#thank you for the ask!! sorry for being abnormal about him it will happen again

[fool-in-his-wedding-gown]

for the mc ask game: 6, 30, and 35!!

6. Do they have a playlist? Share a link! Why did you choose the songs you did?

I'll drop some explanations for the songs after I answer the other questions :3

Putting this under a cut because WOAH this post got long

30. What was their life like before the plague? Their childhood?

Saturn spent the first fourteen years of his life living with his parents & siblings! It was after he realized he was trans that things between them soured & he moved to Vesuvia to live with his aunt. There, he kicked his studies into high gear. He'd always had a fascination with the cosmos, and he'd always been curious, but now he was really taking it seriously. He was fifteen when his aunt died and left the shop to him, which wasn't exactly ideal. She was really the only person he had in Vesuvia (and especially the only person who saw him for who he was), but he couldn't exactly go back to his immediate family, so he stayed. By this point, he was an established researcher and astronomer, so running the shop on his own wasn't really a problem, but he was grieving and he was only fifteen. It took a lot out of him.

At sixteen, he couldn't take it anymore. The pursuit of knowledge (especially in his own field) had always been of the utmost importance to him, and he needed to get away. So when the role of a navigator aboard a merchant ship opened up... I mean, come on. Of course he took that chance. So, using his skills in starmaps and skycharts, he navigated this crew through the seas for a solid year. He was absolutely terrible at everything else (which was to be expected, he was the second-youngest person aboard with no previous nautical experience), but he kept the crew safe and away from dangerous shores and guided it through countless storms. He stepped off that ship at seventeen ready to expand his studies. The time abroad steeled his resolve, and he finally felt ready to combine his skills in his field and pour them into the study of magic. He pursued that for two years on his own. Lots of textbooks and disastrous failures, very little learning by example. His specific area of study was in truth-seeking, revealing, shedding light on dark corners. That's what he'd been doing since he was fifteen. This was just an extension of that with a different, much more efficient tool.

But pursuing it on his own could only take him so far. When he was nineteen, he realized he wanted to learn pyromancy & how to read tarot, and he realized he'd need help. Pyromancy is incredibly finicky and dangerous when wielded by inexperienced hands, and tarot is extremely hard to learn if one isn't being taught by someone already personally familiar with it (besides, it's not like he had his own deck). So he did some poking around and, through the grapevine, he heard about the talents of one Asra Alnazar. As it would happen, Saturn managed to find him on masquerade night.

What started as a business partnership ("you teach me tarot and pyromancy, and I'll show you how I learned my magic near exclusively from textbooks"), became a friendship became a queerplatonic partnership. Asra moved into the shop by the time Saturn was twenty.

Six years passed roughly uneventfully (minus some accidental fires, the both of them developing their skill in magic more, running the shop together, whatever the HELL was going on between Asra and Julian).

And then the plague hit, and everything went to shit. But that's a story for another time.

35. Do they have any material objects that are important to them? What & why?

A cane of orange-brown gnarled wood, given to him by his aunt. Saturn is disabled and this, on top of serving as his mobility aid, has deep sentimental value to him.

A necklace gifted to him by Asra. It's a pendant that looks like a sun, twisting beams radiating outwards from a spherical center. He's unsure if it has any magic tied to it, but if it does, he hasn't found it yet.

Okay songs time :3

I'm not gonna go over all twenty one songs, but I will go over a few of my favorites/most fitting!!

Cicada Days - The way this song expresses & explores grief & the way the narrator speaks to the person who can be presumed to be their partner I thought really reflected Saturn's own guilt & his desperation to be kept close to the people he loves. He may pretend to be a perfectly logical, impartial third party immune to bias, but at the end of the day, he's a man in love and he's afraid of losing that which he loves. Hence "don't let me leave, I'll only take more than I gave"

Battle Cries - A dialogue between two lovers. This one is about as simple as it gets— the two are at a crossroads. Whatever their current situation is, it isn't working. They must change or part ways, and it's clear one wants the former while the other wants the latter.

Curses - Man this one's lyrics just remind me of the plot a lot. "There's a fire in my brain and I'm burning up" & "This house says my name like an elegy" & "Ashes, ashes, dust to dust / The devil's after both of us" all just contain imagery that's very evocative of the plot for me

[tubatwo]

txt reaction: random kisses

summary: in which you miss your boyfriend so much you can’t help but kiss him!

pairing: reader x ot5

genre: fluff; 1.7k total

a/n: trying something new! I probably won’t do these too often because I have been overthinking each prompt for months! let me know if you prefer short or long stories for these! beomgyu’s is already longer lmao im having a bamtori moment ><

��� ‎

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yeonjun - when he’s busy

between group schedules and inkigayo appearances, it seemed like the universe didn’t want you and your boyfriend to have a moment together. of course you understood. he’s a busy idol after all, but it still didn’t make it hurt less. but one thing that yeonjun always told you is that the offer to visit him was always open, no matter how guilty you felt about it. and today just seemed like one of those days where you might actually take that offer.

after talking things through with the boys’ manager and getting a staff member to guide you, you arrive at the inkigayo filming area. it was strange to see how small the interview set was in real life, especially because everyone seemed to think it was an actual room!

you politely squeeze past a few people to get a better look at your boyfriend in action. you can’t help but smile at his cute mannerisms, charisma, and how everyone in the room seems to adore him. after a while, one of the staff members taps you on the shoulder and asks if you would like to move to his dressing room. you agree and wait patiently. 

the sound of the door opening interrupts your thoughts, and you look up to see your boyfriend with a shocked look on his face. “baby? you came?!” he exclaims excitedly. you smile warmly and run up to give him a sweet kiss that just so happens to be long overdue. yeonjun giggles as you deepen the kiss and wrap your arms around his neck. “mmph– I hate to interrupt, but what made you decide to finally come?” he pulls away, slightly flustered at how eager you are (but in a good way). 

“i’m sorry!” you whine, burying your head in his chest. “I missed you so much, and I’m sorry if this is a bad time–” yeonjun cuts you off by lifting your chin and placing another kiss on your lips.

“never a bad time, baby.” he shakes his head. “I’ve missed you so much, and I know things have been hectic lately…” you smile sadly and nod in agreeance. “but! i’m going to make it up to you this weekend, ‘kay? they just told us we have some free time.”

your eyes light up, and you hug your boyfriend tightly.

“I love you, yeonjun, thank you.”

“anything for you, baby.” 

soobin - when he’s sleeping too cutely 

you watch as your boyfriend’s chest rises up and down, letting out small puffs of air. you smile softly at how peaceful he looks, knowing full well how busy promotions have been lately. sometimes your boyfriend looked the most beautiful when he was sleeping. the one time when his mind wasn’t full of worries, and his shoulders no longer held the burdens of others. 

you quietly giggle as you scan over his body laying in a position that you just can’t seem to wrap your brain around. why is his leg twisted that way? you try your absolute hardest to keep your laughs to yourself. he needs his rest, but he just looks adorable… aaand you kinda miss him an abnormal amount. maybe it would be best for him to move anyway. he wouldn’t mind, right?  whatever happens, please forgive me. this is your fault for being too damn cute.

unable to resist your cuteness aggression, you lean down closer to his face and place a tender kiss on his cheek. then another. and another. and finally he shuffles. “mmm… y/n?” he murmurs sleepily. you bring your hand to his cheek to rub it softly. “hi baby, i’m sorry for waking you..” you whisper.

soobin pulls you close, copying your previous actions by kissing your cheek too. “s’ okay, i’ve missed you too.” 

wait what?

“ you… miss me too?” you echo. your boyfriend nods his head, shutting his eyes again as if nothing happened. “how did you know I was thinking that?” he lets out a snort at this. “because I love you, and I also know you like the back of my hand.” before you could even respond or complain, soobin leans in to kiss you deeply, making you sigh and melt into his arms. as you pull away, you quietly chuckle and tap the side of his arm.

“let’s head to bed, my love.”

beomgyu - when he’s playing video games

you could hear the echoes of your boyfriend’s yells from the other room. the two of you had spent the afternoon together visiting a local record shop and decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing at home. after watching a movie, you inevitably went your separate ways to do your own things.

however, you eventually got bored. there were only so many tiktoks you could scroll through without feeling drained. so, feeling curiosity take over you, you sneak back into your shared room, peeking at the back of your boyfriend’s round head. you watch him silently, waiting for his team to capture the objective. you had watched him play enough times to know when it was coming to an end.

“ah shit! that was a good game.” he says into the mic as the winning sign takes over the screen, then he queues into another game. as you tip toe closer to him, the chatter of his friends start to louden as the sound leaks from his headphones. 

you wrap your arms around beomgyu’s neck, resting them on his chest as you place a kiss on his cheek.

“babe?” he flinches a little at your sudden movement. “hey, what’s up?” he cancels the queue, ignoring the commotion and confusion coming from his discord call. 

“nothing… I just missed you…” you smile against his neck, turning his head to kiss him properly. as you smack lips, beomgyu gets a little dizzy. he lets out a few groans and a few giggles, eventually pulling away to look up at you with his lips curling into his famous v-shape

“you want me to log off?” he asks shyly. 

a part of you wants to say yes, but you already spent so much time with him for the day. you knew that he’s been trying his best to rank up recently, and time was never really on his side. it was important that you allowed him to have fun with his hobbies as well. 

you shake your head, fingers playing with the hair that was soon growing to meet his shoulders. "no, it's okay. enjoy yourself! besides, I missed watching you play," you smile, eyes filled with affection. “that is… if it’s okay? can I?” 

beomgyu can’t help but smile. one of his many favorite things about you was that you didn’t mind him playing his favorite games, and you even liked to watch and cheer him on too. 

“c’mon my little lucky charm,” he chuckles, patting his lap enthusiastically while pulling you down by your waist. 

despite the sound of keyboard clicks and endless trash talking coming from both your boyfriend’s mouth and his headphones, you drift off to sleep, occasionally feeling his lips meet your forehead. 

taehyun - when he’s working out

it had been an hour or so since taehyun left a small kiss on your cheek, telling you that he was going to the home gym room. with schedules in the way, it was hard to him to do his proper workouts the way he wanted to. you knew this, but you couldn’t help but feel a bit clingy after the tiring day you had.

after tiptoeing over to the doorway, you’re met with the sight of your boyfriend facing the other way while lifting a set of weights. you sneakily tiptoe over to wrap your arms around his waist while nuzzling your head into his neck. 

"hey," he says, a mix of amusement and affection in his voice as his body vibrates with laughter. "i’m kinda in the middle of something here, darling.”

you giggle, leaning in to give him a quick kiss on his sweaty cheek. "I know but…” you begin, smile slowly fading away as you remember the way you were late for work. the way your boss looked at you in disappointment as you gave your presentation. “I missed you a lot, i’m sorry.” 

taehyun’s expression softens, and he sets aside his exercise equipment for a moment to hold you in his arms. "I missed you too," he replies, returning your affection with a passionate kiss, reminding each other that even in the busiest of times, your love was always a priority. “how about I finish up really quickly, and then we can go out somewhere together?”

you smile and nod. 

“now, I could use a liittle more motivation to finish this set."

huening kai - when he’s practicing the piano

you peek in through the door that kai often used to practice, the sight and sound of your boyfriend’s fingers dancing across the piano making you smile. he notices your presence and stops. “oh? hi princess!”

you ignore his words and walk over to the stool where he was seated. you cup his face in your hands and kiss him softly, making him sigh happily.

“mmph- sit.” he manages to let out through kisses. 

“huh?” 

“sit on my lap.” he smiles at you.

you chuckle softly, a blush coloring your cheeks as you comply with his request. you gently sit on his lap, arms circling around his neck while you continue to shower him with affectionate kisses. a piano bench isn’t the most comfortable for two people on top of each other, but in this moment, with kai’s fingers lingering on your waist, it was the most comfortable place in the world. 

“I missed you, y’know…” you confess quietly, pulling back to rest your forehead against his. kai chuckles and tilts his head in confusion. “I haven’t gone anywhere, though?”

“I know, silly! but sometimes, even when you’re here, I miss you,” you sheepishly try to explain your feelings, starting to feel a bit embarrassed, “sorry if it doesn’t make sense…” 

kai’s expression softens, and he holds you a little tighter. “no no, I understand! I feel that way too sometimes,”  

“can we stay like this for a while?” you ask. 

“of course, princess.”

[ktjislove1119]

(๑>؂•̀๑) how they act when they're drunk

pairing : p1harmony x male reader

rating : fluffy and comedy bc im funny <3

requested : yes !!! thank u for ur request <3 plss dont b afraid to send me some more, no matter who or if its ot6 (it just might take me a thousand years...) i love getting requests sm hehe

warnings : obvs mention of alcohol and being intoxicated

ᯓᡣ𐭩 yoon keeho

i see keeho as an EMOTIONAL DRUNK, like incredibly vocal about everything he is feeling at all times. he acts just like an incredibly clingy, emotional drunk that won’t get off of you. we already know how touchy he is when hes sober (rip jiung LMAO), imagine that when he’s 1. super sensitive 2. constantly wanting to feel love from you, his boyfriend, and 3. incredibly vocal about everything but especially — wanting to physical touch from you. you’d probably have to reason with him for twenty minutes why you need to leave him for twenty seconds just to piss.

“kyo, i need to pee so bad, i don’t think you get it,”

“no! you don’t get how, if you leave me here, i’ll die. i’ll seriously die. i think i’ll stop breathing or something.”

“that won’t happen.”

“you won’t know that for sure until it happens — and then what?!”

you eventually have to settle for bringing him into the bathroom where he has the right mind to just stand in the corner in silence while you do your business. it’s a really funny sight, his head hanging low and an obvious pout on his lips.

“i feel like” is the beginning of a lot of his sentences where he proceeds to explain everything he is feeling about everything in grand detail. it’s a cute thing he does, but sometimes you do have to cut him off because he has zero filter and could possibly end up offending someone (”i feel like that girl’s boyfriend right across the couch from us, that’s staring right at us, with the really ugly outfit is really, really, ugl-” “oh! wow, shouldn’t you be drinking some more water, kyo? hahah…”)

he apologizes several times throughout the night for being so bothersome, but really, it’s not that big of a deal. just because you have to listen to him ramble for a little longer than usual and sometimes choose your words more carefully, but it really isn’t as if it’s the end of the world. just be sure to reassure him at the end of the night that you didn’t mind keeping him company and stuff and he’ll be a happy man.

“i’m sorry for being so much when i’m drunk…and always saying i won’t get drunk like this again,” he whispers softly, his hand playing with your fingers as your sat in the now quiet living space. you retract your hand from his, moving it to play with his loose strands of hair.

“it’s okay, i don’t really mind, y’know? i’ll always be here,” your smile melts his heart and for some reason he starts crying.

“i just love you so much and i don’t know what i did to deserve you, you’re the perfect boyfriend and i’m just here crying, i’m sorry,” his sobs get progressively louder and it takes everything in you to not chuckle at his abnormally emotional self. you just comfort him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear until he properly calms down into an eventual nap.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 choi taeyang

i think theo is the type of drunk to either go COMPLETELY SILENT or COMPLETELY YAP someone’s ear off. he already has so much to say when he’s sober (he’s so funny i love him), so when he’s drunk, that either gets amplified to a million or completely shut down. the night could look like you constantly asking him if he’s okay as he stares off into the void or you having to constantly stop him from causing a really messy altercation with his unfiltered opinions. he acts like a complete prince to you, though, trust he will bat his eyes all pretty and pretend as if he didn’t just insult a person to filth right in front of you.

on the nights where he goes silent, you have to constantly just nudge him and ask if he’s okay. he looks up at you with wide, blank and slowly nods his head, which makes you reiterate your question, and he does the same thing. it’s a little bit scary how quiet and to himself he gets, but at least you don’t have worry about him bouncing off the walls idk. if he ever needs help with something or just wants your attention, he will just tug on you or your clothes, literally being silent the entire time.

feeling a lazy hand pull on yours, you turn to taeyang and raise your brows in question. he motions over to the bottle of water in his hands (that he had gotten himself when you weren’t looking) and makes a twisting motion with his freehand. obviously, you comply, opening the water bottle for him and handing it over without question.

“you feeling okay?” you ask softly, sitting next to him and brushing his hair aside. he nods after gulping down the water, leaning against your shoulder and taking a deep breath. he’s so mellowed out like this that he falls asleep on your shoulder and stays like that until he wakes. he goes to sleep thankful that he has such a patient boyfriend and a smile on his face, his hand reaching for and holding yours before he knocks out.

on the other hand, if you’re dealing with the loud and chaotic taeyang, i wish you all the best…this man is a straight menace. there is a high chance he could end up pissing off the wrong person at some point of the night and you need to drag him out of a situation before it gets really bad. he’s a very straightforward man, obviously, but when he’s sober he has a filter most of the time and knows the right time and place. when he’s drunk, that differentiation he has for that goes out the window.

“why did you wear those pants and shirt, they’re ugly together.” he says frankly to a drunk keeho, whose face scrunches up at the blatant insult and looks as if he is about to cry, which taeyang then eggs on, “wait don’t cry, that’d be really sad if the reason you were to cry is because of your own decision,”

“taeyang, enough! oh my god,” you say, pulling him away from the keeho who was now curled up on the floor and clutching his clothes.

“oh, hi, baby,” he grins and throws an arm around your shoulder, dragging you down immensely with his weight, “i didn’t see you there,” a cheesy line he says almost every time he’s drunk, “do you like my outfit today? i chose it with you in mind,” he blows you a kiss and you have to hold yourself back from smooshing his face with your hand.

“just shh, please, before you say something so cheesy-”

“woah! that girl’s boyfriend is really ugly! should we help her? do you think he’s holding her hostage?!” his loud, booming voice fills the room and it takes everything in you to not abandon him there to fend for himself.

immediately, you bow to the couple and say quick apologies and move to hopefully move taeyang away from the scene. but he just puts more gasoline on the fire by kindly saying, “miss, do you need help? put the number three up if that strange man is bothering you!”

“taeyang, please, shut up!”

ᯓᡣ𐭩 choi jiung

oh my god jiung gets really PHILOSOPHICAL, like really philosophical. and he gets a little sappy, but most of the time he reels it in before he gets overly emotional. out of nowhere, he’ll ask you the most complex moral questions or things about the universe and fate and stuff like that, then immediately follow it up with, “oh, well, whatever :D” as if he didn’t just make you rethink your life choices. but it ends up being a sweet behavior of his because it somehow ends with him bashfully praising you and being explicitly very thankful for the relationship the two of you have.

“i read somewhere,” he starts and you knew that you were in for a rough one, “that some people believe that they’re connected with their soulmate through an invisible red string. have you ever heard of that?”

“i have,”

“do you believe in it?”

“…i don’t know, that’s a really complex subject — fate and stuff,”

he shrugs, looking onward at seemingly nothing, “i don’t think it’s that believable but then i think about us and i start to believe in stuff like that,” there’s a long pause before he says, “but also, i think fate isn’t completely responsible for us meeting. i don’t know how to explain it, but i don’t want to give all the credit of our relationship to something like fate — i feel like we’re more than that, y’know?”

his question leaves you contemplating everything about your relationship, trying to think like jiung and imagine.

“if people believe that there is a string connecting them to their soulmate, they probably would leave everything up to fate and not actively search for their soulmate, right? i don’t think that was the case with me — well, i wasn’t always trying to find someone for me, but i don’t…hm, i don’t know how to word it. what do you think?”

“i think…” there’s silence as you think about how to formulate your words, settling on, “i just know i love you, jiung, it shouldn’t be that complicated.”

he processes your words for a couple of seconds before laughing as if you had said the funniest thing in the world. the type of laugh that makes him drop his jaw and release gasps for air from how hard he was laughing. his hand was now holding yours and he’s squeezing as if his life depends on it.

“you’re right,” he manages in between gasps of air, “you’re right. i love you too, that’s enough,” he drops his head into your shoulder where he hums in content, “yes, i should just think about how lucky i am to even have you — no matter how it happened or what the chances were because that doesn’t matter now. what matters now is that we are now together,” he links your pinkies together, grinning wide like a child, “i love it, how we’re so connected.”

“by that string you were talking about?” you tease, making him shake his head.

“no, just how we work together and how you love me and how i love you,”

his heartfelt words and unusually very sincere considering his current state, but you accept them with a genuine smile and knocking of his forehead against yours. a drunk man’s words are his sober thoughts, or however the saying goes.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 hwang intak

intak…he’s so funny bruh. he’s an ENTERTAINER drunk, the party guy that ends up getting all the attention, but really that wasn’t his end goal. he’s definitely the type to pretend to want all the attention on him, but really he just wants to impress you…even though you’re already dating…he wants to be the only one you look at and will put on a show in order for that to happen.

someone was urgently calling your name, following it up with your boyfriends and something about the pool. obviously, concerned for his safety, you drop everything and rush to the backyard where the pool was.

“oh, there he is,” intak cheers, walking over and picking you up with his strong arms, “i was wondering where my baby was,” he’s sloppily kissing your cheek after that comment and grinning ear to ear the entire time.

“what’s going on? are you alright?” you ask, immediately concerned for his health.

“i’m fine, are you okay?” he shoots back, tilting his head to the side with a pout, “you feel good?”

“i feel great, but someone said something about you and a pool so i came running as soon as i heard,” you explained, taking in the scene and realizing that there were now people eagerly awaiting something.

“oh! that’s nothing!” he cheerfully says, booping your nose with his finger, “mr. worry over here, huh? that shows how much you love me, y’know?” he begins dragging you off to go inside, but someone from the surrounding crowd shouts.

“wait, intak!! you said you’d hold your breath underwater for two minutes! come on, man, i already bet money that you’d be able to!!”

intak grins ear to ear, not at all bothered by the person shouting, “oh! i’m not doing that anymore, sorrryyy!!” his apology is elongated with his voice dragging out the last syllable.

“what?! you can’t do that!”

“i just did — pfttt!” he sticks his tongue out and blows a raspberry before completely dragging you inside and into the house, “babe, wanna watch me stuff three cupcakes in my mouth?” he curiously asks, which you obviously deny in fear of his wellbeing (three cupcakes? he’d definitely choke on them and you were not aware of how to do the Heimlich maneuver).

“no, it’s okay intak,” you politely decline, making your way to the icebox that hopefully has spare waterbottles.

“did you know i could drink an entire water bottle in under seven seconds? here, let me show you-”

“no, no, it’s okay intak,” you repeat, grabbing his hand that was reaching for the bottle and putting it back to his side, “just drink the water normally okay?”

his eyes are just full of so much love, slightly tinged red, with his naturally red blushing cheeks and he obediently nods yes.

“yesss, sirrr!” he chants, going to drink the water at a normal pace.

after sitting down for a couple of seconds, you begin scanning the room for any free space you two could occupy. but intak interprets it as you losing interest in him so he says something drastic to get your attention again, “wanna see me do a backflip off the counter? i finally learned how to! (he did not.)”

“no, it’s okay, intak,” you repeat once more, smoothing out his hair and smiling softly at him. “how about i watch you get comfortable on the couch over there where you can take a breather?”

“well, as long as you watch me,” he agrees, a carefree smile on his face as he lets you guide him to the couch.

ᯓᡣ𐭩 haku shota

shota just likes sticking by your side when he’s drunk, a SILENT CLINGY drunk. hes an introverted extrovert so he only really wants to be near someone that he feels completely comfortable with, which at the top of that list would be you. he hangs by your side, almost completely silent. and when he isn’t silent, it’s the quietest random noises that he makes to get your attention.

“do you want some more water?” you ask your boyfriend, noticing that he was now nursing an empty water bottle. his big dark eyes look up at you and he nods his head in confirmation. you stand up to get the beverage and he follows suit, shooting up out of his sitting position and clinging to your arm as you navigate through the crowd.

it’s funny too because when he’s drunk he has a really weird and unexplainable possessive streak??? he is still silent when showing that possessiveness, so it really just looks and sounds like a jealous puppy that is following you around and trying to keep as many strangers away from you as possible. it’s cute since its incredibly harmless and it doesn’t warner any scolding or quick apologies from you whenever he does show any territorial behavior, instead you just look at his cute annoyed expression and appease him.

on the way to get his water, there was someone in the crowd that had recognized you and wanted to catch up. not seeing a problem with that, because there really isn’t any in the first place, you obliged and began chatting with them. it was a friendly convo, the person even greeting the silent shota by your side, but the man didn’t acknowledge them. after explaining how your boyfriend was a little out of it due to his intoxication, the person nodded in understanding. and shota thought that that would be the end of it…to his immense displeasure, the person didn’t leave you guys alone. and he was starting to feel more and more annoyed at their presence. he wrapped his hand around yours and squeezed tight enough that it got your attention. finally having your eyes on him, he batted his eyes at you innocently and motioned over to the empty water bottle you were still holding. remembering why you had even gotten up in the first place, you excuse yourself and soul from the conversation, which made smile in accomplishment.

“thank you,” he quietly whispers after accepting the water from you, leaning in for a soft kiss. you smile at his gentle behavior, immediately kissing back and then pulling away to let him drink some. he eagerly looks around like a lost puppy, as if he’s trying to find something. and just as you’re about to question him, he puts his head down in defeat and simply drinks.

“what was that?” you chuckle, bringing him in closer and smiling at his now slightly wet lips and sparkling eyes.

“nothing,” he says, leaning in for several more pecks in a row — which you obviously comply to. his clingy behavior and craving for your lips against his doesn’t falter at all through the night, but no one is complaining.

(he was trying to see if the person that was “bothering” you two earlier had seen the two of you be all lovey-dovey, but he couldn’t find them in the crowd)

ᯓᡣ𐭩 kim jongseob

jongseob is so funny when he’s drunk in the sense he’s a YAPPING and CLINGY mess, but SHYYY at the same time. at the beginning of the night, it isn’t that bad, to be honest. he’s capable of taking care of himself and standing on his own (literally and figuratively lmao) and even engaging in coherent conversation with others, but after a while he just wants to talk to you. yes, he’s still talking (probably about anything and everything too), but he just wants to stick by your side. oh, he’s also a really big blushing mess — acting like you guys are in middle school all over again and it's your first day as an officla couple, sometimes forgets you guys are actually dating and it’s not just a one sided crush (poor seobie lmao)

you and jongseob were sitting on the sidelines of the party. close enough that your legs were touching each others, but definitely not super cuddly on top of each other. your boyfriend was talking on and on about a vast variety of topics, sounding as if he was speaking in tongue twisters, but you really were trying your hardest to keep up. you were looking forward, but after hearing him stutter over his words a little, you turned to look towards him.

unsurprisingly, his eyes were already watching you and when you made eye contact he ducked his head down and began fiddling with his fingers. it was adorable, but it made you confused because ? did you have something on your face? or was he just not feeling good because the alcohol was catching up to him.

“you alright, babe?” his cheeks go ablaze at the pet name, but he aggressively nods his head to prove that he was fine.

“you wanna keep telling me about the progress of your island in animal crossing, then? i was really invested, y’know?” you grin and scoot closer to him, putting your arm around his seat and getting more comfortable.

“you were listening?” he asks quietly, hyper aware that your bodies were now much closer and you were leaning into him.

“of course i was, seob,” you answer easily, sighing in content. jongseob shyly holds your hand and moves closer to you, his face feeling as if it were going to explode from how hard he was blushing. he’s acting as if you haven’t been dating for the longest time.

give the two of you ten minutes uninterrupted and you’ll find jongseob shamelessly holding you close as he mutters mindless nothings as a way of staying awake. you offer several times to just go home, but he stubbornly argues that you two are too comfortable too move.

“i really like your eyes,” he says, studying your face and then pursing his lips, “but your nose is also really nice…and your lips, even your ears…unfair,” he sighs, dropping his head to rest on the couch cushion to his left as he faces you head on. you laugh at what seems to be a very serious dilemma for him, running your hand up and down his arm.

“what are you talking about, seob? you’re the prettiest guy i know, much prettier and more handsome than me,” you compliment to lift his spirits, but obviously all the sincerity is still there, “especially your smile,”

he buries his head into the cushion and you swear you hear him scream (?), but the music surrounding you guys could be making you delusional (you’re not he really did scream).

your boyfriend continues being a shy mess for as long as he’s drunk then begs for you to forget everything he said and how he acted when he’s sobered up because he’s so embarrassed.

[reverie-starlight]

For the MC returns fic you wrote, it's absolutely splendid. But I was wondering if I could ask for a part two with the dateables??

AHHH okayokay i'm so sorry this took so long, I have been so busy since school ended among other things, but here it is!!! and thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed part one <3

as always, gn!MC

disclaimer: I'm not that familiar writing the side characters' personalities, this is my first time writing for them, so please bear that in mind if you think they're a bit out of character. Also, I won't be doing a part three with the undateables (as much as I adore thirteen), bc I'm only on lesson 25 of the OG game :')

warnings: fluff!! slight reverse comfort in diavolo's bc if the game won't let him have a small breakdown, then I will, but it's like so minor. he cries a bit. poor baby deserves to let his emotions out a bit. his section got looonnnggg. slight making out in simeon's? nothing explicit, but definitely lots of kissing. blood mention in barbatos' but no gore or violence. he's just coming back from the dungeons bc I love him being just slightly unhinged. barbatos' is probably the most ooc because I had such a hard time trying to write his section, plus it got just a tad suggestive.

and once again, the details of MC's return are unspecified, just because I don't want to think too hard about it right now! did they complete the task and re-forge all 7 pacts again? did they just pop back into the present randomly? who knows? not me!

MC Returning to the Present: Dateables Edition

(aka MC goes back to the future... I missed out on that pun last time hehe)

After waking up in your room, where you rightfully belong in the present timeline, and getting through your teary reunion with the brothers, you were anxious to set out and find your lover.

You couldn't even text him to let him know you were back- with a shattered screen and an apparent dead battery, your D.D.D. had seen better days. The brothers offered to text the others to let them know of your return after they were done dog piling you, but you shook your head.

"I need to go see him now," you said, feeling guilty that you wanted to leave the warmth of their company so soon after finally having your chosen family back. You made a silent promise to them that you'd spend as much one-on-one time with them as they needed after this, but you were desperate to find him and they could tell. They could see on your face that you had been through a lot and just needed the comfort only a partner could provide.

So instead of fighting to keep you there with them a bit longer, they led you to the front hall and let you go find your beloved. You'd be back after all, you told them as much.

Solomon

As soon as you opened the door to run to Purgatory Hall, you walked right into a wall shaped like the sorcerer you were looking for.

"Solomon!" You gasped out, throwing your arms around him tightly.

"MC," he sighed in relief, cradling the back of your head with his hand, other arm around your waist, holding you just as tight. "I was so worried when you were nowhere to be found in the other timeline, I rushed here to see if you were back."

You hid your face in the crook of his neck, and blinked away a tear. "I made it, I don't really know what happened, it's all a blur, but I'm back now."

"You're back, you're okay..." he pulled back a bit to scan over your figure. "You are okay, yes? No injuries? No weird physical space-time abnormalities?"

You laughed a little breathlessly and shook your head. "No, I'm okay, my love."

He smiled fondly at you before glancing behind you, making you aware of your audience. The brothers were glaring daggers at your boyfriend, and you were sure that if Solomon wasn't, well... Solomon, any other human on the receiving end of those looks would perish.

"Guys, don't. He kept me safe when I was trapped back then. He took good care of me when I needed it, I swear."

You raised an eyebrow at them when they didn't immediately stand down, but they untensed after a second and just eyed him wearily.

Solomon smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, MC, you give me too much credit, but yes, I promise I kept them from getting into potentially catastrophically worse situations."

You returned his smile and squeezed his shoulder, tearing up again. "Don't be like that, you did far more for me than you realize..."

He knew you were referring to all the nights he held you in bed as you sobbed over the possibility of never getting back home, comforting you and acting as a distraction. If he weren't there, you honestly don't know what you would have done.

He sighed again, not wanting to get you too worked up right now. You looked like you were about to drop from exhaustion. His eyes lit up and he grabbed your hand.

"MC, why don't you let me cook for you tonight? A special treat in celebration of our return." The poor guy looked so hopeful that you almost gave in.

Before realizing that you wanted to live to see another day in the present.

"Oh, Solomon, that's very sweet, but you must be exhausted after everything as well! We can just go to Ristorante Six, or get take out..." the determined look in his eyes scared you and you glanced at the brothers for help.

"Nonsense, my love, you didn't let me cook for you once when we were living in Cocytus Hall, let me return the favour." Damn his persistence.

A few of the brothers snickered at that, probably picturing you frantically trying to keep your boyfriend out of the kitchen by any means necessary. It was then that they truly realized how many obstacles you had to overcome. You gave them another pleading look and finally Lucifer took pity on you.

"Actually, Solomon, it's Satan's turn to cook tonight, and we'd prefer to spend the evening with MC, so we insist that you join us for dinner. It'll give us a chance to go over some of the more... pressing details of what happened." His tone left no room for debate, so the sorcerer nodded.

"Oh... well alright, then, thank you for having me." He looked mildly disappointed but it didn't last long after you pressed a kiss to his cheek.

You let out a small sigh and silently thanked Lucifer as you walked further into the house again. You hooked an arm through Solomon's and went to sit with everyone else in the living room, finally feeling at ease for the first time in forever.

Diavolo

The second you were out of the house, you sprinted to the castle.

Normally you would be more courteous on the castle grounds, not wanting to piss off any of the nobles and have them think negatively of the Prince for choosing an ill-mannered human as a partner, but every rule of devildom etiquette left your mind as you ran through the halls.

You smiled at some passing servants as you slowed to catch your breath, wondering where he would be at this time of day. Finally you caught the eye of a servant you had gotten to know quite well during your visits and you visibly lit up as she greeted you.

"Hello, MC, it's lovely to see you again," she curtsied and you smiled kindly at her, insisting she didn't have to. She didn't seem shocked to see you, so you assumed everyone had tried to keep your disappearance a secret.

"Hello, it's lovely to see you, too... you wouldn't happen to know where the prince is, would you?"

She hummed and thought about it for a moment. "I believe I saw his personal butler bringing tea to his office not long ago... perhaps he's still there? He's been working in there far longer than he normally would, lately."

Your heart clenched at that, and you thanked her before running in the direction of his office.

You tried the knob, but it was locked, so you knocked frantically. It took a few moments, but finally it opened and there stood Diavolo. He had a welcome expression on his face, but you could immediately tell it wasn't genuine.

Until he realized it was you, that is.

All the pent up exhaustion you could see on his face melted away and he pulled you to him immediately. "You're back."

You closed the door with a gentle kick behind you as he dragged you further into the room. He lifted you up so that you were sitting on the edge of his desk, him in between your legs. His arms tightened around your waist before his hands trailed up to your shoulders, slid up your neck and finally rested on your cheeks. He rested his forehead against yours and let out a long, shaky, relieved sigh. Like the weight on his shoulders had just been lifted.

You let your own hands tangle in his hair and closed your eyes. "I'm back."

As you held him close, you started to feel him tremble slightly. You opened your eyes in panic, and your heart broke at the sight in front of you.

The future king of the devildom was doing his absolute best to hold back his tears, clinging to your shirt, his breathing unsteady. All because of you.

Your grip in his hair turned softer and you pressed your nose against his cheek, nuzzling into him. "It's okay, my love, I'm here. You don't have to hide from me, you can let it out," you whispered softly.

He listened to your words and immediately sank into your arms further, letting out a strangled sob. The tears that dropped from his face dampened your clothes but you didn't care at all. "Let it out, I'm here now."

You continued to soothe and shush him, all the while caressing his hair and kissing wherever you could reach. You knew Diavolo felt as though he had to remain strong all of the time, and honestly if you were in his position you'd probably feel the same. But since you started dating, you had been trying your best to let him know that he didn't have to be that way around you. He could let his walls down with you and never have to worry about being thought of as less.

A knock at the door made him tense up again and you looked at him in reassurance, silently letting him know you'd take care of it. He straightened up slightly, back still turned to the door, and nodded at you. "Come in," you called out.

You peeked over his shoulder and were pleasantly surprised (though you probably shouldn't have been) to see Barbatos standing there, composed as ever. When the butler saw your head sprouting from behind Diavolo's his eyes widened slightly before returning to normal.

"Hello, MC, welcome back."

You waved. "Hi Barbatos! I missed you."

He chuckled. "I must admit I missed you too. Young master, shall I prepare your room with fresh night clothes for MC as well? It's quite late."

You glanced at him and while he had dried his tears, his eyes were still rimmed with red and his nose was running. So he just nodded and said "Yes, thank you Barbatos. Could you possibly run us a bath, please?"

"Yes, my lord." He nodded at you once more with a knowing smile and closed the door behind him.

You looked back to your boyfriend and smiled. You gently kissed him and wrapped your arms around his shoulders again. "My love, I'm so happy to be back. I missed you more than anything."

He managed a smile and helped you down from his desk. "I was so worried about you, MC, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come back."

You squeezed his hand tightly as he lead you out of the office and down the hall that lead to his personal wing of the castle. "Well you don't have to think about that anymore."

He nodded and for the first time you've seen that night, and most likely in general since you've been gone, a genuine smile took over his face and his usual playfulness returned. "Will you spend the weekend here with me, MC?"

You nodded. "Of course, I was going to ask you if I could, anyway... oh! Diavolo..." you sheepishly looked at him and pulled out your D.D.D.. "Do you think we could get me a new one sometime this weekend?"

He laughed. "Of course, my dear. Is there anything else you need? Anything at all, just say the word."

"No," you started, opening the door to his room and flopping onto his bed. "Just you."

His smile turned soft and his eyes were filled with love. "That can surely be arranged."

Simeon

You knocked desperately on the front door of Purgatory Hall, hoping to see your boyfriend's face. All you wanted was to be wrapped up in his arms right about now.

Soon enough, you heard faint footsteps from behind the door and the sound of a lock unlatching. The door opened a crack and you looked down to see a certain blonde boy's wide eyes. Your own eyes widened in surprise, as you weren't expecting Luke to be up at this hour.

"MC?!" He exclaimed, opening the door wider and throwing himself at you for a hug.

You laughed a little and kneeled down to hug him properly. "Luke! I've missed you."

You both walked further into the entry hall and he refused to let go of you after the door closed. "We were so worried about you, MC! Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

You patted him on the head. "I'm okay, buddy, promise. I'm glad to be back in our time."

Another pair of footsteps was heard as you and Luke had your little reunion. Your heart raced in excitement, recognizing the pattern of the footfall.

"Luke? Who was at the-"

You smiled as his words cut off and he stared at you, frozen and clearly shocked by your arrival. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "Hi, Simeon."

Your voice brought him out of his trance.

He rushed to you and held you close. Everything about your boyfriend was gentle- his tone, his smile, his disposition... his touch normally was, too, but in this moment he held you tighter than he ever had before.

And you clung to him just as tight.

He pulled away after a minute, just taking you in- making sure you were real. His eyes turned glassy as he fought back tears. "MC... you're here. You're okay."

You nodded and felt your own eyes well up a little. "I'm okay, Simeon. I'm even better now that I'm here."

He took a shaky breath and composed himself, nodding once and turning to Luke, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Simeon, let's bring them to the parlor. We have so much to catch up on. We could watch a movie- oh! We could do some late night baking..."

The two of you shared a longing look as he rambled on about all the things you could do that night. There was a silent understanding between the two of you that you wanted some alone time, so he gave you a sly smile before addressing the boy.

"I know you're not going to like what I have to say, Luke, but it's getting late."

The angel frowned immediately and crossed his arms. "But Simeon, I want to spend time with MC!"

"I know, but you were already about to go to bed before answering the door. It's best to stay on schedule so you don't ruin your sleep cycle."

"But how is this any different than when you let me stay up late during our sleepovers?"

"Well..." he had a point. "I'm sure that MC is tired right now from their trip back. Time travel must be very draining, you know."

You stifled a laugh as Simeon grasped at straws to get more alone time with you and decided to help him out when he shot you a pleading look.

"Luke, how about we wake up early tomorrow and make breakfast together? Simeon's right, I'm exhausted and I want to be wide awake when we hang out. Does that sound okay? I'll spend the night and you can wake me up as soon as you wake up."

This seemed to satisfy him and he nodded, before hugging you one last time and running up to his room with a quick "Goodnight!"

You both waited for the sound of his door closing before his lips were on yours. You sighed into the kiss and wrapped your arms around his neck. It was soft and needy and longing. Exactly what the two of you needed. Your hands tugged at his hair and his hands roamed from your waist to your hips. His touch was back to being gentle.

You stayed like that for a bit, one hand trailing down to play with the hair on the nape of his neck.

When he pulled away after a while, a little breathless, he tugged you to his bedroom and let you rummage around through the drawer of your clothes he let you have for whenever you stayed the night.

When you were both changed and laying under his covers, cuddled up as close as possible, he kissed your temple. "I missed you so much, MC..." he whispered. "I was terrified that you would be harmed."

You turned on your side to face him properly. "I'm okay, Simeon. I just missed you a lot. You were there, you know... and you were almost the same. It was so hard for me to hold back from acting how I normally would with you..." you traced a finger along the bridge of his nose and then over his cheekbones. "I had to remember that it wasn't a version of you that knows me like you do. You were so close but so far."

He caressed your cheek with his knuckles and gazed at you with a loving smile. "Well I'm here, and it's me. I'm all yours, MC. You're okay."

If he was being honest, he felt like he could breathe again. Being away from you, knowing where- when- you were and not being able to help in any way was torture. Having you back safe and sound was the biggest blessing he could ever receive.

You leaned up to kiss him again and then rested your forehead against the crook of his neck. "I love you, Simeon."

"I love you too, MC. I'm so glad you're back."

Barbatos

Once you entered the castle, you immediately asked around to find out if anyone had seen him. The first few servants had no clue, but welcomed you back to the castle with a smile. It wasn't until the fifth servant you had run into that you got an idea of where he might be.

"I believe I saw him heading down to the dungeon about an hour ago. He's been spending a lot of time there lately- when he's not tending to the prince, of course. If you wait there, he should be about done with his... ah... appointment," he said.

"Thank you!" And then you were dashing to the top of the stairs leading to the dungeon. Just as you were about to descend the staircase, a familiar figure was ascending.

You both froze and stared at each other for a good few seconds, taking in the fact that he was in his demon form, covered in blood and carrying a bag. This certainly wasn't the reunion either of you were expecting.

However that didn't matter, because as you were too excited to finally have him back, you jumped into his arms, not caring about any blood on your already trashed clothes.

"Barbatos, I've missed you so much," you sighed in the crook of his neck.

He finally seemed to register was was happening and dropped the bag, wrapping his arms around you. His tail curled around your leg as well, a seemingly unconscious act. "MC... I've missed you, too." He said, slightly breathless. It wasn't often that anyone could catch him off guard, so you smiled slightly at your achievement.

Once he regained his composure, he immediately pulled back and looked you over for any injuries he could attend to. "Are you alright, my dear? Are you hurt? When did you get back?"

You cupped his cheeks and smiled up at him. "I'm alright. I got back about an hour ago, I just woke up in my room. I wanted to see you right away after I got done with the brothers," you said, and then ran a thumb under his eye.

"I'm happy you're back." He said, bringing up the hand with the less soiled glove to rest over your own. "I feel much more at ease now that you're here."

He'd never tell you how much of an understatement that was. He felt like everything was right again. His heart had been pounding in his chest ever since you made eye contact. He'd never tell you, but he was sure that you knew.

You smiled at him teasingly. "Have you been taking your nerves out on the prisoners? Is that why you're covered in blood?"

He chuckled. "It might be. Would that be so wrong? It's an effective way to relieve stress."

You snorted as he uncoiled his tail from your leg and brought your hands down to swing in between you both as you walked. "That's fair... Barbatos, would it be too much to ask if I could stay with you tonight?"

He squeezed your hand slightly. "Not at all, I was going to insist upon it. I still have things I must tend to tonight, but I need to clean myself off first. And while I'm at it, I will get you some new clothes. Then you should see the young master to let him know you're back."

You nodded at him and clung to his arm. One thing that hadn't changed from back then was how to the point and blunt he was. It was admirable, really. He smiled a bit as you walked, feeling perfectly content for the first time in a while.

Once you were both cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothing, you headed to Diavolo's office. You weren't nearly as nervous to see him as you were your boyfriend, but nerves still bubbled in your stomach. He was a close friend, after all.

Barbatos knocked and entered, signaling for you to wait a moment. You could hear muffled speech from the other side of the door before it opened again and he ushered you in.

Diavolo's eyes lit up. "MC, welcome back! You must be so glad to be home safe. I hope you're able to rest well tonight. We'll call a meeting tomorrow with everyone so you and Solomon can explain everything in detail. For now I expect you to take it easy for tonight."

You grinned at him. "Thank you, Diavolo. I'm happy to be back." You looked at Barbatos briefly to address him in a softer tone. "Should I wait in your room or the parlor?"

He was about to respond before Diavolo cut in. "Oh, Barbatos, you're dismissed for tonight. I'm just about done here, anyway."

The butler's eyes widened. "My lord?"

"You deserve to spend this time with them, take the night off."

"...Are you sure, my lord?"

He nodded and then looked at you pointedly. It was clear he was conveying along the lines of 'get him out of here, I can't convince him on my own'.

You smiled and bowed your head at him in thanks and gently tugged your boyfriend out of the office. "Come on, my love."

Once you were back in the hallway, he looked at you. "Are you hungry? I could bake for you, it's not too late yet."

You nodded. "That would be great, thank you..." you kissed him on the cheek as you walked, laughing slightly at his still-stunned expression.

Clearly he wasn't expecting much free time tonight, but with one glance at you, he knew exactly how he wanted to spend it. "When we're done in the kitchen, I think we should turn in for the night a bit early..." he leaned in close and brushed his lips against your cheek. "Does that sound alright with you, my love?"

You shuddered and nodded, looking up at him with an expression that matched his own. "That sounds perfect."

He was so happy to have you back.

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

I'm so happy to have this done!! it was genuinely so much fun to write... I'm sorry for Barb's section being so... short? and ooc? I had the hardest time figuring out how I wanted to portray him and I think I'm going to have to keep working on it cause I'm not 100% happy with it, but we'll see!

I also dug up some unrealized feelings I have for Diavolo with this fic, cause now I'm like totally head over heels for him.

all in all though, I hope you enjoyed!!

[sweetieviktor]

viktor x lab partner! reader (headcanons + tiny scenarios)

summary: working with viktor and jayce is all fun until you start wishing your lab partner was well.. your partner.

content warning: minor spoilers about season 1, arc 2 and fluff!!

author notes: im sorry for the waiting!! life has been chaotic and im pretty busy doing things but i've managed to finally write down this adorable request yeey! hope you like it :D

» working with the hextech genius and piltover’s golden boy surely wasn't an easy job. high expectations, sleepless nights, doing experiments and calculations all day...

» at first, it was difficult to blend in as part of the group. jayce and viktor had been good friends for a long time now, and being added as a scientist alongside them in their own lab seemed like something experimental, almost incorrect.

» but things soon started to fall into place. and just like two plus one is equal to three, in the late hours was the time you all could be more free, more like your true selves. maybe it was the sleep deprivation, but it finally felt like there was a little place for you after all.

» whenever you needed to breathe a bit of fresh air and they were too focused on some research, you would go out and get them lunch on your way back. when you return to the lab, jayce would welcome you with a side hug and such a big smile that it could possibly blind you, while viktor would thank you with a little nod and a ghost of a smile on his lips.

» on these lunch breaks, it was common for you to talk about anything and everything that came to your minds at the moment. the hextec, politics and the council, how chaotic or abnormally normal life has been, literally whatever.

“i swear, i can't stand councilor hoskel anymore! why does he never listen to me but when mel says the same thing, then he is all ears?” jayce said while running fingers through his hair, smothering the mess to it place again.

“maybe because you can't verbalize things as good as her?” viktor suggested, tilting his head to the side, taking a bite of the cookies you've got for them earlier. “eeh, i mean, she works at the council for quite a time, right? you're still new to it.”

it was true, of course, but there was one thing they didn't consider yet. “or maybe you just ain't a woman!”

“surely a smart remark, i must say.”

“NO!”

» of course there were times where you could be more relaxed, but almost everyday was the same: calculation, experiment, malfunction and all again. it was frustrating, but worth it. after all the failed prototypes and explosions (so many explosions), now it is finally working.

» also, going on all nighters is a common occurrence (but jayce can't work through the night, because in the day time he needs to attend on the council and can't be late, so the boy needs to sleep early) and when this happens, you often go get you and viktor a mug full of coffee and then continue working on whatever you've been up to.

» oh, and the hexcore. magic and science at once. runes and mathematics all together, the almost impossible and so ethereal dream.

» to be able to study it this close was one of the best things that happened to you, to see, understand and manipulate hextech was incredible. the soft blue light it casted on the lab walls was beautiful, but to see it shine against viktor's skin was a delightful sight.

» his disheveled hair, dark circles, cheek bones. all of the shadows in the right places. the shining amber eyes, his nose and, oh, janna, his mole, the one just above his lip. it drives you insane. like it was luring you into locking your lips on his.

“why are you looking?” he asked, still focusing on the source of the light in front of him, molding its runes, the core moving along it. “studying?”

“yes, yes!” your tone more high pitched than you intended to. shit. “just studying the... hexcore.” you tried to remain your voice at a normal level again, inhaling and exhaling to calm down.

pulling his goggles up, he let his head fall back, laughing, “i'm just messing with you,” he looked at you from between half closed lashes, smirking, “good to know you like to study this.”

» the stealing glances, the absolutely profissional soft touches, the desire for something more, something you couldn't quite have. godness, if you could use hextech to solve your love equation, you would. maybe it would be easier to focus on work with a little magic.

» but it was so hard to focus while he kept looking at you like this, calling your name so sweetly, brushing his fingers on yours whenever you handed him something. you were head over heels for him but why does it seemed so hard to just tell him how you felt?

» again, this love equation was a confusing one, but you wished that the cup of sweet milk you left alongside a little sticky-note saying “you + me = date?” for him to find on his workplace was enough to be called a confession.

» now, you were almost ready to head home, but first you needed to look for jayce and update him about the research you've been working on lately.

» and after doing so, you headed towards the academy's lockers, unlocking yours, sending the same sticky-note you left on the lab flying to the pale ground. when you picked it up, you noticed some words written just below yours. “this is an easy one! the answer is yes. so... at the coffee shop near the academy, at 4pm? – v.”

[ghostboneswrites2]

HELLOOOO :333

since im re-watching twd and im back on season 8, what if Y/n was to get bit aswell but had no intentions of telling daryl? So she makes the most of her remaining days with him until she gets consumed by the infection. Kind of like the whole carl thing. thankyou in advance :P

hi angsty anon sorry for the wait I love this req so much 💕

Last Man Standing

Warnings: TWD typical violence, death, grief, mentions of sex

dividers from @sister-lucifer

Gratitude could be hard to come by. You’d think it would be bountiful in a world where a simple meal could be considered a luxury. With all the carnage and loss, it was easy to forget that there were still things worth being thankful for, but today you were grateful. You were grateful often, but especially today.

Today would be the beginning of the end of your life. So, you’d spend the morning with Daryl, drinking instant coffee and complaining about the taste. He’d part for only a short time to shower, offering you to tag along, only to be shot down.

“No thanks, babe. I actually showered last night before you got back.” You’d say in your casual chipper, and he’d believe you, because you never gave him a reason not to. How was he to know what you were hiding beneath your shirt?

After his shower, while you were cleaning up the kitchen for him, he snuck up behind you, snaking his arms around your waist and inhaling against your neck. He loved the way you smelled.

With a chuckle, you’d ask him, “All clean?” To which he’d just grunt and squeeze you tighter, pressing you into the counter. You’d spin around, plant your lips on his, while he hoisted you up onto the countertop and stripped you down. The sex was passionate and sweet, never breaking the kiss until you had to get dressed again.

“Do you want to go for a walk with me?” You asked him as you adjusted your bra and fixed your hair.

“Ya sure? Hotter than hell out.” He asked skeptically, knowing how much you loved having a home with an AC.

“Of course I am.” You grinned wide, a smile that shone brighter than your inner turmoil. “It’s the only thing I miss about being on the road. Our walks in the woods.”

A tiny curl appeared at the corner of his lip, a small show of affection he often reserved for you and you alone.

“Get your boots on.” He told you. Once you were both geared up to leave the walls, you went out into the trees and disappeared together.

He picked up quickly on your unusual silence. It wasn’t that a quiet walk was abnormal for the two of you, but you had a habit of pointing out different types of birds and bugs as you strolled. Today you hadn’t done that. Your focus was on the small beams of light that filtered in through the canopy above. Life was so beautiful, and you were determined not to take it for granted in your final hours.

The heat, however, was not so enjoyable. The fever was starting to set in and you knew it would be only a matter of time before your skin went pale and clammy. Your hours were numbered, more than you had anticipated. Of course, you’d seen it happen much faster than this. You were still one of the lucky ones.

When you found a suitable log you took a seat, being sure to control your breathing. He couldn’t see you get winded after such a short walk. He’d know something was up. So, instead of giving him the chance to think about it too much, you decided to distract him.

“Remember when we first met?” You asked. He snorted.

“I remember a psycho comin’ after me with a knife.” He joked.

“I’m my defense, I didn’t know you, and you were in my house.”

“It was a damn gas station in the middle o’ nowhere.” He argued. You giggled.

“Home is where you make it.” You told him.

“Nah. Home is people. The ones who matter.” He corrected. You felt a twinge of pain in your heart. You knew he was referring to you. You were his home, just like he was yours.

“Yeah. But, sometimes…” You trailed off, chewing at your lip anxiously. “Sometimes home is just where you belong. Even if the people that belong there with you aren’t there anymore.”

“Nah.” He shrugged away your sentiments. “My people’s my home an’ if I ain’t got them I ain’t got nothin’.”

You took in a small breath and blinked a few times to avoid tears. It was moments like this that reminded you why you could never tell him. A surge of emotion washed over you. Suddenly you felt dizzy in the heat. Whether it was the infection or the stress, you were visibly pale and short of breath.

“Y’alright?” He asked with concern.

“Yeah.” You breathed with a nod. “It’s just really hot out here.”

“Told ya.” He gloated. “You’re spoiled now.”

He stood and offered you a hand, which you took, and he led you back home.

After some cold water and a small snack, you hadn’t felt much better. You knew it could only be a sign of what was to come, which was surely worse than what you were currently experiencing.

“Damn. That heat really took ya out, huh?” He commented as he refilled your glass of water. You nodded and hummed, somewhat absentmindedly.

“Wanna watch a movie?” You asked him.

“We got movies?” He asked. You laughed.

“Yeah. Not sure which ones but I found some DVDs when we moved in.”

The two of you searched until you found a movie called Pay it Forward. It was about a boy who did a class project in the concept of paying it forward. One good deed for fellow man, paid forward consistently, to make the world better for everyone.

By the end you were in tears, and so was Daryl despite his best efforts to conceal it.

“Kid reminds me o’ you.” He admitted. “Always tryin’ to do right by everyone else.”

“Yeah.” You sighed. All the good deeds you had done, only to die in the end, just like the little boy in the movie. The only difference was that you knew you were going to die.

The sun was beginning to set, and as you went to stand and turn off the TV, you collapsed. The weight of your upright body was too much to bear. It felt as if your bones were being crushed under the weight.

In a panic, Daryl rushed to lift you back into the couch. Your head swayed around, eyes glazed over. Your skin was clammy and drained of color. Your eyes had sunken in and the whites around your irises had yellowed. He took your face in his hands and tried to steady it, looking you in the eyes with a deep concern.

“Y’okay? Hey, look at me. Ya good? You’re scarin’ me.” He begged softly as your tried to focus on him through the blurry vision. “Y/N? Talk to me, baby.” He pleaded again.

When your vision had reduced him to a single figure, you finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, Dar.” You whispered.

“Sorry for what?” He asked with a gentle shake of your shoulders when your head began to droop down again. “Did ya take somethin’? Ya sick? What’s goin’ on?”

“I couldn’t tell you.” You admitted, voice crackling under the weight of fear and agony. It felt like your bones were splintering under your skin, lodging into your flesh like needles. Everything hurt. Everything burned. Everything aches and throbbed and begged for relief.

“Tell me what?!” He begged. “Talk to me. You can tell me anythin’, ya know that!”

“I’m sorry.” You began to cry. It was all finally caving in on you. The terror of becoming a walker, the fear of death and the unknown, the guilt of leaving him behind. “I’m sorry.”

“Y/N..” He whispered, eyes beginning to water.

With nothing left to lose, you hooked your weak fingers under the hem of your shirt and struggled to pull it over your head. Daryl reached to help, but he froze when your ribcage came into view. A deep round bite showed it’s ugly face, bruised and discolored all around. The veins around the wound had turned black. The nasty infection had entered your bloodstream. Hell, even if it hadn’t, it wasn’t like you could amputate and save your life.

A sick feeling crept into his heart and spread over his body. He was nauseated, enraged, devastated. He couldn’t even decipher the range of emotions, and frankly he didn’t have the time to. You were slipping away, like sand falling through his fingers.

“When?” He choked out.

“Yesterday.” You admitted weakly.

“Ya didn’t tell nobody?” He asked in shock.

“I couldn’t. They’d have told you.”

“Why couldn’t ya tell me?” He asked you, but it was too late. Your eyes had fluttered shut. He shook you with a rough desperation. “Y/N, come on. Not now. Talk to me. Open your eyes. Why couldn’t ya tell me? Come on baby. Please.”

He begged and cried as he shook you, pulled you into his arms, tried everything to bring you back. Your body was limp against his. All the strength of a man ripped away from him as he crumpled up on the floor, cradling the love he had lost. He sobbed over you until the heat of the fever had left your flesh and you turned cold. All signs of live had vanished. He pulled away and looked down at you one last time. Scanning every feature, imprinting it into his memory.

Then, he screamed. It was a deep, guttural, primal kind of scream. The kind you only heard from a man who lost everything he loved, or a woman who lost her child. It was filled with agony and despair. He screamed and screamed until neighboring Alexandrians rushed out of their homes and over to your front step. They pounded at the door and called for you and Daryl, overcome with worry for their neighbors.

He couldn’t hear them, though. Not over his own heart, over his own thoughts, his screams and cries. He stood in place and dug his fists into his hair, hoping the pain of tugging at his scalp would distract him from the overwhelming ache in his chest, but it did nothing to soothe him. He paced around your body, hyperventilating, losing touch with himself and the world around him.

His hands found pictures on the walls, furniture, the television, the dishes and decor. His heavy boots echoed as he stormed around and destroyed the reminiscence of his life with you there. He could leave no trace, for he could not bare it. By the time Rick was summoned, the home was completely destroyed. Broken glass and splintered furniture littered the home. Lamps turned sideways, flickering in the dim rooms.

He found you first, a cold half-dressed corpse that he barely recognized amidst the destruction. He found Daryl next, on the kitchen floor, curled up on his side as he sobbed on a bed of broken china and scattered cutlery. Rick could barely recognize him as he laid there, a shell of a man. A man who lost his whole world.

It would be weeks before anyone aside from Rick saw him again. Without Rick to check in on him and talk him into eating or drinking, he likely would have died of malnutrition or dehydration. At least, that would have been the formal cause of death. Everyone would know, though, that he would have died of a broken heart.

Eventually, he emerged from his solitude and found your grave among the others. He’d sit there for hours, reading and rereading the letter you left him, which he only found because it was under the bottle of whiskey you’d both saved for a rainy day.

Daryl,

It’s strange to imagine the final hours of one’s life. It’s even more strange to experience the final hours of your own life, knowing that everything you do, you do for the last time. I suppose I should feel afraid. Oddly enough, I’m sort of finding peace with it.

In retrospect, I was so lucky to make it as far as I have. My survival up until this point largely boils down to the luck of the draw. Right places, right times. Still, though, there were a few times where I lived because someone else died, or because someone was there to save me. There were times where we all lived because we fought like hell and earned the right to survive in this new world.

It is new, by the way. The world we once knew died, but it’s been reborn. I’m grateful to have been part of the beginning of something new, something that might be great. Most of all, I’m grateful to have been a part of it by your side. I’d never change a single thing. Even if I was given the chance to go back and stop the outbreak, I wouldn’t. Because I would have never met you, and had I not, I would have never found my true self. I pretended to be someone else for as long as I can remember. The time I’ve spent with you has felt more natural to me than anything I’ve ever experienced.

You, Daryl, are the most raw, genuine, unfiltered person I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. You showed me how to find that version of myself, and in doing so, you set me free. I might be dying, but I’m dying as my true self, and for that I am thankful.

Despite all that, I know you, and I know nothing I can say will console you the way you need to be consoled. If nothing else, I hope every time you retreat into solitude and shut yourself off from the world, you can hear my voice in the back of your mind. Reminding you to admire the beauty in the natural world, nagging you to go see Carol and get out of your head.

I know you get tired of being the last man standing, but the grief doesn’t have to consume you. You don’t have to be alone. You deserve a happy ending too.

I love you, more than I could ever show you. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you behind. Whatever awaits me on the other side, I hope to find you there one day, after you’ve lived a full life and found a purpose outside of being by my side.

tags: @kissmeunicornbaobei @thesadcatt0 @clairealeehelsing @duckybird101 @tmntfixationxreader @ryoujoking @blackvelveteen1339 @yondus-girl @ladylincoln @sunshinebug9 @saylum559 @yoowhatthefuck @duffmckagansbandana @celtic-crossbow @virginsexgod69 @dazzling-roaring-20s @l0kilaufeys0n7 @uhnanix @superbowlisgay @liizzygrant @eddiemunsonsupremecy @raeraegoaway

[cha-melodius]

Fic Fest!!

You know it’s gonna be FirstPrince … and I need that Kennedy Garden AU!

Congrats on your 100th work!! You’re an incredible writer and person and I feel quite fortunate to know you.

(Thank you for this lovely prompt Sam!! I'm sorry this took forever, but I hope you enjoy this AU!)

Flowers Only Grow Where There Are Seeds

(T, 4k, read it below or on AO3)

“Are you watching that guy like a weirdo creep again?” June asks, too close to his ear, and Alex jumps a fucking mile.

“I’m not being a weirdo creep,” he huffs, folding his arms over his chest as he steps away from the window overlooking the Kennedy Gardens.

June gives him a look. “But you are watching him.”

“I was just— I was walking by and I happened to notice him, and—”

“You should go talk to him,” June interrupts blithely, already sauntering away.

“What? No,” Alex scoffs.

“Why not? He’d probably be flattered he caught the attention of the First Son.”

“He’s working, June,” Alex says. “He doesn’t want to be bothered.”

June shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

~~~~~

Alex doesn’t know exactly what about the gardener first caught his attention. Maybe it was the fact that he was younger than a lot of the other people who were employed to work on the landscaping at the White House—Alex’s age, or thereabouts. Maybe it was the way he was always still somehow so pale after working in the sun all day. Maybe it was the fact that he could have been a model, with his long legs and swooping cheekbones and full lips, and yet he was spending his days clipping bushes and digging up bulbs.

Actually, all of that’s a lie: Alex knows exactly when the gardener caught his attention.

It had been an abnormally warm early spring day, and he’d been pacing in front of a bank of windows as he tried to wrestle his ideas into something that might resemble a coherent essay for one of his classes. He wasn’t even looking out at the gardens, not really, but a flash of movement caught his eye and drew him over to the glass. A hose had failed somehow, leaving the man who’d been working with it looking like he was re-enacting Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake (what? June has those movies on all the time, it’s not like it’s his fault if he gets caught up in them sometimes). The gardener had plucked at his thin white shirt as it clung to his torso, revealing a truly breathtaking collection of muscles sculpted by regular manual labor, before he’d finally peeled the whole thing off, taking his dingy ball cap with it.

That was when Alex discovered that they were currently employing what might very well be the most gorgeous man on the planet.

That was also when Alex realized he might be something less than 100% straight. Ok, it had taken some more time after that, and more than a few instances of catching sight of the beautiful gardener again, before he started to understand what he was feeling. He still isn’t really sure if he’s actually bi or just lonely and horny, but that was definitely the start.

He’s well aware of how weird it would be to go hit on the man, for many, many reasons, so he just… appreciates from a distance. It’s fine. In a few months it will be winter again, and Alex probably won’t see him around anymore. He’ll get over his stupid little infatuation on someone he’s never even spoken to, and that will be that.

~~~~~

It’s one of those days, when there’s too much going on and he can’t get Cash to go with him on a run outside of the White House grounds, so Alex just ends up looping endlessly around in little circles on the path around the South Lawn, trying to get out some of the excess energy that’s thrumming in his veins. Eventually, he manages to tire himself out enough and ends up sprawled out on his back behind some bushes in the Children’s Garden, staring up as the clouds drift past. He doesn’t know how long he lies there, only that he still hasn’t quite come back to earth when he hears the sound of footsteps on the nearby path. Probably he should get up, but he can’t really bring himself to care who sees him like this.

That’s before the hot gardener comes around the corner. His light blue button-down shirt is hanging open, thrown loosely over a white tank top that’s smudged with dirt and sweat-darkened at the neckline, and Alex might have fallen over if he wasn’t already on the ground.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was out here,” the gardener says. The accent is a surprise. An extremely sexy surprise. Fuck. “Do you need a hand?”

Alex could use a hand with something, all right. In his own tank top and the running shorts that June says are an inch away from a misdemeanor, he’s really not wearing enough clothing for this. Or maybe he’s wearing too much. Closing his eyes, he forces himself to get a fucking grip before he starts to push up off the ground. The gardener’s proffered hand appears in his line of vision, so he takes it because it would be more awkward not to. It’s warm and dry and rough with callouses that Alex feels no particular way about, and he lets the gardener’s strong grip tug him upward, until he gets his feet under him again.

It’s only then that the gardener seems to clock him. His eyes go wide as they track over Alex’s body and linger on his face. “Oh. You’re…”

Their hands are still clasped together, and Alex tightens his hold around Henry’s. “Alex.”

“Henry,” the gardener says in return as his lips part in a smile, which is devastating, actually.

“Nice to meet you, Henry,” Alex says. He might let a little of the southern drawl slip out, honey smooth. Sue him.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Henry replies, his rounded vowels dipping low, and ok, he’s a smooth motherfucker too. Alex is officially fucked.

“You’re British.”

Henry laughs, cocking an eyebrow at him. “An astute observation.”

“No I just mean—” Alex cuts himself off and shakes his head. “I didn’t expect it, but I guess it fits.”

“Why?” Henry asks, tipping his head as a little furrow appears between his brows.

Alex bites his lip. “Because everything about you is unexpected, Henry.”

~~~~~

Alex should leave him alone. He should listen to what he told June and not bother a White House employee when he’s working.

The thing about Henry, though, is that he’s ridiculously easy to talk to, and he always seems so pleased to see Alex. It’s impossible to stay away whenever Alex spots him working in the gardens, which is frequently these days. It’s the middle of summer, which means Henry is mostly working in the mornings and evenings when the heat isn’t quite so bad, but occasionally Alex finds him doing something ridiculous like digging a hole to plant a bush in the middle of the day.

As he’s now wont to do, Alex makes his way out to the gardens with a large glass of lemonade. Henry’s entire face lights up when he sees Alex coming, which Alex is sure is less because of him and more the promise of ice cold refreshment. The poor guy is absolutely drenched in sweat, which Alex absolutely is not thinking about licking off his collarbones. As Alex walks up to him, Henry sinks the shovel into the loose dirt and pulls his ball cap off, the muscles of his arms rippling when he pushes a hand through blond hair darkened with sweat. Alex narrowly avoids swallowing his tongue as he hands the glass off, and when their fingers brush, Alex feels the contact tingling in his fingertips long after Henry’s pulled away.

And that’s before Henry tips his head back and takes a long drink of the lemonade, the muscles of his throat working as he swallows. Thank fuck it’s hot outside, because Alex is sweating like he’s the one who’s been working in the sun for hours.

Somehow, he manages to regain his faculties for conversation by the time Henry’s finished the lemonade, and they fall into their usual easy banter as Henry works. (Alex once offered to help out, feeling bad for standing around while Henry was sweating his ass off, and Henry had laughed and laughed and told him that he’d be fired if he let the First Son do his job for him.) They talk about everything and nothing—about movies and music, about the best food trucks that frequent the area around the mall, about what Alex has been up to during the summer, about the many projects always going on in the gardens.

“How’d you end up working here, anyway?” Alex asks from where he’s reclining in the shade, plucking bits of grass out of the lawn and tearing them apart.

“It’s a long story,” Henry grunts as he shovels. “I moved to the US for a fresh start. The gardening, I sort of fell into. I needed a job, and I always liked working with my hands. I’m certain that my friend sent me this listing as a joke because I—” His voice fails as his eyes cut over to Alex, then drop quickly to the ground again. He clears his throat. “Well. It’s not important. But I decided to apply anyway. I think Rodolfo thought I was having him on when I showed up at the interview, but he must have seen something in me.” Henry huffs a laugh. “Or maybe I was the only one who passed all the frankly mental background checks that were required to work at the White House. And now, here I am.”

“You’re my age,” Alex says, squinting at him. “You didn’t go to college?”

“I dropped out of Oxford,” Henry replies simply.

Alex can’t help it; his jaw drops open. “You dropped out of Oxford? What happened? Did you not like it?”

He knows he shouldn’t pry, but he can’t help it. He wants to know everything about Henry.

“I loved it,” Henry says, and there’s a smile on his face but an unmistakably melancholic note in his voice. “I wanted to be a writer. But I couldn’t stay. Not with the pressure from my grandmother and the way she was insistent on ruling my life.” He stops speaking for a long moment, but never pauses in his digging. “Sometimes I think about going back to school eventually. For now, I’m happy with this. I like it. There’s a beautiful simplicity to my life.”

“Wow,” Alex breathes. For once, he doesn’t really know what to say. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Henry. But for what it’s worth… I’m glad you ended up here.”

Henry leans on the shovel, smiling at him. “Me, too.”

~~~~~

Alex is trying to make any kind of sense of a bill that the Republicans are going to try to push through the Senate—don’t ask how he got the draft—when Nora lets herself into his room without so much as a knock.

“Wow, entitled much,” Alex huffs, barely glancing up from his work. At least she brought burritos.

“You invited me here, dumbass,” Nora retorts as she flings herself onto his couch. “Remember? Bisexual awakening movie night? Don’t tell me you forgot about Rick and Evie.”

Alex groans, wiping a hand over his face. “No way it’s fucking Sunday.”

“You’re not serious.”

“I might be.”

“All the more reason you need a break,” Nora tells him firmly. “Your classes don’t start for another week. Why are you working?”

“Because I’m gonna be a senior next year and I have to have something lined up for afterward,” he grumbles.

“I’m sure your mom will give you a job on the campaign,” she says as she finds the remote to his TV and starts navigating through streaming services.

“Maybe I want options. Don’t want everyone to think I’m just a useless nepo baby.”

Nora snorts. “Because I’m sure no one will think your connections got you a job in Rafael Luna’s office.”

“Fuck off,” he groans, turning away from her again. “We’re not talking about this.”

“Ok,” she agrees, too easily. “You got a secret admirer or something? Who sent you those?”

“What?”

“Those,” Nora repeats, gesturing to the small vase full of multicolored roses that’s sitting in front of her on his coffee table. Red, lavender, orange, blue, and even these neat yellow ones tipped with red around the edge of the petals.

“Oh,” Alex says dismissively. “No one sent them. Henry brought them by.”

“Who the fuck is Henry?”

“He’s a gardener who works here.”

“Hold on, the gardener? Your gardener?” she says, sounding too delighted by half. Alex may have talked about him before, once or twice.

Alex huffs and sets his pencil down, turning back to glare at her. “He’s not my gardener. He’s an employee of the White House.”

Nora grins smugly. “He’s the one you’ve got a crush on, though.”

“I don’t—” He breaks off with a frustrated grunt. “We’re not having this conversation, either.”

“And he brought you flowers,” she continues, ignoring him.

“It doesn’t mean anything. He has to prune the roses so that they keep producing more blooms, and he brought me some extras because I said I liked them one day while I was out in the garden. That’s all.”

That’s what Henry told him when he showed up with the first ones, his face flushed red from being out in the sun. Alex’s heart had done something very fucking complicated in his chest, but he’d accepted them in the spirit with which they were given: as a friendly gesture, and nothing more. The haphazard arrangement is all Alex—Henry brings by a different color almost every day, and Alex adds them in the vase, which is getting rather full.

“That’s all,” Nora scoffs with obvious deep skepticism.

“What?”

“Alex, when a boy gives you roses, it always means something,” she says solemnly. “Did you look up the colors?”

“Huh?” he replies, becoming increasingly lost.

Nora shakes her head at him, like he’s the crazy one. “Different colored roses mean different things. Maybe he’s sending you secret messages.”

Alex snorts dismissively. “Pretty sure they’re just whatever’s blooming in the garden.”

“If you say so,” she says, sounding extremely unconvinced. “Can we watch the movie now?”

“Please.”

~~~~~

By the time November rolls around, the gardens are looking pretty dire. Alex never really took notice of what was going on before this year—the plants were just there, in the background, and sometimes it was more colorful than others. Now, though, he notices. Notices the autumn flowers as they come into bloom and die back, notices the trees dropping their leaves, notices the bushes getting thin and scraggly. Henry’s still been around, working in jackets and hoodies as the temperature dips, but between the lessened need for garden care and Alex’s punishing course load, they haven’t seen each other as much. Alex pretends like he doesn’t know that’s why he gets unaccountably grumpy sometimes.

Today he’s on a mission, though, and after confirming that Henry was on the work schedule, Alex scours the grounds until he finds Henry by the tennis court, trimming some bushes. There’s a biting chill in the air, and Henry is bundled up, his nose and cheeks red from the cold. He seems surprised but pleased to see Alex, and Alex bites down on a too-large grin as he holds out the envelope he’d brought with him.

“What’s this?” Henry asks, pulling off his work gloves before he takes it and carefully breaks the seal.

Alex shifts nervously and jams his hands in his pants pockets so he doesn’t fidget. “It’s an invitation. To our big New Year’s party? You’ve probably heard about it.”

“I’m familiar, yes,” Henry says dryly, smirking a little as he glances up from the embossed paper. “But I was under the impression seats were thousands of dollars and reserved for the who’s who of America’s hot young glitterati.”

“First off, you’re young and hot, and it doesn’t matter if you’re not rich,” Alex says, pretending that he didn’t just call Henry hot to his face. Whatever. It’s an objective truth. “We waive the seat cost when there’s someone we really want to come that can't afford it.”

“And you really want me to come,” Henry surmises, still looking vaguely amused by the situation.

Fuck it. “Yes,” Alex answers firmly.

Henry looks back down at the invitation, trailing a finger over the engraving. “I can afford it,” he mutters.

“What?”

“I said, I can afford it,” Henry repeats as he meets Alex’s eyes again. “I know I don’t look it most days, but I have a rather large inheritance that I’m delighted to spend on good causes.”

Alex blinks. He knew Henry’s family back in England was wealthy, but he kind of assumed that after Henry dropped out and moved across an ocean to work as a gardener, he wasn’t in the same boat. “Oh,” he breathes. “Well, you can certainly donate if you want.”

“I do,” Henry confirms. He taps on the invitation with a finger. “It says here I get a plus one.”

Alex’s heart plummets to somewhere near the Earth’s core. Of course Henry has someone. He’s young and hot and amazing, and it’s frankly ridiculous to think he wouldn’t already have a significant other. Or maybe there’s someone he wants to impress—an invite to the year’s biggest party would do wonders. Alex is just the guy that pesters him while he’s working. He never had a shot.

“Yeah,” he manages, cursing the way the word croaks out of his throat. “Of course. It’s, ah, standard, I guess, so if you want to bring someone…”

Henry just smiles at him. “Wonderful.”

~~~~~

Alex stares up at the stars, watching as the cloud of his breath briefly obscures them, making them twinkle before it dissipates. It’s freezing out here, especially after being in the heat generated by the crush of bodies at the party, but for once, Alex appreciates that. He takes another breath, letting the cold air flowing into his lungs numb the ache in his chest.

The crunch of footsteps on the frosted lawn draws his attention, and he looks over to see Henry hovering nearby, still nothing short of stunning in his clean black tux.

He’d arrived with an ostentatiously dressed man he introduced as his best mate Pez, which was a fucking trip because of course Alex had heard of Percy Okonjo. Pez was charming and handsome and immediately the life of the party, but Alex couldn’t tear his eyes away from Henry. Saying he cleaned up well would be a trite cliche, but fuck if it wasn’t true; he looked more like a prince or a movie star than the boy with dirt ground into the creases of his hands that Alex knows. Alex had been buoyed for a while by the fact that Henry had not brought a date with him, but as midnight crept closer, his spirits had started sinking again.

The Kennedy Gardens had seemed like a safe place to retreat. He should have known better. 

“I’m fairly certain the host isn’t supposed to hide from the party,” Henry teases gently, a tentative smile playing on his lips.

“I’m only one of three. June and Nora have it on lock,” Alex replies with a sigh. “Sorry for leaving you to the wolves though.”

“It’s fine,” Henry says, shaking his head as he walks a little closer. “Believe it or not, this isn’t my first time at this kind of soirée.”

Alex snorts at that. “Oh, a soirée. Aren’t you fancy?”

“Says the man in a velvet tuxedo.”

“Touché,” Alex returns. His smile falters a little as he stares back up at the stars. “I needed a break. Don’t get me wrong, I usually fucking thrive at these things, but sometimes being ‘on’ all the time starts to wear on you, you know?”

“Why do you think I’m a gardener?” Henry says wryly.

“Fair enough,” Alex says with a puff of laughter. “I just… needed a moment to myself, I guess.”

“I shouldn’t intrude, then,” Henry replies softly, already stepping backwards.

“No,” Alex blurts, probably too desperately, but he couldn’t care less about that if it means Henry won’t leave. “I mean, you don’t have to go. I don’t mind the company. When it’s you.”

Henry halts in his tracks, his eyes going wide. “Oh.”

Thankfully, he stops trying to leave and instead comes closer, until he’s right next to Alex, a few bare, aching inches separating their shoulders. For a moment they both just stand there staring up at the sky, until the champagne soaking Alex’s brain gets the better of him.

“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t so excited to count down to the New Year.”

Henry shifts a little to face him more directly. “No?”

Alex shrugs. “The winter’s one thing when you’ve got the holidays to look forward to, but after tonight, it’s nothing but cold and gray. Everything’s dead and brown, and it’ll be months until things are growing again, and you won’t be around…”

He trails off slightly too late to save himself. Whatever. He’s allowed to say he’s going to miss seeing a friend. He stares fixedly up at the sky, resolutely refusing to look at whatever Henry’s face is doing, but then Henry moves to stand in front of him, and he has little choice but to meet those gorgeous blue eyes. They’re crinkled slightly in amusement, but not unkindly.

Fond, he thinks distantly. Henry looks fond.

“Let me make sure I have this right,” Henry says carefully. “You’re out here pouting tonight because you think this is the last time you’re going to see me until spring?”

Alex huffs out a laugh and looks down, feeling his face heat. “I mean, I don’t know if I’d put it that way.”

“You’re wrong about some things, love,” Henry replies, inching closer. Moving slowly, he reaches out to slide a hand onto Alex’s waist, the mere pressure of it lighting a fire under Alex’s skin even as Alex trembles involuntarily under his touch. Then he looks out at the gardens. “They’re not dead. A bit dormant, perhaps, but still in need of care. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re not?” Alex asks breathlessly.

Henry shakes his head. “There’s plenty to do over the winter. Planning, cleaning, prepping the beds… Rodolfo has plenty to keep us busy. I’ll admit, I was intending on taking some time off, but you certainly won’t get rid of me that easily.”

Alex feels like he’s fucking flying, or would be if Henry’s steady presence wasn’t tethering him to the ground. He’s shifted even closer now, nearly pressing Alex back against the tree, and Alex lifts his arms to loop loosely over Henry’s shoulders as he lets a pleased grin curl onto his lips. “There aren’t any roses, though.”

“I’ll buy you roses, you absolute menace,” Henry huffs, but he’s smiling too broadly to sell being put out about it.

“I have another confession,” Alex breathes into the rapidly vanishing space between their lips. “I also ran away because I wanted to kiss you at midnight, but I couldn’t.”

Henry pauses, pulling back a little, though he thankfully doesn’t let go. “Ah. I understand if you can’t afford the questions—”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t care who knows. I mean, I should probably make a plan for officially coming out, but that’s not why,” Alex jumps in before he can get anything else out, because it’s important that Henry knows.

Alex isn’t ashamed and he doesn’t want to hide but, like so many things in his life, it’s not that simple. He takes a deep breath, forcing his jumbled thoughts into something that makes sense, which is no mean feat when he’s tipsy and his arms are full of a very handsome gardener who he’d much rather be kissing.

“It’s a lot, being in the public eye the way I am, and I couldn’t ask that of you,” Alex says as he stares fixedly at Henry’s tie. It’s got little yellow roses on it, and he can’t resist dropping a hand down to run a finger down the silk. “You like your quiet life.”

“I like it,” Henry murmurs. He lifts a hand to Alex’s chin, his fingers icy cold on Alex’s overheated skin, and nudges Alex’s face up so that their eyes meet. “I like you more.”

“Oh,” Alex breathes.

“Now, about that New Year’s kiss…”

Henry is biting his lip, looking hopeful and coy all at once as he stares down at Alex through pale lashes, and Alex… can’t believe this is his life, actually. He’s going to enjoy it while it lasts, though—just them, in the garden that brought them together, and a kiss that holds as much endless potential as the plants around them. Not fragile but resilient, perennial, ready to grow and bloom into something truly incredible.

[splitster]

answering more POM WRAITH au/Pingo asks!!

featuring: biology questions, creatures, dingo (unfortunately), and more!! check it out ↓↓

she does need sleep! she doesn't need to sleep as often as people, but she's a little wraith and she needs to snooze every like... i dunno. three days? sure, let's go with that.

although in the first few days of her being on PNF404, i could see her getting bored one night and poking around her crewmate's rooms to see what they're doing (spoilers: they're all just sleeping). in the morning after, dingo talks about a very bizarre dream he had with a specter watching him sleep! everyone dismisses it as the ranger having some weird sleep paralysis, but pom's sweating at the table thinking about how she should be way more careful if she does that again.

this ask did inspire me though, i'll probably make more art explaining how she works sometime later hehe...

that'd be scary... although, if there's anyone incentivized to wraithify olimar, it'd probably be the plasm wraith! that golden goo is really fond of him, and they'd love to make olimar just like them

WAHH THANK YOU!!! if they ever dated and got married they'd be able to save on a dress! hehe

she might look kinda scary but she's a sweetheart!! pom would genuinely struggle to make herself hurt humans. if there's a beast threatening her crew though -- that thing is mince meat!!

WAAAHHH THANK YOU!! it's definitely a challenge to make it fit with the other wraiths but still be unique... it was fun to design though!!

IM SORRY i didn't get to your ask before i actually posted the full wraith design... there she is though!! HILAHERHLIAEERH

yes!! he's the first one to discover her secret. it'd probably happen on accident out on the field pretty early on when pom is forced to defend herself with no pikmin, but it's no difference to Oatchi -- pom is pom! he'd bark and give her helmet a lick, and when pom realizes her rescue pup isn't scared of her it's quite the relief...

i have art of oatchi and wraith pom i'll be posting later!!

WAHHH... this is cute i like this hehe!! dingo sees those striking X eyes and still falls in love!! GRRRR i must draw more pingo now...

AUGH.... OK!! more pingo on the way then boss 🫡 (i do appreciate it though lmao)

she doesn't need to eat human food, but she does need to consume living creatures for biomass! human food is definitely delicious and she very much enjoys things like chocolate or hot coco, but to sustain her form and keep up energy she has to go for creatures

i'll probably make art for this later to explain better, but it is kinda like an amoeba -- after killing something, she can cover it and dissolve it with her goo. easy peasy!

Louie: You're a wraith? I thought you were just weird like me Pom: ... Louie: ... Can you go get creatures for me

pom is trying her best to understand human social cues and etiquette but it's a struggle sometimes!

i took psychic damage from this ask thank you for penis ringo💖

YES!!!!!!!!! there are so, so many ways that could happen and each one is hilarious... i've written out a few different scenarios, i should pick one to draw out... it'd be funny if dingo learns her secret but decides to trust her and keep it safe. but he's, you know. dingo. he's not good at lying, especially to his crewmates (and especially to his actual childhood friend of a doctor who was already very suspicious of the new blood!)

of COURSE i'm very abnormal about those two.... actually if y'all have scenarios you wanna see with those two, send more asks and i'll probably end up drawing them lol

that's actually a really good question! i haven't thought too much about how her full wraith would visually change, but if she ate enough and got stronger i imagine she'd finally be as big as the other two. she'd probably gain more wraithy abilities and attacks! trying to take down a powered up full wraith pom would be a very difficult fight, even for those with the best dandori skills and a full squad of pikmin

Pom: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Shepherd: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Collin: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Dingo: I can't let anyone find out my secret... Yonny: this is gonna be fun Bernard: (doesn't care if people find out) Russ: (doesn't care if people find out) Oatchi: bark

[girl-in-a-bubbl3]

Glamrock Bonnie(FNAF) x Reader Part 2

Not enough sassy Bonnie fanfic so here we go...I'll try to upload at least once a week.

Notes:

AU Fanfic/NonCanon

Bonnie is terrible but he likes you

5 greenrooms on RSR (we include Monty)

Sun/Moon are the same animatronic

Moon has a lil touch of the virus

Will probably be some spicy parts so...18+

You smiled nervously up at the abnormally tall blue bunny and quietly introduced yourself. "Hi. I'm Y/n L/n! I'm the new mechan-"

"I know who you are," Bonnie sneered back at you, "that wasn't my question."

Rude.

Did all of the animatronics have this terrible attitude? And if so, then why? Weren't they supposed to be programed to be happy and helpful and kind? You cleared your throat and stood a little taller. The bite in his voice stirred something inside you.

"If you know who I am, then you know I'm here to check your programming or do any needed repairs."

Bonnie's ear twitched which led your eye to a few stray wires that had come loose between his steel joints.

"And from here, it's obvious that you need at least one of those thing."

Maybe both if that attitude happens to be a bug or something...

Bonnie stared you down for a moment. It was like you could see the gears turning in his head. You silently laughed to yourself over the robotic pun you made. Bonnie's quiet chuckle snapped you back to reality. His magenta eyes shining behind his star shaped glasses.

"Not interested."

Swoosh.

And there went the door again.

You blinked once. Twice. Three times. He did not just slam that door in my face. Tell me he did not. You asked no one but yourself. You stood there contemplating your next move. Use your keycard and storm in or just suck it up and move on to the next room?

Deciding that it may not be smart to trigger an oversized, robotic bunny just in case his AI is bugged, you stomped off to the next room. The light above the door glowed a warm orange. This was Freddy's room, someone you hoped was considerably kinder than the first Glamrock you happened to meet.

You knocked twice and waited for Freddy to come to his door. You had a keycard that unlocked all of the greenroom doors but you preferred to knock and wait for them instead. Just barging in felt...strange, no matter if they were robot or human.

The door opened and before you stood Freddy Fazbear himself.

"Hi Freddy! I'm y/n! I figured I'd dive right in to seeing how everyone was doing tonight. Everything okay with you? Any repairs?"

You were rambling but Freddy's blue irises just twinkled. "Why hello, Superstar! It's so nice to meet you! Please come in. I don't think there's anything to report with me tonight but there's never any harm in a second opinion!"

You cheerily followed Freddy into his room, slowing to admire the colors and the detail to the Freddy theme. The walls were a warm, rose color with beautifully bright orange neon signs around the room. There were posters of Freddy with plenty of fan art surrounding them as well. It was inviting and cozy, just like Freddy.

"Thank you for being so inviting Freddy. I've only had one other experience besides you and it...didn't go so well."

You hooked up your tablet to Freddy's programming port and started your scan. He looked over at you, troubled. "Oh I am so sorry, Superstar. May I ask who gave you trouble?"

"It was Bonnie, actually. He really does need repairs but he won't let me do them. He shut the door in my face."

You noticed Freddy nervously fiddling with his fingers. "I apologize again. Bonnie hasn't had the best experience with other mechanics in the past. He's so talented and so great with the children but the adults..." Freddy looked at you and then at the floor, "he's not as good."

You chuckled. No kidding.

"Don't give up on him, Superstar. He'll come around. Bonnie can be difficult at first, but he is a stellar friend."

Freddy's smile and optimism were both contagious. You chatted a bit more about the job and your plans for the night before you cleared Freddy and proceeded to do checks with all of the other Glamrocks. Chica and Roxy needed a few things. Chica had to have some wires cleaned after a night rummaging through trash and Roxy had a kink in the wire running through her neck joints. Both easily fixable. Monty wasn't in his greenroom. You figured you'd go by Gator Golf later and see if you could find him there. According to the notes on your task list, he was in a foul mood tonight so he was probably off skulking somewhere.

A few hours later you had crossed off a few more things from your task list: checking some sound equipment (which you were not at all qualified for), tweaking a few things with the atrium stage, etc. etc. After everything else was done, you only had one task left: repair Bonnie.

You sighed and headed towards Bonnie Bowl. You didn't think he'd be in there, but you did love bowling so if he wasn't in there, it was an excuse you could give yourself to play a few games. You weren't quite ready to face him again anyway. You had to prepare your witty comebacks.

You cautiously walked into Bonnie Bowl and started looking around. "Hey Bonnie?"

You called out his name a few more times but no response. You sighed in relief. You had the bowling alley all to yourself.

It wasn't hard to bypass the staff bot and start a game for yourself. You loved the design of Bonnie Bowl. The bright, neon stars on the ceiling were mesmerizing and the floors were perfectly waxed to reflect them. Every time you stopped and actually looked at something in the Plex, your inner child was dazzled every time. It truly was amazing.

After the first few rounds you quickly realized that your bowling skills were pretty rusty. When the 10th, and final, round came, you were determined to get a strike. You knew you could do it. You did a little better each round so you had faith in yourself.

You grabbed a pink and blue ball off the wrack with Chica's face on it. It was one of the prettier designs. You lined yourself up with the lane and narrowed your eyes. Focus focus focus. Doing a few strokes with your arm you reared back and released the ball, letting it glide across the lane towards the pins. It was like time had slowed. You watched the ball roll down the center, reflecting the dazzling neons that flashed around the room. As it neared the pins, you thought you saw it start to veer towards the left. Your excitement waned but it was quickly brought back with full force as the ball corrected itself and slammed into the front pin, sending all 9 other pins flying as well.

It was a strike. You had got a strike.

You hooped and hollered in victory, doing a little dance and punching the air. You laughed to yourself and as you went to do another little spin, you stopped dead in your tracks once you saw who was sitting in the seat directly behind you.

Of course, it was Bonnie.

He had the biggest smirk on his face as he used one clawed finger to push his star shaped glasses further up.

"If your mechanical skills are as good as your bowling, then I'm better off in a scrapyard."

You rolled your eyes and didn't give him a response, you just started walking towards the empty ice cream parlor that was attached to Bonnie Bowl. You felt like you earned a treat.

"Hey I was talkin' to you!" Bonnie called out as he started following behind you.

"Yeah, well, I was talking to you earlier and you shut the door in my face."

"You startled me. I was leaving my room to go get some fresh air and I was surprised by your sudden chattiness. Very overwhelming."

His voice dripped with sarcasm and he chuckled as you shot him a look over your shoulder.

"You're going to be surprised by your room catching on fire because of that exposed wire in your ear."

Bonnie rolled his eyes. "Dramatic much?"

You hopped the counter and shrugged, turning back to look at his shocked expression from what you just did. "It could happen. Also, don't look at me like that. I really want some ice cream."

You grabbed all of the necessary things to make yourself a cup of ice cream. You surveyed all of your options. You giggled at the last ice cream flavor. Chunky Bonnie. What a flavor name. Because of the ridiculous name, of course that's the flavor you picked.

While getting and preparing your ice cream, you abruptly noticed how quiet it had become. You were wondering if Bonnie was still stuck in that same spot. You had a brief panic that it was the made up bug you kept telling yourself he might have.

You quickly spun around to check when you almost ran right into a tall, blue metal wall.

But it wasn't a wall at all.

Your eyes drifted upwards and saw the face of an amused robotic bunny. His bright magenta eyes staring down at you with that signature smirk on his face. Your breath caught in your throat. How did he do that? You never heard anything at all. How could he be so quiet?

"What about me, peeps? Do I get ice cream too?"

To be continued...

Authors notes:

Ahhh it's warming uppp. Feel free to give me feedback or leave comments! They encourage me ;-; And feel free to drop suggestions on other fics for me to write!! Can be FNAF related or not. Much love! <3

[yandere-daze]

hey hi! is it okay to request hcs for yandere tatsumi x a reader who loooves drawing him? and how would he react? thank you!

Of course! Tatsumi is a wonderful character ^^ Now, it´s actually been a while since I last wrote something for enstars if I´m not mistaken, so I´m sorry if I´m a bit rusty!

gn reader

tw yandere, obsession, worshipping of reader, religious themes ( talks of god, comparing reader to an angel), brief mention of death and implied burial in the end (it´s not actually important to the story or something that actually happens. )

Yandere! Tatsumi reacting to a darling that loves drawing him

It´s no secret that Tatsumi greatly admires you and everything you do. He treasures every single smile you send his way, every word you speak to him. You are utterly divine in his eyes, an angel sent by god himself to walk this earth.

Oh how blessed he feels, being alive at the same time as you and being allowed to breathe the same air. There is no doubt in his mind that you are an angelic being deserving of praise and worship and so much more.

Everything you touch is a masterpiece, so Tatsumi is utterly enchanted when he sees you draw something for the very first time.

He hadn´t intended to walk in on you while you were deep within your creative process, he had simply meant to check up on you to make sure that you were feeling alright. And of course he had already started missing you after a short while of being away from you, but he vowed to restrain that part of himself.

Nevertheless, he had found you hard at work, staring at your work-in-progress in full concentration. He didn´t dare say anything, afraid that he might accidentally break your focus if you did.

No, whatever you were drawing deserved to be brought into this world in all its glory, ready to be admired by every person that happens to look upon it.

So Tatsumi took this rare opportunity to simply admire your form. What he adored most about you was certainly your personality, it´s what made him fall in love with you in the first place, but he would be a heathen to ignore how wonderful you looked as well.

To say he was surprised when he managed to catch a glance of the piece you were working on was an understatement.

You were drawing him.

It was unmistakable. At once, Tatsumi felt as if an arrow had shot right through his heart as he felt it wildly thumping in his chest. Oh how lovely you were, to dedicate this drawing to him of all people! What had he done to receive this great blessing? Your kindness truly knew no bounds!

Stuck in blissful reverie, Tatsumi promptly gathers his thought again and then slowly makes his way over to you with a gentle smile on his face, still utterly awestruck and full of love for you.

He had vowed to not interrupt you but seeing that you were drawing him, he felt obligated to properly praise and thank you for your work. It was truly moving!

Tatsumi really couldn´t believe his luck, he would be very flattered and encouraging if you were to ask him for his permission to keep drawing him. You know he could never deny you but especially not when you would do something so kind for him!

If you were to gift him your drawing, he would be beyond grateful and would make sure to cherish it as it deserves. He stores it somewhere in his room, either keeping it in a secret hidden box or proudly displaying it on his wall. He both wants to keep it safe but also display it for the entire work to see. Everyone should learn how truly divine and awe-inspiring you were!

But he´d still prefer to be your greatest worshipper in the end.

You wouldn´t really notice just what big of an effect your drawing had on Tatsumi, he was acting as he normally would, very level-headed and kind. Tatsumi was very low-key when it came to his yandere tendencies and rather abnormal worshipping of you.

All you see is a gentle and comforting man that´s always there to lend a helping hand should you ever need it. Someone you can rely on.

But to him, you were something so much more. The sole light in his life, the embodiment of all that is good in the world. And he would cherish you forevermore until the day his body would be buried within the earth you walk upon.

[strawberryxfieldz]

Welcome Home: Easy Math

Vampire Wally Darling x Reader!!!

I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE VAMPIRE WALLY TREND STARTED, IT’S SO RANDOM! GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!! HAHA!!!

The Count mentioned at the beginning is not the same Count from Sesame Street, it's just a silly reference to him (and I am not confident in my Sesame Street lore, forgive me-)

CW for blood and minor violence/injury

ALSO POSTED ON AO3!

Welcome Home Masterlist

How did you get into this mess anyway?

You supposed you shouldn’t have been too surprised. You were bound to deal with all sorts of insanities being the only human in a neighborhood full of puppets. Still, you never ceased to be amazed by their shenanigans, try as you might.

Your first mistake had been entertaining the idea from the very start.

Last week when a lone traveler had visited Home, a mysterious puppet with fangs and adorned in all black, the Count, you had your suspicions. The others insisted they were friendly but you couldn’t exactly trust those optimists’ judgment. Even when the Count aided them in a lesson in mathematics, you stayed your distance. You could learn all the math you wanted to from books you borrowed from Frank’s library very well, thank you.

By the time the puppet left, everyone was ogling about all the new things they’d learned and how cool the stranger was. It was almost enough to make you think you’d missed out. Almost.

Your doubts about the Count’s intentions were proven correct, though, when just a day later Wally had gotten sick. This was abnormal in itself (puppets didn’t usually get sick), but it didn’t seem to be a flu or cold of any sort. He’d gotten pretty pale through the course of the day and, for some reason, couldn’t stand being in the sun without his felt burning. Then the fangs appeared.

You didn’t really understand the logistics of a puppet being turned into a vampire. Why on Earth would something made of fabric and stuffing need blood to survive? You sure didn’t know but you had to stifle your questions and swallow your pride to focus on the situation at hand.

Wally needed blood. You were the only human. As the Count would say, it was pretty easy math.

You don’t know why you accepted. You were fairly certain giving in would just make his situation even more detrimental but… he needed help. And helping others was among some of the most important virtues shared by all of Home.

So, you told yourself it would be only one time. Just the once you’d made an exception for those pleading eyes and that cat-like smile.

Now here you were, standing on Home’s front doorstep, a basket of freshly picked apples threatening to drop from your hands as you stared at Wally.

“What?” you asked again, agape.

Wally repeated himself, unblinking. “Can I drink from you again, neighbor? Please?”

You readjusted the basket in your arms. The apples were supposed to be a get-well present, not you.

“Wally…” you started.

Wally ducked his head. “Ah, right. I’m sorry. I won’t ask again, I promise.”

Wally had made it very clear he didn’t like hurting you from his newfound hunger and would only drink your blood if you let him. This was what had convinced you to let him try the one time. You’d sworn to him there wouldn’t be a second.

But you didn’t have a strong resolve, not when it came to Wally it seemed. Just seeing a slightly sad look take over his usually cheery face made your heart drop and you sighed.

“Uh, fine, I guess.” You shrugged, speaking as coolly as you could manage. “Whatever.”

Wally’s face brightened instantly. “Really? Oh, thank you, neighbor! You’re so kind!”

You told him not to mention it (seriously, don’t, you didn’t need the other neighbors catching wind of what was happening) and stepped inside. You set the apples on a countertop before focusing your attention back on Wally.

“So,” you began, trying to make this interaction as least awkward as possible, “how do you know when you… um, need it? I guess.”

Wally sat on the couch and patted the spot beside him, motioning for you to join him. You obliged, though making sure to keep some distance between you.

“I start feeling weaker, I suppose,” he explained carefully. “And more sensitive.”

That made sense. Since figuring out his new aversion to sunlight, Howdy gifted Wally an umbrella to use when walking about the sunny outside. Even so, he hadn’t ventured outside Home today, which was unusual, to say the least.

He also looked disheveled, if that was possible for the perfectionist puppet. As someone who prided himself on his appearance, Wally wouldn’t have dared ever let you see him with his pompadour done, replaced by a mess of long curls cascading down his face and so pale and sickly looking under different circumstances. He really was getting desperate.

“…And I get this feeling,” he continued, keeping his voice even as he spoke. “Like I can’t live without it. It’s like... being thirsty but different. Stronger.”

'Bloodlust' was a word that came to mind but you didn’t say it out loud. You only nodded.

“Yeah, being a vampire will do that to you,” you joked.

Wally just looked at you blankly, his smile not leaving his face. While usually cute, it looked a bit more menacing with a pair of fangs attached to it, poking out of his mouth.

“There’s other stuff too like…” You paused, thinking about all the vampire-related media you’d consumed in your lifetime. “…you can’t eat garlic. Have you eaten any garlic lately?”

“Nope,” Wally replied.

“Hm. Have you touched silver? You can’t mess with that either.” Wally shook his head. “What about your reflection? Do you still have one?”

Wally gestured to his hair sadly. “No.”

You chuckled.

As interesting as learning the effects of vampirism on puppets was, you knew you were just prolonging the inevitable. Hesitant, you sat closer, hands fidgeting in your lap.

“Okay, you can do it,” you told him, “but please be careful.”

He was the first time. You had no reason to believe he wouldn’t be again. Still.

"Are you sure, neighbor?" Suddenly, Wally was the one who was tentative. "I don't want you to feel pressured."

You put on a confident smile, gazing into his eyes before nodding.

Wally said and did nothing at first, instead just returning your stare with an intense look of his own. You weren't quite sure why the short puppet loved eye contact. Once, he did say something about it being polite, but the amount that he did it was just unnerving. To others, at least. You sort of learned to enjoy it, over time, so much so that you were sure you had the exact look of those two, inky black voids called pupils memorized, often the subject of your daydreams.

As much as you hated to admit to yourself, there was of course another reason you were not so keen on the whole blood-drinking situation. You were fairly certain you had an infatuation with Wally, which was bothersome at least and downright embarrassing at most. This had been something you were made well aware of long before the Count came and you had been dealing with just fine until then. Impromptu staring contests and Wally's latest fixations with holding your hand and (incorrectly) blowing kisses at you whenever you were near were just some of the things you'd learned to handle. Drinking from your blood was something totally different! 

"Should I-?" You tried to keep your voice even as you nervously tugged at your collar.

Wally caught your hand with his, helping to tug it a bit lower and exposing your neck, causing you to flinch from the cold air that hit there. Wally leaned back with a monotonous laugh and you joined him. 

"Sorry," you said between quiet giggles. "I guess I'm just nervous."

Wally shook his head. "Don't be nervous, neighbor. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're biting my neck." You sent him a playful glare. "It's going to hurt."

"Right." Wally seemed dismayed by this but continued. "Well, if it hurts too much, just tap me. I'll make sure to stop."

You agreed, nerves settling once more. After all, you were less worried about the small, stinging pain you were about to endure and more focused on the close proximity between you and him. Wally was now kneeling beside you to be level with your neck and you were leaning slightly to accommodate for his small stature. You sincerely hoped he didn't notice the reddening blush forming on your face, though you could feel his stare on your neck. A few seconds went by of just him staring and you waiting, and if the anticipation didn't kill you, you were sure the queasy feeling of butterflies fluttering in your stomach would. 

"Can you-?"

He interrupted your plea by hitting the lower half of his face against the side of your neck. That startled you slightly as you felt his fuzzy felt skin tickle you. You suppressed a laugh before you suddenly felt his mouth open and one of those pointy fangs scrape against your skin and you shivered.

"Can I what?" he asked, voice genuine. 

"Hurry up," you finished.

He chuckled against your throat and, in a desperate attempt to distract yourself from that sensation, you flicked your eyes down to look at him. His eyes were piercing into yours and you swear you saw a tint of red in them. Then, in a flash, he ducked his head lower and his fangs sunk into your skin. 

You held your breath as you felt the skin break, sharp teeth pricking you like two tiny pinpoints on your skin. Your first instinct was to lean away, so you put a hand on his shoulder to steady yourself, squeezing it gently. Wally shot back at the action and gave you a look of concern. 

"Sorry!" he was quick to exclaim. "I'm so sorry!"

You kept your hold on him, ignoring the way your heart pounded and rattled inside your chest. "No! It didn't hurt, I was just surprised."

Wally sighed with relief. "Well, the worst part is over."

He nodded to your neck, where you felt two small rivets of blood dribbling down. You waited patiently for him to drink it with his eyes, much like how he ate food with them too, turning the other way for him. Wally didn't appreciate being stared at while he ate or drank, you knew, and you figured even if it was your blood, this was no exception. In a matter of seconds, you felt the blood be cleaned up from your neck as the streams slowed and then Wally tapped your shoulder.

"All done!" he cheered with a smile.

You looked at him, faltering a bit when you noticed the red stains on his fangs, and smiled back, feeling your blush deepen.

"That wasn't so bad," you admitted. "But in any case, I'm glad that's it."

Wally said nothing. The scarlet light in his eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter and your gaze couldn't help but drop back to his bloody fangs before coming back to his eyes again.

"What?" You rubbed your sore neck with a timid smile. "Are you feeling any better?"

Wally's smile didn't match his eyes. They stared at yours intently as you got the growing sense that his hunger was far from satisfied. 

"Yes," he spoke carefully. "Thank you, neighbor."

You inwardly cursed at yourself. It was clear he was lying, likely to save you from feeling like you had to give him any more. He was still pale and there was the same tiredness in his limbs and expression. Even though you knew the effects of drinking your blood would take time to kick in, you knew it wasn't enough. Your mind reeled at the idea of having to do this again, yet, in a terrible act of betrayal, your heart thudded, reminding you also how nice it had felt. You ached for the closeness again and, even if it was far from any sort of romantic act, it was fun to imagine.

"You still need more," you stated matter-of-factly.

Wally seemed shocked by this, half-lidded eyes widening. "I don't want to be rude..."

You scooted closer to him (in a hopefully casual manner) and shook your head.

"No, go ahead. I'll be fine. Honest," you told him.

You calmed your buzzing nerves with a deep breath and smiled wider. Wally took a second to drink in your features, and, after deeming you were fit to continue, he leaned in again. 

"Okay, neighbor," he sighed against your neck, right over where the last bite had been. "This one might hurt a little more."

Before you had time to react, those fangs bit into you again and you swallowed down a cry of pain. Wally just moved a hand to the other side of your neck, holding you still in a comforting way, allowing you to leave his hold if you pleased. You did not, instead pulling closer to him as his teeth dug more into you. This time was far harsher than the last, now less of a stinging and more of a burning as you did everything in your power not to grab onto him too tightly as to scare him away. Interestingly enough, you felt yourself relax against him after just a few seconds, succumbing to the strange sensations.

It was over far too soon as Wally finally pulled back and you felt the fresh bite be met with empty air. Then, blood began coursing down your neck and you frowned at the feeling. You began to avert your eyes, ready for the puppet to begin drinking only to hear Wally's voice, sweet and gentle.

"Neighbor?" he hummed. You looked at him. The blood on his fangs was a much deeper shade now, coating more of it now. "You can look."

You said nothing, just watched as Wally's pupils dilated and the blood started to disappear from your skin. Your eyes didn't move from his and you found yourself unable to so much as blink at the sight. He was beautiful and all too alluring like this, hair down and your blood on his mouth while his eyes worked to drink from you. Your body trembled as your heart pounded inside you, reminding you why you'd been so reluctant to do this in the first place. It'd be a miracle if Wally hadn't noticed your flushed face at this point. 

Then, Wally blinked and his eyes met yours with a soft smile. Somehow, he already looked to be regaining some of his strength, glowing with a certain, healthy radiance he hadn't had before.

"Okay!" he said, signaling he was finished. 

You ripped your gaze away, sure your face was as red as one of his apples, and instinctively put a finger to where he'd bit you. You hissed sharply at the pain your touch sent down your neck and Wally gasped.

"Neighbor!" He moved your hand to examine your neck, once again his face pulling close to yours and you thought you might faint, and not just from all the blood loss. "You said you'd tell me if I needed to stop!"

"I'm fine," you insisted, lightly pushing him away with one hand. "Really."

Wally didn't look so convinced and he instantly got off the couch. Home, seemingly having read his mind, thumped its floorboards and swung open a cabinet in the kitchen for him. He walked over to it and rummaged through its contents for a while before pulling a box out. You watched as he stopped at the fridge too, taking a water bottle out. Puppets didn't need water, that was just a part of the stash he kept for you. You bit down on your tongue to stop giddy feelings from bubbling up inside you too much and he made his way back over to sit beside you again.

"Drink this." He handed you the water bottle. "Water always seems to make you humans feel better!"

You couldn't argue with that, twisting the lid off to drink the cold water. Then, he brought out the box, full of bandages and ointments and such. Again, not anything puppets are needed. Their form of first-aid was a sewing kit complete with a needle and stitches, usually provided by Poppy. Your face warmed at the thought that Wally kept this around just for you. 

"I have many different kinds." Wally plucked a few bandages out to show you as an example. "There's these with the hearts on them and these with the cute little butterflies and- oh! I forgot about these!" He laughed as he took out a bandage decorated with an apple pattern. "This one is scented!"

"Really?" you laughed too. You pointed at the apple one. "I guess that one, then."

Wally smiled. He had a wipe in his other hand, which he used to clean the blood stains before carefully placing the bandage over the bites. You continued drinking your water, completely content, until he did something that made you choke on it a little. Wally nuzzled his face against your neck, pressing his mouth to it, and leaned away with a "mwah!" At the sight of your shocked expression, though, his smile shrank.

"Oh no! Did I do something wrong?" he fretted. "I thought kisses made stuff like this feel better."

You swallowed the water, now more sure than ever that you must've done something to displease whatever deity watched over you and you were being punished severely for it. Despite your squirming and heated cheeks, you gave him a smile.

"No! N-no, you're right. It helps." The amount of overwhelming emotions you were feeling made your words feel all twisted, coming out in embarrassingly short stammers. "Thank you. I feel better already."

Wally brightened. He made no comment on your flustered state, simply cuddling close to you happily. His head fell easily between your neck and shoulder and you carefully wrapped an arm around him. Surely, he could hear your speedy heartbeat, possibly even feel it, and the realization only served to make you more nervous.

"Thank you, neighbor," he whispered. You felt him go adorably limp in your embrace. It was nice. "You're a good friend."

You hummed. Perhaps too good a friend, you thought, thinking about how much of your own dignity you'd sacrificed tonight. But you were an even bigger lovestruck fool because you knew you'd do anything for Wally, including let him drink from your blood if (rather, when) he asked again. 

You were still set on helping Wally figure out how to undo the transformation. Most of your days since the Count left had been spent in the mythology section of Frank's library, though it was limited. You were determined to figure out a solution to his problem that didn't involve giving him your blood every time he was hungry but, for now, this was alright, you supposed. If you allowed yourself to entertain the very selfish idea, you wouldn't entirely mind it if Wally was a vampire for a while longer either. 

You thought this as you held his still body closer, the minutes going by as neither of you made any effort to detangle yourself from the other. You were sure he'd fallen asleep when you felt your legs go numb beneath you. His face was more pressed against your neck now, buried in the spot where he'd put your bandage. You felt his head move and resigned to closing your eyes to sleep with him but, just as you had, they snapped open. Wally didn't sleep. You heard a small noise come from him and you shifted your head to stare at his eyes, which were already open and wide and drinking in your expression with a smile.

"Are you smelling the bandage?" you asked.

"Maybe," he quipped and then slowly laughed. 

[yingren]

your lover going to walk away, but you grab them and pull them back in for a kiss before they go. ( 👀👀 me pretending i'm not online or enabling any demons. feel free to make up any context, or change au, etc. )

kissing prompts .

you owe me a coffee. that’s how it started, right? yeah, it must’ve been something like that, some random nonsense ren decided to throw out there for no real reason. nothing was wrong with the brew dan heng had made that one time, just like there hasn’t been anything outwardly wrong between them since they were forced to work together. well, that’s not entirely true. there’s been something off, a gnawing unease, something that feels fundamentally wrong but not in the way it used to be—not like bloodshed, clashing weapons, or the threat of ending a life. no, things have been strangely abnormal, almost irritatingly good. it’s like trying to smooth out the wrinkles on a canvas with restless hands, and ren’s working harder than ever to keep his composure. the worst part? it feels almost too easy.

you owe me a story. that one came out of nowhere again—ren had shared something about himself entirely on his own, unprompted. not like dan heng had asked ( he most definitely hadn’t ) , but ren had felt compelled to answer anyway. it had come naturally that day. he doesn’t recall the details of the conversation, though it was probably in the middle of dan heng telling him to stop being antagonistic, to which ren, of course, denied doing anything of the sort. dan heng’s dry response had been something along the lines of “you need a new hobby.” that’s when ren had casually mentioned an old hobby he once had, sharing a story about how he tried to pick it up again—and failed. at the time, he was grateful they weren’t face-to-face, thankful for the distance and the device that hid the brief, solemn look on his face, just as he was glad not to see dan heng’s reaction.

that was then. now? it feels like a lifetime ago.

“ i owe you an apology. i’m sorry. ” words he never thought he’d say out loud, least of all to dan heng. ren’s gaze fixates on the shallow cut across the other man’s wrist, a wound that, though minor, is unmistakable. an accident. he isn’t entirely sure how it happened—everything unfolded so quickly. dan heng must have extended his hand at just the wrong moment. it took less than a second: ren, holding cloudpiercer for the first time in what felt like ages, had been testing its weight, spinning and twirling it in his hands, moving just a fraction too fast. the blade barely grazed dan heng, yet it left a small but undeniable mark etched into his skin.

dan heng is clearly about to leave, though ren can’t quite tell if he’s upset. if there’s any subtle change in his expression, ren misses it, too focused on the reddened scratch across dan heng’s skin. the realization comes slowly, that this might not be the first time dan heng has been hurt because of him, but it is the first time ren actually feels guilty about it. and that guilt is suffocating, like a tight knot forming in his chest, gnawing at him with an intensity that feels both ugly and infuriating. a few steps forward, and ren reaches out, grabbing dan heng’s wrist to pull him back. he lifts the injured hand, studying the scratch more closely, though his gaze briefly flickers to dan heng’s face. without giving room for protest, ren presses his lips to the bruised wrist. the kiss is fleeting, but for a moment, he swears he feels a warm pulse beneath his lips. he lets the hand fall, stepping closer still, eyes dropping as he leans in, tension still clinging to the air between them.

“ there, that’s better. ” the stupid grin is back, beaming with pride and contentment. “ you owe me a kiss now. ”

[ifuckingloveryoshu]

How do you feel about the "Yuzuki = The Sword" theory? I don't know what backing it may or may not have other than simple vibes and like, the basic symbolism in the EGO art, but I'm curious to hear what you think!

Hello Kili! Or I assume this is Kili. I follow the "Yuzuki = The Sword" theory but I'm begging and pleading that it doesn't come true. I have an alternative theory that the Hell Screen is a screen door corridor you can walk into with all the individual tortures are suspended in time. There is no real proof for that one execept seeing some Ring art in Leviathan. I don't know what's worst though, Yuzuki being dead for good and just the sword, or they pull out some mirror identity shit. I'd like to throw my own crack theory into The Ring. Rip it apart.

Yuzuki is coming back from the dead from another mirror world and Ryoshu has to confront revenge Yuzuki with burns on her body and the other subjects of her arts who were subjected to tortures. Or, Bitch Ass Lord Of Horiwaka is a Ring higher up and sicks a monolith group of Abnormalities at the Limbus Company gang while also just showing everyone Yuzuki. Yoshihide had dreams about the Hell Screen and Yuzuki calling out for him to join her in Hell and Project Moon seems to love bringing loved ones back but messed up. (Library Of Ruina, Leviathan, Lobotomy Corp with Carmen)

( Off-topic but I missed a lot on my very shallow dive on the Wild Hunt I did a long time ago and I made lots of mistakes there. I don't think ill come back to it but a concern to think about next time.) The Wild Hunt seems to happen often enough for Faust to have a name for it. There is no way the mirror stuff only gets used in Heathcliff's chapter and The Ring has this idententity technology. Also, that Ghost Parade Of 100 Demons refrence can potentially be foreshadowing. For me, there's no way Heathcliff's chapter will be the only time we get mirror shenaigans, esspecially when there's no way The Ring will not be in Ryoshu's chapter, or any of the other fingers given her art.

For me, it is vibes but I am one of the few who has read all of Leviathan with the unoffical fan translation. It was just a very long time ago. Because of what I know from Leviathan, I can totally see the Ring and by extention, Yuzuki becoming a sword and provide, at least something. Also this random reddit comment from this threat that I retained in my head when I barely step on reddit. X.

Yuzuki seemed to be Yoshihide's everything and the sword errupts into flames everytime that EGO is cast. (One time I need to go here and talk about the horrifying thought that R.B. Ryoshu might have cut up and eatten Yuzuki if we follow the sword theory..)

Under the cut are Leviathan spoilers. If you want my final thoughts, I do follow the "Yuzuki = Sword" theory until we get conformation otherwise, but I don't rule out any possibilities. I am open to other theories. "Yuzuki = Sword" will not be the whole story, it won't be the only thing happening there, mark my words. I follow off vibes and This link has nothing of substance, ignore the Spiderman stuff but I think it would be fun to share my old thoughts before the Ryoshu Mania fully took over my head. x Their not good and I don't totally agree with the stuff I said back then.

Thank you so much for the ask!

Welcome back and here we are. Most memoriable to me is all the orphans. (Book 15)

They turned the orphans into the picatulum in the effort to do the identity experiment stuff. Actually looking back, I need to re-read Leviathan again, it makes so much more sense now.

I don't think there's anything else actually for Sword = Yuzuki because im just skiming. I don't have the energy to read back right now. I'm really sorry. Sleepy.

Sword Yuzuki is not out of the question if their doing things like this.

Chapter 10 (Is this meat?)

While Im still here, might as well save screenshots for my own refrence. (Chaper 9)

(Chapter 11)

Chapter 3

[wolfprincesszola]

Lovesick (Miraculous Ladybug Adrinette)

Heyyyyyy, sorry for being absent for 8+ months. Here's a fic to ease your worries. For context, Kagami is a pediatrician, Marinette and Alya are roommates, Nino Felix and Adrien are all roommates, and they're all aged up and out of college by this point. Ladybug and Chat Noir never happened in this AU and this is what I call a mediocre AU where nothing happens to the protagonists because it's a lot like the rest of us. This is a lot like the love stories we have in real life with the mediocrity of life and that's beautiful <3

Masterlist ——————– Summary: Adrien's been feeling all sorts of symptoms recently that all root down to one problem: Marinette. He thinks it's sickness, but his friends help him realize that it's much more than a common cold.

Trigger Warnings: None

Content Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Food ——————–

"Hey, Adrien. What are you doing here?" Kagami raised an eyebrow as Adrien walked into his friend's medical office. "It isn't like you to show up to my office when I'm only a pediatrician."

"No, it's not that. I just need some advice."

"Hm?" Kagami raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the time on her phone, "I guess I have a few minutes to spare before my next appointment. What's going on?"

"You can check me for colds, fevers, and all that, right?"

"Yeah, but I may not be able to do much, since I only work with kids. You should go to your regular doctor for that."

"I just need some advice from a friend before I go spend money on a hospital visit. I feel like I'm sick, but I've checked my temperatures. I'm perfectly fine, but my stomach's being weird, my breathing's abnormal, my heart keeps beating faster than normal, and there's just so many things I feel like is wrong with me. Do you think it has anything to do with my injury?"

Kagami placed her hand on his forehead before shaking her head, "I doubt it. It doesn't seem like anything's wrong with you. No cold, no fever."

"That's not really the answer I wanted to hear." Adrien grumbled.

"How much rest have you gotten? Water? Food?"

"Less than I'd like to admit, but water and food intake is fine."

"Why don't you try getting some rest and seeing if that helps?" Kagami forced a friendly mouth upturn, "If it doesn't, go see your regular doctor, okay?"

Adrien nodded, standing up stiffly, "Thanks anyways, Kagami."

"Of course. Let me know if anything gets worse." Kagami nodded as Adrien exited out of the office. He was in his own world when a voice broke his thoughts.

"How's your sickness?"

Adrien jumped at the voice, looking around to find Marinette in front of him. She was staring at him worringly.

There it was again. His heart beating faster than normal, his stomach turning inside out, him needing to manually breathe in order for it not to be abnormal.

"What?" Adrien asked, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat awkwardly, wondering why his voice was like that. Marinette was one of his best friends, just a friend. Why was he acting like this around Marinette? Why only Marinette?

"How's your sickness?" Marinette repeated, "I'm guessing that's why you came to Kagami, right? I remember you mentioning something was wrong."

"Oh, yeah!" Adrien chuckled, lying through his teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"Kagami forgot her lunch she packed, so I'm bringing it to her." Marinette shrugged, "Have you eaten lunch?"

"No, not yet."

"Great, I haven't either. I can give this to Kagami and then we can go eat something together. I feel like ramen today."

"That sounds great."

After eating ramen together, the two played Ultimate Mecha Strike III for a little to cure their boredom. Adrien found out early on in their friendship that he enjoyed hanging out with Marinette. Even if they were doing boring work stuff like scheduling, Adrien found that he was always entertained by Marinette's exclamations of boredom. Everything about her was so interesting to Adrien, and he couldn't imagine why he was feeling the way he is.

Even after 16 hours of rest over the next few days along with a regular schedule of 8 hours, nothing was working, so he decided to try and make an appointment with his regular doctor, only to find out that the only appointment he could book was 5 months later.

"I'm home!" A voice called out and Adrien jumped up from the couch he was sitting at. Alya walked through the door, surprised to find Adrien in the apartment.

"Oh, sorry, Adrien. I didn't know that you were here." Alya remarked as she placed her stuff down on the kitchen counter. "Did Marinette invite you over? Where is she?"

"We were going to make cookies, but she forgot the sugar, so she is going to buy it." Adrien replied, "She'll be back soon."

"Okay." Alya nodded before staring at Adrien with his open phone, "Doctor's appointment? Did you break your arm or something?"

"No, it's not that." Adrien sighed, "It's this weird thing where my mind is whirling at 60 miles an hour, my heart starts pounding, I start losing control of my breathing, my stomach keeps doing twists and turns and it feels like something's fluttering in there..."

"That sounds worrying." Alya raised an eyebrow as she took off her jacket to hang on the coat hanger. "Did you get an appointment?"

"Not for 5 months. I haven't booked it yet."

"I see."

"I already went to Kagami, but she said it isn't her specialty and I don't know what else to do. You want to know the weirdest part?"

"What?" Alya asked as she was unpacking her lunch box to place the tupperware into the sink to wash.

"It only happens around Marinette."

Alya paused, putting down the last tupperware in her lunch box before walking over to Adrien to talk to him face-to-face, "What happens around Marinette?"

"You know...the symptoms."

"Can you repeat them again?"

"My heart races, my stomach flutters, I can't control my breathing, my hands start to get sweaty, recently I've been stuttering around her. I don't even know why. I think I'm sick but the temperatures say I'm not."

"Oh." Alya's face broke into a grin, "You are sick."

"I am?" Adrien perked up, "Wait, why are you smiling? Shouldn't you be sad or scared that I'll spread it to you?"

"I doubt that would be possible. This type of sickness isn't contagious." Alya snorted before gasping in excitement, "Should I make heart macarons for the occasion? No, I'd probably just burn them..."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? Slow down!" Adrien flushed in embarrassment. Why was she keeping him in the dark?

"I'm surprised Kagami didn't diagnose it. She caught this sickness too." Alya raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I might've left a couple of details out..." Adrien was relieved that Alya knew what was wrong with him, but he wished she would just cut to the chase and tell him what it was. "What sickness is it? How can I treat it?"

"Adrien, you're lovesick." Alya remarked.

Nevermind. Alya doesn't know what she's talking about.

"What are you talking about?" Adrien scowled, "I thought you had an actual diagnosis for me. Shouldn't it be worring how I'm feeling?"

"I was until you told me what you were feeling. Faster heartbeats, butterflies, thoughts running at 100 miles an hour, only triggered around Marinette? That's lovesickness. I should know, I've experienced it with Nino. Look at us now."

"Listen, if you're not going to be any help to me, I'm leaving." Adrien stood up, frustrated. "I'm not lovesick, especially not to Marinette!"

"If you say so~" Alya hummed, "I'll buy heart macarons and tell Marinette to deliver it to you then."

He stormed out of the apartment, knowing that Alya was probably bluffing to troll him. Shooting a quick text to tell Marinette he's sorry but he had to go somewhere, he called an Uber to go back to his apartment.

"You're back home already? How did the cookies turn out?" Nino asked as soon as Adrien walked through the door.

"I don't know. I left before we could bake them. Your girlfriend's being an asshole. Can you tell her that?" Adrien grumbled to his roommate.

"What did she do this time?" Felix walked out of the kitchen into the living room before turning to Nino, "Please tell me she didn't blame me. I can't have Kagami scolding me again. It'll break my heart."

"I don't know. I don't keep tabs on her." Nino rolled his eyes as he opened his phone to call her to see what's going on.

Adrien put his keys on the counter before walking over to the couch, sitting down to face the two boys.

"Uh huh...alright, thanks. Love you." Nino nodded before hanging up on his girlfriend. Turning to Adrien, he spoke up, "So how long have you been feeling sick?"

"I don't know. A couple of weeks, I guess." Adrien shrugged.

"And when did it start?"

"Do you remember going to that one reunion with the rest of the class earlier this year? I guess after that."

"I know Kagami mentioned that you were supposed to get some good sleep, but you kept saying that it wasn't helping. Did Alya figure it out?" Felix raised an eyebrow.

"Well...it only happens around Marinette." Adrien hesitated, hoping that Nino and Felix wouldn't come to the same conclusion.

Realization dawned on Nino's face as he jumped up, "You're lovesick! That's what this has been about!"

"I'm not lovesick!" Adrien flushed, trying to defend himself, "Both you and Alya are crazy!"

"Not crazy. They're correct." Felix remarked, "It makes sense. You've never been in love, so of course you wouldn't know what to look for, but what's happening right now is actually a classic case of falling in love."

"Marinette's my best friend. Nothing more."

"Ah yes, I remember stage 1: denial." Nino sighed, reminiscing. "Next is anger, then bargaining, depression, and then acceptance."

"That's the 5 stages of grief." Adrien raised his eyebrow. "Besides, why would I like Marinette as more than a friend? I like our relationship now."

"You've never wanted more?" Felix raised an eyebrow.

Adrien thought about it for a long time. Sure, was Marinette cute? Yes. Was Marinette funny? Absolutely. Would he date her? Yes. In fact, he had thought about it a while back and wasn't opposed to it at all. But he couldn't be in love with her.

They were best friends. That was it.

"I'll take that answer as a no." Felix smirked, standing up.

"Wait-" Adrien started, his voice faltering. "Where are you going?"

"We are going to help Alya make it." Nino put his jacket on, "I'll drive us there. You will stay here."

"You're just going to leave me here?" Adrien asked in despair.

"You're staying here to process your feelings and understand where you are with Marinette. We'll come back, don't worry." Felix remarked as the two walked out the door.

Adrien sat in the same spot for a long time thinking about what Marinette meant to him. She was his best friend, and he couldn't imagine living without her. He wouldn't mind hugging, cuddling, or even kissing her, but everytime he thought about it, the symptoms came back up.

Shit. Maybe they were right. Maybe he was in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

[magnoliamyrrh]

this is about the convo earlier with being molested by family members..i'm also balkan and i grew up with my grandparents but especially my grandpa inappropriately touching my chest and when i tried to tell my mom, older sis and aunt they all dismissed it as 'ehh he probably didn't mean to/his hand slipped'. i didn't wanna insist and look crazy because i do love my grandpa and he was the only parental figure i had in my life growing up, but at the same time...he did do that. idk if he thought it was normal or what but i think about it often. i can't bring it up with my family again because they'll just ignore it (especially now that he's dead). it's weird to think about how loving and nice he was when he was also doing shit like that from time to time. idk where i'm going with this but yeah. i don't think of myself as someone who was molested as a kid but this shit is definitely normalized. i've seen it in other families where they'd constantly touch and talk about their little boy's genitals... it's so fucked up

it really is fucked up, and its fucked up to realize that so many of us grew up w this.... for a long time i thought this was a me issue not a cultural one - and all the silence and shame around it certainly didnt help w that.... its been fucking weird to think abt the last couple of days since i asked on here abt it. like.. weve really made this SO normal and common huh?? that going against it is outright dismissed or even punished??? i cant help but just keep wondering where the fuck it all went so wrong and how we got here - and whats so wrong that things like this havent been accepted only in the balkans but elsewhere. what. what is wrong with this species. incest is one of the only universal taboos among humans, and most other mammals also have an aversion to it. and yet. we have normalized an abnormal amount of it nontheless over and over again .....? uuuff

im sorry you went through that, and im sorry they didn't take it seriously and listen more to you. thats something that always hurts in particular. discomfort/repulsion is a normal reaction to have and youd expect at least the other women in ur family to care or understand it too, and its rly fucked up when they just... dismiss it or minimize it or make you feel guilty for it or like its your issue or hell do it themselves.. i figure for a lot of them, if theyd accept that what youre saying is bad, itd mean theyd have to accept that things they went through themselves was bad, and they dont wanna do that. so they dont do either.. im sorry that u cant speak abt it and i totally get how him being dead would make it all much harder. in my family at least we v much have a "dont speak ill of the dead" sorta thing, or just excusing the actions of particularly men after they did sorta thing......i still haven't told my family just about anything. any time i ever tried to bring up anything as a kid id get dismissed and ignored at best or be punished or degraded and humiliated at worst so.... learned my lesson on that one but. thank u for sending this, i hate to hear how many of us went through this but also its. nice to know that were not alone in this and that other ppl do get it

and i feel you. its a really confusing mess to try to make sense of how to feel abt ppl like that... be angry? be grossed out, be scared? be numb, be okay with it, pretend it didnt happen? excuse it, explain it away? .... and its just weird in the cases when it wasnt rly something particularly violent, or ""not that bad/bad enough"" ig or towes that line of being able to convince urself that maybe welll it could have been an accident. its weird to know how to feel abt them when they were seemingly ok ppl you cared abt and still do and who were nice other times. .. but also... did shit like this which end of the day just isnt ok. idk... i dont think theres rly a end or solution or one way to feel, i think.... its just kinda bound to be a cocktail of conflicting emotions... im still trying to figure out how to find some sort of. idk, potential resolution or peace w any of it but i haven't rly figured it out yet, i just keep turning it in my mind too

[yellowsunflowerheart]

HHIIIIIII So i just read your stephen and America fics and i love them!!!! I never knew how much I loved the idea of stephen helping out america on her period! Thats so sweetttttt!!!!!! Is there any way you could do a followup to that fic? Kind of like the moment that you set up going to the doctor to make sure she was ok, i think that would be an awesome place to start up again.... or wherever, youre the writer!

I am so sorry for the delay in answering this ask, thank you so much for your patience! I love this idea and will add it to the list of WIP’s to start! I may need to do a little research for this one, as I’ve only had limited experience myself with this at a GP and ultrasound level and nothing beyond that.

Original Fic

Okay so I’m actually really invested in this narrative where Stephen takes America STRAIGHT to the doctor after everything goes down, because he needs to know all the in’s and out’s of her health. If he’s gonna be a Dad, he’s gonna be a DAD.

He’d be so thorough and have all the blood tests done, try and figure out what she’s vaccinated against, what atmosphere her lungs are used to living in.

So when it comes to something more specific, like these tests conducted because of pain, he’d be beyond invested. He’d be in the doctors office ordering the tests himself- no other opinions needed, he knows what he wants to see.

Ultrasounds.

Scans.

MRI’s.

He wants every expert in New York dropping everything to attend to her TODAY. Can he pay? No. Is he gonna drop you in the mirror dimension if you don’t comply? Yep.

It kind of freaks America out a little, because Stephen’s using so many big words that she doesn’t understand, and he’s very authoritative, and she’s scared that the pain means something really bad. Like she’s sick. Why else is Stephen behaving like this?

But then he explains everything to her before meeting each doctor. He tells her what they’re looking for, and what happens if she is diagnosed with a condition. He gives her a big cuddle and she feels better and not so scared to be examined. She doesn’t feel alone, and that’s the biggest thing for her- she trusts him, and that’s a very big thing to let her guard down like this. This is stronger than any other trust she’s had before. It’s the closest trust she’d had to her Mum’s.

Stephen holds her hand when she’s scared of the big machines, and when she gets antsy over the doctors touching her, he takes over to the best of his abilities, or at least guides them, so America feels like someone she trusts is in control. He takes her trust in him very seriously.

It can be really intimidating and uncomfortable when doctors are searching for potential ovarian or period related symptoms and diseases. It is very invasive, and for someone so young with very little knowledge of her body already, it’s very unsettling to suddenly have strangers poking around, reaching below the waistband of your jeans.

Stephen’s always sure to validate her discomforts, even though it does slow down their appointments and can make the doctors a little frustrated- not their fault, they do this everyday, so they can forget how uncomfortable it is when it’s your first time.

Stephen doesn’t know who raised America, or how strongly they instilled boundaries into her, so he’s very, very encouraging about her setting her boundaries and everyone respecting them, especially with her relationships and her body (this is something I feel really strongly about, because Stephen strikes me as someone who is very strong with boundaries, and I really read this in BC too. He’s quite unmoving on personal boundaries and coming from a younger person who is only now in a position to discover, respect and enforce my own boundaries, it’s very, very important for young people around America’s age to see. If you’re a teen, I can’t encourage you enough to explore and establish your boundaries).

The story could go a few ways after her tests:

1. Her abnormal pain is just a result of her cycle being new and settling into her personal routine. It’s something that settles down after a few months to a year, and she lives life with normal period side effects

2. Perhaps America’s diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, or something that may be a more temporary cause of pain, and she has treatment or a surgery and goes on relatively normal after that, with lesser pain and normal period side effects

3. Or, she’s diagnosed with something with life-long effects, like endometriosis. Maybe she has a few surgeries, and Stephen nurses her through it all. Maybe they settle into a routine, and Stephen takes her out of school/lessons every time she has her period, and they have comfort routines involving lots of snuggles, protective, snappy Dad and baby America, maybe America even moves into Stephen’s room over the week she gets her period, so she doesn’t have to get up too often and he’s always right where she wants him when she needs comfort

Maybe this could even become a series… I’m going to get too invested in this if I go with option three… nobody tempt me. I could really write so many comfort fics for myself with America discovering boundaries and Stephen really encouraging her as a good Dad. Feel free to send any specific idea’s you wanted to see in the fic, and I’ll see if I can incorporate them 💛 thanks again for the request!