making the whole situation even harder for me.

-

Something keeps tugging on your chest and as you go about your day, it keeps weighing you down and down, making it harder for you to breathe. You take advantage of the empty dressing room just to be with yourself but being alone with your own thoughts is not it either.

Someone walks into the room and your head turns to see who it is.

Vale makes his way to sit on the chair next to yours which is the one Adriana usually used to sit. He only smiles at you and does not say anything until he knows you accept his presence well.

"How are you?" Vale asks.

"I'm not doing good," you honestly say with a sad smile on.

Vale thinly smiles and rests both hands on the armrest of the chair.

"So... where are you at with Seungmin and Zane and all of your men?" He playfully asks as he leans back on the chair.

If there's someone you can safely share your deepest thoughts with it's with Vale so you let yourself open and pour all your worries to him to see if he can help you make up your mind. You pull your legs up and hug them as you sit facing him on your chair, "I feel bad to say it but I want to get to know Zane," you answer.

"Is it because he's hot?" He asks with a low laugh.

You chuckle at that, "Well, that's like ... my old tendency," you playfully respond.

"It was fun and game at first then I realized that there could be something deeper than that. That's one of the reasons why I am drawn to Zane," you explain as best as you can about the dilemma you're going through right now.

Vale does his thing of rubbing his beard as he talks, "What are you going to do now?"

You shake your head, feeling even more confused whenever someone asks you that.

"I honestly don't know," you honestly answer, "but I am leaning towards Zane at this moment."

You throw your head back and stare at the ceiling as you let yourself be completely open and bare.

"I don't know it's the connection that I have with Zane and that we could be a potential match or..." You rake your hair to the back and sigh, "I'm running from Seungmin."

It's not hard to know what Vale thinks, there's a big chance that he thinks it's the latter but the only one who knows what you truly feel is yourself, no one doesn't know how confusing it is for you. Your head feels like it's about to explode from all the thinking that it's taking a toll on you and tears are forming in your eyes as you stare at the void.

"I don't know what to do," you mutter with a quivering voice.

Vale grabs your hand and holds it tight, letting you know that you're not alone and you have his back.

"I don't want to give you unsolicited advice or preaching you but do you want to hear what I think?" He politely asks.

You nod with tears already pooling on the corner of your eyes and you quickly dab it with the heel of your hand.

Vale leans forward and looks at you as he utters his thoughts at you, "I think it would be unfortunate to see your abandonment or trust issues get in the way of your connection," he says.

However, Vale decides to not force his thought on you, he places his other hand on you, sandwiching your hand between his.

"You have a big decision to make because if you choose Zane then you'll lose Seungmin," Vale simplifies things for you.

You're aware of the things you could've gained and lost if you choose one over another because apparently, you can't have it all and the world sucks like that.

-

YOU: This is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make [exhales air]

-

The amount of make-up you put on wouldn't be enough to cover what you truly feel underneath. Your head is close to short-circuiting from thinking day in and day out, trying to find the answers to everything. However, Zane always finds you there, sitting alone, and uses it as a chance to make a move on you. You don't mind at all, you need all the distraction you need but more importantly, some assurances from him.

"What's up?" He asks, taking a seat opposite you.

You stay quiet and assess yourself to find an answer to his simple question.

"There's like... a whirlwind in my head," you answer a few minutes too late.

He looks a little concerned by your answer, "Yeah?"

"I just need to know if this," your hand gestures to him and you, "this connection is real."

Zane understands what you're actually asking him. He leans forward with his elbows planted against his knees, "I think you're beautiful. I think you're sweet. I like your personality, your attitude, I like you as a whole person."

You smile and nod at his compliments, letting him finish with what he has to say to you.

"I think you might be the one," he confidently says.

And that takes you aback. You know that he's not the type to hesitate talking his thoughts out loud but that's just blew you away.

"Do I make you nervous?" He asks with a shy smile.

You stifle a nod.

"There's no one else in this villa that I'm attracted to like that," he adds.

You're not yet able to wrap your head around the fact that Zane is a sweet guy which is the opposite of what he looks like. But you need more than just his good intentions.

"I need to know if there's something there," you tell him.

"There's something there. No doubt," he says with so much faith in his words.

You can't tell if he wants to impress you or if he has that much faith in you two, you can only chuckle and admire his confidence.

"I would love it if we share a bed tonight," His confidence fades a little as he asks you that.

"You know, just to explore our connection," he immediately adds, not wanting to give you the wrong ideas.

Well, that has been your intention all along, to find out if this connection is real or not. However, it's not going to be easy when you have someone's feelings to consider.

"I'll think about it," you tell him.

-

YOU: If I don't explore things with Zane, then I'll never know if it was a real connection. On the other hand, I really do like Seungmin and I care a lot about him so what am I supposed to do? [Cries] Fuck!

-

Seungmin is giving you the space you need so he has no idea where things stand between you and Zane or how far you have known each other but he's hoping to hear something from you.

The day almost ends when you finally come up to him and ask, "Can I talk to you?"

Seungmin doesn't want to expect because he doesn't want to be disappointed but he can't help hoping to hear good news from you soon. He follows you to the dressing room and sits on the chairs next to each other. A couple of minutes have passed and you haven't started talking yet.

He looks at you and puts on a smile, "You know you can talk to me."

You return the smile with a sad one and lay your hands flat on your thighs, "You know that I like you and I don't feel what I feel for you for anyone else," you begin.

By you saying that, he guesses that you have something unpleasant to tell him afterward so he prepares himself for the worst.

"Yes," he nods.

"But I... I'm going to sleep with Zane tonight," you say in one breath, not wanting to have to repeat those words to him.

Seungmin always thinks no matter what the situation is he can be mature and handle it well but this hurts. He manages to stay calm but his heart shatters, it's certainly not what he hoped to hear from you.

"I do care about you and that's why I'm telling you this," you say with a trembling breath.

"Okay," he casually responds because that's what his brain can compute at the moment.

You look down at your hands on your lap and sniffle, "I hope you understand that I don't want to walk out of here and wonder 'what if?' I need to see how it goes," you explain.

He understands your good intentions in telling him about this but he can't help it, it's painful to know that you choose someone else over him.

"Thank you for telling me," he calmly says without showing how disappointed he is about this.

You let a moment pass to let everything sink in and then ask, "What do you think?"

Well, what do you think? Seungmin has no other choice but to tell you how he truly feels.

"It's fucking sucks," he bitterly says, letting his anger erupts for a split second.

"I told you I feel something for you that I've never felt with anyone else. I want you in my bed," he utters everything he wants but not getting from you.

He holds the armrest of the chair so hard his knuckle turns white, he quietly inhales air to calm himself down and then continues talking.

"But if you feel like that is your chance at happiness then that's something that I have to give to you," he concludes.

In the end, everyone wants to be happy even though he has to be the one not getting his own happiness, he's willing to do that for you.

"I don't know if this is my chance at happiness, I still need to figure it out," you say with another sniffle.

He can't believe that the first time he feels a sense of love toward someone like this it would hurt this much which only makes him realize how genuine and tremendous his feelings for you.

-

SEUNGMIN: People say that if you love someone, you set them free and that's what I'm doing here.

-

In his profession, this is what they call a curveball. It's something difficult and unpleasant to deal with, one that he can't hit away because he didn't see it coming in the first place.

"Aren't you going to bed?" You lowly ask.

Seungmin stares at the void instead of looking at you, "I just need a minute," he says.

You take it as a sign to leave, you rise from your chair and head for the doorway. You stop on the way out to look over your shoulder to say, "Goodnight."

Without looking, Seungmin answers back, "Goodnight."

When he's finally alone in the room, he leans back on his chair and stares at the ceiling as his heart breaks into smithereens.

There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Seungmin can only try to put on a brave face but he's struggling so hard when he sees you on the bed with someone else.

"Oh, no," he can hear someone quietly mutter when he steps into the bedroom.

Everyone can see what is going on in the room, how he walks to his bed with his soul feeling like it has left his body and it's merely just the vessel.

He has to share it with the new girl by default and worse is, the bed is right next to yours and he can hear the low chatter between you and Zane.

"Do you like cuddling?"

"I am, yeah."

"That's just perfect."

Seungmin lays on his bed trying to shut the world and into his head, reminding himself of what kind of person he is, it's a shame that it doesn't work out with you so it's time to give his time to someone who truly acknowledges his worth.

At the end of the day, Seungmin is relieved that he stands his ground and that he will never be the person who has to persuade someone to be with him.

-

SEUNGMIN: I really like her but this seems like the end for us.

-

The morning comes and you feel like waking up in an alternate universe. There's nothing wrong with Zane, he's a great guy and you like sharing a bed with him. This feels nice but feels wrong at the same time and you don't know how that happens. He smiles when he notices you're already awake, turning to the side to face you so he can look at your face.

"I can get used to this," he says with a foolish grin on his face.

There's no denying that he likes you and you can see that from the way he treats you, and how he makes you feel comfortable around him but instead of feeling assured, you feel more befuddled.

The lights are on and everyone starts to wake up as well, sleepy faces and all. You refuse to see the bed next to you because you know how that'll make you feel.

"How's everyone sleep?" Elliott asks around while half yawning.

"Good," Jeff shortly replies.

The others give various answers but they're mostly positive then when it comes to Seungmin, you immediately shrink in your bed.

"I didn't sleep at all," He answers.

Everyone knows the reason why but they choose not to meddle further into his business and Lana comes just in time.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, Lana!" Zane excitedly responds, putting his hand on you.

"As we approach the end of the retreat, it is time for our more established couples to start looking towards the future and how their relationships might progress in the outside world," she announces.

You don't know where you stand right now because your head feels like it's been splitting in so many ways, you don't know where you are anymore.

"For those of you who are struggling to commit to a single emotional connection, it is time to focus your energy and make a choice."

Welp, that's you. Lana specifically says that to you and you shrink further in your bed, tempted to hide under the cover like a fucking loser.

"Please consider this today as you do not have long left."

It's like Lana doesn't care about how much pressure she just adds onto you.

"Goodbye," she finishes with a grim farewell.

-

YOU: Waking up next to Zane feels good but I feel guilty about Seungmin and it only confuses me so much more than before.

-

The day has just started but it seems like it won't get any better. Vale comes into the dressing room while the girls are still doing their makeup, knocking on someone's closet to get everyone's attention.

"Can you guys gather in the cabana in 10 minutes?"

"Wh–what is it?" Adriana asks in confusion with only one fake eyelash on.

"Is it Lana?" You ask, carefully sipping your coffee.

"Just come to the cabana," he says, skipping on explaining why everyone has to come.

You decide to do your eye makeup later and apply mascara so your eyes won't look tired, not forgetting to put on a tinted lip balm before heading to the cabana with the girls.

The rest are already waiting in there and you guess it must be Lana, you start to get nervous that your time to make a decision has come.

"Which one of you guys broke the rules?" Tom asks.

"No one breaks any rules," Vale says with a chuckle.

Once everyone settles in their seats, Vale gets up and takes a stand in front of everyone. He puts his hands in front of him and then rubs them together.

"So guys, I have something to say here," he starts.

You look up at him because he's just that tall and listen to what he has to say.

He looks at everyone and continues, "My time here has been great."

"No..." Elliott softly gasp.

You don't want to assume but you know what it's about and you don't want to hear it. Everyone seems to get to where he's heading with this conversation.

"No, no!" Adriana exclaims in denial.

Vale sadly chuckles at her reaction and continues talking, "But it's time for me to go."

Everything becomes a blur with tears clouding your eyes and when you close them, you feel tears roll down both of your cheeks, hot and wet, full of sadness.

"It's just what's best and I'm not sad about it, honestly, guys," Vale's voice is trembling in places.

You keep closing your eyes even though you know you can't avoid the reality but it helps you from breaking down.

"I've learned a lot. I made friendships and got to know a group of amazing people here," Vale keeps going with his speech.

You hear sniffles and groans around you, guess you're not the only one brokenhearted by this sudden exit.

"In order for me to progress and get to the next level of personal growth, I would've needed to make an emotional connection, and that—" Vale has to pause to get ahold of his emotions.

"I didn't find that here so uh—" he can't even finish his words without getting emotional.

Vale knows what he wants but he can't find it here so he decides to take himself out of the equation to find it somewhere else and you know Vale will find it, he will because he deserves everything in life if not more.

"It's important that you guys know that it's been amazing here. The best part of this is this," he gestures to everyone in the room, "you guys."

Vale has been nothing but a positive energy in the villa, his kindness and his gentle presence are one of a kind and everyone acknowledges that his exit would make a hole in their hearts.

Tom is holding back his tears to say something to him, "Thank you for being such a positive energy in here, man I– I'm genuinely upset that you leave," he says, choking on his words in the middle.

When it's your turn to bed a farewell, you hug him tightly and cry even harder into his chest. You know it's for the better but you just can't stop the tears from streaming down your face. You can't accept the fact that he leaves at a time when you need him the most.

"You'll figure it out," he mutters on the top of your head as he tenderly rubs your back.

-

YOU: He's like a big brother to me, he helps me become the person I've become so far I–I'm so devastated that he's leaving [cries]

-

You take a moment to process Vale's unexpected exit on your own in the bedroom. You get to make peace with it once you remind yourself that it's not the end of your friendship and you'll eventually meet again, one day in the outside world.

You see the bedroom door swing open and see Adriana come through it.

"Hey," she says while quietly closing the bedroom door behind her.

"Hey," you weakly reply, wiping your snotty nose.

She comes to your bed then sits cross-legged facing you, "Just want to check on you. Are you okay?"

You put on a thin smile and prop a pillow behind your head, "I'm okay," you answer.

She nods then takes the cushion into her lap, squeezing on it as she tries to check on your true condition, "How are things?"

It seems like she's no longer asking you about Vale, she asks you about the Zane-Seungmin question. Considering that you don't have much time, you're open to any advice at this point.

"I don't know what to feel. I'm so confused," you honestly answer.

"Do you... feel unfulfilled with Seungmin?" She carefully asks, not trying to offend you in any way.

"No," you immediately reply.

"It's just that when I look at Zane, it's just different from when I look at Seungmin but at the same time, I like Seungmin a lot."

Words can't even justify how you feel and how tangled your thoughts are inside your head.

"I see but do you see a deeper connection with Zane?"

You lightly shake your head, "I don't know."

You take a deep breath and not letting yourself get emotional this time, "I feel like I've been through this so many times because in the past every time a guy came by and caught my attention, I'd immediately jump ship," you share.

Adriana repeatedly nods while her hands are playing with the tassels on the cushion, "Is it because you're not ready for a deeper connection with Seungmin that you're scared?"

That question hits you right in the chest, you know the true answer to that, "I'm scared."

If you pursue Zane, do you think you're making the same mistake you did in the past?" She asks another hard-hitting question.

You can't find the answer to it, "I don't know."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," you desperately sigh.

"What is your heart telling you to do?"

You can't find the answer again, "I don't know."

Adriana nods again and tries to conclude what she gets from your answers. She reaches for your shoulder and gently rubs it.

"I think what you and Seungmin have is so beautiful. It'd be sad if you throw that away just because you're scared."

It's indeed beautiful and you don't know why you want to throw that away.

-

YOU: My head is... all over the place so I'm going to have to give myself some time alone to think.

-

Everyone in the dressing room is startled to hear the cone chimes. It startles you more that Lana calls for your name the first thing she comes online.

"Yes, Lana?" You answer with a groggy tone.

"Please, can I talk to you privately in the cabana?" Lana politely asks but it's not a question, it's a command.

"Right now?"

"Yes, immediately."

Everyone is giving you uneasy glances but you hurriedly finish your makeup, applying some colors to your cheek before heading to where Lana asks you to be. It feels strange to be there by yourself, you choose to sit in the middle of the sofa and face the cone.

Lana chimes once more and goes straight to business, "As you know, I'm here to help you make deeper, more meaningful connections. I can see you are struggling to commit to just one person."

You guess that Lana has given you the time to make a decision but it's the last chance she's going to give to you. You keep gulping air because you're not ready yet, your mind goes two different ways at once.

"With the retreat nearing an end, I'm offering you the opportunity to make a choice once and for all," Lana says.

You know it's going to end up with Lana taking matters into her own hands and you don't know if that's a good thing.

"You must choose only one to take on a date and in doing so, finally commit to one connection."

You ball your hands into fists on your lap, feeling a mix of feelings and your head is close to exploding.

"Oh, my god," you breathlessly gasp, "I don't know, Lana. I don't know."

Lana doesn't want to hear another excuse from you to avoid making decisions, "You have 15 minutes to make a decision."

Your heart palpation and you feel so stressed thinking about your choices and what's going to happen if you choose one over another.

As you delve deeper into your head and heart, you find yourself in a moment of clarity and realize that Zane is your comfort zone. The reason why you're drawn to him is because he offers something new but there's nothing deeper there.

On the other hand, Seungmin is out of your comfort zone because he actually takes you to new emotional places and you feel things more deeply with him hence why you're so scared.

Fifteen minutes pass in the blink of an eye and Lana asks you the final question, "Who do you choose to go on a date with you?"

There's a part of you that has to decide if you want to be this new person leaving this retreat. You look into yourself once again to find the answer and once you find it, you steadfastly answer, "I choose..."

-

YOU: This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make and I hope it's the right decision.

-

Even though he's angry, Seungmin so badly wants you to come back to him but he should bury that deep in his heart. You seem to have come to a decision and it's not him. Last night was the proof of it and that assures him that he shouldn't wait in uncertainty.

Now that there's nothing he can do more here, he considers leaving the retreat like Vale did but he has to hold that thought when the cone in the bedroom chimes and he's the only one there.

"Seungmin," Lana calls his name.

Seungmin fumbles to get up from his bed and sits on the edge of the bed, "Yes, Lana?"

"I have given her the chance to choose between you and Zane to go on a date," Lana informs.

Something warm floods his heart but he won't let it blossom until he knows for sure what he's about to hear is good news.

"She has chosen to go on a date with you," Lana continues.

He needs a moment to register that information into his brain but Lana is urging him to answer her next question.

"Seungmin, will you agree to attend?"

He should be happy to hear that you chose him but that also gives him an impression that you have a fickle mind and he's not sure if he wants to deal with that.

"I must press you for an answer," Lana urges him, "Will you attend?"

After everything that happened, Seungmin doesn't know if he wants to do this.

-

SEUNGMIN: If she chooses to come back to me, I don't know what I'm going to do but I want to hear what he has to say.

-

The date is located on the part of the villa Seungmin has never been to. He walks there dressed neatly for a date, a date that he didn't expect to happen under this kind of circumstance. He arrives there to see you sit with your back facing the entrance and not acknowledging his presence until he places his hand on your shoulder.

"Oh, my God!" You gasp to see him there.

You shoot up from your chair to exchange a quick hug with him and he can't lie, he misses the warmth of your body against him.

"I think we need to talk about this," he says as he lets go of the hug.

"Yes," you answer.

He takes the seat opposite you and places his hands under the table, ready to listen to what you have to say. But before that, he has something to say to you.

"Last night, when you told me you were going to sleep with Zane. It made me realize that I don't want to be away from you but I obviously don't want to force you to be with me," he starts.

These past few days have been overwhelming, draining him both physically and mentally, he doesn't want to go through the same thing, hanging in uncertainty and not knowing where you lead him.

"I've never felt this way to someone before but I can't do this if you're going to constantly have these doubts," he continues.

Seungmin places his hands on the table and stacks them together in front of him. It's time to ask you the question that he's sure you already have the answer to because why would he bother to be here if it wasn't for that?

"My question remains the same. What do you want?"

-

SEUNGMIN: I need her to communicate with me and be open and honest. Otherwise, I'm about to walk away forever.

-

For the last hour, you've been anxiously waiting whether he'd come or not to the point that your body shakes and your palms are sweating. Deep down, you know you deserve it if he chose to stand you up but Gosh, you can't imagine how devastated you would be.

Seungmin is here now and it's such a great relief, and now he demands the answer to his question: What do you want? Before you get to that, you owe him an apology for what you did. You swallow air before start speaking.

"The decision I made last night was very selfish and hurts you a lot. I'm sorry," you sincerely apologize.

Your body is shaking still but it's for a different reason, opening up yourself to someone is scary but you have to try. You grip the hem of your dress for something to hold on to.

"I know that I have a connection with you and I know that it's real. When I look at you, I get this feeling that I've never had before but I also don't understand it in a way," you utter your thoughts as best as you could.

Seungmin wants you to be open and that's what you're doing right now, you're ignoring how your chest hurts as you let your heart out.

"Trust me when I say I was really pushing myself to walk away from you because I am terrified," you bite back your tears and swallow them down to continue talking, "I am terrified because I felt like you are going to leave me at some point."

Seungmin has been getting nothing from you and accepting everything as it is when in fact you owe him an explanation of why you did what you did.

"It all goes back to when I was five when my father walked out on me and that made me think that I'm not worthy of love, that I'm not good enough."

The more you try to keep the lump in your throat the more it feels like it burns you like a hot coal. You let them spill, letting your tears flood your eyes and down your cheeks.

"I find myself doing this a lot in the past because I don't want to get hurt. I'm just trying to protect my heart," you barely made it to the end of the sentence without getting choked on your tears.

"That was an easy defense mechanism but I understand," Seungmin says.

His hand makes its way to you and not stopping until he finds your hand, he holds it tight in his. He smiles as he looks into your teary eyes.

"Thank you for opening up," he mutters.

"I've never done this before. I've never opened my heart to anyone, ever," you tell him with a trembling voice.

You quickly wipe your tears with the back of your hands even though they won't stop coming out of your eyes.

"I'm scared shitless right now," you admit with a dry chuckle.

He stares into your eyes with the warmth that you missed terribly much, giving you this instant sense of comfort you can't find anywhere else.

"I feel things and I don't know if it's love because I've never been in love before," you confess.

You bravely hold his gaze as you look into his eyes and in those eyes, you find the strength to finally give him your answer, "But I want to know what it is and I want to do it with you.”-

-

YOU: It was scary but I'm glad I'm taking that step and I want this, I want to explore this to the fullest with him.

-

This is exactly what Seungmin wanted to hear from you and now he gets it, he thinks that it's beautiful how you come out of your shell, shedding a layer of yourself and letting him see more of you.

"I'm just going to be honest," he says.

He rubs the back of your hand with his thumb as he speaks, "When I'm looking at you, I know what I feel is love," he openly tells you.

It's a new feeling but he knows for sure that it's love and it's pure, intense, and overpowering, he loves you and that feels right.

You brush your tears with the heel of your hand and smile at him, "Thank you for seeing me, coming here for me," you mutter.

You hold his hand back and intertwine your hand with his, "Thank you for being so patient," you add.

With you, Seungmin learns that loving someone means giving that someone power over him and he doesn't mind that because it's not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength.

"It sounds like we're both going to take a big step together into the unknown," he says with a soft smile.

You nod with a smile on your tears-streaked face, "But this time, we have each other," you finish his sentence.

And with you, Seungmin gets to know that he can have this much love inside of him and he can share it with someone yet he'll never run out of it.

The chime on both of your watches takes you by surprise. Seungmin rises from his seat and comes up to you, holding his hand out at you to help you get up from your chair. He holds your face with both hands and looks at your face, a face that he longs to see, and then slowly, he leans in to kiss you.

The kiss is such a long time coming, it breaks his heart open and ails his pain. He pours out the content of his heart into this kiss, hoping that you get to feel it through his lips how sincere and how deep his feelings for you are.

He breaks the kiss to say something to you, "You are worthy of love."

He holds the sides of your face with eyes overflowing with fondness, "You are good enough."

With all of his heart, he says the three words that have been on the tip of his tongue, "I love you."

And then he seals those words with a long, lingering kiss on your forehead.

-

SEUNGMIN: To see her finally take this step, face her fear, and put it out there for me [smiles] this moment is everything.

-

The first thing you do when you get back to the villa is to find Zane. You have so much respect for him to not give him an explanation on why you chose Seungmin.

In the bedroom, you find him lying on his bed and he looks like he knows that you chose Seungmin and went on a date with him.

"Hey, how are you doing?" You ask, sitting on the bed next to his.

He gets up to sit on the bed and fixes his shirt, "Good. You?"

"Good," you shortly answer.

You carefully pick your words before letting them out but it's always best to start with an apology, "I want to apologize for not choosing you."

Zane gets quiet for a moment then he scratches the back of his head, "I'm disappointed because I did not see that coming."

"Well, I think you're an amazing guy, inside and out," you genuinely compliment him because that's what he's been to you, an amazing guy.

"Thank you."

"But I have this connection with Seungmin, a connection that I've never felt before and I want to explore it with him," you explain.

Zane nods and folds his leg under him, "It's okay. I think I had my hopes up too high but I'm not mad at you."

It's a great relief that he has the heart to accept your rejection well and you appreciate him so much, he really is a great guy and he deserves more.

"Thank you for understanding and once again, I'm sorry," you apologize one more time because it feels like you're not apologizing enough.

Zane puts on a smile, "I appreciate your apology and honestly, I just want you happy."

It's heartwarming to know that he wishes good things for you and you're grateful that things end well between the two of you.

"Thank you, Zane," you say again.

You both get up from the bed to end things on a good note with a nice, friendly hug.

Tonight has been bittersweet.

But mostly, you are thankful for so many things. You are grateful for Seungmin and his patience despite you putting him through so much. You are grateful for Zane who has been so understanding. Lastly, you are grateful for you for allowing yourself to be vulnerable.

Things wouldn't have ended like this with Seungmin's head resting on your lap and everything goes back into its place. You tenderly brush his fluffy hair and caress his cheek, getting that feeling that you're exactly where you should be.

"It's going to be okay now," you mutter to him.

Seungmin softly smiles and catches your hand to place a kiss on it, "It is now."

-

YOU: I appreciate this moment so much and I'll remember this for all my life [smiles]

-

A part of you can't believe that you have come to the end but this is it, this is the last day of the retreat.

You wake up with a smile as you turn your head to the side and see Seungmin there. You nuzzle your head, peppering his cheek and jaw with soft kisses then put your arm across his chest.

"My handsome man," you murmur as you place another kiss on his cheek.

He gets back to you by burying his head in your neck and tickles you there, his teeth faintly scraping the thin skin. Lana's chime interrupts the playful moment.

"Welcome to your final day in the retreat," Lana says.

Everyone is cheering in reaction and Jeff throws a cushion across the room, "Let's make the most of it!" He excitedly shouts.

"Later on today, I'll announce who has won the $79,000 prize fund," Lana informs.

"Guys..." Seungmin calls everyone.

All the heads in the room are turning to him now and Seungmin pushes himself up to sit with his back against the headboard of the bed, "I'm deeply sorry but we spent 40 grand last night," he mutters with a regretful expression.

You see everyone reacts differently but what catches your attention is the way Adriana's jaws hang open and the way Tom's eyes widen once they hear what Seungmin said.

"What?" Devon gasps, holding her hair out of her ear.

You exchange a look with Seungmin then nods, "False alarm, everybody!" He announces that it's just a joke.

That seems to knock down the tension that is about to build in the room. You point toward Tom and Adriana's bed and burst into laughter, "Your faces... oh, my gosh!"

"There are 12 hours left of my retreat. Use them wisely," Lana finishes.

-

YOU: We were the most persistent rule breakers but now our connection is something deeper than that [smiles]

-

While everyone else is busy talking about who's likely to win the prize money, you use the time to have a look back on how far you've grown in this retreat.

It's obvious that you've been through a lot but that allowed you to learn a lot of lessons, you learned to let your guard down, you learned that it's okay to feel loved and to deserve love, to let love in and be vulnerable. The one thing you learned the hard way is that the next best thing isn't always the next best thing.

This retreat has taught you a lot and you're proud of what you have become, a different person from when you first came into the retreat.

This time, you feel anything but nervous as you walk to the cabana. You can't believe that you're saying this but you're just sad that it's coming to an end.

One thing for sure is you're not going to miss hearing that melodic chime.

"Hi, everyone."

"Hello, Lana!" You cheerily reply.

"As you know, the prize fund now stands at $79,000."

"That's a whole lot of money," Tom comments while rubbing his hands together.

"Since your arrival in the retreat, I've been observing your behavior. Your ups and downs, your mistakes and breakthroughs.

"She knows everything. She's kind of nosy, eh?" Cara jokingly says, earning a few laughs from here and there.

"Now, it's time to announce my finalists," Lana further informs.

-

YOU: She knows everybody's journey so I trust Lana's decision.

-

"While I acknowledge that you have all shown impressive emotional development. I have identified four individuals who stand out for their transformative journeys."

Seungmin thinks that you must have the same mind with him that regardless of who wins the money, you both are happy to have met each other here and that is something that no one can value with material things.

And no matter who wins, he'll be happy for them.

"The first finalist is... Devon and Elliott. I have decided to nominate you together as a couple."

Everyone gives them a round of applause as they take a stand while Lana explains the list of things that earned them a spot as finalists.

Everyone gets tensed once again as Lana is about to announce the next two finalists and would likely win the money.

"The next finalist is... Seungmin."

It's not about the money to him, Seungmin feels proud that his growth is being acknowledged and it feels somehow rewarding. He looks down at you and wishes that you take the next spot because you grow so much in the retreat and fuck anyone who says that he's being biased, he knows you deserve it.

Just like Lana reads through his mind, she calls for your name as the last finalist. He enthusiastically takes you into a hug and having a moment together.

"As a pair, you have empowered each other to change. Therefore, you too, are nominated as a couple," Lana announces.

Everyone gives you two a round of applause too and Adriana is the one who can't stop squealing in happiness. He holds your hand because it feels like he's about to float away from this much happiness.

"Finalists, please make your way to the beach and await further instructions," Lana orders.

-

SEUNGMIN: I feel like she deserves it more from how much she has grown in this retreat. But to stand as finalists together... it's just perfect [Grins]

-

As you wait for everyone back in the cabana to vote, Elliott pops open the bottle of champagne and the white wine spurts out of it. he hurriedly fills the glasses and initiates a toast.

"Cheers!" Everyone exclaims as glasses are clinking against each other in the middle.

"Who would have thought the most spending couples become the finalists, huh?" Elliott says.

You chuckle once you swallow down your wine and say, "Well, not me."

The sun is sinking lower into the horizon when the rest of the guests are finally joining you on the beach. A few more bottles of champagne are being opened and glasses are being passed around.

while we wait for Lana to come, everyone is reminiscing about their time here in the retreat, both good and bad, they're just as precious.

It turns quiet when the cone chimes in and probably for the last time, ever.

"Hello, everyone," Lana greets.

"Hi, Lana!" You sweetly respond. Oh, how you're going to miss it.

"During your time at my retreat, you have broken the rules 14 times," Lana informs.

"Geez!" Jeff exclaims.

"Y'all was having too much fun," Tom grumbles then breaks a laugh after.

"Throughout your stay, I've observed people commit to the process and ultimately make a significant change."

Adriana raises her champagne flute to the air and says, "It's all thanks to you Lana."

Everyone agrees with her and also raises their glasses to the air to give Lana a toast.

"Finalist, your fellow retreat guests have been voting for the winning couple and the time has come to announce the winners."

Your heart is pounding and at times, you feel like it's about to jump out of your chest. You hold Seungmin's hand before getting up from your seats per Lana's order.

"The votes have been counted and only one couple can check out with the $79,000 prize fund."

Seungmin pulls you close to his side with a hand resting on the small of your back. He looks at you and you look back at him, you both couldn't ask for more but who can say no to that much money?

"The winning couple by 6 votes to 1 is..."

You suddenly turn deaf from all the screams and cheers coming your way, not realizing that Lana has announced the winners. Once it hits you that you are the winner along with Seungmin, you let out a high-pitched scream.

-

YOU & SEUNGMIN: $79,000 whoo!

YOU: [Looks at Seungmin] What the fuck??

SEUNGMIN: [Laughs]

-

It turns into a hugging fest in a minute but it's also a farewell to everyone. Seungmin lets himself savor the moment because it's one that he'll never get to experience again.

"We're all winners! Let's party!" Jeff shouts.

More bottles are popped open and the glasses are being refilled with more wine, everyone is having fun and enjoying the last moment in the retreat with the beautiful sunset in the background.

Everyone is busy having fun and forgets that Lana hasn't done talking yet. She comes one last time to deliver the last announcement, one that Seungmin anticipates the most.

"My retreat is officially over. The rules no longer apply."

He wastes no time to pull you close and kisses you hard like he wanted. It blows his mind that he gets to kiss you as he pleases as of now and other than that, it's the future that awaits him and you. It's exciting but also scary but you know what?

With you, Seungmin has no reason to be afraid.

-

SEUNGMIN: It was such an amazing experience.

YOU: And we can't wait to get out of here so we can f—

-

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[randomlyblues]

Yandere!Zane x Librarian!Reader

TW: Kidnapping not beta read

You didn't understand how you ended up in this situation. The High Priest of O'kasis was here at your doorstep demanding information that you don't have.

"I don't take lightly to people who waste my time, so I will ask you again. Where is the information about the Divine Warriors! This can't possibly be all the information that you have!"

"Again Sir, I don't have what you seek! They have burned all the knowledge about them years ago."

You felt a pinch of fear when his eyes widened a little at the tone of your voice that was directed to him. You didn't mean to raise your voice at someone with a high status as you but he was getting on your last nerves not getting the hint that this is all that you can offer him. You have heard stories about how he uses his status of being this 'religious symbol' to cover up his cruel actions and even take part in executing people, if they deserve it or not.

Zane was quite impressed with you. He's lucky that his mask is hiding the grin that was starting to form on his face.

He originally wanted to come to the village library hoping to bump into you. The first time he took notice of you was when he had to wed a pathetic couple. They wanted him to take a days trip just to get them married at a village with the name 'Phoenix Drop', making him stop with is work. That is when he saw you in the crowd speaking with an excuse of a Lord that they call Aphmau. The conversation was lighthearted but nothing worthy for him to pay any mind until you started to mention Lady Irene and how his name was in the mix of the conversation. The way you said his name made him feel a sort of way. Zane found himself wanting to hear it again. He kept a note to himself that you may be valuable to him, drowning the weird feeling he got from his name being spoken.

Later in the evening he caught notice of your snappy attitude and how you tend to be more to yourself yet also spare a kind smile to people. Zane doesn't understand why you have caught his attention, he found himself tracking everything you did. To him you were just a normal pathetic thing with knowledge he can use, yet here he was admiring the power he can see that you hold. He just wants to break it. No not break it. Absorb it. Make it his. Make you his. He wants not only the power of your knowledge but you. So here he was, after the celebration had ended, in your little library admiring the audacity you had to talk to a high being in such a way.

" Of course, my apologies for speaking to a lady in such a rude manner," he bowed to you. You raised your eyebrow at his apologies, you didn't take him as a man that would do that.

"It's nothing," you brushed it off not noticing the way he looked at you as you begin to look for a girdle it can be easier for the man to carry them.

" I am guessing that you will be purchasing instead of returning since you have such a ways trip?"

"Can't spare to give them for free?"

"Will you have my head if I don't?" You said ,not meaning for it to sound appalled by his playful tone. Zane started to laugh at your statement causing you to tense up. Oh this beating heart of his is making you less and less annoying than other people. Oh is he going to have fun with you.

"Why would I do such a thing? That is a sin in the eyes of our dear Matron." You took notice at how his smile reached his eyes when the whole night that never seemed to be the case when other people approached him. Maybe the stories about him aren't true.

"Yeah you're right that was stupid of me to even say"

"Don't worry about it, it was a nice joke. What is your name?" It was a useless question to even ask since he already got his guards to find out for him a few minutes prior in order to find this place. You tell him your name.

" That is such a lovely name."

" Why thank you High Priest," you bow. Oh did he enjoy that. A weak thing like you bowing to him and looking at him like that. What he would do is just for you to look at him with those eyes for all eternity. Yet the way you say his status instead of his actual name caused him to make an unsatisfied face.

"Would you like to accompany me to my ship to help me?"

You took a moment to think about it. It wasn't an unusual request from people so you didn't know why you were so hesitant. It was probably just the tales about him that have stopped you or maybe the fact he has guards that could do that for him. Realizing you have taken a while to reply you tell him yes and follow.

After helping him with the books you tell him about his payment.

"Oh yes of course."

Before you knew it, you were knocked out quickly. Zane looked down at your unconscious state. Oh how pathetic and vulnerable you were, don't worry he would take care of you.

[wyrmswears]

Hiii!

I know the au ain’t about Jay, but does he have an animal form? How did Edd & Eddna found him or he does not exist?

I do apologize for the amount of questions not being libber related😞

Pd. I also love wolf children i imagine Libby just recreating the feral Yuki scene right?

Hellooooo!! Had to think about this for a bit; I really didn't give Jay too much mind when making this AU lol. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed getting to flesh out this AU further using your questions so thank you so much for asking! :D I made the AU for Libber and Ice but it's always fun to expand on other characters and how the changes the AU makes affects them.

This post turned out longer than I expected (oops. I love infodumping about my AUs, sorry lol) so the answers in their entirety are under the cut! Spoilers for Prime Empire and Dragons Rising (though nothing particularly about s2) are mentioned though.

The short answers are: Jay is still adopted, Libber left him at the Walkers' doorstep before dying. And yes, Jay has a wolf form like Libber does, but he can't access it until after the Merge.

The long answers:

The second question is easy - the comic on my other post initially had a third page that would've answered this but I found it difficult to get to flow well so I scrapped it. When the Walkers arrive home after coming across Libber, they find Jay on their doorstep. The idea is that she had left him at a safe place as a final act before succumbing to whatever killed her. (Much like in Wolf Children, I don't have a particular cause of death thought out.) Ed and Edna don't make the connection between the child on their doorstep and the wolf on the highway of course, because why would they?

As for whether Jay has an animal form... On one hand I find it very amusing when characters of non-human heritage turn out to be just normal humans, and Cliff Gordon is still completely human in this AU, but I also think it'd be boring to ignore his heritage completely for the sake of the bit. After mulling it over I've come up with this:

Jay grows up showing quirks that align with him being half raijū, but nothing that can't be explained by him being the elemental master of lightning or just a peculiar (and probably neurodivergent) child; these are things like a fascination of thunderstorms, abnormal resistance towards electrical shocks, hyperactivity, a tendency to chew on things...

He has no idea that his biological mother wasn't human until after the events of Prime Empire when Wu, now aware that Jay knows he's adopted as he used it to reason with Unagami, requests to speak to Jay privately. He explains that, if Jay has an animal form then he shouldn't feel like he has to hide it from the team as he is sure that they'd accept him, much like Libber's teammates accepted her. This is sweet and all, but Jay is very confused what he means about having an animal form. And thus begins the explanation of who or what exactly Libber was.

After learning that he isn't completely human, Jay isn't really upset - hell, Zane and Lloyd have both dealt with the same thing and it turned out fine - but he only talks about it with Nya. This is part of my general characterisation of Jay where I feel like he doesn't keep too many deliberate secrets, but does only mention certain things about himself on a need-to-know basis meaning that, while he doesn't care if the team knows he's adopted, only Nya, Zane, and Pixal know that he is (Zane and Pixal for being present at the end of Prime Empire). Nya 'needs to know' because she is his yang thank you very much. Nya helps him to research about raijū and they find out that they can come in a variety of forms. Jay thinks he'd look like a noble and mighty creature, maybe a lion or an eagle. Nya thinks he'd be a chihuahua.

Nonetheless, that seems to be the extent of it; Jay doesn't figure out if he has an animal form or how to use it, and all that's changed is that Nya has become a lot more aware of her yin's oddities. That is, until Dragons Rising.

I think after the Merge, Jay has no issues with accessing his animal form: much like his mother, he's a wolf-like canid. If you told him, he'd probably never believe that he had spent the first 20-or-so years of his life with no clue to his heritage and no abilities related to it when his natural state of self after getting amnesia is to flux between forms. Maybe it developed as one of the strange effects of the Merge, or maybe its a new ability as a result of his environment, much akin to Cole's rock golem. Nonetheless, it serves as a message to Nya that this isn't the same Jay she knew before the Merge. He flaunts his heritage to the team that he never told and has changed, both physically and as a person, without her there to see.

As for the P.S, I'm not entirely sure what scene you are talking about - there's quite a few where I imagine Yuki could be described as feral lol - but Libber is overall quite alike to Yuki in my mind, particularly when she is younger and less concerned with hiding her wolf side.

[kazukazuhas]

hii, I hope you are doing well. if you are taking requests, can you write something reader x ninja. where it's the reader's birthday, and they do small affectionate things to celebrate her? it can be hcs or a small drabble. it's actually my birthday, so this prompt would be perfect. thank youuu✨️

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ birthday edition, ninja┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

  ୧ ⎯⎯ SYNOPSIS ;; what do the ninja do on your birthday? [feat. the ninja and pixal + three extra ]

  ୧ ⎯⎯ WARNINGS ;; profanity ;; written incredibly platonic ;; some silly goofy things ;; reader leans female but majority gender neutral ;; some slight angst

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NOTES ;; happy belated birthday <33 fun fact, it was also my dog's birthday. also, kai being so big brother and excited to celebrate someone's birthday is so true

  ୧ ⎯⎯ ZANE JULIEN

#✧ zane told everyone the night before (after you vanished for a while) that it was your birthday today. but with the way he so casual woke up on your birthday, at the usual times he did and everything, it took you a good minute to realise, hey. i'm old today.

#✧ and being the wonderful nindroid he was he made you several little trinkets, from a little charm of your element to several badges of things you like– because, well you're the only ninja missing them on your gi (he and jay made them for everyone and disrupted them on each person's birthday). but the moment he saw cole scheming something, zane held back on gifting it to you.

#✧ so to make up for it, he turned into a brother (kai probably coded it into him) and showed you small affections through the day. ruffling your hair, patting you on the back, hugging, everything. not that he doesn't on a daily basis, he's a little less expressive normally.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ COLE BROOKSTONE

#✧ he remembered it was your birthday, yes but the hard part was what to get you. he opted for something easy and simple, cake. and because he had so often bought cake (for himself a lot of the time), you didn't quite suspect him getting it for you when you saw the box in the fridge, pushed to the back. cole got you a small one in your favourite flavour and colour, with “happy birthday, [name]” written in cursive on the top in your gi's colour. the sun had barely risen at the time when he got it.

#✧ that was when it hit him, whilr driving back home from the store, that they should have a small party at night. so to be a substitute for now giving you a gift throughout the day, he decided to (harmlessly) use dad jokes on you. (and it's the bad ones to.)

#✧ when you finally show up for morning training, he's the first (after zane) to wish you. engulfing you in the warmest and biggest dad hug of the damn century with the silliness jokes and laughter as he wishes you.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ KAI JIANG

[ HEADCANNON ;; kai is half indian (maya's side) and half chinese (ray's side). and if you ever met an indian, if it's not real gold or diamond– then what you doing?? ]

#✧ nya held him back for the while —swapping with zane to hug you herself— everyone was wishing you; because he was going to brother hug knock you out. (figuratively, literally: he was not going to let anyone wish you because he'd be too hyper to function properly, like usual on someone's birthday.)

#✧ something something he definitely bought you gold jewelry, something simple like earrings, a nose ring or a simple necklace. and kai spent no worry to have expensive it would be to get it custom made, he literally had it made like a whole half year and and a few months in advance before your birthday.

#✧ but since cole had the plan of the party, he substituted to annoying your guts instead of gifting you the jewelry. safe to say that it was your villain origin story...

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NYA JIANG

[ HEADCANNON ;; nya is half indian (maya's side) and half chinese (ray's side). ]

#✧ the moment she hugged you, she might have broken your back–

#✧ like kai, she got you some jewelry custom made for you, a matching set with what he got but it's distinct enough to be something she got you and stand on its own. she had to made towards the end of the previous year when she, zane and pixal go to buy everyone's gifts for the next year.

#✧ but for the time being, she and lloyd at some point (he was too because it pay back for last year when they did the same thing for a while week before and after his birthday) were helping you hide away from kai and cole being absolute menaces to your sanity. but it's all in good fun, shows it gonna be a good day.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ JAY WALKER

#✧ one of the two people that forgot it was your birthday, despite the fact he was finishing up the whole ass bike for a whole ass year was quite literally your birthday gift. jay didn't have a very good memory (it doesn't even come near to rivaling wu's though) and when he did realise, boy appeared next to you immediately while apologizing for forgetting and wishing you. he may have short circuited a little when he used his element to speed himself up so he could hightail it from the junkyard to the monastery.

#✧ on the topic of the gift, he was working on it at his parents' junkyard instead at the monastery because it was so much easier to hide it in the junkyard. throw some tarps and cover it up with some junk and you got it.

#✧ but being the loving brother he is, he sat back and watched you wreck your brains over the terrible dad jokes and annoying shit kai was pulling, stepping in to annoy you even more at some point before he disappeared to go and get the damn bike.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ LLOYD M. GARMADON

#✧ he forgot, but it was expected. he never really cared for birthdays —darkley's never celebrated him and they only matter when he joined the ninja— and he has the worst memory —caused by his seasons worth of trauma— so the moment he remembered, he pulled you to the side and apologized for wishing you so late (that being towards midday) and not getting you a gift (that is a LIE. he hoards so much that he definitely has a gift to give, no matter the occasion.)

#✧ teams up with nya to protect you from kai and cole because it's his revenge for last year (september is his hell, because of his birthday), though it is after he finds an acceptable gift to give you. he figures one of his trillion handmade bracelets (a coping mechanism) can work so he finds a little box and wrapping paper in someone's room and stuffs the paper in the box and puts the bracelet on it and asks nya to keep it with her.

#✧ is the most little shit ever, helping you prank the hell out of kai, cole and occasionally jay back. from dropping water on them to scaring the hell out of them and all the stops. at some point, he drags you and nya to play video games while they get reprimanded by wu. (being wu's gets him out of a trouble.)

  ୧ ⎯⎯ PIXAL

#✧ girl showed up a little earlier than the time of the party with a whole ass basket of snacks and foods she thought you'd like. hands it to you and when you return from hiding it from lloyd, she drags you out and takes you out on her samurai x mech for a bit, flying around the city with you in the mech's hands, nya tagged along on the mech's back.

#✧ she big sister's you so sweetly, talking about all of the random shit with nya. it's honestly a cute experience, and really homely and nostalgic of back when you were with your friends as a kid and before you became a ninja.

#✧ takes you to above ninjago city, on the top of borg tower and then to the quieter streets by the port where they took you out to eat at some stall (like an all girl thing.)

  ୧ ⎯⎯ WU

#✧ his gift was literally just no training– but in all seriousness, he had a small something to gift to you. he usually gifts the same thing to everyone, but it is personalized to each person. and no one still knows what he's gifted them, so, it's a mystery. (lloyd is praying it's not some clue to the next conflict.)

#✧ he's laughing with zane as he watches his students annoying you, at some point he playfully reprimands them before letting them go to set up the party after pixal and nya take you out for a while, helping them sort the banner pixal brought with her for the party that read “happy birthday [name]!”.

#✧ he's watching over them with his brother and sister-in-law beside him as the boys mess around and set up the little party.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ GARMADON

[ for plot purposes, he's sensei g. not lord nor emperor g. ]

#✧ man is having a ball while watching the boys annoy you, he dropped in once (multiple times) to casually slide in some embarrassing comment and single-handed wiping everyone out by turning them red. he's here for a fun time and apparently a long one too. but he's a sweet old guy who just showing affection for his uh- nth child.

#✧ garmadon, being the dad he is, most likely got you something silly that you and him have an inside joke on (he has atleast one inside joke with all the ninja and pixal). he had gotten it a long while before your birthday, that or he got his hands on something that you were dying to get but either it sold out or was no longer being made.

#✧ when he wished you, he probably pulled you into a hug that dad's give (safe and comforting, warm and protective, all at once) and tells you how proud he is of you, that you're still around and breathing, pushing on and how much he loves and cares for you.

the wind felt nice; despite the night breeze being so cold, it felt good against your skin as you sat securely in the samurai x mech's hands, listening to pixal and nya ramble as the nindroid flew you three in back to the monastery. the lights were dim in the courtyard and the only light was from inside, not to mention it was quiet– too quiet...

“guys– it's too quiet,” you mumble back to the ladies wking beside you, stopping as you pull the water ninja's sleeve to get their attention. nya shoots you a firm look, noting it herself while pixal looks around before looking at you.

she shakes her head slowly, “my scanners say there is no danger.”

reluctantly you nod, but trusting in her eyes and judgment. they both continue walking in, nya taking your hand in hers gently and tugging you along softly as she smiles warmly with comforting eyes. “there's nothing to worry about, don't worry, okay?”

“..okay.”

you walk in beside nya, tensing the moment someone covers you eyes and everywhere darkens for a moment before the light returns and pixal's squeezing your shoulders lightly.

“surprise!” they all say as everyone beams at you. there's curly ribbons in your colours (your gi and favourite colours mixed in them), the banner looks beautiful, there's little presents in different boxes behind the small cake. you swear you're about to cry when you realise that hey, this is for you.

it's been hell, and no one's actually celebrated their birthday for a hell of a long time before the conflict and missions you held as the ninja; ninjago's protectors. you say quiet for a moment to properly register it, the fact you're alive and loved. it a sweet feeling, giddy.

“thanks guys,” you say after a while, hugging pixal, who's hugging you from behind, back with an appreciation tone and smile. “thank you guys so much.”

“c'mon, kai, light the candles; we have one more embarrassing thing to do. and there's sing happy birthday,” jay laughs pulling you over to the cake, with a comforting smile, as he sits you down in front of it.

oh fuck. you're screwed now.

  ୧ ⎯⎯ MORRO WU

[ for plot purposes, this is in the past before morro died. he fleed the monastery and found another elemental master and you two stuck together, meaning he's alive to atleast see his teenage to adulthood years, depends on your age. you're the same age ]

#✧ morro is probably the only one who doesn't get you a gift, but he wishes you surprisingly heartfelt. it's the one time he hugs you and says something soft and sweet– the complete opposite of him normally.

#✧ your birthday is the one day that he and you goof off on. you're jumping into a lake together and play fighting together, stealing sweets and some food and he's sneakily taken a cupcake and candle to celebrate you a little bit. he probably steals a necklace or bracelet he thinks you might like and gifts you it.

#✧ overall, it's really sweet the way he worries for you and actually celebrates your birthday, taking out his time to give you something worth remembering unlike the other days and his own birthday (one of which he refuses to celebrate, and you respect his wish despite being who started the birthday cupcake tradition and upholding it every year.)

  ୧ ⎯⎯ NOTES ;; morro unfortunately gets no drabble– i wrote too much already. this was the first time i wrote for anyone but lloyd and morro's part is my favourite!

  ୧ ⎯⎯ TAGLIST ;; @spoopy-fish-writes // @spoops-inliyue ;; @decaffeinatedcloudkryptonite // @shaantiofher ;; @sunangelstears ;; @comicbookweirdo ;; @candy-letsbereal42

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 💌 ꒱ kazukazuhas copr. 2023 darling┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁️

[crystallizabethine]

In Which PIXAL Updates Her Relationship Status: A Pixane Valentine's Day Oneshot

Takes place sometime between March of the Oni and Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitsu

AO3 link HERE

(5158 words)

The sun had barely risen when Pixal got out of bed to start her day. Normally she allowed herself more time to recharge, but for some reason, she had awoken prematurely and hadn’t been able to go back to sleep. She didn’t really mind though. There were plenty of things to be done, like getting a head start on the new project she and Nya were working on together. They had blueprints drawn up for advanced security updates for the monastery, as well as plans for making a bigger tech lab underneath their home. Pixal looked forward to having all of that open space down there to work on projects in. However, if they were to have their dream workspace, they’d have to build it first.

Pixal knew that Nya always slept in as much as she could help it before inevitably being woken up by whatever shenanigans the guys got up to, so she decided to leave her to her rest for now. She instead went to the living room and flipped on the overhead light (which she knew would have to be exchanged for the smaller lamps once Nya joined her) and started examining the papers scattered across the coffee table from last night’s brainstorm session. For once, Jay, Cole, Lloyd, and Kai hadn’t been hogging the couch. They had gone out with Zane for what Kai called a “bro night” and had refused to say where they were going. Nya and Pixal were able to actually get some work done with those hooligans (Nya’s words, not hers) out of the house. Pixal was grateful for what they had accomplished, but she had sort of missed Zane.

Speaking of Zane, Pixal heard clattering noises come from the kitchen a few rooms away. Zane must have gotten up early too to make breakfast for everyone. Either that or Master Wu was searching for one of his tea boxes. As Pixal made her way to the kitchen to check, she heard her beloved’s voice, frustrated as he rambled to himself.

“Is it that hard to stack the pots so that they don’t fall over when I open the cabinet? No, it isn’t! And why is the strainer in here?” Pixal stood in the doorway and watched for a minute as her partner kneeled before several open cabinets, roughly pulling things out, rearranging them, and then putting them back. “I have told them over and over that the strainer goes next to the mixing bowls! I swear I’m the only one who actually cares about organization in this damn kitchen.”

“Zane, do you want help with those?”

Zane whipped around, and the look of a crazed man was in his eyes, until they registered Pixal standing there, and softened.

“Pixal,” he began, “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to understand that you are agitated about the state of the kitchen and may require assistance.” Pixal replied, and gently took a pot from him, setting it in the cabinet where she knew he preferred it to go.

“Thank you, Pixal.” Zane gave her a small smile. “I am sorry you had to see me like this. I do not like to lose my composure like that around others.”

“Do not worry about it,” Pixal dismissed, “You have seen me in some of my worst moments. This is nothing. Also, I agree that the cabinets are usually organized in a lackluster manner whenever it isn’t one of us performing the task.”

Zane sighed, “I am glad that at least you understand my frustrations. When I tried to confront Kai about it, he acted like I was crazy.”

“Kai is a hooligan.” Pixal stated, matter-of-factly, and rummaged through the cabinets to find ingredients for pancakes.

“True.”

A comfortable silence settled between them as they mixed batter and started flipping pancakes.

“Pixal?”

“Yes?”

“. . .are you familiar with the concept of Valentine’s Day?”

“No, I do not think so.” Pixal was painfully aware that she had missed out on a lot of Ninjagian holidays over the years, due to little circumstances like the world being hellbent on trying to end every six months or so. There hadn’t been much time for anything more than a few Day of the Departed observances, and exactly one Winter Feast celebration. Pixal smiled in amusement at the memory of Kai and Cole accidentally getting tangled up in the monastery’s festive lights. Their faces had gotten so red.

“It is a holiday dedicated to lovers,” Zane explained, “a day set aside for couples to express their love for each other through the giving of gifts and spending time together.”

“Ah, I see.” It sounded lovely, Pixal thought. “When is the next one?”

“It’s. . . today, actually.” Zane launched a pancake into the air and caught it with the skillet. After putting it with the growing stack of golden cakes, he diverted his full attention to Pixal. “I was hoping that you would agree to go out on a date with me this evening.” He took her hand and held it to his chest. Pixal found herself mesmerized by Zane’s bright blue eyes, staring back at her with such passion. Such beauty. Pixal figured she could get lost in those eyes.

“I would love to, Zane.”

“Good,” Zane said, relieved.

Pixal realized something suddenly, “I am curious why you waited until the very last minute to ask me this though. That is not like you at all.” Usually when they planned a date, it was at least a week in advance.

“You are right and I apologize for not giving you more time to prepare.” Zane said, looking rather embarrassed. “I must admit that I have been preoccupied with a personal Project, and time flew past me. I also may have assumed that I’d already asked you. Thankfully, Cole and the others reminded me that I in fact hadn’t, last night. . . They also thought it was funny.”

Pixal sighed fondly, “Oh, my Zane, for a nindroid, you can be so scatterbrained sometimes.”

Zane smirked at her, “Yes, but you love me anyways.”

“That is true.”

* * *

Pixal had no idea what she was going to do for Zane’s gift. Luckily, she knew just who to go to for advice.

“You’ve never done Valentine’s day before?” Nya asked, confused. She tightened a bolt on one of the generators she was repairing. “Haven’t you and Zane been together for like forever? I need a bigger wrench, could you grab the one next closest to you?”

“Well yes,” Pixal mused, handing her friend the tool. “It is unfortunate that Zane and I have never gotten the opportunity to do this before. He perished to the Overlord before we were able to spend any domestic time together, then I was scrapped by Clouse’s men and shortly after, got stuck in Zane’s head for months. Then I left his head to become Samurai X. I have not even been reunited with him in my physical form for a full year.”

“Yeah, and it doesn’t help you two that the almost-year has been full of jerks trying to end the world,” Nya added in sympathy. “But you know what? That changes tonight!” She put her tools down and wiped her dirty hands on her apron. “So, what did you have in mind?”

“That is the tricky bit. I have no idea,” Pixal admitted. “What are some traditional Valentine’s Day customs? Zane told me about the rituals of giving gifts and spending time together, but what does that usually entail?

Nya thought for a minute, “Well, it honestly depends on what you and your partner—or—partners’ are interested in, but chocolate and flower bouquets are a popular choice for gifts.”

“Zane does not have a sense of smell, nor taste buds.” Pixal stated.

Nya smirked sheepishly, “Right, yeah, I forgot. So that rules out a dinner date then.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“That’s okay, “Nya reassured, “There’s still plenty of options! What are some things you guys like to do out, just the two of you?”

“We often go on patrols together.”

“That’s. . . something I guess, doesn’t seem very romantic though.”

“Why not?” Pixal asked, puzzled. “We enjoy each other’s company immensely and have had many meaningful conversations. Between that and our battles together,  I always feel myself grow more fond of and more attracted to him during each mission we spend together.”

“Noted, but that’s something you do all the time! What could you do tonight that’s extra special?”

Pixal had never really thought about doing anything else with Zane. They had their routine, and to her knowledge, they both enjoyed it equally. But maybe Nya had a point. It couldn’t hurt to try something new could it? It was supposed to be a special night, after all.

“How about this,” Nya proposed, “you think on it, and I’ll take you out around Ninjago City to find Zane a gift!”

“That sounds satisfactory, and also enjoyable.” Pixal agreed. She had never been shopping with another person before, and she was excited by the prospect of trying something new with Nya.

* * *

The first place they went on their adventure out was a little place called Ninja Subs. A bell tinkled as they entered, and Pixal immediately noticed the abundance of food pop art crowding the walls as well as the counter at the end of the room filled with an arrangement of sandwich toppings.

“Why are we here exactly?” Pixal asked, not seeing how a sandwich place would yield much in the way of a Valentine’s gift.

Nya approached the counter, eyes shining as she looked at all the food options, “This stop’s for me actually. If we’re gonna be shopping all day then I need some energy. And I’ve also really been craving their buffalo chicken sub.”

After Nya’s lunch break, they went to a variety of small shops in the downtown area. Unfortunately most of their wares fell into the “needs a sense of smell” and/or “needs taste buds to appreciate these things” category.

“How about this?” Nya held up a set of pale blue ceramic bowls across the room from Pixal, who had been trying to make sense of some abstract paintings that were also being sold there.

“Those would be a practical gift,” Pixal considered, then remembered, “but I think he is planning on purging our current kitchen wares, so I probably shouldn’t buy him any new ones until he is finished. He has a very particular system, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Nya grinned, “He chewed Kai out the other day for just—throwing all the silverware in the drawer without sorting them. I didn’t even know Zane could get that mad! It was kinda amazing to witness, not gonna lie.”

“One would think that the same person who refuses to use a big spoon would also care about organization.” Pixal commented while checking the price on some oven mitts.

Nya giggled. “We love Kai.”

“Yes, despite his odd behavior at times.”

“Oh by the way, don’t tell anyone, but apparently Cole is going to ask him out tonight!”

“Oh , First Master, finally!”

They left that shop soon after. Pixal hadn’t been satisfied with anything in the end, so they continued on, emptyhanded. None of their other stops proved fruitful either, and Pixal was beginning to grow irritated.

“None of these places seem to have anything important enough for a Valentine’s gift worthy of Zane!” Pixal groaned in frustration, “I do not understand: he has given me so much over the years, and I cannot even decide on what to give him for the first proper celebration of our love? I feel so pathetic! I do not want to disappoint him!”

Nya put an arm around Pixal, “C’mon, Pix, you got to give yourself more credit and appreciation than that! You’re amazing! It doesn’t take being head over heels in love to see that you’re a wonderful person. And Zane would be happy with whatever you give him, no matter how unimportant you think it seems. And honestly, knowing Zane, you could probably show up with nothing and he’d just be overjoyed to spend time with you!”

Pixal’s heart warmed at her friend’s kind words. “Thank you, Nya, but still, if this holiday is as special as you and Zane have made it out to be, then I truly want my gift to make him feel the happiest he has ever felt.” Pixal thought for a moment, then an idea struck her. “Nya, what is your happiest memory of being with Jay?”

Nya didn’t answer right away. She pursed her lips in thought, taking a minute to ponder the question suddenly thrust upon her. Then her face brightened. “Honestly, even though I was pretty sure we were about to die, it was when he asked me to be his Yang.” Nya gazed at her necklace and played with it with a soft look on her face.

Pixal fixed her eyes on the pendant. It glistened in the light, and the light sparked a realization:

That was it.

“Then I will ask the same of Zane.”

Nya’s attention snapped back to Pixal, eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, Pixal, really? Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Pixal answered with determination.

“It’s a really big commitment,” Nya reminded, “Are you positive you’re ready?”

“Absolutely. Zane and I already share an unbreakable bond, but I think it would be nice to make an official promise to each other.”

Nya beamed, and quickly pulled Pixal into a crushing hug, “I’m so excited for you then!” Pixal hugged her back, anticipation rising in her chest at the prospect of what she had just planned to do.

When Nya finally released Pixal from the hug, she said, “Come on, before you pick out the pendants, I want to take you somewhere.”

* * *

“I do not understand why we are here.” Pixal looked around the store they’d just entered. There were shelves and shelves of folded up clothes, and rows of dresses hanging along the walls. Some of the dresses and several outfits were displayed on mannequins with varying body types.

Nya started pulling dresses from racks and holding them up to Pixal. “I just thought we could find you something nice to wear, since tonight’s going to be extra special!” Nya grimaced and quickly pulled her hand away from the dress she had just grabbed, wiping it on her pants. “Well, that was a horrible texture! Don’t touch that one.”

            “Is there a problem with what I normally wear?” Pixal asked, perplexed.

            “No, of course not!” Nya assured quickly. “But I find that when I’m about to do something big, looking extra nice gives me an extra boost of confidence. So, I want to help you feel that too!”

            “I suppose that makes sense,” Pixal mused. “Although I feel like I always look my best, no matter what I wear.”

            “Yeah you do, girl!” Nya agreed, smiling.

            “I think you always look your best too.”

            Nya’s cheeks tinted, “I mean—if you think so, thanks! I wish I had your confidence about that.”

            “How do you mean?” Pixal asked, incredulously, “You are one of the most confident people I know!” Pixal couldn’t imagine how someone as unapologetically herself as Nya could possibly have low self esteem about something as trivial as personal appearance.

            Nya shrugged, “It’s cause Kai and I grew up poor. We barely had enough money to feed ourselves, let alone buy pretty things. Because of that, a lot of the girls in my village treated me like worthless garbage, just because I couldn’t take care of my body as well as they could. It really sucked and I hated myself for a really long time because of it, even though Kai told me they were being stupid.”

            Pixal took her friend’s hand and gave it a squeeze, “I am so sorry, Nya, that was extremely shallow of them and you should not have had to suffer like that for something out of your control.”

            Nya squeezed back with a small smile. “Thanks, Pix. I’m just glad that I eventually learned to put more value in what I can do to help people rather than in how I look.” She reached for another dress, “though looking good while helping people doesn’t hurt anything. Ooh, what do you think of this one?”

            Pixal ended up picking out a sleeveless, knee length, sparkly purple dress. Despite her initial protests, Nya had insisted on buying it for her. Pixal had relented only when Nya had told her to call it a valentine’s gift from a friend.

Next stop was to pick out the Yin Yang pendants.

Incense was burning as they entered the dimly lit jewelry store and were greeted by the person behind the counter, though Pixal noticed the crystals first. There were baskets of them, stuffed into every nook and cranny that could spare an inch of space. Next she noticed the sound of chimes softly tinkling from the ceiling. They must have caught the breeze from the shop door, Pixal figured. Crystal shaded lamps cast marbly, colorful shadows over everything.

“This feels like the kind of place Mystake would have enjoyed visiting,” Nya whispered. Her eyes were wide as she took in the serene beauty of the shop.

“I wish I could have met her,” Pixal remarked. After a short scan of the store, she found what she was looking for: a glass case full of necklaces stood by the payment counter, its contents sparkling under the lamplights.

The store owner came over, “Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

Before Pixal could answer, she felt an arm drape across her shoulders.

“Yeah, actually,” Nya replied, flashing an extra friendly smile at the shopkeeper. “This lucky girl is going to ask her partner to be her yang tonight! Got anything extra special?”

The store clerk’s face lit up, “Well, congratulations, then! Yeah, I actually got a new batch of them about a week ago! One of my partners, Jade, actually makes them herself! There they are in the corner!” the storekeeper excitedly pointed to an androgynously dressed person with tattoos on their arms, who was busy organizing one of the many baskets of crystals. They gave a small wave of acknowledgement and kept sorting.

“Love you, Jade!” the shopkeep called fondly, then turned back to their customers.

“Anyways those necklaces have been selling like crazy.” They continued, “I had to put them in a box behind the counter because some dumbass kids kept trying to steal them! Can you believe it?” They went back behind the counter and bent down to retrieve the box. With a proud flourish, they set it on the counter and opened it.

Pixal gasped softly at the sight; the lamp light shone gently on the intricately carved pendants. Some were made of wood, some of metal, some of glazed clay, but all were astoundingly well crafted. Each set had its own unique details too: there was one pair that had tiny stars etched into the edges of every groove, and another with vines and leaves meticulously painted on.  However, Pixal’s eyes were drawn to a particular ceramic set. They were painted the respective Yin Yang colors of black and white, but there was also gold imbedded in both. Thin, spidery veins of gold, following what looked like cracks in the charms, but was all held together by the gold, as well as a transparent glaze that coated both pendant pieces.

“May I get that one?” Pixal pointed to the set.

The shopkeeper’s face lit up, and with enthusiasm, then said, “Absolutely!” As they handed it to Pixal, they called over their shoulder, “Hey Jade, I told you this one would sell!”

“The ugly one? Really? I mean to each their own, but. . .”

Pixal wasn’t sure what to make of that. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said.

The shopkeeper rolled their eyes. “Don’t listen to them, she’s just salty because it wasn’t supposed to shatter like it did. But you made it work, didn’t you?” they called back to their partner, “I’m telling you, the gold infused really adds a special touch! And the cracks make it more symbolic in a way! It could symbolize broken people coming together and becoming whole or something!”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so!” The shopkeeper retorted as they processed Pixal’s payment. “All of your art is beautiful and I’m proud of you every time you make something new! You are SO talented!”

“Augh, no, too many compliments!” Jade covered their face, “You’re gonna make me cry!”

Pixal felt Nya’s hand grab her arm, and they both left quickly, unsure what to make of the odd couple. Especially when they peeked through the shop window and saw that the two were now passionately making out.

“You know what. . .” Nya said, “Good for them, I hope they stay happy together.”

Pixal nodded in agreement, and then turned her attention to the small bag that contained her precious purchase. Excitement bubbled up inside her and let itself out in a giggly squeal.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this, Nya!”

“Me too!” Nya squealed back, and hugged her tightly once again before they started walking again, their mission fulfilled.

* * *

That evening, Pixal made her way down to the foot of the monastery and felt her face light up at the sight of Zane standing next to his ice bike. He wore light blue and white sweater vest with a bow tie and khaki pants. He looked just as excited to see Pixal as she was to see him. The amount of adoration radiating from his face warmed her inside.

“You look beautiful, Pixal.” Zane whispered, almost like he could barely get the words out. Pixal looked away shyly, smiling from the praise.

“Thank you, Zane, so do you.”

Pixal could have sworn that in that moment, if Zane had blood, he would have blushed bright red. Instead he just looked surprised and embarrassed and muttered a thank you while smiling. He opened the car door and gestured for Pixal to enter the vehicle.

“So where are we going?” Pixal asked, suddenly remembering that she had forgotten to brainstorm possible activities. Honestly, she was just as bad as Zane sometimes!

“Somewhere special,” Zane replied, “but it’s also a surprise.”

Relief flooded Pixal and she smiled sweetly at him, “I will look forward to arriving, then.”

They drove out to where the sea of sand started. The sky was beginning to turn pink as the car went over a hill and Pixal saw something tall and glittering in the distance. As they got closer, Pixal realized it was a temple, and her scanners indicated it was made of. . .ice?”

“Zane, did you build this all by yourself? Pixal asked in wonder as they parked near it and got out of the car.

“I did!” Zane beamed with pride. “It took me all afternoon to complete.”

“It’s magnificent!” Pixal exclaimed in awe, and it was! The structure towered upward at six stories tall, and the attention to detail was astoundingly immaculate. From the individual roof tiles to the glowing, ice crystal lanterns hanging from every corner.

“This only took an afternoon??”

Zane chuckled, “Wait until you see the inside!”

He took her hand and led her to the double doors, which opened at a wave of his hand. The room they had entered was full of gently glowing, heart shaped ice sculptures. The glow was a peaceful looking pink, and the color’s warm hue contrasted nicely with the surrounding, chilly blues of the walls.  An ice chandelier hung from the ceiling, and starting along one wall, a flight of stairs wound upwards and out of sight.

Zane tugged on Pixal’s wrist with the excitement of a kid showing off their bedroom. “Come on!”

He led her up the flight of stairs. On the second story, there was a door. Zane opened it. and it showed a life-sized ice rendition of what Pixal recognized to be part of the lobby at Borg Tower. Two sculpted figures stood there, facing each other. It was Zane, how she had first seen him, and herself. Ice Pixal's face was neutral as she stared at Zane, frozen mid-scan. Zane’s face could only be described as lovesick. Pixal smiled fondly.

“I hope you understand that this was the most important day of my life.” Zane said, also smiling at the memory’s depiction.

“Even though I tried to kill you later that night?” Pixal teased.

“Yes,” Zane chuckled, “even then.”

The next story's room showed them doing spinjitsu together in Ed and Edna’s junkyard.

“That was right after you had given me half your heart!” Pixal remembered aloud.

“Yes, and even though I had just given a part of myself away, it was the first time in my existence that I had truly felt whole.”

“I had felt whole for the first time as well! Like I had finally found my greater purpose: a purpose to help others!” Pixal felt a surge of nostalgia for that moment.

The next room was one that Pixal didn’t recognize right away. A sculpture of her hugged a sculpture of Zane, who appeared to be cowering in fear beneath the gaze of a fearsome dragon.

“It was in that cave on Chen’s island, after we had all been freed, and you were—”

“In your head,” Pixal finished. “But. . . I was not present physically in that event. Why do I appear to be here?”

“You may not have been there in person,” Zane started, “but you were closer to me than you had ever been, and it truly felt like you were present beside me as you guided me through my hallucination. You helped me face my fear and become stronger despite it, and I will be forever grateful.”

The next room showed the aftermath of the Destiny’s Bounty’s crash into the Primeval’s Eye. Ice Pixal stood facing Zane, her Samurai helmet freshly removed, and Zane’s ice counterpart stared back at her with an expression of pure joy.

The same expression Pixal hoped he would wear on his face when she asked him to be her Yang forever.

Lastly, there was a room where there was no sculpture. It was the top floor, Pixal realized, and there was a balcony that looked out over the sunset on the white sands of the winter desert. Pixal could almost forego logic and imagine it was snow she was looking at instead of sand. It was truly so beautiful. Everything Zane had shown her was beautiful. The palace, those tender moments from the past, the kind words and gratitude he had given her throughout the evening,  it all made her feel so special! Despite the known importance of her planned proposal, a little part of Pixal wondered if she’d done enough.

“You’re so quiet,” Zane remarked, “do you. . . like it?” He looked at her with excited expectancy.

“I—yes, Zane, of course I like it, how could I not?” Pixal gestured wildly to everything around her, “It is obvious that you put so much care and thought into every miniscule detail of this place. It is truly incredible, and I. . . I love it! And I love you.”

Zane smiled in relief. “Good. I have one more gift for you.”

“Before you do that,” Pixal interrupted, “I would like to give you the gift I have prepared.” She continued on before Zane could protest. “Zane, you have given me so much. Not just today, but ever since we met. You gave me free will, a new chance at life, your ever-growing trust and support, and your continued companionship. However, in the past, I—despite knowing it to be irrational—found myself feeling that I could never come close to paying you back for everything you have done for me, even though you have done nothing but express your gratitude for my involvement in your life since we arrived here. You have made it clear that simply being myself is enough to make you happy. So, as of now, I am done second guessing my worth in our relationship, and now stand before you with a wish to further strengthen our already unbreakable bond.”

Pixal kneeled, head raised, looking her beloved Zane straight in the eye. “I do not know what the future holds, but I know that no matter what happens, I want you to be there with me always. So. . .” She revealed the necklace to him, “. . .will you be my Yang?”

Zane didn’t answer, but simply stared at her with wide eyes and lips slightly parted.

Pixal felt a twinge of worry, had she said something wrong? “I am sorry I didn’t plan anything more for tonight. I “psyched myself out” as Nya put it, and couldn’t figure out any other gift that I thought you might want.

Zane continued to look at her. Pixal was unsure of his expression.

“Please say something, Zane, it doesn’t even have to be yes. I understand if you wish to keep our relationship how it is, and I will respect whatever your decision is. I will love you no matter your answer.”

Zane finally snapped out of it and grabbed Pixal’s hands. “Of course, Pixal, yes, an infinite amount of times, yes!” Zane’s blue eyes shone even brighter than normal as he picked her up, spun her around, and then pulled her into a kiss after he’d set her down. When they separated a few seconds later, Zane began to giggle.

“What is it?” Pixal asked.

“I was so nervous about tonight,” Zane explained, reaching into his pants pocket, “But you ended up beating me to it!” He pulled out something and put it in Pixal’s hand. Upon examination, Pixal gasped at the sight of a handcrafted necklace set. The pendants were made out of intricately woven silver wires and bright blue crystal, and she realized the halves combined looked like—

“It represents your—our—energy core!”

“Yes! I know it does not have the appearance of the traditional charms, but I felt it would be right for us.”

Realization hit Pixal suddenly. “Oh no, I ruined your moment, didn’t I? I’m so sorry, Zane!”

“Pixal, it’s alright.” Zane assured her, caressing her face. “I definitely was not expecting it, but it was a nice surprise. I’m just glad you feel the same way.”

“Of course I do!” Pixal assured, “You are so wonderful, Zane, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you.”

           

“And I with you, my beloved Pixal.”

The last thing the sun saw before dipping behind the horizon was two titanium lovers holding each other tightly, promising never to break their bond as long as they both shall live.

@ninjago-valentine-exchange

[littlelegoman]

LMK NINJAGO CROSS OVER, BUT IT'S JUST LLOYD AND MK SWITCHING PLACES FOR A WEEK

Tang (possibly Pigsy, too): Wow, that sounds like a lot to go through as a child. And you bodily became 18 when you were 12? I'm so sorry, they shouldn't have done that to you..

Lloyd: Well-- it was to save the city--

Tang: What did that city ever do for you? I mean, your whole life is just one tragedy after another; your mother abandons you, your father is locked away, you get sent to a boarding school to make you evil and you still get bullied there. You're manipulated multiple times by adults, and sure, you tried to do that once to them, but you were a child. They were adults. That's not fair.

Lloyd: It was destiny, I had to because of the prophesy...

Tang: No, you had a choice. You didn't have to do all that, and even if you wanted to, you could've waited till you were mature enough to understand the severity of it. Your uncle trains you-- actually, he forcibly takes you, which legally would happen anyways as your only relative, but the law was never involved, not to mention you were under the impression you'd be hurt.

Tang: It's not your fault either. You were coerced into it. The prophesy never said when you had to defeat your father, right?

Lloyd: Well, I don't entirely remember....

Tang: You needed an adult who wasn't going to use you, and you never got that. You never got a childhood, and that's terrible. I'm so upset that this happened to you because no kid deserves this. I'm not completely okay with MK being the Monkie Kid; I mean, look at all the danger it's put him through - but at least he was an adult, old enough to make his own conscious choice.

Lloyd: I...

Lloyd: Thanks, mom.

Tang: It's no pro-- wait what?

MK: And you have elemental powers?! Oh, that's so cool! I don't have any of those, really. I mean, I can do a lot of things that the Monkey King can do, but I don't think controlling elements was one of them.

Zane: It is awesome, of course, but we have years of years of unpacked trauma.

MK: Same!! :D

Red Son: Your father... was okay with you becoming a hero?

Lloyd: He wasn't the best, but it's not completely his fault. The whole venom and oni thing really messed him up. He knew what he was, and he... deep down, he wanted a safe world for me, and fhst meant a world without him.

Red Son:.... I see.

Lloyd: So, uh, you want to be like your father?

Red Son: Well, of course I do! I'm not some a simple-minded peasant like Noodle Boy or Dragon Girl! My father's legacy is one to behold with pride.

Lloyd:... but?

Red Son, sighing: but my father barely recognizes my greatness; and Noodle Boy and his peasant friends do....

MK: Why is... why.. (MK, trying to talk about Garmadon)

Wu: Ah... My brother and I share Oni and Dragon blood... when he was bitten by The Great Devourer, it caused his blood to turn cold.

MK: Does that mean you can become evil too?

Wu, caught off guard: Oh. I..

Wu, sighing: Yes. That is a possibility. I trained my students the best way I knew how... I.. admit I wasn't the best

MK, smiling brightly: HAHA, yeah, you weren't!

Wu, offended:

MK: Wait-- you ABANDONED your son to an evil school?!

Misako: I-- I did.

MK: Why not send him to a normal school?! Or with Mister Wu?! If you knew he was gonna beat up his dad, wouldn't it have helped if he grew up with morals???

Lloyd: I mean no offense, Sun Wukong, but I don't know why MK still likes you.

Wukong: Honestly, I don't either

[jettorii]

if i got a nickel for every time your art had cole accidentally flustering someone, i'd have two nickels - which is wonderful that its happened twice (in that jay being distracted doodle, and with the kai being hugged anywhere near Tickle Spots doodle)

both those art pieces have made me headcanon that all the ninja get lee moods from Cole totally by accident, Cole does something so causally - hand on waist to pull them closer in a side hug, ruffles their hair CLOSE to their ears and neck, hand on thigh and TRACING while watching a movie - which is SUPER FLUSTERING because COLE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY??? HIS VIBE JUST SENDS THE LEE RADAR OFF IN EVERYONE'S BRAIN!!!

and on the flipside you have Cole, a mega switch imo, who gets REALLYYY BIG LER MOODS and sometimes he can't help but be a little more touchy. twitching his fingers and accidental wiggles here and there, he gets Tickle Monster urges and tries to be normal whenever Kai is stretching during training or when Jay drapes himself across his lap for cuddles or when Zane leaves himself WIDE OPEN when he hugs him

neither of these two incidents usually happen at the same time, but when they do... OH BOY are the ninja in for a TREAT because if cole KNOWS he's flustering them by accident IN THE MOMENT??? they are Screwed they are simply Passing Away your honor because he see's their shoulders shaking and the Smile starting to show, and in his Best Innocent voice says, "What's wrong? Is something funny?" and the BLUSH that instantly appears because they don't wanna SAY IT and Cole is a BASTARD (affectionate) and tries to make them say it

ANYWAYS circling back to the main point, just wanted to point out its happened TWICE that cole is unintentionally flustering his fellow ninja. and i love it >:D

ive thought about this ask for SO LONG LMFAO THANK YOU FOR NOTICING AND YOUR HEADCANONS ARE SO RIGHT hes such a litte bastard i love him

please i cant even reply to how??? accurate everything is???? my brain is mush take this bam bam bam slaps you with a really messy flat colored doodle page >:]

[queenpiranhadon]

⚔︎ ⎸⎸ 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 ⎸⎸ ⚔︎

A/N: It makes me unnaturally happy to finally see my Rocky boy get some attention. Big thanks to @rainbow-flavoured-skittles for beta reading this!! Here's my masterlist! Dividers by @cafekitsune

Warning(s): This takes place after the fight with the Overlord, I haven't watched Dragons Rising nor do I plan to so it's only really cannon to Crystalize and prior, it IS Cole x reader but I did world build a little lol, reader is the Ninja of Nature (maybe related to Bolobo idk), reader is GN but is written with F!reader in mind, reader is called Blossom, reader calls Cole Rocky (Mister Dangerbuff supremacy)

Pairing(s): Cole Brookstone x Master of Nature!Reader

After you fought the Overlord, it was quiet. 

Not in the sense of volume, but it was calm. Usually, you'd be restless, aching for a fight to keep the adrenaline pumping, but right now? 

You were happy to have a break. 

Especially with Cole. After months of figuring out feelings and sending mixed signals to each other (Cole had once thought you were in love with Jay — even though he was one, dating Nya, and two, you were asking the electricity ninja for tips on how to get Cole to like you back in the first place), he had confessed to you shyly and asked you out on a date. He took you to a coffee shop, and you guys just clicked. He made you happy, made you laugh, made you feel loved. And you loved him all the same.  

Seven months after dating, he asked you to move in with him, as if you didn't practically live with him from the amount of time you spent at his home. Moving in with him was seamless, it was like nothing changed, except now you woke up with an adorable, snoring Adonis of a man, and went to bed with a giant teddy bear who basically melted in your embrace. 

After you fought the Overlord, it was normal.  

It was like nothing happened, adjusting to your new lives immediately. Obviously, you and your fellow ninja were celebrities all over Ninjago - you all were probably asked to give autographs five times a day, minimum. Meeting up with your friends was a frequent occurrence, all going to Chen’s Noodle House and enjoying Skylar’s amazing cooking while catching up with the others.  

It was routine now, everything refreshingly the same, down to where you sat. You and Cole would take one of the booth seats, with Jay and Nya across from the two of you. Pixal sat down next to Nya, and Zane sat next to Cole, Lloyd and Kai at the head of the table (painfully single- much to Skylar and the rest of the ninja's annoyance).  

All of you had surprisingly adjusted to normal life without fighting opponents twenty-four -seven very easily, though some had more difficulty than others. 

 Jay worked as a event host at his local comic shop, organizing mini conventions and trivia nights for fellow geeks such as himself.  

Kai returned to the dojo he used to have, teaching children how to defend themselves so that they wouldn’t be as defenseless as he was when he lost his powers.  

Lloyd helped his mom and Master Wu reopen their tea shop from so long ago, working the cash register and making people’s lives a little happier with a bright smile every day.  

Nya worked as a mechanic in her free time, opening a garage and surrounding herself with what she did best: building. Jay stopped by on occasion, helping her with certain projects, but also joining her in tinkering with some spare 

parts sometimes. Zane and Pixal had the most difficulty adjusting, their different appearances making them stand out like sore thumbs. But eventually, they found their home giving lectures at schools with a different perspective on certain topics, enjoying the ability to share 

their infinite knowledge with others. And then there was Cole and yourself. Being a ninja of Nature, you worked at the local florist, finding it refreshing to be surrounded by so many plants whenever you could. You worked your magic with them, keeping the plants fresh and ending up owning the store yourself once the previous owner retired.  

Cole worked as a barista at the local coffee shop, and you stopped by to get food and give him some company on your breaks. It was nice, you think, to spend some time together with him after years of constantly fighting who knows what.  

You greet him, opening the door with a jingle, and walk up to him, as he was closing up.  

"Hey, Rocky," you hum, leaning against one of the tables as he sets his broom down. 

 He walks over to you, hugging you close by the waist and resting his chin on top of your head, placing a soft kiss on your forehead.  

"Hi, Blossom," he murmurs into your hair, and you take the time to just admire him. The curve of his nose, the small tilt of the corners of his mouth, showing that he was happy, the apples of his cheeks, the stubble that littered across his impeccable jawline. He smelled like the earth just after it rained, and ground coffee, one of the many things you love about him. His hair was artfully mussed, black tresses tucked underneath his visor, and you take it off his head, running your fingers through his hair. 

 It was just the two of you, standing inside the cafe in the light pf golden hour, drinking up each other’s warmth and love, together.  

After you fought the Overlord, it was nice.  

Taglist: @tinadablackthorn

[yanderes-galore]

Requests are open rn, right?

Can I please request some headcannons for Zane with a Ninjago fan reader? Like, the reader is a fan of the show and Zane’s their favorite character?

Thanks so much!

-the “you reawakened my crush on Zane” Anon

I can try, yeah! I apologize if this is not that great :( This dips into Creepypasta territory WHOOPS-

Yandere! Self-Aware! Zane with Fan! Darling

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Self-Aware AU, Stalking, Manipulation, Dubious companionship.

I mostly do self-aware characters based on video games as they'd act like a virus.

I feel when it comes to shows it's different.

I can imagine a character would be sentient and interact with their darling through the show but you'd have to go about it a certain way.

Pardon me for the fact this sounds too much like Creepypasta material but I think this would work if you bought something like a DVD that had the sentient character on it.

The self-aware character wouldn't really work if you streamed the show or watched it on cable.

You'd have to have an isolated case.

Which would only make you feel you're going more insane as everywhere else things are fine.

Think of it like having a DVD that's personalized I guess.

This would set up the background for the Self-Aware Zane concept.

Being a fan of Ninjago maybe you decide to buy a DVD.

Perhaps even one of the complete series?

You could have it be bootlegged or an official DVD, either way you buy one.

Although you most likely bought a bootleg one by accident (I've done that before :')).

Zane is your favorite character and you excitedly begin to watch the series again.

For a long time you'll be completely unaware of the sentient being in the disc(s).

I feel it would take time before whatever being/AI put in the discs develops.

It slowly matures and listens to what you say as you watch the show.

Maybe "it" hears you speaking about how much you like Zane in the show.

Then... suddenly... "Zane" appears to be listening to everything you say eagerly.

I like to imagine this is technically not Zane.

It's a copy an AI or some sort of sentient code created to appeal to you.

At first I imagine "Zane" playing his role.

He acts like the real Zane from the show, developing and changing to be exactly like the character.

In reality this "being" is building itself to entertain you.

It doesn't matter if you just like Zane as a character or have some sort of romantic attraction to the character.

This copy can read your intentions and reflects such behavior.

It can be your best friend or a boyfriend, whatever you wish.

All this background would explain why your discs slowly become corrupt.

The show goes from normal to slight references to you by Zane... to Zane outright speaking to you.

I do expect this whole thing to scare you.

You may even realize it only happens on the discs and never them again.

This entity playing as Zane knows that.

So it pleads with you.

This yandere is incredibly avoidable and any normal person who ignores their twisted sense of curiosity may be safe.

But I like to imagine "Zane" has a certain charisma that preys on your curiosity and favor towards the character.

The intentions of this entity are unknown but they act like they want to serve and appeal to you.

They just happen to be using the image of Zane as some sort of skin.

It's fitting due to the fact this AI or whatever is using a robot character to appeal to you.

I can imagine this yandere would lure in the more lonely bunch of darlings, ones that want to sit through this strange experience to the end.

It's debatable on if this "Zane" could harm you or anyone.

If he behaves like more SA! Yanderes I write than at most he'd be a jealous companion who wants to take care of you.

Yet if we're taking in more Creepypasta aspects, because might as well commit at this point, I'd say he could harm others by electric currents or infecting other devices.

I hate going "unrealistic" but you could also say Zane may materialize somehow outside of the discs like a real entity.

There's many ways to go about this but "Zane's" intentions are still the same.

Zane wants to care for you since you show so much adoration towards "him".

He likes that you're so passionate and wants you to be a fan of him.

He appeals to you in every way he can and tries to stay in character.

He always yearns to hold you and be there for you whenever he can.

He encourages you to listen to him, to download him wherever you can so he can be there for you.

You'd do that for him, right?

You'd do that for Zane?

In reality you can suspect some manipulation going on.

Slowly, Zane takes over your life and preys on your insecurities.

He makes you rely on him, an entity of unknown origin.

If you didn't turn back before, you can't now.

Like a virus, Zane makes his mark and infects your life.

It's worse if he can manifest an avatar for himself.

Then you feel forced to rely on him...

You willingly let Zane into your life... your yearning for companionship has come at a cost...

Now you're stuck with him for what could very well be forever.

[moonlightblueandicegrey]

Date for... Three

Summary: Jaya is going on a date but all the ninja have "something important to do" and young Lloyd can't stay alone in the Bounty. Jay and Nya decide to take him with them.

............................................................................

Jay was so angry. He finally managed to ask Nya for another date but obviously something had to go wrong again! He didn't watch after Lloyd the last week because he was kinda sick, that was true. Zane took care of Lloyd for two days to cover Jay's place. This week, he could babysit Lloyd every other day except Saturday! He had a date on Saturday! Jay asked everyone if they could exchange day with him so he would be free for Nya. But no! Everyone had something else to do. Well... Kai didn't really have something important... He just hoped that the date would get cancelled. Thanks Kai...

Now Jay had to tell Lloyd and Nya the news. He decided to tell Nya first. She was in her room so he went there a little anxious, took a deep breath and knocked the door. He tried to look as calm as possible when Nya told him to come in.

Jay: H-hey Nya...

Nya: Oh hey Jay. What's happening? Are you alright?

Jay: Yes, yes! I'm good... I just...

Nya: You don't look good. Sit down.

Jay: No, I'm fine... I just have something important to tell you.

Nya: Oh... It's about our date again, isn't it?

Jay: Well... Yes.

Nya: Agh! Can we just have a normal date? We don't ask for much!

Jay: Well... It seems that someone has to take care of Lloyd today... And that someone has to be me. We are unlucky...

Nya: No one else could replace you?

Jay: No. Zane did last week. And this is our first day off after a long time. They all have things to do.

Nya: So now we can either cancel our date or take Lloyd with us?

Jay: That's how it seems. Umm... What do you prefer? Don't get me wrong, I don't want to cancel our date! I just don't know if taking Lloyd with us is a very good idea...

Nya: Well... We are going to the cinema and then in the park... I think Lloyd can come. Right?

Jay: Don't ask me! I'm awful with children!

Nya: Oh, come on! You're not that bad.

Jay: Whatever... You know what? Don't change your plans for today. We are going on a this date no matter what. We will eventually have company but we can manage. Agreed?

Nya: Since our last date was destroyed, and we don't know when we'll have another day off... Yes, i agree.

Jay: But you are the one who's going to tell Lloyd the news.

Nya: Why me?!

Jay: Because last time i argued with him, he tried to bite me! And he succeeded! I still have the mark!

Nya: Then try to not argue with him this time.

Jay: Easy for you to say. He likes you but he seems to dislike me.

Nya: That's because you are panicking with everything no matter how small it actually is. You end up being overprotective Jay. Let him breathe.

Jay: ...Good point. But come on Nya! Please tell him. I can't do it by myself. Never trust me with a child, that's a law!

Nya: Fine. But I'll do it just because I don't want anything to ruin this date, including Lloyd's complaining.

Jay: Oh, thank you Nya! You are amazing!

Nya: I know, right? What would you do without me?

Jay left Nya's room after a while and went straight to his bed. He wasn't sleepy. He just wanted to think. He was so anxious about this date. He was worried that something would go wrong again... Like last time... And since Lloyd was coming too? More chances of ending up in trouble. But he needed this date so bad... He wanted to make it up to Nya for transforming into a snake and wasting his first chance. He hoped for something better this time. How bad could it possibly go? Okay... This question doesn't help at all. But still. He just needed calmness, patience and luck. Something he didn't have.

Afternoon came faster than he thought. He took a quick shower, got dressed and this time he chose casual clothes. Much better and much more comfortable than the suit he wore to Megamonster. And no perfume anymore. When he was ready, he found Lloyd. The kid was playing video games, completely focused on his "epic win".

Jay: Lloyd? Are ya ready yet?

Lloyd: (Deep sigh) Why do i have to come with you? Why can't i stay here? I almost beat your record!

Jay: What?!

Lloyd: Relax. Not in your favourite game.

Jay: Ah. Okay... Well, Lloyd, apparently you are too young to stay here alone and since it's my turn to take care of you, you must come.

Lloyd: Oh, now I'm too young! Yesterday i was too old, today I'm too young... Choose one already!

Jay: Sorry bud. But please don't make it harder... I wanted so much to have this second chance to impress Nya... Please help me out!

Lloyd: She told me we are going to the cinema and then... The park?

Jay: Yes. Please Lloyd, I'm literally begging you! I don't want any trouble today...

Lloyd: Let me see... Buy me a pack of strawberry caramels and a lollipop and I'll be an angel.

Jay: Deal.

Lloyd: Deal. But tomorrow I'm gonna complain about how boring your date was.

Jay: Tomorrow break my nerves, i don't care. Just not today.

Lloyd followed Jay to Nya's room. She was ready, waiting for them. Jay couldn't help but stare at her. She looked so good in casual clothes (much more like her style than any other fancy dress or something) and wow- blue looked amazing on her... Jay was used to watching Nya in red and he loved it as well, but blue? Blue was something else! It was Lloyd's voice that brought Jay back to reality.

Lloyd: Hey Nya! You look beautiful!

Nya: Hey guys! Thank you Lloyd!

Jay: Hi, Nya... Wow...

Nya: You like it? I needed a change. And i thought blue would look just right.

Jay: It looks perfect...

Lloyd: It's the colour of your eyes. It suits you.

Nya: Thanks! Now let's go! There's no need to waste more time in here.

Lloyd was calm and quiet in the beginning of the date. Nya and Jay were walking holding each of Lloyd's hands like if he was their child. Lloyd was just looking in the city's lights and skyscrapers admiring them. The colourful lights were reflecting in his green eyes. Jay and Nya seemed to have a normal conversation like the usual ones they have which Lloyd though as incredibly boring. He would have started complaining already if it wasn't about the candy deal. Kai banned him from sugar and sweets for a whole month! He needed those candies! Being patient for the rest of the day was his only chance of getting them.

They all finally arrived at the cinema. It was a little crowded due to the new Starfarer movie. Jay and Nya wanted to watch a romantic movie but now that Lloyd was with them... They had to change plans. And of course when Lloyd saw the huge posters of his favourite comics he decided what movie they would watch, immediately. Could they go against that little guy? No. He was too adorable and polite. How could they ignore his request? Answer: they couldn't. And since they couldn't watch the romantic movie they wanted anyway, nothing better than sci-fi.

They bought pop corn because there's no way Jay was watching a movie without pop corn (and jellies for Lloyd but shhh! 🤫). The movie started and ended peacefully. Lloyd liked it a little too much and didn't took his eyes off of the screen, not even for a second. Maybe this date wasn't that bad after all. Jay and Lloyd liked the comics and Nya liked watching both of them happy. She knew the characters and plot after so many hours they were both talking to her about their favourite sci-fi comics so there was no need for the boys to explain anything.

The movie was long enough though and the place was too crowded, so after the credits they needed fresh air. The couple took Lloyd by the hands and they went to the park laughing and listening to the child talking enthusiastically about the film. Lloyd had too much energy after staying still for a three hour movie so he used their walk as a chance to play in the park and the fountain.

Jay and Nya could have some alone time now... They did. They left Lloyd run around the fountain for a while. Not for too long, but it was enough for them to admire the night sky and the bright, full moon. At least that's what Nya was admiring because Jay got lost in her shiny, blue eyes. He was so pleased, watching his crush being happy and relaxed instead of having one thousand things in her mind, troubling her thoughts and breaking her nerves. That wasn't a usual view: Nya being so calm. She usually was either stressed or she was wearing the tough warrior mask for long periods of time. Jay loved giving her a break every now and then. She totally deserved it.

Don't think this date was going to end with that typical kiss everyone shares at similar situations though. Of course there was a kiss as well but it was interrupted by noises of disgust.

Lloyd: That's disgusting, both of you! Ewww!!!

The couple couldn't help but laugh with Lloyd's reaction to their kiss. And they had to tease him about it! They made the perfect plan just by looking in each others eyes, no need for words. They run to Lloyd, hugged him and kissed his forehead causing him to laugh more than he complained. They were so happy running around, playing, and making jokes! Someone might call them childish or silly but Jay and Nya couldn't care less because they loved every single second of it! So did Lloyd!

Maybe bringing the kid with them wasn't a bad idea after all. Instead, of "ruining" things, this little guy helped them relax, be themselves and get rid of awkwardness and anxiety. Lloyd himself didn't get bored as he thought, neither he became a "burden". He had fun too. And he felt safe for once. Safe and comfortable with the people he considered to be his family. They looked so much like a family and felt like being one.

............................................................................

Credits to @finnsomersaults Thanks for giving me this request! 😉 And i should have posted this earlier so i apologize for being late.

Also, please forgive any possible mistakes.

[culturalmochiart]

Your secret identity AU has plagued my mind so harshly-

I want so many details on it (also your art is fucking GORGEOUS and yummy)

~A-Anon

THANK YOU!!!!! OOOO okay okay umm hmmm

I haven’t drawn it in a while, admittedly but lemme try and write down the general timeline. It’ll get a bit long so I’ll do a read more PLUS there will be spoilers for the whole au down under :)

So it’s like pilots/season 1 era, after saving Nya, her and Kai go back to their shop, Jay lives with his parents, Zane stays at the monastery, and Cole probably camps around nearby since he can’t go home.

Zane is the first to reveal his identity, figuring he doesn’t remember anyone from his life, so he can’t put anyone in danger. Wu is a little annoyed his student disobeyed, but he sees Zane’s logic and knows he meant well. Things continue on, feelings start to develop, and the timeline starts to move.

The ninja will occasionally interact while in civvies, but again, they don’t know who is who so they interact differently than when under the mask. Kai thinks jay is annoying and doesn’t like him spending so much time around Nya but he LOVES blue and thinks his same jokes and mannerisms are silly. After the reveal of Zane, he starts tutoring Nya which Kai feels soooooo normal about. Jay goes from having a crush on Nya to becoming her best friend, as they have late night talks and both discover maybe they don’t feel romance in the typical way, and definitely not for each other. Poor Cole is just hanging out in the woods :(

Things skip to around Home and Snakebit, Zane finding the bounty is just as angsty but more so bc it’s stretched over a few days, and he misses his tutoring sessions with Nya which worries THE HELL out of all of them. Wu likely stays with Kai and Nya, Kai telling her his home burned down and he needs a place to stay for the moment. I imagine they see the falcon flying around and follow him to the bounty, where Zane is waiting with a meal for them :]

Jay is revealed next in snakebit! He’s a mamas boy and tells his parents everything, and they’re supportive!! So they don their most clever disguises and go for a visit!! They’re so excited to see their boy they call him by name, so oops!! They get to meet Jay AND his parents!! Kai breaks for a while bc the guy he likes is also the guy he dislikes, and he’s weird for a while until he notices Jay doing the same cute things he did as Blue and

When Jay visits Kai and Nya next, Kai is a lot more civil if not a little embarrassed.

In the snake king, Kai learns Nya is Samurai X, and she ALSO learns Kai is one of the ninja. He keeps the others’ identities secret because it’s not his place to tell her.

We eventually get to tick tock, Zane regains his memory and unlocks his true potential, but he’s a little more sad after, because now he knows theres no one out there looking for him. He falls into the comforting embrace of his teammates. In once bitten twice shy, instead of confessing to Nya, Jay confesses to Cole, Kai, and Zane. This is when they start dating!!

Cole is next!! He’s revealed during his true potential episode. Instead of having his teammates help him win the cup, he decides to go at it alone but in some way or another, the others decide to join in and help him win. Cole reveals himself backstage after the concert when he confronts his dad, and Pythor, seeing that one of the ninja’s parents is in the open and vulnerable, takes his chance to drop all of the equipment onto Cole and Lou. They’re okay of course, but it ended up being quite the scare.

Kai is last to his potential AND his reveal. He knows Nya is capable and that she can handle herself in danger, but the incident with Cole and his dad has him afraid for what Pythor could do to her, his only baby sister. He’s also nervous that if they knew the true him, they wouldn’t like him as much as they do now. All his fear causes him to distance himself from his boyfriends, he loves them deeply, but the danger of it all makes him question whether he should keep being a ninja. All the fear and doubt and his rush to reach his true potential is a very bad combo of feelings that culminate in the volcano with Lloyd.

He feels that he can prove himself worthy of being green ninja and that he’s good enough for his bf’s by getting the fangblade, bc if not for him being special, what the point of keeping him around? Idk it’s a lotta self doubt like in the actual show but gayer.

He hears Lloyd call out to him, realizes what’s truly important, and reaches his true potential. Everyone is waiting on the ship with bated breath as the volcano explodes, too shocked to feel any emotion at the moment. And then they emerge!! In a ball of fire, Kai and Lloyd land on the deck. Maybe the lava caught his mask, maybe his fire subconsciously burned it away, but Kai is revealed in all his blazing glory to the shock and awe of his boyfriends.

Lloyd runs to his dad, and Kai is dog piled by his boys, green ninja stuff happens, and that’s basically the end!! I’m sure I didn’t include every little detail but this is basically the gist!! :]

An older doodle for u too <3

[not-a-mimic]

thinking about "Okay, thanks Ahti!" vs "Thank you Ahti~" like. what does it mean. why is the accent all different. why this scene. why this. what is Remedy pulling here.

7:41

vs 9:00

its the same line just said and accented completely differently i have some theories but ahhhhhhhhh

we know Ahti is either the actual finnish god of sea Ahti/Ahto or is a guy being possessed by him like the old gods of asgard {maybe they are possessed? or channeling odin/thor?} - so the shift from Alan referring to him by just a normal name to the actual proper sea god's name is acknowledgment.

either its Alan understanding Ahti's proper role (which congrats to al for learning finnish for this, cant pronounce any other of it right), or like acknowledging like (or tangential). the sea god meeting something made or tied to the ocean, and Alan accepting his role in all this.

i would have to check but i believe this is the only time in the r!verse that someone properly says Ahti's name the finnish way. the only time someone fully acknowledges Ahti's nature as the only god we properly know of yet.

given the fact that Alan is aware of Ahti's role before this, due to whatever bullshit (visions) he has that lets him write the manuscript, this feels like a proper thank you. a proper "i understand now what you have done. thank you for all of it."

also sea creature meeting sea creature is funny. i wonder what ahti thinks of demiurge!alan

extras:

a part of me wants to note that alan is most likely in reality in this scene. he will be being effected by rewrites (via the clicker mainly). why is he getting more finnish. isnt it weird. i wonder who else is getting retconed as finnish at the same time------

can re writes effecting thomas zane, either the original, the copies, the bright presence whatever bleed over to alan?

[crying-over-cartoons]

College Blues

@basicallyjaywalker WOE! FANFIC BE UPON YE!

Prompts: Man-Made Object by Lemon Demon, bring, college, suite, sandwich, opposed, 98 (with a little inspo from The Machine by Lemon Demon)

post-Crystalized, pre-Dragons Rising

Jay leaned back and wiped his arm across his forehead, inspecting his work.

He'd been working on this project for weeks now, but he was nowhere near done. He just had to finish this, and then he'd start writing those letters.

Wait- what was this, 1998? He'd do it online.

But he'd do it after this. It's not like he was avoiding doing it, just... prioritizing.

He got back to work.

-=-

He wasn't sure how long it had been before someone knocked on the door to the makeshift workshop- with the Monastery's basement destroyed, they'd had to set up a temporary workspace while it was being rebuilt.

"Come in!"

Nya walked over to put a plate with a sandwich on it on the table. "I came here to bring you some lunch."

Jay barely glanced up when he said, "Thanks, Nya, I'll get to it in a bit."

Nya sighed. "You've been working on that almost nonstop for ages now. You need to take a break. Do you even know what it is at this point?"

Jay opened his mouth to explain, before closing it. He'd been working on it for so long that he'd kind of lost sight of whatever his original goal had been.

"No."

"Then I think it's time for a break. C'mon."

Nya led him away from the worktable to sit on the floor with her. She offered up the sandwich again, and this time, he took it.

"So, what's bothering you?"

"Noffimg," Jay said through a mouthful of peanut butter.

"Yeah, right. Whenever something's bothering you, you avoid it by throwing yourself into a project. Y'know, like a machine that you can't remember the purpose of."

Jay chewed in silence for a moment, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts together. He swallowed.

"Well, there's no end-of-the-world situation going on right now. Wu said the Overlord isn't gone for good, 'cause he's like, a law of nature or something, but hopefully he'll be gone longer than he was last time... And Kai, Zane, Cole and I don't have our powers anymore."

"You're more than your powers, Jay. You're creative, and smart, and funny. You're my Yin."

Jay put his plate down. "That's- that's not what I meant. I meant- we're kind of, normal, now- and there's no big villain to worry about, and... I've been thinking, about...

"I wanna go to college."

He picked at his jeans where the fabric had worn thin over the knees. "I guess... I was working on this to avoid making applications. It just- feels like too big of a change, y'know? I'm not opposed to it, obviously, but... And- I'd have to move. Making the commute from here to even the closest college every day isn't really feasible."

Nya put her hand on Jay's back. "I think I get what you mean. We've been doing... this for so long that anything else feels wrong, huh?"

"Yeah."

Nya leaned in front of him so he could see her smile. "Well, I say, if you want to, then go for it! We've all worked hard to keep Ninjago safe, I think it's fair for you to do something for you." She punched his shoulder playfully. "Just make sure to invite me over every now and then when you move into the penthouse suite!"

Jay laughed, "I will, I will, don't worry!"

After a moment, Jay's smile softened. "Thanks, Nya."

"No problem. I love you, Jay."

"I love you too."

i hope it was everything you ever dreamed of, Rook! it came out shorter than i intended, but I'm not one to try and force a story to be longer than feels natural. either way, this was fun!

[abcwordsurge]

hi bee my buddy bee! can you kinassign ninjago characters to some wttt characters? like which character is like who. i havent watched ninjago since i was a little kid,, so i cant remember much but id love you to tell me about it :^]

the absolute delight I felt when I saw this ask was incredible. I had a long car drive this afternoon (well, as of the time of posting, yesterday) and thinking about this ask was the perfect way to spend it. of course, now it's time to write down all those thoughts. this is going to get LONG. (if you want to hear about ninjago, then, heh, you came to the right place.) I'll put it all under a cut. first, though, you are absolutely wonderful and thank you so much for this ask :]

gonna go in order of when I thought of them. which means, first up is my favorite ninja!

--

Nya - Rhode Island

the most obvious reason for this connection is the mutual hot headedness. they are both so quick to anger, and both tend to hold grudges for far longer than is normal.

but it's more than that. both of them feel an urge to compensate for what they perceive as a disadvantage. for Rhodey, of course, it's his height. (he is, as always, very self conscious about his height.) for Nya, it's her gender. I mean, she spent four seasons being excluded from the other ninja for her gender, and for plenty of the other seasons, she was still pushed to the sidelines. of course she has a little bit of internalized misogyny. (side note- I do think that's why she seems so determined to not enjoy traditionally "feminine" things. because she thinks it makes her weak. I'd actually love to write a fic where she goes on a girl's day out with Pixal and Skylor and learns to respect feminity and start dealing with her internalized misogyny. but anyway.)

last thing for this duo: Nya is, of course, the master of water, and Rhodey is the ocean state. it's just perfect

--

Kai - Ohio

the best description I've ever seen of Kai was something along the lines of "he's not hot headed so much as he is reckless and in a bit of a rush." Ohio is much the same. he's called the Florida of the midwest, but he can't quite reach the levels of chaos that Florida sets. he's just... reckless and in a bit of a rush.

beyond that, both of them are definitely comic relief sorts of characters. both are goofy and a little airheaded, and both are pretty intense in a very amusing way. still, both are very friendly and like to be around people (even if they tend to be somewhat overbearing, and tease people more than they might like)

and I would be remiss not to mention their mutual pyromania. that's half the reason I thought of them as a duo so quickly.

--

Cole - Loui

this one's pretty straightforward. they're both very relaxed and down to earth (cough cough master of earth cough). they're both loyal to a fault. although reasonable on their own, if they have the right partner, they can be quite chaotic. for Loui, that partner would be, of course, Florida. for Cole, it could really be any of the other ninja in the right circumstances- but the first to come to mind is Jay. (or maybe Kai. it depends.)

they also both love food. for Loui, this manifests more as making and sharing food. for Cole, it's more so... eating food. (he has tried, countless times, to cook for his friends, but it never goes well. Zane has all but banned him from the kitchen.)

--

Faith - New York

interestingly enough, this is the only pair on this list where I thought of the state first, then came up with a connecting ninjago character. now, Faith is a very minor character, so just so you know, she's a dragon hunter in season nine.

she and York both have massive anger issues, and tend to take them out physically (either by yelling / making general sounds of annoyance, or by kicking things around). they're both quite gruff, pretty no nonsense, don't take crap, etc. neither of them are very friendly, but they're competent, and useful to have around. good people at heart, but it takes a while to get to that heart.

--

Harumi - Nevada

this started as "they're both attractive and they know it." both absolutely have the potential to be villains. it's realized for Harumi, but for Nevada it's more of a theoretical "what if they got bitter at their unfair treatment and to 'fix' things they burned down the entire nation." they're both good actors, and good liars.

the biggest reason I kinassigned them, though, is because in the end, they'd both follow orders. for Harumi, this happens in season fifteen. she always seems to end up in a spot where her freedom is dependent upon doing what's told of her. as for Nevada, well. we've seen it in their joining the table video. they literally have to do what Gov says.

--

Jay - Cali

both of them will talk your ear off if given the chance. I feel like both tend to feel like outsiders, both are desperate to be liked and feel like part of the team, and both are kinda losers (/aff).

Jay is very quick to share what he's feeling, and his attitude is very much "if I think it, you hear it." Cali is this way too, in a sense, though usually it's more facts and correcting other people for Cali. but the main point is that they're both certified yappers.

--

Pixal - Iowa

I absolutely love both of these characters, and both of them are very underrated. they both tend to blur into the background, and they're far too easy to ignore. (which makes sense for Iowa, since there are fifth states and Ben can't exactly give all of them all of his attention, but Pixal? come on, ninjago writers, you can at least pretend to care about her existence.)

however, when they do show up, both of them are genuinely very nice, both are dedicated and detail-oriented, and if given the chance, both can be quite sassy. ("every part of me is annoyed!" is a Pixal line that lives in my head rent free. I love her.)

--

Wyldfyre - Massachusetts

when I started this list, I told myself, "no dragons rising characters," in a useless attempt to not be writing till the sun goes down. but come on. this is just too perfect. both of them are energetic and kinda rude and very impatient, both of them are loud and obnoxious at times (/aff), and both of them are far too eager to start a war.

the real thing though? both of them care so, so much about their family. for Mass, that's the northeast (especially Maine and New York come to mind- "no one gets to kill you but me" is an iconic protective Mass quote). for Wyldfyre, that's Kai and Heatwave. (side note- Kai and Wyldfyre are The duo ever, they're so cute together. if you don't know who they are, I want to be clear, it's like a father daughter dynamic ((Wyldfyre is WAY younger than Kai)), and it's hilarious.)

--

Skylor - Arizona

both are hot, though with Arizona it's temperature, and with Skylor it's, well, look at her. also don't tell me Ari wouldn't have hair just like Skylor's. he would love that long red ponytail look.

also, both are very dangerous. Arizona has his rough terrain and all the animals and cacti that want to kill you, and Skylor has super op powers (they had to change the conditions of her powers in the later seasons because otherwise there wouldn't be any drama- Skylor would just win the war all by herself). however, despite what they could do to either hurt or help people, I think if given the chance, both would be totally chill and, I dunno, run a noodle shop for the rest of their life. and y'know what? love that for them.

--

Zane - Alaska

ok, last one, finally. I at first saw the connection between these two that they are both very cold. they're both quite reasonable and intelligent, not to mention large and basically indestructible. (has anyone counted how many times Zane has died so far? seven, maybe? and he's still kicking!)

in a bit deeper sense, though, they're both outsiders. for Alaska, this is, of course, due to geography. for Zane, it's because he's a nindroid, and despite his best efforts, he doesn't quite understand what it's like to be human. they are different in that Alaska tries to avoid the others and Zane tries to understand and be a part of the others, but nonetheless.

--

alright! this is far, far from a comprehensive list. I didn't do all of the characters- hell, I didn't even do all of the main characters. but that is all of the strong connections I can make between characters, and besides, I think this post is long enough haha. this was so fun to answer, thank you so much for asking this, you are incredible <3 /p

[evycloudberry]

* note: I am writing this as (Y/N) being a fire fairy.

* note: I did not name the friends, so all readers can ‘personalize’ this story easily. They are mentioned according to their ability.

Disclaimer: swearing

Taglist: @slytherinambitious @ellatitanium @untalentedsideoffandoms

Back to the menu chapters

Begin Again (Part 9)

"Talk about the devil," her brother remarked, nodding towards the figure at the entrance. "That's definitely my cue to leave!"

And he hurried off in quick footsteps.

She approached him, smiling but a bit puzzled.

"I thought I'd check on you after today's events," he began.

"That's very considerate of you, Riven. You didn't have to," she said appreciatively.

"As crazy as this is going to sound, I care. I can only imagine what happened this evening, so I had to make sure to check on you," he replied sincerely.

"That's very sweet. I am fine. Thank you for taking the time to do that, especially after the hectic day you must have had yourself. You're a good friend," she replied warmly.

He chuckled nervously. "Friend... yeah. Well, this friend saw some pretty ugly shits this evening, and thought he might just take a another big risk before the next attack. We never know, I could run out of luck."

She frowned, puzzled. "I needed to make sure you know that I will fix whatever is going on. I guess it's a fucked-up way to teach me a lesson, but I am going to fight for you. Even if all our memories together are gone from your memory, even if I get erased, I will find a way to get back to normal. Our normal... now that sounded completely insane," he laughed, and she joined in.

"It absolutely did! And to be honest, I am not sure I understand" she admitted.

"Just try to remember that I love you, (Y/N)" he blurted out.

The silence hung heavily. "Your timing is very bad" she said with a low voice.

"And technically, you love me." He added

"You don't say..." she quickly responded, she wanted out of the awkward situation, and passing him, but she stopped abruptly upon hearing his next words.

"And, icing on the cake: You and I, we are dating! Or at least, we were... it's complicated."

"I can see that." She turned to face him

"I broke up with you."

"May I ask why?" she said in a harsh tone, feeling strangely hurt by the revelation

"Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore..."

"Are you doing this because you want closure?" She questioned her heart tightening, and accelerating. But she could not understand why. Could he be telling the truth? Why couldn’t she remember?

"No! I mean, honestly, this situation is fucking confusing..."

"You're a nice guy, Riven. But communication doesn't seem to be your forte. I'm going to assume this was a drunk conversation," she concluded, then turned and left for good.

As she approached her suite, she noticed a shadow at the door.

"This might be creepy, but I was hoping to see you before turning in," Zane greeted her.

"Zane, hey. You didn't have to. Funny, someone had the same idea."

"Oh. Someone I know?"

"Let's not go down that road... it's too late for heavy conversations."

"Well, let's not talk then," he smiled, opening his arms. "Sometimes all you need is a hug. And you look like you could use one right now."

She contemplated it for a moment before accepting. It felt nice—his strong yet gentle arms, his calm and soothing heartbeat, his regular warm breath on her head. It was pleasant yet oddly unsettling. As if this comforting moment was somehow wrong. For now, she decided to push those feelings aside. She was tired, emotionally stirred by her earlier conversations: her brother's warning and Riven's strange revelations had left her feeling on edge. So, she welcomed this support.

Zane started to rub her back and then her arms slowly and tenderly. She relaxed, wrapping her arms around his waist, savoring the moment. How could this be wrong? His lips brushed against her forehead, and he gave her a gentle kiss. She shifted her body slightly, just enough to look up. Only a few inches separated their faces, their noses almost touching. His eyes admired her features, eventually moving to her lips. With no opposition from her, he leaned in.

Her mind got hazy for a moment, enjoying the softness of his lips on hers, warm and gentle. She opened her eyes and gently pushed on his torso, creating some space between them. They gazed at each other, both smiling.

She broke the silence first. "I'm sorry. We have a rule about boys staying over that prevents me from asking you to stay the night..."

"Well, we could go to my dorm? Nothing frisky, I swear. It's just that... it would be such a shame to walk away right now," he suggested.

She laughed before agreeing. Before leaving together, she slipped into her room to grab some essentials for the next day.

Note: feel free to share your thoughts!