#the rest of us tend to just have experiences and then we wake up and call them dreams

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

Anyone else find themselves compelled by a plot and commanded by a narrative when they dream? Like I'm forced to act out the dream even if I don't care in the slightest about the things I'm supposed to do in it even though I do have agency and self awareness I must fulfill the plot

[linksqueerawakening]

Miscellaneous LU Headcanons

Four doesn't cast a shadow. when questioned, they flatly state "it died" and refuse to elaborate. if pushed on the matter, they become more and more irritated, while still refusing to elaborate

Time always knows what time it is. you could wake him up in the middle of the night and before he's even fully opened his eyes he could tell you the time without having to even think about it

Hyrule has the most magic, but Legend knows the most magical theory, followed closely by Time

Warriors, Legend, and Four are the only members of the chain who are actually legit monarchists. like the others are pretty much neutral on the concept (tho Wild doesn't like how flora was treated with all the expectations and lack of freedom, but that's another matter entirely than being of the opinion that monarchy is inherently bad), they're fine with monarchy. they just don't have strong opinions one way or another, so long as the current holder of power isn't corrupt. meanwhile Four Legend and Warriors would probably fight you if you insinuated that hyrule's monarchy should be abolished

Legend and Fable are twins but it's a secret. and also due to Fable getting kidnapped and transformed in various worlds in some of their adventures, they're no longer the same age; Legend is 19, she's 16 or 17. they still look very similar so they used the excuse that they're cousins on their father's side

Legend used to want to be a knight very very badly when he grew up, because his uncle who raised him was a knight. the knights who were controlled and attacked him during Link to the Past were pretty much all trusted adults that he knew and admired. he stopped wanting to be a knight after that

Wild may be the best cook when they have good ingredients, but when the chain is down to the wire and they need to make every little bit count? Hyrules horrible concoctions are actually the best option. he can't make it taste good but he can make it keep you alive when there are no other options

Wind is the best at navigating without a map or compass due to his experiences on ships - he would rather have the tools, but he's pretty damn good at managing without

Four has a habit of referring to themselves with "we/us" pronouns ever since they were split and then reformed with the four sword. the other heroes don't know why, but sort of shrugged and started using "they/them" pronouns bc it seemed polite. Four is mostly unaware that they do this - green picked up on it but hasn't pointed it out to the rest of four bc he knows it'll make them stress, and it clearly hasn't caused any issues

Twilight is disarmingly charismatic but only when he's not trying. if he's talking to someone casually or even somewhat irritably, they tend to be completely taken by him, but if he's actively trying to be smooth it just comes across as awkward

Sky is the most mild mannered person you've ever met until you cross certain lines, at which point it's like a switch flips and he's so pissed that even the other heroes hesitate to deal with him

Discounting the hundred years in which Wild was unconscious, Warriors had the longest single adventure, with the war of eras lasting about 7 years. Legend's six adventures altogether may have lasted longer, but they were split up into multiple parts, not one long quest

Wild takes pictures of pretty much everything they can to show Flora whenever they're back home, because they know how much she wants to learn about the ancient past, like their species, their societies, and their magic

[mythrilthread]

My magnum opus, the jewel of my Binderary round-up, the result of four months of hard work (that is to say, a lot of force applied over distance), the project affectionately known as The Motherfuckers (because it was rather unclear if I was going to finish these books or if they were going to be the end of me).

Force over Distance by cleanwhiteroom. It is currently also on AO3.

I was first introduced to this incredible story by a dear friend, who first sold me on actually watching SGU, and then said that they remember this fic since like 2011, which is always a promising sign. I went digging and found out I was in luck - the story was being rewritten and reuploaded on the author's blog. The next two weeks are described by the same friend as "one of the scariest moments in our cohabitation" as I'd spent literally every waking moment injecting the story directly into my eyeballs, and let me tell you, I'd not been doing a lot of sleeping at that time.

Then I gathered up my courage and reached out to CWR re: my burning desire to bind this story. And the rest, well. Let's dig into it, shall we?

This was my first time typesetting 540k words. Considering I tend to prefer larger font sizes for increased legibility, it was immediately obvious that this was going to be a multivolume project. I settled on three, as it's the relationship between three individuals that forms the core of the story.

I also knew I wanted to keep the typeset in black and white, but play around with light and dark a lot. So I did. One of the first design idea I actually had was the way I wanted to handle projected speech. Mental link between Young, Rush and Destiny is THE most vital part of the story, and I wanted to make it immediatly obvious. I also wanted to be able to take one glance at the page and tell how much of the action is actually just two guys staring each other down :) Hence the blackout effect of thoughts being represented as light over darkness.

I also wanted to preserve as much of my reading experience as possible. So I saved all the chapter quotes/summaries in the TOC, and hid the chapter content warnings in the frame of the gate that marks the beginning of each chapter. For most of the chapter the warnings stay the same, so after a while you stop really noticing them, but then you open a new chapter and see that the familiar shape of the words has changed, and get this UH-OH feeling. Which, I think is very much how it works in my design, because when the warnings change there's usually another line of text added.

For flashbacks and dream sequences I switched from italics to a lighter shade of gray. I woudn't say it's more legible per say, but it's in keeping with the overall light/dark theme.

There are instances of people using handwritten notes in the story. I collected more than a dozen of assorted handwriting fonts, with each character having their own "handwriting". So when, for example, someone begins writing in someone else's hand, you immediately know it.

The most insane, labor-intensive part of the typeset, however, was the way I decided to handle the Ancient translations. CWR's gone through the trouble of setting up hover-to-discover for it, which gives you a very different reading experience than, say, having the translations in the endnotes. So, naturally, I said to myself that I want to replicate that, and footnotes just won't do the trick. So. Every instance of Ancient in the text has an underlay of light gray Ancient script. And an OVERLAY of paper vellum with the translation printed in blue. Now, not to toot my own horn too much, but if looks SICK AS FUCK. You also MAYBE SHOULD NOT LIVE LIKE THIS. For the two copies of this work I had to cut up 10 sheets of vellum into strips, and then spent from 20 minutes to an hour per volume tipping the strips in their proper places. I then had to wear kinetic tape on both my hands to help with the joint pain. (It was worth it.)

Now for the title spread. It is also paper vellum that you see as soon as you turn the first page (the half-title), and see it covering the title of the book and author's name. And then you turn it. And the shields sing the matter wave of Destiny through the black. And yeah, I think that's very, very clever of me, actually.

Then, of course, were the endpapers. All 12 of them are unique abstract paintings done on black cardstock by hand with brush pens and correction tape, I scanned a sample of each set for posterity. All of them are my interpretations of characters' midscapes. For volume 1 I went with the fire wind of Rush's thoughts. Volume 2 was for Young, and I went for the reverse blackout poetry effect (because for all the mental talking they do, the unprojected thoughts are opaque to their counterparts) and all the loops, hairpins and blocks he does. Volume 3 is for the combination - Rush's fire wind, changing its color to match the circuitry pattern of Destiny's AI.

The rest, in comparison, is easy. All volumes are stitched with 3 strands of embroidery floss, a combination of black, blue and silvery-gray. The French double-core endbands are sewn in the same color scheme (though with a different shade of blue and gray switched for white for added contrast). The edges are painted and splattered to look like space.

The covers feature my (signature at this point, I guess) half-cloth river pattern, with the base being dark blue linen and the printed parts being Spitzer telescope images of the W51 star forge, Jack-O'-Lantern Nebula and the Eagle Nebula (courtesy of NASA), waxed by hand for added sheen. The spines are foiled in silver with a foil quill.

Each set is 5 pound of solid hand-crafted book, with one set being my personal copy, and the other sent as a gift to the author.

And that's it, folks! This has been an incredible project to work on, and I'm very proud of what I achieved with it.

[psychelis-new]

pick a pile: "You are..." - Loving and encouraging words for you

take a breath and choose the photo or number that calls you the most to read some loving warm words about you. it's always nice to hear about our positive traits, right? here you can find yours and some encouraging words about your next steps/healing. keep going and take care of you! and also, be ready to let love in, you deserve it :)

don’t take the reading too seriously. only take what resonates with you and leave the rest. if you're not called by any pile, let this reading slid as it may not hold messages for you. if you're called by more than one pile, there may be messages in each of those piles. remember that is a general reading and some things may not resonate with you. energies can change and readings are based on present ones (as you read); you're always in charge of your life.

(photos found on unsplash)

- ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ -

1 2 3

- ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ -

pile 1

You are sunny, cheerful, bright and warm. You're also pretty welcoming and you like to hug people or generally enjoy physical displays of affection. I think people like to be around you, you basically cheer up everyone and "set the mood for the evening" (I just heard that, IDK). You have a lovely smile, everyone is in awe with it and you in general; maybe you also have a particular way to laugh? Like you maybe make a strange sound, and everyone is fond of it. They love to make you laugh honestly just to hear it. I feel like you take emotional care of others and you may feel like a sip of fresh water to many. You're extrovert (or at least seem so in specific context), confident and you know exactly what to do or say to make the day of the people you are in contact with. I think you may share smiles with people on the street and even help them if they need (eg. like if they drop something you may pick it up for them, especially for older people or you may leave your seat to them). I think you are very funny and smart, and like to joke a lot. Okay for some of you you may have changed after something happened and keep this sunny side of you a bit hidden (or maybe you occasionally fear being judged about it, or you have been), but honestly I think you only need to reconnect with it and let it flow from you. It's hurtful when some things happen but it's also something that... just happens in life, sadly (I'm not trying to invalidate your experience/pain, at all). We don't have to let those negative things change us so much, especially if we still feel that flame/desire inside. I mean... don't feel guilty for being happy, if that's what you feel. You can be happy no matter what happened. You have to be happy. Find new ways for that happiness to flow within but reach it "and let it rain" out of you. Enjoy it, let it be there and help you heal what hurt as well, if you need. You can find new happiness anytime. New reasons to be happy, too. This is also true for the few of you who tend to hide pain behind a smile, pretending it's all good. Toxic positivity won't solve it, as avoiding problems. Be more balanced (maybe you were called by pile 2 as well) and accepting of what is wrong: it doesn't mean you let it take over you (ask for help if it's too scary), it means you're not being blind to it but you're listening to it and trying to make it better (ofc you can wear a smile while you do that, you totally have to! Healing happens also with taking breaks to enjoy life and hobbies/passions...). You are such a beam of light for everyone, confront your problems (if there's any) and then keep on shining!

song: chicken noodle soup | j-hope; wake me up before you go go | wham! (I channeled the first song while doing your reading, anyway the mood for you is: jitterbug!)

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pile 2

You are strong, pure and very special. You stand out, and honestly you don't even have to do much to stand out. I think it's your energy: it also has something healing for those that comes near you, something comforting. You should be more confident in yourself: maybe you also doubt about your looks or how you may be seen/perceived by others but honestly you have/are nothing less than anyone else. You are caring and have a good heart; maybe you have buildt some walls around yourself out of past traumas, and this is blocking you a little when it comes to sharing with others or creating deeper relationships. It's okay take your time to work through those walls. You have beautiful eyes, and maybe you like to look at others in the eyes too? I think you are also sincere, honest and humble, at times also to a fault: please do stand up for yourself when you need, and set your boundaries. You may also be a bit too strict on you, especially when you make some type of mistakes or something? Maybe it's the fear I mentioned in the beginning of being perceived as you're not or in a bad way, or maybe... at times you may be scared of your thoughts somehow. It's not just the anxiety you may get from them and how they may make you spiral so you tend to stop them (it's okay to do this and distract your mind when you start feeling overwhelmed, but please come back to those thoughts when you feel calmer: to avoid thinking about a problem won't help you solve it at all, it will come back stronger. And please ask for help if you need), but there's also something else. Remind yourself usually the first thought is what we learned, our instinctive first reaction to a situation (usually comes up to "protect us") while the second thought we have is the one that comes from the heart, it really expresses what we think with a calmer and more balanced mind. I mean, eg. let's say someone says they got something you always wanted and this triggers you: your first reaction could also be being envious of them and feel not enough compared to them and potentially say or think something negative/feel resentful or angry, but if you stopped and thought about it again, you may just be really happy for this person and see yourself as on a different path: your time will come too. Be more kind with yourself, more patient: you're unlearning a negative mental pattern and that's not easy, it will take time and practice and lot of patience. You are so lovely you have no idea, please try to see and show that yourself too.

song: a little bit yours | jp saxe (indeed come back to your core self and show yourself love, and accept it too; closing chapters, changing and unlearning stuff is hard, but you can make it)

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pile 3

You are multilayered. You have lovely rosey cheeks, people may want to squeeze them lol. You are sweet and cute, you probably are also a little shy or maybe you feel anxious in social settings and you may end up blushing a lot. You may also be stubborn occasionally (not too bad tbh) and can be determined or at least you reach good results in job/school. I think you tend to hide a part of yourself though or find it hard to deal with it/not like it. There's something you fear showing or that you don't want others to see about you, probably your pain, probably something from your past that you keep inside (also cause you can't accept/understand it -it could be abuse for someone, I hope you are safe now). Maybe you're also "scared"... of being loved/seen for real (having your "mask removed"?) or feeling vulnerable... Your energy feels younger or maybe just unexperienced in some fields or situations (maybe you also feel uncomfortable in some situations or you felt so in the past and you avoided joining them so now you feel a little behind maybe: honestly, there's nothing bad in this. You're not behind, you just did what was better for you and you still have time to make more experiences. You have all the time you need and want). I think there's indeed something about time here, it could be you are nostalgic about something that now you are missing/lacking, maybe feelings you could experience in your childhood, or you want to delete something from your past, or it could be that you fear running out of time, as mentioned, as you want to experience many things still but maybe you are scared you won't make it or you don't know where to start from. Just take a break: the moment you'll feel more grounded, it will come to you. Focus on taking care of you and also do take naps if you need and can. If it's about your childhood, eg. if people taught you have to "grow up" or have dimmed you in any way (or you had to, in order to gain their approval), remember you don't really have to forget about your inner child nor to be someone you're not. You can be an adult and still be in touch with your inner child. It's not that one thing excludes the other. And you can be yourself without any fear (it's hard to believe it but you won't be pushed away by everyone if you aren't as they wish). Maybe your inner child now really needs you to be closer to them, they need your appreciation and support, probably also after something you had to go through in your past: your inner child totally did great back then with all they had. Hug them and show them love. I think some of you may also love to work or be around children or pets as they may help you feel more in touch with your own inner child and more grounded. Again, be attentive to your needs, and meet them: maybe you were *unwillingly* taught you don't deserve that much (you had to accept crumbles in relationships) but it's not so, you deserve the moon: remember this. You're already perfect, there's nothing about you in your past or present that you need to fix, my love. Heal your fears about being yourself, receiving (love in particular) and don't run away from it, don't run away from yourself: you'll get all you wish for. Give it and yourself time. And, if you need this: it wasn't your fault, you were not responsible for that event/decision for which you feel like you were (and maybe you didn't even had to take). Whatever it was. You were trying to win the approval of someone who couldn't love you as you wished. Build boundaries around people (adults) and remember you are not responsible for them and what they do/their mistakes: you're not here to save them from anything. You have your own self and life to care about now.

song: heart attack | demi lovato

[farfromstrange]

Sub!matt idea. Sensory deprivation.

It can be common as a way of control, heighten the experiance or even to help calm and sooth to blindfold your partner and make them rely on other senses. But for Matt he already has this to the extreme which can be distracting able to hear three blocks away when all he wants to focus on is you his world in this moment.

After a day of honestly tiring input he just asks for you to take over he somtimes does that wanting someone else to control him for a while and he trusts you. And trusts you enough to fuck you with his hearing either gone or reduced only able to feel, smell and taste you which is more then enough. Esspecially when you focus on the touch lavishing his body with sensory your hands never off him roaming, soothing holding. Your lips almost always on him kissing, sucking biting anything to elicit the sweet groans of him. He keeps a hand on your chest or throat not controlling but to be able to sense your rumbling groans and soft sighs feel the uptick in your heart rate as he focuses on you and only you

I am SO sorry that this took so long! And when I finally started writing it, I got carried away, so it took me two whole days to finish. But I wanted it to be good enough after I left you hanging.

On that note, your smutty thoughts make me feral!! Not gonna lie, I sat in my lecture the other day and I couldn't stop thinking about this, which is why this turned out to be over 4k words. On this page, we celebrate sub!Matt and all that comes with him!

Thank you so much for your request, and I hope I could do it justice <3

Sensory Deprivation | Matt Murdock x afab!Reader

Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x afab!Reader

Summary: The world tends to get a bit loud, but thankfully, you're there to help Matt focus.

Warnings: SMUT (18+ MINORS DNI), sub!Matt, use of "good boy", oral m!receiving, swallowing, use of earplugs (sensory deprivation), Matt's catholic guilt, slight blasphemy, (almost) coming untouched, mention & use of safe word/action

Word Count: 4.4k

A/n: I'm so horny for this man, I can't function. Also, even though I did proofread this, I'm not sure if I missed any mistakes. My brain doesn't function as well as it used to. I'm sorry in advance.

More than anyone in this world, Matt believes he has to function, always, and without exceptions. He believes that he has to be useful, always doing something and never resting. His heightened senses make it impossible for him to turn his back on even the most minuscule cases of injustice, and he still beats himself up time and time again because he can’t be everywhere at once. He hears everything, smells everything, and feels the despair in the air, but in the end, he can’t take on the weight of the world all by himself. 

Ever since he met you, you have become his reprieve. You’re the haven he returns home to when everything gets just a little too much. When his senses are flooded and his heart is heavy. He crawls to you when he’s wounded, and he would crawl to you if he only had a few more minutes to live. You’re the first person he thinks of when he wakes up, and the last person he thinks of when he goes to sleep at night, preferably holding you in his arms to make sure that you won’t slip away from him. In you, he has found someone who would never judge him for who he is. Someone who will always stand by his side proudly, and someone who will hold him when he’s at his weakest. And he has been hanging off the edge of his breaking point for quite some time, holding on for dear life.

You can tell Matt must have had an awful day from the second the key turns in the lock to your shared apartment. His feet drag over the wooden floorboards as he makes his way inside. You look up from your book. 

Matt takes a deep breath, dropping his bag by the door. His shoulders are tense. He folds his cane, places it aside, and removes the red glasses you’ve grown to love—but you don’t nearly love them as much as his beautiful brown eyes, the green specks so distinctive, you could recognize them anywhere.

“Rough day?” you ask. 

He opens the first button of his dress shirt with shaky fingers. “Yeah. I don’t wanna talk about it,” he says. 

He hasn’t said hi to you like he usually would. Tonight seems to be one of those nights again. You know Matt well enough to pick up on the subtle clues in his behavior. He’s overwhelmed, possibly even anxious, and the weight he always carries on his shoulders is threatening to crush him. He’s walking a very thin tightrope, and he’s about to fall off. 

You place your book on the coffee table and straighten up. He rounds the couch you’re sitting on, his unfocused eyes searching for you. Your heartbeat resonates in his ears. Your breathing is regular. You’re calm. You’re his rock. You won’t let him drown, no matter how strong the current is that is dragging him down. 

Raising your eyebrows, you look up at him when he stops right in front of you. “No hello kiss?” you dare to ask. It’s a soft question, a little teasing, but he knows you mean well. 

Matt shakes his head. As soon as he breathes you in, he’s done for. His brain cells fry on the electric chair of his mind. His heart starts beating up to his throat. You’re so close yet so far away. You smell incredible; you must have showered after work, and then you sat down with your favorite tea and read your favorite book while waiting for him so you could have dinner together. You’re so considerate, you even used his scentless soap so all he would be able to smell is your natural scent. You consume him. The city moves into the background, and the bricks are about to fall off his shoulders. He’s close to collapsing, falling on his knees and begging you to take control to just make him forget, but he isn’t quite there yet.

A car honks in the distance. The night is calling for him. His hand clenches into a fist at his side while the other rests flat against his thigh. 

You slowly rise from your position. “Matthew,” you breathe his name like a siren. “What do you need?”

He sniffs. His fingers twitch. He has to go out, but he can’t. You envelop him in a bubble, and it makes him feel like he isn’t alone. Like he isn’t trapped. Like he can finally let go after holding on for so long. 

“Talk to me,” you say. 

His tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip. “There was so much noise,” Matt whispers back. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t focus. I’m trying to stay in control, but I can’t focus, and—” He breaks off into a shaky sigh. 

You chase his eyes; they’re glossed over. You reach out to tilt his chin in your direction. His eyes flutter closed. A stray tear slips down his cheek. It’s a tear stemming from months of exhaustion, physical pain, and emotional turmoil. He tried to push through, but he’s arrived at a point of no return. He’s breaking, and you’re the only one capable of catching him. 

After another deep breath, Matt’s eyes open again. “You’re here,” his voice is still barely above a whisper, but the smile that starts to grow on his lips speaks the language of relief. 

“I’m always here,” you answer. 

“You keep me sane.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been distant.”

“I also know that, but it doesn’t matter. I know how hard it is for you. If you need to be distant for a while and then blow off some steam, I’m okay with it.”

He shudders when your fingers brush his cheek. The faint bruise underneath his eye has turned green. You trace the injury with gentle fingertips. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” he says. 

You smile back at him, knowing he can feel it, and you guide him toward your face. “You exist,” you tell him. “That’s enough for you to deserve me.”

His nose brushes against yours, but before his lips can meet yours, he stops. He inhales your scent. He feels your pulse under his fingers from where he’s wrapped them around your wrist. Your skin feels so soft against his. He’s no longer on fire. The world is no longer on fire. He can let go. He wants to know that it’s okay to let go, but the voice in his head is telling him to stop. The crossroads he finds himself at won’t let him leave in the direction he wants to go. 

You can feel his inner turmoil. He’s holding back. He always does so. You’ve been together for what feels like forever, and he still doesn’t know how to ask for what he wants. What he needs. What he deserves. You told him to be primal when he needs to be. You told him to admit when you need to take over. He never does it out of his own free will. He waits until you force him into submission. 

Tonight should be the night he finally tells you. Matt needs to learn that his needs matter just as much as yours. His catholicism can go to hell for all you care. 

“I need—” He swallows. “I-I need t—”

“Go ahead,” you urge him. 

“Ugh,” the sound resembles a broken growl. And then, the barriers finally break. “I need you to take over,” he begs. “I need you to help me breathe again, sweetheart. Please. I need you.”

God, he sounds so wrecked. 

“You want me to take control?” you ask to clarify. 

He nods. “Yes.”

“Okay. Good boy. I can do that.”

Matt’s lips part in a weak whimper in response to your praise. Calling him a ‘good boy’ always has the same welcome effect. You don’t even have to look down to know that his cock is slowly swelling in his slacks. 

All the blood has rushed from his head and his beautiful rosy, stubbly cheeks to his groin. It doesn’t take much to turn him on, especially not in his current state—especially not if it’s you.

Hearing him admit that he needs you like this makes you feel a myriad of emotions. You want to take care of him, you want to love him, and you want to give him a moment of peace amongst the constant chaos, but there is also something so arousingly erotic about the way he begs for you to take control that makes your thighs clench. 

Often enough, he is the one taking care of you. Matt is a giver, not a taker. He always puts you first, but on some days, he just can’t bear it anymore. And you couldn’t possibly ask him to take charge in bed in his current state. It would break him. He’s a vulnerable man, whether he likes to admit it or not, and he can be as fragile as an ancient vase. You have to handle him with care on those days, which is all you intend to do as you guide him to your shared bedroom. 

You gently urge him to sit down on the bed. “Do you trust me?” you ask. 

His unfocused eyes flick from one side to the other. “Always,” he breathes out. 

“Good. Lie back for me. I’m going to take such good care of you, I promise.”

He would never doubt that. 

You climb into his lap, and finally, you kiss him. His lips part slightly in a desperate groan. Before he can slide his tongue into your mouth though, you pull away. His grabby hands are already resting on your hips, wandering, and wandering, and…

“Nuh-uh,” you tell him, taking hold of his calloused fingers and placing them on your upper thighs. “Patience, baby.”

“Please,” Matt begs. You love it when he begs. He’s completely putty in your hands. You could tell him to get on his knees and pray, and he would, no matter how blasphemous it may be. 

He’s holding onto you for dear life. You place his hand against the left side of your chest, allowing him to feel your heartbeat. He isn’t leaving you cold. He never does. Alone the sight of him is enough to make your thighs clench with need, but straddling him, you can’t get the friction you need. 

You reach for the nightstand to your right, opening the drawer. You know exactly what he needs. “Turn your head for me,” you murmur. 

Matt follows your instructions without questioning them. Finally finding what you were looking for, you retrieve the earplugs from the bedside drawer. This isn’t the first time you have used them on him, or he has used them on you. The specific brand renders you almost entirely deaf and renders Matt’s enhanced hearing almost to an entirely normal level.

You gently put the first plug into his left ear, then the other into his right. Before you push it in though, you ask, “Do you remember our safeword?” 

He nods. “Red,” he says. 

“Good boy. And when you can’t speak?”

“Tap your wrist three times.” His lips curl up into a weak smile. “Usually, I’m the one asking you that.” 

“Not tonight, you aren’t. May I put this in now?” You tap the earplug.

He nods again. It’s all the confirmation you need before inserting it, reducing his hearing completely. He lets out a sigh of relief. He closes his eyes, and you know he’s trying not to cry. 

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” you ask, cradling his cheek. His stubble scratches your fingertips, but it’s a welcome pain. 

He can still hear what you’re saying, feel the vibrations in your chest from where his hand is resting, and he smells you so much clearer now that he no longer has to listen to the city screaming at him in the background. Your arousal gets stuck to the tiny hairs in his nose, and he inhales sharply. Every nerve in his body is on fire. 

Matt moans. His tongue darts out, tasting the air. For a moment, he forgets that you just asked for his consent. Everything is so much more intense, yet it isn’t nearly enough. 

“Matthew,” you nudge him. “Talk to me.”

“Yes,” he whispers. At least he thinks he’s whispering. 

You smile, seemingly satisfied with his answer, and then you lean down to kiss him again. This time, you let him push his tongue into your mouth, tasting you, feeling you, and consuming all of you. He wants every ounce of you ingrained in his mind forever. 

His hands slide under your shirt, feeling the warmth of your skin. His focus is on you entirely. You help him take the pesky piece of fabric off, followed by his own. He’s suddenly so hot. 

Your teeth clash when you kiss. His cock is hard as a rock, pressing against his lower abdomen. You can feel it between your thighs. It must be painful for him. 

His kisses trail from your mouth, down your neck. He tastes the salt on your skin. Your pulse jumps as he drags his tongue over the vein. It’s a primal need. He needs to mark you. He needs to taste you, all of you, and make you his for all the world to see. An animalistic growl escapes his lips. His teeth dig into your skin. He nibbles just enough to make you moan, your chest vibrating underneath his hand. Matt doesn’t even hesitate to grab a handful of your breast, tugging at your sensitive nipple until it’s stiff enough to rival his aching cock. 

You throw your head back, your jaw slack, and he uses the newfound space to kiss down to your collarbone. You’re going to be purple and bruised tomorrow, but you don’t care. 

With a demanding grip on his hair that pulls at his scalp and causes him to groan against your shoulder, you push his head toward your chest. He isn’t in control, you are, and you know how much he loves to please you. 

Like a man starving, he sucks your nipple into his mouth. No, it’s not just your nipple. He takes as much as he can into his mouth, his teeth grazing the sensitive nub only momentarily before he moves on to the rest of your silky skin. 

You moan. You have to let him know that you’re enjoying yourself. He feels the sound deep within your chest from where his hand is resting, and the way your breast moves slightly when you moan. Matt only becomes more eager when he feels and smells what he’s doing to you. 

The scent of you is addicting. Your arousal smells slightly sour, sometimes slightly metallic, but most of all, it is you. And when he tastes your essence on the tip of his tongue without even licking at your slick folds because you are simply that wet, it makes him feral with this insanely primal need to have you. 

He wants to spread you out before him and taste you until you’re coming all over his face. Though today, he is too weak to keep you restrained to the mattress. Matt takes what he can get, what you are willing to give him, and he does so eagerly, like the good boy that he wants to be for you. 

With the world silenced, he can focus on you. The way your heart is hammering against your ribcage, right against his palm. The way your chest heaves with every labored breath you take as he sucks and sucks at your breast until your nipple is beyond swollen. He can feel how smooth your skin is, smell the remnants of your body lotion that he sometimes steals so he can smell you everywhere he goes, and the slight sheen of sweat that has started to cover your body from head to toe. And he can smell your arousal so thick in the air, his cock jumps at the mere thought of sinking into your tight walls—of being completely consumed by you, body and soul. He doesn’t need to hear right now, all he needs to do is feel you. 

You know about his desperate urge to please. You know that, even while you’re in charge, he wants nothing more than to make you feel good. Matt is anything but selfish. But his selflessness doesn’t have a place in this bedroom tonight. 

As crazy as his mouth on your breasts is driving you into an oblivion of pure ecstasy, your walls clenching around nothing, you find it in yourself to pull him away. 

With his eyes hooded, he looks so delicious. His cock is still straining against his lower abdomen in his underwear. When you pull him away, his expression reads offense. You can’t help but snicker. 

“Did you think I’d let you make this about me?” you say just loud enough for the sound to reach through the earplugs. 

He exhales. “I was praying,” he says. 

Praying. He is too far gone to realize. There are sides to Matt Murdock you love more than others, and when he becomes blasphemous, it does things to you. This good catholic boy turns into mush when you just touch him, and then you are his God. You’re who he wants to worship, and he would pray to you, worship at the altar of your body, and drink your essence like holy water if it meant being all over you and inside of you. And you take your position very seriously. 

He trusts you. That is not a small feat. He trusts you with his body and soul, and he trusts you with the most vulnerable parts of him, be it in bed or merely a hug after a bad day. You know what he needs, and he trusts you to take care of him. He wouldn’t let just anyone do what you do to him.

“What were you praying for?” you ask him. 

“You,” he whispers. 

“You can have me, but first… focus.”

He told you he was losing focus because the world was far too late, so with the noise reduced, you will help him focus on something other than the world out there. 

“Feel that?” You kiss his mouth, and from there, you move down to his stubbly jaw. “Focus on that. Focus on me.”

Matt sucks in another sharp breath. While one hand still rests on your chest, the other comes to rest around your neck, feeling your pulse, feeling you, and his eyes flutter closed at the feeling of your luscious lips all over him. 

Your kisses trail down his neck. You pay close attention to the sensitive spot behind his ear. He moans. His hips buck upward. He’s so painfully hard, his cock has already started leaking pre-cum into his boxers. 

Each scar, each indentation on his skin that reminds you of all the good he does at the expense of his health, you kiss. You trace your tongue over the healed wounds, feeling the warmth of his skin seep into yours. He’s so sensitive. 

His fingers involuntarily clench around your neck, but you don’t mind. He’s not choking you, he’s simply trying to hold on. You have established a safe word for a reason, after all. He can get carried away the same way you can get carried away.

You wouldn’t dare push him too far though. Not tonight. Not when he’s already this wrecked underneath you. You purposefully leave his nipples out of the equation and move further down his body. His abs tense under your tender touch. You can’t help but smile. 

And him? Matt feels like he’s floating. He can feel every kiss against his heated skin, your fingertips tracing his scars after you’ve so sensually pressed your mouth against them, and he can feel your every breath as you move downward. Every kiss leaves a series of shivers in its wake. He’s hot, yet he’s cold. He needs more, but at the same time, you are already close to driving him into overstimulation. 

His balls tighten. He can’t believe that the feeling of you is enough to make him want to explode. He knows that if you touch his cock now, he might as well come right then and there. It’s so much more intense like this when he doesn’t get distracted by the world outside. You are his world, and you are all he focuses on. 

You move further down until you reach his boxers. His arm is no longer long enough to keep his hand around your neck, so he moves it into your hair. It’s a silent warning, you suppose because he is close. You only kissed him, and he’s already so close to coming undone. You don’t blame him. He’s been so tense lately. 

You press a kiss to his hip bone before murmuring against his milky skin, “It’s okay.”

Matt whimpers. Your words make their way into his bloodstream. 

You pull his boxers down. The cold air hits his aching tip and the way his back arches makes you almost feel bad. You spit into your hand, but you make sure your palm is warm enough before you reach for his girth. 

The moment you touch him, he’s done for. “Sweetheart, I can’t–” he chokes out, but you shush him by placing your lips against his tip. 

You lick at the salty pre-cum. It tastes like him. You can’t deny that you missed this while he was so distant from you. This is as much for you as it is for him, that is something you can’t deny either. You’re a little selfish tonight. Just a little. 

His words of protest get swallowed by a needy moan, and his fist tightens in your hair. He’s not going to last long. 

Matt is not one to come early. The guilt swallows him faster than you can swallow his cum, which is why he always holds himself back. Tonight though, you won’t let him torture himself for your pleasure. You hate it when he does it. 

“Ugh!” the moan comes from the depths of his chest. “Fucking–God!”

You take him into your throat as far as you can without gagging, and what you can’t take, you wrap your hand around. He’s so thick, and he’s so incredibly big—you can feel the tears forming in your eyes. But God, he is so beautiful with his head thrown back, brown eyes squeezed shut, and that little drop of sweat dripping down his temple. It’s lewd, it’s erotic, and it makes your thighs clench. 

All of his reservations vanish when you take him all in. Your throat is tight, but you’re enthusiastic. Your tongue traces the vein on the underside of his cock, moving back up to the overly sensitive head. Your hands cup his balls. Every time you go down on him, Matt swears he can feel heaven reaching its hand out to him.

He grips your hair a little tighter, his other hand tangling in the sheets. He’s so close. He twitches, painfully so. And when he comes, he instinctively pulls your head upward so you won’t choke. His hot cum spurts down your throat, and you have no choice but to swallow. 

You surprise both yourself and him when you fight against his hand and force yourself down far enough so that your nose brushes the base of his cock, and you gag. 

Your throat is so tight and hot that it drags his orgasm on for eternity. He can hear his blood rushing in his ears. His heart is racing out of his chest as if it has somewhere to be. The fire ripples through him, the inferno turning into a dangerous explosion that tears his nerves apart, putting them back together just to tear them apart again. He feels as though the skin is falling off his very fragile bones, and his muscles collapse in on themselves. 

Matt can’t breathe. When he finally manages to untangle his hands from your hair, he lies there. The blood in his ears is obnoxious. He can’t hear. He can’t see. And suddenly, he can’t even feel anymore. He doesn’t exist. Reality slips away into a moment in time. Now, he’s dying. It feels like he is dying. 

You pull off his cock, catching your breath. His cum trickles down the corner of your mouth. You wipe it away. Pressing a kiss to his hip bone, you look up through your lashes. At first, he looks blissed out, but his expression quickly changes. 

He can’t talk. You take his hand. “Matt,” you coax him. 

Not even his chest is lifting in time to accommodate his heavy breathing. His body is shaking as every ounce of stress falls off his shoulders, and his nerves fall victim to the inferno that is still wreaking havoc inside of him.

He taps your wrist three times. 

“Okay,” you murmur. You quickly climb back up his body. 

“Out,” he manages to tell you, weakly pointing to the earplugs. 

“Okay, baby. I’ve got you. Just breathe.”

You pull the earplugs out as fast as you can. Matt’s arms wrap around you, searching for a lifeline, and he pulls you against him.

“Shhh.” You cradle his head in the crook of your neck. 

You hold him like this for a while. You hold him against you tightly, gently, as if he is the most fragile thing you have ever held. 

Eventually, his breathing returns to normal. His heart starts to slow down. His fingertips no longer dig into your back as desperately as they have before. He’s just content now. 

You press your lips to the crown of his head. “You okay?” you dare to ask. 

Matt takes a moment before he nods. He leans back slightly. “Thank you,” he breathes. 

“For what?”

His lips curl into a tired yet satisfied smile. “For helping me focus.”

You smile back at him. “My pleasure,” you say, and you lean down to capture his lips in a loving kiss. 

“I love you,” he murmurs into the kiss.

“And I love you, Matthew Michael Murdock.”

“Oh, you love me that much, huh?”

You giggle, “Shut up!” before you pull him in for another kiss. 

For now, he needs to catch his breath and pick up the pieces you shattered by giving him this orgasm, but you know that once he does, it is going to be a long night for you. And you won’t be able to find it in yourself to complain. Not that you want to, anyway.

Matt Murdock Smut Tag List: @acharliecoxedfan @gpenguin666 @linamarr @mcugeekposts @itwasthereaminuteago @mattkinsella @norestfortheshelbywicked @yarrystyleeza @littlenerdyravenclaw @etanordoesbullsh1t @thychuvaluswife @harleycao @schneeflocky @imjustcal @pipsqueakkitten @merlinbtch @sya-skies @amberritonicole @ravenclaw617

[zerobaselove]

zb1 as romance tropes / dynamics ♡

pairing: zb1 x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none! lowercase intended, not proofread

notes: since i have already written one of these in full (childhood best friend!matthew) i might turn this into a full fledged series ? if you guys would be interested, that is! (yes the matthew one is pulled right from my oneshot </3 it's just too cute)

members under the cut!

jiwoong ;

best friend's older brother

"can you go ask my brother if he knows where the measuring cups are?" your best friend gyuvin asked, sifting through drawers to find the other items needed for your cake in the meantime. "i- i guess so." you managed to stutter out before heading up to the room at the end of the hallway, jiwoong's room.

you hated to admit it, especially knowing how many people swooned over your best friend's brother, but the longer time went on the more you felt yourself developing what you could only consider a crush on the boy; completely against your own will. it wouldn't have gotten this bad had you been able to avoid him, but when his younger brother is your best friend and you practically live at their house, he tends to be apart of your days more often than you know what to do with.

knocking lightly on the door you wait a moment, hearing some shuffling before the door opened. "what do you wa- oh." he paused, door ajar as he tried to hide the surprise on his face, "sorry y/n i thought you were gyuvin, what's up!" his tone and expression softened in tandem. you took a moment to respond, too busy staring at his messy hair and the way his collarbone peaked through his loose t-shirt.

"oh uh, we just needed to know where the measuring cups were." an awkward laugh left your mouth as you realized how silly the inquiry was, but thankfully you were met with a gentle smile as he shut the door behind him, "i'm not too sure, let's go look together."

zhang hao ;

cute exchange student

it had only been a few weeks since the new exchange student had moved in next door; the family having sent their daughter off to go study in china for a semester, getting an exchange student of their own in return. but the two of you were attached at the hip. you weren't really sure how it happened, one moment you were coming over to drop something off for your mom, the next you were being introduced to the boy, zhang hao, and suddenly you two spent every waking moment together.

you liked to think of yourself as a good influence; helping him better his english, showing him around your town, cooking him your favorite recipes that he may not have tried. all while you were getting the same experience in return from him, which was wonderful for you, but one thing you weren't expecting him to show you was what it felt like to fall for your new best friend.

"y/n?" he waved a hand in front of your face, pulling you from your thoughts of the boy himself, "are you okay? you look," he paused for a moment, trying to think of the word he wanted to use, "lost?" his tone raised, not sure of his choice, causing you to smile, "like, lost in thought?" you watched his smile light up, recognizing the phrase he was going for, "that's the one! you look lost in thought, are you okay?"

his sweet voice mixed with his endearing mannerisms was enough to have your head spinning, "i'm alright hao, just thinking about nonsense." his hand found it's way to rest over yours, "well you can always think out loud to me, i'll listen."

hanbin ;

campus crush

it shouldn't surprise you that the boy everyone on campus had a crush on was as cute and nice as he was, but you couldn't help but let your mouth run dry as he sat next to you and sparked up a conversation on the first day of your creative writing class. you hadn't managed to be in his presence until now, living vicariously through stories spread on campus; good deeds he had done for people, places he volunteered, even being the designated driver for his friends during parties. but god, you were starting to get what other people saw in him.

"you know," he smiled, his eyes lighting up so soon into your conversation, "i'm on the dance team, you should come watch us sometime!" you couldn't help but mirror his expression as you tried not to dwell on the way your heart sped up.

"i'd love to!" just when you thought he couldn't get cuter, his smile widened as his eyes shut slightly, before running a hand through his hair while he grabbed his phone. sliding his phone across the desk, open to his contacts page. "if you want you can put your number in and i can text you the details." you quickly nodded, inputting your number along with your name and the class code, just in case.

he giggled seeing the small detail, "d'you really think i wouldn't remember my new friend?" the comment left you a flushed mess, not knowing what to say. before you could say anything he continued, "don't worry, i think it's cute." god, you were screwed.

matthew ;

childhood best friend

"your turn to open your gift."

you hesitantly grabbed the box off of your bed, not having any clue what it could be. tearing through the messily strewn together paper and tape, you were met with a box, looking to matthew in curiosity only for him to urge you to continue. when you took the lid off, the sides of the box collapsed, revealing pictures of you from when you were kids up until graduation on layers of colorful paper and stickers. in the middle of it all was another, smaller box. lifting the lid off you revealed a cute charm of your favorite character attached to a keychain of a spotify code.

"it's a playlist i made for you," he couldn't contain the smile on his face at your excitement over the gift. "plus it's on a keychain so even when we are busy, you'll always have something to remind you of me with you." you couldn't help the tears pooling at your eyes, or the words threatening to spill. "god, i love you." you breathed out, your stomach doing flips at the confession.

"i love you too y/n." he smiled, a little taken aback by the confession as it wasn't something you two said lightly. you sighed, "no matthew, i love you. more than i should as your best friend." it took him a moment to realize what you were implying but once he connected the dots, it hit him like a truck, pulling you in for a hug as he picked you up off the floor.

you let out a giggle at the sudden action, not even thinking about what it could mean until he set you down and you noticed the way his cheeks had flushed a deep crimson red. "i'll say it again, i love you too y/n."

taerae ;

pretty boy with the pretty voice

your walks to work were typically uneventful, only choosing to do so over taking public transport for the exercise; until recently. like clockwork, every day, there had been a boy busking on the street you walked every afternoon, and his voice, well it was beautiful. you didn't even know the boy but somehow you felt his emotions through his voice.

you had started leaving for work earlier than usual, giving yourself a few extra minutes to sit and listen to the boy, who you had learnt was named taerae. with the extra time there, you two had begun to chat between songs, learning about each other and even getting to request songs sometimes. you'd always make sure to leave some tips in his guitar case before heading off to work, telling yourself you were just being supportive. but what you hadn't realized fully was just how smitten you had become with this taerae character.

"hey y/n!" he beamed, seeing you walk in his direction, just like every day, "hi taerae! how's it been going today?" you inquired, crouching next to him as your gaze wandered between the guitar and the boy. "same as usual, better now that you're here though!" you simply laughed, "i haven't even left you anything yet,"

"i know! i just like having you here." his voice trailed off for a moment before snapping back to reality, "any requests today?" you pondered for a moment, "play me your favorite song."

ricky ;

arranged relationship

"it'd be good for both companies darling," your father tried to be kind, knowing that this wasn't exactly how you were expecting your first relationship to go. "and he's very nice," your mother smiled at you, "and very handsome, i think you'll like him." you supposed it wouldn't do you any good to sulk over it, it wasn't just happening to you after all, so you cracked a small smile to ease your parents worries.

you didn't know much about ricky, if you were remembering his name correctly; just that he was the son of your parent's business friends, and was supposedly a candidate to be your boyfriend? the word seemed foreign to you, but you didn't have much time to dwell on it as a tall boy with blond hair walked into the lobby where you were waiting. "you must be y/n," he smiled, his voice soft; a strong contrast to his charismatic and intimidating looks.

"so you're ricky," you couldn't help but feel more relaxed already, "i've heard lots about you." he flushed a little at your words, his hand coming to the back of his neck, "good things i'd hope." you let out a small laugh, nodding your head, "nothing bad i promise."

the two of you talked for a while longer in the lobby, the awkward atmosphere slowly disappearing as the two of you realized just how much you had in common. maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

gyuvin ;

opposites attract

"hey y/n!" your best friend's booming voice could be heard from miles away, making the 20 feet between you seem like nothing. there he was, standing with a few of his friends, and you were a little overwhelmed to say the least.

the two of you couldn't be more different at times; his loud and outgoing personality was a stark contrast to your quiet and shy demeanor, but somehow you two got along better than anyone else. but you did still have a bit of a problem with his group of friends; they all seemed nice, that wasn't the problem, they were just all bubbly like gyuvin, and you didn't know how to handle that.

you gave a shy smile as you walked up to the group of boys, "hi gyuvin," you gave the other boys and small nod and wave, getting a bunch of greetings in return, "guys chill," gyuvin laughed, reaching his hand out to quiet his friends. "sorry about them, do you wanna get out of here?"

"what about you guys? don't you have plans?"

"yeah gyuvin hyung, don't we have plans?" the tall boy you were pretty sure was named gunwook, spoke up. "they'll be fine without me." gyuvin getting a few overly dramatic gasps from his friends, smacking them on the shoulder. your heart couldn't stop speeding up at the way he was willing to drop everything for you, but you tried to ignore it. "have fun with your little partner~" well, you couldn't ignore that.

gunwook ;

friendly rivals

"i didn't mean to overstep," the new boy, gunwook breathed out, "they just had asked for help and i didn't want to get off on the wrong foot by saying no." you smiled lightly at the boy, leaning your head against the mirrored dance practice wall, taking a sip of your water. "it's okay gunwook, it's my fault they don't see me as a better leader."

he turned to you, shaking his head feverishly, "no no no, listen. i know i haven't been here long but you seem to be an amazing leader," he patted you on the leg reassuringly, leaving you to smile at the boy. "thanks," your voice trailed off, your brain swirling with thoughts of critiques from your team.

it was time for your dance team to vote for a new leader as the new school year had turned over, and you were in danger of being overthrown by the new boy that everyone seemed to love, and you weren't handling it well; especially not when he's as cute and lovely as he is.

"i guess i'll just have to prove that i'm better for the role than you." a smug expression pasted on your face, you turned to the boy with a laugh, lightening the atmosphere. he returned with a wide gummy smile and a small giggle, "oh it's on y/n."

yujin ;

first crush / love

you suppose you were late to the game when it came to feelings, never having really experienced any until now; until you found yourself wanting to be the reason the boy in your class smiled. you and yujin weren't close, but you weren't strangers either. you had some mutual best friends, and had hung out all together a few times, but as soon as you weren't around your friends, it was like you didn't know each other. and you hated it.

"hi y/n," the voice pulled you from your thoughts, looking up from your desk to see yujin standing there, and for a moment you thought you were hallucinating. "oh, hey yujin," your voice trailed off a little, "what's up?" he leaned against your desk, gesturing to the board with written pairs for a project, and now you felt stupid for not paying attention. "oh shoot yeah, of course, uh, sit down." you pulled out the empty chair next to you, trying to make up for the embarrassment that you were living in.

the two of you looked over the criteria for your project, making plans for what you wanted to do, and before you knew it you were packing up. "so uh," yujin sheepishly smiled, handing you his phone, "so we can schedule to work on the project," he clarified.

you couldn't help but smile at his cute nature, "there you go," you handed it back to him, "text me what you wanna do, i have to go meet up with my friend." you smiled again as the bell rang, leaving the class almost proud of your ability to get one sentence out. this was gonna be a long project.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for pretending to lose consciousness and using it as an excuse to drop out of school?

This happened when I was in HS but it's still eating me up. I (18F at the time) suffer from a severe case of IBS, which went undiagnosed for years. During the events of this story, I had no idea what my illness was which I suffered from ever since I was a toddler. My parents took me to several doctor, all who insisted I was perfectly healthy. Every year, the pain would get increasingly worse, and we try a different doctor every once in a while. I gave up seeking medical help during middle school because I was frustrated, the doctors believed I was faking to skip school and refused to write me notes. My parents know I don't lie, yet the doctor's words got to them. They don't exactly think I'm faking, but they think I'm exaggerating a mild stomachache because I wanted to skip school and have no will to fight. I mean, it's true that I have a low tolerance to pain, even getting my hair straightened is a painful experience for me everytime.

Anyway, since IBS tends to attack when someone feels bad, high school was the worst period in my life for numerous reasons but mainly because I was getting severely bullied. Also due to my frustration with doctors, I started believing that my illness was terminal and had yet to be discovered and I was severely depressed thinking my death was soon, which made my IBS worse. When the pain was at its worst, it felt like my belly was being stabbed from the inside by several knives, it leaves me to exhausted to get up from my bed. I always locked my room's door so my parents wouldn't try to drag me out of the bed Whenever I wanted to skip school. Despite at the constant pain I was in, never once did I lose consciousness because of it. Sometimes I wish I could faint so I wouldn't feel the pain for a short a period of time, but it never happened.

In days which pain is manageable, I try my best to go to school, I often attended 2-3 days each week. I specifically insisted on going to this school because it's lenient, unlike the school my parents tried to send me to.

However, just because the pain was manageable, it didn't mean that I was feeling fine. The constant exhaustion from the severe IBS attacks left me tired all the time and I just wanted to lay in my bed again. I spent most of my time at school resting my head on the desk and teachers got used to it, but they drew the line at me actually falling asleep in class.

It happened when I was like 4-5 months away from graduating, I just wanted to rest, I had enough of the pain that I didn't want to set afoot in school again, but my parents wouldn't let me. Eveyrone thinks I'm fine and just exaggerating, that's why, I used my perfect acting skills to drop to the floor while sitting in my chair, I heard everyone whispering about how worrying the way I fell was, that it must be something serious. Classmates kept shaking me for a minute but I didn't react because I wanted it to look real. I eventually pretended to wake up and told them that I couldn't handle it anymore. That period was my Physics final, which I didn't study for, and I didn't want to take it. I have no idea what lessons we took because I never studied or paid attention in class, I was literally at my limit.

I was allowed to rest that day, and when I went back home I told my parents about losing consciousness and that I desperately need to rest. They allowed me to drop out on the condition I go back to school the next year, I agreed, but secretly believed I would never live that long to attend school ever again.

My best friend cried really hard when I told her we wouldn't be graduating together and begged me to reconsider. I told her my illness got worse to the point I started fainting, and I desperately needed to rest.

Of course, I'm still very much alive and learned what's actually wrong with me (I literally self diagnosed myself based on people's experiences on the internet then "confronted" a doctor about it) and the IBS attacks are mild and manageable these days since I know what I need to do to avoid them, I have a full time job and rarely ever need to skip. But the guilt is making me feel like TA for worrying everyone about me and breaking my bff's heart. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[russellsppttemplates]

It helps mama too (Charles Leclerc)

Charles read a few pregnancy books so that he could help you as much as possible and he has some tricks up his sleeve

Note: english is not my first language. There's this commercial that I've seen a few times and I always get all gooey inside and there is some scientific explanation behind it from what I remember reading so I'm basing this on it and taking it as a thing

Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm not taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so but know that I'm not certain when I'll be able to tend to them!

Tw: postpartum, breastfeeding issues, baby getting vaccines

When you and Charles welcomed Hervé into the world, it was such a blissful moment that you wanted to keep it in a little pot so you could carry it with you everyday for the rest of your life. Charles had been nothing but supportive all throughout, making sure you got enough rest and doing the chores around the house, scrunching his nose when someone commented how kind and helpful he was being and replying "I'm his father, he is my son too and I am behaving like the parent that I am". But unfortunately there were things he couldn't do for you, breastfeeding being one of them. Sure, he could just feed him from the bottle but that implied that you'd have to pump beforehand and it was something you had to think in advance, hence the whole situation needing a bit of time for you to settle it into your routine, "these always makes the weirdest noises, I swear", you pointed to the pumps attached to your nipples, collecting the rest of the milk so you could have it for times in the future where you couldn't feed your little boy straight from the boob. Charles chuckled, one of his arms holding his son while we went to the kitchen to refill your water bottle, "thank you, mon coeur", you said as he sat next to you, you two admiring how the baby slept soundly in his papa's chest, "Do they still hurt?", Charles asked.

Breastfeeding was a whole experience in itself, starting with the chafed skin from the constant suckling and the pains that came with it, especially the night your milk came in. You'd never felt pain like it before, waking up in the middle of the night to change and feed Hervé when Charles pointed out that you felt way too warm, your body temperature rising to accommodate the milk that had come into your boobs that were engorged and rock hard, making any movement painful for you. Charles had changed his son and carefully helped you into a sitting position, placing his son by your arms so you could feed him, remembering how the book he had read recommended to feed and/or extract the milk. He was there, your back against his naked chest while he ran his fingers along your arm, whispering words of encouragement like 'you're a superwoman, you can do anything', 'you're amazing, mon coeur', 'just a little bit more and he will be full, and then I'll take care of you' in the middle of all the kisses he pressed on your shoulder, noticing how Hervé was calming down after you burped him while your husband looked at the instructions on the pump he was setting up to help drain your boobs. It was one of the first intense nights filled with tears on your part and Charles showing you how much of a good partner he was, your love for eachother intensifying like you never thought it could.

"Not so much now, I think I'm used to it by now. And the skin has healed with the cream we got from the midwife", you said, pointing to the lanolin cream you applied throughout the day to help the sensitive skin get better, "Can I put it on?", Charles asked cheekily once he was able to get Hervé down on the bassinet next to you on the bed so you could have easier access to him. Chuckling at his request, you grabbed his hand when he sat in front of you, "I always let you do it, why wouldn't I let you now?", you smiled as you checked that there was no more milk to be expressed, switching off the pump and taking your time to carefully fill the bags so you could freeze them for later, "I don't know. It's your body, and although I like showing you how much I appreciate it, there's the possibility that you don't want me to, or that I might hurt you and I don't want that", he said as your heart fluttered, his sensible and loving side never failing to come up. Charles made it his mission to make sure you felt no rush in getting back to what you looked like before pregnancy, ensuring you that he welcomed every change on the body that generated his son and showing every bit of gratefulness for it and for you everytime he could. Checking the seal in the bags, you put them in the usual place for the night in case you needed them before grabbing the pot of cream, "Like I'd ever say no to you, mon coeur", you smiled as you offered it to the driver.

.

Hervé had a tough day today, not settling anywhere but your chest after you and Charles had taken him to get his vaccines, "it's alright, mon petit, mama is here", Charles heard you say from the living room when you had put Hervé down so you could use the toilet, enjoying how cuddly he was, his hand grabbing your top in a fist, "it's okay, it means it's working", Charles coming to your side after putting the tray in the oven to finish cooking, explaining to the little boy who looked at him in endearment before his eyes started getting droopy again. Putting his hand on his neck, Charles sighed in relief, "at least he is not feverish, it's probably just crankyness. Aren't you, little monkey? The doctor prickled you thigh and you did not like it one bit", he said as he watched the sad smile on your face as your hand ran over the soft brown hairs on your son's head, pressing little kisses on there too.

After you had dinner, Charles suggested you to go and have a relaxing shower whilst himself and Hervé had a papa and son talk, bringing him to his trophy and helmet room, "and this one I shared the podium with Max and Lewis, it was a really great day. Mama was there, grandma Pascale was there too and we all celebrated and this helmet here", he grabbed one of his F2 racing helmets, "was the one I was wearing when I knew your mama and I were going to be together forever, I did not win the race but she was there, standing proud like I had just won it", he kissed his head, smelling his scent in delight, "mama loves us both so much, you'll see in time that she is very stubborn but that also means that she loves extra hard too", he said as he walked around a little bit more, the baby starting to get fussier as he walked into the bedroom, ready to grab a bottle and heating it up so he could feed him while you finished in the bathroom.

You had put on your pyjamas and had just finished blowdrying your hair a bit so it wouldn't soak your pillow case, opening to see Charles bouncing Hervé around the room in hopes he would fall asleep, "it's going to be a tough night, isn't it?", you soflty asked, not wanting to disturb too much, Charles looking at you as he smiled soflty, "I think I've got it", he whispered back as he waited for Hervé to succumb to deep sleep before he could put him in his bassinet. Once he had done that, Charles grabbed the doctor approved body lotion you would sometimes use on your skin, asking you to lower the straps of your sleeping dress so he could massage it into your skin, taking the time to make some light conversation as you hummed at the feeling of his hands on your skin.

You weren't wrong when you predicted the night would be tough, Hervé waking up nearly every hour and taking a lot longer than usual to fall asleep, you and Charles wanting to take turns but ending up staying awake for eachother's turns so you could help as much as possible, and when morning came around, the only way Hervé seemed to relax was if you were walking around the house with him latched on your torso, "The only way that I am not cursing right now is because one day he'll be a big boy and I'll miss these cuddles", you said honestly as Charles followed you around in sympathy before an idea popped in his head, "I'll be right back", he said as he headed upstairs, "your papa, you'll learn, has many of these moments where he gets an idea and then just vanishes, it needs some getting used to but we love him all the same, even if he seems a little like a crazy person", you said as you chuckled.

In your room, Charles smelled every body cream you had before finally finding the one that you had applied the previous day, the strong scent his lead as he grabbed the pot and went back downstairs, seeing you in your umpteenth lap of the living room as he started rubbing the cream on his chest before he stretched his arms, your skeptical expression not going unnoticed at his attempt of getting your son to settle in his chest, Hervé shuffling slightly before he settled in, his hand grabbing the open shirt your husband was wearing before he released a sigh, happy and content in your his papa's cuddle while Charles kissed the top of his head. Astounded by the moment, Charles decided to rub it in, "I remember reading about it, how they recognise the scent so they feel comfortable, and while I get some snuggles it helps mama get some free arms time, too", he winked (miserably) at you and all you could do was press a kiss to both of your boys, excited at the prospect of having two hands available to eat your breakfast and drink your much needed coffee.

[i-starcreamed]

Hi hi friend I have a request for you :)

can you do a bumblebee x reader where the reader was like his partner back on cybertron and they like bumblebee thinks their dead until like their pod shows up on earth

can be any pronouns please and thank you

idk if this is in character and perhaps this is mostly angst but...partners reuniting. i hope this is what u meant!!

TFP Bumblebee x Cybertronian!Reader

The Groundbridge swirled with a green color as it opened in a deserted area. The bot's surroundings were covered by trees and Earth's greenery, despite being beautiful it was not the type of terrain that was easy to travel in. Ratchet had caught a new energon signal on their scanner, it was no deception signal or raw energon, but it was rather a sign of another cybertronian.

It was a mystery as to why they landed now if most of them had landed years ago, but the entire team went to investigate the mystery pod nonetheless.

There buried in the ground, was the escape pod. Optimus Prime was in front as the team had his back, all held their blasters and aimed it at the pod in case danger was near. As they neared, they could almost let out a sigh of relief to see that it wasn't a deception pod, but they still didn't know who exactly was inside. The team slowly dropped their blasters as they neared the pod.

"Who could it be?" Arcee crossed her arms as she tried peering inside the fogged-up glass. Optimus still held his blaster as Bulkhead neared the pod, using his strength to open the latch.

"I am not sure yet, Arcee. But everyone, stay alert." He took a step closer to the pod, and everyone cautiously followed suit. The latch was lifted off it's hinges to reveal a [color] bot, a couple scratches, and dents littered their frame as they lay unconscious. While the rest of the team wasn't phased, Bumblebee nearly malfunctioned right on the spot. It couldn't be...could it? He thought it was impossible, that he would never see you again. The last time he saw you, your hideout on Cybertron was raided by Decepticons and you had stayed behind. The amount of guilt that troubled him even on Earth was unbearable, he thought you had offlined. He thought he had lost you.

"Bumblebee?"

Optimus' voice snapped him out of his thoughts, he didn't realize he was still staring at you as his servos slightly shook. Optimus looked at him expectedly with a concerned look across his faceplates. He faced the Autobot leader and responded with a series of beeps.

"I know them! They're Y/N, m-my partner. I thought they were dead, I thought I got them killed, I thought-" Bleeps and beeps came out jumbled and were barely discernible by even those who understood him. His servos gestures all around before he looked at you again. He tried to reach for your body before Optimus placed a firm servo on his shoulder.

"We should get them to base first, Bumblebee. It is not safe out here for them, the two of you will have your chance to talk once Ratchet tends to them." He sent him a hint of a sympathetic look, he knew how much Bee wanted to hold you and speak to you again right now, but Decepticons could be near. In the end, Bumblebee nodded and carefully took your body from the pod, carrying you all the way back.

Bumblebee fussed about you all while Ratchet took care of your minor injuries and as you were waking up. In a room full of bots you didn't recognize, a bright yellow mech caught your optics as soon as you onlined. Even you couldn't believe it, your optics locked and you swore you felt so young again, if only just for a split second. Suddenly you were staring at the same Bumblebee you thought you lost, the one who you thought you would never see again. Also the same bot who you had fallen in love with when everything was okay on Cybertron. You were both different now, having plenty of experience in a war that was ongoing and uncompromising. That seemed to not matter as you both embraced each other, your grip tight as you wrapped your arms around him. You expected to hear his voice greeting you, but instead, bleeps and fragments of cybertronian came out of his vocalizer.

"Oh, Bee..what happened?" You gently asked as you still held onto him, it still felt impossible for you to be reunited with him again, and yet he felt the same way. He shook his helm and held your servos in his.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, Y/N." The beeps whined as he gazed at you with his bright blue optics. Despite all the years he'd gone without you, you were the only bot that he held dear to his spark. It would be a tough adjustment, getting used to Earth and having to know about the still ongoing war; but being with Bee would make it better. A lot better.

[asmutwriter]

Just A Woman (Part 1 Section 2)

DESCRIPTION: You spend the day with the Bridgertons. Getting to know one of them just that little it better

A/N - I have condensed partr 1 (which you can find here) into 4 smaller chunks so that you can have a better reader experience

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

WORD COUNT: 1939

From beginning / Previous / Next / Master List

WARNINGS: swearing, time period sexism

DISCLAIMERS

- I wrote this in my knowledge of sex workers and I am truly sorry if I got it wrong and/or is offensive, that is not what I wanted to do and I’m sorry if that is the case

-  This is fiction. Please always talk to your partner before doing anything and make sure they are ok with what you are doing beforehand

Night comes and goes, and so does the morning. You all have lunch together, then early the Saturday afternoon you see Eloise reading. You read it over her shoulder. “May I help you?” she asks as you shake your head

“Just bored. I want to do something” just as Johns mother walks into the room, John holding her arm. She smiles at you

“You could sing for us some more my dear if you are bored”

“Oh I don’t think people want to hear my voice anymore” she laughs 

“Sing my dear. I do not care what the others think of your voice. I find it divine and want to hear more” you nod and look at the now several pairs of eyes on you. 

“As you wish” you go over to the piano and start playing. Typically, you go for a slow love song. They all clap afterwards. Eloise looks at you 

“Why do you always sing about love and romance?”

“It’s the easiest thing to think of on the spot”

“I wish you would change it up a bit”

“Oh. Is that a challenge?” she laughs

“I doubt you would be able to think of one” she scoffs “when I can find a woman who doesn’t want marriage” you bite your lip anxiously. You stand up and go in front of her, holding your hand out for her to take. “What?”

“You are joining me. You wanted something different did you not?” she nods “then take my hand and trust me” she laughs slightly, but intrigued she take your outstretched hand. You look at her as you lift your skirt slightly, so she can easily see your feet. You hear Violet go to say something but you notice John shake his head. She lifts her skirt up to, just above the ankles. “Foot forward. Heal to the floor” you show her, as she copies. “Hit twice, then go back and hit your toes to the floor twice” you show her as she copies. You show her the rest of the dance, she copies as best she can. “Now turn to me and dance down the length of the room, hands pressed to each other” she nods and does as you do. 

“I don’t believe you’ve actually done this to a song you’ve made up” you raise an eyebrow to her, going over to a little table you hit the top, creating a rhythmical thudding noise. Johns mother smiles and does the same on a table near her as you stand and do the dance. Once getting to the other end you start to sing, repeating the dance. Going back to her, you take her hand, doing the dance with her, nodding and smiling at her as she manages to keep up. After the dance you stop, bowing to each other and smiling

“I hope you enjoyed that. I and my friends have a full dance routine to that song. It looks cool when we all do it”

“Are they coming to the dance tomorrow?” Daphne speaks up. You shake your head

“Unfortunately no. It’d be unfair to only invite one of them but I think only one is old enough to go to a dance” she nods as Johns mother turns to the woman as they begin discussing tomorrow’s ball. You bite the nail of your thumb as you suddenly realise you will be likely required to dance in a more proper fashion and you only tend to do more… eccentric dancing so you need to brush up on your more posh dances.

So, when it gets late at night you go into the drawing room. It is the furthest away from the bedrooms so if you knock something over or fall over yourself you’ll be less likely to wake the family here. You practice the steps of your feet, counting out loud the numbers. “One two step one two step and spin. One two step one two step and spin” you repeat. “And spin, spin, spin, spi- holy fuck” you get made jump as you see Benedict standing in the doorway. You place your hand over your heart “you scared me half to death” he chuckles

“Apologies miss. I didn’t mean to” he pauses a moment “You’re pretty good at dancing too”

“Thank you. It’s not my best talent but it’s one of them”

“Where did you learn?” you run your hand through your hair 

“I umm, I taught myself actually. I would always picture myself at fancy balls or parties”

“Have you never been to a ball before?”

“No. Unfortunately not. Not ones that I can dance to. I snuck into a couple before, weddings mainly. Get free food and drinks that way. But I couldn’t dance at those ones as I didn’t want to bring attention to myself” he nods

“You’ve not danced with anyone then, have you?” you avert his eyes

“Is it really that obvious?” he laughs and walks over to you

“I can only tell because your hands are in the wrong places” he takes your hand, placing it on his shoulder, taking your other one in his as he places his hand on your waist “you need to have a more relaxed frame. Yours is up to high” you nod as he smiles at you “Now count again” you nod as he takes the lead, surprising yourself with the fact you don’t tread on his toes at all. Once you both find a rhythm your curiosity gets the better of you.

“Why are you up so late?”

“Couldn’t sleep. Came down for a drink and I heard you counting in here”

“So you aren’t just stalking me?” he laughs

“I’m going to spin you, ok?” you nod as he slowly spins you under his arm, pulling you back into the dance. “Where did you and John really meet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Considering how long he’s been talking about meeting this amazing woman you are not quite what any of us expected. Plus, he doesn’t seem to be fully attached to you. You seem to be like strangers to each other. Makes me think you don’t know each other very well”

“I thought your sister was meant to be the smart one of the group?” he laughs

“Is that meant as a compliment or an insult?” you smile at him as he spins you again

“A compliment. I’m not sure who I’m allowed to tell though so if I tell you then you have to keep it a secret”

“Promise”

“Pinkie promise” you keep the dance up but move the hand that’s holding his upwards, holding your pinkie finger near him. He nods and takes your finger with his

“I promise” you smile and go back to taking his hand and dancing.

“He came into my work one night and asked me to be his female friend for this weekend” he raises his eyebrows at you slightly

“You work?” you nod and avoid his eyes. 

“Got any more dances you think I need to know about before tomorrow?” you say as you change the subject

“None that I can think of. You’re good considering you’ve never danced with anyone before”

“Will I need to know the quick paced ones?”

“Possibly?”

“I might just sit those ones out if they are a part of the event” he nods

“Might be for the best” you move away from him, letting your arms fall to your sides as you look him in the eyes as your own dart to his lips for a second, and then look away. You feel his eyes scan over your body quickly before he stretches and looks away from you. 

“Considering how late it is, I’m really not tired” he nods in agreement

“No neither am I” you look at the clock in the room

“Fuck it’s nearly 2am” he laughs slightly. “What?” you look at him

“I’m not used to such words falling from the mouth of a woman who looks so well dressed” you laugh

“I think I’ve done pretty well to not have vulgar language in front of your family though. One of the few things John said to me was to not swear” he nods as he watches you go over to the bookshelf in the room. “I love the book selection this house has” Picking one out you flick through the pages. You let out an annoyed groan as you put it back

“All of them except that one I presume?” you nod as he comes to stand by you

“I dislike romances”

“Why?”

“They are an awful representation of a woman and how she thinks” he furrows his brows as he looks at you

“I would’ve thought they are quite accurate” you laugh and turn to look at him, seeing his soft eyes contrast the slight irritation of the rest of his face “doesn’t everyone want love?”

“Yes. But it isn’t always possible. Most of the time woman and men marry for convenience, not love. It gives girls a terrible idea of how their adult life could look like when the reality is far worse” you see his brow go to normal again as he watches the candlelight dance on your skin. “I always dreamed I’d marry a handsome prince. That a man would meet me one day and he would fall in love with me and we’d live happily ever after in a castle. I realised that men don’t want anyone who doesn’t have anything to offer” you lightly touch the spine of the book you had just held in your hand “men want an untouched woman who’s main purpose is to sit still, look pretty and have children. Not one with a lot to say and an intelligent mind”

“You have a very biased opinion of love”

“Have you ever been in love?” he shakes his head 

“No. I’ve liked people but never loved anyone. Have you ever been in love?” 

“No I don’t suppose I have. At least not in the ways that books describe it as. I loved my friend and I love her children but that is a platonic love” he nods

“What about your parents?” you laugh slightly

“I don’t have any parents. I did have someone who looked after me but she died about 4 years ago” you see him watching you out of the corner of your eye. “Sorry. Telling you my whole sob story which you probably don’t care about”

“No. Please go on. So long as you are ok talking about it” you nod slightly. He hesitates at first before he takes your hand as a way to comfort you 

“There’s not really much else to say. I now live with her children and look after them” you chuckle slightly as you turn to face him, meeting his eyes in the low light of the room. Your breath catches slightly as you take a few seconds to take in his features. You mentally shake yourself and look away, but subconsciously tighten your hand around his. He raises an eyebrow to you

“Are you ok?” you nod

“Yeah. Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” he chuckles slightly

“You seem nervous is all?”

“Yeah. I’m nervous about the ball tomorrow” he smiles at you

“You will be fine” he brushes a hair behind your ear, watching your cheeks turn red. “It is late. We should be off to bed” you nod

“Goodnight Mr Bridgerton” you say as you walk calmly to your room. You get in and shut the door, placing your back against the cold wood you smile to yourself and get into bed. 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

[writer-by-the-sea]

hey hi hello! id like to ask for a harvey with an insomniac reader drabble if that's alright,, i have insomnia myself so id love to see what my favourite bachelor would be like with someone with my struggle

There they go again, another lap around town and the sun is now starting to rise. I frowned as the farmer slowly made their way back to the farm, even from my bedroom I could see how exhausted they were. A clear sign of insomnia, something I’ve never dealt with and no one in the village had either. The poor thing…

Of course, I was only up this late doing my own little experiments when I lost track of time. Not a common occurrence and fortunately it gave me the opportunity to see that the farmer is suffering. I don’t know how I never noticed before, I assumed the bags beneath their eyes were from waking so early… not from.. well-- not sleeping at all! 

I would have to drag them in for an exam, something I knew they never looked forward to since they were always so nervous to come to me. But I had to try and do something to help! 

Later that day, my arms were loaded up with a basket carrying medical books, snacks, CDs, DVDs, and even herbal tea; I made my way to the farmers home. Even with years of experience under my belt, the farmer always found a way to make me a bit shy around them. Their smiles are so sweet (plus lovely teeth!) Their skin is soft and smooth (and healthy despite working in the sun!) Their hair is always shining and silky (and beautiful for using well water!) 

And …. Having a crush on them didn’t help with my nerves either. 

I approached their front door, knocking softly and hoping that they weren’t home. My basket had a note along with it, just a simple little letter… Just to let them know I care about their well being! Nothing beyond a typical doctor's visit!

With no answer, I carefully placed the basket on the ground. Hopefully… something would help them...

.

.

.

Dear farmer, 

I never saw staying up late as an appealing thing, unless you count all of the cups of coffee I would pour myself in the morning as an excuse to just have more coffee! Typically, myself, I tend to go to bed well before midnight. So, it pains me to know that you stay up so late. 

You… look.. so beautiful in the moonlight…. 

But I do wish you could find some rest. 

In this basket are many things that may aid you, and if not, please come to the clinic as soon as you can! 

And if we can’t find something that helps er.. 

Well. I’ve heard of some cuddling techniques that might be beneficial… 

Please, keep me updated. 

I.. care about you. 

Deeply. 

Sleep tight, 

Harvey 

[stormflypirateskin]

Fun At The Arcade

Saeyoung tries to get Saeran to open up to stuff slowly.

(I'm back, kinda :) )

It wasn't unusual for the older redhead brother to try and get Saeran to slowly get used to more stuff.

A new arcade had opened up and Saeyoung was eager to try it out and he wanted Saeran to come along as well.

A problem was that Saeran didn't really wanted to be around many people which Saeyoung didn't mind. The older brother spend quite some time trying to figure out a time where they wouldn't be many people around.

He also wanted for Saeran to try the games there, they could be very fun! Not to mention, you also get prizes for playing them, he thought it would be a nice bonding experience between them.

Although he mentioned it to Saeran, the younger brother just shrugged about it, not really against it but not something he was really into.

Which lead to them never really planning it out.

That was until one of those nights where Saeyoung was sitting in the kitchen, only a small light shining it's way onto the whole place as he sat down on one of the chairs, munching on a clumsy sandwich he had made.

Sure, he was getting and eating healthier, but there would still be nights where he couldn't sleep.

Scrolling through countless pictures and videos of cute cats, he felt himself snickering to himself, sometimes trying to supress his loud laughter at the hilarious ones he finds.

He would usually tend to sleep during the mornings or a little later after calming down with adorable videos, even talking with the RFA helped, especially since he didn't have work now.

But tonight, it looked like Saeran didn't go to dream land as well.

Saeran gently groaned at the gentle light as he rubbed his eye with the back of his hand, making his way towards the source, where his brother was. He wished he could just walk back to his room but he just stayed there, staring groggily at him.

"O-Oh, Saeran.." Saeyoung immediately would always hear him. "I'm sorry, did I wake you..?" He asked softly with some shame on his voice, which only confused the younger brother.

"No." He simply answered as he slowly walked through the kitchen, reaching for anything sweet he could consume to forget his night thoughts, even if it's for a bit.

Saeran decided to go for the usual tasty ice cream as he placed a bit in a cup before sitting on the same table as Saeyoung, although he chose the farthest seat still.

Saeran's eyes adjusted to the gentle light more as he stared down at his ice cream, waiting for it to be a bit more warm before taking the smallest bite. He let out a small hum as he swallowed.

At this point, both brothers just looked like they were gonna stay up the entire night and Saeyoung seemed to be well aware of this.

"Hey uh.." Saeyoung softly spoke up kinda, to not startle Saeran. "It doesn't seem like we are gonna sleep soo.. wanna head out?" He asked. Even though a lot of times Saeran just shots his plans down, it seemed better than staying in awkward silence.

Saeran was quietly eating his ice cream as he looked over at Saeyoung. The older brother couldn't really figure out his expression, since the soft light was behind him. Saeyoung gulped a little as he continued.

"We can ride on my ba- ahem, my car." He shyly corrected himself and Saeran let out a small exhale as he thought about it.

He COULD spend the rest of the night on his room, but he felt like his thoughts are just gonna come back to bite at him. He felt his eyebrows furrow a bit as he took the last bite of his ice cream. Saeyoung nervously fidgeted with his phone as he waited for Saeran's answer, worrying if he made him mad or anything.

"Fine, but get me some ice cream later." He said lowly as he got up to put away the cup with the spoon before going to put on his shoes. Saeyoung went to grab money to buy things and put them in his wallet. It didn't take long to get ready as they went to the garage to get a car.

Getting in the car and taking off was pretty much done in silence. Saeran looked outside the window as he rested his chin on his hand while Saeyoung kept watch on the road in front of him. His eyes wandering to potential open places maybe he and his brother could go to and spend some time in.

Saeran just thought about how weird this situation was right now. In the first months, he would just not be near Saeyoung at all. Even finding small excuses to not stick around, spending most of his time in his room or his garden.

Even if he knew deep down his older brother didn't really seem to be dangerous, things just felt.. awkward. Although with his therapy and time, things did get better between them, somewhat.

"Oh..! Saeran..!" Saeyoung snapped his brother out of his thoughts as he slowed down, pointing towards what seemed to be an arcade. "Look, wanna check it out? It's really fun, I promise you!" He held somewhat hopeful eyes towards his brother who stared at the arcade, thinking about what he will do.

What was it even like? Don't you just play games there? He never really got the full picture. Should he go in?

"Uhm.." He stood up kinda straight as he played with his hands unconsciously. "Whatever, sure." He didn't wanted to think about anything more since the car ride was so quiet. Saeran guessed that anything that didn't make him think could be somewhat better, maybe.

Saeyoung's eyes widened but he just smiled like a little kid and nodded. He carefully parked and slowly got off the car as he took a deep breath. The night wind was cold but fresh which made him sigh softly. He wasn't really used to being this free. Saeyoung looked back at Saeran who got off the car and he locked it before looking at his brother for a split second.

Going towards the arcade, Saeyoung observed Saeran in the corner of his eyes. It still hurt to see him this timid and he couldn't help but remember how Saeran probably hasn't gotten outside much, if not at all just like him. Saeran was taking some distance away from him as he walked a little slower than him.

Going in, the quite warm air of the arcade welcomed them. Saeyoung didn't expect for a few people to still be here but he figured that it's enough for Saeran to not feel so overwhelmed.

Although he still kept an eye on the other redhead, Saeyoung only wanted to make sure he is okay.

Saeran slowly blinked to get a bit more used to the bright lights coming from the place and some games. Though, they were enough to catch his eyes. The prizes inside were bright and definitely eye catching. Saeran thought some looked ridiculous but some did look kinda.. cute.

Saeran fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt. Should he go towards them? Wouldn't he look weird?

"Saeran, here." Saeran quickly looked towards Saeyoung with wide eyes while the older brother handed him two full cups full of arcade coins. Saeran hesitantly took them as he stared at them, confused.

"These are arcade coins. You use them on any machine you want here!" Saeyoung's bright smile shined through as he gestured towards some of the arcade games. "Go on, try one."

Saeran looked towards them before exhaling as he made his way slowly towards a machine. It was a claw machine which had some small cute prizes inside. Some of them were plushies, some were simple objects.

Saeran decided to go for this small plushie. It had some fitting bright colors which captured his eyes, but he couldn't help but stare at the controls of the machine, trying to understand how this game works exactly.. even though there's two controls.

"Pssst, Saeran..!" Saeran sighed as he looked at his brother. "Here, you insert a coin over here and with this, you.. move this claw thingy right there." Saeyoung moved the claw around for Saeran to see. "And with this button, you press it when you want it to go down to try and grab the sweet prize~!" Saeyoung snickered as he moved away for Saeran to try.

The older brother eagerly watched as Saeran tried a lot of times to get it but failing. He only seemed to do small progress but he silently gave up as he stepped away from the machine.

"This is stupid." He huffed as he furrowed his eyebrows, getting a small headache from how annoying that arcade machine was. "How are you even supposed to win that dumb prize?"

"Ah.." Saeyoung sweated a bit as he looked back at machine. He felt bad that Saeran was feeling like that. "Hmm.. I'll get it for you, brother!" He chuckled as he stepped forward and inserted a coin inside. Saeran just sighed as he watched from the side. He saw how his older brother struggled a bit as well before trying some weird tricks to push the plushie even more towards the exit.

In the end, Saeyoung emerged victorious and held the plushie up as he laughed.

"Here, Saeran." He smiled as he handed him the plushie. Saeran took it and couldn't help but pause before gently squeezing it, the way it was made was very soft and it helped to slowly calm Saeran down.

"...Thanks, i guess." Saeran mumbled loud enough as Saeyoung tried his best to contain his happiness. Saeyoung looked around to see more great prizes and he felt himself getting excited.

"Say, Saeran? Want to check more things? Rely on me to get you everything you want!" He giggled cheerfully as he awaited Saeran's response. Saeyoung didn't mind ending it here, though. He only wanted what Saeran wanted.

And as he saw Saeran slowly nod, the two of them spend the rest of their time looking for and winning things they wanted.

And they won a lot, too.

Saeyoung was very glad they all could fit in the car as well. He felt giddy and happy as he put them inside, watching them staying on his back seats like they are new friends as well.

He also hunted for any shops that sold ice cream and got a little.. too much of it. With the excuse that their new friends wanted some as well.

Surprisingly, the ride back home didn't feel so awkward. Saeyoung just felt glad while Saeran felt calm, even though the world around them was so dark at this time.

Back home, Saeyoung casually gave all the prizes to his brother. It was early morning and Saeyoung decided to maybe try to sleep for once that day.

Saeran instead, spend time trying to decorate his room with the prizes. He couldn't help it but they felt nice, like something fresh in his dark room.

He felt a small smile making it's way to his face as he checked them all once more. They were really comfortable and soft to hold, Saeran just felt good holding them. His room had a lot of space for setting them all up, too.

And while putting them up nicely, the redhead couldn't help but feel nice and calm. He wasn't able to think about anything bad as he focused on the texture or softness of the prizes he was glad to have.

Even if he still took a while to sleep, Saeran was able to sleep more easier than usual.

Maybe he'll get more things for his room in the future..

[darylbae]

leaving your shared house w maggie, standing outside on the porch hyperventilating. sinking down to sit on the stairs and trying to breathe.

You tended to have night terrors, which would keep you awake for the rest of the night. You'd be sweating, shaking, trying your hardest not to wake the pretty woman beside you. But tonight was different. You'd felt anxious the whole day prior, sitting on that sinking feeling, hoping it all goes away. There were talks of diverting a horde, and Maggie being a sole part of that objective worried you. You had a connection to Maggie, unlike any other, and everyone could see it. You two were just meant for each other. You understood each other, you looked out for each other. It was the deepest form of love a person could experience, and you were grateful to have it with Maggie. Maggie was unaware of this anxiety poking at your chest. She went about her day in talks of what to do, making sure the community was safe, and you just idly sat by and waited for it all to be over. Your night went the same as most do, have dinner together, talk in bed till you're both on the edge of sleep. But your mind wouldn't settle. Heart beating loudly in your ears. Even with Maggie's arm over you, her skin on yours, nothing was calming the storm in your chest. You'd quietly left the room, hearing the soft click of the bedroom door before bolting downstairs and onto the porch. You were struggling to breathe, clutching your thighs to steady yourself, but it was no use. You were full on freaking out. You couldn't do it again. You couldn't lose anyone else. Not again. The world around you was gone, you just closed your eyes and tried to maintain your breathing on the porch steps. You were shaking violently, and you were trying to keep quiet in fear of waking the neighborhood up. You'd felt a hand on your back, and you knew it was Maggie. "It's okay," she hushed, her other hand clasping yours, "you're alright." The pair of you sat like that for a few minutes, Maggie giving you your space whilst keeping your comforted. You were subdued, feeling the cool night air on your skin was refreshing. Maggie had left for one moment to get you a glass of water. "Talk to me, sweetheart." She whispered, also aware of the time of night. "Tell me what's going on." "I can't do it again, Mags. We can't lose anyone else, I don't want to." You cried. "Please, I can't lose you." Maggie pulled you into her side. "You're never gonna lose me. You're my reason for doing all this. I want to keep you safe, I want a life with you and that means making moves to keep this community safe. Everything I do out there, is for us in here." It made sense when it came from her, she wasn't being reckless and wanting to be a hero. She just wanted to be inside these walls and worry-free. "How about we talk about this more in bed?" She smiled widely, and you couldn't say no.

[pandorafallz]

Ashes in her wake | C2

Alma sipped slowly from her cool cup of herbal tea, her head still feeling foggy and tired but far better than she had been in the last couple of days since waking up after her transfer. Her body was healing well, according to Okul who had been tending to her more often and had the singular daily visit from Anufi to verify all was on track. Her visits were often very short.

Her burns were still bad and had another week to heal with dressing before she’d have to let it breathe and heal for a few days without, and her broken rib was still healing. It was estimated to be about two weeks before she’d be able to be more physically adventurous. A human bone, or rib, would take over a month to heal but Na’vi and Dreamwalker bodies were more resilient and coupled with efficient Na’vi medical treatments, the time was far shorter. The bruises looked bad but healing around the edges now. Most of the stitches from the debris had been removed this morning so she was feeling a little drained from that experience.

She had been left to rest in a quiet area of the Hollows, away from the people and she was thankful for the privacy when possible. She had been resting mostly when children would try and sneak in before their parents quickly pulled them away. Alma knew why; they had never seen a Dreamwalker before. Innocent souls with vast curious minds but she often remained posed as asleep so as to not make it awkward.

Still, the privacy had its… odd lonely tendencies when Okul wasn’t around so she kept herself occupied when not asleep with a few simple tasks, like spinning flax which was the easiest thing to do in her current state. Before Raj had joined the resistance on the second visit, Alma had to make or alter her own clothes for her avatar, a skill she had picked up after her first meeting with the Aranahe but she was no expert. She had learned it mostly to talk to the weavers and to get to know the clan better but it didn’t last. Spinning she could do, sorting fibres and combing it was another so it filled the hours without being too adventurous.

At least the tea was good. It helped bring down the swellings since. Her threadwork was set aside for now as she rested.

“<Dreamwalker,>” Okul appeared around the entryway quite cheerfully with a new set of bowls. “<I have brought food. Anufi is back. I believe she’ll join us soon so, while we wait, you should eat. A full belly is a happy one.>” They set the bowls down, simple meat and mushroom stew and took one to eat themselves to sip.

“<Thank you.>” She set her tea down, shifting the blanket from her legs and slowly reached forward and pulled it towards her, inhaling the savoury scent that drifted up.

“<How did you sleep? Resting well?>”

Alma took a hearty sip, chewing down slowly on a large piece of white mushroom with a stilled expression. “<Not really. Small dozing is dreamless.>” Fragments of memory always seemed to resurface at night although it was mostly Nor’s stabbing of her that replayed often, leaving her waking up at odd times shivering with phantom sensation down her right side. Resting during the day gave her some reprieve but… it hadn’t helped clear her head. She was fine. She could handle it.

It took years to stop seeing the Moot in her nightmares. Life had been easier once that had stopped. Something else now just took its place. She was sure Okul might have something to induce a dreamless sleep but that was a question for later.

“<Ah,I suppose that is still expected.>” Okul didn’t sound surprised, “<It has only been six days since…>” They trailed off but they both knew their implication.

“<I am aware.>” Her hand came to her side, not touching over the dressing too hard. “<how is the clan? It’s been very quiet. Only one child seemed to wander in earlier.>”

“<Very busy with the resistance. I don’t know too much myself but it seems very big and the Zeswa are very unhappy since the sky people brought down the celebration arches—>”

Alma almost choked on her stew, her eyes widening in alarm as she stiffened up. “<The RDA brought down the arches?!>”

Okul blinked in surprise at her outburst. “< A terrible event but the site was shut down by our Sarentu friend, they were there and saw it happen. The Upper Plains should not be attacked again with such horrible machines.>”

“<Is.. is she okay?>”

“<Of course, the Sarentu is a very good warrior. I do not know what has happened since but do not worry.>” Okul said, very firm in their belief and assurance.

Alma’s heart hammered before she forced herself to take a steady breath. Because… like it or not, she knew Kìoetey was a good warrior and no doubt had it handled and she didn’t doubt her skills but… she worried. Perhaps it was the maternal side of her that never had much of a chance to bloom due to Mercer’s interpersonal restrictions between her and the kids (and other personal reasons). Kìoetey was fine, they said.

Still. The Arches collapse was no small event either; the Zeswa were probably foaming at the mouth for revenge. At least The Resistance had all the tools to help warn and aid the Zeswa in achieving it without it turning into a one-sided slaughter against the Na’vi. Maybe she could help once she was cleared by Anufi somehow?

“<Relax. You’ll hurt yourself.>” Okul’s hand touched her wrist, reminding her of her bowl before she sat back with a huff.

“<I... I should be allowed to return to the Resistance now. I can probably be more helpful there than here.>” She could actually talk to So’lek and her people again. Socialise, even. It’d be pleasant to talk to them and she was sure a shared task would make it easier. She didn’t doubt the spread of gossip but it was probably worth the trip.

“<You’re not healed. You’d hinder them more than help in your current state, Alma.>” Okul said

“<I… I have to do something. I am part of the resistance.>”

“<You are doing something. Resting.>” Okul stated, “<You cannot fight and you have the concentration of a child and the sleeping pattern of a baby. I don’t believe you’ve fully realised the extent of what truly happened to you. It’s not quite there.>” They tapped their temple.

Alma shot them an annoyed look. “<My head is getting better.>”

“<Better does not mean healed. You’ve endured a significant trauma to not only this body but to your spirit; your spirit must rest to heal from being severed from your sky-people body and replanted into this. A few more days at the least before we can consider allowing you to roam free as a Meer deer. A sick or separating spirit can lead to never waking up. Are you willing to risk such a possibility?>”

“Ugh.” Alma groaned into the bowl, taking a less heartfelt glug but there was clearly no way to convince the Tsakarem here to allow her out. Their heart and mind was clearly set. At least the food was nice.

Okul sighed deeply. “<I know you are anxious to return but you must think of yourself as well. Once you’re done eating, I can show you where to put the threads you’re spinning to use.>”

Alma threw a glance at her basket but begrudgingly nodded. “<Okay.>”

She supposed it would be useful to know more things if she was going to be like this for another few days. She had no idea where her clothes were so she was given a spare waistcloth and top for the meantime which took some getting used to but she looked forward to returning for her old clothes. Maybe Raj could help her get something together as well? Increase her wardrobe. She’ll see, she supposed.

Alma eyed Okul’s clothing for a moment, on what inspiration she could draw from them, however, her curiosity piqued as she noticed the strap around their chest. She had seen them before, but… they did look good; very well crafted.

“<Those bottles you have on you, did you make those bottles yourself?>” She hadn’t seen many Na’vi wear them so… maybe that was more worth learning about as well.

Okul looked down to their chest, where the string lay crossed to their left side. They hummed curiously and pulled out forward. “<This interests you?>”

“<Yes, our bottles are made of glass or metal. I’d love to learn more of this… if you’d show me>”

Okul hummed far more cheerfully, their eyes lighting up excitedly. “<I’ll get the supplies. This will be fun>”

-

Okul was a good teacher, and it burned through time as they let her craft with them but she had only made one successful bottle, made from Meer Deer horn, twine and various plant saps that were heated at a few different temperatures to achieve different goals, such as waterproofing, glue and means of sealing the bottle of leaks. All fascinating.

She was quite proud of her bottle, just smaller than her palm but she let Okul fill it with some painkilling medicine so she painted a cross on its front in green paint with her little finger since it was the only colour on hand.

“<What is that symbol?>” Okul asked as she set it to dry.

“<It’s a Cross symbol. Sometimes religious in a human context but a red cross is a human symbol of healing, impartial humanitarian care and neutrality. Earth has a group devoted to care and this symbol is used to signify It.>” Alma explained, “<The group does not exist on Pandora so a cross, regardless of colour is more generic and often found on our medical packs to simply signify medical aid.>”

“<Fascinating.>”

“<If you’re curious, Kìoetey might show you where they are in abandoned sky people camps. I noticed she carries the gel packs from the kits for and from her missions.>”

“<Perhaps. I did not realise symbols like this carried weight.>”

“<Humans have had a written language for thousands of years, the symbols we have on boxes are often text to describe the group who owns them, the weight and size, the content and potential hazards>” Alma explained, “<I should probably draw out the symbols if you continually poke at sky people stuff… so you don’t hurt yourself.>”

“<I doubt that will be necessary but I appreciate your suggestion.>” Okul declined but finished up with the thread and took the bottle from her hands and showed her how to wrap the bottle and secure it. Hot wax was used to hold it into place before it was returned.

“<Thank you.>”

Alma slowly helped clear up with Okul, wincing a few times as she did so and Okul carried the tray away before she was left alone. Her fingers playing with her bottle, debating on if it was worth taking another nap because she was feeling tired now. The craft session had been fun but now… she was drained.

She sighed deeply, moving back into the blankets on the floor and lay back…

…

…

“<Alma. It is time for you to wake up. >”

The noise was abrupt, pulling her mind from the blissful dark within a couple of moments, her resting heart picking up quickly and her eyes snapped open to the hazy few of someone leaning over her. She groaned, blinking rapidly and rubbed her eyes before she realised it was Anufi.

Anufi was looking tenser than she had seen her before but clearly ready for something. She handed over a vial. “<Drink, this will provide you more energy.>”

Alma blearily held it, taking note of the tear-shaped bottle and tasselled stopper before she pulled the top off and down it. The taste was bitter and salty, but she felt the immediate surge of energy; her sleepy mind sharpened and her heart seemed to pick up fast within her chest. “Woah…”

Anufi’s head tilted, her hand coming to her chest first to feel her heart then pulled her hand up to the slight shake the new energy was giving her. Not quite like an adrenaline shot but it certainly felt like it. “<I should have allowed only half, I didn’t realise you’d absorb it so quickly. My apologies.>”

“<I’m a rapid metaboliser… the effect may wear off sooner than usual>” She had that as a human too but it was only ever prominent when drinking coffee… or back when she had an epidural for the C-section. She was surprised Anufi hadn’t clocked on sooner but… she supposed the daily visits weren’t enough to see. Okul knew given how many times they upped her medicinal tea strength the last week.

“<Then take a moment. The Sarentu are here and I feel your spirit is settled within this form enough to share your memories with them.>”

“<What? Today?!>” Alma couldn’t shake the alarm in her voice. “<I thought I had more time…>” She suddenly felt under prepared. Surely there was a few more days or hours for her to get mentally geared for this.

“<There is much happening that you do not know of and the Sarentu have waited long enough.>” Anufi said, not uncaring but stern in her words. “<I am not asking you, either. I did not tell you earlier so as not to get you too riled with anxiety or attempt to escape.>”

Alma swallowed thickly, her gaze dropping. “<I wouldn’t have run>” Not just on the basis of having a broken rib that was still healing but she couldn’t do that to the kids. The truth was coming out and she accepted that… just not suddenly and then and there. It was suddenly very overwhelming.

“<I can’t know that. You kept them in the dark for sixteen years and asleep for fifteen more. You have not been honest.>”

Alma sighed deeply and slowly scrambled out of her blankets, pulling her waistcloth straight as well as her top, her side aching uncomfortably so she kept her hand pressed softly to the dressing. Her tail didn’t settle and swished continually as she nodded for Anufi to lead the way; best to get this over with, right?

The stares were lingering, burning as she passed the people and some, she was glad did not notice her as they were too busy with their own work. She was led down and out of the main left-side structure and down past Heykinak who was crafting a new bow.

“<… is Anufi really letting a Dreamwalker into the Circle of Ancestors?>” A Kame’tire whispered of soft disapproval to her friend. “<It’s not right.>”

Alma stamped down her feelings in regards to that and instead focused ahead to see both Kìoetey and Ri’nela waiting close to the whispering Greatcaps.

Both looked a little mentally preoccupied but Kìoetey was crouched and content. Ri’nela was pacing a little, not so at peace but both turned their way at their entry into the circle. A few woodsprites bouncing close.

Kìoetey spared a look at her then away, then sharply back as if suddenly recognising her. “Alma?” She asked, her eyes dropping down to take her in fully. “You’re wearing Na’vi clothes?”

Alma’s arms came and wrapped around her chest, feeling a little self-conscious at the attention. “I didn’t have my clothes coming here. It was this or my underwear.” She felt the heat flood her ears and cheeks. At least her hair was the same.

“Ah,” Kìoetey nodded, “I forgot about that. Sorry, I should have asked So’lek or someone to bring some down.”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Ri’nela spoke, drawing their attention. “<Now is the time for answers.>”

“<Indeed. Connect with Eywa, all who wish to see. I will stand by should you need me>” Anufi said, offering a space near the mushroom.

Alma’s stomach churned with dread and anxiety as she knelt by the strand of the Greatcaps, cool to touch with her fingers as she pulled it towards her, her other hand finding her kuru slowly but she found herself staring.

A hand touched her shoulder, almost burning but there was a soft squeeze. “<No more stalling.>”

“<I know…>” but she was scared. She knew she must tell this truth but… what would come of it.. she had no idea. Of course, she knew it’d only be worse if she kept finding reasons not to do this; the Sarentu wanted their answers. She couldn’t hide it forever.

Alma took a final breath before she let the end of her kuru curl around before she felt the familiar wash of white….

Then the next she found herself standing in the middle of a forest tunnel. Familiar in terms of a path once walked; the tunnels of the moot site. Eywa’s construct to house her memories in this visits to transverse rather than jumping to memory after memory. Allowing an ease of observation. Her memory was hazy but clearing the longer she stood there. Distant memories she had tried to suppress seemed to bubble and settle in the conceptual forest around her and waiting for her steps.

Them. Their steps

She wasn’t alone but she could feel Ri’nela and Kìoetey behind her close.

“Why is it dark?” Ri’nela asked. Her voice rang in her ears.

“I suppressed a lot of my memory,” Alma admitted. “I... I wanted to lock it away. From myself. From you.”

“To make it easier for you?”

“Guilt and shame will do that. It was my coping method. Now it all lies ahead of me.” She stared down the tunnel but found the strength to move and take the first few steps. “I know I have to show you the truth.”

The tunnel seemed so long and yet, she soon found herself at the first scene she had seen of the clan, the people so happy dancing around the fire and she felt… surge of memory resurface from the dark, the blue haze lightening with colour that made the two behind her gasp as she saw their people move and dance, the echoing drums.

“I’m starting to remember… back then, I was so thrilled at the idea of meeting the Sarentu. What that could have meant for us… me. I told myself we were doing a good thing but… that’s not how it ended.”

Ri’nela stepped forward before their vision was swamped with a new vision, flooding with the scene from the ship above. Watching from the outside, she saw the ship of soldiers; herself clinging on with uncertainty.

“This is where Mokasa told me to find the Sarentu but—”

“Hey,” Mercer’s tone was sharp, cutting her hesitant statement short. “No time for cold feet, now.”

“We’re just talking to them.” Her memory counterpart echoed, her tail lashing softly, “Do we need this many soldiers.”

“This is our last chance. They’re too primitive to understand what we can do for their children.”

Memory Alma looked more swayed at the latter of that statement, “It’s for the children…” her tone far softer.

“Exactly!” Mercer jumped onto that, “ Just think about what we can achieve. Finally.”

Airily, Memory Alma nodded, “We’re helping them. They’ll see it. In time…” Trying to sound hopeful.

The scene returned back to the clearing of dancing and celebrating Sarentu, but she couldn’t look at them as she led the way through. “It used to be beautiful here.” Alma said, “Then we came.”

Kìoetey tapered off a little to look at the group of children… then to paintings on the rocky wall. “That mural… I’ve seen it before. The colours are so vivid…”

Alma didn’t linger but her eyes came to the foggy shapes of humans, armed and the distant sound of their echoing, breaths that rasped through their mask filters.

The two Sarentu needed no context as to why they were there so they walked silently through these stilled moments. Dread settling in her stomach at what was next, the dark was heavy but she had little choice but to move on towards the clearing. Then they were lurched into a horrific scene.

“No! What are you doing?!” Memory Alma screamed out, amongst the soldiers who fired on the Sarentu. Bodies fall every few seconds from the flickers of metal. “Let me talk to them!”

“Don’t let them run!” Harding’s voice echoed the loudest. “We can’t find them in the forest”

“<Please, stop running! Don’t fight them!>” Memory Alma spoke in Na’vi as if that would stop the shooting. Two more Sarentu fell behind, fires no longer in control and spilling out…

“Harding. No one gets out.” Mercer called.

Memory Alma continued to look out at the scene in horror, helpless.

Then they were back… but the dancing scene they had started off was now a scene of death. Bodies laid as they fell.

Her mouth felt dry, a temporary numbness settling in which allowed her to speak. “I... I always said I didn’t know. But I did.” She admitted, leading on over the bodies because they could not stay here. “I hungered for glory… recognition at any cost. But our dream started with a massacre.”

She walked past the barrels of toxic chemicals, used to cover up and dissolve the bodies. Hide the evidence from the outside world. But the next and last clearing had her falter a little… little Aha’ri in her Sarentu clothing, crouching down in front of Colonel Harding… terrified and traumatised to have witnessed her clan’s demise. Her own mother’s death.

“No, Aha’ri…” Alma whispered with regret. She took a heavy breath to carry on, the guilt and the grief of her actions felt so tight around her ribs and threatened to choke her. “I had to focus on you. The children. Protect you… but now I know we’re the ones you needed protection from. We… We wanted our school. Our program. So we stole you. Your clan tried to stop us… so we killed them.” There was no denying her part in it. “My human death is no absolution to the crimes we committed here. I understand that…”

Memory Alma was kneeling now, almost defeated amongst the horror of the unexpected death and destruction. “The Na’vi will never forgive us. Never.”

“The Na’vi will never know,” Mercer said, cold as ever.

Memory Alma’s head bowed in shame, her shoulders sinking down.

“Here, take this.” Harding’s voice was bored.

 Memory Alma turned to see and her attitude changed to something soft as she rose carefully to Aha’ri who was more or less pushed her way. “Don’t worry, little one.” She pulled the girl close as if to shield the six-year-old’s view of the burning and death around. “I’ll protect you.” The loudest sound was the little doll Aha’ri dropped onto the grass…

She found herself back out of the memory, lingering for a moment before she felt Ri’nela and Kìoetey disappear from the memory… the clearing. Leaving her alone without a word. She swallowed thickly before she felt the grass under her real body return and the other hand touch hers…pulling her hand and kuru away.

The scene around was replaced by the Circle of Ancestors… Anufi stepped back to allow her space.

Alma’s head turned but she had no words to speak as the two Sarentu looked at each other, tears in their eyes but there was more to it. No words needed to be spoken as Kìoetey rose to her feet, jaw tensing and loosening. Ri’nela was quick to follow but first to leave with clenched fists and nothing said.

“K-Kìoetey…” Alma tried, her voice cracking.

“No.” Kìoetey shut her down instantly, not even looking at her before she more or less stormed from the circle…

Alma stared before she ducked her head, regret once again filling her stomach.

“Come, back to rest in quiet; they need time to comprehend what they have seen.” Anufi was stern, pulling her up to her feet but she had no strength to fight her on it; to try and chase after and explain but… her head felt funny. The energy she had had was fading fast and she felt the new dregs of tiredness behind her eyes.

“<Are-Are you gonna see too?>” She asked, allowing herself to follow.

“<Not today. I have seen enough pain and death. Hear me when I say this, do not mistake the care we provide as anything less than duty. As you’re part of the resistance, you’re an ally of Kame’tire and privileged, despite the blood on your hands.>”

Which as Alma understood, was the only reason she was still not shoved out into the cold like Mokasa. They held the same crime but Anufi knew the connections were thin between the human side of the Resistance and the clan; she was treading carefully to not snap those bonds when they needed them. A political move, so to speak. Mokasa on the other hand had no ties to protect him.

“<When can I go? Return to the resistance?”

“<Tomorrow>”

Alma nodded. “<Okay.>” She had time to plan her next course of action. She hoped Anqa would pick her up otherwise it was going to be a very long walk.

[luimagines]

That Dragon Au Part 7

I had forgotten how slow going this story is. ^.^*

@cafecourage

Masterlist

First Chapter/ Previous chapter/ Next Chapter 

Content under the cut!

Chapter 7: Breakfast Time

Enno woke up and took a deep breath. They stretched and felt like they were actually well rested for a change. And then they noticed Warrior was not in the bed.

They instantly tensed up and looked around, not seeing him anywhere. They put down Wind gently and got out of bed looking to see if there was a note or something.

"Over here, Love." Warrior calls out to them softly. He was sitting at his desk. It no longer looks like chaos and he appeared to be working on something.

Enno nearly jumped out of their skin, "God- my heart." 

They put their hand on their chest to calm their heart. They headed over to him and gave him a kiss. 

Warrior smiles into the kiss and pulls back. "Sorry, I should have warned you that I tend to wake up early anyway."

"You don't stop, do you?" They sighed, holding their head on top of his. Enno grunted slightly and huff, keeping their voice quiet for the boy still sleeping in the bed. "I forgot to do something yesterday and couldn't do it while Wind was between us."

"What did you forget to do, Love?" Warrior asked softly, careful to still not wake up Wind.

Enno looked down and noticed that he was drawing something, something that looked awfully familiar now that they thought about it. Enno started playing with his hair, trying to do the same thing that they did yesterday while they were experimenting with the whole claiming thing that dragons do. 

"Nothing really, just something I should have done right away." They nuzzled their face in his hair before turning to his paper. "What-cha drawing? Me and Wind?"

Warrior was calming from their touch before he perked up and flopped over the desk. "I ummm.... yeah..."

He pulls back and shows them with a clearer view to the paper underneath his arms. He seemed to be drawing a fairly realistic charcoal picture of them and Wind asleep next to each other in the bed. "I finished the work that I had to leave behind... so I... started this."

Enno continued to put their scent on him. “You’re really good. Better at realism than I am. Can you put that with your horde when you're done? I want to keep it.” They slowly bring him back up from hiding it. “If you don’t, it's going to be my treasure now.”

They give him a kiss on the temple.

Warrior take a breath. "You can have it. I don't typically keep my drawings. And before you ask, it's a habit. My desk isn't usually that messy. I try to keep myself away from paper as much as I can....being a fire dragon and all."

“Thank you.” They give him a few more kisses. “Shall I wake up Wind? We have to tell him the plans today.” They whispered. “He is going to be so excited. You better win him that prize from the game.”

Warrior turns in his chair, watching them adoringly. "Do you want to use the bath first? I can wake Wind up and we can all have breakfast."

They still had their arms around him. “I would love one, but I don’t have anything to wear. And at this point I should just move my stuff into here.” They twirl their finger around his hair again. “But I would love to have a family breakfast.”

Warrior purrs, his eyes closing in content. He smirks a bit. "You can always just wear my clothes. You happen to look stunning in them."

Enno baps his head lightly. “Fine but remember your things are bigger on me.” They rolled their eyes as they made their way to the dresser. It took a few tries but at least they remembered where his horde was. 

“Ah.” They picked out a red tunic. They debated on the pants but the tunic was longer than the one they wore yesterday so it would be literally a dress on them. 

“I’m taking this one!” They closed the drawer, grabbing the headband they left on the top and went into the bath. They put it all on the counter in the bathroom after shutting the door.

Warrior leaned back his chair, crossing his legs with his ankle over his knee, watching them go.

After they closed the door he smirks fully and stands, making his way to the bed. He shakes Wind's shoulder. "Wake up pirate, we're going to go on an adventure today."

Wind hums and blearily opens his eyes. "Huh?"

"You're going to get that prize." Warrior winks. "Up. We don't have much long until Enno gets out of the bath."

Enno laid down, relaxing in the bath once it was filled. They were still sore and felt grimy. There was a faint feeling of pain on their back from yesterday. They start humming, taking their time for once.

Pain shoots up their spine when they tried to lift their arms up. “Ow ow ow ow ow, ok, that’s not happening.” They hissed as they felt a pulled muscle by their upper back. It was going to take them a longer time than they thought to actually bathe.

Warrior and Wind dash out of the room, heading to the guest room where their stuff was. They grab as much as Enno’s things as they can and run back. Not wanting to actually be suspicious, they simply place it on the bed.

Warrior stretches his arms over his head, a satisfying pop being heard from his shoulders. "Ok Wind. Your turn. You gotta get ready for today too. At least change your clothes."

Wind and Warrior go about their morning routines. Warrior managed to sneak some of Wind's stuff into the room as well while he was distracted.

He wasn't sure if he should also take a bath or wait until nightfall but he wants to wait for Enno.

Enno finished and got out slowly. Giving themselves a small pat down so as to not make their back worse. Putting on the new set of clothing, they made an attempt to dress down the hairband by braiding their hair here or there. They have trouble deciding if it looks good or not. They huffed when it didn’t work, but it was the best they could do.

Warrior is dressed casually when they finally get out. His smile widens and he lets out an appreciative whistle. "Beautiful. Absolutely stunning."

He chuckles, getting to his feet and adjusting the head band on their head. He untangled a bit of their hair and tucks it into some other parts where they would be tighter and fit better.

"Better?"

Enno looked in the mirror. Somehow he had made it look like the headband was actually a ribbon that had been intertwined with their hair. He dressed it down perfectly.

Enno blushed and looked away but then noticed their stuff on the bed. “Wait- when did you two… why?”

They turned back to Warrior, confused, before realizing why and turned red again. “You know now I have to unload things here.”

Warrior shrugs. "Fine by me."

"This way you don't have to go and get your things. They’re already here!" Wind cheers, sitting on the bed. "I got some of mine too so we have to figure out a place to put everything but it shouldn't be too hard."

Warrior waves him off. "If there's no space then I get another dresser or something."

Enno had to take a moment to take a breath. They couldn’t help but soften at the gesture. “You two are going to be the death of me I swear.” 

Enno gives both of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek / forehead separately. “I love you both so much but I thought we were going to have breakfast together?”

"Yes!" Wind cheers, vaulting off of the bed and toward the door. "Let's go eat!"

Warrior bows dramatically, offering his elbow. "Shall we?"

“Of course.” They take his arm and we follow Wind out. They felt a little self conscious about leaving the room because it's been a safe haven from Cia this whole time. But it wasn’t a good look if they simply went in and never came back out again. They took Wind in their other hand so he wouldn't go too far ahead.

Warrior hums as he purrs by their side. "Zelda is pretty good at keeping the dining hall scarce of arguments so we should be ok to go eat together. If it gets interrupted, we can get something while we're out on the town "

“That’s… good at least.” Enno thinks about it. They’re not inclined to agree but it’s better than nothing. 

“People are still staring.” They whisper as more maids pass. They seem surprised by their look. That or they are just staring at Warriors. They put their head on his shoulder trying to ignore the stares. “I guess I did turn into a dragon the other day.”

"True." Warrior swings their hand a bit, leaning his head against their own. "I also tend to get a few stares just by walking. Dragons are few and far in-between. There are only five who actually live in the capital, Zelda and myself included. So more or new dragons are quite the sight to see."

They hummed. "I think the stares for you are for another reason. The most eligible bachelor got hitched." 

Enno nudged him teasingly, having a sinking feeling this is something they weren’t going to let go anytime soon. At least they weren't so stressed about heading to eat. They were still worried about Cia but not as much to dampen their mood.

Warrior grins, adopting a little pep in his step. "Well I wouldn't say we're married yet but you bring up a good point."

Wind laughs from the other side. "You certainly fell into the part pretty quickly. Why not seal the deal already? You clearly like each other."

"Wind!" They instantly shoved their face into Warrior's shoulder to hide a blush. "I assume this isn't something you just do on a whim. It's like a proposal right? Slightly planned out? It's not like I would rather one way or another. It seems like it's going to happen anyway. Ahhhhhh..." 

Warrior chuckles, kissing the top of their head. "There is a process. It might be fast to human standards but dragons also don’t leave much room for second guessing. However, it's only been a few days."

Warrior reached over and flicked Wind's head. "There's no rush either. So let's try to take some things one at a time. Such as making sure we all have fun today."

“Only been a few days… From what I heard you’ve been trying to court me for a while now, Sir.” Enno started to purr as they walked into the dining hall. “Do you think we can’t get Hyrule to do a small check up? I’m still worried about the thing I mentioned yesterday.”

Warrior blushes as he kicks a bit of the carpeted floor. "I meant after the claim has been made...."  He laughs nervously. "I uhh... I just wanted your attention at first... like I said, I never thought I'd actually have a relationship."

He smiles and grips their hand a bit tighter. "Yeah, we can ask Hyrule to check it out before we leave..... Are you feeling any better by the way? Still sore?"

"Had some weird phantom pains on my back while in the bath. I know I don't have the condition I had in my world. I'm just worried if there is something else wrong with me instead." They lift up his hand kissing it.

"Yuck." Wind pretends to gag, running a bit ahead to the dining hall door.

Warrior nods and tries to think about what it might be. He pulls their hand up to kiss it as well. "I don't suppose that it's merely stretched from the sudden addition of wings. I know that young dragons itch and are sore when their wings begin growing for the first time. Not all dragons are born with them already in their form, you see. So while it's not commonplace, it's not rare either."

"Getting it looked at isn't a bad idea though." Warrior opens the door for the both of them since Wind didn't hold it open. "Just in case."

"Those are two different ailments. I want to make sure I don't have a magical version of not being able to create energy." Enno stated as they walked in. Wind had already plopped himself down with some of the others waiting for them.

"Concerning." Warrior notes. "I'm sure Hyrule can help it. But I think you would be better off actually looking into a professional opinion."

"Enno!" Wind calls out. "Sit by me!"

"About time the two of you showed up." Legend says, putting his cheek against his fist. "We were wondering when the honeymoon was going to end."

"Legend, be nice. Cia was going crazy. We know that Warrior is the number one target." Four punches his shoulder.

"Actually Legend the Honeymoon is after the wedding. We were just having an engagement celebration." Enno said, sitting next to Wind. They made a mental note to ask Warrior where exactly a professional is. "How have you guys been? I feel like it's been years."

Sky smiles. "We've been alright. We've mostly avoided the drama."

"Is Pinky ok?" Hyrule leans forward. "I heard what happened but they said I wasn't needed."

"Meaning they wouldn't let him in." Legend chimes in. "Heard through the grapevine that you both got hit too. You ok?"

“Well… turns out I’m now a dragon. But also the… uh… human? Part? Of the half form is how I looked back in my world. So that's fun.” They tried to be as casual as possible as some maids put our food down. “I still don’t know how you got hit, Captain.”

"Cia threw a fit and some magic. I did my job." Warrior explains simply.

Legend hisses in sympathy and empathetic pain. He goes to subconsciously scratch his shoulder. "Aimed at Enno?"

"Yup."

"I heard it hurt your wing." Hyrule mutters

"It did."

"It was pretty bad." Wind speaks up. "I don't think he's going to be able to fly for a while."

All the boys grimaced and stared in front of them. Clearly there's some significance there.

Enno looked at their faces and just whistled. Enno picks up their fork to start eating. “Aaaannnyyyway. What do you guys have planned today?”

Four perks up. “Oh! There was a blacksmith that was letting me use his shop yesterday. I was going to continue working on our weapons and armors before we leave. It’s been awhile since I got to fix everyone’s stuff.”

Legend smirks and gabs a thumb in Hyrules direction. "He's going to try and sneak into the medical bay and I'm going to watch."

"Legend please.... I just want to learn some more things before we go."

"I was just going to be in the library all day." Sky starts eating his food. "Do you have any plans?"

Enno grew more interested in their food suddenly as the realization hit them. “Well… We are going out into town.” They give Warriors a small nudge. “A ‘family’ day is what we are calling it.”

“There’s a game in the town square! Warrior is going to win it for me!” Wind cheers

"You bet I am." Warrior grins, nudging Enno’s foot from under the table. "It's just a bit of fun for today. I think we deserve it."

Time didn’t take too long to get to the dining hall. “Oh.” He wasn’t sure why he was surprised that other people were still around eating breakfast. 

Enno looked up and waved Time over. “You look better.”

“You seem different.” He shoots back. “I heard what happened. Glad to see everyone is ok.” Before the Old Man sits on the other side of Warrior, he chanced a glance at Wind. “Sorry if I scared you yesterday Sailor.”

"Is Pinky ok?" Wind asks instead.

"And has anyone seen Wild and the Rancher. " Legend adds on. "I haven't seen them since yesterday."

“She’s… Recovering. It’s going to take around a month or so to actually fully heal. Her back took the most damage. ” Time states trying to remember everything the nurses said. “Pup and Cub decided to go out early since we ordered some clothing for Pinky yesterday.”

“Are there visiting hours to the med bay?” Enno asked, “I should probably tell her that I’ve been turned.”

“Oh she already knows, she said to tell you that you ditched her, and left her alone in the human corner.” He said with a deadpan look, then looked at Warrior. “Captain, did Impa tell you about my offer? I was thinking about bringing some of it back or at least marking the location off so you guys can find it later.”

"I would assume that there are visiting hours but you should have no problem.." Time runs his hand through his hair as he continues. "They let me in pretty easily."

"Well, that's because you're her dragon. She's your human." Sky points a fork in Time's direction. "You get priority access."

Warrior cuts over that as he also addresses Time and his words. "I've heard of it. While I appreciate the offer, I'm not currently able to go and get it myself so as it stands, it's still fairly up for grabs unless someone goes and gets it."

"Don't forget we only have three more days here." Legend says in between bites. "Hyrule and I have been keeping track of how long we stay in one world before we move to another. Anything that needs to get done better should be finished as soon as possible."

Enno didn’t want to feel relieved that the group only had three more days but it flowed through their entire being. They tried not to make it visible though. “We should also have a game plan when we get Pinky on the road. If she is only fully healed in a month, I can only assume she can’t really do much.”

Time on the other hand understands Warrior’s words as he should go and get the treasure. He still has his magic pouch from his adventures he doesn’t really use as much. He should see how much exactly he can fit inside and bring back. “I only have a few more errands to run before I’m set to go. I intend to get it all done today so I can spend the rest of our time with Pinky.”

Legend and Sky grin to themselves at Times words but say nothing.

Wind is borderline vibrating in his seat. "I'm so excited! When can we go!?"

"Hold on Wind, we still have to finish eating." Warrior chuckles, playfully nudging Enno’s foot with his own once more. "Take care, Time. Don't take too long. You've got somebody who needs you."

Enno pokes back with their foot, unsure of what he is doing. They finished up their meal in relative peace, simply listening to the others talk at this point.

“I know. It won't take me that much time.” Time states with confidence. “You three be safe and have fun in the town.”

Warrior pokes back, his face not betraying anything. "We'll try our best. Don't get into any more trouble."

"Easier said than done." Hyrule laments. "We only have a few days left so we might as well get the best out of them. When are Wild and Twi coming back again?"

“If anything, I’m expecting it at this point.” Enno puts their utensils down and leans on Warriors. “I’m hopeful though.”

Time’s face softens a bit. He really wished that his day with Pinky was a bit better. He puts a thought in his head to have a redo day with you later in another era. “Soon, I was going to meet with them at the clothing shop.” He looked at the time, and stood up taking the apple on his plate with him. “Which I have to go to now.”

Warrior doesn't hesitate to wrap his arm around Enno’s shoulders, finishing his plate. "Don't destroy the shop."

Wind giggles and cleans his plate before borderline jumping out of his chair. "Ok ok, can we go now?"

Warrior looks at them lovingly. "Good to go?"

Time rolls his eyes on his way out. “I’ll try not to.” He says quicking his pace. Maybe he shouldn’t go to the treasure today. He would have to see when he gets to the shop and unload the clothing back at the castle. He was going straight to the shop. No detours.

“Mhm.” Enno was a little tired but it was fine to go out. They get up from their chair, waving goodbye to the others. “Have a good day guys.” 

Warrior hums and rubs their arm, waving to the others as well as he leads them away. "Are you feeling ok, sweetheart? Your magic is low."

They didn’t know how to explain it, “I feel low… Like how my other condition was like.” They whispered so Wind didn’t hear it. “Don’t worry too much. Let’s just have a good day out. You said you wanted to show me our home?”

Warrior nods and drops his arm to hold their hand. "Alright. But let me know if you feel any worse. There's a potion seller in the middle of the city, so we can simply go in and get one to help you replenish what's been lost."

"Can you two stop flirting?" Wind groans. "Come on! Let's go play!"

Feeling warm inside but also a bit woozy and shaky, Enno sighs and follows the boy. “I think it might be a good idea to still get something and we will, Wind. Show us the way.”

Warrior nods and squeezes their hand for a moment before he pulls them closer, wrapping his arm around their waist. Wind cheers and takes off running in the direction of the game from the day before. 

"I'll get a few then and see if that helps you feel better." Warrior pokes his nose against their head. "I'd hate to see you get sick so soon."

Enno doesn't reply back. They were already feeling sick. They were able to make it to the game stall though. They sat down nearby and gulped. They were feeling shaky and dizzy, besides they didn’t know how to play. “I think I’ll let you guys play.”

Warrior frowns. "Alright, Wind. How do we play?"

"You have to take the hammer and hit this button. It sends the puck upwards and the higher it goes, the better the prize. You get a huge one if you can ring the bell." Wind jumps in place.

Warrior takes one look at the toy and his stomach turns from the unease.

"I'll tell you what. Can you go down the street to a small shop that has flowers in the front? It should have yellow windows with green letters." Warrior passes Wind some rupees. "Go inside and order some magic potions, ok? And I'll ring the bell."

Enno started to feel tired as soon as they sat down. This was definitely low blood sugar, but it should be fine. They ate. Looking back up, they only saw Warriors playing the game. They got confused. Where did Wind go?

Warrior watches Wind run off before he grabs the biggest hammer and swings it onto the platform. He reaches 3/4s of the way and smiles.

He takes his prize and pays again. This time he actually puts his strength into it.

The bell rings.

[shieldofiron]

I’ve got a soft one this time ❤️‍🔥

Billy that survived, and doesn’t have full mobility anymore (I personally have burn scars and they tend to limit my arms mobility) so he just stays inside, doesn’t go out

Billy is living with Hop, and he tries his best to get billy to use his cane, but self hatred and all- Billy refuses

One night, Steve comes over with a shit ton of stickers. While Billy is sleeping, he decorates his cane with stickers from all his favorite bands and puts a sweet skull on the handle

A perfect surprise to wake up to ❤️‍🩹

"If I order blueberry and you order chocolate chip we can split them and create the perfect pancake experience," Dustin whispers.

"What if I want more than half the chocolate chip?" Will whispers back, his hands digging into the window frame. He's nearly as big as Steve now, which meant their landing had been a little less graceful last night when Will had climbed into Billy's window and thumped to the ground.

"I will get you both blueberry and chocolate chip," Steve frowns, "Zip it. He's waking up."

Billy gets up with military precision. He explained it the first night he had stayed over with Steve, and Steve had woken late in the morning to Billy nervously perched, fully dressed, on the edge of his bed.

The alarm goes off and Billy rises slowly to sitting, his head hung low. He stretches his shoulders with a little wince and reaches for the cane. Hopper had told them Billy used it mostly in the morning, when Hopper and El weren't up and about but it would disappear until night time.

It takes a moment for Billy to notice something's different. He yawns, and then blinks at it for a moment, reaching out slowly and resting a single, scarred finger on the little skull Will had sculpted out of white clay.

Billy picks the cane off the ground, and while he does Steve can admire all the work they had put in. Anthrax's logo is centered perfectly above the drawing Will had made from the photo, Max, El and Billy all grinning like goofs. Skeletons dance in the bare spaces between the biggest logos, and the boring black cane is is now multicolored, wild and brash. Like Billy.

Steve reaches up slowly and knocks on the glass, and they all wave when Billy turns his head.

You never know what reaction you might have with Billy. He's emotional, a storm stuffed into the body of a person. Steve and Will keep waving, while Dustin just grins.

Billy sets the cane down and presses hard on it to stand. He's faster with it, Steve registers with a smile.

Billy comes over to the window, leaning down, "You gonna pretend you don't know how to open this?"

The words are harder to hear since Steve started losing a little of his hearing in his left ear, but he catches them anyway. Dustin slips a little metal shim under the window to loosen the latch, and Steve and Will push it open for the second time.

"You like it?" Will asks, "I had to make the Metallica one myself. And Steve ordered the sticker paper special from Chicago, but if it starts to fade you let me know. And... uh..."

Steve leans on the window, "How's it look?"

Billy smiles, a little wicked, and taps a finger on the skull, "Pretty fucking badass."

"So you like it? You'll use it?" Steve props himself up on his tiptoes, trying to get a little closer."

"Yeah," Billy's eyes glisten a little, but he just smiles wider, "I'll use it."

"Great!" Dustin smacks the window frame twice, "Come on, Steve is buying us all double pancakes at the diner."

Billy's face freezes for a moment, and then he taps the skull again, "Double pancakes sound great."

---

Fluffy like pancakes lol.