#unexpectedly dramatic lol

[blackjackkent]

Occurs to me that I forgot to get Karlach's first engine upgrade and almost let the tieflings wander off again without doing it. We know from Hector's run that she can survive not doing it until Last Light (although it did break the romance and I had to use console commands to re-enable it :P ), but I remembered in time so we might as well do it now.

And oh hey, while popping in camp to get her, looks like Gale has something to talk about! I'm sure it is something normal and not world-shattering at all.

After giving him another pair of magical boots to snack on, he looks at her with a very dismayed expression.

"Good gods," he murmurs. "It hardly has any effect. Mystra have mercy on us all." He shifts uneasily from foot to foot. "Listen - I need to speak to you. To all of you. It would be unconscionable of me to remain silent."

Rakha's eyes fix on him at once, attentively. It seems he finally means to give answers about this condition and what it involves - something she has been deeply frustrated not to receive already. "Go on," she says curtly. A slight pause, and then she adds slightly more quietly, remembering their shared experience channeling the Weave, "You're among friends."

There's only a hint of irony in the words. She knows perfectly well that Gale does not fully trust her, even now. But he is ready to talk, regardless, it seems.

He laughs softly through his nose at the comment. "I might just be about to remedy that," he murmurs. "You have to know... who I was. You have to know who I really am."

Rakha does not even know who she really is, let alone anyone else, but she says nothing, just nods.

"What I am," he goes on gravely, "is a walking shadow of the promise I once held. I'm... what one might call a wizard prodigy, who from an early age could not only control the Weave but compose it - much like a musician, or a poet."

She remembers the way he guided her into the depths of the Weave, pulled it through them and around them like a blanket. Yes. She can believe this. She nods again.

"Such was my skill," he continues, "that it earned me the attention of the mother of magic herself. The Lady of Mysteries. The goddess Mystra. She revealed herself to me and she became my teacher. In time, she became my muse, and later even my lover."

This gives Rakha some pause. He speaks very casually of meeting the goddess face to face - the source of power that she felt that night in the Weave. The deity whose face Gale held in the palm of his hand. Muse? Lover?

She remembers her raw, violent night with Lae'zel, tries to picture knowing that her partner controlled the very fabric of magic itself. It is difficult to conceive. "Are you telling me you made love to a goddess?" she asks skeptically.

He smiles slowly, a flicker of nostalgic glee. "Oh yes." Then his expression calms back into sober strain. "We enjoyed each others' company - body, mind, and soul. But even so, I desired more. You see... no matter how powerful a wizard we mortals can become, we never scratch more than the surface of the Weave. Mystra keeps us in check. There are boundaries she doesn't let us cross. Yet every time I was with her, I stood on the precipice, gazing into the wonders that lay beyond." His lips tighten in a frown. "I sought to cross her boundaries."

She focuses for a moment on the everpresent tingle of magic along her skin, her awareness of the fabric of magic as she experiences it. She tries to imagine what he might mean, of power beyond it, greater still. "How exactly did you try to cross those... boundaries?" she asks.

"I tried to convince her. I pouted, I pleaded, I swore my ambition was only to serve her better. But she only smiled and told me to be contented." He smiles bitterly. "As inconceivable as it seems to me now, I shared a bed with a goddess, and yet I wasn't satisfied. So I sought to prove myself worth to her instead." A pause. He sets his jaw with determination. "We come now to the crux of my folly. Shall I share the story behind it, or would you rather head straight to its sordid finale."

Rakha, of course, wants information more than almost anything and all but demands that he explain in fully.

He tells her of the empire of Netheril, and how it fell after its lord sought to usurp Mystra's power and in doing so, destroyed his people, himself, and the Weave itself. He explains how Mystra put the pieces back together - all but one - and how Gale himself learned of a missing piece locked away in an ancient Netherese tome.

"What if, I thought," he says. "What if after all this time, I could return this lost part of herself to the goddess?"

Rakha's eyes narrow. She has little context for much of the world, but the concept of hubris is not a difficult one to grasp. "What was the answer to that question?" she asks.

"The answer was to try," he answers, as she could have expected. "The outcome was to fail." Again that flash of deep, self-recriminating bitterness. "I was certain that this deed of raw power draped in romance would convince Mystra to take me by the hand and welcome me into her hitherto forbidden domains. I was mistaken."

He crouches down before her, extends a hand towards hers. "I obtained the fabled book and took it into my study. As for what happened next... here. Place your hand over my heart. Let me show you."

She squints cautiously at him for a long moment, then reaches out and places her hand into his. He pulls it at once to his chest; she can feel the heavy thump of his heart under his robes. And something else, too - a pulsing of the Weave, a sucking, drawing-in sensation pulling desperately, greedily at the fabric of magic around it.

Narrator: You feel the tadpole quiver as you realize Gale is letting you in. Into the dark...

The connection opens between them and with it comes a roiling mass of deep, black pain, dragging her headlong into his mind. She cries out, tries to jerk away, but her palm feels glued to his chest.

Narrator: You see through Gale's eyes, staring down the corridors of a dread memory. A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. Its teeth, its claws - it's unstoppable as it digs through and becomes part of you. And gods... is it ever-hungry...

With a final wrenching effort, she pulls herself backwards, breaking the connection with a snap that resonates through her whole body.

Yank your hand away.

She draws back, stares at him from under hooded brows. It is as she first suspected some days ago - he too carries a hungry monster inside him, a creature of shadow that demands his action. He has mistrusted her, all this time - when he has known himself just as trapped by a force he does not control.

Or perhaps *because* of that.

He watches her as she draws away, his eyes fixed on her face. "Terrifying, isn't it?" he murmurs. "And that is only the beginning. This Netherese blight - this 'orb' for lack of a better word, is balled up inside my chest. And it needs to be fed. As long as I absorb traces of the Weave from potent enough sources, it remains quiet. Were it ever to fully destabilize, however..."

She can hear the threat in his voice and stiffens involuntarily. "Go on."

"I will erupt," he says flatly. "I don't know the exact magnitude of the eruption, but given my studies of Netherese magic, I'd say even a fragment as small as the one I carry... it'd level a city the size of Waterdeep."

Fear. It bursts through her immediately - and on its heels, anger. He has kept this from her, from all of them - the fact that he is a walking bomb wearing a man's face. And he has judged her for the monster in her head, when she did not make the choice to carry it as he did. He has endangered them all.

The beast growls in her head; she tries to shake it away, but the words slip out, angry, cold. "By rights I should kill you," she hisses.

He takes a step back. He is well aware of her ability and willingness to carry through on the threat - but he does not look afraid so much as terribly sad. "Perhaps that is what I deserve," he agrees softly. "But you deserve no such thing. To kill me is to unleash the orb." Another step back. "All of this... it must feel like a betrayal. Say the word, and we'll part ways."

It would be easy to let the beast slip free, to punish him, make him hurt for the injustice he has done to her. And she is sure the beast does not care one whit for any explosion that might follow.

But if he is right, then he cannot die, not here. And he cannot be sent away; in the wilderness alone, he would die almost as certainly.

And... he shared the Weave with her. No matter how angry she might be - that fact remains, flat and inescapable. He shared the Weave with her, and he shares the tadpole connection, and he is one of them, part of the small amount of the world that she knows, for better or for worse.

She looks inward, stares down the beast, and when it withdraws, she steps forward very slowly. Meeting Gale's eyes, she puts out her hand and rests it unmoving against his throat.

An unspoken message. I could kill you. I am angry, and the beast wishes it. But I. Will. Not.

Her hand falls to her side.

"We've come this far," she says curtly. "And we'll continue on together. This is how it will be."

He tenses at the touch, then slowly relaxes as she draws back. "That is... a great relief," he whispers hoarsely. "Oh, a great relief indeed. You..."

He pauses, then nods slowly, meeting her eyes, understanding what she has said - and what she hasn't, and what they share between them now for better or for worse. "You truly are a soul that steels my own," he says quietly. "From all my new-rallied heart, I thank you. I thank you all--" he adds, for the others have gathered around, listening with various degrees of concern. "I understand if you stand against me. I'm humbled if you stand with me. Either way, I will do my best not to let you down."

He steps forward, reaches out a hand and - when Rakha does not pull away - he rests his palm carefully on her shoulder. His eyes remain fixed on hers. "I stand at a precipice," he says. "But if you do not give up hope, neither shall I. I'll fight. I'll resist - as long as I can."

She nods slowly. Yes. We will resist - both of us with these dark beasts inside us. Perhaps... perhaps we will even succeed.

[lovingseventeen]

・❥・ unexpectedly kissing seventeen ・❥・

a/n: just a random smooch yk LOL. here's my little thank you for 500 followers on this blog !! please feel free to reach out to me whenever,, i love love interacting with y'all i just can't reply in the comments because this isn't my primary blog!

seungcheol:

✿ totally caught him off guard as you plopped next to him on the couch and turned his head to face you for a quick peck

✿ his eyes are wide and his eyebrows are raised, but you pay no such attention as you get back up, satisfied in getting what you wanted

✿ he quickly pulls you back (gently) by your arm to make you sit back down

✿ "what was that!"

✿ "a kiss" you laughed, amused at the remnants of surprise on his face

✿ "you think you can just walk away with one?"

jeonghan:

✿ refuses to allow you to be bolder than him LMAO

✿ he doesn't let you pull away if you just intended on a short kiss

✿ a hand comes up behind your head to keep you where you are, tangling itself in your hair as he kisses you deeper

✿ he's satisfied with you being pinker than him

joshua:

✿ absolutely loves it

✿ smiles into the kiss (the kind where the corners of his eyes crinkle) when he sees you leaning in

✿ he molds into you so easily even for a brief moment

✿ one of his hands linger on your cheek as he looks at you after with pure adoration (UGH)

jun:

✿ baffled in the best way

✿ eyebrows are raised and his eyes were wide when your lips touched bc he was so unready

✿ “wow you just did that” he notes

✿ “yes i did” you laughed, “should i not do that anymore?”

✿ “no!” he almost exclaimed, “i mean no, you should do it whenever you like”

✿ this starts a very cute habit of spontaneous kisses from both of you

hoshi:

✿ he was in the kitchen in the morning, wandering around trying to figure out what to eat

✿ you waltz in the kitchen and a smile immediately finds it’s way his face as soon as he sees you

✿ “good morning baby—”

✿ for no particular reason, you dramatically wrapped your arms around his neck, dropping some of your weight on him, and kissed him a bit more passionately that your usual morning kisses

✿ his arms instinctively wrap around your waist, welcoming this very pleasant surprise

✿ he deepens the kiss, eventually lifting you onto the kitchen counter to continue, walking into the space between your legs to kiss you deeper when you pull away, breathless

✿ he’s smirking, “you started it”

wonwoo:

✿ when your lips connect softly, one of his hands come to find your forearm to hold it

✿ he doesn't say much about it but he wasn't one to complain either

✿ but you do find him smiling to himself after (he's very cute)

woozi:

✿ he was listening to something with headphones on, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration making him just a little bit irresistible in how cute he was

✿ as you're walking past him you hold his arm and casually kiss his lips

✿ the crease between his eyebrows disappears and before he can say anything you're already walking away LOL

✿ soon enough he realizes he forgot to keep listening to the song playing after momentarily malfunctioning

dokyeom:

✿ cupping his cheeks and pressing a kiss to his lips that last a second longer than a peck

✿ you can hear the "mm?" of surprise from him

✿ so so blushy, you’ve flustered him

✿ “baby what’d you do that for..” it’s a whine but you can tell he loved it

mingyu:

✿ i feel like he's the perfect amount of clingy

✿ will NOT allow a quick kiss and run

✿ when you're pulling away, his lips follow yours and he's so POUTY when you fully break away by stopping his chest with your hand :(((

✿ a very unashamed whine leaves him, "y/n..."

✿ you have to give in ofc

minghao:

✿ it's so easy to fit into him and he welcomes you with his arms like it's second nature

✿ won't whine when you break away but he's the kind of boyfriend to fix your hair or something after

✿ i dunno, a simple gesture of tucking your hair behind your ear or just slightly straightening your shirt with a hair pat with a fond smile seems very him AA

seungkwan:

✿ (jokingly) scandalized

✿ a hand covers his lips as he gasps

✿ "y/n!" he exclaims, as if you haven't kissed before

✿ kiss him again and deeper the second time and you'll really get him blushing

vernon:

✿ sometimes you just had urges to kiss your boyfriend, and why not!

✿ even as you were both casually on your phones, you turned to him, placing a hand on his chest as you gave him a quick kiss

✿ momentarily questions the sudden gesture but also remembers that he loves your kisses, so why should he complain?

✿ little vernon chuckle and smile when you pull away, you both return to you phones but he reaches to hold your hand (he's happy)

dino:

✿ omg he takes this it as challenge

✿ you got him so flustered when you did it the first time LOL

✿ "y/n you can't just do that!" he whined

✿ he tries to fluster you back, going so far as to do one of those dance dips with you as you're walking out of your kitchen as he gives you a big smooch

✿ touché lee chan

[1000sunnygo]

The fun thing about long running series is that you can trace a character's narrative evolution in real time.

The Law we saw pre-timeskip clearly aimed for One Piece.

Unless it was an elaborated lie to his crewmates (which I guess is the in-series explanation at the moment), it's safe to assume that his D lineage and self assigned suicidal mission didn't exist as a concept back then. The goal is eventually re-established with a context.

While drawing, I assumed Kidd would become important, but I didn't think LAW would move forward like that. So it's youu?? 😱

Weekly serialization, it's a Wonderland.

Weekly serialization means adding oomph on micro scale. I have a particular theory extrapolated from this statement: Law's introduction in Punk Hazard wasn't planned at all.

It might sound far fetched for how integral Law is to Punk Hazard's plot. But it's not an uncommon event, and not just in One piece. Editors often suggest heavy changes to accommodate strong cliffhangers and quick surprises. Eleven supernova were created because early Shabondy lacked oomph, Law might have appeared in Punk Hazard for the same reason.

Even without Law, the straw hats would've anchored in Dressrosa to save Kanjurou, Zou to reunite with Raizo, and in Wano to escort their friends back home. Law just happened to have something going on in all of these places.

I think both Law and Kidd's post timeskip debut was planned to be in Wano arc. Law's competitive dynamic with Kidd and Luffy in Wano is more consistent with Shabondy than anything that came before.

Doflamingo was initially one of Kaido's strongest allies to be defeated within Wano country (confirmed in volume 98 SBS). It means Dressrosa was entirely different from what we got.

Given the similarity in their Jolly Roger, Oda may have always planned Law to be Doflamingo's ex-subordinate with a complicated history, keeping his and Doflamingo's conflict reserved for Wano. But Law was popular, resourceful and the story needed a boost after a monotonous Fishman Island arc. Thus, Law gets his early screentime that snowballs into a dramatic Dressrosa arc. I'm sure Oda didn't mind.

Tldr, I think this is how it went down: Oda decides that Kidd and Law would return and fight alongside Luffy in Wano -> Punk hazard is written and introduces Kinemon -> Punk Hazard falls bland and editor pesters Oda to bring Law early -> Law appears and proposes an alliance, so the plot is now directly chained to Wano -> Oda realizes ope ope makes a good device to explain Imu's immortality -> Oda makes Law a D as he's now connected to endgame plot.

Even if the theory above is wrong, it's a fact that Law was not a part of the bigger picture but became unexpectedly relevant. To work with him, Oda had to figure the smaller details of his personality slowly as the story progressed; such as his honesty and the suicidal tendency.

Law roped straw hats into his revenge scheme while deep down wanting them to leave Dressrosa safe and unharmed. But Law in the draft for this scene looks more... certain. Maybe Robin wasn't wrong to suspect Law after all.

I guess, by the time Oda actually reached the scene, the shadiness didn't suit his personality anymore. Corazon would not approve.

Wano Law was the best written Law. His personality was fully ironed out, not just the revived rivalry with Luffy-Kidd but also a reluctance to be nice while time and time proving it's mostly just talks. It's a mix of his personality traits that were decided at his very introduction and the later decided improvisations.

This post was getting too big and derailed so I had to cut it short lol. Maybe I'm reaching with my speculations but it was a fun topic to brainstorm about.

Edit: Here's a bit of extension of this theory.

[hannyoontify]

seventeen's reaction to you stopping to tie your shoelace

warnings | js a few curse words lol, not proofread

notes | inspired by @m00mis's post :D thank you to anon for finding the original post!

seungcheol 

cheol would instantly realize you were no longer walking by his side and stop to wait for you. stands next to you while he waits, and if you guys were in a crowded area, he would act kind of like a bodyguard and make sure no one runs into you or trips over your hunched over form. once you’re done, he’ll help you stand back up and press quick kiss js bc he wants to :D

jeonghan 

when you kneel down on one knee to tie your shoelace, he’ll wait a little bit before pushing you so that you would lose your balance and fall over. ‘yoon jeonghan! you’re a fucking asshole!’ as soon as he pushes you over, he’ll run away so he can escape your wrath but he’ll return right away once you start complaining. ‘’m sorry angel’ presses a kiss on your knuckle as an apology. throughout the rest of your walk, he’ll probably randomly giggle when he remembers how you fell over

joshua 

when you crouch down to tie your shoelace, he’ll tap a rhythm on your head while he’s waiting. ‘guess what song this is’ ‘shua you’re hitting straight quarter notes how am i supposed to know what song that is’ ‘wrong answer, it was sunday morning by maroon 5’ oh and LMAO he might ask you to check his own laces and re-tie them if needed. oh and next time your shoelace comes untied, he’s doing the tying bc he thinks you’re too slow (he doesn’t actually think that, he js wants to do it for you)

junhui

‘[Name], your shoelace is untied’ before you can react, this sweet sweet boy is tying your shoelace for you. while you’re waiting, you play with his hair and make cat ears with them since you’re bored. ‘wen junhui, you’ve become a cat’ and you can hear a small meow from where he’s kneeling (cute) once he’s done, he’ll jump back up and look at you with a proud smile. he’ll point at your feet ‘i turned them into bunny ears, aren’t they cute?’ you thought it was very cute.

hoshi

when hoshi sees you get down on one knee in the middle of the amusement park, he gasps dramatically and brings a hand over his mouth. ‘OH MY GOD’ he’ll literally start screaming hysterically and running around and everyone and their mother is looking at hoshi because he’s going crazy while his partner is calmly tying their shoelace like it’s nothing. ‘i didn’t expect you to do it here [Name]- [Name]? why are you standing up again?’ when he finally looks back at you, you’re already done tying your shoelace. you look at him with a confused expression, and he can feel the world around him crumble away as he falls to his knees in despair. ‘kwon soonyoung did you think i was proposing to you?!’ 

wonwoo

when you stop to tie your shoelace, you noticed that wonwoo always crouches down with you and just watches you tie your laces. so one time, you asked him why he always crouched down with you and he said that it was bc he didn’t want to miss a single word of what you were saying. his answer was unexpectedly sweet so now, whenever you’re done tying your shoelaces, you always press a kiss to your sweet boyfriend’s lips before standing back up

woozi

‘oh wait love, your shoelace is untied’ you both bend down at the same time, causing your heads to bump into each other and you giggle. you let woozi tie it for you, but you stay bent down, just to keep him company. once he’s done, he’ll get up first, help you up, and then compliment your shoes

minghao

if you crouch down on the floor to tie your shoelace, minghao is gonna stop you and pull you to a bench or something else that was elevated bc he does NOT want you kneeling on the dirty floor. he’ll keep a hand on your back/shoulder to keep you stable and once you’re done, he’ll grab your hand almost immediately. ‘done? good bc i want ice cream’

mingyu 

mingyu’s telling you some story about a joke the boys pulled on him and he becomes so immersed in his storytelling that he doesn’t notice you’re almost 20 paces behind him, tying your shoelace. ‘so that was pretty funny. wasn’t it, [Name]? [Name]? WHERE’D YOU GO’ he’ll whip around in a circle, looking for you frantically before you finally manage to catch up to him. ‘does this mean you missed half of my story’

dokyeom

when dokyeom notices that your shoelace is untied, he’ll get down, prop up one knee, and pat his leg, telling you to rest your foot on his thigh. you do so, and while he ties your shoelace, you use his shoulder to balance yourself. once he’s done, you put down your foot and kiss his cheek. ‘thanks min’ ‘anything for my princess’

seungkwan

mother seungkwan mode: activated ‘make sure you double knot… do you know how to double knot?’ ‘kwan, i’m the one who taught you how to double knot’ ‘right’ he’ll pretend to be done with you and be impatient, but he’ll immediately help you up once you’re done and brush off your knees. he was probably also the one who noticed your untied shoelace first and pointed it out to you

vernon

‘babe wait, my shoelace is untied’ before you can react, vernon hands you his drink so he can tie your shoelace for you. why do i feel like he can do the super fast thing where it takes literally one second to tie your laces anyway, once he’s done, he’ll pat your leg(?) like a dad before standing back up and taking his drink back. ‘it should be all good now. sorry for not noticing earlier’

dino

chan would do rock paper scissors with you to decide who re-ties them (it didn’t matter whose shoes, you guys always did it to decide). it wasn’t that he didn’t want to or you didn’t want to, you guys js thought that it would make it more fun :)) if he was the one who won, he’ll probably make groaning noises as he makes his way down, complaining about how old he’s getting and how his joints aren’t like they used to be anymore. ‘chan, you’re not even a quarter of 100 yet, stop being dramatic’ that usually gets him to be quiet (for now..) and once he’s done, he’ll get back up, kiss you, and then continue walking down the street with you

reblogs and feedback is always appreciated ^-^

[1800-fight-me]

Thunderstorms & Heartache

Aemond Targaryen x Female!Reader

Rating: M (Mature)- as a general rule for my blog, minors please do not interact!

Warnings: violence, cursing, kidnapping, men being creepy.... i think that’s all. 

Word count: About 5.6k

Synopsis: When Aemond captures you the night before your wedding, your life goes down a path of twists and turns that you never expected. Here’s my take on an enemies-to-lovers snuggling-to-survive Aemond x reader fic! 

Author’s note: Sorry I’ve been gone for months! I’m throwing this into the void and running away again (lol) there will eventually (most likely) be a part two to this fic. I still make no promises that I will be back on tumblr regularly, but I hope y’all like this! 

I am no longer using a taglist! Instead if you would like to be notified when I post new fics follow my side blog @jo-writes-fanfic and turn your post notifications on!

Aemond Masterlist

You woke in a panic as a hand that was certainly not yours covered your mouth and prevented you from screaming. 

Your eyes widened and your ineffective frantic efforts to fight back lessened as you saw who woke you. 

At the recognition in your eyes he raised his brow in a silent question of your compliance. 

“If I take my hand away, will you scream?” he whispered. 

You reluctantly shook your head even as you glared at him. 

He did as promised and you took a deep breath as you attempted to calm the sharp panic that flowed through you. 

“What the hell are you doing here, Aemond?” you hissed. 

“I am here to rescue you,” he said as he sat back on your bed and pulled you up to a sitting position. 

“Rescue me? I never asked to be rescued,” you snapped at him, wide eyed and confused. 

“Regardless, you are coming with me, sweetheart,” he said with a roll of his eye and enough sarcasm to raise your blood pressure. 

“No, I’m not. Get out of here before I’m caught with a man in my room the night before my wedding,” you said through clenched teeth as you attempted to extricate yourself from his hands as he held your wrist and shoulder. 

His grip only tightened. 

“There will be no wedding,” he replied shortly and you wanted to smack the stupid eyepatch off his face. 

“So you are capturing me then. Who are you to dictate my future?” 

He stared at you with a deadpan look that you were all too familiar with. 

“Your capturer, obviously. Is that not how being captured works?” he drawled. 

You huffed indignantly. 

“Are you going to be compliant or will you make this whole ordeal more miserable than it has to be?” he asked as he stood and pulled you out of the bed with him. 

“The second option,” you snipped back. 

He sighed dramatically even as he threw you over his shoulder unexpectedly and you let out an indignant squeak in surprise. 

“Be quiet,” he hissed. 

“No! If you do not put me down I will scream, I swear it. I will screech and holler and-” 

The wind was taken out of you as he suddenly dropped you down on your bed once more. 

“Quiet! You will get us caught!,” he whispered angrily. 

“Yes, my prince, that is pretty much the point,” you said with a roll of your eyes. 

He pursed his lips in anger as he pulled out a knife. 

Your eyes widened once again in fear, but he used it to cut fabric off the sheet on your bed and then wrapped it across your mouth and tied it on the back of your head. 

You let out a muffled curse of anger and he smirked in satisfaction. 

“Now, do I need to tie your hands and feet together as well or will you be a good little captive and come with me willingly?” 

You merely glared at him and folded your arms across your chest in a small act of defiance. 

You knew that you were incapable of fighting him off physically. The last time you saw him was about a year and a half ago and even then as you watched him train you were taken back by how quick and lethal he had become. 

“Good,” he said with a small upcurve of his lips and hauled you over his shoulder once more. 

_______________

After much sneaking, he made it out of the fortress and crept around to the side where a horse waited for him. 

The moon was at the dark phase of her cycle and it was nearly pitch black. 

He pulled you off his shoulder and placed you on the ground surprisingly gently and slowly which caused your breath to catch. 

As your body slid down the length of his you tried to remind yourself that you hate him. 

You never were very good at believing that particular lie, no matter how many times you told yourself. 

He pulled the cloth off your mouth. There was a soft look in his eye. 

You looked over at the horse and then back at him. 

“Where is Vhagar?” you asked. 

He pursed his lips in annoyance and looked up at the sky as if he were cursing you inside his mind. 

“It would not exactly be inconspicuous to have the largest dragon in the world here with me, now would it?” 

You narrowed your eyes at him as you placed your hands on your hips. 

“She waits for us, but it is a few days' journey on horseback to reach her,” he explained. 

“This is the worst kidnapping I’ve ever been a part of,” you muttered. 

He ignored you, even as he shook his head and moved past you to the horse. 

He ran his hand across its mane and then pulled a bundle of clothes out of the saddle bag. 

He thrust them at you and turned back to the horse. 

“Dress quickly. We need to leave immediately,” he ordered. 

You didn’t have a retort as you truly were grateful for the warm clothes and quickly shucked off your nightgown and redressed in them. 

You were surprised to find that he had given you trousers as opposed to a dress, but you supposed it made sense given the long and cold journey ahead of you. You were grateful for the multiple layers and warmth they provided you. 

You traded your slippers for thick socks and boots and with a small clearing of your throat he turned back to survey your work. 

He nodded and pulled your hood over your head, his touch surprisingly gentle, just as his had been firmly pulled over his shock of white hair to hide it. 

He helped you onto the horse and then sat right behind you. 

The heat of his chest warmed your back as his body was pressed tightly against yours. 

He clicked his tongue and the horse started at a gallop, and soon it was a sprint. 

You and your captor made your way south towards King’s Landing without detection. 

_______________

As the sun began to rise your eyes drooped and your head fell back against Aemond’s shoulder. 

“If you fall asleep and tumble off the horse I shall be incredibly cross with you,” he drawled and you huffed. 

“You dragged me out of my bed in the middle of the night, how do you expect me to not be tired?” 

He sighed. 

“We will stop soon, but we need to get as much distance between us and your former betrothed,” he said firmly. 

You decided to try to annoy him with your silence. It always used to work when you were children. Sure, Aemond was one who appreciates silence, but not when it was due to your anger at him. He never used to be able to handle it when you were mad at him.  

But, oh, how times have changed. 

“What? No withering retort?” he demanded. 

You maintained your silence. 

“Hm. Glorious silence. I would have kidnapped you earlier if I knew it was the price of such blessed quiet,” he said with a dark chuckle. 

You rolled your eyes but refused to speak. 

He sighed softly at his failed attempts to bait you into conversation. 

You smirked in satisfaction. 

_______________

Hours later you finally said, “I thought you said we would stop soon.” 

He laughed spitefully. “I thought you weren’t speaking to me.” 

You sighed. 

“Up here looks like a safe place to rest for a little while,” he said softly as he led the horse off the path and further into the woods. 

You sat and ate your meal of bread, dried meat, and hard cheese while you watched him pull various items out of the saddle bags. 

He laid a blanket out on the ground and gestured towards it. 

You watched him warily and did not move. 

“Honestly, are you really going to be angry with me the entirety of this trip?” he asked as he sat down and crossed his long legs. 

“Trip? This isn’t a trip, Aemond. You stole me from the home of my betrothed!” 

He sighed and rolled his eye. 

“You are such a prick,” you seethed. 

“It is not as if you wished to marry him! Look me in the eye and truthfully tell me you desired to be wed to that sack of shit and I will betray my brother’s orders and take you back immediately.” 

You looked down at your hands as you fidgeted and ripped apart the bread nervously. 

You could not tell him what he asked of you. 

You didn’t want to look up and see the smirk that surely adorned his lips. 

“It was my duty,” you said softly, weakly. 

“You used to care little for duty,” he said, his voice velvety smooth, the way it always did when he felt assured he had won an argument. 

“Yes, well I grew up, Aemond. I learned that I must do what was expected of me in order to survive,” you rasped as tears began to fill your eyes. 

You risked a glance up at you and his expression was hard, but there was a flicker of remorse and concern in his eye. 

You looked away. 

He sighed. 

“Rest. I’ll wake you in a few hours so we can continue our journey,” he said and you nodded. 

You returned the remainder of your food to the saddle bag and as you laid on the blanket, Aemond laid another on top of you. 

You didn’t get a chance to say anything as he immediately turned and walked a few paces away to sit on watch. 

Sleep quickly found you. 

_______________

You woke, once again, to Aemond startling you awake. 

It was becoming a habit for him, one you loathed. 

He hissed your name and shook your shoulder as he crouched over you. 

You looked at him and opened your mouth but he shook his head and whispered, “There’s a group of men coming this way. We need to be prepared.” 

You nodded even as your heart began to pound. 

As quickly as you could, you helped him pack up the supplies. 

He pulled up his hood and you followed suit before he helped you up onto the horse. 

He was soon behind you and grabbed the reins. 

“I don’t have to remind you that betraying me and taking your chances with random men would be a horribly stupid decision, do I?” he murmured in your ear as four men on horses neared the two of you as you returned to the path in the forest. 

The thought had of course crossed your mind. But you at least knew Aemond to be relatively honorable. You didn’t have the same assurances of the strange men you were soon to encounter. 

“No,” you breathed out. 

“Good. Take your hood down. Perhaps if they are distracted by how pretty you are they will not ask many questions of us,” he whispered. 

Your heart thumped harder within your chest. 

You did as he asked. 

“Would it not have been wiser to keep hiding?” you murmured back as the men were close enough to properly view them. 

You gulped in fear. 

“We were not very well hidden. And besides, it is always better to meet potential enemies prepared and on your feet,” he said quietly, his mouth close to your ear. 

“Hello there!” one of the men called out as he raised his hand in a wave. 

Aemond waved back. 

They met you in the road and Aemond pulled the horse to a halt. 

“Where are you lot headed?” the man asked in a thick accent and a too curious gleam in his eye. 

“My wife and I are headed south towards the city to find better work,” Aemond replied curtly. 

You kept your expression neutral though you wanted to scowl at him calling you his wife. 

“Not much work in the city. You may have to go further,” one of the men called out. 

“Thank you for the suggestion. We’ll take it into consideration,” Aemond replied and indicated the horse to continue forward. 

“Have I seen you somewhere before?” the man in the back asked, and he was looking directly at you. 

You shook your head, but did not speak for fear that your shaky voice would betray you. 

“I highly doubt it. My wife and I have lived very remote for the last few years. But she does have the type of beauty that feels familiar to many,” he said and one hand curled around your hip protectively. 

“Safe travels,” he then said before they could reply and continued his guidance of the horse forward and past the group of men. 

“To you as well,” one of the men replied but there was something in his voice that pricked at the back of your neck. 

You turned and watched the men as they rode in the opposite direction. 

Once they were out of sight you heaved a sigh of relief and slumped back into his body. 

He buried his face in your neck and hair and hummed softly. 

“I do not think they believed our story. We must make haste as well as change our route, otherwise we may find more trouble,” Aemond said.  

You allowed yourself a few more moments of comfort from his touch before you sat up straighter and put as much space between the two of you that riding together on a horse would allow, which wasn’t very much. 

“Okay,” you said shakily. 

_______________

Trouble found you not much later in the form of a viciously cold thunderstorm. 

Harsh rain turned into ice as it pelted your skin. The cold cut through and seeped into your bones. 

Aemond had already led the horse off the beaten path and through the woods, a lesser known path he claimed to be familiar with. 

The trees did not provide enough protection from the weather, however. 

Hooded cloaks could only do so much to prevent one from becoming soaked. 

As quickly as possible, but also after what felt like an eternity, Aemond spotted a shallow cave on the side of a large hill. 

It was protected enough from the elements to provide a reprieve.  

You pulled off your cloak and found that your shirt was not as wet as you expected, the same however could not be said for your pants. 

At the look on your face Aemond said, “I do not have any additional clothes for either of us. You should still remove them and let them dry.” 

You glared at him. 

“I will freeze to death.” 

He tossed you the blankets. 

“You’ll freeze quicker wearing cold wet clothes.” 

You pursed your lips together but could not deny the logic of what he said. 

You laid out one of the blankets and then looked over your shoulder to see him murmuring softly to the horse. 

You unlaced and slid your feet out of your boots, grateful they had protected your thick socks enough that they were still dry, then shucked off your wet trousers. 

You laid them beside your cloak in an attempt to allow them to dry before you laid on top of the blanket and pulled the second blanket firmly over you to protect your modesty. 

“This storm will surely delay us. Hopefully it passes during the night,” Aemond said. 

“What will happen to me when we arrive at our destination?” you asked in a small voice. 

He turned back and looked at you in concern. 

“Do you imagine I would drag you to some horrific fate?” he said, replying to your question with another question.  

You turned over so your back was facing him, partially to give him privacy to undress and partially to avoid his gaze as you spoke. 

“I… I do not know you as I once did,” you murmured. 

“Hm,” he hummed in discontent as he laid beside you. 

“Though we grew apart, I would never wish you ill,” he said finally. 

“Grew apart?” you scoffed. 

He sighed. 

“Your former betrothed had already sworn himself to my sister. The plan is to end your prior engagement and wed you to an ally of my brother. That way your father’s arm is twisted into remaining our ally rather than switching sides in this impending war,” he said. 

The silence after he spoke felt heavy. The only sounds were the pouring rain as it beat against your small hiding place and your heartbeat as it pounded. 

Finally you spoke slowly, “I was right before. This truly is the worst kidnapping I’ve ever been a part of.” 

A huff of hair fell past his lips, it almost sounded like a laugh. 

“It was Aegon’s plan and nothing I attempted to counsel could dissuade him,” he said. 

“My father will be furious,” you said, your voice shaky as shivers wracked your body. Even under the blanket, the cold felt inescapable. 

“Less so if you are agreeable to your new betrothed,” he murmured. 

You suddenly felt the heat of him against your back and squeaked in surprise as he wrapped a strong arm around your waist and pulled you against him. 

“Hush. I cannot possibly sleep with your teeth clattering so loudly as you shiver,” he said haughtily. 

You were stiff for a moment but too quickly felt yourself relax and melt into his body and the warmth he provided. 

You could not even be angry with him, for you were far too comfortable. 

“Who is to be my new betrothed?” you asked quietly, after a few moments of silence. 

You waited for his response. 

Finally he said, “I do not know.” 

You weren’t quite certain if you believed him, but exhaustion weighed heavy upon you and wrapped in his warmth you were swiftly pulled into unconsciousness. 

_______________

You were floating, for now, though you began to fear as water rose and rose around you. Then you were flailing as a hand wrapped around your ankle and attempted to pull you down. 

You fought your hardest, but you were powerless against the strength of that hand. 

You ran out of air and attempted to breathe, but choked on salty water, and attempted to scream but no sounds came out. 

You were being pulled into inky depths until fire surrounded you, turning the water into mist and you could breathe, you could breathe in deep as hot dry air that filled your lungs. 

The fire twirled, danced around you and burned the hand that attempted to drown you. 

You were free, and as you sobbed in relief, the fire licked at your cheek, never burning - never hurting, and dried the tears on your cheeks. 

A voice murmured your name, and so you reached a hand for that voice, up and away from the dark murky water. 

“We need to go,” Aemond said, his voice urgent as he shook your shoulder. 

You groaned and attempted to pull the blanket over your head, but it was tugged from your grip. 

You opened one eye and found the object of your ire as he knelt beside you, staring at you with one eyebrow up, judgment clear on his face. 

“You really are a horribly deep sleeper, it is near impossible to wake you, it is no wonder you were so easily captured,” he mused then stood and pulled the blanket completely off you. 

“Asshole” you seethed as you yanked down your shirt where it had rucked up enough to show your underclothes. 

He winked at you as he turned around to give you the privacy to redress. You clenched your teeth in anger as you held back your retort. 

You groaned internally as you realized it was still raining. It was certainly no longer storming as it had been only hours before, if your level of exhaustion was any indication, but it still rained rather heavily. 

You were in for what would certainly be another miserable day if your pounding head and Aemond’s chipper attitude were any indication. 

You swiftly pulled on your pants, boots, and cloak and trudged back into the rain. 

_______________

The rain slowed and stopped sometime early in the morning. 

The conversation between you and Aemond did the same after one too many snippy comments from you. And also him. The tension was rather strong. 

It had been so long that there was anger and hurt feelings between the two of you that you hardly remembered the love and friendship that was once there. 

No, that was a lie. It haunted you. There was a reason you had been unable to stand his presence for years without nearly biting his head off. 

When you were children he had been your best friend, your childhood crush, your biggest ally and confidant. Until all of that love turned into hurt feelings and resentment. 

You had entirely too much time this morning to ruminate on the past, and the thought occurred to you that maybe you should discuss it with him and attempt to put it behind you. 

You turned and looked back at him. 

It frustrated you endlessly that a part of you that you had attempted to squash for years was attracted to him. 

It was not lost on you that the boy you grew up with had become a dashing, lethal warrior. 

With his sharp cheekbones and jawline and curved lips that were entirely too distracting…

“Why are you staring at me?” he asked dryly. 

You huffed and turned back around. 

This adventure had, to your utter dismay, softened your feelings towards the man who sat behind you, pressed against you, his long silver hair blowing around the two of you in the wind. 

“Nothing,” you muttered. 

You knew if you looked back you would see a smirk on his perfect lips and it ignited your anger once again. 

You let silence fall and couldn’t find the courage within you to share your thoughts and feelings. 

_______________

“Do you plan to stop any time today?” you complained. 

“Surely you- shit,” he cut himself off and cursed as he snapped the reins and urged the horse to speed from a walk into a gallop. 

He yanked his hood over his head. 

“What is it?” you asked as you craned your head to see around his body. 

“Shit,” you echoed him. 

A group of about ten men on horses had rounded the hidden curve of the path behind the two of you. 

“Do you think those are the suspicious assholes from before?” you asked worriedly. 

Aemond pursed his lips into a thin line as he nodded stiffly. 

“We can’t outrun them, not with two people on one horse,” he said. 

“D-do we fight? I can’t fight. Oh my gods, Aemond you’re ruining my life. I should be married to a boring old man right now, not running for my life with my worst enemy-”

“Quiet, we are not going to fight, you ridiculous woman. We are going to act normal and do our best to talk our way out of this situation,” he said calmly as the men sped their horses and closed in on the two of you. 

One man, the same man who didn’t stop staring at you the last time you saw him, led his horse directly in your path, causing Aemond to yank the reins of his horse. 

The horse skidded to a stop abruptly and you gripped Aemond’s hand as your heart began to gallop in fear. 

“Well hello again,” the man said with an all too knowing smile. 

You gulped. 

“Hello there, what a pleasant surprise to see you again,” Aemond replied. 

The men chuckled darkly and you shivered. 

Aemond placed a hand on your thigh and stroked his thumb back and forth in an effort to reassure you. 

“It certainly is a truly pleasant surprise,” one of the men practically purred. 

“Well, perhaps we can schedule a third meeting, but otherwise my wife and I have to get going,” Aemond said. 

“Your wife, huh? I mentioned she looked familiar, didn’t I?”

“Hm,” Aemond hummed noncommittally. 

You began to feel queasy and perhaps slightly lightheaded. 

“Well, now there’s a ransom out for a runaway bride. The description matches your wife exactly.” 

Your breaths became shallow as the men leered at you. 

Aemond chuckled in a way that made him appear completely unconcerned. 

“I am sorry to inform you that my wife and I have been married for years, so you must be mistaken,” he replied. 

“Really? Because I think we would’ve heard if a Targaryen got married. Isn’t that right, Prince Aemond?,” the dark haired man said. 

Your heart dropped into your stomach. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

You wish you were better at this. 

Say something. Say anything, you screamed at yourself. 

You were frozen, you were frozen, and you clung to Aemond’s hand as your only lifeline in your fear. 

Good gods, you were tired of being afraid. It wasn’t just the cold terror you were experiencing. No, dread and fear had been a part of your life ever since Aemond had walked out of it when you were young. You feared rejection, your duties in life, your future. 

So you made a decision right then and there, with tears pooling in your eyes, that you would never be afraid again. 

You would fight, you would become a fighter, a warrior, whatever it took. Starting here and now. 

“What do you want from us?” you asked sharply. 

The men laughed once again and instead of fear slicing through you, it was anger. 

“Well we would like a payday, pretty lady,” one of the men from the back said and they all gave you predators smiles. 

“And I would like to go one day without a man being an absolute prick,” you snapped back. 

The men’s faces hardened. 

“Perhaps we could come to some sort of arrangement,” Aemond said and he gripped your waist. 

“How about we capture you and sell you for ransom?” the man teased back. 

“Not fucking again,” you said with gritted teeth. 

You reached behind you and slowly pulled Aemond’s dagger out of the sheath at his waist. 

His fingers brushed yours, but he didn’t stop you. 

You weren’t certain what his plan contained, surely he had one, but you were sick of waiting. 

Particularly after the men laughed in a way that made your skin crawl. 

“She’s got a mouth on her. I like that,” one of the men said. 

The knife flew from your hand and buried itself in the chest of the man blocking the path. 

“Shit,” Aemond hissed as he snapped the reins and the horse launched herself forward. 

The man slid off his horse with a thud, the horse neighed loudly in a panic and rose on its hind legs but you, Aemond, and your horse were already passing by. 

The other men stared in shock which gave your horse enough time to get past the group of harassers. 

Then the shouting began. 

Aemond pulled out his sword as he shouted, “Take the reins!” 

You did as he ordered and snapped them once more, the horse was now galloping at top speed. 

You knew it wouldn’t be enough. 

There was a clearing in the trees up ahead and as you saw a large shadow over it you looked back at Aemond, eyes widened in a silent question. 

He nodded and you threw up a prayer to any gods listening that the two of you would make it. 

His sword clashed with a man who caught up to the two of you. 

You yanked another knife out of the saddle bag and turned just in time to see another man catching up with his sword out and pointing at you. 

You aimed and let the dagger fly from your hand and watched it reach its mark directly between the attacker’s eyes. 

You gasped a sigh of relief at the same time Aemond gutted the other man. 

The clearing in the trees was closer. 

“Do you have any more daggers?” you asked.

“No,” he said through gritted teeth as he engaged in another sword fight. 

The wind tore at you as the horse raced at a breakneck speed. 

Finally, just as the other men were nearly caught up and Aemond felled another foe, you reached the break in the trees and your horse sprinted through the clearing. As soon as you were clear, Vhagar appeared to fall from the sky with an ear shattering roar as she landed between you and your pursuers, crushing a few of them.

The ground shook hard enough that your teeth clattered and you tightened your grip on your horse. 

“Dracarys Vhagar!” Aemond yelled. 

Her roar turned into flame hot enough to turn your tormentors into ashes and you gasped in relief, a few tears slipping from your eyes.

You led the horse to slow and stopped and stared at Vhagar with wide eyes, both fearful and in awe. 

Aemond slid off the horse before he helped you as well.

“Are you alright?” Aemond asked worriedly as he pulled you into his arms. 

You allowed yourself to sink into his embrace for a count of five before you pulled away and pointed a finger in his face. 

“I’m not done fighting. I am incredibly angry with you,” you said strongly. 

He blinked in surprise. 

“For capturing you and getting you into this situation?” he asked cautiously. 

“No,” you said with a dismissive wave of the hand, “I’m over that. I think my actions have shown that.” 

He raised his eyebrow at you, his only show of confusion. 

“I’m angry at you for abandoning me,” you said heatedly as your breathing quickened and your eyes stung with tears. 

“What?” he asked, his tone suddenly flat. 

“You decided that obtaining a dragon meant you no longer had to concern yourself with the likes of those below you. And that is fuc-”

“That’s your version of the story?” he chuckled spitefully. 

He leaned down so his gorgeous face was closer to yours. 

“High talk for someone who was disgusted at being associated with a cripple,” he said, his lip curled in anger and his teeth clenched. 

“What?” it was your turn to ask. 

“Don’t lie to me,” he said, his anger becoming something vicious. 

“I wouldn’t. I would never-” 

“Aegon told me! He heard you talking to one of the other noble children and-” 

“He lied! Your brother is a lying piece of shit!” 

You were both breathing heavily, your faces merely inches apart. 

“I…. He lied?” he asked. 

“Yes, you asshole,” you seethed. 

He licked his lips as he stared at you thoughtfully, the anger deflating from his face. 

“I would never drop you just because I got a dragon, you were my closest and most cherished friend,” he said. 

“And you were mine,” you admitted. “That’s why I was so angry and rude to you… which I regret.”

“I find myself full of feelings of regret as well. I was unaware of your side of the story,” he said softly. 

“All that time wasted,” you said. 

“Hm,” he hummed in agreement. 

His face was still close to yours. There was a heat between the two of you that had not dissipated just because the anger was gone. Then you remembered your agreement with yourself. 

You took a deep breath, “I don’t plan on wasting any more time. I’ve lived my life in fear for far too long. Fear of being rejected, fear of becoming too attached to anyone else, fear of fulfilling my duty, and fear of the consequences of not fulfilling it. Fear of my own feelings, my own wants. But not anymore. I’ll face whatever the future and duty expects of me but today….” 

“Today?” he prompted as he glanced down at your lips, then met your gaze once more. 

“Today I am going to act on my feelings and desires for once and face the consequences later.” you said as you placed a hand on his chest. 

“And what are your desires?” he practically purred as he cupped your cheek with his hand. 

“Kiss me,” you breathed out. 

His lips pressed into yours, and it wasn’t a slow gentle kiss like you had always imagined your first kiss with Aemond to be, no it was fiery and all consuming. As his lips moved against yours you did what you had always wanted to do, and tangled your fingers in his silken white hair. 

He groaned softly as you tightened your grip and he hauled you impossibly closer against the hard planes of his body. 

At the brush of his tongue against yours, you whimpered with desire. 

A shiver went all the way down your spine and your toes curled as he consumed you. 

Vhagar roared and you pulled back from him with a laugh. His crooked smile melted your heart and he nudged his nose against yours and kissed you once more, softly and sweetly. 

As he pulled back you grinned at him. 

He didn’t release you from his embrace, which you were grateful for. But, he did take a deep breath as he stared deeply into your eyes. 

“I must tell you that I was not completely honest with you before,” he said, his voice low and vulnerable. 

“About what?” you asked carefully. 

“I do know who my brother intends to betroth you to,” he replied. 

You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion, wordlessly asking him to explain, even as you extricated yourself from his grasp and crossed your arms. 

He pressed his lips together. 

“You are to marry me,” he said finally. 

“What?” you gasped. 

To be continued....

[novasintheroom]

Not a request, but just thinking about how Vash might get unexpectedly embarrassed around you sometimes. (Specifically 98 Vash) Gets a boost of energy if you laugh at his dramatics. Sure, he's doing them to make everyone smile, but he didn't expect you to laugh at it THIS much. He tries not to look over as you giggle about it to yourself, but fails every time. The man is invincible that day. Humming as he's walking around town, paying for overpriced bullets doesn't hurt as much as it usually does, and he's an unstoppable force when playing pool or darts.

The issue is, great success brings cockiness. Vash wants to make you laugh again, he craves it. But enough time has passed where his previous joke gets a hum of amusement from you at most. Which isn't BAD, he loves seeing your eyes light up at the memory, it just doesn't scratch the right itch right now. He tries to be bold, to take it up a notch at the next opportunity. But poor Vash is mortified as he's greeted your pity smile. Oh god. It was that bad? He tries to save it by (nervously) laughing to himself, trying to change the subject as quickly as he can. Meryl and Wolfwood bond over cringing at the sight. Big risks come into play while making a joke bigger, and luck was not on Vash's side that day.

AUGH I"M CrINGInG WITH HIM AUGh

Anon this is such a fun idea! Vash tries to save it with more bad jokes, but it just digs himself deeper into the embarrassment hole. Eventually he finally caves and just gives it up for the day, maybe forever, because how can he get you to laugh now?

This poor man just needs a break, and he took it and ran with it when he got one lol🥹🥹

[mera-k1]

Hii!! Can we get a first kiss hcs with TCW and/or AKYR, please? Whether its cute giggly ones or the slow and steady,,,🤲🌹

(((I actually sent an anon ask on this but i got a notif that something went wrong with it lol, but lmk if it actually slides into your inbox:0)))

Have a nice one!

it never did come into my inbox but dw!! hope you enjoy the fluff~ later note: GOT WAY TOO LONG... PUTTING AKYR IN A SEP POST!!

First Kiss

TCW x gn!reader

-fluff, idk u guys kiss 😱, not rlly in order so here's order i wrote in -> yohei, shiki, ryu, saimon

having to watch your boyfriend clean counters and sweep the floor wasn't the most exciting thing in the world. but.. he didn't look half bad while doing it. with the sleeves of his bartender 'uniform' rolled up and his focused expression, you couldn't help but admire him. well, okay.. you hadn't been dating that long but the crush you had on yohei was... you've had to for a little longer than you'd like to admit. so when he accepted your confession, you were extremely surprised that the cold-fronted man had actually accepted.

besides that, you really just had wanted to spend some time with him lately. after all, he'd been working so much! why not take some time off and spend some time with you? that's what you had proposed but-

"i needa finish cleaning, babe."

"oh.."

those were the only words that had been spoken since you had gotten here. letting out a dramatic sigh, you slumped down onto the bar counter that he had just finished cleaning. the damp, cool counter smelled of cleaning supplies and you wrinkled your nose at the sudden strong smell and lifted your head back up to wipe your now wet cheek.

"what're you sighing for?" he looked over after you had let out the dramatic sigh, cloth in hand as he wiped down the opposite end of the counter from you.

"i just wanna spend time with you!" you put your elbow onto the counter, leaning your face into your hand as you stared at him. yohei returned your sigh with one of his own as he shook his head.

"i told you i've-"

"i know what you told me!" you huffed out at him, a pout forming on your face as he walked over to you.

"tell you what," he started, looking at your pouty face. yeah... there was no way he could say no to you now. he was being a little mean, wasn't he? he briefly leaned down, planting a quick peck on your lips before walking back over to the previously abandoned cloth he had been using to clean. "we'll go out somewhere once--" you didn't hear the rest as your face turned pink as you suddenly shot up, shock evident on your face.

"y-you kissed me!" you covered your mouth, half from shock and the other half... you weren't really sure. "that was the first time you've ever kissed me!" he looked over at you, a faint pink color appearing on his cheeks.

"...mh. i- i guess i did."

okay so.. maybe it was a little bit awkward, eating lunch with your boyfriend. or well... new boyfriend. not like you've ever had one before but it felt awkward to sit by him during lunch uninvited. but... it's kind of an unspoken thing that you're allowed to do that, right? you had been friends beforehand but... this whole relationship thing was kinda hard... especially with your shy boyfriend.

"uh- uhm- th-thank you for eating with me, (name)..." shiki mumbled, shyly. his face growing pink with blush. you weren't sure if he was flustered by you unexpectedly sitting by him or if he had just remembered that you two were technically dating after that mess of a confession from you. god, you didn't even want to think about it right now...

"no problem!" you gave him a content smile which seemed to make his face go redder. even though it hadn't been long, you were happy that this sweetheart of a guy was your boyfriend. he might be timid but you still loved him!

"ah.. (name)?" he looked over at you, a hesitant expression on his face. it was almost impossible to tell what he was about to ask you with that expression. it almost looked like pity, but you knew it wasn't- but it also looked like shyness? but he was shy about a whole lot of things!

"what's up?" you asked, trying to keep the conversation casual and not think about the possible question.

"w- would you like to go somewhere after school?" he mumbled, looking down shyly. "ah-! with- with me! if that's okay..." he quickly added. as if it wasn't obvious enough! of course you would love to go on a little date with him!

"of course! why wouldn't it be okay, shiki?" you gave him a smile as he almost immediately brightened up too.

"really?!" you nodded happily in response, getting up from your spot on the bench beside him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before taking your bag and rushing off as the bell rang.

"i'll meet you outside your class after school, okay?!" you called as you jogged away, leaving him an embarrassed and blushing mess as he stared at you disappear in shock.

some days, you weren't sure if you should regret asking ryu out. deep down you knew you didn't regret it, of course, but times when ryu was running around the room in a dino onesie, pretending to be a dinosaur made you wonder what you had really gotten yourself into when you asked him out.

"ROARR!! i'm gonna get ya, (name)!!" he made a scary face as he ran over to where you were sitting with his arms outstretched, ready to grab you. you couldn't help but laugh at his childishness when he tackled you down onto the carpet. "iiii... got you!!!"

you both became a fit of giggles after ryu tackled you down, cuddling in closer to you as if being on the floor was a normal occurrence for the two of you. "okay, okay.. it's time to actually get up and ready, ryu." you patted his head as he childishly wrapped his arms around you and shook his head with a pout.

"not yet! just a little longer, 'kay? and then we will blast off, captain!!" he declared, suddenly an astronaut instead of a dinosaur now. you couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up inside of you.

"from dinosaur to astronaut? what a drastic switch!" you playfully teased him before he suddenly jumped up, pointing up towards the ceiling (which you assumed he was pointing towards the sky) and brought his finger back down to point at you on the floor.

"yes! we will be blasting off to the moon! astronaut ryu and (name) are making it to the moon!" he declared loudly as you got up from your spot on the ground and walked over to his excited face.

"i'm sure we will, ryu, but it's time to get ready, okay?" you smiled at him before he sighed, seemingly accepting the fact that he couldn't sit and have fun with you all day in his room.

"one thing before we blast off!" he gave a determined look, his hands on his hips. you raised your eyebrows at him as a silent 'go ahead'. "astronaut ryu needs a kiss before he gets ready!" you would have been flustered by his sudden request but seeing him so determined made you forget the blush that had burned onto your face when he said it. leaning in, you gave him a kiss on his smiling face before he cheered leaving you to look at him with a content smile on your face. yeah, he was definitely the one for you.

"you don't have to force yourself, love," the deep, comforting voice of saimon sounded beside you as you both sat on his bed. you wanted to take your relationship a little farther and sleep beside him instead of sleeping in another room whenever you visited him. "take your time."

"no, no it's alright. i trust you and stuff, but i'm just nervous..." you sighed, nerves getting the better of you as you fiddled with your hands in your lap. his hand lifted from its spot behind you and rubbed your back, gently nudging you closer to him.

"you don't have to rush anything, love. i'll wait for you to be ready." he assured you as he rubbed your back, leaning down to kiss your temple.

your hand reached up to touch his face gently, leaning up to reach his face as well now and kiss him. for real this time. although it was your first real kiss with him, it felt so natural and comfortable as his hand held yours, thumb rubbing over your knuckles as you both held the kiss for what felt like minutes till you had to pull away for air.

"...sorry! i should have asked before doing that-" he had a soft smile on his face as you rambled on, flustered that you had done that without even asking him beforehand.

"it's alright, i enjoyed it just as much as you did. nothing to fret over, my love." god... this man would be the death of you without even trying..

[vashtijoy]

thank you for such a comprehensive answer! does make me wonder though — the game clearly has no qualms with saying that akechi did kill people directly and did cause deaths indirectly (e.g. the bus incident explicitly stated to have caused fatalities). so why on earth does p5 say the subway train derailment caused no deaths?? this is probably a very weird detail to zero in, but i feel like a heavier train in an enclosed space carrying more people than a bus is much more dangerous. ngl it broke my immersion on my first playthrough a little lol

I know what you mean, lol. Tbh, Akechi is obviously intended to be sympathetic—to be the worst case example of what happens when a kid is exploited by rotten adults and has nobody to help them.

This is why there are so many parallels between his tragic backstory and the stories of a lot of the PTs—he has Futaba's abusive family background, Ryuji's single mom, Yusuke's orphanhood and exploitative father figure, Haru's terrible father, and I'm sure there's something there for Makoto as well.

This is why, at the end of the engine room, he's met not with condemnation but with grace and understanding. This is why, though he does feel sorry for himself at the end and mourn what he's lost, he doesn't squirm and beg and justify himself like the earlier palace bosses—with the exception of Sae. This is why he gets a dramatic self-sacrifice and gets to come back as an antihero, who goes all-out to save the world at the cost of his life in passing, because it's in his personal interests to do so. Akechi is intended to have been sinned against as much, or more, than he has sinned.

At the end of the day, Akechi is a Phantom Thief, even though he's not really on the team, doesn't align with their motives, and almost nobody really likes him—just like them, he's a kid who was placed in an impossible situation, and they all get that. Even while they understand the reality of who he is and what he's done.

This raises the complicated "is he a victim" question again, of course, and the reality is that he's both a victim and perpetrator—like, of course, most criminals. Akechi isn't special. His backstory lets us understand what he's done; it doesn't undo it—and he knows that.

So what's going on, if I can go all Doylian for a second, is that there's an attempt to soft-soap the reality of what Akechi does—to keep him sympathetic. He doesn't shoot people in real life, for instance (with two notable attempted exceptions)—he gives them "mental shutdowns", giving him a layer of insulation from not only the physical reality of murder, but the moral reality of it.

Like the moment he sees Futaba unexpectedly in Leblanc, and ends up chattering oh shit, you're Wakaba Isshiki's— Like the moment on 10/11 that he walks up to Sae to see what she has on her laptop, and it's the Okumura death video, and he nearly vomits; he claps a hand over his eyes, and only then moves it to cover his mouth.

This is the reason he's so visibly unsettled a lot of the time in the interrogation room, why he stares at that dead guard wide-eyed for so long, and stares at dead "Joker" for so long during that cutaway to Sojiro that the gun stops smoking. He is—and we are—almost always insulated from the reality of his acts. tl;dr: you aren't meant to have to think too much about what it means that the pretty boy is a murderer and terrorist, if you don't want to. And that's fine! There is no wrong way to understand the game, no wrong way to play. A huge part of interpreting a work of fiction is what we bring to it ourselves.

But if you want to dig into that reality, it is there to be found. The fact that psychotic breakdowns obviously can be fatal, that Akechi performs them for Shido from the start, from two years before canon. That he performs so many of them that he becomes a detective, to make sure they're properly "cleaned up" himself. The fact that he makes two of the Phantom Thieves orphans. That Shido considers "proper use of the Metaverse" to be eliminating those in his way. That he sells Akechi's services to anyone suitably wealthy and controllable he can find. That, at the start of the game, all of Tokyo is terrified of this plague of accidents, of psychotic breakdowns, and that, per Sae, the incidents have been going on at least since Wakaba Isshiki died—two years before canon.

You also have things like the fact that he clearly negotiates what he does, as you can see in the post-interrogation room conversations with Shido—he can talk his way out of kill orders, or postpone them, as long as he doesn't push it, and he does this. There's no reason to think this isn't part of their dynamic all along. Shido manipulates Akechi with praise, sure, but Akechi also manipulates Shido as much as he can get away with.

There's also the SIU Director, on 7/10, complaining about how "he" (Akechi) is insufficiently brutal and doesn't come up with usably brutal plans. On the other hand, Akechi will, later, come up with the vicious detail of the plan to murder Joker in the interrogation room; that's his plan. He's told what to do (we join that incriminating phone call conveniently halfway), but he comes up with the details himself. He's on an arc, albeit one that isn't always obvious, and a large part of it is that Joker is slowly driving him out of his mind.

I just think Akechi is way more interesting, and that his manner and behaviour make far more sense, if he has done a lot of these things. The main thing that draws my eye is the visible lack of response he has to the atrocities he causes. Going back to that nice conversation you both have on 7/11, you know what he's almost certainly just done there? He's triggered the Goodness Foods car crash, which the evening news will report takes place at 8am on 7/11.

(and writing about this clarified so many things that it, again, became its own post oops.)

The crash kills four people. By the time you're on the train to school, the news is reporting this. Akechi seems completely fine with it all, better than fine—except there are tiny suggestions of something else, if you squint, something far below the numbness to what he does and what he's become; far below the bright surface. Something that will later be riveted in disbelief to the dead guard on the floor of the interrogation room.

That's interesting.

[thesupernaturalhouse]

You mentioned that Emily would be revealed to be a Seraphim in the events of Episode six, though I'm curious how that would pan out. Charlie and Vaggie already knew she's an angel, so while learning just how high ranking she is would be a shock, I doubt it would have NEARLY the ramifications that Charlie learning that Vaggie's a former exorcist in-canon did.

Heaven could try keeping Emily there against her will, but that would be; as one says; extremely stupid and dangerous. Emily is one of the most powerful beings in heaven who now has the... "Moral Flexibility" of a Hell born and a very very good reason to push that flexibility to its limits.

That being said, Heaven could absolutely try to spin the story for their own benefits. Releasing Propaganda claiming that the sinners of hell "Corrupted" Emily; the sweetest and most innocent of the angels; and that the reader could be next to try and justify the exterminations in the eye of the public.

It would be really funny if Emily just snapped and proceeded to chew out the entirety of Heaven's government with a foul enough sailor's tongue to make even Adam blush. But I don't know if you want the reveal to be comedic or purely dramatic.

And to be honest, Vaggie and Charlie would know she's a seraphim. I mean, Emily doesn't have any disguise, so charlie can easily tell what angle she is via her dad/mom

Now, the others' reactions to Emily essentially crashing down into their coffee table looking like an entirely different person is gonna be very interesting

I have thought of Heaven making Emily stay, but as the main story takes place in hell and I have a few scenes I wanna add to ep8's battle, ultimately I think Adam would shove her through it seeing her as 'corrupted' before Sera can fully figure out what to do

As for propoganda....oh 100% the way Emily gets revealed to be heavens Emily is veryyyy interesting and basically serves as a counter point to charlies argument

The summary of it is when revealing vaggie to be an Exorcist fails, and unexpectedly boosts charlies point and starts another argument, Lute notices something familiar about the pink horned demon next to them, I'm thinks Emily's heavily power slowly gets stronger the longer she's in heaven and Lute being Lute, notices but doesn't recognize it until the trial

In which she essentially approaches Emily, grabs her, and rips off the purple pendant, in which her disguise melts away and reveals she's THEIR Emily, essentially says "if they can corrupt a seraphim whose to tell what else these vile demons could do!? How much worse woudk they do to heaven itself"

Something along those lines, I'll tweak it as I plan it out

Also while making it comedic would be very funny, I think I'd go for a more dramatic, sorta vibe. Since Sera hasn't seen Emily in about 5 years and as soon as they fleet again its- with a fight, and she's back to hell

I'd explain what I fully wanna do for ep6 in a diffent psot since this one is getting kinda long lol

[wroteclassicaly]

A/N: Dayum… okay, this took an unexpectedly-long turn, lol. Enjoy some brain rot! ;)

Warnings: Language, low self-esteem, teeters on body dysmorphia, overall NSFW, smut, oral sex (female receiving, mentions male receiving), vaginal fingering, mentions anal fingering, spitting kink, mentions vaginal sex, and more!

Pairings: Eddie x Nancy x Plus Size Reader

Regarding EdNancy and reader. I think they would love a plus sized girl! Like, they would worship her! When she puts on lingerie for the first time for them, then shows them? Her hesitation.

“I don’t… Nance, I don’t look like you do in it. You looked better. I’m sorry.” You shift to try and cover yourself up.

Eddie, who is already half-hard, immediately tuts, moving towards you, grasping your wrist with one hand, Nance reaching out to grab the other. They bring you directly in front of them, your stocking clad thighs pressing into their side by side knees. Nancy let’s her other hand raise, dainty fingers with that one ring she’s worn for years - sparkling in the low lamplight of Eddie’s room, as she lets her slender digits glide along the material on the thick of your flesh.

“You think I care about that? Munson has a scrawny-pale ass.”

Eddie smirks and remarks how you both love said ass. But he agrees. “And if you think I’m comparin’ how you look to how Wheeler looks in hers — you’re goofier than me, sweetheart.”

You can’t fight the smile, however, you’re still refusing to look at them. Eddie’s freehand finds the thick of your oversized waistline, squeezing, anchoring. “Baby, look at us, please?” His voice is pleading, soft.

Nancy lets her grip slither up your side until it’s lacing with your fingers in Eddie’s, showing you she’s here too. She’s listening.

“Wheeler, you wanna help me out here? You’re better with words, our journalist.”

“And you’re the overly dramatic, theatrical, musician. I think you can handle this one just as much as I can, lover.”

Your heart is about to burst with the fondness you have buried deep inside all of your layers, rooted to every fiber of your being, fused to the particles of your cells. They don’t disappoint, Eddie speaking first, Nancy joining in to console. It’s an effort that has you opening to their warm receptions, and lapping it up with a feverish heat. They know what you need, who this needs to be about right now. You all have your insecurities, varying focuses when one partner needs more receiving than they can give within the moment.

But part of your dynamic? It’s like one big moving, beating heart. You know who has to have extra love, a laugh, some kisses, or fucked stupid to forget about nightmares and bullies, and when they might need it so badly that it takes two of you to work together to give the person in need… well, what they need. And it’s not like all of you aren’t fulfilled by satiating a partner.

It’s about love and care. Taking and giving. There’s no set rules. And it’s taken you a while to remember that it’s okay to let yourself fall apart — mentally and physically.

There’s been many nights where Nancy feels insecure underneath your gazes, unsteady and shy. Eddie wasn’t ready to let you two love on his scars for the longest of times. His nightmares the worst out of you three. A lot of nights — he was holding onto the crown’s of your heads as you and Nancy licked and sucked his cock until is eyes rolled back into his head, both pressing differing sizes of digits inside his ass to milk him dry, eagerly drinking down the result.

Nancy was a bit more timid, at first. She held onto her breasts, small cuts and scars decorating her from the fight with Vecna. It was you who had coaxed her trembling hands away, giving one to Eddie, and keeping one for your grasp, as he fucked her on his cock with a steady ease, one that caused her small silver chain to bounce across her defined collarbones, a bead of sweat dripping down her cleavage. You lapped it up eagerly, mouth not leaving her nipples (with the exception of stealing kisses off her cotton candy lip gloss coated lips).

And right now? It’s you that’s laid out on Eddie’s new mattress. Your legs are spread so wide that the muscles in your thighs burn with early exertion. Nancy’s defined jaw fits in the slick crease, already embarrassingly soaked, her tongue buried deep inside your cunt, her slim finger and Eddie’s sliding against one another, working together inside of you, rings clinking together from the combined movements, pulling more cream from you with each lewd squelch. The thumb of Eddie’s other hand is working your clit, Nancy’s free hand playing with your tits, slapping yours out of the way. She’s a greedy lover sometimes, in the best of ways, wanting your pleasure to be by her hand, not your own.

She breaks away briefly, her mouth filthy and drenched in your thick and creamy arousal. “You’re so soft and pretty, baby. Have to get this little pussy nice and ready for Eddie to fuck it, m’kay? You gonna be a good girl and help me make you cause a mess on his bed, ruin his sheets all over again?”

“Fuck. Yeah, we need you ready for me, sweetheart. Can’t have you tapping out before the main event.”

Tears are dampening your lash-line, your lingerie still on, but pushed away to bare your flesh to your lovers for feasting. And when you gush all over your girlfriend’s tongue, their fingers relentlessly keep thrusting inside of you for another orgasm, Nancy spits your cum onto Eddie’s tongue, before licking her way inside his mouth — you leave planet earth, you’re pretty sure.

You’ve never been more grateful to be loved by the two most unlikely people you could’ve ever pictured yourself with.

// Eat me paragraph //

[sjweminem]

first ~5 mins of writing that age-gap academy hoffstrahm fic for which i found inspiration yesterday thanks to that ask..NOT proofread, just a little taste!! feedback welcome (i'm used to writing speeches and research papers, NOT fiction lol)

admittedly he was distracted. as usual. mark tolerated most classes in the academy as obligatory lessons to endure in order to, some day, achieve his dream of working in homicide, but for now he was stuck with all the other twenty-somethings learning the basics of police work, seemingly over and over again. well. at least he had something to keep his mind occupied during this lesson in particular. however repetitive the coursework may be, mark couldn't deny the eager anticipation he felt upon entering professor strahm's lecture.

mark could watch those hands for hours, even at the expense of learning whatever new information might unexpectedly, miraculously, be introduced in one yet another of his many repetitive classes. he followed those hands- his instructor was one for dramatic gesticulations- and willed himself not to imagine how they might feel on his body. willing, however, does not necessarily imply succeeding. no, mark still, despite his best efforts, frequently stared until his imagination led to thoughts of those strong-looking palms at his throat, gripping his thighs, perhaps tracing his lips with a rough finger before shoving the others into his mouth.

suddenly the bell rang, indicating the lecture's end, and, once again, mark realized his complete failure to take any notes whatsoever. maybe this little crush was getting out of hand. but how was he supposed to pay attention when professor strahm seemed to regularly meet his eyes mid-subject, in a stare that felt so unmistakably suggestive- possessive, even- and surely was not wholly imagined, a product of wishful thinking. no, he was certain that if only they could get each other alone...

[weird-bookworm]

ᴇʟᴅᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ!ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ

HYUNG LINE MAKNAE LINE

a/n: part 2 of the abomination i posted 4 (?) weeks ago

pairing: elder brother!svt x reader

genre: headcanons, fluff, crack, comfort

word count: same as before, around 1050-ish

warnings: mentions of food, mention of fire, a couple curse words, mention of harassing (dw nothing srs), idk what can be a trigger help a girl out here 😭

ʟᴇᴇ ꜱᴇᴏᴋᴍɪɴ

LOUD™

(dolby? who's that? i only know dk 👍🏻)

coddles you with love

clingy

no concept of personal space

unexpectedly protective

your room is practically his now

puppy eyes at you for everything

as if he's the younger one and not you

randomly starts singing

*soul left your body* even though you've heard him do it your entire life

despises it when you're sad

gets adorably angry at whoever or whatever made you sad— just to see you giggle

innocent babie

(protecc him pls)

aka you're more dirty minded than he is

might be the elder but you're stuck taking care of him

elaborate skits in the middle of the night

you don't tell him but you enjoy them as much as he does

ᴋɪᴍ ᴍɪɴɢʏᴜ

puppy personified

practically a giant

you often wonder if he took your share of tall genes

25/8 teasing you about your height

"want help shorty?" annoying smirk

"i'm not short you bitch, you're tall" angry pout

*cue giggles*

picks you up randomly and scares you shitless

always ends up cooking for you though

y'all have a very playful relationship

affectionate insults are as plentiful as his clothes

a giant dork basically

gets sad when you're sad

envelops you in his arms and holds you as long as you need

so so easy to prank

and so annoying because he knows every girl you know has a crush on him

flirts with your friends to annoy you

likes to cuddle

wakes up in your room 5 days out of 7

roleplays as your blanket and refuses to move

xᴜ ᴍɪɴɢʜᴀᴏ

you're his princess

the apple of his eye

he's very very soft for you

but you're the person he's fights with the most

Savage™

The sassy siblings ✨

y'all are more twins than anything

similar fashion styles

both martial artists

both self-assured

and really good looking 👀

pretty much a package deal atp

your friends are his friends, and his are yours

you're his forever priority

forces you to meditate lol

as in wakes you up early every morning and makes you sit and meditate with him

will not let you go back to sleep

safe to say he's the only person who's seen your whiny side

ʙᴏᴏ ꜱᴇᴜɴɢᴋᴡᴀɴ

dramatic

bickering

a lot of it

even bickers with your best friend 💀

does favours for you unprompted

"stop looking at me like that, i did it out of the goodness of my heart and this is the thanks i get, hmph"

*dramatically gets mad*

while you're there looking at him like •_• -_- •_•

later uses it as leverage

"remember that one time i brought you a glass of water? you owe me!" "i didn't aSK YOU TO DO IT!!"

embodiment of getting second hand embarrassment

no kidding, pretends he doesn't know you at anything remotely embarrassing you do

✨MaTeRiAl GwOrL✨

hallabong full of sass

only and only He can bully you

you have a problem? hold his americano, he's ready to throw hands

squishy lil tangerine

ᴄʜᴡᴇ ʜᴀɴꜱᴏʟ

chill asf

takes you to movies every weekend

sends you random songs he likes or songs that remind him of you

unbothered king

comfortable silences

hang outs include not speaking and listening to music

while chilling like starfishes on the floor and staring at the ceiling

strange lil guy

except you definitely take after him

down to the style of walking

bad dad jokes

never understands the good ones 💀

occasionally loud enough to rouse the entire neighbourhood

cluelessly cute

does silly things when you're sad

like sit upside down on the sofa

or just wear one of his out-of-this-world 'outfits'

he's secretly offended you're laughing but at least mission accomplished?

ʟᴇᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴ

the only remotely normal one

often complains that you're weird

and he's lucky that he got the better genes

constant fights over who looks better

often drags you to dance with him

whines for you to cook for him

even though his cooking is perfectly fine

once felt generous and decided to help you make dinner in high school

your parents came back home to smoke in the house and the fire alarm going off

don't think he doesn't notice you going soft when he laughs

often acts like the most typical 'oppa'

then both of you cringe and laugh together

sneaks out with you every friday

weirdly mature when the situation calls for it

once punched a guy in the face because he thought he was harassing you

had to awkwardly apologise because that wasn't the case. at all.

very very common and very very petty fights

[icarus-suraki]

Oh man, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is currently free on YouTube and I have stuff to do and places to be and I am not sure that's going to happen now.

I fuckin love this silly movie. It's over-dramatic, it's full of Spielbergisms, the Bermuda Triangle figures in it, there so much "competency porn" and serious jargon, everyone is a white guy, there are 9 year-old girls playing the aliens, Francois Truffaut is there for some reason, the cartographer character who gets roped into being a translator, the guy playing the organ in the last scenes isn't an actor but the guy who set up the organ, the special effects are fantastic, Richard Dreyfuss is being himself, it's so unexpectedly moving, the lighted alien ships are just pretty... I fucking love it. I have such a soft spot in my heart for 70s and 80s Spielberg movies lol

[misc-obeyme]

Sometimes I wonder what would the brothers think of a genderbender MC...

Or well, literally. Like in the anime Ranma 1/2 where with hot water they turn to a male and a cold water they turn to a female.

Lemme know your thoughts on this ^^

Oh, anon, I have thought about this a lot.

You see, my own MC is nonbinary and I have written many different versions of their story. But in one of their earlier ones, the first thing they did was have Solomon cast a spell on them that allowed them to switch genders whenever they wanted.

I actually wrote like... three different versions of this scenario.

But in all of them, the brothers are supportive of Ciaran's choice. Some of them want to understand it a little better and ask them more questions, but otherwise they're just like okay as long as you're happy.

I like to headcanon that the Devildom is more chill about gender stuff in general. And so I don't think the brothers would have a dramatic reaction to an MC that could do this. They might be curious if the MC showed up in the Devildom already having that ability. Like wanting to know where it came from and how it works and such (might get more of this from characters like Satan and Solomon who have a thirst for knowledge where others'll just be like huh cool okay).

You might get varied reactions when it comes to getting nsfw with the characters. But even then, I think you're just going to get a general sense of "okay, cool."

With Ciaran, I had it like... okay the magic is changing their gender, but when they're upset or emotion, they'll switch genders frequently. Like switching every couple of minutes. Or if they're really tired, they switch back to their agab because it's easier for the magic that way and less taxing on their body in general.

And I love the idea of an MC who can do this generally dressing for whatever gender their body physically is at the time, but then randomly switching it unexpectedly.

I'm just imagining an MC dressed up in a really fancy ball gown with traditionally feminine features, high heels, makeup, hair styled, and then keeping their body in female mode just to switch it to male mode in the middle of some fancy party because they got emotional about something. And everybody's like... we can tell that something has changed... but they still look amazing? And nothing seems especially off about this? They continue to slay? We're not sure what's happening...

Like it's just bafflement. Except for the people who know MC can do this and they're like, really MC? You're confusing people. LOL!

Anyway, this is my own personal secret dream so that's why I had Ciaran doing it originally. But in the current version of their story, they're more comfortable with being amab so they don't do this. But it's fun to write about it lol.

[fandomanimatic-tournament]

Fandom song animatic tournament: Bracket 1 Side A Round 3

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Set it Off

"So could you Tell me how you're sleeping easy? How you're only thinking of yourself? Show me how you justify Telling all your lies like second nature Listen, mark my words, one day (one day) You will pay, you will pay Karma's gonna come collect your debt"

Ready as I'll ever be - Tangled the series

"Now it's time to step up or it's time to back down And there's only one answer for me And I'll stand up and fight 'cause I know that I'm right And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready Ready as I'll ever be"

Remember that we're voting on how Iconic they are for ANIMATICS, not for the song itself. In order to make things fair, the tone and mood of the song should not affect how iconic it is (for example, a serious song should not be considered more iconic than a joke song just because it's serious)

Propaganda and animatic links of the songs under the cut:

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Set it Off

Propaganda:

I was appalled when I found out this song had a chance if not appearing on the polls. This song is my everything. It was there for me in my darkest moments and for my brightest days. This song and all it's animatics got me through life both metaphorically and literally. This song is my everything

wolf in sheeps clothing turned me evil as a young child /pos

This had SUCH an effect on me in middle school

The anthem for edgy middle schoolers with tragic OCs everywhere Not to mention that "Burn. In. HELLLLLLLLLL YEAAHHHHH!" Is just downright iconic

Admittedly I still want to make an animatic for this myself, but it's a fun song that just OOZES villainous or anti-hero charm and popping up unexpectedly and the bridge???? Shifting from darker to hopeful only to drop back down?? "Start all over, start all over-- who am I kidding, let's not get overzealous here! You've always been a huge piece of shit" is just. mwah. incredible. And there's an official acoustic version of it too which I don't know if it's used as often but it has an entirely different vibe. Instead of the cocky or confident singer who has their target EXACTLY where they want them, it's someone who's given up and is tired of all of it. There's Options. it's fantastic.

Animatics with the song:

DSMP Technoblade animatic

Yandere Highschool

Your Turn To Die

Miraculous Ladybug

Scum Villain Self Serving System

Ready as I'll ever be - Tangled the series

Propaganda:

I can list at least three full animatics for this song for every major fandom I have ever been a part of, and still it's so hard to find them because there are so goddamn many

It's an absolute banger from the absolute King Alan Menken, originally from the pretty underrated Tangled the Series. I've seen animatics for this for like every fandom I can think of, and it deserves it because it slaps and has great vocal performances from Jeremy Jordan and Eden Espinosa.

i'm pretty sure this song is more well known than the show it came from is lol. i looked up "ready as i'll ever be animatic" on youtube just to confirm and counted 20+ of them, and i didn't even finish scrolling. it is a genuinely really good song from a /surprisingly/ good show that imo is super underrated. i definitely would recommend checking it out if you get the opportunity!

it's a fandom song that transcended its fandom and became a hit for twist villains.

The song really fosters creativity with how many animatics can create a darker AU where the usual protagonist (or a close associate) is made to be the antagonist because of injustice suffered and the other characters have to fight against them

I've seen *at least* one animatic of this song in almost every fandom I've looked into

It has a lot of Animaniacs because it is sung by an ensemble cast It is good for demonstrating a lot of different conflicting perspectives of characters for your big dramatic fight and its catchy and I love it

I mean everyone loves a scenario where one of the main cast becomes a villain for tragic reasons and the rest of the characters have to fight them while dealing with the betrayal and attempting to make them see reason

How in the actual hell does a song from a Tangled spinoff series go this spectacularly hard? More to the point, how does it have an animatic/AMV for practically EVERY FANDOM IN EXISTENCE?! Yeah, most people know it from that one Warrior Cats MAP, but there is SO much more. Not to mention the bucketloads of people who used this song for their own OCs, which is always a bonus.

Animatics with the song:

Star Vs The Forces Of Evil

Miraculous Ladybug

Sander Sides

Danganronpa V3 fantasy AU

BNHA Villain Deku Animatic

DSMP

Please be cautious and read the title, description and warning cards on the animatic videos if you decide to watch them. If you've got specific triggers I'd recommend even more caution when watching animatics of fandoms you don't know, since sometimes canon-typical themes don't get warnings.

[booburry]

Echoes in Time Chapter 4: A Star is Born

Chapter Summary: A day of hot and cold between Mallory and Sam leaves them with a clearer path forward and a renewed determination from Sam. WC: 9,988 - sorry (not sorry?). But hey! I managed to keep it under 10k lol

CW: Accidental nudity, emotional angst, they be smoochin', game spoilers

A/N: Thank you all for your patience with this one! As you see it's a long one, but I couldn't cut anything out and I didn't want to end it abruptly either, for the sake of keeping it shorter. I will try to keep chapters within the realm of 6.5k to 8k but sometimes the words just roll. I hope you all enjoy

The idea that Mallory’s mood could have gotten worse from the moment she admitted to ‘outing’ herself as a time-travelling ‘alien’ would seem improbable to impossible.

Unfortunately, as if struck by bad luck, it did.

It’s those damn Coes and their stupid book. Mallory grumbled within herself as she put on her socks before getting out of bed to get dressed for the day. She laid out some clothes on her bed, her sheet and blanket messily bunched up from her active sleeping—she never stayed still.

She was pondering over two options when, unexpectedly, there was a light knock on the door.

“One moment!” Mallory called out, upset and anxious that she suddenly felt rushed to decide what she was going to wear.

“Yup, no problem...” Sam called out, elongating his ‘o’. Mallory instinctively grabbed a blanket to cover her exposed parts despite there being no way he could see her.

It would also be a lie if Mallory claimed the idea of only a panel of wood standing between Sam and her didn’t also excite her—her mind compulsively jumping into the deep end of that fantasy, losing herself until she heard Sam clear his throat from the hallway.

“I just put on my socks!” Mallory called out, rushing to pick an outfit and frustratingly finding that now knowing he would be the first to see her left Mallory wishing to put more…effort into her choices.

It also just made her anxiety rise and her executive function vanish.

“Okay,” Sam called out, Mallory smiling as she just pictured him slightly rocking back onto his heels with his hands in his pockets.

Naturally, she reached up to grab Sam’s necklace only to realize it wasn’t there. Without hesitation that became Mallory’s next goal, but she couldn’t seem to find it. Clothes were flying, pillows, blankets and sheets were tossed off the bed, drawers and cabinets dramatically being opened and shut.

“Hey, you okay?” Sam asked with a great amount of concern, probably at the sudden, and loud, sounds from within her room.

Mallory immediately felt as if her stomach was about to fall out of her ass as she realized, before being able to fully act, that Sam was about to walk in and see her wearing nothing but a pair of fuzzy socks.

“Sarah is wa—"

And boy did he.

“aaaaauuhh…mn.” Sam let out a prolonged, strained, sound that Mallory—if she were not frantically leaping over her bed to grab the sheet she threw to the side—would have teased him for relentlessly.

“Would you—” Mallory started to speak as she almost fell to the ground to roll herself into some amount of fabric. “Close the door!?” She called out to him, expecting him to walk out but the man, either in his confusion or boldness, stepped in and closed the door behind him.

His eyes were firmly on the floor.

“So…you, uh, put your socks on first, huh?” He slowly asked, obviously calculating a million things in his head as he sputtered out the words. Mallory felt her toes curl in as she stood up to tightly wrap the sheet around herself, ensuring it had zero chance of falling off.

“I don’t like the feeling of my bare feet touching things, okay?” Mallory defensively stated, feeling embarrassed by her quirks before immediately reminding herself of the complete invasion of her space, flashing a scorching glare at Sam. He didn’t see, of course, as his eyes were still glued to the floor. “Since when do you just walk in?”

“I—” Sam still wouldn’t look at her, which Mallory told herself was good, but god she also desperately wished he would. “You said socks…and then the noises…I, uh, I—” He tried to continue but still fell short. “I panicked.” He finally admitted, causing Mallory to feel a sudden urge she couldn’t resist.

“We’ll have to work on that.” She told him, mocking the words he had just used yesterday when she admitted she similarly panicked in a moment of high stress. But, despite the tone Sam may have used in themoment before, Mallory decided to say it with a slight, completely unfair, adjustment.

She pitched her voice deeper, making an effort to sound breathy while ensuring her words flowed together like silk and honey. She saw Sam’s chest pop out with a sudden and short exhale but the rest of his body was like stone.

“That’s…so cruel.” He told her, a light shake to his head, his face hidden behind his hat but Mallory knew how wide his smile was and the exact shade of crimson present on his cheeks from the tone he spoke in.

“You subjected yourself to this torture when you walked in here,” Mallory informed him with a matter-of-fact tone, losing herself in the moment. “It’s only fair I get even.” Sam chuckled.

“This is even?” He asked, suggesting as if what she was doing to him was much worse than what he just did. Maybe he said it because he did his by accident, while Mallory was, enjoyably, torturing the man intentionally.

But still…he should learn to never walk into a lady's room.

“Do I need to remind you what you saw?”

“No.” Sam quickly said. “No, no no.” He repeated yet Mallory saw his hat slowly lift. “Uhm—” Immediately back down. “Yeah, no.” He confirmed.

“So, I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” Mallory laughed, finding it both endearing and irresistible how he was right now. “Now, turn around and don’t look—please.” She quickly added the last request, her other part becoming present and in contention with her bolder self, reminding her to not come off as bossy, impolite or being too demanding.

Sam just deeply chuckled.

“I would have preferred it if you just demanded me to.” He slowly glanced up at Mallory, who became immediately self-conscious about how tightly she had wrapped her sheet around her body. His eyes lingered, but at least he didn’t try to hide it, and he ensured to give Mallory a smirk and a playful, pronounced, wink.

“Turn.” She said with a laugh. “Around.” And continued with a teasingly annoyed tone while raising an eyebrow at Sam—a suppressed smile pushing its way forward as her heart beat against her chest. Sam just smiled and closed his eyes.

“Mmmn,” he hummed as he immediately obeyed, “yeah…that’s much better.” He encouraged her, the rumble of his voice more pronounced, his tone taunting.

It seemed that Sam had decided to fight just as dirty in the game Mallory had started. His eyes looked towards the ceiling, Mallory’s gaze immediately being drawn to the pronounced curve of his strong neck.

“You’re so bad!” Mallory said with a laugh before realizing how the words she chose would be easily used against her when said to a person like Sam Coe.

She heard him hiss in a sharp inhale, a moment of silence and then…nothing.

“You alright?” She asked, with a small amount of concern that she had broken his ‘witty bone’.

“Yeah—well…no, but,” Sam paused another moment, Mallory truly starting to worry she had broken the man, “I wouldn’t change a thing. I just…can’t…really think, right now.” He slowly stated as his head leveled out and he awkwardly adjusted his posture. Mallory smirked.

“Blood rushing elsewhere?” She quickly asked.

“You could say that, sure.” Sam quickly responded, his head flinching for a moment, as if to look at her, before remembering her request—or as he, apparently, preferred: command. “Are you getting dressed, or are socks and a sheet your outfit for the day?” He asked, Mallory smiling as he seemed to regain his composure.

Leaning into the mischievousness Sam brought out in her, Mallory planned to drop her sheet at Sam’s feet, but something caught her eye that pulled her right from this moment.

The book of Solomon Coe laid open on her desk, on the page with the photo that had completely shattered Mallory’s world last night, and did once again in this moment.

“Just a moment.” Mallory responded, all of her cheek and tongue erased from her being.

“You alright?” Sam immediately asked, dropping the back-and-forth exchange they were enjoying for a tone of concern. “I’m sorry if I went too far—”

“It’s not you, Sam.” Mallory reassured him but she knew the way she spoke would only cause for more concern, but she couldn’t help it.

She threw on the closest things, the patterns and colours clashing but she couldn’t give a care in the world as she flashed another glance at that cursed book before walking towards the door.

“You said Sarah is waiting?” Mallory asked as she walked in front of Sam and grabbed onto the door.

“I tried to, yeah.” Sam calmly stated, no doubt watching Mallory closely to understand her sudden switch off. Mallory didn’t respond as she opened her door to see Sarah waiting in the hallway.

“You two aren’t making it entirely discreet, are you?” She asked, her voice and tone sending only one message: disappointment. “I’ll make it quick then.” She added, pushing herself off from the wall she leaned against. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I agree with your plan Mallory—I will leave it for you to execute and bring me the final review of the questions. If anything changes from what you originally proposed, I need to know immediately—do you understand?” Mallory nodded vigorously, having previously experienced being spoken to like this from a boss but there was something about Sarah’s delivery that just made everything seem more…stern. “Good, I will go speak with this…Nada and arrange a meeting with you two within New Atlantis to arrange the terms.”

“You can’t be serious.” Sam’s stated, the rough edges to his voice more noticeable than usual.

“Oh, but I very well am, Sam.” Sarah retorted, her gaze challenging him to continue to protest.

Which he did without hesitation, stepping through the door frame to stand between Mallory and Sarah.

“It’s not a good idea.” Sam continued his protest despite Sarah and Mallory seeing eye-to-eye on the matter.

“I think it’s for the best.” Mallory tried to reassure him but as soon as he looked at her, she immediately knew her words could not penetrate whatever it was that was blinding him in this moment.

“It’s not safe, you will put yourself in more danger than it can help any of us.” Mallory shrugged, no longer having the words to try to convince him he was wrong and feeling deflated from the moment prior to this conversation.

Besides, she would never feel unsafe around him, and by doing this interview she could control the narrative of what is told about her life and who she is. Sure there were risks, but there were risks with everything within this world—and truthfully this seemed a heck of a lot more tame than other things Mallory had learnt about.

“You can’t—” Sam huffed at Mallory’s nonchalant attitude and turned to look at Sarah. “She can’t do this!”

“I can make my own decisions, thank you very much!” Mallory snapped, finally over Sam relentlessly trying to stop this from moving forward. He turned to her, his fire tempered and his expression deflated.

“You won’t be safe.” He told her, almost begging her. It took a moment of just looking at him to realize Sam was acting a bit clueless to, what should be, the obvious truths. She smiled.

“I’m learning how to defend myself—”

“That won’t be enough!” Sam interjected, despite having praised her for her progress yesterday. Mallory knew it was his protective nature getting the better of him and keeping him obtuse.

“I also have you.” Mallory continued, seeing Sam’s body language and expression immediately change. Being acutely aware they were in the presence of Sarah, Mallory scrunched her nose in an attempt to suppress the stupid grin she felt approaching.

“Oh.” That was all he managed to say. “Um, well…” Sam drifted off, his eyes staring deeply at the floorboards again. It seemed like, for the second time today, and since she had met him, Sam was speechless.

“I’ll excuse myself.” Sarah said, having already backed away from the two of them, and promptly leaving their vicinity before they could even think to say something.

Silence lingered between them.

“Do I, uh, do I really make you feel that way?” Sam hesitantly broke the silence between them. “Safe, that is.” He quickly added, his awkwardness and uncertainty showing in his tone and body language—if not by the sudden redness on his face.

“And here I thought cowboys don’t blush.” Mallory teased him with a smile.

“No, stop it.” Sam said with a laugh, not being able to help himself before his smile thinned into a serious frown. “I’m being serious here…for once.” He took a slight step forward towards Mallory, but to her, it felt like he leapt a mile. It was her time to gain crimson cheeks. “Do I?” He asked again, his voice sending a shiver through her shoulders and neck.

“I—” She felt her head tilt upwards, to look at the man who stood above her. “I, um…” Her eyes closed as she saw Sam do the same, the rim of his hat blocking out the light above her, his breath lightly batting against her face. Mallory hated herself for the thought and words that came next. “Cora, Sam.” She warned, reminding them both of the reason they knew they couldn’t act on the obvious feelings they had for each other.

“Right.” Sam softly agreed, stepping back quickly. “You’re right.”

“I’m meant to go back—”

“Yeah…no, of course.” Sam quickly said, obviously trying to recover from that moment but doing so horribly.

“We can’t give her hope that I will stay, that the three of us could be…more than what it has to be.”

Sam looked up at her with a mix of emotions swirling around in his expression—pain, surprise, joy, anger—before he looked away just as quickly.

“Right…of course.” Sam quietly agreed, repeating the same words, again, that he had just said.

However, something in his tone made Mallory feel like he wasn’t thinking of Cora’s hopes being crushed at that moment. It hurt Mallory too, she had been feeling nothing but fury slowly build within her once she learnt how this would end.

But she couldn’t change fate, a fact Mallory knew even before this bizarre experience. She had been nothing but a victim of the damn thing her entire life. Or so it felt like, to her.

The silence returned to the hallway they stood in, Sam’s face twisting as his mind obviously raced despite speaking nothing. It deeply pained Mallory to see it, the pain she caused him and when she thought of the pain to come…well, the idea of that nearly brought her to tears.

“You do, for the record, make me feel safe.” Mallory decided to break the silence this time, wishing to soften the moment. “Being with you, and Cora, is the only sense of normalcy I find within this…world—time—whatever.”

Beyond that, the only thing that has given me a sense of purpose and belonging; ever. Mallory thought to herself, knowing speaking those words would not only be cruel to Sam but also to herself, for she knew she had to return to her time.

“You can’t say all of that now.” Sam gave a small huff from his chest, a slight tone of disbelief hidden under his light teasing.

“I could say a lot more, but it wouldn’t be fair.” Mallory replied, finding herself wanting to be honest—for once—with her feelings for Sam while also wanting, needing, to distance herself from him.

But he was so intoxicating to her, so essential, that it felt like an impossible feat to be apart from him.

“No, it wouldn’t be.” Sam whispered, his arm hesitantly reaching out to lightly pinch her chin and raise her eyes to meet his. “Although, for you? I may endure a little unfairness.” Mallory felt herself melt at his touch, but it was the way he watched her when he said such inviting words that did her in. It took every bit of willpower to turn her head from his ocean eyes. “I’m sorry…” he began but Mallory immediately cut him off.

“No, it’s not you Sam.” She reminded him again followed by a deeply strained sign. “I just…I have to go back, with no way of returning. This is it—nothing else. We can’t…I can’t—” Mallory shook her head as her words failed her again. He was, in every way, the man she wanted to be with.

Not because he was from the future, or a man in front of her that happened to be interested in her, but because of his morals and actions—everything that made Sam Coe himself…that is what had taken hold over her heart.

It truly made her feel broken, and nauseous, at the thought of losing him. Or Cora.

“You don’t have to go back.” Sam tried to softly remind her but Mallory just shook her head.

“I do.” Mallory simply said through a clenched jaw, the fact that she found solid proof of something that all but confirmed what she was saying never leaving her present mind. She had to return to that miserable existence where there was no way for her to achieve her dreams.

Yet here she was now in space, in the presence of a good and caring man, whose daughter Mallory was incomparably smitten with—every goddamn dream or goal she had wanted in life.

How bitter that tasted.

“You can’t prove that.” Sam tried to fight her but Mallory gave out an angry, fed-up, seething exhale.

“Yes, I can!” She exclaimed storming back into her room while Sam slowly and cautiously followed. When he came into her room, she closed the doors before pointing at the open book on her desk.

It was the book of Solomon Coe, opened to an image of the ‘First Coe in Space’—the guy Cora had talked about yesterday.

That image was a NASA faculty photo…and in the front row of that group photo was Mallory.

“I don’t remember taking this photo, Sam.” He peered down to look closely at it before turning to look at Mallory with confusion.

“So?” He said, genuinely seeming not to understand the significance of the photo, and it just ignited Mallory’s anger and pain further.

“So!” She almost yelled, a flash of worry flying across Sam’s face. “It means that I go back, Sam. I haven’t taken this photo yet, but here it is in this book about the past—so I have to go back. It…” The rampant panic that had forced Mallory to ramble at an unnatural speed suddenly halted as a flood of pain and resentment crashed into her.

It felt like all of her anger and frustration from her constant back and forth between wanting to stay in this world and feeling obligated to go back had finally come to a boiling point within her. Steam rising, pressure building, until she finally snapped.

One, powerful and unhinged, punch to the wall released enough of that pressure.

But Mallory had forgotten, blinded by her pain and rage, that Sam was there.

“Woah!” He exclaimed. “Mallory, what’s…talk to me, please.” She felt Sam gingerly grab a hold of her trembling fist before he guided her to sit down before she burst into tears.

“It’s—it’s j-just my luck that…” Mallory managed to get out between heavy, irregular, breaths before her body tensed further at the pain ripping her apart. Not just Sam but pain from…everything.

Just…fucking…everything.

Her entire life trying to live for other people—live to garner approval from her mom, live to make her dad proud. All while also always doubting herself, limiting herself, cause she always ran from what she wanted most—too afraid to fail, to be unwelcomed or abandoned.

So instead Mallory had made a small box for herself. She had a steady, easy, and overlooked job. Enough friends to fill most of her time with their problems and life events, and a few hobbies to fill the rest, as she just…floated through life. Endlessly aimless. Endlessly hopeless at finding something fulfilling.

All of her life, she was told to be small, to take little and finally, finally, when she was actually taking the steps to go for what she wanted—that hope was mercilessly shattered, too.

Mallory tried to force her breath to steady, exhaling a lungful of air while tears continued to stream down her face. Sam took the moment to sit next to her, taking tissues to her face to help dry her cheeks. Mallory couldn’t help but give a small, hopeless, laugh at how much sadness his compassionate gesture brought her.

Slowly, she brought her sad, swollen, eyes to look at him—Mallory immediately seeing how much the sight of such a visual deeply hurt him.

“Just my luck,” She managed to continue with a steady tone, “that I would—” Mallory’s lips curled into themselves as she bit down hard, trying her best to use the physical pain to subside her emotional pain. “I would find a man like you in a place, and time, like this.”

Mallory felt her neck and shoulders tense as she finished her thought, her inner tormentor relentlessly repeating how she was always meant to be unlucky, that this is what she gets for reaching outside of her box—her role.

“Funny…” Sam slowly said, Mallory feeling his hand wrap around hers. “I would say the same thing about you.”

 He paused only a moment, his tone soft and gentle to ensure it helped soothe her. Mallory, absent-mindedly with her free hand, reached up for the necklace again, only to remember it was still missing.

“I’ve been told countless times how lucky I am—absurdly lucky, unfairly so to a degree. But I never really believed it. At least…not until you.”

Naturally, Mallory’s gaze fell to his and she both loved and hated how calming he was for her. Sam gave a small half smile before his lips tensed for a moment, his eyes searching Mallory’s for something unspoken.

“I still can’t wrap my head around what the chances of our paths crossing would be, not even considering how…uhm, well, how we feel about each other.” Sam stumbled over his words, something Mallory had noticed usually only happened when he was talking about her, or how he felt about her. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life Mallory, I really mean that.”

He squeezed her hand before bringing his free one up to cup her wet cheek.

“I can’t have you thinking this is bad luck.” He softly added, his thumb gliding along her skin lovingly.

“But it’s different, Sam. Your position and mine.” Mallory corrected, pulling herself away from his embrace to crawl onto her bed and sit cross-legged in the center. “You have Cora, and Constellation and the whole galaxy to explore! I have…” Mallory trailed off, unable to mutter the words ‘nothing to go home to’. “I appreciate what you are trying to say, Sam, I really do, but it’s not comparable. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” He softly told her before standing up. “I’ll, uh, return the book to Cora.” He added, walking over to the desk and snapping the book closed with, Mallory noticed, more force than he would normally use with one of Cora’s prized books. Mallory did not look up as she heard Sam move around her room, only slightly turning her head when she heard the sound of him opening her door. “Just…let me know if you want to talk at all, okay? This,” Sam stressed the word as he raised the book slightly into the air, “doesn’t change anything for me. My feelings are still the same.”

Sam stood still, watching Mallory who peered at him from the far corner of one eye, until she gave a short, soft, nod of acknowledgement. He didn’t wait and expect more, and promptly left Mallory to her privacy.

“My feelings remain the same, too.” She whispered to herself, clutching a pillow to her chest, as she curled up into herself, prepared to cry herself to sleep.

But then there was a prominent knock on her door followed by the door opening. She sat up to see Sam rushing in, looking bothered but determined.

“You said this is all you ever wanted, being in space, seeing the stars, right?” He asked her, out of breath from him rushing back in. “Mallory.” He called out to her, forcing her brain to process the moment.

“Y-yes.” She stammered, as Sam immediately marched towards her at her response.

“Good, then let’s go.” He told her, reaching down to grab her hand. Despite the dominant nature of his actions and demands, his touch was still very much gentle.

“Sam…where are we going?” She asked as she struggled to get her footing while being, practically, dragged by Sam.

“To take you to the stars.”

--//--

Mallory was unsure how long the walk to his ship was, her mind wasn’t really focused on her surroundings or the speed at which they walked. She was mostly focused on how he still held her hand as he walked through New Atlantis, how strong his grip was, how large his hand felt compared to hers.

Then there was the intent on which he walked ahead of her, the focus he had, that even he managed to be silent was saying something. It made Mallory wonder what it was that kept him so silent or had him barge back into her room and decide to do this.

Her mind was so focused on him that it wasn’t until Sam took off and into orbit that she remembered where they were heading.

Mallory was slowly inspecting the areas of his ship while he was preparing for take-off. He ensured to tell her, immediately upon getting into the ship, to make herself comfortable and feel at home. The notion had given Mallory a smile, although almost every interaction with Sam these days left her with a smile.

The ship itself wasn’t large, by any means, but slightly bigger than the only other spaceship she had been in. Mallory wasn’t the best judge for the expected or appropriate size of a spaceship. What was interesting about Sam’s ship was the cockpit, as there were two pilot seats.

The only other custom thing she suspected was the multitude of mismatched shelves full of books.

It felt very much like their space, or home…and it was incredibly comforting to be in.

Mallory spotted the only bed in the single living area, and it was very obviously decorated for and by Cora. A mixture of plushies, science sculptures and horse figurines rested on the shelves; between the books, of course. She even saw some photos of people, but before she could take a closer look, Sam called out.

“Hey, come up here when you can.” He called out to her, Mallory not shying away from wanting to be close to him and walking towards the cockpit without hesitation.

She walked up to the side of the pilot seat he occupied, resting a hand on the top of the headrest and standing to the side of Sam. He looked up at her with the biggest, stupidest, most inviting grin, before turning back to look out into the dark blanket of space.

“So, where you taking me, cowboy?” Mallory asked, smirking as he looked back up at her.

“You keep calling me that, I might start calling you darlin’.” He warned her, his voice lower than usual, Mallory’s eyes flicking to his hands tightening around the controls. Realizing that, no matter if he either had to hold onto them, or was firmly stuck holding them, she wished to take advantage.

“I don’t think I would complain about that.” She told him, lifting his hat from his head and placing it on hers. “But if I’m the cowboy, do I get to call you my darlin’?” She asked, hearing and seeing Sam chuckle with such a deep husk, it did numbers to her body and senses.

“Let’s set a course first.” He told her, a wide smile and heavy dose of amusement ever present in his tone. “I wanted to take you somewhere specific.” He continued, pausing as if to wait for Mallory to tell him no, or that they were to do something different.

“You think I’m going to ‘know a place’?” She laughed, Sam lightly chuckling along with her.

“Yeah, fair point. Alright...” Mallory watched as Sam seamlessly interacted with the panels in front of him, setting coordinates and adjusting the power supply within the ship. It was fascinating to watch and Mallory found herself excited for what came next. “Buckle up and hold onto your hat, cowboy.” Sam told her, turning around to look at her to ensure she was buckled in, his eyes flitting to his hat before returning to look forward.

Mallory swore she saw him purse his lips but, even if it was true, she wouldn’t be calling out that observation.

Very slowly she heard a resounded hum from the ship, a sound she related to that of an electric vehicle or the THX intro before movies. It was calming, and if it wasn’t for them being launched into FTL travel, she probably would have fallen asleep.

Her eyes went wide as the world around them turned into a tunnel of light.

“Well, it’s going to be about 20 minutes,” Sam informed her. “Gotta stay here thought, got nothing fancy on this ship.” He gave a small laugh but Mallory heard a small sense of pain, guilt or self-judgement behind those words.

“Do I need to stay buckled?”

“No.” He quickly answered, their previous playful exchange simmering. “It’s just for the initial jump and for when we arrive—the force just has a very good chance of knocking you over and…well, we can’t have that, now can we?”

There it is. Mallory thought to herself, a small laugh huffing out of her chest as she unbuckled herself to stand up and walk back to Sam. Gingerly, she placed his hat back on his head.

“You seemed deflated without it.” She teased him again, finding herself not thinking of anything else but the present moment, of feeling like she was meant to be where she was. Sam chuckled loudly.

“I hate to ask, but out of, uhm, morbid curiosity…what’s gotten into you?” He asked her with another laugh.

“It’s quite simple really,” Mallory began with a smile, “I saw your gorgeous hair and it was too much!” She teased him, half because she wanted to and the other because she wanted to avoid talking about herself or her true feelings. “I understand why you keep it hidden—it’s a very powerful weapon.”

“Heh, you don’t know the half of it.” He joked back before clearing his throat. “But uh, seriously, tell me.” He asked of her, his voice like velvet and with her being so calm, Mallory felt herself immediately drop her guard.

“I don’t really know,” Sam opened his mouth but Mallory cut him off before he could do it to her, “I’m going to tell you, shut up.” She wined at him, Sam chuckling again, his smile so wide his cheeks had to of hurt a little by now.

“Alright, alright.” He surrendered, Mallory taking a few steps forward before sitting down on the ground cross-legged and looking toward Sam. He quickly glanced down, his eyes joining his lips in a smile.  

“I know it sounds crazy, but then again I time-traveled 300 years into the future, so what really is crazy?” Sam quickly laughed, a light shake to his head.

“You,” He told her with a smirk, “and me.” He added, Mallory smiling before curling in her bottom lip.

“At the Lodge, it’s nice but it only feels peaceful when I am with you or Cora. I thought that was just because of you two and that the rest of this time was just always meant to feel wrong. But…” Mallory paused a second, her legs naturally rising upwards to tuck against her chest. It terrified her to no end to be vulnerable or to share matters that were close to her heart.

Always in fear that when she would, they would crumble.

“Then I walked onto this ship, and then I was,” Mallory gave a small laugh of disbelief as she looked above her to the panel of glass that revealed the FTL tunnel they were in, “doing this. Seeing…your home.”

“Heh…it’s, uh, not much.” Sam tried again to dismiss his true emotions behind a self-deprecating joke—although Mallory wasn’t much better of an example in that category.

“I think it’s perfect,” Mallory told him lightly, providing him an honest and kind smile, her eyes softening as she gazed at him. “Oh, and then that hum—”

“Of the grav drive?” Sam quickly interjected with a sudden excitement returning to his expression and voice.

“Is that what that was before we, uh…whatever this is.” Mallory looked up before back at Sam, who was now revering her how she had just him. He then, reliable as ever, gave a short, single, laugh.

“Yeah, that’s what does ‘whatever this is’.” He teased her.

“I’m being serious!” Mallory immediately defended herself, her body immediately unfolding from her chest until she was on her knees looking intently at Sam before immediately softening and plopping her butt onto her feet to sit. “C’mon teach, don’t make me rat you out to your daughter for not educating me on something.” She gave him an empty threat, and he knew it. Sam just smiled at Mallory, his expression not showing all she saw moving behind his eyes.

“Traitor.” He teased her, pausing a moment before continuing. “One of the parts to a ship is a ‘Grav Drive’.” He started to inform her, using a tone she only heard during the lessons they had back at the Lodge. “I think at the beginning of space exploration it was called a—and confirm this with Cora—a…Gravitat—no. Uh…I got this.”

“Careful, don’t want your brain to burst.” She warned with a smirk.

“Uh, huh? You wouldn’t want that?” He asked her, slightly annoyed but Mallory knew he enjoyed it. The small smile cracking through his expression only proved it.

“I like your head,” she told him, “especially when it’s attached to your body and, specifically, intact.” Something about what she said caused Sam to burst with laughter, yet he was able to quickly compose himself.

“An important detail.” He noted, lightly chuckling, before raising an arm to deeply scratch his head—Sam letting out a groan of pleasure that sent shivers down Mallory’s spine. The way he looked at her shortly after didn’t help things. “You…” he started but didn’t continue. Mallory half smiled, amused with his most recent dialectical habit that only occurred when speaking to, or around, her.

“Me.” She said, flashing a smile while he just shook his head and looked forward again.

“You should buckle up.” He told her. Mallory immediately trusted his instructions and did so, but found it weird how that much time had already passed.

“Has it really been almost 20 minutes?” She asked him, feeling a bit excited to see their destination.

“No,” Sam said with a distinct chuckle, Mallory’s excitement bursting. “You were just too distracting—I’m pretty sure it constitutes as a flying hazard.” Mallory found herself tucking her chin to her chest at his words, smiling broadly and finding herself to be speechless. A comfortable silence filled the room, along with the hum of the grav drive.

“Is this all it does?” She asked him. “The grav drive.” She added, wanting to distinguish what she was asking.

“No, they also control the gravity we have in the ship. Also, I remembered—they used to be called Graviton Loop Array’s, but everyone thought it was too long and just slowly called them ‘Grav Drives’.”

“Cause they give you gravity and drive you through space?” Mallory clarified.

“Uh, yeah…pretty on point actually. Man, you are way better at explaining things.” Mallory laughed into a sigh.

“You get good at giving key details when your boss only ever has a few minutes between meetings,” Mallory advised.

“Well, Cora for sure could have used your help. I stopped being useful in that department when she was 7.” He joked, as he did, but he didn’t see how his words affected Mallory.

Firstly, she didn’t like how frequently he put down his job at parenting Cora. It was always backhanded or self-deprecating comments. She knew Cora thought the world of him, which begged the question: where did all this self-doubt come from?

Secondly, just the fact that he said that they would have benefited from her presence, even if it wasn’t what he actually believed, struck Mallory in a way most unexpected.

She took a deep breath, going slowly in order to stay quiet and allow enough time for her to prevent the tears from coming forward.

“She’s a wonderful girl, Sam. You’ve done right by her.” Sam hummed into another comfortable silence. “I think you’re a wonderful father and Cora’s just as lucky to have you as you are to have her.”

That garnered a light laugh after a large exhale is air.

“Thank you.” That was all he managed to verbally say but his tone was rich in depth and emotion. Another small silence. “Just a few more minutes now.” He let her know, a slight strain in his voice, as if he was putting a lot of effort into keeping his voice level.

“Where are you taking me?”

“It’s my little spot in paradise,” Sam told her with an audible smile. “I always found myself coming here when times were hard and, well, it’s a beautiful sight.”

“I’m excited.” Mallory told him, feeling a buzz in her chest knowing he thought to bring her to such a sacred place of his.

“There’s, ah, there’s one thing I wanted to ask you before we arrive.” He slowly informed her, that his nerves were immediately present and noticeable.

“Yes?” Mallory asked, to encourage him to continue speaking, as he had gone completely silent.

“When we get there, can we just…for a moment, forget about everything else? Like, everything. All outside pressures and expectations and just…I dunno…ahh, never mind.” Sam finished with a grumble, Mallory hearing quiet mutters under his breath shortly after.

He, of course, didn’t see how wide she smiled.

“I think I would really like that.”

“Wait, really?” He almost stammered in surprise.

“Yes, silly.” She laughed as they finally came out of FTL travel.

The sight was like no other. Never before, even in books or from the advanced telescopes for deep space, had something so marvellous been captured by image.

Mallory found herself practically running up to the glass, pressing her face as close as she could as she stared at a Nebula far in the distance—a new star being born.

“How old is it?” She immediately asked. “Do you know?” She quickly followed up, her eyes not leaving the visual of cosmic dust and gas shimmering against the sparkling black background.

“No,” Sam noted, pausing a short moment, “but I do like to think of when it will; it’s sometimes fun.” Another pause as Mallory tried to press her face further into the glass. “Careful, you may crack it.” Sam joked, Mallory immediately stepping back with concern. “I joke, I—is that what you want to look at?” He softly asked her, Mallory immediately turned to look at him.

He had one corner of his mouth curled, a teasing twinkle in his eyes yet they watched her with such softness that it left Mallory’s throat feeling dry.

It was unfair how he unravelled her, how he just commanded feelings within her to surface or demand recognition. She liked to think she had the same effect on him, but it was hard to believe she could ever muster such a reaction.

Suddenly remembering his question, she just nodded before turning back to the Nebula, so she didn’t see Sam’s expression suddenly change to one that betrayed his feelings—he was scared, terrified even, of how she had a hold over him, while also wishing to give in to her every wish and whim. To see her this excited? Over something as common as a Nebula? It was beyond endearing.

Sam tilted the head of the ship downwards, Mallory looking at him in confusion before looking up at the ceiling of the cockpit to continue to look at the Nebula.

“I may get a kink in my neck looking like this…” She muttered, slightly annoyed that Sam would do something silly like this. He just chuckled as he got out of the pilot seat.

“Not your delicate neck.” He commented, feigning concern but Mallory knew it was there. She watched him, cross-armed and intrigued, at what he was doing.

From a locker, he pulled out a thick wool blanket only to lay it on the floor beneath the ceiling glass panels of the cockpit. He gestured for her to lay down. Mallory flashed a scrutinizing squint at Sam, causing a short, surprised, laugh to escape from him as he threw up his arms.

“Not trying anything, it’s just…trust me?” He asked her two words she could not resist or deny. Mallory slowly kneeled down onto the blanket, straightening out her legs and leaning back on her arms. Her head tilted upwards and…well it was even more beautiful than before.

The Nebula was perfectly centred within the frame of the ship, everything else blocked out seemed to make the colours of the swirling gas and dust brighter and more pronounced. Mallory heard Sam chuckle as he got down onto the blanket himself, she could feel his presence next to her, his hand lightly brushing hers as he took the same position.

“Just tell me I was right.” He smugly asked of her, finally pulling her attention to look at him, the brightest, happiest, smile in her expression.

His head fell to meet her gaze, and she saw how relaxed he was and how much the stress of his life bore onto him. It almost felt like she was looking at a different man.

It also felt like a warmth was spreading through her body, her heart beating as he let out a breathy smile, his eyes dancing between hers.

“I like to think you’ve gotten lost in my baby blues.” He continued with a light chuckle, the crinkle in his eyes pronouncing his smile and amusements. Mallory just pursed her lips, feigning annoyance while she fought every urge to kiss that smug smile off his lips. She turned to look back up.

“You were right.” She admitted, snorting a small laugh as she heard Sam let out a long and exaggerated sigh. Instinctively she reached out her hand to lightly tap his stomach. “You’re so mean sometimes.” She, unconvincingly, complained.

“Oh, and you aren’t?” He quickly became playfully defensive as he turned to prop himself up on one elbow to fully face his body towards her. She glanced down at him, knowing she had no good defense to his question, and instead just flicked off his hat and looked back to the stars. He just laughed while reaching behind him to grab his hat, laying down in the process and placing his hat over his face. “I just can’t with you.” His muffled words lightly escaped from within the top of his hat.

The motion, and visual sign of his defeat, had a gravitational pull on her. Mallory found herself rolling over so her body was close to his, almost laying over him, as she slowly raised his hat off his face.

“You can’t, huh?” She asked, her voice naturally becoming sultry and strained as she reached over his body to place his hat beside him. Perhaps taking advantage of her positioning, or finding himself letting go of the same inhibitions Mallory was trying to, Sam pulled her close to him before rolling them over so that he was overtop of Mallory.

However, unlike when she had gingerly placed herself beside him, his body was directly over hers. The proximity of Sam along with his position made her forget how to breathe for a moment, before Sam smiled, his gorgeous thick hair slowly starting to fall away from its well-structured position.

“You keep this up and I may have to break my earlier promise.” Mallory smiled, honestly not being able to recall anything prior to the moment he caged her within his frame.

“What promise?” She asked him, curious but also feeling a desire to get lost in this moment.

Sam just softly smiled at her, leaning his weight onto one arm so he could reach out to delicately tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. Mallory felt herself blush deeply and fight every urge to not look away, as she had promised to do before they arrived here. His fingers continued from her ear to trail down the curve of her jaw, his thumb brushing her cheek until he lightly pinched her chin—his gaze, when Mallory had mustered the courage to look at him, was full of care and desire.

He smiled before starting to lean forward.

“This one.” He whispered against her lips before pressing his firmly against hers. Mallory, leaning into this instead of out, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her hands on the top of his back, pulling him towards her.

All of the pent-up tension between them, the constant flirting and teasing, culminated into this single kiss and they both would be lying if they didn’t claim that they desperately craved a full release of that built tension.

Mallory moved her head, deepening their kiss, the both of them pressing their faces firmly against the other, dramatically inhaling through their flattened noses between each hungry kiss. Slowly they moved back into a seated position, neither allowing a disconnect from the other. Sam slowly removed his leather jacket, either from the heat of their actions or in preparation for something else.

Mallory smiled up at him, the middle of his torso at her eye level. Slowly she snuck her fingers under the fabric of his shirt, running her hands along his stomach while lifting his shirt only to reveal a small trail of hair along his stomach and then along his pectorals.

However, once she raised his shirt to that point, Sam had to take over due to where he kneeled over her as it limited her ability to reach that far—but she was where she wanted to be. As Sam lifted his shirt over his head, Mallory lightly kissed his stomach, just above his belly button. It immediately recoiled as he let out a small smile of surprise before relaxing.

Lightly, and slowly, she kissed below his belly button, and then lower, following the thin line of hair until she was far closer than she ever would have travelled if she allowed herself to have any sense of responsibility in this moment. But she didn’t—they had promised to remove all responsibilities they held in their life, to suspend them as they were suspended in space.

It was, truly, the only way they could ever allow themselves to be this close, this intimate. Or at least that was the case for Mallory.

Sam reached down to cup her chin once more, his eyes squinting as he smiled at her, light flickers within his expression giving away to the many things he was thinking of saying at this moment. Mallory let her head fall back as she left out a deep laugh of amusement and anticipation at whatever quip he would settle on. He smiled, obviously having decided on one.

His hand swept to the back of her head, lifting it into a comfortable position, as he leaned back into her.

“Can’t hurt that delicate neck of yours.” He whispered, a sickly grin spreading across his expression before he tucked his face between her shoulder and chin to firmly kiss her there, and again, and again. His lips travelled down to her collarbone and up to her jaw, each touch deliberate and hungrier than the last. Mallory felt Sam slip a knee between her legs, a fire burning between them yet a sudden jolt ran through her body, unable to—even with her promise—go further at this time.

Sam immediately sensed her hesitation, sitting back up and releasing his grip on her. His eyebrows pinching together in a silent concern, Mallory knew he was waiting for her to speak. Not wanting to burden the mood or moment, she forced a smile but it only lasted a moment as Sam lightly shook his head, telling her he would accept her as she was.

It was a gut punch of acceptance she could never anticipate from anyone.

The tears that welled beneath her eyes were immediate and unstoppable, a hand rushing to cover her mouth as it quivered uncontrollably at the foreign but desperately craved feeling.

Sam shot back, immediately panicked that he had been too forward but Mallory shot out a wide and open hand. She couldn’t manage to even muster a sound, but she shook her hand to try to say ‘no’ before pointing at herself as if to say: ‘It’s me’, ‘I’m the problem’... ‘I’m the crazy one’.

Sam’s expression softened as he rested into a kneeled position, effortlessly reaching out to grab her free but shaking hand, softly running lines of comfort over her skin. It honestly distracted her from her upset and emotions and found herself slowly calming down.

“Down there.” She croaked with a flick of her head, motioning for Sam to lay back down onto the blanket—that now required a bit of re-arranging in order to do so. Mallory swallowed the lump in her throat as Sam, still shirtless, rested against the floor with his hands on his stomach. “God I hate how you make me feel.” Mallory complained as she grabbed the arm closest to her and stretched it towards her, creating a gap for her to place herself against his body and arm.

“I like to think that’s a lie.” He chuckled as Mallory rested her head against his muscular arm, tucking her chin and face against his skin. Sam’s arm adjusted as he reached up to soothingly run his fingers through her hair. “You going to tell me what that was?” He asked her softly, the thought of expressing the reason for that overwhelming feeling had her lips fidgeting.

“Do I have to?” She asked, the final residual tears falling onto Sam’s chest. He immediately strained his neck to look at her face, Mallory sheepishly smiling while wiping the salty liquid off of him. “I’m fine.” She reassured him, but he just cocked an eyebrow and rested his head back down, this time placing his free hand behind it to offer some support.

“You mean you aren’t crying.” He corrected her, not even asking. “I don’t think you count as ‘fine’.” He softly advised, Mallory letting out a small laugh before the two of them laid in comfortable silence, Mallory’s hand naturally running up and down his chest. “Okay,” Sam started, the rumble in his chest present against her fingers, “how about a different question? Why is it that you are terrified of opening up?”

Mallory opened her mouth to give another deflection but Sam continued before she could speak.

“And before you try to be smart about this one too, let me provide my evidence on how I know this is true.” He paused, waiting for Mallory to try to fight him on this, but she just pressed her body further against him as if bracing herself for some rush of force. “I see how your body tenses, your fingers twitch, whenever I even get near a personal topic, but when I finally do manage to crack through your ironclad defences you are immediately relaxed—almost like a different person.”

Those were the five words he needed to say, as it immediately reminded her of the exact moment tonight when she felt the same about Sam. She remembered how elated and calming it felt to see him like that, and had to imagine he must have felt the same.

It was also an upsetting truth to face that she had no ability to relate to how she shut down his inquiries because he never did that to her. Sure there were some things he was hesitant to share, but he still did. 

But Mallory, at least in her mind, had a justified reason to not share her thoughts or enjoyments of life.

Sam just didn’t know that…and with realizing this Mallory immediately, to her great discomfort, knew she had to tell him. She took a deep, shaky, breath.

“There are two reasons, really, that I don’t share things about myself. The first is because my life, Sam...my life just makes people sad. I don’t know how else to say it.” She paused, biting her bottom lip as she felt him stop playing with her hair and move his hand to provide some amount of embrace. “The other reason,” Mallory gave a self-deprecating laugh, “which will make you sad, is because anytime I would share things, I was never given a response of acceptance. As an adult, it was pity and ‘woe is you, you’re so strong for being so normal despite all you went through’. Every time. Then as a child, I—”

Mallory let out a gasp of air as if it was sucked out of her, terrified to be this vulnerable yet Sam had shown her no pity or false, surface level, compliments. He was just listening, softly breathing, his hand lightly running along her back.

“You sure you want to know?” She asked again, giving Sam another chance to not see her for how broken she truly was. Sam shifted his whole body so that he could face Mallory, his arm still a place for her head to rest, his whole body embracing her as if to shield her from the emotional pain she was burdened by, smiling at her as if to wash it all away.

“Without a doubt.” He told her, his expression soft but his tone determined and final. Mallory just pressed her face against his skin, his chest hair tickling her face a bit, slightly pulling her out of her ‘doom and gloom’-y mood.

“My mom.” Mallory managed to get out the two hardest words of this story. “She was, uh...a leading neurosurgeon around the world. I don’t know if you guys have those now but they are the top surgeons in the medical field and...not surprisingly, a good handful of them were narcissists with god complexes—something ‘dear old mum’ wasn’t safe from.” Mallory paused, swallowing and taking a breath in an attempt to take out the sharp edge in her tone. “It also meant she had...that I had to be just as great, if not better. Which...to a woman who thought she was the best thing on the planet, was a detrimental goal to put onto any child.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sam said, a thick layer of sadness blanketing his voice. Mallory just smiled—she had expected those words.

“Anytime I had an interest in something...if she didn’t think it would propel me forward in life, she would destroy it or take on the hobby herself and do it better than me so I would lose interest. So... eventually I just learnt to keep everything close to my chest. If you don’t reveal anything...if you aren’t vulnerable, then you don’t open yourself up to your hopes being crushed.”

“That, uh...that has to be incredibly lonely for you.” Sam slowly said, the same sadness still present.

“I have nothing to go home to, Sam.” Mallory finally admitted to him, knowing that this information would only make his will to fight for her to stay here stronger—his demand that she throw all caution to the wind at the probability that very action would cause a splinter of multi-versus and cause unknowing destruction on a calamity unfathomable to any human mind.

Yet, despite all of that, she truly, desperately, with every fibre of her being, hoped he would manage to convince her to before the end.

He paused for a long moment, his embrace remaining strong and firm.

“I hope you know that...” Sam hesitated a moment, taking a deep breath before letting out a larger sigh, “that you will always have a home here. At the Lodge or...even here with Cora and I.” Sam paused again, Mallory hearing how quickly his heart was beating, before he let out an awkward chuckle. “Not that I’m asking you to move in or anything, I just...”

“You don’t want me to go.” Mallory clarified for him, summarizing his jumble of words as neatly as possible for him. He gave a sigh of relief as he squeezed her tighter.

“I really don’t.” He told her, planting a soft, delicate, kiss on top of her head before resting back against the floor, pulling Mallory with him so she rested more on top of him rather than beside him. He peered down at her, tucking his chin against his neck, looking absurd and causing Mallory to naturally laugh at the silly sight. He smiled, resting it back once again. “Although my experience was nothing like that, I can sympathize with having a parent force you into a role you don’t want.” He added his own sharp edge in his tone.

“I’m so sorry—” Mallory began but Sam immediately cut her off.

“Don’t be, what you went through...” He voice petered off, Mallory thinking that he caught himself starting to say the one thing Mallory hated hearing when explaining her horrible and sad childhood. “Sorry.” He quickly added, confirming Mallory’s suspicions, but the fact that he was so quick to remember and be that thoughtful, well...that was everything to her.

She squeezed him tightly.

“Don’t be.” She reassured him, Mallory hearing him audibly smile.

“I’m going to convince you.” He told her, warned her ever, his voice and words serious and defiant. “I know you found a photo in a book but, and no offence Mallory, your memory sucks and I won’t accept that as the proof you aren’t meant to be here, meant to be...with me.” Mallory smiled into his chest at the hopeful and determined way he said those two words. “And when I do?” He paused for dramatic effect. “I will tell you that I told you so.”

Mallory chuckled.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else, cowboy.” She murmured against him, them both finding unknown and unfamiliar comforts in the other's presence and embrace.

They continued, after that, to lay there on the floor of his ship, changing glances up at the stars and then at each other. Sam mostly shared more facts about himself, how he had left home, how he had gained his skills as a pilot, and how he ended up meeting his ex—a point in the conversation Sam immediately realized Mallory was not a fan of and made a point to quickly skim over to when he had Cora on his own.

They laid in each other's arms for a few more hours until they both managed to, and quite unintentionally, fall asleep.