#whereas if you’re working on an idea you’ve had for a WHILE you’re already way too invested

[fingertipsmp3]

Someone on a NaNoWriMo prep thread: if you’re trying to win NaNo for the first time my advice is to pick the simplest idea

Me: yep, that seems smart. I’ll do that

Also me: *walks away from my first brainstorming session needing to research the golden age of piracy, the composition of the UK in the mid 17th century, the British navy in the mid 17th century, and the overall concept of a time loop*

[moonstruckme]

Okay I’ve been thinking of request ideas for Thawing Out all day while I was at work 😂 What about if something happened with her on the way to practice (nothing serious but maybe it shook her up a bit) and she was late and clearly acting off? Obviously her boys are going to notice…

Love you as always, hope you’re doing amazing! 💖💖💖

Thank you Amber my love!!! Hope you like it <3

collab with @ellecdc

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

cw: modern au, chronic pain, mention of harassment

poly!wolfstar x fem!reader ♡ 1.6k words

You come into the rink with quick, determined steps, blitzing past every door in your path until you get to the bleachers. Sirius is already on the ice, Remus leaned against the boards while he watches. Both boys turn when you sit down. 

“Hello,” Sirius calls, clearly chuffed to have you here as a buffer between him and your bristly coach. “Where’s my latte?”

“No time today,” you say back. You jam your foot into a skate. 

Remus gives you a scrutinous look. “You alright?”

“Fine. Sorry I’m late.” 

You get your skates on in record time, laced up tight enough to hurt. Sirius is ready for you in your starting position, his hands firm on your shoulders. He gives a little squeeze, meant to coax a smile out of you, but you’re in no mood. 

“I was just fucking with you about the latte,” he says lowly. “I don’t need it to get through practice, though he has been especially insufferable this morning.” 

You glance at Remus. He looks the same as always, half relaxed and half watchful. He and Sirius have fallen into a routine of petty spats that you suspect don’t exactly make him look forward to practice every morning, and yet he seems to be getting used to the both of you. He’s less curt than he had been during your first few days together. 

“You only say that because you were here alone with him,” you say. 

“It didn’t help. Without you here he’s in his most unfiltered, fogey form.” 

Your skating is as near to flawless as it’s been in weeks. You throw yourself into each jump with everything you have, using the hot emotions simmering beneath your skin to your advantage. And it works. Remus looks caught offguard but directs several nods of approval your way, whereas Sirius is all untempered joy. His grin widens with each flawless landing, and when you finish your most difficult move in the routine he actually whoops. You think you see Remus’ lips twitch at that. 

“There she is!” Sirius grips your hand, squeezing tight as you go into a synchronized arabesque. His hair is pulled back into a bun, but a couple of loose pieces flutter around his face as he skates backwards. He looks so happy for you, and some of that tight feeling you’ve been carrying around all morning dissipates. You smile back at him. 

You both go into a lutz. It’s a jump you’ve done half a million times. It should be a given, perfect every time. And yet you catch your mistake in midair. 

You land on your hands and knees. 

You pant a couple of times, and your next breath scrapes on the way in. Tears press at your eyes horrifyingly fast, like they’ve only been waiting for their chance. You press your nose to the ice. 

Skates hiss until they’re next to you, Sirius’ hand on your back. 

“What’s wrong? What happened?” 

You shake your head, humiliated by your fall and even more so by this fracturing, how easily it came on. You feel pathetic. 

“Where is it?” Sirius’ voice climbs, growing shrill with panic. “Let me see. How bad is it?” 

He’s trying to sit you up, hands cold and gentle and frantic, but his touch stills when a warmer one meets your shoulder. 

“Are you hurt?” Remus asks. 

“No.” You finally find your voice, but it’s pitchy and awful. “I’m sorry.” 

“Fuck. Fucking hell.” In the next second you’re smushed against Sirius, who hugs you tight as soon as he knows he doesn’t have to be delicate with you. “You scared the shit out of me.” 

“I’m sorry.” Your face feels hotter than hot in the cold rink. You push into your eyes with your fingertips. “God, what the fuck! I thought I fixed it. I don’t understand why this is still happening.” 

You’re sobbing now, tiny explosions that start in your chest and ricochet all the way through you, but fuming all the same. 

“You were both right, I’m holding myself back. I thought I could stop, but it just keeps happening, and I can’t do this. I’m so incompetent I can’t even do a fucking lutz. We need to find Sirius a new partner. I can’t hold us back anymore, I—” 

“Hey.” 

Remus’ voice is harsh, but not as harsh as Sirius’ grip on you turns at the sound of it. Your partner’s face goes sharp and cruel in an instant, an animal bearing its teeth. 

Remus pays him no mind. He keeps his eyes on yours, firm and unrelenting. “Don’t speak about yourself that way,” he says. 

You feel Sirius’ hold slacken in surprise. 

Another tear trudges down your face, and Remus’ expression gentles. “Everyone falls,” he tells you. “You have been improving, faster than I thought was possible, but you can’t expect it to happen all at once. You’re still going to fall sometimes. It’s alright. We’re working on it, yeah?” 

You sniff, wiping underneath your eyes. “Yeah,” you squeak out. “Sorry.” 

“You don’t need to be sorry. Just give yourself some grace, yeah?” His lips press together in a little grimace that’s likely meant to be a smile. “It’s my job to be hard on you, not yours. You’re allowed to fuck up. It doesn’t make you incompetent, or unworthy of competing with Sirius. You are the best person to be his partner. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here, understand?” 

“Yeah.” You take a deep breath in. “Thank you.” It stutters a bit on the way out, catching on another tiny sob you can’t help. This one comes from a place of relief, but Sirius’ cold fingers dig into your arm anyway and Remus’ brows twitch slightly as though it hurts him, too. 

“No problem,” he says softly. “Are you sure you haven’t hurt yourself?” 

You nod, closing your eyes to will yourself calmer. 

“Good. Do you want to leave off early today?” 

You swallow and start to stand. “No. I’m okay.” 

“No.” Sirius’ voice is bemused enough to sound like a question. He rises beside you, looking at you like he’s trying to puzzle you out. “No, something’s up with you today. We should stop.” 

Remus seems to go along with him, starting back towards the opening in the boards, and you think wryly that if one good thing comes from all this it might be those two finally starting to get along. You also realize for the first time that Remus is out here with you on the ice. It’s the first time you’ve seen him so much as think about coming off of the bleachers, even if he is only in regular shoes and leaning heavily on his good hip as he makes his way back towards them. 

“I’m okay,” you repeat to Sirius. 

He shakes his head. “You’ve been weird since you got here. What happened?”

“Nothing happened.” 

“Something did.” 

You push out a frustrated breath. “Nothing relevant.” 

“But something did happen.” 

He’s steering you towards the exit now. It feels petulant to rip away and stay on the ice even if no one else will, though that’s what you’d really like to do. 

“Are you actively trying to piss me off?” you ask him. 

Sirius shrugs, stepping onto the floor. “If that’s what’s going to work. I only want to know what got you so upset.” 

“Nothing.” 

“Here we are again. Back to ‘nothing.’” 

Remus is watching you both like you’re a show his TV has randomly flipped to. Tentative of where he stands, but definitely entertained. 

You hate that this has become such a big thing. “It’s really nothing,” you say, planting yourself on the bench with a force that perhaps belies your claim. “It was just some git on the way here this morning.” 

Sirius’ eyebrows go up while Remus’ come down. 

“And what did this git have to say to you?” Sirius asks. 

You sigh, starting to unlace your skates since apparently practice is over. “It’s not what he said. He only asked me out, which is fine, but then he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He, like, grabbed onto my arm and wouldn’t let go for a bit.” 

Sirius’ expression goes stormy. It’s almost as bad as the look he’d given Remus earlier, only without a target to be directed at. “Are you fucking joking?” 

“It was fine,” you say. “I made it here, didn’t I? It just freaked me out a little. And pissed me off.” 

“Yeah, you should be pissed!” Sirius starts pacing, mindless of the indents his blades are putting into the rubber flooring. “Who does that? Did he think—what, you were just going to have to go out with him if he took you captive?” 

“I don’t know.” You give him a dead-eyed stare. “I didn’t ask him.” 

“God, you should be able to walk to fucking practice in the morning without being accosted by—by some—”

“Do you need someone to walk with you in the mornings?” Remus seems uninterested in waiting to hear what creative insult Sirius comes up with for the git. He looks at you steadily, his jaw tight but ready to accept whatever answer you give him. 

“No,” you say. “Like I said, it was really nothing.” 

“It upset you,” he says matter-of-factly. “That’s not nothing.” 

“I can walk you.” Sirius plonks down beside you on the bench, seeming to have come to a decision. “Just wait for me inside tomorrow morning, and I’ll come pick you up.” 

You can’t help but smile at that. “If I leave it to you, we’ll never get here. There’ll never be another morning practice again.” Remus’ tongue pokes into his cheek like he’s repressing a grin. 

“Wha—so little faith!” Sirius sputters, straightening before he’s so much as touched his laces. “I’ll be there, okay? We will be needing to pick up my coffee on the way here, though.” 

You give him a skeptical look. “You realize I wake up a half hour earlier to have time to get those?” 

“Fucking hell! Do you really?”

[mythmash]

Bouncer!Sukuna AU Pt. 8 - Yorozu

Bouncer!Sukuna x Stripper/Dancer!Reader. Warnings: MDNI 18+, bullet point fic, uncle!sukuna, toxic situationship, sukuna does not treat yorozu well, minor blood, arguing, sukuna being an asshole, knife/gun mention, a lot of makeup sex A/N: this is a collaborative work made with the amazing @pastelbunnelby, @pastelpixies & @chaoskrakenuwu Series Masterlist || Previous | Next

(On a note that'll be circled back to, it’s no secret that Sukuna fucks

He had a ton of flings before he went to prison and probably had more after he got out before you came into the picture)

He has a cleaner for his apartment

It’s the old grandma of an old colleague/former cellmate who doesn’t give a shit about who he is or what he does

Whereas your nail tech adores him, his cleaner nags the shit out of him

Why can’t he pick up his own clothes?

He needs to get better flowers for you.

He did a shit job at parking his car.

Etc, etc.

But he keeps her around cause she does a good job, she’s not nosy, and he kinda likes her

(Don’t bring up how old ladies seem to love him, he has no idea what you’re talking about)

It surprises people to learn about that because they picture Sukuna and how he is and imagine he’d probably get some kind of maid/escort service where a hot woman comes over in a barely there french maid costume and “cleans”

Circling back to the first point though...

Throughout his flings he has one recurring fling

Yorozu’s the only one who’s been to his place but only because of the convenience cause she worked close-by and he could make her leave his apartment whenever he wanted

He gets out of prison and doesn’t call her for a while fully intending to string her along because he really doesn’t like her

He’s honestly super toxic to her

He doesn’t know why she keeps coming back

But then you happen and Yorozu who??

He’s never heard that name in his life??

It's months later, a little after you’ve moved in with him and someone knocks on the door while he’s in the shower

You answer it thinking it’s the cleaning lady which - why is she here so late?? That’s weird??

And now there some woman you’ve never seen before shoving her way into the apartment??

She sees you in Sukuna’s shirt and underwear and makes a snide remark about him finally ditching the old hag and getting some good eye candy to clean up

She makes herself at home, saying things along the lines of “Must be missing me, if you’re what he’s going for now. Oh well, I’m here now so you can leave. I’m sure he’s already given you a nice tip.”

You’re two seconds from fighting this woman when Sukuna walks out in just a towel, and he doesn’t even look at Yorozu

He just looks at you like “You comin’ to bed or what, princess?”

You don’t move or say anything, looking between him and a shocked Yorozu while your brain is like I am confusion, Sukuna explain

He finally huffs and gestures to you, “This is my girlfriend. Princess, this is…the fuck’s your name again?”

Yorozu goes through 87 different emotions eventually landing on pissed because not only did he not call her, now he’s replacing her with you?

And since when did Sukuna do girlfriends?

That title should’ve gone to her first!

There's crying and yelling (Yorozu) and disgust and anger (Sukuna) as he tries to get her out of his apartment

It’s almost entertaining until she grabs your face, screaming, “You’d choose this over me?!”

And her nails are fucking sharp so it doesn’t take much for them to cut your cheek

The second Sukuna hears you whine and sees the blood it’s over

He’s dragging Yorozu out by her hair, all the way to her car in nothing but his towel and you can vaguely hear screaming and shouting

It's a wonder no one calls the cops

He doesn’t come back for a good ten minutes and he’s pissed but you can tell he’s trying to keep calm for your sake

You want to tell him you’re fine but the more you think about the angrier you get because what the fuck was that? Who the fuck was that?

He won’t answer your questions because he genuinely doesn’t give a shit about Yorozu and he’s more concerned about your face and seeing the scratches is pissing him off more and more

It turns into an argument because you won’t let him touch you until he tells you about Yorozu and he won’t explain anything until you let him look at your face

It gets heated and there’s a small moment where you think it might turn into hate sex until Sukuna says something about how he should’ve let Yorozu stay if you were going to be this annoying about it

You go quiet, turn, and lock yourself in the bedroom

Sukuna’s banging on the door, yelling at you to let him in until he hears you crying on the side and oh.

Oh no.

Why does his chest hurt? What is this feeling? Is this…guilt? He didn’t even feel this way when he killed someone. This isn’t supposed to happen.

But it does, and he feels fucking awful

Because he knows he’s a piece of shit, he knows you know he’s a piece of shit, but he’s taken care to never be a piece of shit to you

And now he’s messed that up so he gives you space and ends up on the couch in his towel, listening to you cry yourself to sleep

He doesn't get any sleep

In the morning he picks the bedroom lock and carefully, quietly, gets some clothes

He lets you sleep in, does not look at your puffy, sad, clumsily bandaged face, and leaves to go get breakfast

He treats you to breakfast in bed from your favorite place, and his hands are wandering but they’re gentle and not going anywhere inappropriate

He feels a little better being allowed to touch you even if you aren't speaking to him

But then you look at him and thank him for breakfast but you just look so heartbroken and defeated

He reaches for your cheek and you turn away, and he hates it and how it makes him feel so much because you should never look like that and it should never be because of him

Normally this would be where he'd beat someone up for you, but he can't beat himself up so he goes with the next thing that comes to mind

The words “I’m sorry” have never been in his dictionary, but they are today and he says it so genuinely it surprises both of you

Sukuna kinda feels gross about it, but then you’re telling him it’s okay and you’re smiling so who cares how he feels

He convinces you to let him look at your cheek and while he’s doing that he tells you about Yorozu

He assures you she doesn’t mean anything to him and she’s nothing compared to you and you believe him, you do...

But there’s that little voice telling you that he must’ve kept going back to her for a reason

Sukuna notices because he notices everything about you, and decides he knows exactly how he’s going to make it up to you

It starts in the shower, where he cleans you with a reverence you didn't think he was capable of

Then you move to the sink where he has you facing the mirror so he can show you how much he loves you and how stunning you are

Then the bed where he spends so much time whispering about all the ways you’re better than anyone else he’s had and won’t let you cum until he’s sure that you know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him

After that, he puts you in charge

It’s whatever you want, whenever you want, and however you want it all day

You take him with you to get your nails done

…and take him back when you have to get them fixed after you mess one up clawing at his back when you fuck in the car right after

You get lunch and smirk at him when you order the most phallic shaped foods you can find

Nooo that’s not your foot on his crotch under the table while you’re subtly tonguing a banana split?? What is he talking about??

You take him shopping to make up for it and graciously let him pick a pair of heels for you, some lingerie for you, a vibrator for you, and whatever else with the coy promise of later

Later ends up being the fitting room, and sex shop’s employee break room, and the car again

You make dinner and he’s doing his best to distract you and yeah this has to simmer for thirty minutes? Why is he aski— oh, you’re on the counter.

Oh, he’s on his knees.

Ok, yeah.

You can work with this.

Dinner is pretty good.

Cleanup is better when he “accidentally” spills wine on your neck and insists on cleaning it up with his tongue

And oop-

Now he’s laid out the table while you ride him

Oh well, it was time for dessert anyway

After dinner you model the heels and the lingerie for him

You give him a dance or two and make sure he keeps his hands to himself until he can’t take it and you’re fucking on the couch, the floor, the coffee table, the bookcase, the wall, the door to the bedroom-

You finally get to the bed and you’ve got his knife in one hand, following its trail up his dick with your tongue

He’s about to lose his goddamn mind when you pull out the gun he keeps under his pillow and the vibrator

something something quit torturing the poor boy something something

It’s like 2am, you’re passed out, and Sukuna is still reeling from having his soul nearly fucked out of him

While he doesn’t want to ever hurt you like that again, he feels you cuddle up to him and moan his name in your sleep, and that toxic part of him thinks that it was a little bit worth it

[mgparker]

sidelines

[tasm!peter parker x reader]

request | word count: 4k

based on this request: so the reader has a boyfriend but he’s been kinda of a shitty one to her? like he’s an extreme workaholic who often skips their anniversaries and dates, and just takes her for granted all the time. whereas peter is her best friend who has been pining and harboring feelings for her but kept it all to himself (he knows how her bf has been treating her as well) until one day she breaks down in front of him and he comforts her. it’s very angsty and maybe ends with fluff?

warnings: f!reader, not as angsty as i’d hoped so sorry about that, asshole boyfriend, greys references, pining!peter, request, not much fluff, unedited

Fact— Peter Benjamin Parker was in love with his best friend. Completely and utterly whipped. The kind of love that blossomed over the course of a few years; something he thought he’d grow out of but to his luck, it grew in his heart like uncontrollable weeds in a yard.

And it didn’t help that you would literally choose any other person on this planet but him.

Now, Peter couldn’t control that. Of course not. As much as he dreamed that one day you’d suddenly tell him you were absolutely in love with him and had been for years, he knew it wouldn’t matter if it didn’t come from the heart. 

And seeing as it’s been years since Peter realized you were his entire world and you’ve been in other relationships (some of which you’ve solely depended on Peter’s advice of dating them or not—to which he always faked a smile and encouraged), the dream would simply just be that. A dream. 

Nothing more. 

And yes, it hurt like hell. It felt like a knife was being plunged into his stomach every time he saw you with someone else. Like the world was crumbling beneath his feet when you smiled at the phone because you were texting him… Like there was no chance in hell that he’d ever find a way past the heartbreak whenever he saw you and your boyfriend together.

Because this relationship was a little different than the others…

It took a while for Peter to notice it, which was surprising due to his incredible senses. But when he finally did, God did it kill him. 

The fake smiles. The sudden mood changes. The excuses. 

It was like your personality was being slowly drained away and it lit a fire in his bones. A rage that threatened to burst whenever he saw your piece of shit boyfriend. Thankfully, Peter had mastered the mask of nonchalance and innocence whenever you brought Nate around but you weren’t stupid. You knew that Peter knew.

And you couldn’t tell if that filled you with relief or shame. 

For as long as you’ve known each other, you’ve never been the type to settle. You’ve always known your worth, known how to put your foot down and put it down firmly. Certain in what you wanted—no, needed (but that’s not to say you were afraid to ask for what you desired). You were fair, open to compromise, a fairly good listener, and overall a person who cared... 

So you had no idea when your relationship had started tipping the scale, losing its balance until you were stuck with the heaviest side. With all the burden and hard work that should be shared in a healthy relationship. 

And though you tried your best to figure it out, to grasp at the confidence and outspokenness you once had, it was damn near impossible.

So you just settled. You just took it one day at a time because you didn’t want to disappoint him. You didn’t want to embarrass yourself even more than you already have, and you know you shouldn’t feel this way. You know that Peter would never judge you in the way you’re scared of but you couldn’t stand pity. And that’s exactly what you’d get if you ran away now. 

So, you just settled.

“How’s the new promotion going?” 

It’s your two-year anniversary, an occasion you were highly surprised Nate had even remembered. Let alone planned something for it. But here you are—at a high-end restaurant on the waterside of the financial district.

The damn financial district. You had forced a smile when the two of you arrived at the restaurant, trying to hide the fact that you’d already made the decision that you absolutely hated the restaurant. Just because it was in the financial district.

Everything was about the financial district. About finance and his dad’s business and fucking Wall Street. 

“Hm?”

Swallowing your mouthful of pasta, you stared at the table with a sense of detachment. This isn’t anything you’re not used to. “Your promotion?” You cleared your throat. “How’s it going?”

Nate finally looked up from his phone, a spark of interest gleaming in his eye. Normally, that little spark would excite you, get you on the edge of your seat as you grasped for his attention.

But you were beyond over it today.

“The promotion!” Nate smiled in a satisfied way. “It’s good. I think my dad is finally starting to see me for who I truly am. What I’m truly meant to be.”

You smiled sweetly. “And what’s that?” You played the supportive girlfriend part perfectly.

“CEO of New York’s biggest finance company.” Same shit, different day. As if you hadn’t heard that before. Except it isn’t New York’s biggest finance company. In fact, it’s barely a speck in the thousands that are fighting their way for a spot next to the big boys on Wall Street. 

“That’s great,” you lied. “I’m happy for you.”

Fueled from the praise, Nate was suddenly a bit more animated. “So how’s it going with your—um—what’s it called? Your art stuff… the uh—”

“Photography?” You wanted to laugh. How hard was it to remember your passion? It’s not like he’d been calling you his girlfriend for the past two years or anything…

Mouth full, Nate nodded largely. “That.”

He’s not looking at his phone. You realize suddenly as you gave him a skeptical look over the table. He’s actually listening. He’s looking at me and listening! Call the press, this is monumental news—I should probably answer before he picks up the phone again—

“It’s good! You know I actually got an internship with this really big newspaper company. It’s the biggest opportunity I’ve had so far and I’m actually really really excited—”

He’s looking down at his phone again. Not only that but he’s picking up a call—right in the middle of this fancy five-star restaurant he’d claimed was the best of the city. Right in the middle of your passionate spiel. 

Your jaw hung slightly, staring across the table incredulously as the words died on your tongue. Embarrassed tears filled your eyes, your throat tightening in shame as you glanced around at the nearby tables. 

For the most part, everyone was minding their business, actively engaged in conversation with their partners. Until your eyes met the gaze of a young woman who sat at the table to your right. She was in a group, sat next to a man you assumed to be her husband (if the matching rings were any indication) and their hands were interlaced at their sides. 

They seemed to be a little older than you, probably not by much but everything about their language screamed relaxed and comfortable. Secure and healthy. 

Of course, you couldn’t know that for sure but then her husband was suddenly tugging at her hand softly, ripping her gaze away from you and back towards him. The look they shared hit you in the gut, punching you with a severe realization—it was a look you recognized. 

A look that had been given to you many times… but not from the man who sat across from you. Not from the man who was currently laughing on the other end of a seemingly interesting phone call (more interesting than your photography at least).

You observed as the husband whispered something in his wife’s ear, the two giggling quietly as they leaned in closer. It left you speechless, their small interaction holding more love and adoration than anything you’d ever felt toward Nate.

Your appetite was suddenly gone.

It’s even worse when the woman looked over again, as if to check on you. When her eyes found yours again, she gave you a look of—of pity.

One single tear fell down your cheek, your face turning quickly to hide it, but you were sure she’d seen it. 

A shaky hand came up to wipe it swiftly, watching through watery eyes as Nate took a joyous bite of his meal. 

“Oh, you’re right outside?” Nate was saying to the person on the other end of the call. Your eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. “Great. I was just finishing up here. Yeah… Okay… Sure—I’ll meet you out there, how’s that? Okay, bye.”

He put his phone down loudly, finishing the last sip of wine in his glass. Then, your boyfriend looked up as if he remembered you were sitting at the table with him… on your two-year anniversary. 

“Right!” He wiped his mouth with a cloth. “This has been swell, but really I invited you here to tell you something.”

You were perplexed. “Okay…”

“I’m breaking up with you.”

It was deadpan. A monotone statement that left you in an instant state of confusion. “What?”

“In all honesty, I shouldn’t have let it go this far. But you know how my dad is. He likes order and breaking up with you would’ve cost me my job. My goals…”

At this point, your jaw had dropped open at his audacity. 

“And I couldn’t have that,” he laughed like it was all one big joke. “Clearly!”

You tried to take a moment to process your feelings—were you sad? Were you upset? Angry?

You should be sad, right? You should be on the verge of tears because your two-year relationship was over, right? 

But all you feel is anger and a burning sense of humiliation. “Clearly, you’ve had your mind set for a while. How long did you fake it?”

“Fake what?” He had this dumb smile on his face, as if he hadn’t spent the last few months pulling you in with meaningless ‘I love you’s and little moments of affection that made you feel guilty for even considering putting yourself first. 

Your nostrils flared. “Everything.”

“Don’t know. Lost count after the first few months,” he shrugged, waving over the server as he dug through his pocket for some cash. 

Motionlessly, you sat in your spot, rethinking every single effort you’d made for your relationship to work. Rethinking every single time you’d lied to your best friend’s face and told him that you were in love with your boyfriend and that everything was alright. That he didn’t need to worry. 

“But I’ve got this banging hot chick waiting outside for me and now that this promotion has secured me a spot on the board, there’s really no reason for me to put up with you anymore.” Nate gave the server a polite smile as he signed the receipt, leaving a generous tip on the table. 

Put up with you anymore? What the hell did he put up with? Your tireless efforts to make him feel loved? All the times you’d make sure the workload wasn’t getting to him? The times you’d fake it just for him because you didn’t want to hurt his feelings?

What the actual fuck had become of you? Nate had destroyed you from the inside out, draining you of everything you had until he got bored of you. 

“Fuck you,” was all you had to say, watching as your ex stood up, screeching his chair noisily until every other table looked your way. 

He looked as if he enjoyed the insult, loved the joys that came with being an absolute asshole. “For what it’s worth,” you could sense it wasn’t going to be worth anything. “The sex was great.”

You were right. 

With that, Nathaniel spun on his heel and sauntered out of the restaurant. 

The tables around you were silent, eyes burning various holes in your figure while you felt a deep pit form in the base of your stomach. Nausea kept you rooted to the spot, afraid that if you moved, your entire meal would land right back on your plate. 

Never in your life had you felt so humiliated, reduced to a good fuck and nothing more. After countless forgotten dates and anniversaries… After countless times you’d stuck your neck out for him. 

And when you finally gathered the strength to stand up from your table, your legs were a bit shaky, overwhelmed from the mortification.

Stumbling onto the sidewalk in the chilly New York streets, your hands fumbled for your phone, dialing a number you’d known by heart since the seventh grade. 

The line rang a few times before a warm voice picked up. “Hello?”

You wanted to sound normal, but the sound of your best friend was enough to break down all your defenses. “Pete?”

On the other end, Peter sat up quickly, heart dropping at the crack in your tone. “Sunshine, what’s wrong?” He practically cooed. 

He could hear rapid footsteps on the other line, little puffs of breath leaving your mouth like you were hastily walking somewhere. “Are—are you home?”

Please, please tell me you’re home, you beg silently. Your throat ached from the sobs you were holding back.

“I am,” he replied instantly, the worry making him sit up and rush toward the window. He was already pulling off his shirt, dressed in his Spider-Man suit underneath the sweats, before you could sniffle a response.  

“Um, I think…” you were stuttering, a million thoughts running through your head. “You were right.”

“About?” You could hear him pull the window open hastily. 

You sniffled. “Nate.”

Halfway out the window, Peter froze, hanging from the side of the building. His breath caught in his lungs. “Y/N.”

“Yeah?” You answered weakly, finding a nice spot overlooking the Brooklyn bridge and collapsing on a bench. 

Your best friend took a deep breath. “Did he—” his voice cracked in anger. “What did he do? Did he touch you?”

“What?” You spluttered. “No, he—he didn’t—”

“Y/N…” his voice was shaky like yours, though it was from the sudden fury that consumed his nerves at the mere thought of the asshole even touching you at all. 

Just spit it out. “No. No, he didn’t hurt me… I, um, just got dumped.”

It was silent for longer than a minute and you glanced at your phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped.  

You continued. “…and—and I want to say that I’m sad. That my heart hurts and all I want is for my relationship to go back to the way it was but… but I can’t say that because it isn’t true.

“I just feel humiliated and drained. And it’s—” a sob escaped you. “It’s the worst feeling ever and you can say—you can say I told you so. It’s fine—”

“—it’s not.”

The phone slipped from your grasp, landing on the bench in a noisy clatter as you jumped at the sudden presence next to yours. 

It was Peter—well not Peter, more like Spider-Man but it was your best friend nevertheless. “It’s not fine. I’m not going to sit here and gloat, because I didn’t want to be right.”

Your lip was caught between your teeth, something that secretly made his gaze linger on your mouth, and you were staring at him with those big doe eyes. Watery and full of a thousand things you wanted to say but wouldn’t. 

“I didn’t want you to be hurt,” he whispered. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy, sunshine…”

With that, he crossed the few steps that separated you, joining you in the middle as you stood up. His arms wrapped around your waist protectively as your façade completely dropped, sobs wracking your frame violently. 

He wished he could show you the depth of his love for you. Show you the way you deserve the be treated. Erase the pain that that asshole had caused. 

But how could he put you in harm’s way? Expose you to the many enemies Spider-Man inevitably made? 

It’s out of the question—it always had been and it always will be. 

“I’m sorry,” you were repeating under your breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

A suit-clad hand reached up to stroke your hair back, pulling you tighter into his chest. 

“How…” you sniffled. “How did you know where I was?”

Peter smiled softly. “Senior year, remember? Whenever we need a place to think—”

“—this is our spot,” you finished with a wobbly smile. “Right.”

It was an agreement you’d made years ago when the two of you had been going through a tremendous amount of stress. Between college applications and state assessments, you were both teetering the line between barely staying afloat and a full-on meltdown. 

The week of college acceptances was the worst. Peter found you on this same bench almost every afternoon, sweating from jogging the bridge and nearly in tears as you stared at the water nervously. 

And when freshman year of college rolled around and the two of you had moved in together, it was Peter’s turn to frequent the bench. Reduced to tears over his anxiety about juggling a full-time program in biophysics at an Ivy League and fulfilling his Spider-Man duties in the city.

The bench was a quiet place, marked by countless hugs and silent tears. It was your place.

“I didn’t even realize I came here,” you sighed, letting Peter drag you over to the bench. 

A realization made you stop in your tracks. “You’re in the suit.”

“Right,” Peter grinned sheepishly under the mask. Then, he pulled you close and wrapped an arm around your waist. 

“Wait—”

It was too late; he’d already taken off before you could brace yourself. Your heart sunk to your feet, a scream catching at the back of your throat as you frantically fought to wrap your arms around his neck.

It was impossible to open your eyes against the rushing wind, eyelids squeezed shut, clueless as to your destination. But you couldn’t find it in you to care, the only thing rushing through your mind was the desire to touch ground already. 

Transportation by web wasn’t a new experience for you. But it didn’t mean you appreciated it anymore now than you did the first time. The views were pretty, sure, but nearly throwing up hundreds of feet over New York wasn’t. 

The end couldn’t have come sooner. As soon as your feet touched solid surface, you snapped your eyes open. A scolding was at the tip of your tongue until you realized where he’d taken you. 

The top of a skyscraper, an important monument if you had to guess. 

Hurriedly, you looked down to survey the surface you were standing on. It was a nice slab of stainless steel, surprisingly sturdy and spacious. Next to you, a spire dwarfed you in size. 

“We’re on the Empire State.”

You looked over at Peter; his mask was gone, hair swiped to the side in a curly mess. He seemed more relaxed than you’d seen him in days, no— months.

He took your silence as a sign to continue. “I’ve been coming here for a while now.” 

“It’s beautiful,” you said, scanning the glittering buildings below. You spotted Madison Square Garden not too far ahead, laughing in amusement at the venue that seemed so big to you whenever you’d visit. Now, it was barely the size of your thumb. 

Peter followed your gaze and gave you his own chuckle. “Tiny, right?”

“This is what you see every night?” You asked in amazement. 

“Yeah. It’s the only place I can really think.”

The crack in his voice made you turn. There’s pain in his eyes, it’s the first time you really see it. The last few months had blinded you to a lot of things, your frustration and self-pity stealing you away from the one person who meant the most to you.

“Pete—”

“You know what I’d think about?” He pursed his lips. “While I was up here?” Something told you where this was going, but you were too afraid to answer.

“I’d think about you.”

Okay… He was absolutely mad at you. He’d been sparing your feelings because he could tell how miserable you were in that relationship but now, the jig was up. You were done and apparently, so was he. The words were tumbling out before you could stop them. “I’m sorry—” 

“Wha—why?” Peter chuckled humorlessly. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I dunno,” you mumbled. “I know I haven’t really been there lately.”

It was silent. You hesitantly looked at your best friend to find him already staring at you with a look you couldn’t quite place.

“I would think about you,” he repeated pointedly. “For the last two years, I’ve watched you turn yourself into someone, at times, I barely recognized. I’ve watched you shrink yourself slowly until... until...” he never finished and it left you mildly curious, though you weren’t eager to hear an outside perspective of how you’d been played like a guitar string.

“That asshole didn’t deserve you, Y/N. You’re too good, too-too pure, and he didn’t deserve more than a minute of your time...”

You stared at the skyline, your eyes stinging with unshed tears. Peter wasn’t trying to make you feel bad, you knew that, but it stung nonetheless because he was right. 

Then, he softly uttered your name. It was filled with an emotion that struck a nerve deep within you. You nearly choked.

“You’re still the same girl I’ve known since high school. The same girl that wouldn’t hesitate to put Flash Thompson in his place—” you rolled your eyes at the reminder of that dickwad. “You’re still the same girl that sees the good in everyone, and you’re still the same stubborn girl who can get villains to stand down from the sheer force of your will...”

He’s talking about Harry Osborn, and it finally draws a laugh out of you. It wasn’t funny a year ago, when the incident nearly got you killed, but it was enough to make you tearfully laugh now.

“Y/N… you’re still the sun.”

The laugh got paralyzed in your throat, choked down by a small sob of relief. The alleviating realization that the most debilitating aspect of your life was finally gone, a parasite that had been reducing you to ashes, shadowing your brightness and sucking every part of you until you were practically a shell of who you used to be.

There were words your best friend never heard, arguments and disputes no one would ever know, parts of yourself that would take more than an hour to steal back from Nate’s vicious clutch, but you were more than relieved to realize that at the other end of it, there was one thing that he could’ve never taken away from you.

Before you could say anything, Peter uttered one last thing. 

“You’re still the same girl that I’ve always loved.”

A swell of emotions attacked your heart, squeezing and squeezing until the only relief was Peter’s arms. You’re glad that he has such fast reflexes or else you’d both be tumbling off the side of the building. 

There could be multiple meanings behind that statement—and there definitely was— but Peter meant it in the way he knew you needed.

A confession wasn’t something you could handle right now, and it wasn’t something Peter could ever see himself admitting while he still worried about your safety, so he made sure you saw the fond edge in his gaze. The years of friendship and devotion that you two shared.

There weren’t words to describe how you felt about Peter Parker, you could barely make sense of it. But holding him close, feeling his hands around your waist and heartbeat against your ear, you were almost certain that the words that rested at the tip of your tongue held a different meaning than what he’d just said to you.

But you keep it in, afraid to shatter this moment and feeling the long road of healing ahead. It could wait.

This embrace was enough.

yes... this is a little bit of a mess but i’m fairly certain i say that about every single thing i write. also, shameless grey’s anatomy reference because that show has my entire heart and soul. anyway, this request is from MONTHS ago. i am so sorry you sweet anon but if anyone would like to read it, here it finally is. 

hope you’re all having a splendid day. x

— elle <3

[saitama-division]

ARB Birthday Special: Lola Takahashi

~~ July 30th ~~

“A wonderful dress can infuse a woman with confidence and inner beauty, empowering the way she moves and feels.”

Login Lines:

“Hm? Oh hey, babes! It’s sooooo good to see you! How you’ve been? Oh? What’s this?”

“Oh gosh, it’s that time of year again, huh? Aw, thank you for the present sweetie! Here’s one from me to you!” *mwah*

Voice Lines:

“On the contrary, I actually like celebrating my birthday. Aside from everyone celebrating me in all my amazing and sexy glory, it does allow me to reflect and I feel proud getting to where I am today. I worked hard, I deserved to be celebrated.”

“My phone keeps blowing up with notifications from my PROFILE, I get a happy birthday message at least every few seconds, don’t get me wrong it’s very sweet and I’m so grateful to my adoring fans but I have to put my phone on silent for the rest of the day.”

“Just like last year, the entirety of Saitama is very keen on celebrating my birthday with me. I’ve been hoping from party to party all day! I don’t mind of course, I love my city dearly and it fills me with such joy seeing everyone enjoying themselves.”

“Sayaka! Sweetness! I’m so happy you managed to show up! Are you having a good time? Oh, I’m so glad! C’mon, let’s head over to the Heaven area, there’s someone I want you to meet-hm? You have something for me?”

“Oh Honey! These are so adorable! I love them! Honestly, it feels like we’ve known each other far longer, I see you as a sister too and I genuinely can’t imagine my life without you, Kureha, and little Yoshiko. Don’t worry about the extravagance this is more priceless than any diamond necklace or platinum earrings I have.”

“Kureha! How’s my little ray of sunshine?! Aw, c’mon, you know I’m kidding, would you feel better if I say that you’re my special little rain cloud? Ahahaha, okay, okay, I’ll stop! So, judging by that look in your eye, you’ve come to give lil ol’ me à présent so come on! Lay it on me!”

“Aw, sweetie! This is so beautiful! It reminds me of your speakers, so very aesthetically pleasing. Hm? The sun is supposed to represent me and the moon is supposed to represent you? Oh god, you’re such a poetic emo, it’s so adorable! Aww, hold on, babe, come back! I was just teasing!”

“Dolly Darling! Thank you thank you thank you soooo much for hosting this party! I’ve been here, there, and everywhere but no place is better than the Afterlife! Look! You even got a statute of me! Damn, that looks good! Hm? Oh I see that look in your eyes, what do you got for me now, pretty?”

“No fucking way!! You actually managed to get it! Ugh, you have no idea how badly I’ve been craving these! Especially since they don’t sell them in Japan anymore! Oh thank you thank you, baby! You’re the best! You treat me so well!”

Sayaka Lines:

“Happy Birthday, Lola! You always know how to throw a fun party, I’m having so much fun! Oh, wait, before we go, I need to give you your present! Here you go, dear!”

“I know it’s not fancy or extravagant as what you usually wear but I had meaning to give you something like this for a while, you’ve always been like a sister to me, way better than the one that I already have and words cannot describe how lucky and grateful I am for having you in my life. I know that our bond is deep to the point where we don’t need something like these but sometimes it’s nice to have a physical reminder of how much family is important.”

Kureha Lines:

“Happy Birthday, Lola. You are the only person that I would endure going to a party longer than 20 minutes for, also could you not call me that?! That’s so cringe, ugh, that’s even worse! Will you just shut up and take this already?”

“I cashed in a favor with a jeweler friend of mine, the design was my idea. I know it looks like my speakers but that’s not the point, the sun represents you because of how brightly you shine and how you always light up the area around you whereas the moon represents me, calm, toned down, a beacon in total darkness…ugh, and with that, I’m leaving. Happy birthday, dumbass.”

Bonus! Dolly Lines:

“Heyyy bitch! Happy birthday to the sexiest whore in the city! You know that I love to do something special just for you, the whole staff was begging me to do a celebration in your honor anyways, I’m just glad you managed to show up. Anyways, I wanted to give you a little something since it’s your big day and all, something tells me that you’re gonna need it after all this.”

“Haha yep, I knew you’d like it. I know how bummed you were when they stopped selling these here so I decided to cash in a little favor and get you a carton, it wasn’t that difficult to get but try not to smoke the whole pack in one sitting, gotta save that beautiful voice of yours, okay? Happy birthday, baby.”

[nomlangaclarke]

What Sort of Relationship are you Looking for

TBH, dating apps aren't my vibe. The design of dating apps may also create frustrations for burnt-out users. While which may pose some sure amount of nuisance, it implies that the audience on the website goes via a test, so that other users wont experience undesirable conditions. Then, if you're lucky, you may just develop previous collectively. I might but it is dangerous! There'll usually be pointers as to what types of picture you can put up, and there may be an approval process before it truly will get posted. נערות ליווי בראשון לציון Do you settle for what you had is no longer there? Would you like to search out out what sort of dater you might be, if you do not already know? A stroll in the park sounds type of good. In response to our data, Wot Dennis is presently single. In line with our data, Romeo Santos is at present single. Currently, it seems that Patrick is single. A few dozen in common use. Ross, a 24-12 months-outdated at the moment residing in California (who requested that I take advantage of only his first identify as a result of he didn’t want to debate his dating life publicly), used Facebook Dating whereas he was in the Philippines over the summer and immediately discovered the logical end level of the benefits of an algorithm that matches individuals based mostly on shared interests and connections: As quickly as he logged on, he matched with an ex-girlfriend he’d previously unfriended.

In addition to the flexibility to contact people by means of their profile, a paid membership often grants entry to more advanced features of the location, equivalent to higher profile searches or a better ranking on your profile when it comes up in different users’ search outcomes. Historian Dr Janina Ramirez tells the unimaginable story of 'Aud the Deepminded' - one in every of the primary people to settle in Iceland within the 9th Century. I invite them to a social gathering one in every of my mates is hosting. I'd probably chuckle about it with my associates. Despite Cyrus the Great’s world renown as a sensible, just and compassionate leader, one can’t help but wonder what the empire he based - the idea of trendy-day Iran, barring politics - would have been with out the aid of the qanat. Lori, Karen, and Lisa all work together to assist their shoppers succeed. Yes, watch me work. Yes, they adore me - they said so! Yes, very, but I do not go on about it. Yes, they're a mandatory evil. Yes, but we're too busy to present it.

Yes, now we have our personal lives as well as one another. Of course, at every stage, it's fairly clear to any relationship knowledgeable around you the place you might be, if they have just a couple of minutes of your time and the chance to throw just a few questions your method. As one of the OG dating companies (it’s moved from web site-solely to a web site and app), Match is one in all the preferred on-line dating apps of all time. After some time has passed, come again with a brand new type and confident attitude. You may have come to a safe space, brah. We used to have more, however we have whittled them down now to a couple. Let us know just a little about the best way you two discuss, the way you make decisions, what you find out about one another, and what your plans are, and we'll figure out simply how far down the connection road you might be.

No plans? Yeah proper! No, only small issues. While they could also be efficient otherwise, when it comes to herpes dating Sites, things are likely to get somewhat complex. Telling someone you meet that you've got herpes could be tough at first but it surely does get simpler. It’s a lot easier for the president to brush apart or ignore questions he doesn’t like when he’s strolling alongside the White House grounds. We talk about how a lot we love one another. We mostly discuss logistics. I do not know, my boo is the only individual whose calls I take. I know that I do know, as a result of I simply make it daily, however I couldn't tell you - it's sheer muscle memory. I do not know if I am officially with them yet. I don't even know the place they live. I'm the same but they bought even more lovely! We're like barely frayed versions of the same factor. They worth them the same as I do. Only the youngsters, but we keep which means to go out. That's a passport to the opportunity of the really huge milestones: marriage, youngsters, shopping for a house, mingling your funds, and more. There's a snug interval of dating and becoming ever extra entwined as you meet the mother and father, exchange keys, and say the three little words that make it all official.

[the-library-alcove]

So a while back, a fairly left-wing friend of mine was shocked at the thought of Left-Wing Holocaust Denial, asking how it could even be possible, how can the Left even deny the Holocaust given everything (quote: "why would the LEFT be in denial? After you read Elie Wiesel, you can't deny any of it. Same with Maus, Frieda Appleman-Jurman's memoirs, and all that. Also, Lois Lowry won a Newberry medal for Number the Stars"). So I've been chewing on this for a while now.

First, Right-Wing Holocaust Denial is straight up "denial that the Holocaust happened"--often with an undertone of "But we wish that it had and it was a great idea". They deny the number of deaths, or excuse the Nazis, or say that the Jews had it coming, or say that it didn't happen at all, that sort of thing. It's a very blunt, straightforward form of denial.

Comparatively, Left-Wing Holocaust Denial takes a different, more sophisticated form that functions on multiple levels--with an undertone of its own along the lines of "the Jews are exaggerating to try to portray themselves as victims"--and to talk about this form of denial, I have to explain what the Holocaust was.

So this gets a bit long, because what is being denied is long, but I will ask you to bear with me.

But, TL:DR:

Right Wing Holocaust Denial denies the body count and the atrocities...

Left Wing Holocaust Denial denies everything that built up to it, the centuries of Othering and murders, and the aftereffects.

The Holocaust, 1939-1945, was the culmination of literally centuries of anti-Jewish hatred from Christian Europeans, dating back well over a thousand years.

For one example, there were anti-Jewish riots in France in the 1020s in misplaced vengeance for the Islamic destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 1009 CE. Decades later, the Crusaders butchered 99% of the Jewish population of northern Europe, beginning in 1096 and continuing for centuries, such that a population of nearly 100,000 in 1050 CE was reduced down to less than a thousand in 1350 CE, as genetic studies show.

Jews were vilified as "Enemies of Christ", and various forms of attack to whip up mobs against Jews became common enough to get names of their own: Blood Libel (the accusation of Jews stealing children and murdering them to use their blood) and Host Desecration (the accusation that Jews were stealing consecrated Hosts and "torturing" them in order to attack Jesus), among others. These resulted in thousands of Jews being attacked, harmed, killed, and expelled.

Pogroms, massacres, and expulsions were just part of the pattern; Jews were effectively second class citizens at best, confined to marginal parts of cities (the original ghettos), subject to ritual humiliation (there was a part of Carnival in Rome that featured "The Running Of The Jews" where the Jewish population of the city had to race and be beaten by the Christians and there are designed-to-be-humiliating carvings of Jews on churches), and so forth. Jews were the scapegoats of choice--a powerless minority made to do the dirty work (such as tax collection) by the powerful and then liquidated when the lower classes got upset, as a distraction (King: "It's not my fault you're hungry!" *motions to table laden with food* "It's the fault of those greedy Jews who I force to work as tax collectors! Go kill them instead of me!"). And that cycle further entrenched the hatred.

Martin Luther took this to new heights during the Reformation; initially, he was "nice", saying that the Christians should treat the Jews gently to get us to convert... and when we didn't, he got nasty, writing a book titled "On The Jews And Their Lies" where he outlined a "how to persecute Jews and make their lives utter hell so they'll convert" prescription of behavior.

And this all became deeply baked into the culture of Europe, in plays, architecture, pop culture, stories, and conspiracy theories over the centuries. Even after the ghetto walls were torn down in the early 1800s by Napoleon and Jews were allowed to integrate into mainstream society, that hatred did not go away. If anything, the resentment grew, culminating in outbursts like the Dreyfus Affair, where a French-Jewish artillery officer was made into the fall guy for another spy, because he was Jewish.

There was a "Jewish Question" in the countries of Europe. A political National Question that went, "What shall we do with these Jews who live in our lands who we do not want?" And many of the Jews desperately wanted to prove that they were Good Model Citizens, but it didn't matter. Some of us, seeing the writing on the wall, and that the Europeans would never accept us, started agitating for political separation and independence--Zionism.

During this time, the old religious-based hatreds were being ostensibly phased out, and it was the era of "scientific racism", so a new word was coined--"antisemitism", to replace the old "Judenhass", to sound more "scientific". More anti-Jewish accusations were created, such as the "Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion", which is a Russian-made forgery that is supposedly the record of a meeting of Jewish elders in their master plan to control the world; it was written to distract hatred away from the Czar and onto a scapegoat. (Essentially just an updated version of the kings' tactic of scapegoating the Jews from centuries earlier)

So the hatreds stayed, regardless of what new clothes they wore. After World War One, when the Nazis said that the blame for the loss and subsequent humiliation and economic collapse of the Weimar Republic was because of the "Jews stabbing us in the back", there was a massive population of people who were already primed to hate and resent Jews and just needed that excuse to focus that hatred. They passed laws that specifically stripped citizenship from the Jews on racial grounds, instituted blood purity laws--again, on racial grounds--and built up to the Holocaust, where the Jews were not seen as human, but as vermin, out to contaminate their pure race.

In the process, they killed nine out of ten Jews who lived in Europe. Their hatred to the point that they diverted efforts to fight the Allies just so that they could kill Jews. Local people hated Jews so much that they collaborated with their own conquerors, just so they could kill Jews. Because they hated us so much, had hated us for centuries. Their "Final Solution" to "The Jewish Question." This part is what the Right Wing denies.

And then, in the aftermath, nobody wanted the remaining victims. Literally, the British said, "We'll carve off part of our Empire to give to them rather than let them come here."

So, after centuries of hatred and marginalization, Europeans gave into their hatreds that they had been raised with and murdered us in our millions, and we were traumatized.

And some of us went to the USA--the few that the US was willing to take in--and many more, not having any other place to go, went to British Mandate Palestine with the hope of self-governance in the future Jewish territory... having learned that they could not trust non-Jews.

That is the Holocaust and what led up to it, and some of the aftermath of it.

Left Wing Holocaust Denial erases all of that, except for the Holocaust itself, which is taken out of context as a moral lesson.

The Left Wing Unofficial Narrative Of The Holocaust is that the Nazis arbitrarily picked several groups of fellow European Whites, the Jews being just one of them, agitated against them in order to make an Enemy, and then killed them in order to cement power. Thus, in this narrative, the Holocaust was thus an aberration brought about by demagoguery and propaganda. Thus, it is imperative to remember "Never Again", because it can happen to anyone.

According to this narrative, "Jews" are just White Europeans who practice a different Abrahamic Religion, and who played the aftermath of the genocide for undeserved sympathy points to get a colony of their own where they could become oppressors in turn, and that they are getting special treatment that ignores the other victims of the Holocaust.

In doing so, the Left needs to ignore...

...the racial aspects of the Holocaust and the decades and centuries before it--the blood purity laws, the specific "racial science" that Othered Jews, and so forth--in favor of a "Jews are White" narrative.

...that the Jews were specifically targeted by the Nazis for extermination, to the point of irrational, self-defeating fixation, whereas only the Roma were as targeted for complete eradication alongside the Jews--in favor of a "But what about the other victims too?" narrative.

...the Nazi obsession with hating Jews (which has not gone away) as a fundamental part of their ideology, and pretending that the Nazi hatred of Jews is no different than the eugenics and political oppression that other groups were victims of--again, in favor of a "Other people were victims of the Nazis too!" narrative.

...the centuries of hatred and victimization that preceded the Holocaust and culminated in it--in favor of a "Jews are just European White People" narrative.

...the trauma that happened when you've lost your homes, your families, your way of life, and your society, and nobody made any efforts to help you, and how it becomes apparent, after trying to fit in and integrate for decades, that you can be Perfect Citizens and the Christians will still hate you so we need to defend ourselves for our own sakes--in favor of a "Jews are oppressors and didn't learn the right lessons from the Holocaust" narrative.

So, TL;DR:

Right Wing Holocaust Denial denies the body count and the atrocities...

Left Wing Holocaust Denial denies everything that built up to it, the centuries of Othering and murders, and the aftereffects.

[jungk0oksthighs]

Over The Odds | Relevance 

Pairing - jungkook x reader

Genre - angst, smut, fluff, S2L, ceo!jungkook, sugardaddy!jungkook

Word count - 1.8k 

Drabble 15 - Taehyung acts as your attorney for the police questioning

warnings: swearing

FULL SERIES COLLECTION

“I was on a flight home from Seoul when the video was leaked.” You repeat yourself for what feels like the millionth time, toying with one of the silver rings decorating your slender fingers.

“Is it possible that you could’ve asked a friend maybe, to post the video on your behalf while you were elsewhere? For financial gain and public exposure?” The mature police officer asks, winning Taehyung to roll his eyes beside you.

“You don’t have to answer that.” Tae’s voice is stern, assertive even, you’ve never seen him at work but now you can see exactly why he’s such a well-respected attorney. He’s smart, he’s had your back from day one and most importantly he’s not taking shit from anybody, especially the greying policeman who’s made it his duty to ruin your afternoon.

“That video destroyed my life,” You sigh, beyond irritated, shaking your head in disbelief, “I lost my job, my apartment, my family’s respect, my privacy, I almost lost my boyfriend… I didn’t have anything to do with the leak I wasn’t even in the country when it happened.”

“Alright, have you made any money from the video?”

“No.” You bite, “Not a penny.”

“But you have got public exposure, you’re somewhat of a celebrity now because of it.” The older man’s tone is beyond condescending, as though he’s talking to a piece of dog shit on the underside of his dirty shoes.

“That’s not a question.” Taehyung shuts him down quickly with a deep voice, you had no idea he could be so intimidating, “Are we done here?”

“Almost, Y/N can you just clarify what your relationship is with Jungkook? Are you employed by him? Does he ever...pay you?”

“He’s my boyfriend.” You say between clenched teeth with a racing heart.

“Right, but does he provide financial support-”

“I’m struggling to see how this is relevant to a stolen video camera and cyber crime.” The professional attorney stops him in his tracks once again, no wonder Jungkook trusts this man with his life - he’s incredible at this.

“Just trying to understand yours and Jungkook’s relationship Y/N,” The officer doesn’t even look at you while he scribbles in his notepad, “After the comments you made towards the end of the tape.”

Disgust washes over your entire body, you stiffen in place which doesn’t go unnoticed by either man in the room. He’s watched the video, you feel violently nauseous at the thought of it. Taehyung’s jaw sets to stone, sensing your discomfort. 

“Again, it’s not relevant. I think we’re done here, if you need anything else we’ll be sure to visit the station.” 

“These are just routine questions Sir, but that’s all I need for now.” You didn’t even get the officer’s name, nor do you particularly want it.

“I’ll see you out.” Taehyung stands from the sofa, smoothing out the material of his charcoal pinstriped suit, quickly ushering the other man out of his apartment.

The police are currently working their way through a suspect list, the IP address breakthrough significantly shortening that list. There’s only a handful of people who have 24/7 access to your old apartment – yourself included. It was Taehyung’s idea to talk to the police with him present, despite them telling you it was a quick couple of questions and that you had nothing to worry about, Taehyung believes they’re so desperate to close the case due to it’s high profile that they’ll pin it on just about anybody. 

And so that’s what lead you to his home, as you’re already friends the paparazzi wouldn’t think anything of it if they saw you nearby. Whereas if you’d gone directly to the police station together - you can only imagine the headlines. Tae’s townhouse is lovely, it’s bright and open and scattered with eccentric ornaments and expensive paintings, it’s a perfect match to his personality you’ve decided.

“Fucking asshole,” He says, running long fingers through his rich dark hair as he walks back into the room, “I knew they’d do this, I’m sorry you had to go through that. Can I get you a drink?”

“Coffee please.” You exhale, equal parts stressed and relieved that that’s over with, “Thank you so much for this Tae, I said I’d tell Jimin how it went. Is that okay? Am I allowed to talk about this? Sorry I’m not sure how all this works...”

“You can tell him how it went, that’s fine.” Taehyung delivers an awkward smile, “How is he doing?” He asks while preparing drinks, you can hear the machine steaming and beeping.

“You know I’ve barely seen him recently, he’s got a new boyfriend… I think it’s going well though. Have you seen much of him? I know you guys are friends now.” You raise your voice enough to be heard from the kitchen.

“Nope, we uh-, stopped talking pretty much as soon as he started dating somebody.” He enters the lounge with two mugs, both look handmade and are decorated with gothic illustrations of sick-looking farm animals and you wonder who would even buy something like that, “I haven’t heard much from him since.”

“Must still be in the love bubble, or the honeymoon phase whatever you want to call it,” You chuckle, grabbing your coffee, “Thanks.” The sofas in the room are electric blue and made entirely from velvet with the occasional gold detailing, so you make sure to be extra careful when drinking, fearful of ruining the no doubt expensive furniture.

“How’s your love bubble going? With Guk?” His feline eyes are soft over the rim of his mug, which looks absolutely tiny in his giant hand.

At this you can’t help but blush – things with Jungkook are amazing, save for the obvious. “Yeah we’re really good thanks, I was a little worried he would’ve thought I had something to do with this when they got the IP address but … I was literally with you guys at the time so…”

You trail off into a content hum, it’s been five months since you’d first met your boyfriend and truthfully you’ve never been happier; even though you’re unemployed, essentially homeless, and the centre of a high-profile police investigation – you manage to find peace and comfort in his arms when life is hectic and disappointing. Your parents love him, your dad keeps nagging for you both to go round again and your mum, for lack of better words, is obsessed with him. Of course Ruth doesn’t appear to be overly fond of him but that’s just her personality, she doesn’t take to anybody unless they’re so far up her ass that they become a part of her.

Sometimes curiosity gets the better of you and you find yourself asking Jungkook about Jeon Industries, especially where your sister’s concerned. Understandably he likes to keep his work life and personal life separate so he doesn’t say much, only that Ruth is annoyingly doing really well in her training at JI, his assistant told him that she has the most potential out of the group of new employees he’s overseeing. This is no surprise to you though, Ruth has always been the best at everything. She’s smart, she’s cunning and she has no issue with playing dirty. In fact it wouldn’t surprise you if she’s tried to pull the ‘you’re dating my sister’ card with Jungkook to fast track her way to the top, but if she has he hasn’t said anything to you.

“Everybody knows you wouldn’t do something like this, especially Jungkook. That officer was just an asshole,” Taehyung’s deep voice snaps you back into the real world, “The private investigators are going through your old apartment’s security footage now, nothing came from Guk’s. The only people that went into his place were you two.”

“Mmm, I just hope whoever did it gets caught soon and admits to it straight away, I really don’t want this to be dragged out any longer than it has to be.”

“Hopefully they’ll find something solid from the security footage, it’s not like people can get in and out of there that easily.” He reassures you with friendly features, you can tell he wants this to be over with just as much as you do, he’s been working so hard trying to get to the bottom of it all.

“Oh I don’t know about that, the code for the main building is written on the bottom of the doormat, pretty sure everybody knows how to get in there.” You scoff almost in disbelief, your rent used to be cheap but…at what cost.

“Jesus,” A puff of air rushes from his nostrils, “What about your actual apartment, that was locked with a key surely?”

“Oh yeah of course and I have the only key,” You’re nodding quickly before you still your movements, a wave of realisation flooding your senses, “Actually…” You’re wide-eyed, mouth agape.

“What is it?” Taehyung settles his mug down onto a glass coffee table, “Y/N what’s wrong?”

“Oh my god.” Your hand covers your mouth, “I don’t think I changed my locks since Namjoon and I broke up…” Fuck. He still has a key, and he hates Jungkook. Could he be responsible for this? Is that why he was quick to push the blame onto your boyfriend?

Taehyung sits up, he’s straight backed and equally as stunned as you, “Are you telling me he still has a key for your apartment?”

You nod slowly, but your words come out fast, so fast that Tae has to really listen to what you’re saying, “I never felt the need to change my locks cause he left the country and when he came back I guess I just forgot… Jimin said he saw Joon coming out of my apartment building the other week, he was with Jennie. Oh my god how did I not think of this before?”

“Jennie? As in Jungkook’s ex sugar baby? Call Jimin, tell him to get here as quick as he can, I’ll message the PI.”

“I don’t know if Namjoon could do something like-, what are you doing?” You frown, still frozen in place with shock, watching him put his glossy silver phone to his pierced ear.

“Calling Jungkook.” You can see his brain working overtime, he’s completely lost in thought when you hear the familiar sound of your boyfriend’s voice, “Hey it’s me, how fast can you get to my place? It’s urgent.”

x

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

So binge read odnlb and

First of all how dare you make me more invested in your Kagami and Felix dynamic than any other ship??? How could you do this to me?? I have been ruined as a shipper. RUINED. I will never, ever be able to get over your Felix and Kagami in this fic and how wonderfully they interact with all their bluffs and pride and calculations and CONSTRAINED FEELINNNGSS I - this is it for me. I’m done. I’m gone.

You wanna know how I’ve been ruined?? You wanna k n o w ? I will never be able to ship either of them with anyone else now. It feels wrong. It feels like a betrayal after seeing how HEART ACHINGLY BEAUTIFULLY they could click and the amazing angst they could work and

And you know this really small thing which hurt me so much is that whole thing you pulled where she has never had trouble differentiating the two because FELIX HAS A HARDNESS AND SHARPNESS THAT MAKES HIM HIS OWN PERSON like not because she recognised Adrien easily! oh no! twas not her ex she recognised easily, no no noooooo, it was because she recognised FELIX easily, FELIX, like it’s almost as if her own hard edges recognise the soulmate in his sharp edges okay that brOKE ME IN TWO like why why whyyyy would you do this to my innocent shipper heart, how could you make me more invested in Kagami and Felix than the actual lovesqUARE?!

Like but at the same time I shouldn’t blame you because I love both characters a lot individually -I love their complexities, how Kagami is Good with a little ruthless in her and Felix is Ruthless with a little good in him- I just never opened my eyes to how well their opposite symmetry two sides of the same coin mirror opposite chess masters dynamic works as a ship until you wrOTE MY SHIPPER’S RUINATION LIKE DAMN HOW CAN I COME BACK FROM THIS?!

I mean yes of course I still care about Marinette and Adrien but I know I’ll enjoy them in this fic and on top of that they’ll always have canon and other fics too, whereas I will never be able to enjoy your Kagami and Felix outside your writing because the ml writers don’t have half the brilliant characterisation or good taste in ships and other fanfic writers just cannot pull this dynamic off okay, like

Like I genuinely don’t think anybody else can pull off this characterisation of how Kagami and Felix are in a way two sides of the same coin - they are both fully on the side of (their own idea of) Justice and they will be a little cruel if they need to be to do so, but at the same time they are both so dedicated to protecting the people they love - and this is the most interesting bit because I feel like what you’re implying is that if it’s for the people they love then Felix and Kagami actually both have the potential to become a bit of a hypocrite against their values (I mean Felix I think it’s almost outright confirmed he has/does this rn with him working for Monarque but I’m intrigued how far he will go), like not compromising on the bottom line, I think neither of them will ever compromise on what they think is Absolute Injustice, but they may compromise enough to bend their morals just a bit, so long as they don’t Cross That Line (for Kagami I wonder if she will ever even get near that line while for Felix I wonder if he’d be willing to move the line signpost by an inch or two)

While we are on the subject how dare you imply Felix has kept her at an arm’s length this whole time because he’s insecure about being a senti and now you’re going to have her take his ring, and he won’t just be hurt or betrayed (as you’ve hinted he kinda already expects the betrayal bc he knows where Kagami’s values stand) he will be humiliated just like Adrien neevr wanted LB to look at him like that (and LB doesn’t even KNOW-know), for Felix to have his deepest darkest secret blasted on full volume to the ONE PERSON he never wanted to find out, and for her look at him as if he was LESS of a human even if it was just for a moment, even if it is just in that second of the initial shock - I- I need a minute

No I’m genuinely tortured by this, I keep thinking of all the potentials of how that scene would go like just imagining- like how do amoks work? does Kagami realise whose amok it is the minute she touches it? I feel like Luka’s suspicion of her mean her betraying LB on a small-medium degree is inevitable, so this could be her moral bending point, her freaking out and deciding to keep Felix’s secret and taking a ring lookalike to LB instead which isn’t an amok and is just waved off as a sentimental ring of his mother’s.

(even better if Felix doesn’t know know that She Knows and continues with his farce none the wiser so Kagami has the time to adjust to the revelation and my boy is spared some PAIN)

And Kagami can rationalise it against her sense of justice because forcing someone to divulge information against their will is just evil, really, and she can’t let LB do that as she knows she inevitably will and it doesn’t hurt their cause for her not to know Felix is a senti so why not keep that on the downlow? Though I imagine it must absolutely backfire/blow up in her face later

(Also Luka would have no right to judge Kagami for keeping secrets to protect the ones she loves considering but I feel like he still totally would 😂 that would be funny if he called her out later and someone was like Uhhh pot meet kettle?)

BUT THEN there is the alternative where you don’t figure out whose amok it is when you touch it and I’m like does Kagami hand the ring to LB first without realising first and they all find out only when LB commands “Adrien” to come to their location?

Ngl part of me wants to see Kagami wounded by her own betrayal - like her being shocked and appalled when Felix is forced to show up instead of Adrien as they expected, seeing the humiliation and betrayal on his face, and LB obviously doesn’t care bc Felix isn’t Adrien, LB doesn’t think there’s any good in him, so she’s not gonna show mercy because this is her CHANCE to find out the truth, everything about their identities and hideout has all just fallen into her lap, she’s totally ready to force Felix to bend to her will and interrogate the pants off him, and HONESTLY I would metaphorically DIE if at that point Kagami just snaps ‘no’.

Like silk over steel low-key feral protective Kagami saying no you are not about to take away his free will I don’t care if it’s for the greater good or not, no okay, N - O, squaring off against feral vengeful LB who may just lose it and actually Hurt Her because she is so close, SO CLOSE, to finding out the name of the man she has to murder for her kitty and the girl she thought was her ally just cares about her villainous boyfriend. bug vs dragon almost fight over peacock’s ring? 😬

Lol also it would be funny if we had indignant Luka in the background like I TOLD U NOT TO TRUST HER (pot, kettle) and I can just imagine Felix dryly saying to Kagami ‘it’s a bit rich of you to try and stop her now when you’re the one who gave the ring to her in the first place’ (I’m so convinced sarcasm would be his coping mechanism 😭)

Like see this is the interesting thing about Felix and Kagami that we don’t have with the lovesquare, it’s seeing how they interact within the context of their clashing morals, bc LB and CN are usually morally aligned in that they agree on what is Right, but Kagami and Felix aren’t like that, they Really Do Not Agree on what’s Right so it’s interesting if/how far one or both will compromise for the other, and how that will affect their relationship with each other and others

But like I don’t even know if either of the two scenarios above are even close to the mark bc there are clearly so many layers to each of their characterisations and idk if I’m even interpreting half of it right, like but the beautiful thing us I could be totally wrong and still love them because you can tell you’ve put so much thought into their interactions and motivations

and I’m so sad about this like I’m so in love with a ship that’s doomed to exist only in this fic, do you know how tragic it is to be addicted to a drug with only ONE supplier for a limited period of time???? I guess I can kinda think of it as like shipping a movie ship but I still cannot get over this personal tragedy okay don’t judge me

To sum up I am more invested in this fic’s feligami than s5’s lovesquare at this point and honestly I feel victimised ;-;

YESSSS I GOT ANOTHER ONE!!! beloved anon, welcome to the feligami circus <3

the idea of feligami was born when i saw this in s4 "Gabriel Agreste." me and my sister thought it was hilarious how they glared at each other once, then ignored each other the rest of the time. idk if i've said this, but it's actually at my sister's request (plus my own wish fulfillment) i wrote feligami into one does not love breathing. (i tried to put them into my other fic What Makes a Monster last year, but had no room D: )

you really said what i love about my felix and kagami best. i'm just. in AWE. not only do you understand how i have them diametrically opposed as players in monarque & ladybug's game, but you also understand how they function as characters!! i don't even think i could have stated it better, really, which is why i was grinning like an idiot while reading your ask.

taking what you said about "it’s almost as if [kagami's] own hard edges recognise the soulmate in his sharp edges" & "FELIX HAS A HARDNESS AND SHARPNESS THAT MAKES HIM HIS OWN PERSON like not because she recognised Adrien easily!" -- THIS WAS IMPORTANT I'M RLY GLAD IT GOT TO YOU! something felix uses to his advantage is his identical appearance to adrien. take that away from him with kagami, and what does he really have left? this "levels the playing field" between them, so to say, and i think that was what initially drew him to kagami. that she could tell felix was felix not by recognizing adrien, but by seeing him for who he really is <3

"Kagami is Good with a little ruthless in her and Felix is Ruthless with a little good in him" <- aaahh this GOT me, anon! and it's why i ship them & made them main side characters in the fic. by placing them on opposing sides yet weaving their storylines together, we get to see them bring out their true selves in each other. felix needs that; he's always being sneaky/has a trick up his sleeve, while kagami is blunt and direct and doesn't put up with bs. the more involved they get with one another, the more we see them bringing out those opposing qualities in each other; felix coming clean, and kagami sneaking around as a double agent. makes me think of this line of analysis: "I think neither of them will ever compromise on what they think is Absolute Injustice, but they may compromise enough to bend their morals just a bit, so long as they don’t Cross That Line." YES ABSOLUTELY!!!! aaahahah it's SO fun to write anon!! i'm glad you enjoy it as much as i do heheheheh.

i do dare imply. i dare all the implications. you guys are getting pretty good at guessing what my plans are, i must say. i've even taken some of your theories/guesses/hypotheses and pasted them in my notes doc so i can pack more of a punch when the time comes :DD HOWEVER you will never get me to admit to anything! NEVER! but i can promise that it will hurt, yes. i can promise that whatever u think felix and kagami are planning, it will indeed blow up in their faces (rip to your metaphorical death, anon). and i also promise this fic gets softer. i swear. that goes for feligami as well ;))

i'm sorry for your struggles. thank you for loving my feligami as much as i do. we can be in the post odblb feligami desert together (until i write them into another fic, or find another BETTER one).

thank you for this essay anon it made my day <33 there's nothing i like better than reading analyses on my own work before it's even done. and also thank you for binge reading odnlb! i hope you're ok bc most people seem to not be & i'm really getting worried for you guys.

[majestyeverlasting]

can you write prompts 3&10 with beefy!bucky x reader where he takes her on a surprise date under the stars n they cuddle n it’s cute n shit :)

✩ Alas, the time has come for a night under the stars. These prompts are amazing together, and tried my best to make it as cute as possible. It takes place in Brooklyn, and there's fairly lights, caresses, and of course kisses. A sprinkle of innocent teasing as well. Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy.

✩ Prompt 3: “I told you the stars were gonna be out tonight.”

✩ Prompt 10: “It’s hard to concentrate when you’re kissing my neck like that.”

Brighter Than We Know

The same sky that was once a rich blue mixed with the warmth of orange had begun to welcome the beginnings of darkness. Only a trace of daylight remained, nothing more than a fleeting hint of illumination that proved the sun once shone over Prospect Park. That's where the two of you found yourselves, settled on a red blanket in a clearing of grass with a view of the lake. A few small mason jars filled with fairy lights were positioned on the ground around you.

The hands of time always seemed to move faster when you and Bucky were together. An indescribable easiness never failed to accompany his presence.

There was a warmth to the air of the budding night, and cricket chirps ascended from all around. Bucky sat with his legs outstretched, leaning back onto his hands. And you laid perpendicular to him with your head resting in his lap, gazing upwards and allowing yourself to be lulled by the atmosphere. When you closed your eyes, he traced a finger along your hairline and all the way down to follow the curve of your jaw. A pleasant tingle was left in its wake. The content hum that rose from your throat served as all the encouragement he needed to continue.

However, as his fingertips began to trace your lips, you opened your eyes and took his hand in yours—you’d always adored his hands. They were so strong and yet so gentle. You pressed a kiss to his palm, smiling at the way his fingers curled ever so slightly. Then you let go, and he continued to caress your features as if trying to further engrain them in his mind.

Soon, Bucky eventually said. Soon it would be dark enough for the stars to be seen in the heavens above. There was an inkling of doubt that you ended up voicing to him, but he soothed it with an easy smile and another promise that it was only a matter of time. The outing itself had been his idea. After dinner, you were expecting to go back to his apartment. But that’s when he’d told you that there was one more thing he’d planned.

Curiosity getting the better of you, you’d asked him question after question as the two of you arrived at Prospect Park, and began to walk through it; even going over your favorite bridge, and getting to hear the trickle of the small waterfalls leading into the pond beneath. There was something different about the way he was holding your hand, he was guiding you. Not merely walking with you.

It came to the point where the path you’d been following was no longer lined with trees. That’s when you saw everything in the grass a short distance away—the blanket, the mason jars. There were others out enjoying the stillness, but nobody occupying that space. Surely, that wasn’t for you two. But he led you right to it, and your heart soared in awe. There were a couple pillows and a bag of your favorite chocolate as well. You’d attempted to ask Bucky how he’d managed to put everything together, but the only answer he gave you was that he'd had help from somebody who was fond of the two of you.

Ms. Cleary. It had to have been her. Bucky winked when he saw the realization in your eyes. Virginia Cleary was a kind, older woman who lived across the hall from him. She spoke whenever she saw you, and had given him an original canvas painting of hers back when they first got acquainted. Her husband had passed away years prior, and her son worked as a businessman upstate. So she took pleasure in being caring and nurturing towards the two of you.

In that moment, you swore your gratitude for them was endless. The week had been so demanding of you, and in an instant their efforts had lifted the ghost of the weight that lingered on your shoulders.

Bucky began to shift, and you realized it was because he was lying onto his back. Naturally, you repositioned as well, opting to snuggle into his side and rest your head on his broad chest. You felt its steady rise and fall as his arm wrapped around you. He smelled woodsy with a hint of something warm and spiced. The dark gray shirt he wore defined his upper body, and you let one of your hands run up his torso, and over the hard shoulder of his metal arm. There was a solidness to his muscularity, but he was relaxed underneath your touch. There was no tension to be felt.

You glanced at his face, and saw that his eyes were directed upwards. You followed his gaze to where the stars still had yet to appear. Any moment, though. You craned your head and began peppering featherlight kisses to the crook of his neck. His stubbled Adam's apple bobbed with a swallow. And you felt him squeeze your waist as the exhales leaving his nose grew more audible.

“Doll.” His voice was gruff. “It’s hard to concentrate when you’re kissing my neck like that.”

You hummed, but went on to start nibbling his skin, unable to contain a smile. After a few more seconds, you relented, and heard him whisper something quick under his breath. A chuckle bubbled out of you, as you propped yourself on his chest.

“What was that?”

He lips twitched upwards. “I said ‘please give me the strength.’”

You playfully clawed your fingers in his thick pecs. “You’re already pretty strong.”

“Not up against you, I’m not.” There was love in his eyes. A silence settled between the two of you for a few moments. You even let your cheek come to rest on your arms as they were folded on top of his chest.

But then Bucky shook your shoulder after a while. “Hey, look up, pretty girl. You can see ‘em shining now—all over.” His voice was low and measured, proud too.

As if charged, you pushed yourself up into a seated position, eyes wide and curious as they began to scan the vastness of the sky. They seemed to be everywhere, the stars. Some were clustered whereas others seemed to be off by themselves. But no matter the distance, none of them were truly alone as they shone amongst each other.

“See there, pretty girl?” Bucky said. “I told you the stars were gonna be out tonight.”

The moment you turned around to look down at him, he feared being awakened because your smile looked like something out of a dream. The glow of the fairy lights and the lampposts in the distance just barely helped illuminate your face—he saw you nonetheless. In a way only he could, however. He saw beyond your appearance, to what radiated from within you: the childlike wonder you held onto like a friend, your constant pursuit of the ‘extra’ in the ordinary, the love you were always so willing to extend. The extent of your beauty was a fountain that never ran dry.

Bucky thanked his lucky stars that out of every soul in the universe, he got to grow in the understanding of yours.

“You did tell me,” you spoke up. “Thank you. For this—for everything.” You meant that, strongly.

“Of course. Figured you’d appreciate it. I know you’ve been working really hard, and that you…”

His words trailed off as you moved to lay on your stomach beside him. You remained propped on one forearm, and rested your free hand on his chest before dipping your head down to kiss him. But not on his lips quite yet. You pressed one to the tip of his nose, then some to both corners of his mouth. Flutters of anticipation stirred within his chest, and you rendered them into longing when you placed yet another to the dimple of his chin. The sight of you pulling away to study his face made him release a quick exhale of disbelief tinged with amusement. You gave him a little knowing smirk before finally leaning back down to connect your lips.

Bucky used his weight to push you onto your back so that he was the one hovering over you. In the process, your lips parted, only to find each other once again. The way he kissed you was more tender and reverent than anything. But of course, fueled by that spark of passion that was always alight whenever he was with you.

After pulling away, he dipped to return the little kisses you’d given his neck. The added scratch of his stubble drew the sweetest giggles out of you that you attempted to stifle by biting your lip. Bucky felt like he was floating as he detached himself from you entirely, letting himself roll onto his back once again.

There the two of you were, buzzing and looking up at a sky full of stars.

Bucky took your hand in his, and ran his thumb over the back of it.

“They’re the brightest I’ve seen them in a while,” he said.

You squeezed his hand. “And they’re even brighter than we know because they’re so many miles away.”

-

✩ Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed your night under the stars.

✩ More fluffy Bucky fics

[sugakuns]

[ʜᴄ] | 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

being childhood friends with kenma, akaashi & iwa + telling each other they’d be married when they were younger

ᴀ/ɴ: gender neautral pronouns

— kozume k.

you’ve known kenma basically since the day you were born

both you and his family lived in the apartment building and you happened to live next door to each other which was both a blessing and a curse

since kenma was quite shy he had never really iniciated any conversation or play with you so you overcame your own shyness to play with him

mostly the two of you would play with dolls or go out in the local park but as soon as kenma got his first gaming device he would never go outside

even when the new kid kuroo came along it took him a while to warm up and try to play with you and kenma

kuroo noticed how throughout primary school you seemed closer to the quiet boy

you’d hang off of his shoulder and call him cute names like “kenma-san” or “kenken”

so one day kuroo gave you the idea to propose to little kenma

yes, at 7 years of age kuroo told you to ask 6 year old kenma to marry you

so you did

with little plastic rings from a magazine your mother had bought you

“kenken, im giving you this ring because it means we’re married, okay?” kenma nods and takes the ring, even going as far as slipping it on his ring finger

“Kenken!” Your voice bellows throughout the gym, hands extending out as you throw yourself into a frankly violent hug. Kenma stumbles a little, hands grasping your waist as he trieds to stablilise himself from the running hug. His hair tousles from the impact, the stray strands brushing along your cheeks as you pull away.

“You’ll never guess what I found!” Your smile is large, beaming under the fluorescent lights belonging to the gym ceiling. Kenma states curiously, his expression close to one of a curious kitten. Practice had just ended and currently Kenma and Kuroo were the only ones there due to waiting on you.

Your fingers swiftly dance along your screen as you locate the picture you had taken of your family’s photo album. There was one particular picture of both you and the now faux blonde, both smiling (albeit kenma’s looked a little forced) and showing off the plastic rings you had won in a vending machine the day prior.

“Remember? I forgot we’re married!” You giggle as Kenma stares at the picture on your phone. He hadn’t forgotten that day - yet he hoped you would - the day his childhood crush told him that they were getting married. He hadn’t put much thought into you remembering what happened on that day but when he thinks about it he feels a warm, blooming senestaion fill his chest.

“You’re married?” Kuroo chuckles as he swings the keys around his index finger in an attempt to look suave. You nod quickly whereas Kenma blinks coyly at the taller male. Kuroo can feel the chuckle bubbling up from his chest into his throat yet he catches it last moment at the sharp state he’s getting from his friend.

“Yeah..We’ll get really rings later” Kenma muses, a lazily sweet smile resting on his lips.

— iwaizumi h.

so you actually knew oikawa before iwa,, so he was the sole reason you even met hajime

iwa was actually a little jealous of oikawa since the two of you were closer and he developed a puppy crush on you 🥺

the two of you were around 8 and iwa still held the crush he had since he was 5 - yes he didn’t give it away surprisingly (since he was a child)

so one day, when the both of you were playing and oikawa had planted a kiss on your head cuz he was feeling all confident iwa got jealous

“me and [y/n] are married stupidkawa!! you can’t do that!”

you just went along with it and told oikawa he had cooties LMAO

“Oh my god, you will not believe what I just remembered” Oikawa exclaims, hands clutching at his alien themed pillow. The three of you usually had sleepovers, even at your older age, and Oikawa usually hosted them since his house was bigger.

The three of you were perched on his bed dressed in your pajamas. You and Iwa were leaning against his beds headboard and Oikawa was laying further down the bed, leaning against the wall beside his bed.

“Your brain works?” You tease, chucking lightly as Oikawa dismissively sticks his tongue out at you. Iwa sniggers at your fast witted comment, even going as far to ruffle your hair.

“Yes.” Oikawa deadpans “But, seriously, remember when we were kids and Iwa-chan got jealous because I-I kissed you and he said- he said you two were married!” Oikawa howls with laughter at his own words, barely able to even spew the sentence before he clutches at his stomach to stabilise himself.

Your eyebrow raises, watching as Oikawa laughs to himself. Iwaizumi states dismissively too, arms crossing along his chest.

“We flamed you after that, Tōru” You state, remembering the relentless teasing that both you and Iwa inflicted on the poor boy.

“Plus, we’re dating..Iwa gave me an actual promise ring” you point at the ring on your finger (which was way too expensive for your liking) which reflects under the dim lighting in Oikawa’s room.

Oikawa pouts, laughter seizing as he sees his plan to fluster the two of you didn’t go through “You’re both boring”

— akaashi k.

akaashi didn’t have a lot of friends when he was younger

so you were really his only proper friend,, so he’s find himself with you most of the time

a lot of the time the two of you would play in the public park or at his house

and you two would usually play volleyball since akaashi liked it and you enjoyed it too

he hadn’t really thought snout his feelings for you since he thought they were normal to have towards a close friend

but one day you got quite jealous of all of the other (mainly girls) people who would flock to akaashi

so you simply told them that you two were married so they couldn’t take him away from you

akaashi, like kenma, just went with it

“Bokuto-san, what are you doing?” You ask as you watch the two-toned ace feverishly flick through your childhood memorabilia. He smiles as he comes across old photos of you and his new ‘bestie’ Akaashi; cooing as he looks at the tiny baby shoes that used to for your small feet.

The two boys had came over to study for a test but along the way Bokuto had become distracted and noticed the shiny box on your bedside table. He was more of a magpie than an owl at the moment, diving towards the shiny items rather than the dull items.

“What’s this?” He holds a poorly written letter between his index finger and thumb, staring at the crooked writing on the lined paper. It’s a little crumbled, plastered with stickers and has a massive love heart on the back. You flush as you realise what letter it is, the letter you gave to akaashi to sign if he wanted to marry you.

Bokuto squeals, jumping up and allowing the box to fall recklessly onto your bed. He practically screams as he swings the old piece of paper around.

“You’re married!” He seems more excited than confused, almost acting as if the two of you were actually married.

“Bokuto” Akaashi starts “If you keep this quiet from the rest of the team I’ll do even more serves for you tomorrow”

Bokuto jumps in excitement, the old piece of paper forgotten as he animatedly thanks his friend in advance. You can’t believe that you had forgot to take the little piece of paper out of the box since you had already thought about Bokuto finding it.

However, you can’t help but smile. That was how Akaashi asked you out in first year, reactating the letter you had made in childhood.

[genshinwritings]

Pregnancy Headcanons || Zhongli & Diluc

Thank you guys a lot for loving the other pregnancy headcanons ♥ I hope this satisfies your needs, haha~ 

____________________________________________________________

Zhongli

 Zhongli knew that there was something wrong with you. You were avoiding him almost strategically. Whenever you had to meet up with him you made sure that another person was around so you would not have to talk to him about private things. He often pretended that everything was fine in front of other people but deep inside he was longing to know what was wrong with you. Usually you would come around in the morning or in the evening to visit him but within the blink of an eye everything had changed. He didn’t see you daily anymore, whenever he came you left right away. He didn’t know what he had done or said to you that made you react like that but he surely knew that his heart shattered whenever a day passed where he did not talk to you.

 He had thought about the circumstances of your relationship and the possibility of anyone threatening you to stay away, yet he could not think about anyone who would profit from keeping you away from him. He felt devastated and he did not know what to do, he had handled a lot of situations with women before but never in his life had his partner avoided him without having an obvious reason to do so.

 It was late at night when you returned home, a small shock running down your spine as you felt another presence in your flat. You knew that it was him right away. You sighed defeated as you stepped into the living room, Zhongli neatly seated in the arm chair while sipping on a cup of earl grey. “Guess you’ve been expecting me..” You mumbled as you kicked off your shoes, an uneasy feeling tumbling in your stomach.  Zhongli’s eyes focused on yours as you nervously fumbled with your fingers, knowing that he was going to confront you now about the way you behaved the last couple days.

 “Would you mind sharing your knowledge with me as of why you are avoiding me?” He spoke low and calmly before blowing cold air to his tea, taking a sip while his eyes never left yours. You had been trying to avoid this conversation with him rather than you had tried to avoid him in general, yet you knew that you had to talk to him about what was going on. “I’m sorry when I hurt you with ignoring you.” You started to whisper, your gaze falling to the ground. “I did a mistake, a pretty big one and I did not want to bother you with it. I’m stupid and you’re going to hate me for it.”

Zhongli raised an eyebrow at your words, placing the cup of tea down on the wooden table in front of him before standing up. He had to admit that he was severely confused upon hearing your words, not being able to think about anything you could have done wrong.  Nevertheless, a mistake that would make him hate you. The thought of you being unfaithful crossed his mind, yet he knew that you would never do that, he trusted you too much. “Hey..” He whispered softly, firm hands placing on your shoulders as he leaned down to press a loving kiss to your forehead. “I can’t think of any reason that would possibly make me hate you and I’m sure whatever you have done is neither worse than the things I did in the past..” His voice was calm and soothing your nerves, a small relieved sigh slipping past your lips as your arms wrapped loosely around his middle, leaning your forehead against his chest.

“I’m pregnant..” You whispered into the fabric of his coat, your arms around him tightening as the fear of him pushing you away spread in your stomach. You could feel your heart clench as seconds of utter silence passed, almost feeling like an eternity. You had been more than afraid to see his reaction when you told him, after all he had been with several other partners before who did not let a mistake like that happen.

Zhongli was shocked by your words to say the least, never in his life had he expected this to be the reason why you had avoided him for days. He had prepared himself for the worst already but this was far from what he had expected.

 “First off..” He spoke calmly while his arms wrapped around your body to pull you close, one of his hands finding its way to the back of your head to reassuringly caress you hair. “The amount of love I carry in my heart for you makes it impossible for me to hate you. Whereas secondly, there’s always two people involved when it comes to this..” He leaned down to press a small kiss to the side of your head, his strong hand running over your back. He felt your body shivering and trembling in his arms, pulling slightly away from the hug before lifting up your chin between his thumb and index finger to look at you. He saw the sorrows in your eyes along with the fear of rejection, his heart craving for you to understand that he was not mad at all. “I love you, I really do. How could I ever thank you for a surprise as magnificent as this one?”

He smiled softly as he leaned in to catch your lips in a gentle but firm kiss. Even though he had never thought about becoming a father himself, the idea of it sounded more than tempting, especially with you as the mother. He could feel the warmth in his heart again as you relaxed into his touch, a small chuckle leaving your lips as you parted. “I know you’re far from being overly excited but- I love you too and I hope you know that I’m more than happy.” You hummed sweetly, pressing another kiss to his lips.

 Zhongli is going to spend all the free time he has to be by your side, always making sure that you’ve got everything you needed. Whenever he can’t come around or has to stay away from you for a while, he will tell the old people in the village to come and look after you. He does not trust a lot of people when it comes to knowing about your pregnancy, he does not want you or your unborn child to be exposed to unknown danger, trying to keep the possibility of anything happening to you as small as possible.

With time he will slowly get used to the thought of becoming a father, often talking to you about the things he’s going to do when your baby was finally born. He bought a lot of children’s books, telling you that he’s planning to read them a bedtime story every night so they might become as interested in books as he is. He will tell you how he’s going to teach them about the culture in Liyue and how he can’t wait to take them out, to show them the most beautiful places. Whenever he is talking about the future and about your baby, you can see a sparkle of happiness in his eyes and you can hear how proud he is from the way he speaks.

Diluc

 Everyone knew that Diluc was not the most sincere person when it came to talking, especially not when they were involved with the Knights of Favonius. With you it had always been a different thing, you had gotten to know him when you first arrived in Mondstadt, even before you had made up the thought of joining the Knights. It was a quiet evening when you sat at the bar of Mondstadt’s tavern, Diluc casually working while he was, of course, not the best partner for a conversation. He had told you about some of the people in the city and recommended who you could talk to and who you should avoid if possible. You noticed his disliking for the Knights of Favonius right away, yet you did not dare to ask him about it back then. You visited him frequently at the tavern, pretending to be there for personal reasons rather than only to talk to him. Even after you had joined the Knights, Diluc still treated you the same as before. He told you that he did not like your decision but he somehow found a liking to talk to you which was the reason why he would ignore that small fact about you. After meeting up in the tavern for weeks, he had invited you to go on a date with him or asked you whether you wanted to at least meet him somewhere more private.

 You had spent a lot of time with Diluc over the next few months, always making sure that you would stop by at the winery when you were around or him visiting you in town when you returned from a mission. You never needed words to describe your relationship, the both of you just knew that you belonged together. Whenever you were around Diluc was happy, outgoing and almost a man with a soft side. He made sure to never show this side of himself to anyone but you though, always making you laugh when he switched from being soft to being a meanie.

Diluc noticed it quickly when your behavior around him changed. You weren’t as outgoing anymore, often canceling your missions shortly before departing or asking someone else to go for you. It got to the point where even Kaeya asked him what had happened to you that you were often trying to avoid your responsibilities as a Knight. It was slowly getting to Diluc’s nerves, you suddenly changing this much and more than that, you not being around as much as you were before.

He had told his brother that he wanted to talk to you at the winery, for once finding it okay to ask Kaeya for a favor, something he would never usually do. You were surprised as the Cavalry Captain told you about his brothers message for you, a small shock running down your spine. You had tried to avoid to talk to Diluc for a while, yet you knew that he was far from being stupid and that he would see through your act right away.

Diluc was relieved to see you when you arrived at the winery in the evening, a soft smile planted on his lips as he welcomed you at the door before taking you up to his private apartment. You could feel your heart jump with joy upon seeing Diluc’s smile, the last few days had been unbearable as you had tried to stay away from him. Being able to look at him again, to feel his rough hand in yours as he led you through the building, it all made you feel utterly happy.

“I was almost afraid that I did something wrong that you weren’t visiting me anymore.” He spoke lowly before chuckling softly, squeezing your hand in his. “Would you like to drink anything?” He asked you as he let go of your hand, a small smile on your lips as you followed him through the apartment to the kitchen, your arms crossing in front of your chest. “I’ll be fine with grape juice.” You spoke as you leaned in the doorframe, Diluc stopping in his steps upon hearing your words. He looked at you confused and raised an eyebrow, tilting his head lightly to the side. “You sure you want no wine? It’s unsual for you to be satisfied with only juice..” He laughed shortly. Whenever you two met, wine was your usual go to drink but right now you didn’t think of it as properly and appropriate for your situation.

“Well, it’s not allowed to drink any alcohol when you’re pregnant, so I guess.. I have to go with grape juice.” You shrugged your shoulders playfully before taking the glass from his hand, his eyes growing big. He stood there dumbfounded, not knowing whether you were joking or not, stupidly both suited the situation. “Are you joking right now?” He almost whispered, his eyes focusing on yours as a bright smirk formed on your lips. Diluc could feel himself growing mad on the inside because you were playing with him but at the same time he felt a deep hope in his heart that you would tell him that you were not joking.

“I’m not joking, you’re going to be a father..” You mumbled, the smile never vanishing from your lips. You knew everything about Diluc’s complicated past but you also knew that he was going to be an excellent father no matter what. Adding to that he had often fantasized about becoming a father since your relationship had become more serious. He could feel his heart skip a beat as he listened to your words, placing down his glass before cupping your face in his hands, leaning in to quickly press a kiss to your lips. “I love you.” He whispered softly in between multiple small kisses, one of his arms wrapping around your hips to hold you close. “Thank you so much, my love. For everything. For coming into my life and changing everything to the better.”

 Diluc is going to be as caring as he always is when it comes to you. Always making sure that he was around when you woke up and when you fell asleep. During the day he was often occupied with his own work but whenever you felt bad or asked him to stay with you, he did as you wished. He was more than happy about your pregnancy, the proud feeling of soon becoming a father storming through his veins. Whenever someone asked him about your pregnancy there was always warm smile on his lips as he stayed silent about the circumstances. He had no problem with letting anyone know about it as long as it did not put you into danger somehow. 

[piratesfromspace]

You Again (Frank Castle/Reader)

Frank Castle (the Punisher) x Reader

Word count: 1.5k TW: light description of wound and bruises, implied rape attempt, mention of alcohol, canon-typical violence, reader has ✨issues✨

Female pronouns for reader

Note: Some hurt/comfort with Frank Castle. For unknown reasons, reader can’t go see a normal doctor. This story was inspired by an unpublished fanfic written by a dear friend of mine, in which Frank already helps reader.

MASTERLIST

“You. Again.”

You never had been so happy to hear his gruff voice. 

“And you’re a fuckin’ mess.” Frank added, tone flat.

“You should see the other guy.” you croaked, trying as best as you could to smile despite the cut on your lower lip.

You were, indeed, a mess. 

Battered and bloody, you were sitting - or more accurately slouching - on the dirty floor, in front of one of Castle’s hideouts door, on a random Tuesday night. Your right hand was badly hiding the knife’s wound on your stomach, the gash in your blood-soaked T-shirt obvious behind your feeble fingers. Angry bruises were already blooming around your wrist, adding yet another painful layer to your miserable appearance. 

“Fuck.” He let the word slip between gritted teeth while scanning your body. You were not in great shape. 

“Fine, come here, don’t bleed out on my front porch.” 

There was a moment of awkward silence, while you tried to put yourself on your feet, before admitting you were too weak to accomplish the simple task.

“I-I can’t... stand up.” 

Frank closed his eyes for a second, exhaling through his nose, just like he would do to try and calm himself to avoid scolding a child. He eventually crouched beside you, slipping an arm under the crook of your knees, and the other behind your shoulders, gathering you in his arms and lifting you effortlessly like you weighed nothing. 

The door closed behind him thanks to a powerful kick of his foot, and you finally allowed yourself to relax a little, feeling safe for the first time in days. 

The dingy flat was nowhere near the level of comfort you would wish for yourself, but he was here, in this room, breathing and alive and focusing on you, and that was all that mattered at this moment. 

---

“I’m the first choice when it comes to patching you up I guess.” 

“Don’t flatter yourself, I wouldn’t have come if I had any other option.”

Frank was trying his best to stitch the wound on your stomach without hurting you too much, but the lack of anesthesia was making it difficult. The witty banter was one way of distracting you, and you were grateful for it.

“Done.” 

The needle clattered on the plate he had put on the floor next to the mattress you were lying on. You let out the breath you were holding, pain slowly radiating through your whole body, making his lazy way from the cut on your belly to the rest of your limbs, awakening in its path the dozens of bruises littering your skin. Your vision got blurry for a moment, ears ringing.

“Hey, stay with me.” his hand was on the side of your face, cradling your cheek while avoiding to touch the cuts on your lips. His warm and callused fingertips against your cheek gently brought you back to reality. 

You could feel his gaze on your face, cataloguing every cut and scratch, and you did not miss the way his eyes just narrowed for a second when they fell on your neck, his fingers hovering above the bruises there. 

“Are you hurt elsewhere?”

“No.” you knew the moment the word escaped your mouth that you had answered way too fast and way too loud for you to be believable.

“You’re so bad at lying it hurts to see you try, you know?”

“I’m f-fine.”

“No you’re not.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Since you’re the one bleeding on MY mattress, I would argue that it’s also my business now.” 

Your defense was pathetic and he was so patient with you, you wondered why you had to be such a defensive jerk sometimes. You slouched a little more, you wanted to disappear into his mattress. 

“Truth is… I-I don’t really know.” 

“Let me take a look.” It was not a question, but he waited nonetheless for you to nod your approval before helping you shimmy out of your torned jeans. You winced, the movement cruelly reminding you of the freshly stitched wound on your abs. 

“Do I need to kill someone?” was his only reaction when the galaxy of black and purple bruises on your thighs appeared from under your pants. 

“He’s already dead.” 

He knew you were not lying this time, the proudness in your soft voice too earnest to be faked. 

“What happened?” he asked, voice so low and caring, like he was talking to a wounded animal.

“You know what happened.” you answered sternly.

Frank wasn’t dumb and it would only take half a brain to do the maths and understand the situation given the bruises on your neck, wrists and thighs, and the broken zipper of your jeans.

“Do you need medication? Something for...” he seemed lost all of a sudden.

“No, Frank, I killed him before anything happened. That was the plan.”

“The plan? You planned on being attacked and… “ he froze, his mind working to make sense of your words. He quickly understood, his expression suddenly changing. If he was looking sorry a few seconds ago, now he was angry.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been up with this vigilante bullshit again?” 

“That’s rich coming from you.” you scoffed.

“You’re not a 6-foot-tall trained marine.”

“That’s the point, I can easily lure those guys, unlike you.” You cut him off.

“You should have told me first.”

“What? I don’t need your permission.”

“You need my protection.” he was starting to lose his patience.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Says the girl bleeding on my doorstep.” he snorted.

The bastard got a point.

“At least I’m trying to be useful.” you retorted, in a low blow, a foolish attempt to not lose too quickly.

“You won’t be useful when you’re dead.”

“Right now I wish I was.” you grumbled, running out of replies.

“Don’t you ever say that again.”

“Fuck you Frank. Fuck you.” 

He was tiring. You should have known you had zero chance of winning this argument from the get go. You couldn’t even go and dramatically slam the door on your way out. Your shaking legs would barely carry you up. Ok, maybe, just maybe, he was right. Maybe it was a bad idea, and your injured body was just the proof of his implacable logic.

Frank rose on his feet slowly, a hand rubbing on the back on his head - he always did that when he was stressed and thinking too much. 

“Stay here until you’re somewhat healed.” his eyes were avoiding yours, his voice too soft whereas you wished he would be mad, because he would be way easier to fight him this way. “Please.”

It’s not like you were physically able to go anywhere else, and truth be told it’s not like you wanted to go anywhere else. The hurt in his voice made your heart clench. You had been unfair, just like usual. A stupid defense mechanism.

You thought about the last time he had to patch you up. A mean fever. Found you unconscious in a dark alley. Frank had taken good care of you, slowly bathed you in cold water to lower the fever, before tucking you against him under a blanket and nursing you back to life the following days. He had even kissed you that first night, and the next morning, when you felt better, he had pressed his body against yours and made you feel even better, this time with different means than some cold water. The memory of his kindness contrasting with your current ungratefulness had you on the verge of tears. 

You were mad at yourself. 

“I’m-I’m sorry.” you offered after what seemed like an eternity. 

”And… thank you.” you added, trying your best to not burst out crying right there. 

Castle said nothing, he just left for the kitchen and came back with a glass of water, before squatting next to you and handing you the precious liquid. You gulped the whole shot down, you had not realized before how parched you were. 

“You lost some blood, that’s why you’re dehydrated.” he explained matter of factly, voice devoid of hurt or anger, like your little scene had not existed. And that’s why I’m saying nonsense, you thought to yourself.

“I’ll bring you some more.” 

Before he could rise up again, you reached out to touch his face. The sudden movement sent sparks of pain through your guts but you did not flinch. His eyes bore into yours and you closed the distance between you. The kiss was soft then fierce, it felt like finally letting go of something that was burning you from the inside, your injury forgotten the second his lips touched yours. The taste of blood in your mouth was soon replaced by the taste of him and the lingering notes of the whiskey he surely drank before you arrived. 

Castle fell slowly on his knees, carefully hugging you, breaking the kiss only to bury his face in the crook of your neck and whisper inaudible praises between two “silly girl”. 

You closed your eyes. It felt like finally being home. Finally being safe.

[hwascripts]

Domestic life with Hawks (Keigo)

Desc: What it’s like being married to Hawks, living with him, my own personal headcanons and how he is as a husband overall

TW// Swearing, very brief mention of Hawks’ childhood trauma (you’ll miss it if you blink kinda thing)

oh my god I have not posted a headcanon in over 2 months- let’s hope this makes up for it

Masterlist

-Let me just get the ball rolling and say this man will tease you 25/8. He 100% uses his feathers to snatch things out of your hands, or he’ll move every piece of furniture a few inches so that you’re confused but not suspicious.

“Keigo was this table here before?”

“Yeah babe, it’s been there since we first bought it”

“Strange...I could of sworn it was closer to the right”

-Little shit can barely hold back his chuckles as he watches you knock into everything like a baby deer.

-Aside from teasing you relentlessly I don’t think he would ever pull any seriously harmful pranks- he hates when you’re angry with him.

-Because of how busy he is being the number 2 hero neither of you get to go on as many dates as you want. Dates with Hawks usually only happen once a month- twice if you’re lucky.

-But it’s okay because Hawks is the type of husband that won’t ever let you feel forgotten.

-Expect him to fly by your office while you’re in a meeting because he does it so often that your co-workers place bets on when he’s going to pop by next.

- He’s definitely flown into the window before

-Aside from ambushing you at work, he’ll send different flowers to your office all the time with a little note attached explaining the meaning.

-He’s the type of husband who can read you like a book, you cannot get ANYTHING past this man.

“Babe I know you’re mad about me taking all of your left shoes and making you late to work”

“How the fuck-“

“I’ve interrogated class A villains for years, reading you is a walk in the park”

-No but for real it’s scary how quick he is to catch onto your feelings, it’s like a sixth sense. You could be having a bad day at work and suddenly:

Message from Kei❤️💍: Why don’t we go out for dinner tonight?

-Man his perceptive abilities are god tier.

-He’s the type of husband that quietly comforts you by letting you cry on his shoulder while he holds you. Hawks is great at smooth talking, but Keigo genuinely has no idea how to verbally comfort you.

-He feels like he can completely let go of the Hawks persona when he’s around you. He’s not “Pro-Hero Hawks” when he’s alone with you, he’s just regular Keigo.

-And he’s a very trusting husband because if he can let go of that persona and be vulnerable self around you, then he has no reason to have even the slightest bit of doubt.

-Oh you thought he was protective when he was your boyfriend? get ready for “mother hen Keigo” after the two of you get married.

-He has so many enemies and now that you’re his official other half he needs to increase your security- he would hate himself if he allowed you to get in harms way.

-Of course he knows you have boundaries- he would never want to make you feel overwhelmed. He’ll just ask the hero’s patrolling your area to report to him if there’s anything suspicious.

-Now that we’ve gone over what he’s like as a husband, let’s talk about the process of moving in with him.

-Let’s be honest, he won’t feel confident enough to ask you to move in with him until you’ve been together for at least 4-5 years.

-He needs to know that you’re here to stay before taking such a big step with you. Don’t be surprised that he’s asking you to move in with him on the day he proposes.

-Hawks lives a fast paced life, never having someone who stuck around for more than a few years. He’s hesitant to propose because in the back of his mind he fears you’ll leave him too.

-Once you say yes and agree to move in with him, he starts to panic a little.

-His penthouse apartment feels so empty because he’s never had the time or patience to even personalize it- he’s always busy working, why should he care?

-The logical side of his brain makes him realize that the two of you will make it feel like a real home.

-Once the day came around he helped pack all your belongings and he just marveled at all your interests- civilians had the free time to have interests whereas he barely had the time to rest.

-He packs each of your belongings with care after analyzing each piece. You end up bonking him on the head because what the hell is taking so long?

-After all of your things are put away in your new shared home, he can’t help but grin a little bit. He was finally experiencing what a home is supposed to feel like.

-The first few months you need to stop him from buying ridiculous things.

“Keigo what the hell?! I said no stupid purchases!”

“An inflatable banana pool floater is not a stupid purchase”

-He has a nasty habit of throwing his dirty hero costume on your favourite rug whenever he gets home.

“Babe I’m sorry, I’ll stop doing it”

“You said that yesterday, and the day before!”

-Whenever he’s exhausted he’ll flop on top of you and ask you to rub the tender spots around his wings.

-Good luck getting him off you if he falls asleep while you rub his back, man sleeps like a damn boulder.

-You have to teach him how to make nutritious meals because this man will literally eat anything so long as it’s quick. As a hero he rarely has time to eat, so cooking good food is completely off the table for him.

-You end up cooking him filling lunches/dinners for him whenever he goes on patrol. He always gives you a sweet kiss as a thank you.

“The meals don’t taste as good whenever I leave without giving you a goodbye kiss”

-He’s actually got a habit of stroking your cheek whenever he gets home from patrol and you’re already asleep.

-Sometimes he forgets his wings are huge obstacles so don’t be surprised if he whacks you with them by accident. Asshole thinks it’s funny when you squeal.

-Nobody can say he doesn’t have a habit of texting you cute photos of dogs he sees while on patrol.

-He’s slowly working out of his habit of suddenly slipping away whenever you try to sneak hug him. His childhood trauma makes him react like that.

-He has the cutest habit of nuzzling your jaw with his nose before he flys off for work. Also has a habit of touching your waist when he passes by you

-The two of you will always cook breakfast together- no if’s, ands or buts.

-It’s one of your favourite domestic things to do with each other and it makes him feel like a normal couple.

-When he comes home from a rough day he immediately searches for you and gives you a “I’m back” kiss- no matter how bruised and battered he is, he’ll always give you a kiss when he returns home.

-When he gets into bed with you he’ll rest his head on your chest and listen to your heart beat, it reminds him that all of this is real and that you’re not just a figment of his imagination

-Patching him up and then kissing his wounds has become another daily ritual for the two of you- even if it’s just a pesky paper cut. He does the exact same for you.

-No matter what, the two of you always make time to talk about your day over coffee or tea. again, it makes Keigo feel like he’s in a normal relationship

-Call me boring for this one but cleaning up after dinner is a daily ritual for the two of you. He’ll fling soap bubbles at you and laugh as you chase him around and try to give him a soap beard.

-Listen, Keigo just wants to feel like a normal person. Doing normal household chores with you makes him so happy.

Hawks is a very loving husband who would die a thousand deaths for you. He’s not perfect but then again, no one is perfect.

He’s a filthy tease and a prankster but he’s one protective bastard that loves you to the moon and back.

10/10 would marry Hawks any day

[sei-hoe]

manager pt. 5

hello all! as always thank you for your love on this story.  i hope you like this new chapter! leave me a comment, i love reading your thirsty thoughts! also i recently remembered that shiratorizawa is a dorm school lol, so from now on i will write it as such oopsie. also!! i got all official and made a banner for this series, im so official!

Fem Reader X Tendou Satori & Fem Reader x Ushijima Wakatoshi

CW: blowjob, angst, jealous themes, manipulative reader, language, implied sex, spit kink

WC: 2.6k

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Clingy. That was the word you would use to describe Tendou as of late.  During school he was walking with you in the hallways, during practice he was standing next to you, after practice he was walking you to your room.  It wasn’t necessarily annoying, just strange.  His change in behavior was sudden and unprompted, at least in your mind.  

You had been the Shiratorizawa volleyball club manager for about a month now and your outlook had changed drastically.  What used to feel awkward was now second nature.  You used to flinch at what now was commonplace.  Being “used” wasn’t what it used to be.  Now it was something you looked forward to at the end of practice and you had actually become...dare you say it...friends with these guys.  Friends with extreme benefits that is.

But still, Tendou was different.  You’d catch him staring at you in a way that was different from the other guys.  You’d catch him staring as Ushijima would carry you out of the gym on his back and straight to the locker room.  He’d have a look that you used to not be able to identify in his eyes, you knew now it was jealousy.  It was the same look that you’d found on Ushijima’s face about a month ago.  

From Tendou’s perspective, it seemed as though Ushijima was hogging you, whisking you away after practice day in and day out.  You would always walk out of the locker room with wet hair and another one of Ushijima’s shirts on.  It was infuriating and just wasn’t fair.  Tendou had barely been able to talk to you recently, hence his rather clingy behavior.  But you were in heaven.  You were in Ushijima’s presence daily and were able to care for him how he deserved.  However, he had made it very clear that you were not his girlfriend as he didn’t have the time for such a commitment.  Another price you were willing to pay.

  _____

Another grueling practice ended a little bit later than usual, you noted the dark sky through the windows towards the top of the gym walls.  You were working on a bit of homework when the final whistle was blown signifying the official end of practice.  You stood up and began packing up your bag as the team approached the bench for a meeting.  Tendou was the first to arrive by the bench, coming up behind you for a hug, wrapping his arms around your upper stomach and resting his chin on your head.  His chest felt hot and sweaty against your back, instantly raising your body temperature.  You giggled, knowing exactly which sweaty athlete this was.  You and Tendou had become quite close, despite spending less time with him sexually, at least, during the last month.  It seemed as though you were never really alone anymore and Tendou was always around you.  It was nice, he had become a great friend to you.  The two of you were always flirting back and forth and unlike Ushijima, it seemed as though Tendou really cared about you, both emotionally and physically.  He always made sure you came before him and that you were alright after one of your umm...managerial obligations, whereas Ushijima didn’t care if you came at all.  Long story short, you always enjoyed the time you spent with Tendou.  

A few words were said per the usual by the captain and practice was dismissed.  Tendou, still holding onto you from behind, moved his hand further down to your lower stomach, began rubbing gently, and craned his neck down to whisper in your ear, “ya wanna get outta here?”.  You could hear the smirk behind his words as his hot breath blew against your ear.

“Mhm”, you murmured eagerly, missing your time with Tendou.

“Good”, he hummed in response, “because there’s something I’d like to give ya,” He accentuated his dirty talk by moving his hand even lower, “right here.” To say you had butterflies was an understatement.  It was crazy what a couple of words could reduce you to, but here you were.  

You walked back over to the bench to pick up your bag, but was intercepted by Ushijima who had a proposition.  

“Come back with me to my room”, he offered, stepping close enough to make you crane your neck up.  You looked behind you at Tendou, he was laughing with Semi, unaware that you were about to ruin his night.  It’s not that you didn’t want to fuck Tendou, you did, very much actually.  That’s just how whipped you are for Ushijima.  

“But I already told Tendou that I’d-”, you started.

“Go make up some excuse and then wait for me outside of the locker room.” he interrupted while he started for the gym doors. Ushijima was hardly in the mood to share you tonight, or ever really.  You watched him leave while standing and staring, awkwardly contemplating what to say to Tendou.  You mustered up the courage to walk over to him, smiling and saying goodnight to Semi as you passed him on his way out.  

“Hey, umm, I just remembered that I’ve got a ton of homework that’s due tomorrow and I just think I should probably-”

“What did Ushijima just say to you?” he caught you off guard with his question, although you should have been expecting it.  

“Nothing, I just have a lot of homework.” you quickly replied.

Tendou rolled his eyes, “Come on, we’re closer than that, you don’t have to lie to me.” His hands were placed on his hips in an annoyed fashion.  

You remained silent, thinking of anything you could say to ease the tension.  

“Ok, I’ll say something then.  Are you dating Ushijima or something?”

You shook your head.

“Ok...so then last I checked you were still the team manager, would that be correct?  Meaning you’re not just Ushijima’s to play with? Cuz there are other guys on the team that are stressed out too, if that’s what we’re even calling it anymore.”

You blushed at this choice of words.  “You don’t understand, I-” you started again.

“I think I do understand actually.  And just so you know, he’s never going to give you what you want.  You think you’re the first girl to fall for him?” He scoffed.  “I mean, fuck,” he ran his taped up fingers through his sweat-soaked hair.  “It just gets old, ya know?” Tendou looked so hurt and angry.  He opened his mouth to speak but closed it promptly and turned on his heel to leave.  You reached to grab his arm before he could slip out of your grasp.

“Wait, Tendou...please.” you whispered into his sleeve, despite being the only two left in the vast gymnasium.  “I don’t want things to be like this either.  You,” you paused to collect your thoughts. “You’re my friend and I love all the time that we get to spend together.  I always have the best time with you. But I can’t help liking Ushijima.  So please don’t be mad at me,” you prayed into his arm, still gripping at his sleeve.  

He finally turned around to face you, taking a deep inhale, he looked down into your wide, pleading eyes while exhaling through his nose.  

“Fuck, don’t look at me like that.” he looked away from you.  

“Look at you, how?” You prodded, widening your eyes and moving closer to him.  

“You know exactly how.” he smirked, bringing his hands to rest at your sides, lightly rubbing his thumbs in soothing circular motions.  Beginning at the bottom of his abdomen you begin running your hands up his stomach, to his chest, shoulders, and finally around his neck.  Standing on your tippy toes you pull him down to your level.  

“Can I tell you a secret?” you breathed in his ear.  

“Please,” he replied, his hands making their way down to your ass.  

“You’re the one that I think about. It’s your hands that I imagine are touching me when I’m touching myself. You always make me feel so good, Tendou.”

“Ughh why are you doing this to me?” He whined, tipping his head back.  It was then that you noticed the prominent tent in his pants, poking you in the stomach.  

You’d never seen Tendou so flustered in the short time that you’d known him.  He was usually the one making you flustered, not the other way around.  It was a nice change of pace.   It was also refreshing to know you had a kind of power over him, the kind to make him lose his mind.  

“You sure you can’t bail on him?” He asked, hope gleaming in his red eyes.   It made you pause to think about your options, a wicked idea popped into your head.

“Come wait with me?” you began pulling his arm towards the gym doors.  He looked confused, but followed you anyway.  Maybe you needed to give Ushijima a little push, it’s only a bonus that you get to makeout with Tendou too.

_____

The concrete bricks felt cold against the backs of your legs as Tendou shoved you against the locker room corridor hallway, the entrance to the room just around the corner.   One of his hands cradled the back of your head, protecting it from the hard brick while the other pressed bruises into your waist.  His chapped lips scraped against yours in a heated kiss, tongues fighting for dominance, his eventually winning as you whined into his mouth.  He broke the kiss to stroke his own ego, his hands trailing down your sides to play with the waistband of your shorts.  

“So you really think about my hands touching you when you play with that cute little cunt?”

“Please Tendou”, you moaned in response.  

“I think you’ve had enough attention for today, fucking teasing me for the last fifteen minutes. Hell, the last couple weeks actually.  You fucking rile me up just to go fuck some other dude.  You like being a little slut? Hmm?”  

You were at a loss for words.  As much as his words were turning you on, you knew there was some truth behind them.  He was onto your antics and done with them.  

“You think I don’t know why we’re making out right by the locker rooms?  Are you trying to make Ushijima feel like he’s missing out or something?  Being all cute with me to show him how good of a girlfriend you’d be? Well fuck that shit. Get on your knees slut.”

He removed his hand from your waistband and brought them to your shoulders guiding you down to your knees. You couldn’t even rest on your calves, you had to stand up as tall as you could on your knees to be eye level with the imprint in his shorts.  

“Fuck, it doesn’t take much, does it?” He scoffed as he pulled his shorts down to reveal his hard, heavy cock.

“Aw you didn’t think we’d take it this far, didja?  Better make this quick if you don’t want your boyfriend to catch us!” Tendou tilted his head to the side, a smirk plastered on his face while he caressed the top of your head.  

You opened your mouth to lap up the precum on his tip, swirling your tongue along the soft skin on the head of his cock.  

“Nah, I don’t feel like being teased anymore today.” Tendou spoke as he readjusted his grip on your head, scooting you back until you were trapped between the painted brick wall and his body.  You didn’t have a moment to adjust before his cock was plugging up your throat, making you gag around him.  The pace started brutally, shoving in and out of your mouth.  It was all you could do to keep up, running your tongue against the engorged vein on the underside of his cock.  He never eased up until you tapped his thigh signifying you had enough.  

“Too much?” he condescended.  You looked back up at him with watery eyes, swallowing as many breaths as you could before it all started over again.  

“This would have been much nicer for both of us if you hadn’t ditched me,  I would’ve made you feel so good, baby.”  He paused to take in your appearance, you looked so pretty like this.  Your hair was a mess, eyes watery, lips so fucking swollen, drool dripping down the sides of your mouth, your chest heaving, and he had a great view down your shirt.  Is this what his captain got to see everyday?  The thought filled him with rage.  If he had known he’d come to feel this way about you, he would’ve just asked you out, not asked you to be the manager.  Ushijima wouldn’t have ever noticed you had it not been for him!  Fuck, that’s annoying.

“Ya ready for a little more?”

You smiled at him through bated breaths, nodding your head.  Things hadn’t gone exactly to plan, but you were still having a good time.  You opened your mouth, closed your eyes, and stuck out your tongue, ready for whatever he had to give you.  Tendou bent down into a squat until his mouth hovered just above yours.  You felt something warm and sticky hit your tongue, you opened your eyes only to find a thin line of spit connecting Tendou’s lips with the liquid pooling in your mouth. Did he just spit in your mouth?  Before you could say anything he was back on his feet, cock in his hand, rolling it in the spit laying on your tongue.  He inched his way back into your throat, watching your eyes water with every thrust of his hips.  

“Fuck you’re gonnna make me cum if you keep looking at me like that.” He continued thrusting, your throat convulsing around his cock.  

“You’re gonna leave here with a tummy full of cum, ok sweetie?” His breaths and thrusts were becoming stuttered, he was close.  

“You’re gonna fuck Ushijima with my cum swirling around in your stomach.”  He whimpered, talking himself into an orgasm. With his hips giving one final thrust, you felt the back of your throat flood with cum.  Tendou held his hips flush to your mouth for a few seconds, emptying himself completely into your stomach.  He hissed as he pulled your head off of his now oversensitive cock.  

“Lemme see.” he sighed.   You stuck out your tongue, displaying your empty mouth to him.  

“Mmm good girl.”  He offered you his hand to help you up off of your knees.  He tucked himself back into his pants as the locker room door creaked open.  

“That’s my queue!” Tendou pulled you in for one final kiss, moaning as the taste of his cum hit his tongue.  And with that, he shrugged his backpack onto his shoulders and took off walking down the hallway.  

_____

You walked face first into a warm chest when you rounded the corner leading to the locker room door, looking for Ushijima.  Looks like you had found him.  His hair was still damp from the shower, his body was warm and humid through his clothes.  

“Are you ready to go?” He asked.  

“Yea-” you cleared your throat.  “Yeah!” That’s better.  Your voice was horse and your throat was sore.  

Ushijima noted your appearance.  Your hair was messy and your makeup was smudged.  Your lips were bright red and your chin was glistening.  He took your hand in his to begin the quiet walk to his dorm room.  He heard footsteps in the opposite direction, only to turn around to see Tendou walking away from the two of you, a slight pep in his step and unknownst to Ushijima a smug look on his face.  

[versadies]

hello! congrats on 1k, i saw that you opened an event so i would like to try and join in!

Capricorn + Jean and Beidou + any hcs! + either fluff or angst (you can decide whichever <3)

unexpected (hc scenario, mermaid au and royal au)

penpal: ty for requesting !! hope you don't mind me making this request into an au hc <3

prompt: capricorn the sea-goat, first word soulmate au

pairing/s: jean x gn!reader, beidou x gn!merman/mermaid!reader

sypnosis: hc on how you unexpectedly meet your soulmate.

includes: mermaid!au in beidou's part, royal!au in jean's part, no angst just fluff, grammar error

while the soulmate system exists in teyvat, so do merfolks.

merfolks have been known as a myth among the nations, with no signs of their existence that's known to humans.

however, it's the complete opposite in the sea.

as a merfolk, you've heard numerous tales of those who are above the ocean.

whether it'd be haunting myths, stories of merfolk meeting man, and so on– you grew up to despise them, always hearing the same thing in all the tales everyone had spilled on you: when a human meets a merfolk, unfortune will arrive upon the merfolk.

so when your peers started gushing and dreamily talk about encountering a human after a romance tale between a mermaid and a human arises around the seas, you were astounded. how come people change their minds so quickly after reading some fantasy?

being destined with a human is a terrifying thought for you.

the elders would reassure you that such possibility is rare for everyone in the sea, telling you that the infamous tale is nothing but just fiction.

that eased your mind a bit,

until you came across to her.

while hanging out with your friends, one of them dared to swim towards the nearest land with everyone following much to your dismay. of course, being worried of the consequences they'll face, you decided to follow as well to keep an eye on them minutes after they left you alone.

due to losing sight of them, you had no idea where they went and continue to swim straight ahead, hoping that they're not far ahead.

which led you to where you are now, hiding behind the stones and take a peek of the shore, trying to spot your merfriends by the area.

unnoticed by you, a person is slowly sneaking behind you.

"well isn't this interesting," your eyes widens from the sudden voice of the stranger, causing you to turn around and see a human.

without hesitation, you immediately turn away from the human's eyes and swam back to the ocean, ignoring the calls of the brown-haired woman who was trying to get you to come back to the shore.

as soon as you finally see the familiar silhouette of the city, you slow yourself down and try to calm yourself, your heart pacing faster than the fastest merfolk in the ocean.

not long after, you heard the familiar sounds of your friends' fins and saw them heading towards you with excited looks on their faces.

"you should've went with us, y/n. it was a blast!" one of them exclaims.

"we literally saw a human, a literal human by the shores. they looked more different than how the elders described!"

you couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief. at least they didn't know what you did.

however, your relief was short-lived when one of your friends pointed out something.

"...wait, you've met your soulmate already?"

your breath hitched from your friend's statement, looking down at your wrist with disbelief. you felt your heart sank at the words imprinted on your skin that is now glowing before your own eyes.

"oh dear." you mumbled to yourself.

your deepest fear came true.

among the seven kingdoms, your favorite is mondstadt.

the kingdom of freedom is truly worthy of its name, with their people being welcoming and their palace being welcomed by all, it was something that makes them different from the rest.

not only that, the kingdom has also worship a god whose name is imprinted on your wrist.

the moment you found out about the fact that barbatos is actually a god that mondstadt worships for, you didn’t hesitate to stay in the kingdom longer than you usually do in other nations, hoping to encounter a person in the town who will say the exact words that’s imprinted on your wrist.

although you love to stay in the kingdom of freedom, you still travel from place to place, wanting to continue on your passion while waiting for your soulmate to meet you.

of course, whenever you’re finished in traveling to a few nations, you always find yourself going back to mondstadt with the feeling of a welcoming home.

during your recent visit to the kingdom, mondstadt is currently celebrating the windblume festival.

you aren't exactly unfamiliar with the celebration, especially with how the townsfolk you've encountered have always mentioned the festival with gleam and excitement.

unfortunately for you, you were a bit late to experience the games that were being held around the land but everyone reassured you that you're luckily enough to be just in time for the grand ball.

from what you've heard, the grand ball is the closing ceremony of the festival, whereas the ruler of the kingdom chooses a lucky mondstadtian as the windblume star and formally offer a flower from the nation to barbatos. once the star has offered a flower to barbatos, everyone around the ballroom can give their chosen person a flower that they see fit as a windblume.

so you thought to yourself: why not try out the grand ball?

you’re honestly glad that you’ve decided to come to the celebration.

the ballroom was just as enchanting as what everyone described it to be, with different kinds of flowers being plastered all around the room, the delicious mondstadt cuisines that are displayed by the tables, the exciting music playing in the background– you wanted to applaud mondstadt for such an amazing work.

being a traveler who isn't exactly a mondstadtian, you would be lying if you said you don't feel out of place in the room. although everyone is nice to you and the party is as fun as you imagine it would be, you still feel like you don't belong, the awkwardness seeping through your body as you watch everyone having fun in the ball.

it didn't help that one of the servers accidentally spilled dandelion wine on your outfit, causing you to feel embarrassed around your peers.

as a getaway, you excused yourself and ran outside from the ballroom, your cheeks starting to warm from the embarrassing experience.

to cool yourself down and get some fresh air, you decided to try and find your way to the entrance of the palace, wanting to get outside as soon as possible and get back to the party at ease.

however, as soon as you went out, you realized you weren't by the entrance of the palace at all. instead you're in a garden with a person standing nearby, who's rather busy practicing sword fighting–

while wearing a huge gown?!

before you could watch her in awe, the woman stopped when she notices your presence, eyes widening in surprise from the sudden intrusion.

"o-oh uhm," you immediately look away from the woman's gaze, glancing in other directions in fear of encountering yet another embarrassing moment. "sorry about that. i was supposed to go back to the entrance but i think i got lost so uh..."

as you try to give the lady an excuse, you didn't notice how her eyes widens slowly from your words, looking down at her wrist to see the words imprinted on her skin glowing back at her.

"dear barbatos." she spoke up, looking back at you in disbelief.

you were suddenly taken back by surprise, looking back at the woman. "..wait i'm sorry, what did you say?"

the blonde haired woman’s hand slowly covers her own mouth, hesitantly walk towards you with a relieved look on her face. "it's you.. you're.. you're my soulmate."

from her words alone, you immediately look at your wrist, your heart paced faster when you noticed the glowing words in your skin as well.

"i uh," you let out a light laugh, stumbling a bit from the shocking discovery. "i didn't expect this."

the woman laughs as well. "i have to say the same as well,"

you watched as she kneels slightly in courtesy, her blue gown slowly dropping down to the cold hard ground.

"my name is jean gunnhildr, the acting ruler of the kingdom of freedom. and you are?"