#the hair is always a nightmare to color but yet its so fun

[orioncore]

forgive the cropping but here are the silly idol gems I've designed thus far

additional mado design w/o the skirt

[the-plantlikefishie-dafi-writes]

Agreement with the Sun

An Arataki Itto x Reader Fanfic

Tags: Arataki Itto x Ruler!Reader, Fake Marriage, Made-up means of governance for Inazuma haha, SLOW BURN (At least I think it is <3), Reader is reserved but a little arrogant, Workaholic Reader, Himbo! Arataki Itto, Sunshine Arataki Itto, Eventual Fluff

Author's Note: Wow I actually gained the courage and posted this fic! Constructive criticism is much welcomed! Take note, I got too silly...

First Sunrise, First Moonfall - A Child of Ame-no-Uzume

🎶 O, Sunkissed Moon, beloved by the Sun, Its rays kiss your face, love questioned by none 🎶

He didn’t know what he expected. But, definitely not this.

If only he could get into a spar right now. Bust some bad guys with a jab, left-right, and a 'kapow!' that would be sure to wake him! But instead, the insanely boring stacks and stacks of papers made his eyes heavy even though he usually slept with his eyes open. Like, dude, what were these even for? It was a waste of good trees if you ask Itto.

If only he could catch some awesome beetles, he would have some fun with a bunch of kids by now and finally break his ridiculous losing streak which has been a major headache! However, two out of three cups of tea got cold from the incredibly long conversation by nerds who he would rather not upset unless he wanted to live in a nightmare.

Without having anything fun to do, he just spaced out. After all, Itto was surrounded by walls made of the finest purple silk and materials. Its design resembled the gentle waves of the sea and the eloquent color of electro. He eyed the gifts of foreign jade trinkets, placed proudly on quality wooden tables and the illuminating lanterns crested with Inazuma’s proud element. The scent of fine sakura perfume wafted through the air in the dim yet well lit room in Tenshukaku.

Man. He shouldn’t be spacing out like this! He is Arataki Itto for archon’s sake! The Arataki "Above All, Bold-Blooded" Itto! He can do whatever he wants… So why couldn’t he do all those he would rather do?

Well, it was because of you, The reigning ruler of Inazuma. He didn’t realize there was another ruler other than the Raiden Shogun. He didn’t really care who is in charge of Inazuma as long as he can live life as much as he wants, but maybe, you were also the reason why the humans became friendly to the onis and the rest of the yokai. He huffed, only a little as to not interrupt the conversation you and Shinobu had.

If only he wasn’t so awesomely charming and handsome that night!

You were just looking around that night. You were tiny, small compared to him, maybe, a little shy. With your cloaked figure, were you possibly a traveler?

"Hey, man! You look like you ain't around here!" he chirped as he tapped your shoulder and his hand returned to his hips. "Enjoying the festival so far?"

"Oh. I actually live in Inazuma. I just don't come out often." "An introvert! Hey, gotta respect that. You know, a lot of cool people I know are introverts like the renowned golden-haired traveler! Savior of Dragons, Conqueror of the Abyss, Teyvat's hero! Too bad, they ain't here though. Miss 'em." You nodded at his words as you dropped your hood down. And here it is, Itto always knew he was talented since birth at making friends! You finally lowered your guard, and you even gave him a smile.

…Hm? Pretty?

"Haha. I did meet them. I'm glad they reunited." Oh, so you knew the Traveler’s goals too? You’d have to get pretty close to them to do that. Just who are you, small mysterious person? "I haven't enjoyed the festival yet. I don't really know what to do," you added with fingertips pressed together and an awkward smile.

A smile curled up and a loud boisterous voice emerged from Itto, "Hahaha! Well, you are in luck, my compadre! I, Arataki the "Festival King of Fun and Revelry" Itto is here to serve you! When there's fun to be had, I am most undoubtedly there!" Oh, he could feel that adrenaline pumping into his veins! He has to get the gang into this! He looked over at his growing gang and shouted, "Hey, guys! Let's show 'em how to rock a real Festival!"

That was how the great Arataki Itto managed to get the seemingly-uptight you to a night of holler and laughs. What surprised him the whole night was not during the height of the clinking drinks and shared enthusiasm, but during the distant singing of an old man and the diminishing hype of the night. Shinobu had just pointed out your status as ruler, as the esteemed sun of Inazuma.

No way. No way.

You know how to party, he'll give you that. But, he can't believe he has been picking up, carrying you, oni-handling the second-in-command from the Raiden Shogun like a bunch of boxes… For the whole night no less!

He was also crazy loud, and he hoped he didn't say a joke that was offensive that could ruin his 150-day streak without getting into jail.

He began to shove the feeling of cold sweat in the backroom of his mind, and Itto smirked as his pointer and thumb framed the chin of his gorgeous face, "Heh, looks like Arataki the "Festival king of Fun and Revelry" served a hotshot tonight! Was my service just as awesome as you expected, esteemed sun?"

You let out a laugh. "Mister Arataki, you are adorable."

Shinobu and Itto flinched and widened their eyes. A hoot of laughter was so unusual to see from someone who is deemed stoic by the public. And, a compliment? Surely, Itto has greatly achieved many things tonight compared to everyone else in Inazuma. Of course, it is expected of the oni king! And, "Mister Arataki"? Prissy and pretty name to add to the long list of titles and all, but where did the sudden politeness come from? He just remembered that you were calling him "Itto" as the whole gang hollered while you were trying to scoop some goldfish.

"Of course, I had fun," you grinned.

Phew. Good thing you aren't nitpicky. He bowed exaggeratedly as he chuckled, "I am glad to be of service."

Itto knew you could see how his head was getting bigger than his body now. You smiled a little wider, "I enjoyed it so much that…"

Huh. There's more? Well, he was ready for you to compliment his entertaining charm.

"I wish to be your betrothed. Arataki Itto, will you marry me?" Itto witnessed you shine and sparkle to coax him to agree— you placed your hand on your chest as you knelt down on one knee, staring into his eyes with eager glee.

….HUH?

You met eyes with your day-dreaming future husband, and gave him a welcoming smile in the midst of an important discussion, cold tea, and stacked papers. It was a little forced, but the way he smiled back was so genuine and infectious, your true eloquent smile appeared. His infectious aura and presence was what made you enjoy that night and what made you choose him.

Good. He is the perfect candidate as a husband for you: an intimidating resting face everyone will cower in fear from, then the friendliest smile that knows no inequality, inclusive and outgoing personality, the leader of a gang that has been giving itself a good name in recent years, and no true influence to the government of Inazuma.

You were glad to have met him that night.

It was your time to rest in the stuffy yet plain room. Tired eyes fluttered to the beautiful sights of the Festival. Dancing sakura petals of the wind waltz with the lights of the city. The hustle and bustle sang and harmonized with the music of Inazuma. Culture of games, masks and silk infested the streets to satisfy the people and Yokai. Commissioner Kamisato was right; the Shirasagi Himegimi outdid herself this time. The night was too alluring to stay in your room as warmth started to bubble in your heart. Maybe, you won’t spend your night in your stuffy room today.

Indeed, those elders would criticize and lecture you, but at the very best, those grimy sons or selfish daughters of theirs will have no room in your work and your thoughts. At the very least, in your marriage with Itto, he wouldn’t do much for Inazuma other than some minor inconveniences. He would do his own things, and you would do yours. He wouldn’t have any problems with money, shelter, and clothing, and you wouldn’t have any problems with annoying suitors. Now, you have a reason to turn them down.

You also gave your husband his freedom to love whoever he wants.

In the lengthy contract that cited rules and regulations and written agreements between the Arataki Gang Leader and the Esteemed Sun of Inazuma, there, you have written: “The Esteemed Sun of Inazuma, □⁠□⁠□□, agrees for the Arataki Gang Leader, Arataki Itto, to have a romantic or sexual relationship outside of the contractual marriage between the two parties.”

“Hm, are you sure you want this part to be in the contract? Won’t it cause some kind of scandal? It might not jeopardize you, esteemed sun. But the Arataki gang will face grave repercussions." Kuki Shinobu voiced out.

How lucky was Arataki Itto to have a jack of all trades like her? You got a little envious, but the feeling hid behind the curtain. "Dear Kuki, is someone with the likes of Itto even interested in romance?" you whispered.

She actually pondered on your joke, but you pressed on with a grin. "Either way, please notify me if he plans to have a lover. I will make a scandal wherein I have another lover as well as make the narrative sympathize with Itto. Now, they won't be so rude if they think with their little heads. To kill the attention on me, I will announce something beneficial to Inazuma’s-"

"Wait," Itto tapped in, long fingers playing a rhythm to the dark wood. "You're going to sacrifice your reputation? For me to have my own lover?" He raised his brow.

"Of course? My "love life" won't affect my service.”

“Aren’t you technically my lover according to this contract?”

“Well, do you love me?”

“Uh…”

“Think of this as a marriage for convenience, Itto,” you gently smiled, mostly because he was cute, but slightly you placed him at a corner. “We don’t have to love each other.”

"Heh! Well, think again, sunshine!" He crossed his arms and widely opened his mouth. "I'm not gonna be some kind of cheating jerk and fail this marriage! I ain't gonna fall in love with anyone or ain't gonna make out with anyone else but my future wife! I am gonna be an awesome and committed husband as granny oni taught!"

Honestly, you stifle a laugh. "Is that so? It isn’t really cheating since we don’t have feelings for each other, and this relationship is obviously one of empty commitment. You will get bore-"

Before you could add anything, you could feel Itto's hand grab yours as he brought it to his lips. "Then, I'll use my good ol' Arataki "The Handsome Oni" Itto charm to make you fall for me" he winked.

You pondered. Does he read those cheesy light novels?

DON’T PLAGIARIZE, REPOST, OR TRANSLATE ANY OF MY WORKS.

Thank you and God bless!

[n3onwraith]

I forgot to post that I drew Needles! You can't tell, I haven't made the HC doodles comprehensive yet, but hisbneedles hide under his skin and eject when needed, like those spike traps but millions of needles!

I'm gonna put all my HCs below the cut just to spare yall

He's def a natural redhead to me, but bleached it a lot before becoming an avatar

Technically, this would only be his human disguise thing. Full eldritch is reserved for attacking ppl and defense, which is rarer than attacking people, and in that form he's all lanky with all his needles out all the time like a fucked up longhorse and pincushion had a baby and it got possessed

He just has no sense of pain most of the time, at least related to intrinsic issues. Getting stabbed or shot hurts, but when his bones constantly break as Eldritch Needles or when his limbs fall off (like Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas) he doesn't feel all the pain, just a tinge or a pinch

Can remove his needles from his skin, but their 'slot' stays open until he puts them back or replaces them (like shark teeth, he grows them but can also swap them out for found ones) and he uses that to sew himself back together as needed

Lots of piercings, most home-done. Really only his lobe and one of three cartilage rings is professional, he did the rest as an angsty teen for fun

Was turned as a late teen/in his early twenties, and therefore his disguise stays looking that age because that's the only way he really remembers who he is and what he looked like. Eldritch Needles is just a fucked up skinsuit really, a puppet for what he needs to do, and Needles himself can't remember or guess what he would look like by now (bones, probably, with his luck, but he was taken as an avatar/eldritch in the 90s/early 2000s so realistically only around 40-50 or so)

Got in a ton of accidents as a kid, always was and always is banged up somehow

Flashes his needles and puffs up on instinct when things piss him off, has to stop himself from doing it around people

A gifted kid for the institute who ended up being neglected outside of schoolwork and what he could do (projection?)

Glitters in the sunlight even with the needles put away. Its just bcs he's got so much metal in him and the sunlight catches the slots weird enough to glint briefly

The jacket reacts the same way his hair and needles do, like an external organ, but it's only due to it being part of his avatar influence shit and its not actually a part of him. It goes dormant when removed or unwanted

Like a hedgehog hair-wise, it's harmless and like regular hair until it's Needle Time (TM)

Easily offended/angered, as seen in the 911 call, and likes to fuck with people. I'd guess older sibling if he had any, but the kind where you matured too fast and then slowed your roll so late you were the immature one (projecting)

Likes to be colorful but in a dull way. Washed out colors just suit him better in his opinion and let him express himself without drawing attention to himself and the fact he's not quite human anymore

Gap teeth <3 Wanted to get braces as a teen but didn't, still pissed about it because now he can't and it doesn't matter since hes not human anymore anyways. slowly learning to like the gap when his angel fangs don't get stuck in em

Didn't draw it but he has snake bites too, just rarely wears them. It's either angel fangs or snake bites but never both because they tend to snag for him

A parallel of both Nikola and Michael, kind of. He's got little bits that Norris, Chester and Augustus would recognize if they ever met him, like his speech pattern and penchant for never giving straight answers, but he's got his own thing going on more than the parallels ever could be.

Rip off Cheshire Cat. Alice in Wonderland, the animated one, was his favorite movie growing up for the colors, and when he got older for the story

[teamlarl]

Drabble - The Hero of Argus

----------

"Oh that?"

"It was a day unlike any other. The year? 57 PW. The Faunus Rights Revolution had been over for a decade by that point. The scars were healing all across Remnant. It was a time of peace. A time of prosperity. No one could have anticipated what would come for the city of Argus, located on Mistral's northern coast.

Now, Argus has always occupied a strange diplomatic gray area between Mistral and Atlas. Nominally, it's Mistrali territory. But it holds an Atlesian military base and culturally speaking, one could make the argument that it's closer to Atlas than Mistral. Which is something Atlas likes to take advantage of.

Rumor has it that Atlas was testing out some special, particularly destructive weaponry off the coast of Argus. With Atlas gone, I suppose we'll never really know the details but... they woke something. Out from beneath the waves it rose slowly. Methodically. Dangerously.

A great reptilian beast, larger than most skyscrapers. Black as night and covered in bone-like armor, as most Grimm are. Like a great, lumbering bear, but conforming itself like some grandiose, ancient lizard of old.

The Leviathan.

The beast had been angered by the weapon testing, either injured by it or incensed that its habitat had been disturbed. And, like all Grimm, it was beckoned towards the nearest human settlement. To exact its vengeance upon those that had a soul.

It turned towards the city of Argus, and began to march.

No one was prepared.

It rose out of the waves like some great herald of doom. As it entered the coastal waters of Mistral's Second City, it tore through the great bridge that made the city famous. See, Argus has walls surrounding it - but at the time, they only had it on land. The city was wholly unequipped for an aquatic attack. And this was no mere Sea Feilong, dangerous as those are! This was a beast out of the nightmares of the most seasoned huntsman!

And it began to attack.

Entire swathes of the city were destroyed within the hour. Neighborhoods that had stood since the founding half a century earlier? Erased from existence. Crushed beneath the Leviathan's sheer mass, like it was stepping on an anthill.

The Atlesian military did its best to repel the beast. But they were still using mid-century weaponry. Nothing like the railguns or dust-powered laser cannons they have now. Well, had. Still! Soldiers were crushed. Planes swatted aside. Artillery and missiles brushed off like they meant nothing!

Fun fact - the current Atlesian base in Argus was built in 58 PW. That's because the old one got destroyed in its entirety during this attack.

And then, like it had gotten BORED, the Leviathan retreated and slunk back beneath the waves.

Argus was left to recover, to pick up the pieces. But no one believed this was the end. No one knew WHY the great beast fell back, but everyone knew that it would be back. Grimm did not just RETREAT on the verge of victory. Except, perhaps, to further savor their meal. To play with their food.

So began the great defense of Argus. Communications were down all across the city, destroyed in the beast's rampage. There would be no help coming. Not from Atlas, not from Mistral. It would be up to Argus and Argus alone to defend itself. As if it could. Now, it’s true, Argus was home to Sanctum Academy, Mistral’s preparatory school for huntsmen and huntresses before applying for one of the Big 4 academies. But these were children. Less than even huntsmen-in-training. They would be no help.

And yet, in a roundabout way, Sanctum Academy would prove to be Argus’ salvation. Because, the morning after the initial attack, a team of freshly graduated huntsmen showed up at the gates of Argus. This team were intending to visit Sanctum and the job board located there, intending to pick their next mission.

And on this team was one Willow Schnee.

White of hair and pale as freshly fallen snow, garbed in the telltale colors of her illustrious house, no one would have blamed the young heiress for choosing a life of luxury. Of ease and comfort. And make no mistake, the woman has a taste for it, I can promise you that. But! She chose to become a huntress anyway. To work hard for her place in the world at that young age, like her father before her. So, at 21 years old, having just graduated from Atlas Academy a scant few months beforehand, Willow Schnee entered the city of Argus for the first time.

She was horrified by the destruction, as anyone would be. To think that a single Grimm had done all of this! But the ice princess, the once and future hero and matriarch, knew that she had a duty to the survivors, to the city. So she stayed. She and her team introduced themselves to the remaining forces of the Atlesian military, who knew that this was the only help they would be getting. Four, freshly graduated huntsmen. It would have to be enough.

Night fell. A storm rolled in from the sea. The city was dark, for most of the power had been taken out during the first attack. Even fires and candlelight were put out, for fear of drawing the beast’s attention. A wise precaution. For, before the clock struck midnight, a deafening roar like a demon from hell came from over the horizon.

The Leviathan had returned.

The only light in the entire city came from the port docks. A shimmering, ethereal Boarbatusk – white, instead of black – shone like a beacon to the entire city, and even to the Leviathan itself. And there, saddled on it like the ghostly Grimm was some great beast of war, sat Willow Schnee – saber in hand.

Slowly, the massive form of the Leviathan peeked over the horizon – trudging along the bottom of the ocean, splitting the waves like a knife. Even with half of it buried beneath the dark waters of the bay, each step was like an earthquake. But its challenger did not back down, did not move an inch. Eventually, the Leviathan reached the docks. It towered over all, its head reaching into the heavens, and it leered down at the bright, shining light offending eyes that were used to the deep depths of the sea.

The Leviathan opened its maw, large enough to eat countless people in a single bite, and roared in defiance – no doubt bursting the ear drums of anyone unlucky enough to not be wearing protection. Willow Schnee responded simply. She lifted her sword and shot out a shard of ice from its chambers of dust. The ice, the size of a boulder yet as sharp as the sword she carried, struck true. It embedded itself in the roof of the Leviathan’s still open maw.

No doubt, to the Leviathan it was the equivalent of a splinter, but as anyone can attest a splinter is deceptively painful despite its size. The beast roared in pain, and the battle began.

Willow CHARGED at the Leviathan, the summoned Boarbatusk she’d summoned running along the waves as if it were on land! In reality, Willow was using her semblance to conjure footholds of ice with every step that her steed took. Then, as one, the remaining functioning artillery of Argus fired – striking the beast while it was distracted with the ant that offended it so! The Leviathan once more roared in pain, and this did everything to boost the morale of the defenders. The beast could feel pain! The beast could be hurt! And if it could be hurt, it could die!

The sky LIT UP, both due to the flashes of lightning the storm conjured and the pounding of artillery fire upon the Leviathan! But in the end, these were just distractions. It had already been proven that the beast couldn’t be felled by the firepower available to the military. But the sheer force of the barrage forced the Leviathan to defend itself.

In a show of power unforeseen by the defenders, the Leviathan revealed its trump card. A low hum filled the air, even as the future Hero of Argus was slashing at the beast’s heels in an attempt to bring it low. It built, and built, and soon the beast itself was becoming yet another light in the stormy night. Some prescient commander ordered his troops to get down for cover, but it would do them no good.

FIRE shot from the Leviathan’s fanged mouth. With the intensity of a blowtorch, and all the power of the bombs that had been dropped on it that caused this entire disaster. A blinding flash of light filled the sky, blinding those who made the foolish mistake of staring directly at the blast. It was like the sun had risen, hours and hours too soon. In an instant, the entire Atlesian military base was VAPORIZED, all hands taken with it. There were no survivors.

A deafening silence filled the city as the Leviathan’s firebreath ceased – the only sounds coming from the pounding waves and the din of the rain. For a long moment, not even thunder rumbled across the sky. Then the beast leaned back and let out a bellowing roar of victory.

An utterly hubristic gesture that shows the folly of the Grimm. One must be careful to not declare their win before all of the combatants are down.

For the sting of a Lancer immediately took out one of the beast’s eyes.

All the while the Leviathan had been preparing its decisive blow, Willow Schnee had been herself preparing. Without dismissing her Boarbatusk, and directing it to continue harrying the Leviathan’s calves, she had summoned yet another vanquished beast – this time, a Lancer Queen. She’d hopped onto the back of the great wasp Grimm and launched into the sky. Willow had been smart to avoid the Leviathan’s attention while it charged its destructive blast. But now that the beast was finished and reveling in the death it caused, only then did Willow strike. And strike she did! The Leviathan did not even realize what was coming until the stinger of the Lancer pierced its eye!

The Leviathan roared in pain! But the damage was done. The beast was now blinded in one eye! And others were soon to follow, for Willow conjured up more great shards of ice to pierce the other two eyes on that side of the Leviathan! Utterly unable to see an entire side, such was the nature of its vision and the placement of the eyeholes in its skull.

The webbed paws of the beast, larger than some apartment buildings, began to swing wildly! Trying to knock the pesky insect that wounded it so out of the sky! The chase was on. On her Lancer, Willow Schnee dodged and weaved, doing everything in her power to avoid getting knocked off her flying steed. It was much like trying to swat an annoying fly out of your personal space, and much like that, it only takes one lucky hit to do so.

Eventually, the great beast did indeed get lucky. Those massive, clawed paws clipped the very edges of the Lancer Queen – and that was it. The summon disintegrated on contact, sending Willow Schnee tumbling out of the air and into the sea. The summoned Boarbatusk did its best to reach and catch its master, and it just barely managed the feat before Willow’s body collided with it – breaking her fall some but also breaking her hold on the creature, and it vanished as Willow Schnee herself vanished beneath the waves.

It had been the first and only blow Willow had taken during the fight. But when dealing with a monster like the Leviathan, it was enough.

For a long moment, it seemed like the last champion of Argus had fallen to their doom. That the Schnee heiress had perished before her life had truly begun. Then a shock of white peeked out from beneath the waves. There floated Willow Schnee. Battered. Damaged. But still holding on, albeit, struggling against the stormy sea. Distant observers noted the telltale flicker of white light – her aura. A single blow, a mere glancing blow at that, was enough to take it from full to nearly broken. She would not survive another.

And unfortunately for her, she had fallen on the Leviathan’s good side. It quickly noticed that its foe had survived her fall. The great beast then decided that, well, there’s no kill quite like overkill.

A telltale hum, one that haunts the nightmares of survivors, filled the frigid air once more. The spines on the beast’s back lit up one by one as the Leviathan charged its ultimate attack. And there floated Willow Schnee, utterly defenseless against the great God of the Sea.

The fire at the back of the Leviathan’s throat grew and grew until, finally, it was let loose upon its single human opponent. It was not prepared for what happened next. For a potent beam of lightning shot, not from the sky, but from beneath the waves! This blast met the Leviathan’s firebreath and held it at bay! Then, out of the waves, rose Willow Schnee! And beneath her heels was the horned, regal head of a summoned Sea Feilong!

The God and the Dragon battled for supremacy, their beams clashing in a light show that we will never see its like again!

But Willow Schnee was wise. The Sea Feilong held its own, but it would not do so forever. The Leviathan’s firebreath was just too strong. But that was fine. The Sea Feilong’s lightning breath was just a delaying action! Without so much as pausing its defense, the dragon unfurled its wings and leapt into the sky with Willow gripping its sleek, wet horns for dear life! Not once did its lighting cease battle the Leviathan’s fire, instead causing the great beast to turn and follow the dragon, directing the clashing beams out to sea rather than towards the city.

Just as planned.

Suddenly, the Sea Feilong shut its mouth and DOVE out of the way, the Leviathan’s fire breath shooting out into the night sky and parting the very storm clouds themselves! Once more, another sun momentarily filled the night sky and the storm itself dissipated, the clouds ceasing to exist. Such was the power of the Leviathan’s firebreath and the resulting shockwave.

The Leviathan lumbered. Clearly, using its ultimate attack so many times in a row, and for so long at that, took a bit out of it. And in that moment of weakness, Willow Schnee struck.

The Sea Feilong dove towards the Leviathan and wrapped its long, serpentine length around the great beast’s gilled neck! Like a python, it began choking the very life out of the great beast, bringing a God itself to heel! The Leviathan clawed and scratched at the dragon, but its massive clawed paws were more for swimming than grabbing. Making matters worse, the way the Sea Feilong had wrapped itself around its victim was deliberate. All at the behest of its master, the dragon had wrapped around the Leviathan such that the dragon’s head would line right up with the Leviathan’s pierced and bleeding eyeholes.

The Sea Feilong charged its lighting once more. And Willow Schnee raised her saber just as she had in the beginning of the battle.

The dragon’s lightning breath PIERCED right through the Leviathan’s skull like a knife through butter. After but a moment’s hesitation as it burrowed through the beast, the blast of lighting came out the other side and struck the waves at an angle, turning the sea utterly deadly until the attack stopped. The Leviathan twitched and shuddered, lightning pouring down its insides, and its maw remained opened in a muted scream.

Then the lightning stopped.

There was a beat. A pause that lasted but a moment but must have felt like an eternity. And then the great beast, the God of the Sea, the Leviathan… began to disintegrate. Like all Grimm do upon death.

The ghostly Sea Feilong, summon of Willow Schnee, began to flicker as well. Its master’s aura had run out. The vanquishing dragon flew towards the ports of Argus with all haste. But fate was smiling upon the hero of the hour. For the dragon only dissipated as it laid its head down on the closest dock.

And there laid Willow Schnee.

Battered. Most certainly broken in places. Utterly exhausted. But victorious.

And she laid there for a while, not having the energy to move. The ice princess stuck laying on the wet, dirty dock that smelled of fish – which had begun to float to the surface of the bay, boiled by firebreath and electrocuted by lightningbreath – until the survivors began to peek out of the rubble. Slowly they crept towards Willow, the one that saved them all. Many of them doubted if she was even still alive. But as they approached her it became clear that she was.

Willow Schnee was alive, and she had saved Argus.

Willow looked at the survivors and choked out a single sentence.

“I could really use a glass of wine right about now.”

A resounding cheer rose up from all of Argus! The people hoisted the battered, soaked form of Willow Schnee up on their arms and gleefully chanted one thing:

“The Hero of Argus! The Hero of Argus!”

Willow Schnee would only serve as a huntress for one year, effectively retiring once she married and gave birth to her first child. But it was a year etched in legend. To this day, there is a statue of Willow at the Argus docks. And, in the main hall of Sanctum Academy, there is a large mural of the battle. Depicting Willow atop her Boarbatusk, raising her saber and pointing it at the Leviathan that almost laid that great city low.

I walked past that mural every day while I was at Sanctum.”

@schneebriated

[three-word-count]

The Taste of Home

Chapter One: Chamomile

Saeran x reader, post-after-ending domestics

Word count: 1542

Read on Ao3 link

[ I wish we could take a nap together read together look at pretty flowers together and go see places we've never seen together… ] 

...

He slept like an angel.

You found him sprawled out across your brand new couch- a soft mauve color he had picked out for its shade alone. The ends of his hair blended seamlessly with the velvety fabric in the dim lighting. You couldn’t tell where it began and ended. Perhaps he was so tired that he began to melt into the furniture itself. It was a plausible thought, considering how hard he’d been working as of late.

It had been less than four months since… well, everything. Since the quick beginning and ending of your Mint Eye stay. Since Saeyoung's brutal kidnapping. Since the chaotic reveal and fallout of Rika and Jihyun's chaos. Since the twins' father… Saeran needed rest more than anything nowadays.

His bruised eye bags had slowly faded with time as you helped him develop a more normal sleep schedule, and his eye-strain lessened as he was weaned off of constant exposure to computer screens despite the remaining permanent damage when it came to reading up close. He still struggled with regular nightmares and episodic bouts of terror that left him awake and anxious for hours, but you never minded. You were both healing after all, and healing took time. There were noticeable improvements with every passing week.

You were also able to encourage a proper meal schedule, three meals per day that were, more often than not, cooked together due to his passion for the kitchen. He enjoyed the bonding time along with the fact that you could be involved in activities together. He hadn't been able to share hobbies and interests with anyone back at Magenta, and these new kinds of experiences and relationships were deeply important to him.

He remained trapped with his extreme people-pleasing issues, but you helped him see that destroying a recipe in accidents was more than okay, in fact it was fun sometimes, and a great thing to laugh over and learn from. Combined with his new self-made recipe books he'd been experimenting with, along with his always-oversized portions of pastry baking, you'd been glad to see his physicality improve as well. “No more skin-and-bones-Saeran” you had set as a goal, and his love for sweets guaranteed to help with that. The amount of time the two of you spend in the kitchen kept you both soft and healthy, a drastic improvement from his previous lifestyle.

He was determined and set to strive for any and all improvements despite his remaining reserved fears. His current project was constructing the house he had promised to you, though you suspected that in a way he had also promised it to himself. He had experience with the erection of towers and extensions of Mint Eye's main facility and the design of his beloved gardens, yet he hesitated at most decision making at the beginning of the project. He checked in with you for comments, worries, confirmations, and any and all opinions or concerns. He worried ceaselessly over little details and intricacies that could be altered later. Contrary to how Ray had furnished your old room fully on his own account, he regretted being so controlling of your environment there, and now wanted only what you wanted and nothing more.

And like always, you wanted nothing more than to help him find himself. You did what you knew best, and found that in this case, it was mostly a balanced art of praise and comfort.

He responded well to your steady encouragement, urging him slowly to come up with and settle on ideas of his own choosing. You were happiest when you could clearly see his progress; his most recent blueprint he had worked on with his brother, of a skylight he wanted in the bedroom ceiling that could be left open for starlight viewing and closed shut with a switch-activated sliding panel for proper darkness and sleeping. He excitedly introduced it to you with energetic gestures and a gentle blush dusted on his cheeks with occasional hesitation that gave away his nervousness. You had kissed his nose and told him you loved the idea.

Since then, he added a confident personal touch to almost everything.

Of course you were still highly involved, his dream garden wouldn't be perfect without your additions, he had claimed. He designed a walkway of cement stones of different shapes, ones you could design together. The largest one was in the shape of a heart, where other garden paths could branch off from it. It had both of your hand prints molded into the wet plaster, the permanent keystone of his new backyard paradise. A previous copy that the both of you had made had been squished from leaning too far into it while laughing. He placed it as the center stone of the patio he planned to build a wooden porch swing on.

He had plenty more things drafted on sheets and little sketches on sticky notes stamped along his laptop rim, but he had been so busy already with everything else that he needed to be coaxed into regular breaks still. It’s difficult to break workaholic tendencies, Jaehee had confirmed herself as you confided in her at your last cafe visit about his still-somewhat-spontaneous sleep schedule. He just wanted stability. No more change. No more construction. No more couch napping on half finished rooms, or staying over in Saeyoung’s labyrinth of a bunker with more spare rooms than he could count on his hands. He wanted his hard-earned independence and a proper safe haven for the two of you, and he was willing to do everything he could to achieve it as soon as possible.

But of course, this mentality caught up to him. You had returned from your errands to find him draped across the couch, a book on botany care splayed open across his chest, his thin, rose-gold reading glasses having slipped down his nose. His breath came in waves of deep sleep. You suspected he had been this way for a while. How cute…  

Best to let him rest. He deserved it. You placed your bags down beside the door. You could put them away later. You retrieved a gently folded fleece blanket, a soft mimic of a large gloriosum leaf you had bought as a surprise gift for him. He had teared up with excitement when you first presented the large heart-shaped sheet to him, wrapped caringly in floral paper that he almost didn’t want to tear apart. He used it so often that it now carried his gentle scent, seemingly woven into the fabric itself. You took the book from his chest and draped the fabric over him, securing him lovingly in its embrace so as to welcome him into a warm dream. He mumbled in his sleep. Your name, soft upon his lips.

He used to be a light sleeper, fueled by fear to remain awake for hours through the night. The lightest footsteps were once able to fling him into an alerted frenzy. But this new comfort had changed him. Your presence made him feel secure. Safe. Truly at home, for the first time in his life. You pet his hair, brushing his long bangs away from his eyes. Perhaps you would trim them for him soon.

But that thought could wait for now. You sat down on the floor, leaning slowly against the front of the couch so as to not disturb his rest, and opened his botany book to the page where he left off. You wanted to be a part of his greenhouse dream, and the best way to help is to learn it all the same way he did. You admired his intelligence and dedication to bookkeeping. The vast amount of shelves he had filled in the living room were proof of his adherence to the art.

You shifted your focus back to his book, calmly grounded by his steady breathing beside your head. You found his myosotis bookmark resting in the crevice of a chapter on tea, saving his spot on the page of flower care. Handwritten scribbles of notes filled in the margins, data and consideration of sunlight and water ratios, temperature changes, and the average seasonal shifts. He put a great amount of care into this project that did not even yet exist.

How sweet, how badly he wanted this self-sufficient garden. And how sweet that he could create exactly that with his life and freedom and very own choices. He deserved to yearn and dream, no matter how big or small. Because every little thing in life was important to Saeran.

His delicate chamomile buds, though not yet tangible, could almost be tasted on your tongue. The thought of your future, wrapped in his arms on a cold rainy morning, warmed by cups of herbal tea grown, raised, and brewed fully on his own… your heart softened at the possibility. Guided by the flowers, you felt sleep begin to pull on you as well. Perhaps, while reading the same book and thinking the same thoughts, Saeran had experienced the equivalent too. Maybe with this shared feeling in your chest, you both would share the same dream as well. You let the idea take you, and drifted off to rest, your heartbeat synced with his.

[tenebrius-excellium]

You guys I spent too much time randomly browsing Instagram yesterday and ended up having the coolest dream EVER.

It was Percy Jackson (2023) x Live action Httyd (2025). And it was freaking GOOD.

Listen listen listen - think a large, fantastical Roman/Greek city bustling with life. At its edge, picture Httyd2's dragon racing setup mixed with a huge, beautiful colosseum-like war arena. The design is a harmless, fictional movie aesthetic but it's BIG FUN. There are lots of colorful flags and banners, lots of ropes and nets hanging everywhere, and the atmosphere is roaring and excited like a stadium at the world cup. Behind the walls of the arena, what's meant to be the Mediterranean but absolutely looks like a dreamy tropical sea, stretches endlessly into the horizon.

Walker Scobell is young Hiccup, Leah Jeffries is young Astrid. The teens have always been good friends. Now they're late to the dragon training festival and are hurrying there to make it. They know they have to fight each other first and then the captive dragons of the city to determine who will get to slay which dragon at the end. The final face-off is supposed to be a sort of meet-your-match arrangement, an almost sacred encounter between each human and the dragon that challenges them best. A fierce bond of mutual respect and hatred is supposed to develop between the human and their special dragon, locking them in an equal and deeply personal match of life and death in the final round. Only one can ever make it out alive. It's meant to earn them their place in society. If the teen wins, they are showered with the honor and glory and the rights of a warrior, if the dragon wins, its ability to survive is just as respected and it gets released back into the wild.

The pre-show has Alexandra Daddario looking like older Httyd2 Astrid, while her name remains Annabeth, absolutely toying with multiple dragons. She is the city's famous dragon warrior champion fighting simultaneously against one or two Hideous Zipplebacks, a Monstrous Nightmare, and several water dragons. She bests them all. Maybe she's younger Astrid's older sister. Young Astrid aspires to be like her. At one time, Httyd2 Astrid-Annabeth puts out a Nightmare's fire with her dripping wet, gorgeous long, blonde hair. Doesn't even hesitate. The crowd goes bananas. (This looked so cool in my dream - like she was mopping up fire with her hair. Since it was soaking wet from the water, that somehow didn't do any damage lol. Dream logic, bwahaha)

Now, all the dragons in their cages look like massive beasts, a mix of bears, beavers, walruses and really bad dragon CGI from the 90s. Except the Monstrous Nightmare which looks normal, which is no surprise if you know me of course. Toothless is held captive there too. He's an old dragon whose shape looks more like a manta ray in this non-animated version of events.

He and Hiccup have already singled out each other to face in final combat. Yet already there's also kindness connecting them. The old dragon and the young child have too much mercy for each other's fate to give hatred and ferocity and the bit much effort. So when it's Hiccup's turn to enter the ring...and Toothless is already waiting for him there... Hiccup chooses to enter the arena from a jumping plank above. Why? Because he can also "accidentally", conveniently open the dragon release hatch from there. He does it, Toothless shoots out from under him - and Hiccup JUMPS, perfectly landing on his back, the audience gasps, and - Hiccup and Toothless fly out of the arena together and soar over the endless, turquoise, tropical summer sea. Until they cannot be seen from afar anymore.

Toothless is so old he can't fly for long, and he sets Hiccup down in some shallows of these warm, beautiful, tropical ocean waters. He then introduces Hiccup to young Toothless, who is actually his grandson, and asks him to protect him. Hiccup promises to do so. Old Toothless goes away to die peacefully, and young Toothless and Hiccup become the best buds we all know and love.

Cue Walker-Scobell-Hiccup and young Toothless bringing peace and friendship to Greek-Roman-Colosseum Berk with young Leah-Jeffries-Astrid's help. Behind Httyd2-Astrid-Annabeth's back, naturally, because she is the one who doesn't approve it out of tradition and because it might threaten her status as the beloved hero of the city. Love it. Lol. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it??????

Idk I really loved this story concept!!!

If you made it all the way down here, thanks for reading!

[achy-boo]

Nightshade Belladonna Libya

Name: Nightshade Belladonna Libya

Romaji: Libya Belladonna Nightshade

Quote: "It does not matter what anyone says: I am the main puppeteer..the true controller of the show.."

V/A: Coquelic from Path to Nowhere(English) and Hamel from Path to Nowhere(Japanese)

Gender: female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Age: 20

Birthday: February 14th

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Eye color: Blue(more like a mixture of dark blue and light blue)

Hair Color: dark blue with teal end

Height: 5'5

Weight: 100 lbs

Race: undead vessel(Puppeteer abilities)

Homeland: Shenzhen, China(Move in Tsukii's mansion in Yokohama, Japan with Dawn and Jeanne)

Family: A mother, father, Valeria Libya(older brother), and Dawn Melody Libya(Identical twin sister)

School Status and Fun Facts

Dorm: Sapphire Lake Dorm

School Year: 2nd year(house warden)

Class: 2-B

Student Number: No.8

Occupation: Dj, babysitter and bartender

Club: Light music club(Her dorm has a gaming club and a tea cup[for gossip of NRC])

Best Subject: Flying

Favorite Color: shades of blue along dark and pastel colors

Favorite Food: It depends on her mood but sweets, homemade food from Tsukii's, Jeanne's or her and Dawn's hometown makes her happy

Least Favorite Food: Lilia's cooking, bitter food and drinks, liver, olives(she only eats it if its was one of the said girls' cooking)

Likes: Night like reading, she also likes spilling the tea at the Tea Club, she sometimes likes school, the night sky, walks in woods or rain, her cursed bunny, plushie(her name is Kianisha btw) and music.

Dislikes: Heat, being interrupted, Crowley, loud noises, people interrupted her reading time, She don’t like Rook at all. She also can’t stand Azul nor Leona

Hobbies: making handmade gifts, doll making, making stuffed animals and singing along with dancing

Talents: She is empathetic and if she is distracted enough, you will see her eye colors began to swirl around(it’s rare for that to happen)

Nicknames: Nini (Tsukii and Jeanne) Little BunBun(Jamil, Ace and Vil), My night sky(Dawn)

Other Nicknames: La Princesse des Marionnettistes or La princesse des poupées(Rook), Silent pup(Crewel tho he rarely used that nickname to Night)

Appearance and Personality

Appearance: Night has dark blue hair that reaches her mid back)her eyes are a mixture of dark blue and light blue which she always shows without shame. Night appears to be petite which she is but she had a lot of strength when it came to fighting. She always carried her cursed bunny plushie around her at all times. Her plushie, and that silent yet soft look on her face are her signature items.

Personality: Night is…special to say the least. Even if you knew her, she is always timid. A girl with a few words,an outcast of the NRC. But when she in her dorm as a house warden, she is the most stern and yet laid back house warden. (Which often leads people to think that Night is a combination of both Riddle Rosehearts and Leona Kingscholar). She had no bullshit tolerance and she will make sure her voice is heard. She always value safety, privacy and wellbeing so she is very determined to keep it the way it is. After time has passed; Night is still timid but she actually expressed her emotions more, actually start to say what’s on her mind. Anger her and she will become your nightmares. She can be spiteful..only if you deserve it. She is mostly the type to just stared at you in a silent judgment before walking away

𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒂

If she just stares at you blankly, she is silently judging you

Doll's wrath and bloodlust is Night's um(never used after what happened years ago)

She is the one of housewardens in NRC and she is not the type to just go with the flow

Night has Jeanne, Tsukii and Dawn accompany her throughout NRC(even House warden meetings)

She has no filter when she is pissed

She is multilingual but she loves Korean and Japanese more

Her nickname is The Puppeteer and nobody knows why

She knows that Kianisha is a cursed bunny plushie and she really don't give a fuck about it

[golbrocklovely]

since twitter's dying....

here's the last bit of colby's tweets from 2019.

i don’t have proof that these are his tweets, but believe me, they are his.

if it’s bold and italicized, it’s someone’s tweet to him.

if it’s in (), that’s just me commenting lol

~~~~~~~~~~~

@/badboywolfy: Country Road gonna go down in history as a cult classic

Dec. 1 - you know it

in the middle of it all

Dec. 4 - i’ve never felt more connected to the universe than i have this past week. it’s the weirdest thing

Dec. 8 - something’s watching over me

Dec. 10 - seeing MCR perform live in 10 days and i am definitely not okay

@/andrearussett: IM SO JEALOUS

i’ll send you a video of me in the pit

Dec. 11 - i loveeee twitter (reply to someone who said something mean, i assume. bc even i back then didn't get to see the tweet lol)

i want a hairless cat

Dec. 12 - sorry truth, dyin young, demon youth

(okay from this point down, it's mostly all fans asking questions, so whatever is indented is his response)

@/ColbyBrock i hope you know that we love you a lot

Dec. 16 - and i love you all too

@/ColbyBrock how is your mental health?

Dec. 17 - you know, life always has its ups and downs and it’s been super stressful recently to be honest. but i’m happy! and that’s all that matters. things are getting better

what's the first emo song you can think of off the top of your head (the tweet said something like this, but has been deleted since)

Dec. 18 - from first to last - emily

favorite series so far

definitely the one we just filmed ! it just gets more and more intense .. i hope you’re ready

@/ColbyBrock what’s one thing you’re looking forward to in 2020 ?

focusing on positives, leaving the negative people and comments behind

(haha......... IF THEY ONLY KNEW)

@/ColbyBrock what’s ur advice for 2020

i wanna challenge people to work on spreading love instead of hate 🖤 not really advice hahah but i think the internet has turned into a darker place this past year, and i really want people to think before they speak or tweet or whatever. spread love !

@/ColbyBrock do you think you’ll dye your hair a different color soon

hahah every single day i get people wanting something different. i’ve just learned to stick with what makes me happy .. but always open to suggestions 👀👀 maybe a dark purple next ?

@/ColbyBrock do you have any plans for your birthday yet

nah. i’ve been so busy i haven’t even thought about my birthday

@/ColbyBrock do you ever get nightmares about being haunted?

all the time. my minds been fucked.. not to scare anyone but i’ve been in so many dark places and after awhile it sticks with you in a way

@/ColbyBrock do you have any regrets about past videos or are you proud of everything you’ve put out?

i’m insecure about so many videos of me on the internet i wish you all knew

(he really knows how to make me sad....)

@/ColbyBrock what do you think about us? the fandom?

i LOVE you guys. you’re hilarious. all i can ask is if people will try to get along and be kind to each other. you’re all my family, leave the negativity and mean comments behind

@/ColbyBrock you should get a dog.

ugh i wish. i wouldn’t be able to love it and care for it like i’d want to or like it would deserve

@/ColbyBrock do you ever get annoyed of us?

hahah not in the slightest. but some of you can say some pretty mean things which i try to ignore now. no point of me giving that attention ya know ? love you all tho no matter what. say whatever you want

we love you colby and im sorry abt the mean people

it’s okay 🖤 90% of people are super nice and dope and that’s all that matters. comes with the job i guess

@/ColbyBrock are you answering questions for a youtube video but giving answers now and reading the reactions??

nope! sometimes it’s fun to just respond to as many people as i can. it’s been a while

@/ColbyBrock would you rather look at the stars or listen to the rain?

i like this. probably watch the stars with someone special

@/ColbyBrock what is your favorite thing to do on your free time? do you like to write? or anything?

believe it or not i’m kinda a loner .. i like to spend time by myself. usually just listening to music or watching dumb videos on YT

@/ColbyBrock if you could say something to your younger self, what would it be?

stop being so insecure kid , you’re okay

what's one thing we don't know about you? (or something like that)

i don’t have it all together like people think. every day is a journey to find myself, and that’s okay!

@/ColbyBrock I'm dying to know… Do you write poems?

maybe a lil here and there 🤐

@/ColbyBrock whats your advice when you’re in a kind of dark spot atm 🙈

take one step at a time. everyday needs to be a work in progress. or at least that’s what i’ve been trying lately

@/ColbyBrock did you dip

i’m about to , it’s getting late. love you all tho. was good talking

i wake up sad for no reason. why?

Dec. 21 - i think i’m gunna try to hibernate for the rest of the year i’ll let you know how it goes

Dec. 23 - i’m so much like my mom , we’re like the same person it’s weird

Really im more like my dad are u a dads boy or a moms boy for me i think ur a moms boy#loveyoucolby

definitelyyyy a mommas boy

Dec. 25 - i still sit at the kids table during christmas even though i’m almost 23 years old

Dec. 26 - you deserve the world !

Dec. 27 - sorry for your loss, im glad you’re ‘over it’.. it’s super interesting how people can choose when they wanna let go. shows you and teaches you a lot about the power of the human mind in my opinion (reply to fan)

i’m looking back at pictures of me in the trap house and damn i went through a chunky phase 🤣curse you taco bell

Dec. 28 - just watched a bunch of old VHS tapes of when i was only 1 year old .. life’s a trip i’m emotional

if i can help, that’s all i want

[ikaroux]

can you do a short story for albedo like you did for diluc , zhongli and xiao ?? no rush and take care🧡!

Prologue Albedo x F!Reader: A strange feeling.

Synopsis: The first time he laid eyes on you, the world around him seemed to fade away. He didn't understand why his heart was beating so fast or why his sketchbook was now filled with nothing but portraits of you...

Style : Female reader, passion, love, soft, mellow.

Alert: None

Characters: Albedo x f!reader

Note: Come on, we're off to a little fanfic for Albedo, still in several parts. I'll post the rest of the resumes for Xiao, Venti and Albedo soon.

masterlist

Projects in progress and to come

My heart used to wear the colors of winter...

Love was just an empty word and I didn't know its real meaning...

But when I met you...

Your smile was for me like spring...

Blossoming the world with a thousand shades of life...

Albedo was sitting comfortably on the surface of a rock, ideally positioned to face the enchanting landscape of Dragonspine. The sketchbook he held in his hand was gradually filling up with sketches of the creatures that passed through his field of vision. The young man with blond hair was enjoying the solitude and the calm of the place. Mondstadt had become his home for some time now, and the people around him were all friendly and warm to him. Albedo liked each of these people, he could even think of them as friends, yet he was still uncomfortable. Social interaction was not his forte and when people like Succrose or Timaeus came to him with a lot of questions about his latest research, the weight on Albedo's shoulders only increased. At such times, the young alchemist would go off alone into the wilderness to seek peace and quiet.

Albedo slowly closed his notebook, watching the peak of Dragonspine's snowy mountain for a few more moments. The cold wind blew his hair and stung his skin. Something deep inside him, his instinct perhaps, was telling him that it was time to go home...

Albedo sighed loudly. He mechanically put his notebook in his bag before getting down from the rock on which he had settled. Slowly, he took the path back to Mondstadt.

You once lived in the mountains on the border between Mondstadt and Liyue. While you were still a child of five, a mage from the abyss came to attack your home, slaughtering your mother and father without mercy. The knights of Favonius who were in pursuit arrived in time to save you from the creature's flames... But unfortunately there was no hope for your parents.

You had been entrusted to the cathedral of the order of Favonius to be raised by the nuns who lived there. You were a lonely and withdrawn child, always seeming deeply sad, struggling with the demons of your past. For many years, a wall of silence hung over you. For a long time, the death of your parents haunted you, causing you to have nightmares and tremors. You had to learn to live again... What the sisters did wonderfully, devoting themselves body and soul to your reconstruction.

You had received a religious education. Your faith in Barbatos helped you find your way back to life. You wanted to live free, freed from the chains of the past. You wanted to turn the page of your history towards a new chapter...

As an elementary school teacher, you loved working with children. It was a real passion and you had already been congratulated for your excellent sense of pedagogy. The children loved your lessons and you made them interesting and fun. And since today was such a mild and sunny day, it was only natural for you to teach outside. You had thought of taking them to the square where the fountain stood, but since the sun was not hidden by any clouds, you chose the park near the headquarters of the Order of Favonius instead.

Under the shade of the trees, the children were listening attentively to your history lesson, your chapter dealing with a dark period that the city had known, the one that saw the birth of the legend of Lady Vennessa.

"Well, children, why don't you go relax in the park before we resume the lesson?

Happy, the children quickly got up, immediately starting to frolic in the grass. Only little Klee seemed to be daydreaming, standing on her tiptoes, her nose in the air and her eyes focused on the knights' building.

"Klee? Is something wrong?" - The little blonde turned to you, flashing her usual childish smile. You had moved closer to her, crouching down beside her to stand at the same height as her.

"I'm trying to see my big brother, he said he had to go home today... But it's too high!" - You smile at the little girl who used to tell you about her sweet and kind brother. You had never met him, being more used to running into Lady Jean or the cavalry captain, Kaeya, to drop off or pick up the little girl after school. - "Ah, big brother Albedo!" - Machinally, you turned your head in the same direction as Klee's. A young man with blond hair and a long white jacket was about to walk up the steps leading to the HQs before he was stopped by the voice of the little girl who was now running towards him, arms open wide. He welcomed Klee into his arms, placing a knee on the ground for support.

Your cheeks warmed as you looked at the young man. He was handsome. Incredibly handsome. And even though there was a certain coldness about him, the warmth on your face didn't seem to want to fade...

He and Klee seemed to be discussing something before she turned to point at you. Your eyes met... Lord Barbatos, was it possible to have such beautiful eyes? This man was so beautiful, so perfect, looking like a porcelain doll in every way. You felt so small, so unworthy of his gaze on you... Yet, as you saw the happiness lighting up Klee's face, you couldn't help but smile warmly at him, waving slightly to greet them both.

Albedo held Klee in his arms, tenderly stroking the top of her head. The little girl nestled affectionately against him, enjoying the warmth of his hands on her. Albedo knew that he missed Alice, Klee's mother, terribly. And although he could never replace his mother's absence, Albedo tried to give the little girl the love she missed so much. He wasn't very good with gestures of affection, but he had learned so much from the people of Mondstadt that it now seemed more natural.

"What are you doing here, Klee? Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Our teacher is teaching us outside today. You know, the one I told you about before. Look, that's her over there!" - Klee pointed at you. Albedo followed the direction the little girl was pointing...

Albedo didn't know how to explain his first impression of you. One thing was sure, he was not indifferent to you...

Why did his heart beat faster?

Why did the world around him seem to fade away, leaving only your silhouette shining in his field of vision?

Why did your smile shine like the brightest and most beautiful star?

His chest hurt, and when you looked away from him, the pain intensified. Klee let go of his arms to join his class. Free to move, Albedo pulled the drawing book he had put away a few hours earlier from his satchel. Before he knew it, the pages of his notebook were filled with sketches of you. He wanted to engrave your image in him forever...

Soon, it was time for the children to go home. Wishing them a good evening, you let them disperse in the streets of the city. As for Klee, she joined Albedo who was still sitting in the grass, his look concentrated on his notebook. It was only when he raised his face to Klee, that he noticed your presence beside him.

"Oh... Forgive me, I hope I didn't disturb your court... Miss?

"Y/N. Don't worry, you didn't disturb us. "

Even your voice gave him a strange feeling of well-being. It lulled him, soothed him. He didn't understand how or why you had so much power over him. Albedo put away his notebook, now filled with sketches of you. Standing up, he patted Klee's head in a gesture he intended to be affectionate.

"Klee, go back to HQ, I'll meet you later." - Klee nodded with a big smile then disappeared down the stairs to the Favonius Knights building. "Can I offer you something to drink? Klee has told me a lot about you, I would like to get to know you better."

Your shyness quickly resurfaced, spreading a soft warmth across your cheeks. You accepted his offer, wishing deep down that you knew this attractive young man. With a graceful wave of his hand, he invited you to walk beside him to escort you to Angel's Share.

"Do you draw, Master Albedo? I've seen you doodling in a sketchbook." - Albedo's cheeks took on a rosy hue as he thought about how many pages he had used to draw you.

"Albedo will suffice. And yes, I sometimes draw or doodle whatever inspires me. It's a very relaxing hobby."

"I see. Could I see them sometime?" - Albedo froze. He felt uneasy about showing you the sketches he had just made. After all, wasn't it a little strange that a man you had just met was drawing you in such detail and with such meticulousness?

"I could show them to you, but ... I'm afraid you'd be embarrassed by them."

"Why would they embarrass me?" - It wasn't usual to see Albedo blush. Almost nothing in the world could embarrass him and he was pretty sure you were the only one who had that effect on him.

"I'll show them to you... once we get to the tavern."

"Thanks. We could be on first-name terms, how about that?" - Albedo stared at you for a long time before nodding. The discussion gradually became easier for both of you, and by the time you sat down on the second floor of the tavern to drink a glass of dandelion wine, your exchanges had become so fluid that it felt like you had known each other for a long time. Although Albedo was able to maintain a calm facade, the smiles he threw at you from time to time gave you hope that he was comfortable with you.

"Tell me a little about yourself Y/N. Have you always lived here in Mondstadt?" - Your expression froze into a false smile, memories of the past surfacing again.

"No... I was born in Mondstadt, but not in the City of Freedom. My parents lived in the mountains, on the border between us and Liyue before they were killed by an abyss mage." - Albedo's lips parted slightly in surprise. - "It was the knights of Favonius who saved my life. They brought me back here and entrusted me to the sisters. "

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you couldn't have known. Besides, it's part of my past now. Today, I'm moving on." - Your eyes fixed on the wooden table. Your fists tightened, trembling, on something invisible to everyone else.

The young man was staring at you intensely. There was a long silence between you. Your eyes finally met his, it was impossible for you to decipher his thoughts. There was no pity in his eyes, only... benevolence? You smiled at him, bewildered by his kindness. You knew his reputation from the gossip of the townspeople. A gentle and kind man, but who could also be cold and distant, sometimes shunning the company of others... But not you. He didn't shun you. His teal eyes made you dizzy, or maybe it was the alcohol? To distract yourself from your thoughts, you suddenly got up from your seat and grabbed his notebook from his satchel. Albedo made no attempt to stop you, leaving you to flip through the pages at your leisure. It began with simple sketches of living creatures from Mondstadt, ranging from beautiful crystalline butterflies to strange ice hilichurls living in Dragonspine. Then you came across a sketch of yourself. The detail on your face was incredible, precise and mesmerizing. Under his pencil strokes, you looked so beautiful, so alive. He had detailed with incredible clarity your smile, your eyes, your movements. He must have spent so much time observing you to achieve this result... You kept turning the pages, again and again, coming across nothing but drawings of you. Tears came to your eyes. Had no one ever made you feel so... beautiful?

Feeling the tears, you let go of the precious notebook and put your fists against your eyes. Hesitantly, Albedo came and grabbed your wrist. He didn't know you, yet he was the only one who made you feel so alive, so embedded in this world.

"Thank you... Thank you."

Albedo wiped away one of your tears with his fingertip. How could something as insignificant as a tear be so beautiful? They looked like diamonds, shiny and pure. The young alchemist brushed strands of hair away from your face, taking advantage of the closeness to caress your cheek.

Your warmth was addictive.

When he felt you curl up against his touch, a warm smile on your lips, Albedo felt something change inside him. The ice that kept his heart imprisoned began to melt.

He wanted you.

What a strange thought... he had only just met you. But the chemistry between the two of you was so natural, so attractive, that it was easy for Albedo to be carried away by the current.

Strange.

This was a subject that deserved to be explored a little more...

[birdnamedenza]

Money can't buy you sea legs ~ Sickfic (OCs)

I wanted to write this scenario for quite a while - a young rich guy and three girls on a yacht party that starts great and ends with a seasickness chain reaction. The result is quite long and a bit chaotic, but I hope I could still bring to words what I had in mind. It was a nightmare to proofread and bring into its final shape, so I'm glad it's done! Thank you so much @emotionalkinetosis for brainstorming and inspiration!

TW: Vomiting, seasickness

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

Everything was perfect. The sunny weather, the streamlined white motor yacht, the fine selection of expensive liquor, the exquisite appetizers and a colorful variety of fresh exotic fruits. Of course it was perfect, Aidan never settled for anything less. And his company would be no exception.

The girls were waiting for him at the pier and, needless to say, their hotness factor was off the charts. Hailey was wearing a pink bikini - no surprise, when wasn't she wearing pink? Her long blond beach waves were held back by a glittery hairband. She was talking to Camila who was almost a head taller. The bright sunshine gave her dark skin a warm glow, perfectly matched by her florally printed swimsuit with a deep v-neck that instantly caught the eye. Her curly black hair was skillfully braided.

Lenna was looking a bit lost next to them, carefully observing the boats and the deep blue sea. Aidan knew she wasn't that comfortable around strangers, but he was sure the ice would break soon. Her long brown hair, freckled cheeks and the aqua cutout swimsuit were a nice contrast to the other ladies. As different as they were, they all knew how to have fun, so Aidan expected them to get along just fine. And he wasn't ready for an actual date yet.

"Look who's making the sun shine even brighter", he said with his most charming smile as he was approaching the three young women. "You all look amazing, but honestly, I'm not surprised. You always do."

"Aw, you're the sweetest!" Hailey rushed towards him and got up on her toes to give him a surprisingly firm hug.

"Your compliments are so predictable", Camila added while shaking her head, but the corners of her deep red lips revealed the tiniest of smiles.

"Charming as always", Aidan gave back with a wink.

"You know I don't mean it", she quietly said before gracing him with a brief embrace. "Thanks for the invitation."

"Yeah, thanks. I've never been on such a fancy boat before, it's... it's just so beautiful." Lenna's hug was a little awkward, but her green eyes were glowing with excitement.

"Then let's hop aboard and get the party started. Just wait until you see what I've prepared for you." Aidan led the girls on deck where they had cushioned benches on each side of the yacht, ice buckets with bottles of champaign, gin and tequila, colorful cocktails and a buffet that was nothing short of mouth-watering.

"Ooooooh, that is beyond awesome!", Hailey squealed after a moment of silence. "It's gonna be the best day ever and I love it so much!"

"Make yourselves comfortable and feel right at home", Aidan declared, stroking back his dark brown hair. "But not too comfortable, I want to see you move."

"I can imagine", Camila teased, preparing shots of tequila and handing them out, followed by salt and lime slices.

"Here's to us!" Aidan licked the salt from his hand, shot the tequila, then quickly sucked on the lime wedge. As the yacht took out to the ocean, music started playing. The party had begun.

---

It all went well for almost an hour. With every drink, dancing felt more like flying over the cyan blue waves. The girls were moving their barely covered bodies in the blinding sunlight, each one in her very own way, but united by the same beat.

Unsurprisingly, Hailey was all over the place, throwing her arms up and letting out high-pitched screams at the cloudless sky. The next moment, she was sticking out her remarkable backside, dipping lower and lower before jumping up again. Lenna was turned towards the ocean while moving her hips. She seemed one with the music and the beauty surrounding them, thoroughly enjoying every second. Even though she was a bit shy in person, she definitely wasn't shy on the dancefloor.

Camila hit every move, as usual. She had this natural seductive elegance without even trying. Like a professional bellydancer, there was an almost hypnotic quality to the way she transformed sound into body motion. Aidan didn't know where to look first. Quenching his thirst with another shot, he noticed he felt a little dizzy. Maybe it was from the girls dancing so close to him, occasionally touching him with a leg or arm or hip. Maybe it was because the swell was getting a bit rougher than before or from the alcohol he had already consumed.

Aidan decided to rest in the shade for a moment, drinking some water for a change. After a few minutes, Lenna set down next to him, a rainbow colored cocktail in hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure. How could I not?" And he was okay. Actually, he was great. He couldn't help checking out the freckles on Lenna's shoulders and cleavage. Contrary to Hailey, she never got tanned, only sunburnt, that's why she always made sure to use lots of sunscreen. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm good. This is the best."

"I know you could have done without the company, but I hope you're still having fun." Aidan tried to read her face, but she was looking out to sea.

"It's fine." She hesitated for a moment. "Okay, I'm glad we dance and I don't actually have to talk to them. Wait, that sounded horrible."

"Don't worry, I understand. You can always say what's on your mind." He smiled, finally succeeding in catching Lenna's eyes with his own. She slightly tilted her head, looking weirdly thoughtful, as if she was trying to stare right into his mind.

"You're still worrying", Aidan teased, taking a piece of watermelon and holding it in front of Lenna's lips. She opened her mouth, taking a bite of the sweet, drippingly juicy fruit. But the very next moment, her attention shifted and her expression changed to genuine concern. "Don't you like it?"

"No, I mean yes, it's good. Doesn't matter. Look." She placed a hand on Aidan's chin, turning his head towards the deck. While Camila was still dancing, Hailey's moves had become more of an automated stumble. Her face seemed unnaturally pale and strained. Aidan and Lenna exchanged a quick glance before getting up, hurrying towards the petite blonde.

"Hailey? What's wrong?" Aidan gently placed his hands on her small shoulders. Now Camila looked up as well, blinking twice as if she had been completely immersed in the rhythm before.

"I-I don't know." As soon as Hailey stopped moving, her skin lost even more color, giving it an almost greenish hue.

"Do you feel sick?", Aidan asked, noticing her body was covered in clammy sweat. Even her scent had changed.

"Uh-I... I think I gotta-" Hailey was cut off by a gush of vomit that was slopping over her light pink lips, splattering audibly on the wooden tiles and her own feet. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, I... I'll clean it up", she wailed, teary-eyed.

"Stop it", Camila intervened, putting her arm around Hailey. "It's my fault. I should have noticed earlier." She led the still shaky blonde to one of the benches, gently leaning her over the railing. "Take care of her", she instructed Aidan while reaching for a towel, wetting it in one of the ice buckets. Aidan did as he was told, sitting down next to Hailey, carefully stroking her back.

"Do you feel a little better?", he asked, but Hailey was quick to shake her head. Her body tensed under his fingers as she let out guttural retches that were surprisingly loud for her small frame. Lenna sat down on Hailey's other side, holding back her hair. It was just in time before the blonde burped up another stream of watery fluid that was instantly ripped away by the wind. Mostly alcohol for now, but she looked like she was far from being done.

"Hailey, I'm so sorry." Aidan felt genuinely bad for the young woman. She was usually so bubbly and energetic that seeing her in this miserable state was a painfully stark contrast. Hailey moaned, then gagged until her stomach released more of its content. It was white and creamy, probably some of the piña colada she had enjoyed earlier, mixed with chunks of what looked like barely digested sushi.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't... I didn't mean to ruin it." Her voice was hoarse, on the edge of sobbing. Aidan kept rubbing her back, hoping it would bring at least a bit of comfort. Just then, he noticed Lenna had turned away while still holding the light strands of Hailey's hair. Aidan could see her jaw clenching and she swallowed repeatedly. That was when he got nervous. He had heard about seasickness being contagious just by witnessing it, it had a huge psychological component to it after all.

"Listen, it's not your fault. Try to relax, you'll feel better soon." He placed his hand on Hailey's shoulder while slightly leaning over her tanned back. "Lenna? How're you holding up?"

"Hm. Mhm." The brunette looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't. Her eyes shifted while her already pale face was drained of all color. While Hailey's complexion resembled more of a dull grey, Lenna actually seemed green at this point, from her forehead down to her breasts.

"It's okay. Let it out if you have to." Unsure what else to do, Aidan got up and stepped behind the two girls that were now both kneeling on the bench, bending over the railing. He gently pushed himself between them so he could hold back both of their hair.

While Hailey had begun to retch again, Lenna was still struggling. Her hand flew up to her face, covering her mouth while her cheeks were already puffing. Aidan felt her body shivering next to him. She was staring at the horizon, wide-eyed, while she forced herself to swallow. Aidan could hear something slush back down her throat and was reminded of his own lightheadedness that was slowly turning into nausea.

"Maybe you should just let it happen, you know? You might feel better once you got rid of it."

"I hate to throw up", Lenna muttered against her hand. "I... I really don't want to."

"Hey, I'm here. Don't try to fight it. It will happen anyways if..." His words were drowned out by the gargling noise of Hailey vomiting again. Hearing the semi-liquid mess forcefully exiting the blonde's body and splashing against the yacht's side made Aidan uncomfortably aware of the fluid slushing around in his own stomach and he winced for moment.

"Hang in there, Hailey. You're doing really good." He started patting Hailey's arched back before checking on Lenna again. With the hand that wasn't desperately cupping her mouth, she was grabbing the railing so firmly that her knuckles turned white. "Come on, just get it up. I promise it's going to be alright."

For a moment, the brunette was completely still, like frozen in place. Then, all of a sudden, her stomach convulsed and pushed up a surge of liquid, spraying out between her fingers. Her face grimaced in pure disgust before she jolted forward, letting out a multicolored stream of watery puke. What had once been a pretty cocktail now made a noisy return, accompanied by a pungent smell.

Aidan did his best to hold back her long, open hair with just one hand while also reassuring both girls with his presence. It didn't help that the sounds, the stench and the sight of vomit made his inside churn with every single wave. Just like the water that surrounded them from all sides, he could feel saliva pooling over in his mouth. That was bad. He had to take care of the girls and needed his body to function.

"We should get back to the shore as soon as possible", he heard a calm voice behind him and let out a sigh of relief. Camila had apparently finished cleaning up the mess Hailey had made on deck. Now at least there was another set of helping hands.

"I'll tell the captain to turn around", he nodded. "Can you look after them for a moment?

"Of course. You are a little pale around the nose yourself, you know?"

"Can you just not mention it?" Aidan patted Hailey's and Lenna's shoulders once more before stepping away. Camila swiftly took over, getting a hold of Lenna's hair while the brunette bent forward. The fact that the railing was now pressing against her stomach didn't help and she instantly retched, expelling an orange slurry speckled with doughy chunks.

Aidan rushed to the captain to inform him of their misfortune. With a deadpan expression, the experienced seaman promised to turn back instantly, but there was still an hour to go. To make matters worse, moving so quickly had poured gasoline into the fire of Aidan's nausea. His vision started to blur and he had to swallow constantly to keep the saliva under control. As soon as he stepped outside again, his body was hit by a cold wave of dizziness. Without warning, his legs gave in and he had to hold on to the cabin.

"We better get you to the girls so you'll at least feed the fish if you can't keep it down. I don't want to scrub the deck again." Camila's voice, then her hands on his shoulders. Aidan looked up, instantly causing the world to spin out of control.

"I'm... I'm not sure if I can walk", he groaned, clinging to the plastic wall to prevent himself from toppling over.

"It's just a few steps. You don't think you can do it?"

"Uh-oh... uarrrgh." A strange noise escaped Aidan's throat and, to his horror, he couldn't prevent a string of saliva from drooling out of his mouth.

"Okay. Don't worry, I got this. Just hold it in 'til I'm back." Camila hurried away and the next moment, Aidan heard something hitting the water surface with a loud splash. After several seconds that seemed like a nauseating eternity, she returned, quickly shoving the bucket she had just emptied under Aidan's chin.

"Thnkya", he mumbled, staring at the bottom of the container. There were some melting shreds of ice that reminded Aidan of the shots and cocktails he had downed before. He thought about ananas and caviar and the seafood pasta he had eaten for lunch. That was enough to push him over the edge. Aidan's body was shaken by a long, throaty dry heave. He felt Camila's arms around him, gently lowering him to the ground, bending him over the bucket. She stroked back the strands of hair that were clinging to his damp skin, supporting his head with one hand while putting the other one around his waist.

A violent retch caused his body to tense up, leaving him coughing, panting. "I... I feel like I'm dying", he moaned.

"You aren't. You're just seasick. Come on, get it up."

"I can't." Aidan gagged again, but only spit was leaking over his lips, dripping into the empty bucket.

"Don't try to force it, it will eventually happen."

Aidan hunched over and finally felt liquid rising up his esophagus, splattering into the container below him. The rancid smell instantly triggered another retch. His stomach muscles pushed up a pungent smelling fluid that burnt his throat and sinuses. He shouldn't have drunk that much, but now it was too late and all he could do was to purge what he had consumed so recklessly.

"There you go, I told you that your body would figure it out", Camila soothed, firmly rubbing his naked back. Aidan felt his sweaty skin pressing against her fingers as an opaque flood spilled out of his mouth. It was more yellow in color now, mixed with indefinable white chunks. Some of the mess splattered back onto his face as it hit the walls of the bucket and the reeking pool that was steadily filling it up.

The strain of vomiting took a toll on his already exhausted body. All of a sudden, Aidan's arms collapsed and he toppled over, almost taking the half-filled container with him. Camila caught it in the nick of time, pulling back Aidan onto her lap. With his last bit of strength, he turned his head to the side before he threw up all over Camila's knees. Mushy liquid came pouring out of him, staining her skin and the floor in front of them.

Camila was holding his head in place so he wouldn't choke on his vomit, gently letting her fingers run through his hair.

"Don't worry about it, just let it out."

Aidan was coughing and spitting up half-digested noodles covered in what now looked like dirty brown sauce. Then he finally had a moment to catch his breath. He turned away in horror as he saw the remains of his meal covering Camila's gorgeous legs.

"I'm so sorry. I... I didn't mean to throw up on you."

"Hey, I told you not to worry about it. It's nothing you can't wash away. Plus it's not your fault your stomach can't handle some waves."

"You're the worst", Aidan made a futile attempt to get up. His well trained arms seemed to have turned into jelly. He couldn't remember feeling that vulnerable before, too weak to push himself up from the ground, wearing nothing but his swimming trunks. "Why are you the only one feeling perfectly fine anyways? Did you poison us or something?"

"Sure, to punish you for being such a player. Nah, I would have spared the girls." She chuckled and wrapped her arms around Aidan's chest, helping him into an upright position. Grabbing a napkin and a glass of water, she started to wipe away the sticky mess covering the right side of his face.

"Uhm... thanks", Aidan muttered, leaning against the cool plastic wall behind him. "And sorry for dragging you into this nightmare. I wanted it to be a fun ride."

"Stop it. You're suffering more than I do and it's not even my worst party ever." Camila started to clean up her smooth, illegally long legs. Seeing the water running over her dark skin would have been a major turn-on under any other circumstances, but right now, Aidan felt way too miserable and thoroughly embarrassed.

As he heard unsteady steps approaching, Aidan turned his head and saw Lenna staggering towards them. Strands of her long brown hair were stuck to her her ghastly pale skin that still had the unhealthy sheen of cold sweat. But at least she was up on her feet again.

"Oh no, you caught it as well? I thought you were used to this."

"Turns out I'm not. The yacht is quite new."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't meant to pour salt into the wound. I'm... I'm so bad at this and I hate to be sick. Like... every other human being, I know. Don't listen to me." She somehow managed to give him a genuine smile.

"It's okay, I just wish I'd chosen another location." It didn't help that the wind was getting stronger, causing the sea to act up even more. Aidan felt every movement of the yacht deep inside of his stomach and couldn't hold back a muffled gag.

"Lenna, can you help me move him to the railing?", Camila urged, rushing back to his left. The brunette supported him from the other side and they pulled him on his feet with joined forces. "It's just some steps. Try not to barf until you see water below you."

"Great advise", Aidan growled. It was humiliating how much he had to lean on the girls, but they managed to bring him to the bench where Hailey was kneeling, forehead resting on the metal railing, eyes half closed. Her expression was completely blank. Seeing her in such a state hurt Aidan more than had ever expected.

"Still not better?", he asked qietly, carefully stroking her back.

"She has it really bad", Lenna replied, looking deeply concerned. She took a napkin, drenched it in cold water and placed it on the blonde's neck. Then she sat down again, staring at the horizon, arms crossed in front of her belly.

For a moment, they were all caught in nauseating silence. Then, all of a sudden, Hailey produced a wet sound deep in her throat, her stomach heaved and she brought up a stream of flaky, semi-gelatinous fluid that closely resembled egg drop soup. It spilled all over her breasts and thighs. The sight was enough to make Aidan retch uncontrollably until he felt tears running down his cheeks. Sour bile was bubbling up in the back of his throat while he was desperately holding on to the railing.

Luckily, Camila was there to jump into action, pulling Hailey's upper body forward so she could spew down the side of the yacht instead of covering herself in more of her own mess. She held the trembling blonde in place while Lenna started to rub Aidan's back. His body shuddered, convulsed, then finally pumped up a lumpy mush that noisily gurgled out of his mouth.

Just a few painful seconds later, he heard a sloppy burp right next to him, followed by the unmistakeable sound of stomach content spluttering back out where it had entered. Lenna's hand was grabbing his own, tightening its grip as she threw up again. If he hadn't felt like dying, it would have been hilarious. All three of them, hanging over the railing, simultaneously puking their guts out. Quite the sight for Camila, no doubt.

The next heave brought up liquid, then bile. It burned like acid and made Aidain cough painfully, but he was too weak to wipe away the long, gooey strands that clung to his lips and nostrils. Next to him, Lenna was sunken over the railing, eyes half closed, mouth open, her front hair coated in vomit. They were all such a mess.

"Oh boy, it will take some time to get you all cleaned up", Camila stated with a sigh. It was the first time her calm voice sounded... different. Aidan spit out repeatedly and forced himself to turn his head.

"I bet you regret setting sails with us landlubbers", he mumbled, stroking back his hair with shaky hands.

"How could I regret it? This boat doesn't have sails." Camila smiled, but Aidan noticed that the usual olive undertone of her skin had turned to more of an ashey grey.

"Are... you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" She tried to look composed, but her right hand was placed on her stomach, drawing circles over the floral pattern of her swimsuit.

"Hey, you can be honest. The sea is quite rough and you're surrounded by hurling people."

"I said I'm fine!" Camila suddenly snapping worried Aidan even more than the droplets of sweat forming on her forehead. It was just so not like her. "I don't get seasick. I can handle this."

"It's alright, I didn't mean to pressure you. Just... in case you don't feel good... you can tell us. We'll take care of you as well... somehow. I know we're pretty beat, but we can do it."

"But I'm not sick. I have to clean you up and make su-huuuuaaarrrr!" Everything happened so suddenly that Aidan had no chance to react. One moment, words were leaving Camila's luscious red lips, the next second it was runny liquid spilling out of her like water from a fully opened tap. It soaked her entire front, splattering on the floor like a cloudburst. She stared at him with huge eyes, visibly shaken.

"Camila, come here!", he called out, trying to push himself up, but he wasn't fast enough. Before he knew it, Camila's upper body lurched forward and she expelled a thick gush of beige gruel, splashing all over the ground with a heavy noise. It was coming out so fast and forceful that her back arched and she barely had time to breathe inbetween rounds of vomiting. The semi-liquid puddle quickly spread around her.

"Oh no, baby, I'm so sorry, this is our fault." Hailey sounded like she was about to cry, but it was a relief that she talked and moved again. She tried to pat Camila's back, even attempted to support her, though she was barely able to hold herself up. For some reason, it was one of the most touching things Aidan had ever seen.

"Just let it out, you'll be okay", he attempted to sooth Camila while he finally managed to get up. His face convulsed as he had to step into the warm puddle of sick to reach her, feeling it squish under his naked feet. But he didn't fall back and put one arm around her shoulders, the other one around her hips. "Hold on, I got you."

At this point, he didn't care about getting Camila's puke on himself, not even as she projectile vomited all over the bench and the railing, just from the slight movement of turning her around. It was like she had held it in for so long that her body was now exploding. Didn't matter anymore, he would have to hire someone to thoroughly clean the yacht anyways. Might as well sell this torture device when it was done.

Aidan led Camila further down the bench and helped her to lean over the side. He held her body up while Hailey was rubbing her back. Finally, Lenna joined them, holding Camila's braids.

"It's fine, just relax and let it happen", he calmly coached her. "You will feel better once you got it all up."

"You took care of us the whole time, now we're here for you." Hailey tried to make a brave face even though her skin still looked ash green and she fought back muffled gags from time to time. Camila moaned, struggling to regurgitate thick lumps of something doughy.

"Let me help you." Lenna put one hand on Camila's stomach, gently pushing it in a rhythmic motion. She wasn't usually one to interact with strangers, let alone touch them, but right now she only seemed worried about getting Camila better. The massage caused her to burp, then gag, then open her mouth wide to let out a steady stream of a chunky brown mash. "There you go."

After the torrent had finally turned into a trickle, Camila coughed a few times, spreading some shreds of undigested chicken pieces. Then she sank forward, panting heavily.

"You did so good", Hailey cheered. Side by side, they were all leaning over the railing, arms wrapped around each other's backs. It was weirdly comforting, even though Aidan's stomach still churned like a washing mashine. Every now and then, someone would retch or gag or throw up whatever little was left inside of them. It was excrutiating and seemed like an eternity, but at least they were not alone in this.

---

When they finally arrived at the safe harbor, Aidan was way too tired and helplessly nauseous to feel relief. A look at the girls' faces showed an expression that perfectly matched this resigned exhaustion.

"Let's get out of here", he groaned, shaking heavily while pushing himself up.

"Grab some water, everyone", Camila instructed them, being the one in charge again, as miserable as she still seemed.

"Aye, Captain", Aidan saluted. Even though all of them were staggering, they somehow managed to support each other while getting off the yacht. Aidan still felt like throwing up and his legs seemed even more shaky as the ground below his feet suddenly stopped moving. But at least now there was hope that the feeling would subside soon.

They used the water to wash away the vomit that stickily clung to their bodies and hair - well, at least they tried their best. They were in their swimwear anyways, so getting wet wasn't very high on their problem list.

"Now that we're somewhat presentable again, wanna head over to my place, take a shower and try to eat something?"

"I hope you're not aiming for a foursome because that is totally not going to happen", Camila declared while getting rid of the last bits of puke that had run down her cleavage.

"No way, I've never wanted to just hang out that much in my entire life before."

"Sounds even better than a party, if you ask me", Lenna chuckled, her arm still around Hailey's waste.

"Then let's get going. Maybe it's best we travel on our feet for a while."

Looking at the pale, but smiling faces around him, Aidan got a warm feeling in his chest that maybe their worst attempt at a yacht party ever might have been for something good.

[luimagines]

The Chain Confess While Your Hurt/ Upset Part 2

Masterlist

Part 1

This section will include the W Trio! Warrior Wild and Wind!

As per usual Reader in Wind’s scenario is the same age.

Warrior’s cut can be easily taken out of context- (in fact it technically is) but reader discretion is advised for that one. It’s basically, reader strips, teases, is shameless, and Warrior panics.

Nothing bad but you never know.

Content under the cut!

Warrior 

“Warrior you can’t be serious.” You bare your teeth in a snarl and place your hands on your hips. “You did not just ask me to strip and crawl down some time forsaken tunnel while you get to wait behind and hope that the others are on their way to help us.”

“Ok, when you put it like that-”

“Why do I have to do it?” You growl. “Why don’t you strip and crawl down there? Why was I your first option?”

“You’re smaller than I am, I don’t think I’ll even fit.” Warrior groans. “It’s not like I’d just ask you-”

“To put on a show or something? Is that what you’re after?” You raise an eyebrow.

Warrior chokes on his own spit at your bluntness and he feels his face flush from it. Admittedly, he wouldn’t be opposed but he’s not going to say any of that out loud. “It’s like not that. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Oh then what ever did you mean, dear Captain? I’m almost tempted to do it just to get a rise out of you.”

Warrior begins to regret ever suggesting this. He’ll die. This will be the way he dies. He knows for a fact that if you do, it’ll get a rise out of him, if you know what I mean. It wasn’t on the forefront of his mind when he first mentioned it because the mission is first but he regrets. Oh, he regrets. 

But now that it’s out, he can’t take it back.

“I mean, I can try to do it.” Warrior offers to take your place to save his pride. “I can go first. It was my idea.”

“No, no-” You put a hand up to stop him and grip the hem of your shirt with the other. “-It’s not like it was a bad idea. And since the ever gracious Hero of Hyrule volunteered me-”

“Please don’t say it like that. You do not have to do this. Please stop, oh my- For Din’s sake!” Warrior whips his hands over his eyes as you rip your shirt over your head and turns on his heel for good measure. “I’m sorry! Is that what you want to hear? Put your shirt back on. What if the others on the other side or something? Or monsters? Or spikes!”

“Spikes? Really? Is that the farthest your imagination goes?” He hears you snort.

You have no idea what’s going on in my imagination, Warrior gulps and puts his other hand on his face out of embarrassment. He knows his face is beyond ruby red and he doubts that he’ll ever live this down. If Cia and Lana are watching he’s equally dead. “Have you no shame?”

“Pretty much.” He can hear the shrug in your voice and the way your belt buckle hits the ground.

“You really don’t have to do this.” Warrior whines, forcing himself to not turn around. “I don’t know how many times I have to say this. You. Do not.” 

“Too late. Shirt is off. Pants are off. Shoes are off. Hair is up.” You start going down the list. “Sword... is going to have to stay behind.”

At least at that he hears you hesitate.

“Please take a weapon.” He nearly begs. “Please take a weapon with you through the tunnel.”

You don’t respond for a second and he peeks a little beyond his fingers. He doesn’t turn around, as much as he wants to look you in the eye for this and settles for staring at his shoes.

“I’ll take my carving knife.” He hear you say and he can hear you shuffle against the stone floor.

“Not a bow or maybe something a bit more sharp?” Warrior offers.

“I’m going in.”

“I’m so sorry.” Warrior takes a breath. “I’m so so sorry.”

“Quit being a baby. I’ll be right back. Watch my clothes.”

“I’ll watch over them with my life.”

“Good. See you on the flip side.”

He waits in the time it takes for you to shimmy through the tunnel until only your feet are showing before he makes his way over to your clothes and picks them up. The tunnel is dark and long and he’s not sure what to do in the mean time you’re gone.

He sits down in front of the tunnel and begins folding your clothes. 

“WARRIOR!!” You shout down the tunnel in a panic. “This is bad! FIRE! LOTS OF IT!”

He gets to his knees at the information once it reaches him. 

“I’m coming back and praying it doesn’t come my way!”

“Be careful!” He shouts and knows that he can’t really do anything to help.

“OH GOD SOMETHING EXPLODED!” You shout and he can barley see you through the light that’s beginning to shine through.

There’s a panic in his chest and he shoots to his feet to stand by the tunnel’s entrance.

“Fire! There is fire! I am on fire!” You scream.

The second your hand comes even close to the entrance, Warrior gets on his knees again and pulls you through the tunnel.

He’s not so concerned about the way your pulled out of the tunnel or how you scrape against the stone. 

You do have some burns that he’s concerned about and he’s quick to rip his scarf off and place it around you, covering you and snuffing out the flames that have appeared around you.

“I don’t know what happened.” You say and wince as he pats the flames out. “One minute everything’s fine and the next there’s fire and something explodes and I’m crawling all the way through that nasty tunnel again with flames up my-”

“Ok, ok, hold on, I think I have an extra potion.” Warrior pulls his scarf up to your neck and wraps it around you like a blanket.

“Everything hurts!” You cry and slowly go to lay down on the stone, it’s cool against your burns and you sigh.

“Here.” Warrior takes out the potion from his pack and uncorks it, giving it to you gently as he sits beside you.

“At least I’m not alone.” You sip it from the side and let the magic do its job.

“I’m sorry, this is my fault.”

“No, it was just your idea. You didn’t make me go through there.”

“I should have stopped you.”

“I’m not even that hurt, calm down.”

“I didn’t even go after you.”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t fit.”

“I could have tried.”

“Well at least it’s only me and not the both of us. Time would probably have both of our heads if we were both stupid.” You snort and sit up again, the relief instantaneous on your wounds.

“I wish it was me instead.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do.”

“Don’t.”

“Do.”

“Why? What is wrong with you?” You scrunch your face, the idea of getting hurt for the sake of getting hurt is unfathomable to you.

“I love you. Do I need a reason?” Warrior sighs and runs his hand through his hair before stopping half way with bulging eyes and a panicked face.

You also stop drinking the potion, letting a small drop fall from your lips and down your chin. 

“Warrior.”

“You didn’t hear that.”

“Oh my god.”

“I didn’t just say that.”

“Link.”

“We don’t have to speak about this ever again. Or ever speak again. To each other. If you want. I’m going to die now. Ok. Bye.” Warrior stands up suddenly and begins to walk away from you.

“You better not die on me!” You growl and pull his scarf tighter around yourself, fighting through the swamped fabric to get to your feet as well. “I’ll kill you if you die. Don’t leave me here alone. I’ll kill you if you leave me here.”

“I’m going to find-”

“My clothes.” You cut him off. “Where are my clothes? Find those.”

“Ok. Ok. Yeah, of course, right- you’re still- Ok.” He paces around a bit before turning on his heel in a circle, finding your clothes somewhere off in the corner where he left them. He’s quick to make his way over to them and pick them up.

He clears his throat when he drops them at your feet and turns his back to you. “Any other idea where to go from here? Or how to get to the others?”

“Link.” You call his name again.

Warrior gulps and puts his hands over his face, his whole body tensing up. He nearly jumps in his skin when he feels your hand on his shoulder and your lips on the shell on his ear. He’s shaking. 

Hylia help him. You make him weak.

“I love you too.” He feels you grin and he doesn’t even try to stop the shudder that rips through his body.

You give him a tiny kiss on his ear and he borderline whimpers from the contact.

“Oh this’ll be fun.” You giggle and Warrior bites his lip at the tone of your voice.

“Go easy on me?”

“Not a chance, soldier boy.” You laugh.

Warrior almost regrets this.

Almost.

Wild

Wild wasn’t sure what he was seeing or experiencing. There was colors and feelings and voices that he knew he was supposed to know... but when he woke up in the middle of the night, he couldn’t think of a reason as to why any of that would be familiar. Nothing made sense and he couldn’t even remember what his dream was about.

He tried not to be upset by it.

Every time this happened it he knew he was dreaming about his past- but any recollection of it seemed to slip through his fingers. Always so close and yet so far.

He rubbed his eyes of the not shed tears and looked around the camp.

Time and Twilight were still sleeping- so at least they won’t have to know that it happened again. Legend and Hyrule were once again asleep next to each other with Sky sprawled full eagle next to them. Wind and Warriors were next to each other, sleeping back to back and sharing his scarf like a blanket. Four was on watch and when he noticed that Wild was awake, he nodded with a small smile and went back to looking into the fire- which really meant he went back into his thoughts.

You on the other hand, were sleeping alone, curled up on yourself and clutching your blanket tightly with both of your hands.

You looked like you were in pain.

Wild felt his heart call out to you, as it usually does and watched you for a moment, trying to see if there would be reasonable cause for him to intervene. 

You could be in real pain and just asleep but he wouldn’t be able to help with that. Or you could be trapped in a nightmare and he would gladly wake you up- but you weren’t showing any signs of the latter.

Wild hums and shimmies back down into his bed roll, readying himself to attempt to go back to sleep.

He’ll make you something special in the morning. Hopefully that help balance out the upset night you’re both having.

Suddenly there’s a gasp and Wild twists over to look in the direction it came from.

After waiting a few seconds, you sit up and rub your eyes, smacking your face a little as you look around the group. Your movements are a little frantic as you look around, your eyes land on Four for a split second and wave to him before hopping around and twisting to come face to face with him.

Wild freezes, not expecting you to look as shaken as you do.

There’s a whole wave of unshed tears in your eyes but you seem to relax slightly at the sight of him.

Wild doesn’t know what to feel about that.

You gulp down what sounds like a desperate breath and blink, sending the tears down your face. “Wild-” You croak. “-Are you ok?”

Him?

You’re asking him if he’s ok?

“Yeah- I’m-” He clears his throat to not sound so groggy. “I’m ok.”

“Anything hurt?”

“No.” He tilts his head. What an odd question. “I just woke up from a memory is all.”

Maybe you’re asking him why he’s also awake. 

“Oh. Good.” You nod and rub your eyes again. But then you panic. “I mean- Not good good! But like.... I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

You stand suddenly and rub your arms frantically to fight the mild chill in the air.

“I’ll be right back.”

Wild doesn’t even get the chance to ask you’re ok as well. You nod once again to Four, who’s now paying a little more attention to his surroundings, and leave the camp entirely.

Wild stands up as soon as you’re out of sight and kicks away the blanket from his feet, making his way after you as quietly as he can manage.

Four looks in his direction and raises an eyebrow, not saying anything.

“It’s dangerous to go alone.” Wild hisses under his breath, just loud enough for Four to hear him. “I’m just gonna check on them.”

“Hurry back.” Four replies. “I gotta wake the Old Man soon and I don’t want to explain why two people, one of which is you, are missing.”

Wild nods and picks up his pace.

He prays you didn’t go far. The night in this forest seems to be particularly dark, and it’s hard for him to see what’s in from of him. If you went too far ahead, he’d have no way of getting to you.

Luckily, he steps a twig which tips your hand. He sees the movement in front of him, of the shadows jumps to look behind.

“It’s me.” He says in a little more normal voice. “It’s ok. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Oh...” He hears you say. There’s a slight wobble in your voice. “Did you need something?”

“I’m fine. I’m more concerned about you right now.” Wild makes his way closer, pushing a branch away from his face and stepping into your personal space. “It’s a bit late for an evening stroll. It’s even more dangerous to go without telling anyone where you’re going.”

You chuckle but it’s half hearted. “I know, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. It’s just... Nightmare and all that. I just wanted to walk it off.”

Wild bites his lip and tries to not audibly hiss. “Do...” Would you trust him like this? “Do you want to talk about it?”

“With you?”

Ouch.

“I mean, I’m offering.” He shrugs and smiles, even if he doubts you’ll see it.

“No...” You say after a long pause. “It’s.... I mean, not with...not with you. I’m sorry. It’s really personal.” 

Wild takes a breath through his nose and ignores the hurt. “Well, I’m here if you need me. But Four’s also awake, if you want to go and talk to him instead. I mean, if you want to talk about it at all... I can stay here... and wait... until you’re done... Maybe try to fall asleep elsewhere.”

“No.” You whine and Wild has a split second thought that you might be crying. “Don’t- don’t leave me. Please. I think I... I think I just need to see you or hear you... What did- Why are you up? ...Again. You said it was a memory?”

“I don’t really remember.” Wild reaches forward and places his hand on your shoulder, followed quickly by his other one. He really wishes he can see your face. “I feel like I should but I don’t. It’s happening more often now than before and I don’t know what to think of it.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Tell me about it.” He huffs moving his hand to brush your hair behind your ear. In the process of doing that, the back of his fingers run across your cheek and he notes that it’s wet.

You are crying.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” He tries again, heart aching in tandem with your pain, even if he doesn’t know what caused it.

“Wild-”

“It doesn’t have to be with me, just-”

“But I want to talk with you. Just not about that.”

“But you shouldn't hold it in. Talk to me, please. How can I help?”

“Wild, not with you-”

“Why not with me?”

“I don’t want to talk about it with you because it’s about you!” Your voice cracks and he can feel your hands fly to your face to cover it.

Wild can admit that he was being a little pushy towards the end there but your words strike him physically. He can feel his heart speed up at the thought and he’s quick to gulp down a breath. A nightmare? With him?

“Did I hurt you?” He asks in a whisper, leaning closer but loosening his grip on your shoulders.

He doesn’t know what hurts more.

The thought of him hurting you or the thought that you think he’s capable and willing to hurt you.

Does he scare you?

Do you actually hate him?

How does he fix this?

“No...” You finally answer him and step into his arms, placing your face (hands still there) into the crook of his neck. “You got hurt.”

Oh.

“You got hurt bad.”

Oh.

“They hurt you so bad, Link.” You break into a sob and wrap your arms around his neck. “There was so much blood- and- and- I couldn’t do anything. And you weren’t moving. And I tried calling out to you but you weren’t answering me and-  and they were gonna take you away and kill you and I couldn’t- You couldn’t even fight back-”

He doesn’t even think to ask you who’s this ‘they’ you speak of. Wild tightly wraps his arms around you and buries his face into your hair. “Shhh... It’s ok. It wasn’t real. It was just a dream. I’m here. I’m alive. I’m ok.”

That explains why you were so shaken, why you asked him those questions, why he’s beginning to understand where you’re coming from by not wanting to tell him this...

“I know.” You whine and press yourself tighter. You focus on his heartbeat and try to convince your adrenaline filled brain that the boy in front of you if alive and unharmed and safe.

Wild reach up and tangles his fingers into your hair. He starts petting you, letting you cry into his shoulder without once letting go.

“I’ll be ok.” He tells you. “I won’t get hurt, I promise.”

You nod and move your hands from your face, wrapping them around his chest. Wild smiles somewhat despite himself and nuzzles you with the side of his head.

“I know you can’t actually promise that.” You mumble and take a deep breath, calming yourself little by little. “I appreciate the thought though.”

“I love you too much to not keep it.”

“You love me?” 

Wild freezes and nervously laughs. “Did I say that?”

“That’s what I heard.” You sniffle and lean away from him. “Is that what you said?”

Wild can see what little moonlight is left to look you in the eye and he swallows. “Yes.”

“Do you mean it?”

“...Yes.”

Wild’s heart is pounding now and he’s trying to calm down to hear beyond the blood in his ears.

He sees you smile and you go back to leaning against him, your nose just barely brushing up against his neck. “I love you too. Stay with me?”

“Yes...” Wild holds you tight again and gulps. “Yes. I will. As long as you’ll have me.”

Four for his part, had woken up Time ages ago, not wanting to put up with whatever mess you two would have found yourselves in. Time had followed in the direction Four had pointed him in and had found both of you there, arms around each other and asleep against a tree just beyond the camp.

Time sighs and is tempted to leave you there but his conscious won’t let him. 

Wild is embarrassed to be caught but you’re too sleepy to consider why you’re awake again.

You hold Wild closer in your half consciousness and he’s forced to carry you back to the camp under Time’s judgmental and knowing stare.

Wind

“Ha ha haha ha!” You cheer and wave the key in front of Wind’s face. “I got the keeyy~!”

“I see that.” Wind pouts slightly and crosses his arms. “And I would have gotten it too if you weren’t faster than me.”

“But I got it! I win!” You skip and go to open up the locked door on the other side of the room.

“We’re not done yet.” Wind reminds you and there’s a new thing in the other room that he haven’t seen before.

There’s a pedestal in the middle with an open book and multiple candles in a circle around it. The air is strangely sweet and warm and it would lull you to sleep if you were allow yourself to relax.

“This is nice for a change.” You comment. “Smells way better than-”

“Than the past three dungeons in total.” Wind interrupts.

You pause and look at him, shrugging. “I mean...I was gonna say ‘our group’ but you’re not wrong.”

“Our group? What’s wrong with our group?” Wind asks you with a tilt to his head. Do they smell? Is he smelly? Do you think he’s smelly?

“You’re all gross and smell bad.” You say with a scrunched up nose. Wind would think it was cute if it wasn’t for your words.

“I don’t smell that bad.” Wind argues. “I don’t smell at all actually.”

“You’re all smelly.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“All teenage boys smell bad!”

“Ok fine! Who’s the worst?” Wind finds himself asking, if only so he doesn’t fight with you. “Who smells so bad that you can’t even stand to be near them?”

This causes you to pause for real this time and he stops next to you to let you think before you both go any further.

“You do.”

“What?”

“Kidding!” You smack his chest lightly with the back of your hand. “Since he’s not here, I’d have to say Sky, next is Twilight but he has a good routine of keeping clean so it’s not as bad.”

This confuses Wind slightly and he steps further into the room to investigate as he talks. “Sky? I thought you’d say Wild or Hyrule. I’m not surprised about Twilight being that high on your list. He always smells like some kind of animal.”

“I think it’s that pelt of his.” You admit. “Sky just smells strong. It’s not bad or anything but he always somehow smells like a cucco and I can’t unsmell it no matter how hard I try.”

“Ok. But why not Wild or Hyrule? They can smell pretty funky too.”

“Wild jumps into too many rivers for it to count and I think there’s something about Hyrule’s magic and his friendship with fairies that keep him from smelling too bad.” You walk up to the pedestal and get on your tip toes to look at the book. “He tends to just smell like sugar water and lemon drops.”

Wind gulps a bit as he tears himself away from staring at you when you bend over and tries to find any hidden latches on the walls or any floor tiles that seem out of place.

Nothing.

“What about me though?” He says to fill the silence. “Where do I fall on your list of smells?”

“You smell like sea salt and river water after it’s rained.” You try to latch your foot onto one of the carving and hoist yourself higher. “It’s not bad and it’s not too strong either... so like maybe an eight of ten.”

“Out of the ten of us?”

“Oh, I meant like on a scale how good verses how bad it is. Compared to the ten of us, you’re like number three. Four actually smells the cleanest with Warrior right after him, then you.” You push yourself up and try to find purchase with your other foot, not paying attention to how the flame on the candles grow.

“Four? The blacksmith?” Wind gives up on his search and turns around to see your perilous position. “Hey get down! You might hurt yourself!”

Wind doesn’t notice the flames either, but you’re tipping the pedestal at an unsafe angle.

He doesn’t want to come off as over protective and make you feel like you can’t protect yourself, knowing what that feels like, but the idea of you going face first into the floor has him incredibly nervous.

He dashes up to you and pushes it back into place.

“Oh.” You perk up and grin up at him. “Thanks. Come see what’s in this book. I don’t know what it says but it looks important.”

Wind frowns a little and lets go. The pedestal stays standing as it should and he’s a little less nervous about you falling. He comes around to your side and you hop off to make room for him. As he tries to copy your movements to get up onto it, his hand brushes your shoulder and your hair.

Startled by the unexpected proximity, you take a step back and knock over one of the candles.

“Good job.” Wind says automatically at the sound.

“Thanks Link.” You stick your tongue out and go to pick it up. “I can feel your love and support for miles.”

“That’s the idea.”

“Well do you have any idea of what to do next because I sure don’t.” You look away and suddenly notice the size of the flames. They keep growing bigger and bigger and you latch onto the back of Wind’s shirt to pull him away. “Something’s happening.” 

On cue, the flames grow large enough to touch and you can begin to feel your eyes begin to close.

Wind takes out his boomerang to fight the ever growing flames and he tosses it in hopes of extinguishing it but there’s no such luck to be found. What’s worse, you fall on top of him and he’s forced to catch you as you fall unconscious.

A deep laughter resonate around the room and the flames grow upward and sideways, parting to crate two arm like figures and two beady eyes with a mouth in the middle.

“A life force is always sweetest when young.” It laughs again and tries to reach for you. Wind brings out his deku leaf and blasts the flame away from touching you, standing over your body in an effort to protect you.

“What did you do!?” Wind finds himself asking the creature. It’s in anger more than it is to learn what’s happened but the creature responds to it regardless.

“Those who read my book, are under my spell and those who are under my spell, become mine to consume. The young always have a bit of fat in them still... makes them all the more delicate a treat. You’d join your friend in the same way had you read my book for longer, but I suppose this works either way.”

Wind begins to panic and he doesn’t think his deku leaf will be enough to fight the flame, nor will his sword do any damage. There’s not enough time to reach for a different weapon and there’s no way he can run past the flames without being hurt. Maybe he would survive if it was just him, but he’s not going to leave you behind.

Not now, not ever.

Wind gets up on his feet and take a deep breath. It’s thick and laced with enough smoke to make him cough but he stands tall and firm. 

He needs to buy time.

Enough time that he can think of a plan and execute it without hurting you in the crossfire.

The creature closes in on the two of you and Wind is pressed by the lack of options.

Suddenly, Wind spots Wild through the gaps of the eyes and mouth on the other side of the room. Wild stands there shocked and confused but shoots the pedestal with the most apathetic ice arrow he can manage.

The flame dies instantly and the creature is cut off with a horrible ear piercing screech.

Wind covers his ears from the sounds as it dies out and misses Wild call his name in concern when he’s noticed. Instead, when the noise is gone, he turns on his heel and crouches over you. He shakes your shoulder violently and begins to whine in concern when he doesn’t get an answer.

Wild jogs up next to him and places a hand on Wind’s shoulder. Wind turns to the older hero before he can even speak and yells. “Where’s Legend or Hyrule or someone who’s good with magic? That thing put them to sleep with a spell in that stupid book and they’re not waking up!” 

“What happened to you two?!” Wild replies as he dashes toward the ice brick that he’s formed.

“Don’t look at the pages! Don’t try to read it! I think it makes him stronger.” Wind cries out as he rolls you on your side.

“What even was that thing?” Wild dashes back to Wind’s side with the book under his arm.

“I don’t know but it wanted to eat them.” Wind can feel the panic tear into his heart and soul at your unknown fate and he hates that he doesn’t know what to do. “Wild help!”

“Ok. Ok. Here, let’s get them out of here first and we can go get help the others.” Wild stuffs the book in his slate and reaches over to pick you up, trying to be gentle in case you have any injuries that he can’t see.

Wind takes out his sword and takes the lead, making sure nothing else from the room surprise attacks them and that there’s nothing in front of them that will also attack.

“What if they don’t get better?” Wind looks back at Wild and finishes with looking at your face. He’s briefly reminded of that time Tetra was turned into stone and how there wasn’t much he could do to help her. The difference here is that you’re still flesh and blood and you look peaceful despite the circumstance of your sleep.

“They will.” Something catches Wild’s attention in the distance and he goes to place you on the ground. “I think I see Time. Stay with them, watch over them. I’ll be back.”

“Ok.” Wind takes a step to let him pass and waits for a second before sitting next to you. He reaches over and runs his finger through your hair, brushing it gently from your face.

He turns away then and sighs, settling his hands on his knees. “I hope you wake up. I need to be able to tell you that I like you.”

There’s no response- as he expected and it’s tears at his heart a little.

“I just figured this out for myself and I don’t know if there’s a way for the two of us to be together after all of this. But I don’t know if I want to live with the what if if I don’t say anything.”

“Say what?”

“I like you, a lot and there’s a lot of- wait.” Wind jolts up and shifts his eyes to look in your direction.

You’re looking at him with what he would describe as a dreamy look, sleep still holding onto you and rims of your eyes but you’re smiling and happy and soft-

“You’re ok!” Wind cries and pushes his sword out of the way, jumping into your arms and resting his head against yours. “I was worried.”

“I’m ok.”

Wind grins at your sleepy voice and it makes him giggle. Only for the other shoe to drop and he shoots his head up to look you in the eyes. “How much of that did you hear?”

“Try everything.”

“Oh no.”

“It’s ok. I like you too.” You giggle and try to sit up, brushing your hair back again and poking him in the nose. “You smell like smoke now.”

“Is it bad?” He blinks and pulls at his tunic to sniff himself.

Yes, he does smell like smoke but he can still faintly smell the salt you mentioned earlier.

“No.” You smile and crawl into his personal space, using his lap as a pillow. “It’s warm.”

Wind’s breath stutters a little and he gulps, hesitantly putting his hand in your hair to run his fingers through it.

He looks back up just in time to see Wild and Time return with knowing smiles on their faces. He flushes deeply, but lets you go back to sleep peacefully, no longer afraid of any what if’s.

You’re warm in his lap and he smiles.

Part 3

[ldss-interactive]

At Alter’s End: A CYOA Novel

Overview:

Trentworth, Maine. A town of ten thousand southeast of Ellsworth and North of Bayside. Its only bragging point since its conception in 1867 was being a shoreline city and cheaper than any of the other big tourist towns. Nothing ever happened here, besides the occasional drowning or fishing trip accident, until the killings started. They lasted five years in total and 48 people were lost to the killer’s sick desires. Robert Hall terrorized this small town, slipping under the radar by focusing on those considered “undesirable”; sex workers, orphans, drug addicts, and the like. Now ten years later, ten years after the killer has been put behind bars, murders have begun again. A copycat killer has come to Trentworth. And they seem to be targeting the ones left behind, still trying to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives…

You take the role of a highschool senior; your parents having died in a home fire shortly before the killer was put behind bars and now under the care of your workaholic aunt. Make allies of your classmates or attempt to go it alone, clear your parents’ name from their believed involvement with the killer or fight to put the past behind you, deal with the skeletons in your closet and mind or bury them deeper... Oh, and make sure your history project is turned in on time. With two young siblings depending on you and a whole host of problems a highschool student should never have to deal with, can you survive this nightmare made real?

Trigger Warnings: This game will go into very heavy topics including the following; murder, death, various mental health issues (such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety), abandonment, gambling, various types of drug addiction, self harm mentions (not happening to the MC or shown in graphic detail), suicide, sex work, child abuse (mental, emotional, and physical), and dangerous situations. This is a murder mystery/thriller, it is NOT intended for audiences below 18.

Hello! Thank you for showing interest in At Alter’s End. This is a Choose Your Own Adventure style novel in the Thriller and Murder Mystery genres. It would also fit nicely in the Drama genre as well, but Drama is not the focus. This will be a rather lengthy project, with fifteen chapters plus a prologue and epilogue planned.

You take on the role of a senior at Trentworth High. Join an after-school activity, take care of your younger siblings, prepare for finals, get a part time job, find a date to homecoming, and survive your worst nightmare come to life. The copycat killer is targeting the students of your school and no one is safe. With the police dragging their feet, no help coming any time soon from any higher up law enforcement, and the locals refusing to acknowledge the possibility of a copycat killer, it’s up to you and your classmates to find the person responsible...before it’s too late.

- You can play as female, male, nonbinary, or trans!

- You can be straight, gay, or bisexual!

- A highly customizable MC including hair color, eye color, skin color, hair length, height, and personality and interests!

- The ability to choose which mental illness the MC suffers from due to the trauma of their past from the following:

Anxiety, Depression, or PTSD.

- The MC is deaf in their right ear ear due to the way in which their parents died; this is not something that can be changed.

- Choose from 7 different official after-school activities! Trentworth Volunteers, Up and Coming Artists, National Debate Society, National Honors Society, Co-Ed Varsity Basketball, Creative Writing, and Trentworth Gardeners!

- Bond with your classmates, explore your town, and help raise your younger siblings!

- Rescue your parents’ bakery from corporate clutches or let it go!

- Find the killer, stop the murders, and put a stop to the rumors that have plagued your every step for 10 years!

Vanya: Oldest adoptive twin sibling to MC’s adoptive siblings, 6 years younger than MC. Strong-headed, intelligent, and always getting into trouble. She looks after her brother and MC in the ways she can.

Ajay: Youngest adoptive twin sibling to MC’s adoptive sibling, 6 years younger than MC. Nearly completely blind since birth, he enjoys painting and other artistic endeavors. Obedient yet opinionated.

Aunt Emma: The workaholic aunt that takes custody of MC and their younger siblings after the death of their parents. Well meaning but absent most of the time on business trips or at the office.

Kwan Hall: An adoptive relative to Robert Hall; aloof, intelligent, and completely ostracized by Trentworth as a whole. When the killings start again the town’s attention is immediately turned on Kwan. He’s the first to begin investigating the killings when the police prove their incompetence. He is of Korean descent, standing at 5’6” with dark hair and dark eyes. His most notable feature is the long scar that stretches from his forehead’s hairline, down his left temple, and ends just below his jawline and the constant disinterest on his face. He is asexual in that he doesn’t experience sexual attraction at all. He is also bisexual.

Alessia D’Agostina: Trentworth High’s school president. She’s clawed her way tooth and nail up to earn the respect of both the school faculty and her fellow classmates; she’s strong-willed, dependable, and always looks at things through a logical lens. When she sees her classmates dying, she takes it upon herself to try and stop this once and for all. With dark skin, deep brown eyes, long braided hair, and standing at 5’8” her confidence and sense of self always make sure she stands out from the crowd. Alessia is bisexual.

Georgiy Kuzmin: Twin brother to Anastasiya Kuzmin; he is, in the kindest way possible, not the brightest bulb in the box. Yet he always means well and is more than willing to offer a helping hand. As the co-captain of the basketball team, captain of the baseball team, and the star of the swim team, Georgiy is one of the most popular and well beloved students at Trentworth High. When he realizes his friends are in danger, he willingly throws himself into the investigation to do all he can to help. With fair skin, dirty blond hair, bubbly green eyes, and standing at 6’1” he cuts an approachable figure to anyone who knows him. Georgiy is gay.

Anastasiya Kuzmin: Twin sister to Georgiy Kuzmin: she and her brother are alike in so many ways apart from just appearance. Anastasiya, who goes by Ana more often than not, is head of the Co-Ed Varsity Basketball team, the Girls’ softball team, and the Tennis team. Just as popular and loved as her brother, Ana may not be the smartest but she makes up for it with passion and dedication. Like her brother, she has fairer skin, dirty blond hair, and bright green eyes. Also like her brother, she felt she couldn’t just sit around while her friends were put in danger and agreed to join the investigation. Ana is gay and demiromantic, meaning she only gains feelings for someone after having a strong relationship with them.

Lillian Triano: A quiet, withdrawn girl who mainly keeps to herself. Due to the fact that Trentworth High demands for every senior to be apart of an elective, she is mainly seen in afterschool reading club run by Ms. Habeeb. She’s MC’s closest friend, having been one of the only people who didn’t believe the rumors that MC’s parents were assisting Robert Hall in his murders. She has an olive complexion, brown eyes, a heavy dose of freckles, and stands at 5’1”. Lillian is gay.

Jasmine Abernathy: Jasmine is Trentworth High’s self proclaimed “Best news source!” After the school newspaper was disbanded, Jasmine took it upon herself to keep freedom of the press alive. She’s fierce in her pursuit of the truth and never one to back down from a fight, though her rash attitude can get her into some sticky situations on occasion. With vibrant red hair, dark brown eyes, and standing at 5’3” she puts the term “fire” in Fire Signs. (She’s an Aries in astrology!) When the copycat killings began, it was no surprise when she took the case head on. Jasmine is bisexual.

Asa San Nicholas: Asa is the oldest of a set of triplets; they’re the type to march to the beat of their own drum, often not listening to what anyone has to say about themselves or their interests. Asa is a firm believer in the paranormal and it isn’t uncommon to find them indulging in their interest in various ways. “The spirits are distrubed. These deaths aren’t meant to happen.” Asa’s reason for getting involved seems to tie directly back to their “connection” with the spirits of the town. Asa has black hair, most often tied in a ponytail, hazel eyes, and an olive skin tone. At 6’4” they tower over most everyone...something they seem to enjoy a great deal. Asa doesn’t see gender and is interested in people regardless of how they present.

Leo San Nicholas: The middle of the triplets. They are genderfluid, okay with any pronouns. Leo is, for lack of a better word, eccentric. A bit of an adrenaline junkie, you can often find them cliff diving or giving their siblings heart attacks by playing russian roulette with a chocolate gun. To them, it isn’t fun if there isn’t a little danger involved; naturally, an investigation into a serial killer scratches that itch quite nicely. Their black hair is clipped short, multiple piercings visible on each ear, and their heterochromatic hazel and green eyes are often stated to stare through a person. Although Leo is genderfluid, they are only interested in people who present as female.

The demo is upcoming! When it is available I will make a post announcing it! I will also update this post with the link! This game is written in choicescript; the demo will be published on Dashingdon and the final game will be published for free on itch.io. I am open for questions regarding this game/novel and once the demo is published I will also be publishing a link to my Ko-fi! Until then, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

[liannelara-dracula]

* soft whispers * request for a translation of everyone's names? as Ayato means Colorful Winter and Ruki means Beautiful water flow. I love the meanings of the names and the Sakamaki Brothers are so interesting with the way they do it!

Hi Love,

Aww thank you I'm glad you like my headcanon translations and I promise to do more in the future. Now be translations I assume you mean their Japanese or their given names translated to English? That's what I stuck with so let me know if it's not what you meant. Anyways here are the translations I found for the boys.

I included all the other characters for fun.

Also here are links to other name translations I've done.

English/Anglo Saxion names

Spanish/Latino names

Real names/eastern European/ Romanian

I should add to those posts for the other characters, what do you think?

-Jade

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

Sakamaki

The last name has to do with farming and "rolling hills" is another translation for it. So tbh I see no connection to them being farmers but maybe their ancestors were but the name can also mean "taking care of" which reminds me of how they always take in brides. So they provide from them but of course only for their own advantage.

Shu:

So I actually found out it is derived from Egyptian and Japanese origin. In Japanese, it means "Lap or Circuit" and for Egypt, it means "air" (sky).

Personally, I think the meaning of Sky or Air has more significance considering that his eyes are blue just like the sky so this may have been a reason they named him Shu.

Reiji:

It can mean a lot of different things depending on how it's written but to keep it short it means "Proper, Govern, and Child."

Obviously the first to adjectives match him perfectly but the second one has to do with the fact he was a proper child and that he strived to be what he is.

Laito:

A submission from India says the name Laito means "Gift of god" and is of Indian (Sanskrit) origin. Kinda Ironic because he doesn't believe in God so the creators could have been inspired from this.

In Japanese origin, it means "light."

He doesn't see himself as anything bright or whatever and yet that's what he should represent. Light and God's gift correspond so I would say if Laito had a good family he'd probably have a kind heart according to these meanings of his name (I am just theorizing).

Kanato:

It sarcastically enough means "sweet dreams." This really matches him and I think all of you know why. The sweet is his facade about him being cute at first glance or whatever and the dream part kinda relates to Lolita concepts and in general because his name means sweet dreams I think the irony is that his name may mean that but he's one hell of a nightmare when you're his target.

Ayato:

"Colorful winter"

Colorful may imply that he is lively, and winter means he's cold. There really isn't much to this one.

Subaru:

There wasn't much info but some say it means "united" in Japanese.

I think it shows how he wants to be united with his mom in some way since he did care for her.

Kino:

"Wandering soul"

Well, he was disowned by Karl and he grew up on his own so there may be a reason for this translation.

Karlheinz:

It's of German origin, and both Karl and Heinz are too separate names but put together. So his name is hyphenated, technically speaking. But it does not cause it just isn't so his name has two meanings, (I have the same issue with my first name).

So again Karl means "free man" and Heinz means "home ruler" (from Germanic "hagan" = enclosure or "heim" = home + "rihhi" = powerful/rich/mighty/ruler).

The name honestly suits him cause he is free since he's basically the vampire king, and home-ruler means he rules the kingdom or demon world. And I think you get the point.

Richter:

It's usually a surname but it is of German origin (Richter is German for "judge"). Which makes since he seemed to give his opinion on things.

Cordelia:

Welsh origin: Jewel of the Sea

Celtic origin: "heart; daughter of the sea" -- maybe cause of the mermaid hair and green eyes and for the heart part well that was a big deal with her and Yui and the power. If you know what I mean.

Beatrix:

Dutch origin meaning "she who brings happiness; blessed".

Well if we get rid of what she did to her kids and what Karl did to her she probably wasn't so bad so she could have brought happened. But in reverse when I think about it rather than bringing happiness she brought despondency, dejection, and gloom. Reiji surprisingly enough brought her happiness in the end though.

Christa:

"anointed" or "chosen one". I guess this cause she thought Karl chose her out of his heart.

Said to be of Greek origin but its use is rare and can be mostly found in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Germany.

Mukami

Mukami is of Bantu origin and means "One who milks" Believe or not this last name is common in Denmark and Norway.

Ruki:

Beautiful flow of water

Name in Japanese : 琉希 Meaning : 琉 meaning precious stone, gem, lapis lazuli. / 希 meaning hope, beg, request, pray, beseech, Greece, dilute (acid), rare, few, phenomenal.

Beg/hope --- kinda reminds me of how he used to tourtue people so they used to beg to not be hurt and I also think he hates it when people hope or request. I mean he doesn't like to pitty people soooo.

I think it relates to the idea of his eye color. Like his eyes really are the color of the stone lapis lazuli.

Yuma:

evening + horse/pony

Evening--his eye color reminds me of the sunset.

Horse/pony---he gives me cottagecore vibes, so I mean the village he lived in and he gardens so he's like a farmer in a way.

Kou:

1) "happiness," 2) "light," or "peace."

(1-幸, 2-光, 3-康)

Well, it describes what an idol is like in a way.

Azusa:

Depending on how it is spelled it can mean trees/sand or peaceful/quiet.

I think the peaceful and quiet depicts his personality.

Tsukinami

So it varies on how it's spelled but "Tsuki" can mean month/moon and "Nami" can mean common, average, ordinary, medium, rank with." In this case moon could mean who they are creatures of the night or obviously full moons are a big thing for them. Month and moon, probably leaning towards the idea of every month on a full moon. "Rank with" probably is the best translation in meaning since they feel superior to other vampire races as they are first bloods/founders.

Carla:

So funny as it is this actually comes from German Origin and it is an old name. And it basically just means "free woman."

Karl is the masculine form of this which means "free man" but because Carla is Femmine it is "free woman."

Ironically tho, he was trapped for a thousand years in the demon world and so he was definitely not free but he obviously wanted to be.

Shin:

Real, True

This may tie into the fact that he seems to be a blunt person, so he doesn't sugarcoat things for anyone.

Extra:

Yui:

It can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: 唯, "only, alone, sole" 由, "reason" 維, "supportive"

These all kinda describe that she all in this on her own and she wants to find the reason this happening and she is positive and supportive of certain things. Like in general Yui is not a difficult person.

————————-

♤ ˗ˏˋ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ˎˊ˗ ♤

♤ ©𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔~present day ♤

[ruki--mukami]

You sensed a strong aura of magic suddenly appear in the manor along with Adam calling out for help. You and your wife rushed to him and saw his room a mess and objects flying around, one of them hit your wife knocking her unconscious. He said he couldn’t control it and it appeared from his hands with no warning. You never told him he was a Founder or Shin’s son. He was crying begging for you to make it stop. Since he was still a child it was very likely his powers would grow over time.

"Adam? What's the matter?"

The sudden surge of magic surrounding the Mukami manor sent chills down Ruki's spine, potent enough to resemble that of the Founders. With his son's true heritage in mind, this could only mean one thing.

It finally began.

The young boy's dormant powers slowly but surely awakened.

After hearing his son's cries for help, Ruki stepped into the bedroom to find various objects gravitating midair around them. Several children's books, stuffed animals, and crayons of every color spiraled uncontrollably. Some ricocheted off the wall, repainting the previously off-white concrete a messy rainbow. One of the plush toys lost its head in the fray while the books' pages ripped from its spines.

"Oi! Adam, calm down." Ruki exclaimed, "It'll be alright. Father is here. Breathe in and out slowly."

The chaotic display coupled with his wife collapsed on the carpet had Ruki trying his hardest not to shake in terror. Almost hesitantly, he approached the distressed child, squatting down and ensnaring Adam in his arms.

"Everything will be okay, I promise. Listen to my voice. What would your mother and I do if you ended up hurt on accident? You're a strong boy, Adam. Second to none, but only after you relax your nerves and come to your senses. One day you'll be strong enough to protect your mother from any adversity that's thrown our way."

Despite his reassurance, Ruki honestly feared Adam. Had he not been a Vampire, his heart would've leapt in his chest. For his son, however, he wore a brave face, showing the young boy a convincingly sincere smile.

"Powerful magic is certainly frightening, but it can be used to protect others as well. Together we'll learn how to keep your gifts at bay and wield your strength responsibly." Ruki stroked the child's hair. "Father will always be by your side no matter what happens."

As he gave Adam comforting back rubs, the boy's powers slowly ceased and the flying objects fell straight to the floor. The once clean and tidy bedroom was now in tatters. Mattress ripped open, dresser drawers threatening to fall out, and the walls stained and scraped. Ignoring the chaos, Ruki showed him a closed eye grin.

"Good boy. See, I knew everything would be okay, just as I said it would." He stood up, looking at the ruined furniture before directing his gaze back to Adam's glistening eyes, tears welling in their corners. Even though his powers subsided, it all still felt like a wicked and endless nightmare. "Ah, don't worry about this, Adam. Father will clean up. Rest in one of the spare bedrooms for now. I'll join you momentarily to read you another fun story before you fall asleep."

Heeding his father's words, the young boy agreed with a nod and ran out the bedroom as if nothing ever happened.

Now that Ruki was finally alone, he used this moment of silence to reflect and reevaluate his options.

Killing Adam was not an option. He had already tried to do so in the past, but found himself unable to pull the plug of his own son's life. While Tsukinami Shin was the boy's biological father, Ruki still saw and treated him like his own offspring.

Yet at the same time, the power of the First Bloods was nothing to scoff at. At this rate, Adam would only grow stronger and stronger.

Strong to the point where only a fool would dare to challenge him.

Needless to say, Ruki would do everything in his power to control Adam and his destructive capabilities. However, should that plan fail, he prepared for the worst.

Soon the Vampire's thoughts, much like Adam's earlier display of power, spiraled and spiraled out of control.

With each passing day, I find myself more and more anxious.

I hate it. I hate knowing there will be a time when I can no longer protect you from your own child.

Hurry, Adam. Hurry and put me out of my misery before that misery consumes what little sanity I have left.

[hex-obsession]

Silver Lining - Two

word count- 2,259

content warning- language, angst, indirect s**cidal thought

____________________________________________

Crows cawing, your eyes open just enough to hazily make out the all too familiar color of your room.

“Early bird gets the worm, you know,” a familiar voice murmurs. Pushing off the wall to your right, your body slides diagonally over your bed, your head dangling off the side. Upside down, Cheryl is slumped against your door frame, arms and legs crossed. Brazen as usual, just the way you loved her. You held your own in most regards but Cheryl was always there when you least expected it and needed her most. You swear there were a halo atop that adorable shaggy blonde head of hers. And not one of those tacky event items either.

“Like I’d get anything any time of day with all the birds around here.” A tickling squeeze builds in your abdomen, branching up your neck to your cheeks which now had a telling pink glow.

“So you gonna talk to old lover boy yet or what?”

You jolt forward and whip around fast enough to make any killer miss a swing. Your response is unnecessary as she’s already smirking devilishly, aware of what she’s doing. She might have been your closest friend but that did not stop her from tormenting you, or anyone else that crossed her path. All in good fun and love, of course. It went without saying that you enjoyed it and she knew when it was, rarely, time to pack it up.

Raising her eyebrows, she leans back and throws her hands up. “I’m just saying, if you don’t, you might lose your chance. That’s all I’m saying,” quieter now.

You sighed. She was right. You weren’t the only one who took a liking to Leon. But, unlike you, Yun-Jin did not hide her feelings, from anyone for any reason, ever. Of course, everyone thought he was charismatic and most, undeniably handsome. That was common knowledge. You ran out of things to talk about in a place like this, and secrets were few and far between. There was no reason to hide here. This was your foreseeable future, together. There was no getting out, no changing things. Being open and sharing everything together made your day to day bearable. The connections you lost in your old lives left gaping holes, but together as one tightly knit, weird, fucked up family, you helped fill the voids. Some took longer than others to accept that fate, and there were some inevitable hiccups, but everyone came around eventually.

Anyone who wasn’t blind could see the attraction Yun-Jin had for the newest addition to your group. Placing her hands on him in conversation whenever she got the chance, laughing a little too hard at the things he said, biting her bottom lip and smiling at him when he talked. You’d even caught her pecking his cheek playfully here and there. He’d always smile and look away, as if it were a game. Leon always had a sultry attitude to him, a ladies' man no doubt. Subtly flirting with everyone was just commonplace for him. That was part of the reason you held back. Fearing you missed your chance and someone else had filled the role you longed to be in. Maybe it was your fear of rejection or abandonment, or not wanting to lose something this important in a world as cruel and bare this. You were subconsciously working hard to convince him you were only a friend. Which you were, definitely friends. Close even, given the circumstances. Trauma bonding does one hell of a number to the timeline of friendship. Still, you sensed zero difference in his behavior toward you versus the others. Which, admittedly, was quite the letdown. Nonetheless, you had nothing to lose by casually admitting your feelings for him. Keep it light and airy and there would be no reason for things to change on the chance he didn’t feel the same. After all, you surely weren’t the only one with a harmless little crush. That’s all it was. Right? So what if you constantly day-dream about him holding you so close he might consume you, kissing you with four times the passion the Notebook tried to capture, never leaving your side regardless of what the future held. His taste, his smell… what his cock would feel like ramming into your cervix. Your brain was one giant knot, constantly distracting you and there wasn’t a single thing you could do about it. Except tell him, but keep it simple.

By your calculations, it was November 18th. You’d been keeping track, not sure if it made things better or worse. Your third anniversary in this place was not far off. Despite being a literal nightmare, it had its perks. Your need for food was no more, as well as your other bodily needs. Sickness was a quickly forgotten annoyance of the past. You stayed in this eerily perfect state. Makeup never crusty, hair never oily and always smelling of your favorite fruit. The dirt and blood you’d acquire during trials magically disappeared upon return. You had a handful of outfits to rotate but there was no real need. Another upside, there were no severe temperatures here. Jackets, shorts, sandals, snow boots if you were Nea. You were always mostly comfortable. Even on Ormond where snow blanketed the ground, those gusts of wind should have sent chills right through you, but they didn’t. It felt like living in a dream or a, simulation. Just, where you’re hunted all day and night for the rest of your existence. At least death wasn’t permanent. Sometimes you’d wish it was, just to escape.

Several months have passed since Leon and Jill were introduced to your world. You had inside jokes and more close calls than you could both count. You were a damn good team and got along smoother than melted butter. What were you waiting for? You inhaled sharply and broke your stare out the window.

“I’m gonna do it.”

To no avail, your deep breaths failed to remedy the painful pounding in your chest, or the heat radiating from your face. Nevertheless, you marched out to the campfire to seek out Yun-Jin. As selfish as you wanted to be with Leon, she was your friend, and you held that in high regard. She was easy to spot in a crowd given her loud attire, but wasn’t around the fire. Which lead to your next realization; neither was Leon. Your throat tightened, heart still pounding. You set off a little too quickly to find her, or them. First stop was Ace’s shack. Judging based on appearances, you figured he would be one of the last people she associated with. Quite the opposite, they were dear friends. Not connected at the hip per se, like her and Claudette, but they related to one another's childhoods. Trauma bonding, can't beat it. To your dismay, the shack was empty, a seed of despair planting in your stomach. Maintaining the most convincing composure you could, you continue your search. Heading left down the line of shacks, robust laughter grows closer. You’d know that laugh anywhere. Cutting through the row, David and Felix are reclined under a tree. They were one of the few monogamous couples among you. The others being Nancy and Steve, and Adam and Zarina. You understood the allure of being romantically involved with more than one person, especially given your less-than-ideal situation, but it wasn’t for you.

“Hi y/n!” Felix shouted toward you.

Not wanting to stop and chat given your current objective, you flashed a cheeky smile and waved to them. Before they could get another word out, you dipped back behind the row of houses. Nerves getting the best of you, you parted your lips to breathe through your mouth. Every breath burned your lungs, realizing now all the times you brushed off your feelings have come back to haunt you. You should never have waited this long. At this point you would be more than willing, desperate, to share Leon. Refusing to let your anxiety get the best of you, you ball your fists and dig your nails into your palms to get a grip on yourself. There was one more place they could possibly be. A sliver of premature acceptance wedged itself into your train of thought as you trudged toward your own shack. Leon’s was adjacent to yours. Feeling foolish for not checking earlier, you round the corner to the opening. As much as you wish you could close your eyes, they were pinned open with anticipation. Looking up from your feet you were shocked to see an empty room before you. Relief and confusion replace your foreboding. Too much time had already been wasted, so you return to the campfire.

“Hey, have you seen Leon or Yun-Jin anywhere?” you, as calmly as possible, ask Élodie.

“They got pulled a little bit ago babe.” She was intently focused on Jane, her concentration not broken. “Which do you like more, up or down?” her gaze still fixated on Jane.

You have to either keep the courage you finally mustered until they get back or give yourself emotional whiplash by releasing until they do. You hesitate for a moment, but to hide your disappointment you quickly retort, “Up, definitely up. Gotta distract the killer with that beautiful face you know?”

“Like they're looking at her face and not that dumptruck ass!” Élodie howls. Jane facetiously puts her fingertips to her chin and looks upward, a façade of innocence no one here would ever buy. You can't help but giggle despite your inner turmoil.

“Well hey,” you add through chuckles, “when they're back can you please send her my way?”

“Sure thing babe,” Élodie assures, finally turning to meet your gaze.

A horrible nauseating mix of dismal, relieving, lewd thoughts of Leon swirl in your mind as you wait for Yun-Jin to step into the doorway. You knew you liked him but holy shit, where did this come from? The realization slapped you in the face. Try to blame infatuation all you want, not that you did, but it was so painfully evident now you were dumbfounded.

A soft knock jerked you out of your thoughts. “Hiya y/n, what's going on?”

Her delicate eyes effortlessly comforted you from across the room.

“I...” your eyes now glued to the floor beneath your feet, a reservoir of tears barely being held back, “I need to know how you feel about Leon.” Your nerves went haywire just uttering his name to her. An icy splash of chills surged from your head to your feet as your chest panged with dread.

“Well of course I like him,” her brow furrowed ever so slightly.

All that could escape your mouth was, “Oh.” Emptiness, despair replacing the jealous unease you felt before. Tears streamed down your cheeks uncontrollably, feelings that danced around menacingly finally coming to a head.

At the sight of your distress, she rushed to sit next to you. “Honey, what’s going on?” her voice barely above a whisper.

You were ashamed for breaking down in front of her, afraid of guilting her for something that was not her fault, and now terrified Leon might follow her here, only to find you undone over him. You jerk your head up to face her and blurt out, “Jinny I think I love him,” face sopping wet with untouched tears.

She raises her eyebrows and smiles at you. “Honey I have fun toying with him all in good nature but there’s no connection there.” Your heart thuds against your ribcage. “Sure, I’ll admit he’s attractive, who wouldn’t, but I have nowhere near the same feelings for him that you evidently do.” She uses both hands to cup your face and pushes as much wetness as she can aside with her thumbs. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? Not only to me but to him!” Despite being similar in age, she feels like a mother to you. Caring for a child, your own or not, will do that to you. That’s not a trait you lose over time.

“I’m so afraid,” you softly whimper, “of what he would say, what you would say.” You're picking at your cuticles, a habit you acquired during puberty as an outlet for your overwhelming feelings.

She wraps her arms around you, carefully as to not tarnish her jacket with tears, which would definitely stain the material. “I was just having a little fun, and from what I’ve gathered, he was more so allowing it than participating. You know I love you all to death but I’m not looking for anything like that, definitely not here.” She gives you a squeeze, and suddenly you can breathe again, the air around you no longer dense and difficult to swallow. “Honey, go get him.”

“Oh Jesus, let me fix myself a little first at least,” the sudden relief causing you to laugh involuntarily.

You were grateful disease and ailments didn’t exist outside of the trials, if they had you're sure you would've had an aneurysm from the stress you went through in a matter of an hour. Yun-Jin left you to your thoughts, which were now solely you and Leon together, doing anything and everything you could think of. The rest of the day you contemplated telling him, more so, how to. Thankfully you didn’t have any trials together, you were far too disorganized for that right now. “Tomorrow,” you promise yourself. Nothing like a clear head and a night’s rest to help you be your most collected, confident self.

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Silver Lining masterlist

[i-simp-for-gintoki]

Dressing up as Gojo and being caught

“ooh maybe gojo x reader headcanons where she sees his jacket and blindfold laying around so she dresses up as him but gets caught?” -anon

Thanks for the request! Sorry if reader seems a bit all over the place but i just had her act like i would when i impersonate someone lmao. There isn’t nearly enough gojo but oh well-

Also can yall tell im doing my best to make it feel like reader is in a relationship lately instead of just being close?? No? Thats fair

It was Saturday evening

While Gojo had spent the whole day treating his students around town

You decided you were going to stay and relax

He had yet to return home and you were just finishing up some laundry

Grabbing his dark blue(?) jacket from the pile of dry clothes you stare at it for a while

“I don’t think he’d mind if i wore it for a little bit” you said holding it out

Quickly lookin around, you giggled a bit as you slipped the jacket on

Of course it was too big for you

I mean he is 190cm tall

“What japanese man is 190cm? Thats so unfair. Is he Jotaro or something? Actually he wasn’t even fully japanese…” you mumble as you walked to the bathroom mirror

Staring at yourself in the mirror you laugh

Gosh you looked so goofy but it was really comfortable

It made you feel more giddy and childish

You had to roll up the sleeves so they didn’t cover your hands

“Oh I know-” you walk out of the bathroom and grab one of his extra blindfolds

“Now im really Satoru”

It was kinda big on you so you twisted one of the sides to tighten it

Lookin around it was a bit hard to see, it was like looking through your shirt

Dark, nothing is clear, but your aware of your surroundings and not completely blind

Hand going up to your hair you frowned

“How does he have his hair spike up like that??”

Shrugging you immediately do a handful of random poses

“Im Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer alive” you say lowering your voice a tad. “I’m a cocky bastard who knows im super handsome! I love nothing but myself and sweets, i guess n/n is alright” you say but end up laughing

“I used to wear bandages instead of a blindfold but it was too much of a hassle to always put back on, also i got a really embarrassing tan because i left it on for to long!” you laugh a bit more

“Today im going to annoy my y/n-chan and eat all her snacks” you say skipping to the kitchen

But let out an annoyed sigh when you see your snacks were already gone

“Don’t mind me, the lamer version of me has already eaten them!” you huffed

Standing up straight you forced a frown. “Woah, looks like its time to get serious”

You do a 360 and dramatically rip your blindfold off

“Unlimited void” you say crossing your fingers. Spinning around again you laugh but quickly continue

“Im Gojo Satoru and all my attacks are fuckin colors! Take this, imaginary purple!” you say doing a very dramatic pose

“Actually its Hollow Purple”

“Oh. My bad- Take this! Holl--WAAAAIT A SECOND”

Turning around so fast that you almost lost your balance, you saw your white haired boyfriend with a very large shit eating grin

“How long have you been here?!” you yell, face completely flushed in embarrassment

“I’ve just been standing here ever since you put the blindfold on, and you put on quite the show”

You hear a feint ding and look down at his hands

He had recorded the whole thing

You look at the floor feeling like you were going to pass out

“You saw all of it?”

“Aaaaall of it”

“This is embarrassing”

He takes one last burst photo before putting his phone away

“You know you look pretty good in my clothes, and your impression was almost perfect, like me. Hurt you think im that full of myself by the way.” he said tilting your head upwards

“I don’t think the world is ready for two Satoru’s” you laugh going to take the jacket off but he stops you

You raise a brow but he just smiles, bright blue eyes staring straight into yours

“Says who? I think it would be fun.” “two of you would be my nightmare” “rude”

He pulls you into a hug and rests his chin on top of your head

Its one of his favorite things to do

“Okay time for round two”

“Huh?”

He takes the blindfold off that was hanging around your neck and puts it on himself, and shoves his sunglasses onto your face

Almost poking your eyes out in the process

“Now you gotta be casual me. I’ll be judging you and if you don’t pass you don’t get any mochi i bought for you”

“Eh?? Thats not fair!”

“I think im being pretty fair” he says pecking your forehead before sitting on top of the couch

“Ready? Go!”

“H-Hey wait a second-!”

You didn’t get any mochi that night