#you know after I left I described his facial expressions when he was being a dick as looking like a disney villain

[eatember]

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[weirdkpopgirl]

Back Scratches pt. 2 | Dream Headcanon #14

Headcanon: Back Scratches

Genre: Fluff, slight angst in some of them

Warnings: might be mildly suggestive in Mark's and Haechan's? mention of anxiety in Jisung's

Word Count: ~2.4k

Author's Note: Okay, I know I've already written something about this which was actually the first headcanon I wrote for 7Dream on here. It was also one of the firsts requests I received. But I wanted to write an improved version of it, and I really do find the idea cute. So I hope you guys enjoy this and thank you for reading ^ ^

~ ~ ~

mark 

Back scratches with Mark were initially quite amusing, mainly because he’s not used to asking for help. The first time you noticed his struggle was when you glanced up from your book after hearing his grunts of frustration as he tried in vain to reach the middle of his back. His eyes met yours, and he laughed awkwardly. You then stood up from your couch to approach him from behind and scratch the exact spot he needed without saying a word. After that, Mark realized it was silly to be embarrassed about asking when you clearly didn’t mind.

From there, Mark grew to love having you scratch his back. Not just when he had an itch, but also after a long day of work. The feeling of your perfectly manicured nails running along his back, above the fabric of his shirt, really helped him unwind after hours of dance practice and recording sessions. When it came to these moments, you’d start with light, gentle strokes where your nails would barely graze his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. Gradually, you’d increase the pressure and use slow deliberate motions to trace soothing patterns across his back. You always paid more attention to the areas around his shoulder blades and the small of his back, knowing that was where the tension often built up the most.

Mark would close his eyes and lean into your touch, unable to stifle a groan as your fingertips moved in circular motions, working out the knots and easing his muscles. At first, the sounds Mark made during these back scratch sessions left you blushing, though he was completely oblivious to the effect he had on you. However, you soon became accustomed to the dramatic moans that came from your boyfriend regularly. Though you often rolled your eyes when he gave such reactions, you could never bring yourself to tease him. 

More often than not, Mark would talk to you as you scratched his back. And you’d listen quietly as he spoke about whatever was weighing on his mind. A smile was always brought to your lips when you’d hear his muffled voice due to his face being squished against the pillows. You often worried about him being such a workaholic, so you were especially happy that you could help him relax. For Mark, just you being with him meant so much more than you knew.

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renjun 

Back scratches with Renjun always leave you gushing about how adorable he is. He comes across as the type who prefers to handle things on his own. So if his back ever got itchy, he’d try to take care of it himself, even if you were in the same room. Especially if you were already doing something else, he wouldn’t want to bother you with what he perceived as a trivial matter. But similar to Mark, it was Renjun’s facial expressions of subtle frustration and determination that would often catch your attention as he struggled on his own.

However, you chose to wait until he was ready to give up and swallow his pride to ask for your assistance. The look of desperation in his eyes and the faint blush coloring his cheeks made you want to kick your feet in the air because of how cute he looked. Then when you turned him around to scratch the spot for him, he let out a huge, relieved sigh. The way he tilted his head back nearly made your heart burst with affection.

It was at that moment that Renjun discovered just how much he loved your touch. He would describe your back scratches as uniquely soothing, as the intricate patterns you traced along his spine made him shiver but also caused his shoulders to sink in relaxation. He’d marvel at how your touch seemed to melt away the stress of the day, bringing him this sense of tranquility. Each scratch became a silent conversation, a language of comfort and care that only you two shared.

So, he began to ask you to scratch his back more often. Not just because it relieved him of his physical discomfort, but because it offered a moment of solace in a hectic world. But he’d always make sure to check if you weren’t busy with anything before he asked, despite knowing the answer would always be yes. Renjun would cherish every instance when your hands danced across his back, feeling his love for you deepen with each tender touch.

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jeno 

Back scratches Jeno were just another excuse for him to be clingy with you. He might be a little shy the first time you offered to do it. But as your bond deepened, your back scratches became another form of physical intimacy that he cherished. Outwardly, he’d act all cool about it like, “Oh you want to scratch my back? Go ahead, I don’t mind.” But internally he’d be overwhelmed by this warm, fuzzy sensation. Each tender stroke of your fingers against his back left him not only feeling physically comforted but emotionally connected to you in a way that words couldn’t fully express.

Eventually, Jeno would stop hiding how much he loved when you scratched his back. It doesn’t matter if he found you engrossed in a K-drama playing on the television or preparing to retire for the night, he seized every opportunity to engulf you in a warm embrace, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he cutely requested your touch. And every time, you’d forget about whatever you were doing before to lovingly give him what he wanted. The groan or heavy sigh that escaped him immediately afterward was definitely worth it.

His cuddle sessions with you became a regular occurrence, including back scratches. He’d happily be the small spoon in these moments, his arms wrapped around your waist snugly as your hand found its familiar place under his hoodie, letting your nails rake up and down his bare back. He’d also prefer you to scratch a little harder, just because he loves the feeling of your nails pressing against his skin. 

Besides, it comes in handy when an unexpected itch pops up on his back. He doesn’t even have to say anything, you just intuitively apply the perfect amount of pressure to make him hum in delight. You always blush when he squeezes you a little tighter and nuzzles his nose against your neck to show his appreciation. More often than not, this boy would drift off to sleep while you scratched his back, which you found to be so endearing. You’d gradually stop scratching and press a chaste kiss to his forehead, before also falling asleep in his arms.

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haechan 

Back scratches with Haechan became a demand after the first time you offered it. To him, scratching his itches was simply another one of your responsibilities as his girlfriend. Whenever you were trying to get some work done on your laptop or seemed preoccupied with your phone, he’d pester you nonstop with aegyo until you relented. Then he’d drag you to the bed and pull off his shirt, eagerly waiting for you to start. The moment your nails made contact with his warm skin, he’d let out a satisfied moan that made you blush profusely.

The first few times he had you scratch his back, you found his presumptuousness amusing, but it soon became a regular part of your routine. Haechan had a way of making even the simplest gestures feel special, and his playful attitude made it hard to say no. He’d dramatically sigh in relief as your fingers worked their magic, exaggerating his contentment just to make you smile.

Similar to Mark, you got used to your boyfriend’s antics. But you genuinely didn’t mind scratching his back, knowing how hard he worked. When he was really tired, he wouldn’t even say anything. He’d just curl up beside you on the bed and drape your arm over his back, silently asking for your touch. How could you say no with the subtle pout on his lips?

Despite his playful demands, there was this underlying sweetness in these moments. You could feel how much Haechan trusted you, as he’d lean into your touch with a vulnerability that he rarely showed. Each stroke of your fingers down his back was a reminder of the closeness you shared. Even though he acted like it was your duty most of the time, you both knew it was a cherished way for him to feel loved and cared for.

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jaemin 

Back scratches with Jaemin made you seriously wonder if he was secretly a cat disguised as a human. However, the first time you scratched his back was a little different. It was during a lazy at-home date when you noticed him trying to reach the same itch on his back throughout the day. While his struggle was endearing to watch, you couldn’t stand by for long. Eventually, you gestured for him to turn around, and with a gentle touch, you scraped your nails across the offending spot right between his shoulder blades. Instantly, Jaemin released a relieved sigh, and his knees almost buckled at the sensation of your touch.

After that day, Jaemin went to you whenever his back was itchy. Once the itch was gone, he’d calmly ask you to keep doing it because it felt good. So he’d be sitting at the edge of the couch, with you behind him as you scratched his back attentively. He loved it even more when you scratched under his shirt, relishing the feeling of your skin on his. Even if your hands were cold, he actually found the contrast to be surprisingly soothing. The coolness of your touch combined with the gentle pressure of your nails never failed to send shivers of pleasure down his spine, making him feel even more connected to you.

At some point, you swore you could hear him purring against your touch. The resemblance to his own cats was uncanny, which you found both hilarious and adorable. Just like his fluffy companions, he would lean into your touch, his eyes half-closed in pure contentment, a soft hum of pleasure escaping his lips. The endearing similarity never failed to make you smile, adding another layer of warmth to these intimate moments.

It was safe to say you loved giving Jaemin back scratches just as much as he loved receiving them. Sometimes you’d notice him stretching uncomfortably after long dance practices or intense workout sessions, so you’d offer to scratch his back before he even had a chance to ask. There was something incredibly rewarding about seeing the tension melt away from his body. While you took pleasure in providing this small comfort, you also appreciated these quiet moments of intimacy with him. Scratching his back was a simple act, yet it spoke volumes about the care and affection that you didn’t always express fully. 

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chenle 

Back scratches with Chenle were annoying at first. He would often come up to you, casually asking for a back scratch from you. Although you didn’t necessarily mind, the moment your fingers touched his skin, he would start squirming and wiggling because he was so ticklish. His constant moving made it nearly impossible for you to scratch his back properly. Although his giggles and yelps were cute, you felt like you were trying to tame a playful puppy.

This happened every time, and you’d try to leave out of frustration. But Chenle would always pull you into a back-hug and beg you to say. “No, don’t be mad! I swear, I won’t move this time!” He’d insist, but you knew all too well that he wouldn’t actually keep still. He couldn’t help being ticklish, which he often argued in his defense. So you had to figure out a way to scratch his back without him convulsing under your touch.

Eventually, you started focusing more on scratching his upper back, a less sensitive area where he wasn't as ticklish. You noticed an immediate change the first time you tried this. Chenle stopped squirming as much and began to relax under your touch. His laughter subsided into contented sighs, and he would lean into your scratches. He clearly enjoyed the sensation of you tracing circles around his shoulder blades, though he’d never admit it out loud.

Therefore, scratching his back became a much more pleasant experience for both of you. It started to become a routine for you two after he came back from playing basketball or to help him fall asleep. You firmly believed that your usually loud boyfriend was the cutest when he was peacefully asleep in your arms. While he could certainly be a handful at times with his playful antics and boundless energy, you knew he appreciated you. He'd often surprise you with little acts of kindness that showed how much he valued your presence in his life.

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jisung 

Back scratches with Jisung became his source of comfort whenever he felt anxious. You’d notice him pacing around the room, his tall frame hunched in worry as he muttered to himself. As someone who also tended to overthink, you probably understood Jisung better than anyone. Which motivated you even more to find a way to calm him down. Without a word, you’d guide him to sit somewhere and gently start scratching his back. Your touch seemed to ground him, the soothing motion helping to ease his restless mind.

As you worked your fingers up and down his back, applying just the right amount of pressure, you could feel the tension in him gradually melting away. When you thought he was feeling better, you’d start to pull away. However, Jisung would clutch onto your hand, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he looked up at you. “Can we stay like this a little longer, please?” His voice, though deep, carried a vulnerable edge, revealing just how much he needed your comforting presence.

So you’d continue, letting your fingers move gently along his spine. During this time, Jisung’s usually shyness was replaced by quiet contentment. He’d lean into your touch, his breathing evening out as the anxiety faded. Oftentimes, he’d share his innermost thoughts and you’d listen quietly until he was done. He didn’t expect you to respond with any solutions though, knowing that your support alone was enough. Still, you tried to provide words of reassurance, and he valued every effort. These tender moments made Jisung realize how deeply in love he was with you.

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previous masterlist -> current masterlist

[swallowtail-lotus]

Harassed {Jack the Ripper/Poseidon}

Repost

I'm sorry that I wrote this

Warning: mentions of murder and harassment. Don't do any of these things

__________

Jack the Ripper🔪-

One of your friends had dragged you to a bar one night, insisting you needed to get out more. You didn't have any plans that night but you still refused. After some convincing, you agreed to go.

A few minutes in and your friend is already gone, leaving you by yourself at the main counter. You only took a few shots, but stopped yourself after the 4th shot.

Suddenly, some drunk guy sat next to you, resting his rough hand on your shoulder. He tried so many times to get you to talk, but you just ignored him and walked out the bar. You began your lone walk to your home.

Just when you turned a corner, hands began to caress your sides. You thrash in the guy's grip but he just held you tighter. You took out a small pocket knife and stabbed his leg. You took off the moment he let you go, running inside your house and locked it.

You had a hard time sleeping after that.

The next day, you refused to get of bed, let alone the house. This worried some of your friends and tried to ask you why, but you kept quiet, which led them to ask the friend who took you.

"I do not know. They just left without even saying anything."

That was all they said. They decided to drop it once they realised their question won't be answered.

The next night, while it was dark, you heard a knock on your bedroom window. To your surprise, it was someone who you grew close to, Jack the Ripper. Your first encounter was when he was injured and you, a kind hearted soul, took him in, unaware of who he was. He originally wanted to kill you but seeing how kind you were, the thought of killing you soon went away.

"Milady, what seems to be troubling you?" He asked, his mixed eyes staring into your soul. Your dropped your head down low, refusing to let him see your tears. You wanted to lie your way out, but Jack would be aware of it.

"I-I was forced to go to a bar and this disgusting man touched me and tried to-"

"What did he look like?" You looked up, seeing the man's face turn to his usual murderous expression, but it seemed more dark.

"W-well, he had black hair and blue eyes and looks a little bigger than you. He also had some facial hair on his jaw." You described the man the best you could. Jack didn't say anything and disappeared into the night.

2 nights later~

Sweeping the floors of your house with a headache wasn't the best idea. After finishing off, you rested yourself on one of your chairs. You felt a piece of paper under your hand and picked it up. It was folded neatly and had beautiful handwriting. You opened it up and read the short letter.

I apologise for leaving you in your time of need, but I had to get rid of the beast who tried to corrupt you.

You felt a presence in your room and turned around, spotting Jack, twirling a knife in his hand. Without a second thought, you jumped up and hugged him. Jack held his arms away from you, not knowing what to do.

"You didn't need to kill him." Your voice muffled by his chest. Silence filled the room after you spoke.

"It was entirely necessary. I refuse to let them take your beautiful colours away."

Tears been to fall out, staining his shirt. Jack lowered his arms, slowly wrapping them around your waist.

He always thought he'd never meet a kind person, until life decided to let him meet you.

Poseidon🔱-

Being married to one of the most fearsome gods has its ups and downs.

One up is that you're the only one who can meet his gaze and live the next day.

One down is that he refuses to let you show affection in public to not ruin his public image in being perfect. (It does upset you, but you understand)

He sees you as his equal, so it isn't much of a surprise when another god stupid enough tries to have his way with you and he is informed.

This god won't leave you alone, even when you declined his invitation to accompany him.

"I told you many times! I do not wish to go with you!" You yelled at the persistent god following you.

It all started when he approached you and started a normal conversation. Then, he started getting a little too touchy with you, brushing his hand against your bare skin, his hands lingering on your shoulders and hovering over your chest for too long. That was enough for you to storm out and head back to your husband, the god you truly love.

"Come on, beautiful! I just want to know you better." The god exclaimed, grabbing your wrist. He pulled you closer to him, smirking victoriously when he saw your frightened face.

"I don't think she feels the same way." A familiar voice chimed in. The god froze in his spot, giving you the chance to wiggle out of his arms and step away from him. You felt relieved to see Heracles, his usual smile not present on his face and replaced with a menacing glare. The god trembled in his shoes and just took off to who knows, too afraid to even try to speak to the towering demigod.

"Fucking coward." You thought, watching the god disappear around a corner. You felt the demigod's hand on your shoulder.

"You should go back to Uncle. I bet he's missing you." Heracles' face changed to a more cheerful one, his smile exposing his pearly whites. You giggled at his sudden change and nodded.

"I should. Thank you for saving me!"

"No problem!"

With that, you took off to see your husband. Before entering, you took the time to stand up straight, take a deep breath and walked in. You faced your husband, slowly making your way to your throne next to his. Sea Blue eyes observed your form, noticing your slightly messy hair and increased speed of your breathing.

He knew these were your signs of discomfort.

"Who is responsible?" His chilling voice filled the silence. You felt exposed upon hearing his question and hesitated on answering. But you gave up.

"Just another god." You finally answered, your hands gripping the armrests nervously. You knew lying to your husband would be impossible.

"Come here." He demanded. You quickly complied, standing in front of him, unsure of his next demand.

"I said, come here." He demanded again, his eyes staring right in your own orbs. You swallow slowly, stepping closer to him. This was strange, he never demanded, let alone asked for anything like this. With hesitation, you wrapped your arms around Poseidon's waist. When he didn't push you away, you lowered yourself down to sit on his lap.

Crying was out of the question if it was for anything else, but after what happened, you couldn't help it.

Your quietly sobbed, tightening the hug. Surprisingly, Poseidon did nothing but sit there, listening to your sobs.

Poseidon will have to wait until he can deal with the living filth that decided to get his dirty hands on his wife...

[stubborncloth]

I've seen various hot takes of that moment at the end of the carriage scene where Colin goes through several facial expressions and then nods his head just a little. I've seen it variously described as the moment he realised he's in love, or the moment he decides to marry Penelope, but I have to disagree. Colin's been figuring out he's in trouble for a while. The reason he struggles to leave Bridgerton house for so long the evening of the proposal is because he knows it's a momentous step. If he goes to the ball and messes up Debing's proposal he knows he's getting married. Colin is nuts for Penelope but it's not just lust. When he leaves his house he knows there's no going back. It's either let someone else marry her, or marry her himself, and if he's ruined her chances with someone else then he can't just have ruined her, he must save her too. Colin is a true romantic and a gentleman, as well as a massive slut for Penelope.

So the carriage scene is understood differently by each character. For Colin he's baring his heart, he's saying choose me. For Penelope, she's got nothing left to lose. If she's going to be a spinster who has to live with her mother forever, she might as well have one scandalous carriage ride with the man she's being dreaming of forever. She thinks a physical tryst is all she's going to get but she's reckless enough to go for it. She's reckless because she's always wanted him, but everything this season so far seems to be for the sole purpose of beating her self esteem down. She wants to marry, but she feels like that's been denied her, so she might as well have a moment of pleasure.

When he says "you cannot marry that man" he means "... because you should marry me" but he doesn't actually say that because he's too unsure of what she will say in return. So he declares himself, he tells her what's in his heart, and then (after a moment of doubt and then an assent from her) ravishes her like a starving man at an unexpected banquet. (Though even here, he's a whore but he's also a gentleman, because he is most concerned with giving her pleasure).

So when they get to their destination Penelope is scared it's all over and she's about to crash back down to earth. The kiss they share afterwards is tender and appreciative, and reassuring. Colin is quiet, and sure, and resolved. He is most concerned with making sure she is presentable (so he can present her to his family as his fiance) and not like he just brought her to orgasm in an unchaperoned carriage ride. To me, that little head nod is, yes, she's ready to come see the fam and be my intended. He's a romantic, and he's hers

[jymwahuwu]

I was wondering. . What if scenario where darling finally escaped jing yuan by dying and jing yuan had felt all emotions at once anger, furry, sadness, despair, agony. He just cant move on from darling he waited and waited for her next reincarnation and. . Finally after so long of waiting she was finally here standing, breathing and alive

And his not so kind once he kidnapped darling once more and had locked her on his (their) shared bedroom then he just basically fucks darling to the hell and back after so long and he makes her cum and darling felt overstimulated and had kept crying to him to slow down and trying to push him away because who in the right mind would suddenly pull a strange onto some person's house then fucks them into oblivion?!

(Basically idk why im horny or maybe its because i have a period idk anymore-)

From Cloud anon!

thank you cloud anon<3 hesitant to write this…but i love the thirsty ending 🫣 for Jing Yuan, if his clingy and sweet side can't keep you… he doesn't mind getting rough…?

CW: yandere, angst, non-con, kidnapping, overstimulation, (mentioned) death in the past

(The relationship between the reader here and Jing Yuan’s past life is described in a rather vague way. Please DON’T send me requests and comments about angst and take revenge on yandere. I’m tired of receiving those 😭 Please read the rules.)

That's a really rare concept for long living species; life blooms in the spring and withers in the winter. Jing Yuan placed flowers on the coffin, and… still… worked and lived as usual, arranging Luofu's daily affairs at the seat of divine foresight. People whispered- they said, Look. The general is so ruthless. His only lover in centuries had withered like a flower, and he was unmoved.

Jing Yuan knows that he can still live as usual, but there is an empty gap in his heart, which often aches, but he still chooses to keep you in his heart instead of letting time pass by. No loss can cause Jing Yuan to stagnate, he just lives with wounds. He regretted not leaving more holographic records and replayed the few videos you had, over and over again. "mm- Jing Yuan-" Your lips parted slightly, a record of a time when you were so annoyed that you blocked the camera with your hands and giggled while eating ice cream. That was - that was when you liked him, right? The general sometimes wonders - are you tired of him pestering you like that? He apologized, apologized, apologized bitterly - but you wouldn't hear it again. In the end, he still couldn't keep you, you flowed away between his fingers like floating sand. What had hundreds of years left for him?

Reincarnation - Jing Yuan really found you, in another galaxy. In the dim light, you are standing on the street, laughing and chatting with your friends. A familiar frown and a sweet smile, and when talking about interesting topics, the clear and sweet laughter leaked out. Similar facial features, similar movements and expressions are the imprint of the same soul. Jing Yuan suppressed the urge to take you away immediately, knowing that he must first find out your identity in this life. He removes every possible obstacle and takes you away.

Locked up in a room, in the general's mansion. Since you didn't like being able to travel freely among the stars in your previous life.

To you, you who have no information, this is really the cage that abruptly descends. Be sent to the Xianzhou ship by the people of your planet. Your hands are locked with a bunch of locks made of solid space material, but they are wrapped in plush fabric as if to prevent your wrists from getting hurt. The burly man with long white hair, said to be a general named Jing Yuan, caresses your body desperately - desperately. Lots of sticky, dazzling kisses. His tongue dipped into your mouth to search. Tears…tears? This mysterious man doesn't shed tears when you look at him, it's like the tears have dried up. Your thighs and calves were tied together and spread apart, forcing you to expose your most private parts and squirt on his thick fingers for hours. Orgasm is no excuse to stop. After your struggles and twitches, those fingers didn't slow down at all. The cock is buried deep inside you without any suspense after the warm-up is completed. The tight walls contracted and the liquid spread outward.

You are confused - confused, orgasming in pleasure, wanting to push him away (but your hands are tied), asking who he is and why he treats you like this while still maintaining your senses, and all you get is silence. It was the silence of not wanting to repeat the old dreams. From behind, his entire crotch is pressed against your ass, and even your hands are pressed by him, rocking and pounding you back and forth, occasionally kissing your cheek in a daze. Face to face, staring into your eyes, the lower body is closely connected. On top, you were forced to ride him, swinging your waist. From the side, a strong arm lifts one of your legs and slowly inserts it. In front, sucking and servicing that cock for hours. Seed and fluid oozed from the connection. There are two trembling vibrators stuck to your nipples. What a mess.

After making up for some of the love he hadn't had in hundreds of years, the general felt more at ease. Jing Yuan's hands wrapped around your shoulders and waist. You wanted to hate him so much- hate him, but he read you bedtime stories and space. He prepares rich meals for you, toys to relieve your boredom, and kisses your forehead. He promises to take you out, but not now.

Not now.

[nicoline1998enilocin]

"Marry Me" || Part 1

PAIRING || Boyfriend!Tony Stark x Girlfriend!Nurse!Fem!Reader

WORDCOUNT || 4.1K

SUMMARY || Tony comes home from another gruesome mission and doesn't stay unharmed this time. As you take care of his wounds, he can't keep his thoughts to himself any longer, and he asks you to marry him in a way you never would have seen coming.

RATING || Explicit (E)

TAGS || Canon divergence. Everybody lives AU. Age gap.

WARNINGS || Injured!Tony Stark. Administration of painkillers through a shot.

SMUT || Teasing. Daddy kink. Praise. Dirty talk. Unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!). Cream pie.

A/N || This story is dedicated to my best friend I could have ever wished for, @ccbsrmsf1. Carol, I cannot even begin to describe the gratefulness I feel for you and your friendship, because it’s not something that can be put into words. Thank you for being here for me through it all, eu te amo 💙

EVENTS Masterlist || @fandombingo || Sleepy morning sex Masterlist || @fandom-free-bingo Book Night || 'You make me feel like I am home again' Masterlist || @fandom-free-bingo Book Night || "I'm getting old." Masterlist || @fandom-free-bingo Maritime May || Reassuring touches

Masterlist || @fandom-free-bingo Maritime May || Don't make me laugh Masterlist || @fandom-free-bingo Wild || "I've got you." Masterlist || @seasonaldelightsbingo Language of flowers || The little spoon for the first time Masterlist || @sweetspicybingo Hurt/Comfort || "Are you okay?"

GIF: @ccbsrmsf1 || Graphics are made by @nicoline1998enilocin

Main Masterlist || Tony Stark Masterlist

It's been a week since you last saw your boyfriend - none other than Tony Stark himself - because he's been on a long and tiring mission to destroy the last few HYDRA bases that were left in Brazil. There has been little to no contact between you two, aside from the quick messages through JARVIS, the AI he built, to let you know he's still alive.

However, the message you received not even half an hour ago has you a little more worried than usual. During your many years as a nurse for SHIELD and Tony's private nurse, there's practically nothing you haven't lived through, but to know your boyfriend is hurt still sends shivers down your spine.

Tony has built a private exam room in his penthouse for moments like these, and you have treated many different wounds and injuries there. From ones obtained during missions to mishaps down in his lab, rarely a day goes by where something doesn't go wrong, but you love him for it. His clumsy nature is one of the things that attracted you to him in the first place.

Now, you're setting up the exam room after JARVIS's orders about Tony coming home soon and a brief description of his injuries, which you're thankful for. This means you're not going in blind as he arrives in your shared home.

When you put down the last instruments and bandages in the room, you hear the elevator door open, notifying you that Tony is back. As you walk out to greet him, your heart sinks into your stomach because the sight in front of you is one you will never get used to, no matter how many times you see it.

Tony is limping and heavily favoring his left leg over the right; he's clutching his arm to his ribs, and he's covered in countless little cuts and bruises, blood seemingly being everywhere. His clothes are torn, and his facial expression is a mix of both tiredness and sadness, but when he sees you, he instantly gets a shimmer in his eyes.

"Hi, Gorgeous," Tony whispers before wincing, his eyes shut tightly as a wave of undeniable pain shoots through his entire body.

"Hi, Beautiful," you say with a soft smile, right before herding him into the exam room so you can give him some painkillers. Tony carefully takes his place on the large exam table and sinks into it with a sigh, relief washing over him now that he's home and being taken care of.

As you walk around the room to prepare the last things for the examination, Tony can't stop looking at you. He admires seeing you in your element like this, and even though he's in a great deal of pain right now, he seems to forget it for just a moment now that he's in your presence again. He may not like anything related to the medical field, but he has learned to accept it since knowing you.

"How did the mission go?" you ask Tony in a calm, steady voice, your gaze focused on the cuts on his face while you clean them. Tony's lips curl into a small smile when you're this close to him. His deep, dark brown eyes follow every movement of your face, and he loves how the tip of your tongue pokes out when you're concentrating on something.

"There were some unforeseen difficulties, but overall, it went well. Got hit a few times, though, as you can tell," he says, and you chuckle at his words. That same chuckle has Tony's heart skipping a beat each time he hears the melodic sound falling from your lips.

"I'm glad you're safe now, though. I'm glad to have my man home again," you tell him, leaning in for a soft peck on his lips. As you pull away, Tony lets his head fall back against the table, a large smile on his lips and his mind going crazy. He's deeply in love with you, and having you call him 'your man' does things he can't explain.

Once his face is patched up, it's time to move on to his torso. But before you can do that, you'll have to remove his shirt, which causes a lot of groans and winces, but he knows it has to be done.

"It's okay, Beautiful. I've got you." Tony pushes for just one more moment until his shirt is off, and you gasp when it is as you look at the damage. A dark purple bruise covers most of his ribs and part of his chest and abdomen, and there are even more cuts and minor bruises littered over the rest of his torso.

"Oh my god," you say as you inspect it, and Tony looks at you apologetically, as if he wants to say sorry for being hurt like this.

"What happened?" you ask him, your brows furrowed in concern. He exhales shakily before telling you he got his ass kicked in some hand-to-hand combat when his suit didn't work. A lump forms in your throat as you try to treat him to the best of your abilities, but it's not easy when he has multiple broken ribs - they're the reason he was clutching his arm tightly against his chest and rib cage.

"Oh, you poor thing," you whisper as you look up at him, your hand cupping his cheek again.

"I think it's better if you take it easy for a while, Beautiful. I will give you a shot to help with the healing later, but this isn't going to go away with just that," you explain, and he nods. Deep inside, he's relieved to have to slow down a bit, as his life is fast-paced enough already. He's been wanting to spend more time with you at home, and this is the perfect way to do just that.

"I love you, Tony, but this is taking a big toll on you. I don't mind taking care of you and patching you up, but I also think that you should start thinking about retiring," you tell him, and even though it hurts to have to say to him, it's the right thing to do.

"I know, Gorgeous, and you're right. The fact that I'm getting old doesn't help my case either," he says with a sad smile as you take a seat on the edge of the exam table, grabbing his hand as you do.

"I'm not saying you should retire right away, but once you do, we might finally be able to start the family we've been dreaming of," you tell your boyfriend. He looks at you with such love and admiration as you say it; it's indescribable. The feeling swirling through your chests can't be put into words, but you both know you feel the same.

"Let's start now, Gorgeous. I don't care about being Iron Man or the Avengers; I want to start a family with you. I want to grow old with you. You are all I care about," he whispers, and you're fighting back tears at his admission. A soft 'okay' leaves your lips, and Tony squeezes your hand.

"But first, I have to finish patching you up, Beautiful. Otherwise, we're not going to be able to do anything without me having to do all the work," you joke, and Tony can't help but laugh, though as soon as he starts, he also stops as he winces in pain.

"Oh god, don't make me laugh, Gorgeous," Tony says with an amused smile. The two of you sit silently for a little while, and out of nowhere, you reach up to touch the tattoo on his chest, your name proudly shown on his skin forever.

Your fingers glide over it, and you look at it until Tony grabs your wrist carefully with his free hand, bringing your fingers to his lips and kissing them softly. More specifically, he kisses the place where he has been planning to put a ring for a few years now.

"I love you, Gorgeous. I'm the luckiest man on earth with you by my side," he whispers before bringing your digits to his mouth again and placing a lingering kiss, pouring every ounce of emotion into the one gesture.

"How're you feeling, Beautiful? Are you okay?" you ask Tony as you stand in the large shower in your shared home, the water cascading down on both of you as he holds you close to his body. Soft kisses and gentle touches are shared between you both as your back is against his chest, and your breathing patterns slowly sync up.

"Yeah, I'm doing much better with you in here with me," he tells you before kissing your temple softly. You smile at his words. Seeing his injuries, you offer to help him shower, and if there's one thing he never says no to, it's bringing you in there with him.

"I'm glad I can help you to feel better," you whisper as you turn around and wrap your arms around his waist. Your head is placed gently against his shoulder as your eyes slip shut, and you finally dare to sigh in relief. There's always a certain level of worry in your body as Tony is gone for missions, and you never dare to settle down until you know he's okay and safe with you.

"I can't stop thinking about starting a family with you," Tony tells you as he lets his hands wander over your hips and sides until they're splayed out over your belly, his thumbs rubbing the soft flesh as you smile into his touches.

"Having a few little ones running around with another one on the way, God, you'll be so beautiful when you're pregnant, Gorgeous," Tony says before pulling away, turning you around, and sinking to the ground, his face at the same level as your belly.

"I can already imagine the little feet kicking inside you as they're growing and how beautiful you will be as you have a pregnancy glow," Tony tells you as he rubs your belly softly with his cheek. Your hands carefully lace into his hair and rub softly, calming him down immensely.

"What would you like it to be? A boy or a girl?" you ask your boyfriend, who smiles at your question.

"Both." His answer is short and to the point, but he's already thought about it plenty of times. He's always dreamt of having at least one girl and one boy, but he will happily accept what the universe is willing to give you both.

"What about you, Gorgeous?" he says as he carefully looks up at you, his facial hair tickling your belly.

"Both," you say with a dopey smile, and Tony smiles before peppering your belly in kisses, making you laugh as his beard and mustache keep tickling you in your ticklish areas. Eventually, Tony gets up, pulling you against his chest, your head leaning against his shoulder once more while his hands rub over your back in a soothing pattern.

Before stepping into the shower, Tony has put on some background music, and you're both swaying back and forth to it as your boyfriend gathers the courage to ask you something important. Though he's been planning on making it a special moment, he also knows there won't be another moment more right than the one you're sharing now.

"Marry me."

At first, you're not sure you heard him correctly as you pull your head back. Your gaze meets his brown eyes, a large smile on his lips, and one of his brows quirked in excitement.

"Marry me, Gorgeous," he says again, and there's no denying it this time. Tony proposed to you, and a huge smile worked its way onto your face as tears fell down your cheeks. Out of all the moments he could have possibly chosen, you're not sure why he did it now, but it's perfect.

"Yes, I will marry you, Tony," you say before standing on your tiptoes and pulling him close. Your lips crash together as the excitement takes over your bodies. Tony's fingers dig into your sides as he's impossibly trying to pull you closer, even though there's no more space between you two.

"God, I can't believe you're going to become Mrs. Stark," he says with a breathy chuckle after pulling away for some much-needed air. Tony presses his forehead against yours as he tucks some wet strands of your hair behind your ear, your eyes focused only on each other.

"I can't wait to be Mrs. Stark," you tell him, a flurry of butterflies in your stomach going wild as you say the words aloud. Future Mrs. Stark indeed has a nice ring to it.

"I love you so much, Gorgeous. I'm so lucky to have you say yes to marrying me. I've been dreaming of it for months," Tony emphasizes before capturing your lips again, not wanting to be away from your plump, soft lips for too long.

His hands wander over your bare back down to the globes of your butt, where he lets them rest for a little while, despite the slightly awkward angle of his body due to your height difference. He's always been obsessed with your butt, constantly touching it when you're together or slapping it during sex.

"I love you too, Tony," you whisper in his ear before turning off the shower and getting ready to sleep. It's not that late in the evening yet, but Tony needs his sleep to heal, and you're getting tired, too.

It doesn't take long for you both to be curled up under the covers, enjoying each other's warmth and closeness. However, Tony asked you to be the big spoon so he could be the little spoon for the first time.

"How's this?" you ask Tony as you place soft kisses between his shoulder blades. You can't reach any higher due to your significant height difference.

"Good," Tony murmurs, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as your fingers slowly lull him to sleep. They're tracing abstract patterns over his chest and around his arc reactor, and you can feel his breathing slowing down until it evens out.

"I love you, Beautiful," you whisper once Tony is asleep, and it doesn't take long for you to fall asleep. 

During the night, both you and your now fiancé slept like logs, and the shot you gave Tony yesterday has done an amazing job of healing him. Now, he's busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast for you while you're still curled under the warmth of the comforter of Tony's king-size bed.

Soft music plays in the kitchen while Tony scrambles a few eggs, and the smell of food brings a smile to Tony's face at the thought of surprising you with it later. While he prepares every last one of your favorite dishes, he's also preparing the tray to present to you later.

After working in the kitchen for another 30 minutes, the tray is adorned with a small bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase, the food he prepared, a steaming cup of tea, and a small, black ring box.

Now comes the real challenge for Tony—getting to the bedroom without dropping anything or scaring you. With careful steps, he makes his way over there, and much to his surprise, nothing spills or falls off, making him feel rather proud of himself.

The bedroom door is slightly ajar as he makes his way over, pushing it open further with his foot, before being greeted by you lying on your belly, the comforter halfway down your back, exposing your bare back to him, and he can't help but smile.

"G'morning, Sleepyhead," Tony says as you start waking up from the smell of fresh food. Tony is crouching next to the bed.

"How did you sleep, Gorgeous?" he asks as he wipes some hair out of your face to expose your beautiful smile and sleepy expression. His heart beats faster when he sees his future wife lying in his bed, smiling at him, and he has rarely felt this fortunate.

"Amazing, what about you?" you ask before sitting up and stretching out some of the sleep. That's when you notice the food Tony prepared. It's all there, from fresh waffles and scrambled eggs to fresh fruit and your favorite tea.

"I haven't slept this good in a long time; I think I should be the little spoon more often," Tony tells you as he gets up and reaches for something on the tray. Once his fingers are curled around it, you notice it's a small, velvety box, and your heart immediately starts to pump faster - an engagement ring.

While you look at your fiancé getting into position, you put your hand over your mouth in disbelief, as you didn't expect him to propose first thing in the morning, but here he is, going down on one knee.

"Gorgeous; from the moment I met you, I knew that your presence in my life would be one of immeasurable worth, and you have proven me more than right. From all the times you have patched me up after missions, and from all the nights we stayed up talking when one of us needed it most, they're all cherished deep within my heart," he starts, and you start tearing up as you listen to him propose.

"Before we got together, I didn't care if I lived or died, but when you asked me out on a date, I knew I had someone worth living for - someone who's worth fighting for. I knew I wanted to come home from the moment you moved in with me because you made me feel like I was home again."

You stretch out your hand, and Tony grabs it before squeezing it carefully. Soft sniffles escape as the words sink in with you. Your heart is going into overdrive, and the butterflies in your stomach are going wild, but it's more than worth it.

"Y/N Y/L/N, will you officially give me the honor of becoming the future Mrs. Stark and marrying me?" After flipping open the box, Tony asks, and you nod enthusiastically, a broken 'yes' leaving your lips before wrapping your arms around your fiancé.

He quickly sits down on the edge of the bed as you two let the tears flow freely, the breakfast he prepared long forgotten as you're basking in the glory of the moment. Tony has slipped the ring on your finger, and you can't stop looking at it from every angle.

"It's beautiful, Tony," you tell him while you look at the ring and slowly work on eating the breakfast he prepared. He constantly feeds you the fresh fruit and waffles while stealing a kiss between each bite, while he happily lets you feed some of the eggs and toast he prepared for himself, which goes paired with even more stolen kisses.

"I can't believe you went down on one knee for me first thing in the morning!" you tell him with a soft smack against his chest. He smiles before rubbing his nose against yours lovingly.

"I'm glad I did, though. I've been carrying that thing around for literal years at this point but never found the right moment. It turns out I just needed to have you take care of me for it to be the right moment," he says in a soft voice, and you feel the goosebumps rising on your neck.

"How about you let me take care of you for once?" Tony asks as he peppers a royal amount of kisses over your cheek and jaw, making you moan softly as his teeth graze over the edge of it, your nipples immediately pebbling at the feeling of it.

"Please," you whisper as you look into his eyes, lust visible in them. Before you know it, Tony has put the tray on the floor, and the comforter pulled off your body, revealing your entirely bare body to him. He gets comfortable between your legs after you've spread them, and his mouth descends on your neck and collarbone, sucking soft bruises into the skin.

Your fingers are laced in his hair as he takes his time marking you up, his hips rutting his cock against your soft, dripping pussy as he does. Soft moans tumble from your lips as you tug on his hair, and the feeling of his lips and tongue, together with his facial hair, is driving you insane as he takes his time.

"D-Daddy," you whine as his tip gets caught on your sensitive clit, and he smiles against your skin before lifting his head and meeting your gaze. Your eyes are already half-lidded, and your lip is raw from all the biting, but Tony has never seen a more beautiful sight.

"What is it, Sweet Mama? Are you gettin' a little impatient?" he asks teasingly, and you nod shyly.

"Want you inside me, Daddy," you tell him, and he's never been able to say no when you ask him so nicely. He reaches down to guide himself to your entrance; his gaze focused on your expression as he slides in his long, thick cock.

You spread your legs a little more to accommodate every last inch of him, and you both moan in unison as he bottoms out. You instantly clench down on his cock, and he kisses you softly as you get adjust to him being inside you again.

"You're taking me so well, Gorgeous. Você é uma garota tão boa," he whispers in your ear. Your cheeks heat up as you hear him calling you a good girl in Portuguese. Before you met Tony you spent a few years in Brazil, and you have taught him quite a bit of Portuguese for his mission, but you didn’t teach him that, but goosebumps crawl across your skin as you smile at his words.

After Tony called you that, you clench around him even harder, making Tony bury his face in your neck. In a bold moment, you surprise Tony by landing a loud, hard smack on his ass, and the jerk of his body only drives his cock even deeper into you.

"So tight, Babygirl, 's so fucking tight around my cock, can feel you milkin' me already," he groans, and he sets a slow pace once you're finally allowing him to move. Every inch of his thick, veiny cock feels like heaven as he takes his time, and you let your head sinks into the soft pillows as you look at your fiancé.

"I love you so much," he says as he lets his hand glide over your arm until he reaches the hand with the engagement ring on it. He brings the ring to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. His eyes are locked onto yours as he does, and you feel the butterflies in your stomach go wild.

"I love you too, Tony," you say before pulling him down for a deep, passionate kiss. His fingers interlace with yours as he keeps building your high. The atmosphere in your bedroom is still cozy from the night, and with Tony's comfortable, slow pace, you can feel yourself almost slipping into a drowsy state.

"I want you to cum for me, Gorgeous, I'm so close to filling you up," Tony whispers as he noses along your jaw, and your back arches into him at the words, your senses on high alert as you're getting ready to fall over the edge. Out of nowhere, he also grabs your other hand, pinning them both above your head as he picks up the pace, chasing both your highs.

"God, keep milkin' me, Babygirl, milk Daddy's cock like a good fuckin' girl," he growls, and before you know it, you're both falling over the edge simultaneously. He keeps working you both through your orgasms, and when you're both finished, he pulls out before pulling you against his chest as he falls to the side.

You're both panting as you let your head rest on his chest, your fingers gliding over your name on his chest again.

"I would love to add even more names to your tattoo. I think it's also the perfect spot to add our children's names," you say dreamily as you think about having a few little ones running around in the future.

"I thought so too, Gorgeous," Tony says, and it's the last thing you know before letting your eyes slip shut, and sleep quickly takes over. The rest of the day, neither of you leaves the bed as you make love for hours, never getting enough of one another.

Today marks the first day of the rest of your lives together, and you can't wait to see what the future has in store for you both.

[tiddygame]

i’ve stared at this for so long that i now hate it and think ive lost all concept of how to write so take this and get it out of my google docs

the introduction is rough and the medical depictions (and accuracy/realism) could use some (a lot of) work but whatever! here it is, my vague yet still oddly specific idea of how the face reveal would go in @myriadblvck ’s streamer au:

tw: description of a panic attack? i think?

[this takes place post first irl meet but before they’re officially together]

imagine ghost has a glasgow smile but on one side they carved a little too deep and left some nerve damage. time and surgery helped, after which he could eat unimpeded and talk without a lisp, but there's still some facial nerve damage and/or skin contractures from scarring, specifically around the corner of his mouth.

now, everytime he smiles, be it shit eating grin or a full genuine joy filled smile that not even grumpy mcgrumperson could hold off, it always looks wrong because one corner doesn't raise fully like the other.

everything else is fine, there isn’t any facial paralysis, he just smiles… wrong. especially since only one eye properly squints when he smiles, giving him the look of someone who got stuck mid wink.

if he wants to look “normal” (or as normal as he could get it) he has to manually squint his other eye. still, it always felt weird; you don't realize how much those muscles affect the rest of your face until they're gone.

it's why he learned to always wear the mask.

when his expression is neutral, you don’t really notice it. if you can see his mouth when he talks however, it’s obvious that there’s something wrong. he wouldn’t say he’s necessarily ashamed of the scars and damage itself, but it’s the stares that are the worst. before he started hiding behind it, people would openly gawk or even glare at him as if he was some ne’er-do-well gang member that got what was coming to him.

he still remembers the cosmetic surgeon that had been talking to him about fixing the contractures— the whole appointment was a fucking nightmare. the cuts had healed nicely enough especially considering how bad it could have been; he was lucky to only need a little cosmetic help. the only reason he was there was so he could fucking eat food without struggling to open his mouth.

the doctor spent god knows how long breaking down everything wrong with his face like he was a fucking car mechanic lying about how dirty your filter is. the guy constantly mentioned that while he was under, they could also fix his jawline, do a rhinoplasty, trying to break him down to agree to more work.

he was already fuming my the time the doc brought up how kids would react. asking ghost if he wanted to scare children since “you cant expect the little youngins that are still learning about the world to not get scared by something scary,” and that “even some adults would cringe at the scarring.”

what stuck out most was the condescending smile he had when he said it. as if he was pointing out the obvious and ghost was being stupid and shortsighted by not agreeing.

he declined everything except what was medically necessary. the procedure went fine and after an aggravatingly long recovery period, he could eat solid foods again without issue. but the comments still stuck with him.

…okay, maybe he’s a little ashamed.

scaring kids with your face doesn’t feel good and being reminded of everything you’ve lost when you try to smile can really fuck you up in a way words fail to describe.

so yeah, he hates it. he’s gotten used to the mask, both skull clad balaclava and simple medical mask, being a permanent layer of armor. even now that he’s a bit more comfortable in his own skin it still feels wrong to pull it off.

when he gets close to soap, it still feels like a layer of vulnerability that he’ll never be prepared for.

the first time he let soap see his face, there hadn’t been any grandiose build up, no extravagant planning.

simon had arrived just a few hours earlier. he hated commercial flights with a burning passion but it was always worth it to see johnny.

with soaps twin out of town for the week, he had decided to take leave to spend time with his friend, a friend that he most certainly did NOT have a crush on (a disclaimer roach and gaz heard everytime they started snickering over ghost taking leave.)

johnny had cooked something nice and simple for dinner, saying that simon had spent too long with MREs and deserved real food (ghost only agreed if he was the one washing the dishes, soap had laughed and told him he's not so kind as to let him off the hook for chores).

when they ate, it was always in the living room with johnny taking care to always stay angled away from simon, never trying to catch a glimpse, regardless of how much he wanted to see what was under the mask. the obvious gesture of kindness and respect for his boundaries always left him feeling all weird and fuzzy inside. but, then again, johnny seemed pretty good at triggering that feeling in general.

their finished plates were on the coffee table and johnny was watching whatever dumb movie he had put on. he was pretty sure the man spent more time talking over it and making fun of everything than he did actually watching it (it was simon’s favorite way to watch a movie.)

ghost however, was watching soap. thinking.

in the end, it was an impulsive decision made after a strong three seconds of consideration.

“you uhm— you can look by the way,” ghost stared at the can of soda in his hands, immediately regretting the words.

“what?” soap didn’t fully turn, just shifted slightly to hear him better. a simple gesture to show he was listening without turning to face him. it normally made simon happy to see that johnny was more than willing to accommodate for his boundaries. now though it made him feel stupid for robbing johnny of a normal face to face conversation, a normal human interaction, just over his idiotic insecurities.

“my face, you—,” he felt his heart block his airway and tried clearing his throat before continuing, “you can look if you want,” christ he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. why was he getting so fucked up over this?

“are you sure?” he hadn’t turned yet, but ghost could see his pensive expression from here. this should be nothing. realistically, he knew johnny seeing his scars wouldn’t suddenly make him hate him… right?

“yes.”

but it was more than the fear of hatred, wasn’t it? he was scared that johnny would see him. see more than just the scars, see all of the ugly idiosyncrasies and insecurities laid bare. afraid that johnny would see the truth of how unlovable he was.

jesus he was getting so fucking worked up and dramatic over nothing.

ghost didn’t look up. he made an effort to not focus on his peripheral vision. he heard soap turn, heard the intake of breath. the silence was loud only for a second. then, deafening white noise surrounded him, inescapable, suffocating.

fuck.

he didn’t regret giving permission but god did he regret everything else; the stupid scars, the stupid nerve damage, the stupid way he had managed to fall for someone so fucking good like johnny while he was unequivocally unworthy of his love.

stop being so fucking dramatic. you are not together, never have been and never will be. reality was blatant in front of him but it didn’t stop his heart from foolishly hoping.

he heard soap stand and walk closer. saw from where he was still staring a hole in the can his feet step in front of his. saw johnny’s hands raise. he took a deep breath in, closed his eyes, and with a great deal of effort didn’t flinch when soaps fingers grazed his cheek.

both of his hands came up to cup his face, holding him and ever so slightly tilting his face up, giving him the chance to pull away. he didn’t. he may be a coward but he wasn’t backing down.

ghost eventually opened his eyes to see soap staring at him with wide eyes. he looked away, staring off to some point on the right. he hated not knowing what soap was thinking.

they stayed there for a while before soap broke the silence, muttering, “i fuckin knew you had freckles.”

it was stupid but it shocked a laugh out of ghost. he meant to drop his head, embarrassed that something so dumb made him laugh, but accidentally just pushed himself further into soaps hands making him blush.

he looked up and saw soap staring even harder than before. the chuckle died in his chest.

“do that again.”

ghost just gave him a confused look.

“smile.”

such a simple request, a one word sentence, but it set his face ablaze. his breath caught in his throat, somewhere around where his heart was still trying to choke him.

…he hadn’t thought it was that bad but soaps reaction indicated otherwise. fuck. was his it that awful? he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. this was stupid. he was stupid.

“simon,” of course, one word from johnny and it felt like he could breathe again.

“please?”

fucking goddamn soap and his stupid fucking puppy dog eyes and the way he has ghost wrapped around his fucking finger without even realizing.

ghost smiled. there was no real mirth, more a grimace than anything else. he just wanted to get this over with.

soap was still staring at him, his thumbs tracing his lips, following scars, drawing imaginary lines between freckles… if he wasn't so terrified it might have felt nice.

“Christ,” ghosts heart cracked more, “you weren't lying when you said you were beautiful.”

ghost huffed a laugh and went back to staring off to the right, the fake smile dropping. of course soap would try to lighten the mood with a joke.

his panic fled as quickly as it had consumed him, now just left sitting in soap's living room, face still cradled in caring hands, resigned to his mistakes.

he felt so tired and johnny's hands felt so inviting.

“i wasn't joking,” soap looked…upset? angry? wait— fuck, what’d he do?

ghost stared back at soap, confused and tired. soaps nails felt the grooves of the scar, catching where the skin was raised and lowered.

“you don't have to lie, soap. im a grown man. I'm not fragile. you don't need to coddle me,” ghost said it like it was a joke, hoping soap would laugh along and that this would all just blow over. that tomorrow morning they could forget this ever happened.

“are you calling me a liar?” soap’s brow furrowed. great. instead, he had managed to make everything worse and piss off soap as well.

ghost took in a deep breath, giving himself another shot at calming things down, “no, I'm not. I think you're lying, but you're not a liar,” he stood and stepped to the side, grabbing their dirty plates and walking them to the kitchen sink, “you just don't want to upset me, it's fine. I get it. you're a nice person but you don't have to lie to spare my feelings.”

“I am not fucking lying!” as per usual, all ghost had managed to do was make things worse. there’s a reason he had decided to stick to the battlefield and give up on domesticity.

“well alright then. agree to disagree,” he turned the kitchen tap and started rinsing the dishes, waiting for the water to heat up. just walk away. end it there. let us forget about this stupid blunder and move on. please just leave it. please, please, please—

“no.”

the force behind it damn near made ghost drop the plate he was holding. he managed to set it in the sink carefully and turned to face soap, who was now in the kitchen as well.

“i— I'm not just gonna fucking— simon,” soap took in a deeper breath and went to continue but ghost was faster.

“johnny,” he interrupted, walking forward with his hands up in a gesture of surrender, approaching slowly.

one last chance to not fuck everything up.

“the fact is they're called deformities for a reason. they're not cute. they're not pretty. they're your body’s way of healing what it can and protecting what it can't. it's not meant to look nice, it's just—”

“bullshit they’re not pretty! says fucking who?” the genuine distress in soap’s voice and force behind his words caught him off guard. “simon—”

he huffed and ran his fingers through his hair roughly, pulling slightly at the strands. christ, ghost needs to shut the fuck up. every single time he speaks he just upsets soap more and more.

he needs to retake his hostage negotiations courses. clearly he has forgotten everything about how to diffuse a situation.

johnny takes another second to breathe and collect his thoughts before he speaks.

“simon. I know that— that ‘this’ isn't something that's going to fix itself overnight and I don't expect it to. but, ‘the fact is,’ I think you're pretty.”

ghost opens his mouth to disagree but johnny doesn’t let him.

“no no,” johnny put his hand over simon’s mouth, shocking him into silence. he blinks twice, stupefied.

“i think— no. I know you're pretty. cute even. beautiful is a given but obviously worth mentioning.”

his hand moved to cup simon’s cheek. ghost grabbed his wrist but didn’t stop him, wether it was a warning or encouragement he himself didn’t know.

johnny continued, unperturbed, “you disagreeing doesn't change that, right?”

there was a pause and simon realized he wanted an answer.

“johnny-”

“ah ah!” his hand moved back to cover his mouth, grabbing his face and shaking his head back and forth, over accentuating his words, “you disagreeing doesn't change that, right? yes or no.”

he stopped shaking him and moved his hand back to simon’s cheek. simon sighed, defeated, “yes. you are right.”

johnny looked smug, “good. and what do you say when i give you a compliment you don’t agree with?”

simon sputtered, “wha— i don't fucking know—”

“nothing! you don’t say anything!” soap looked way too proud of himself and he continued, “or thank you if you feel so inclined.”

“that was a trick question,” simon replied eventually.

johnny thumbed over his scars once more, again tracing them, “sure it was. now go take a shower.”

he patted his cheek twice and walked to the hallway.

“wait,” johnny probably shook the few remaining brain cells out of his head. “this whole conversation ends with you telling me that I stink?”

“yes. rancid,” johnny opened the door to the linen closet. simon was still in the kitchen. the tap was still running.

“no dipshit, do you not remember telling me that commercial planes makes you feel gross?” johnny threw a towel at him, which he caught just in time for johnny to hit him with a bath rag.

ghost had mentioned that… ages ago, he thinks. on facetime with each other, discussing the merits of bathrooms on public transport. he had said that enclosed, crowded spaces like commercial planes or buses made him feel, well, gross. how—or why—did he remember that?

“but… I’m supposed to wash the dishes?” a weak argument against the stubbornness he was faced with but simon had officially lost track of his mind and this conversation.

johnny shot him a weird look as he walked back towards the kitchen sink. simon still hadn’t moved.

“did you think i was being serious earlier?”

“yes???” he felt like he had been given a lobotomy.

johnny decided to take pity on him and explained in a soft voice that felt out of place, “i was being sarcastic. i’m not going to make you wash the dishes, simon.”

“but that was the agreement: you cook and i wash the dishes.”

johnny laughed as if he remembered something funny, “yeah, i lied.”

simon still stood there, trying to figure out if he had a stroke. johnny had been angry, completely pissed at him, but now was letting him off the hook and calling him pretty? what the fuck is happening?

johnny turned him and pushed him towards the hallway. simon could have resisted but his resolve always seems to crumble around johnny mactavish.

“now go shower, you beautiful bastard,” soap grabbed one of the plates out of the sink and started washing it with water that had probably heated ages ago.

ghost walked towards the bathroom, feeling like he was on autopilot, limbs disconnected from his brain. his cheek still felt… odd? weird? tingly?

it felt something from where johnny had grabbed it. ghost thinks… he thinks he likes the feeling, whatever it is.

he needs to sleep.

[bl00dst41ned]

*.·:·.✦ my little secret (jude bellingham 'series' pt.2) ✦.·:·.*

pairing: jude bellingham x female oc (Mariah)

summary: in which jude finds out what he's missing

author's note: part 2 is out, part 1 is here. taglist: @everlyjay, @barcagirly (don't know if you wanted to be tagged but didn't know what you meant with your repost) you can still ask to be tagged.

series masterlist

word count: 696

It was another day at St Georges’ Park. The English team was back for the international break. Jude sat at lunch, Trent at his left and Marcus and Bukayo in front of them, in the middle of a conversation.

“Aye, Jude, you remember Mariah ?” Marcus started as he kept his eyes on his phone.

Jude’s head rose, confusion written on his face.

“The girl you disrespectfully dumped after cheating on her” Trent described with no facial expression.

Even though Jude was his friend, he never forgot to remind him how wrong he was in this situation.

“Oh, umm yeah why?”

Marcus turned his phone around showing them an Instagram post.

mariahsworld Self care day to celebrate Tamara’s five months of living. Thank you for choosing me as your mom, I love you 💕

Within a second, Jude had gone on her account via his spam since she had him blocked on the main page and viewed the post. He then went to click on her story seeing even more pictures and videos of her and her baby.

Jude kept his eyes on the screen as if he was hypnotized.

"Waow, I didn- just waow" He mumbled, lost of words. "She definitely turned a new page"

He kept scrolling as Mason and Declan sat at their table. The two instantly noticed Jude’s concentration since he didn't even noticed them.

"Jude what's wrong?" Declan asked as the young man finally noticed them.

"Nun- his ex he threw away for a one night stand now has a baby" Bukayo cut him off with a teasing smile on his face, ruining Jude's attempt to change the subject.

"Mariah?!" Surprise was laced in Declan's voice at the mention of the girl. "This cannot be real"

Declan went on Mariah's page, seeing all the posts with the little girl on it.

"Five months...."

"Tamara is a such cute name" Mason intervened.

Declan had noticed a detail about the little girl's date of birth that rose his attention.

"When did you guys break up already ?"

"A little over a year ago, maybe a year and a month"

Declan's eyes widened as it all came together in his head. If little Tamara was five months, then Mariah had to get pregnant a year and two months prior. And if they broke up a year and a month ago...

"Mate," Jude nodded his head indicating he was listening "Is that your daughter?"

"Wh- No, i-it can't be, she didn't tell me anything"

As unbelievable as it sounded to him, Declan's theory had intrigued Jude. He stared at the picture of the baby while thinking. Not able to get his mind right, Jude needed external advice.

Jude

*sent an attachment*

bro look at this

Jobe

Mar had a baby ?!

waow didn't expect that

Jude

jobe, this might be my child

Jobe

……

Hahahaha

stop playing I almost believed you

Jude

I'm being serious

Jobe

How serious?

Jude

As serious as serious can be

Jobe

ooh tell me all about it

Jude

stop joking pls I'm in deep shit

so Dec did the maths

the baby is 5 months

plus the nine months so we have 14 months right ?

Jobe

Good you can do basic maths

Jude

anyways

we broke up around 13 months ago

therefore ?

Jobe

mum's gonna burn you into ashes

and throw them in the bin

you're dead asf

Jude

no shit 🙄

but it's not what's important rn

I need confirmation

Jobe

for what exactly ??

you're the cheater from what I know

Jude

who knows ?

Jobe

bro you're nuts

she would not have done that

but looks like I'm an uncle 😝😝

Jude

jobe please be serious

you sound like liyah rn

she's getting into your head

Jobe

what did you just say about my girlfriend?

Jude

you can't fight me

Jobe

for my girl ?

I'll beat you tf up 😍🥰🔪

your potential daughter looks so cute tho

Jude

JOBE

we are digressing

what should I do ?

Jobe

bro….

text her

Jude

she blocked me

Jobe

okay ??

if you actually care, you'll find a way

Jude

why is everybody so rude with me ?

Jobe

Jude

STOP WITH THE MEMES

you're becoming just like your girl

Jobe

as I should

Jude

….

bye

Jude exited his conversation with Jobe going to DM Mariah on his spam.

yo it's Jude

i think we need to talk

like and repost for support (hope you enjoyed it)

masterlist for more

[ekelhyiro]

“in behalf of my… good friend here”

“that’s what… friends for”

is it me or is this the first time aziraphale has thought that the title “friends” is no longer appropriate for their relationship?

every time he looks away when he calls crowley a friend. at this point he was not afraid to admit their friendship in front of others (in Shakespeare’s time for example). angel had already gotten used to crowley being around and being trustworthy, so after such a romantic gesture of his... it's hard to continue playing in a purely platonic relationship.

aziraphale knows how love feels! he felt it when he was in Tadfield because adam adored the place. did aziraphale feel love when crowley saved his precious books? most likely. how else to describe his facial expression, romantic music in the background and his undeniable desire to repay him?

in the first season, uriel calls crowley aziraphale's boyfriend, angel smiles shyly, but does not say anything about it. in the second season, shax calls them a couple and tells how at first she did not believe the rumor about them. it's strange to her that crowley sacrifices his entire existence for an angel who’s not even his type.

at the beginning of the second season, when zira introduces demon to nina, he says: “he and i go back a long time”. they are no longer friends. after all they've been through? people have not yet come up with such words that could describe their union.

aziraphale realised everything a long time ago, despite his "you go to fast for me crowley". he is the first to take steps to develop their relationship but is too afraid to say it out loud. he says "our car", "our bookshop", which should suggest that they are partners, but he never says through his mouth: "listen, honey, when are we getting married?" at the same time, our gentle demon, firstly, does not understand that he himself is in love, and secondly, that it is mutual.

crowley knows he loves angel, but he doesn't know HOW. he instantly furious as soon as aziraphale is in danger. no matter how much they resent each other, he will go, run, fly after him anywhere. and he makes romantic gestures. why? because he wants to please his angel. crowley wouldn't lift a finger without a reason, he's too lazy but now we see him performing miracles left and right.

i still don't understand how heaven and hell didn't notice that they were CLEARLY overdoing miracles not for the sake of good and evil but for the sake of each other.

crowley really didn't know it was LOVE. yes, just like in the books. thanks to nina, who, thanks heaven, shows up to ask how long they've been together or maybe an angel is his bit on the side.

and a miracle happens! so many fucking years they exist side by side and this red and, apparently, empty head finally understands that he loves him. maybe it's even mutual, everyone always takes them for a couple.

maybe... in that very moment they were supposed to get an official new name for their partnership but… we all got what we deserved. a portion of glass after 6000 years of pining.

[violet-moonstone]

highlights from "searching for oswald...and chicken"

wow I loved this episode...I feel like I say that every time but I REALLY REALLY enjoyed this one

first of all its a Dagur episode, which automatically makes it great...most of the screenshots I took are of him. Honestly all of his dialogue is very quotable, especially since so many of the jokes they give him are thinly veiled adult humour

also the B plot with chicken was certainly something (and makes me think the writers were thinking about the end of the hidden world while writing it?)

ok so the beginning of the episode was already tugging at my heartstrings. I love seeing Dagur and Heather's sibling relationship, whether hey're arguing or getting along.

Well that's deeply upsetting! and the fact that he said "most of his life" makes me wonder how much of the confidence Dagur displayed as a teenager was a cover for whatever he was dealing with internally.

The part where Dagur hugs Heather and she looks happy but almost surprised was very bittersweet. It seems like she's still getting used to having a family, and affection catches her off guard.

Excuse me while I go cry

Call me deranged but I think Dagur slamming Snotlout against a cage was hot

As always, Hiccup is adorable. Literally looks like a cat

This is funny but also very upsetting! Snotlout and Dagur really make a habit of using humourous line delivery to cope with being deeply unwell:

*clears throat* uh yeah Dagur, I'm sure you do love a good "fruit bath," from time to time if you know what I mean...

Come on, the writers, animators and voice actor HAVE to have known that line came across as suggestive. Like the way he sounds? His facial expression? They may not have intended it to specifically imply he was talking about getting in a sauna with some twinks, but it certainly sounded like something sensual was going on.

Also I didn't get a shot of this but when Dagur starts listing adjectives to describe Heather's reckless behaviour, Hiccup says "Sentinel" while looking at Oswald's journal. Dagur says something like "that's not quite the word I'd use," which makes me think Dagur was going to call her a not so PG word...

Snotlout staring directly at the camera while narrating Tuffnut's emotional breakdown in the style of a pun-loving mystery novelist:

What an asshole (I love him). there's something really funny about Tuff leaning against the tree with a hand on his hip. Poor guy. Astrid and Stormfly were clearly less amused than I was.

Ok let's talk about Hiccup motivating Dagur to open the door to Oswald's shelter. My little Dagcup heart was really soaring here. And look at the lighting!

LOOK AT HIM! LOOK AT HIS FACE!

Oooohh man, Dagur expressing guilt about his past and Hiccup trying to help him through it also really got to me.

Dagur: I was a villain!

Hiccup: No, you were a kid

Me: *crying*

Because yeah, Dagur in Riders of Berk/Defenders of Berk did horrible things, but he was also enabled by all the adults in his life who could have stepped up after Oswald left. I've already written (both in posts and in one of my Dagcup fics) about how being thrown into a dungeon as a kid only made Dagur a worse person (no one in the show talks about the scars on his face that weren't there before...). And There is clearly an opportunity for restorative justice when it comes to characters like Alvin and Eret that wasn't extended to Dagur despite the fact that they had already overpowered him and could have at least given him a choice between punishment and trying to make up for his actions. Anyway...let me not rant about that anymore.

Ok what's next...oh yeah! Astrid doing this:

Hilarious.

Um...ok so...I needed to screenshot this for uh...reasons. It's the um...the composition and the...the lighting and...yeah. All that stuff.

THE DRAWING OSWALD DID OF DAGUR AND HEATHER AS KIDS

oooooohhh my heart!

Look. At. My. Boy. He looks so happy and at peace after reading his father's letter.

Ok so again...the writers making very interesting decisions for Dagur's lines.

Dagur being funny and a little concerning again

I liked the colour scheme for this Gronckle

More Dagur appreciation.

Before the episode where Fishlegs helps Dagur fly Shattermaster, I would have assumed Dagur would make fun of Fishlegs for being a nerd -- but instead he appreciates it. I think their friendship is super adorable, and I wish we got to see more of it.

Fishie! He calls him Fishie! (I ship them a little sometimes tbh) I can see Dagur having a thing for nerds.

hehehe

and uh, let's close off with hiccup being hot and windswept

[spencereid-reads]

the language of you | s. reid

wc: 2.1k // warnings: english isn't my first language! an extreme amount of italics, meet-cute, love at first poem sight kinda thing. poems that i found on either google or pinterest. a few swear words, maybe? // a/n: my first time writing for reid and cm in general. i'm in the middle of season 9 and idk where this idea came from. also i don't know anything about poetry, the last quote is as far as my knowledge goes. if you think you know me from my other writing blog no you don't<3but ily also idk if i'll keep writing, i just wanted to post it bc of world poetry day, i think it's a nice coincidence.

i use she/her pronouns//fem!reader in almost all of my fics!

the cold hallways of the university building aren't as big and intimidating as he remembered. and this time, they welcomed him with open arms. he was just a kid when he first set foot here, and now here he was, being invited by a member of his team to teach the young minds of college kids.

spencer reid had never been a great public speaker, sure, he had the qualities of one, but he was also known to ramble on and on about a specific subject if he was interested enough in it, most likely overwhelming and quite often scaring the class attendees.

he followed dr. blake through the crowded halls, she'd invited him along to one of her lectures, she needed someone with vast knowledge about, -well, everything-, and a quick mind, and he was the perfect addition to her classes.

it was weird, being on the other side of the lecture hall, with dozens of eyes set on him as he spoke, he wasn't nervous per se, more... aware of the situation. but luckily the students were focused, paid attention and asked good questions. he considered that a win in his book. without noticing, the 90 minute class was over, and he approached blake after gathering his things and crossing his signature leather bag over his shoulder.

"ready to head back?" he asked.

"not quite, there's a friend of mine giving a lecture next door, it's her first class, actually. thought we'd stop by for a bit, wish her good luck." she said, sliding her black blazer back on.

"sure, what's it about?"

"you'll see. i think you'll enjoy it." she gave him a sly smile, making her way up the steps, he stood there for a second, wondering what the subject might be. there were a lot of things that he enjoyed, physics, math, science.

spencer caught up to her just as she opened the door to the other lecture hall, sliding in behind alex as his eyes adjusted to the change of lighting. compared to the room they'd just left, this felt nothing like a classroom. it felt more like a theater.

the lights were off, the room being lit up by fake candles lining both sets of steps on each side of the room, and he noticed real candles on the front stage, the flames dancing with the subtle change of pressure as a girl, maybe as young as he was, walked on stage. a book in her hand, but she didn't need it, whatever she was saying was from memory, the worlds flowing effortlessly out her mouth.

he stood frozen in his spot, it took him two seconds to recognize and figure out what was going on.

"lines fall on the soul like dew on the grass. what does it matter that i couldn’t keep her. the night is fractured and she is not with me." she recited, eyes closed as she stopped walking, even from his spot at the top of the steps he could see her facial expression, a frown on her face as her eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed as if she was the one feeling the pain the author was describing.

neruda. poetry.

spencer had never been the biggest fan of poetry, but maybe he just hadn't found the right person to teach him about it.

what an incredulous thought, someone teaching a subject to genius spencer reid? but he couldn't help but be drawn to the soft voice that spoke with love, sorrow and rhythm.

"my voice tried to find the breeze to reach her. another’s kisses on her, like my kisses. her voice, her bright body, infinite eyes."

she was savoring each word in her tongue, and spencer's ears perked up at every sound that left her mouth.

"wonder boy, come on," alex's whisper brought him out of his thoughts, as he followed her down the candlelit steps to one of the first rows.

how he wished he could've stayed up there, hidden within the shadows, since he couldn't take two steps without his eyes having to find the young lecturer again, slowing down his legs.

but from down there he noticed the way the candles lit her face, casting a soft golden glow, and now he found himself thanking the small flames scattered around the stage.

she threw the two fbi agents a look, a knowing gleam in her eye as she recognized the female doctor. it was fleeting, she didn’t let the interaction distract her from the verses and the words slipping from her lips.

“loving is so short, forgetting is so long,” she breathed the words, barely audible as she felt every syllable in every bone of her body.

as she finished the poem, deafening silence fell upon the room, and spencer realized how quiet the room had been since he arrived, yet her soft voice seemed to fill it effortlessly.

“has anyone here ever felt emotions as strong as the ones depicted in the poem? joy, sadness, anger?” she asked, somehow leaving aside the ‘character’ she’d slipped into as she recited the words written by neruda. “love? has anyone ever experienced this… deep, unshakeable need to absolutely possess someone? to keep them all for your own, locked in a room to look, touch, admire as much as you wish?” she continued, eyes scanning the room, and spencer’s breathing hitched when she placed her eyes on him. “i know how it sounds like, but- poetry and language, is quite possibly the best way to express those intense feelings.”

“what about sex?” a voice from the crowd asked.

“that’s a great way too,” she nodded, laughing along with the class, “but have you ever stood in front of a girl, a boy, a person you truly feel like you’d die for, and told them exactly that? how just the touch of their hand holding someone else’s would rip your soul out of your body, or how you’d swim oceans just to get to hear their laugh one last time? i don’t know about you, but i feel like that’s a hundred times better than sex.” she continued, walking from one side of the stage to the other, using her hands and changing the tone in her voice to emphasize what she wanted to say. “i promise you that by the end of this semester you’ll be able to put all of that into your own words. read, everyone. please, read and do your research, and i promise you that you’ll get your chance to be neruda, dickinson. anybody can be a poet. poetry is about feelings, thoughts, the things that keep you up at night, and being able to put all of that into words. read, even if you don’t understand what they’re saying, but think about what they want to say. i know it’s our first class but i’ll leave you some work for friday. just pick a poem, learn it and present it here, i want to see what we’re working with. that’s it for today, thank you.” she vowed her head like an actor who’d just finished a play, walking around the stage as she blew the candles off.

“come on, let’s go say hi,” alex stood up, prompting spencer to do the same, and he had to swallow the feelings inside of him. his mind repeating every word the girl onstage had just said. he knew the importance of poetry, he had a few favorite poets, and he knew about all the hard technical work that was behind writing a good poem, but he’d never taken the time to think about the personal aspect of the work.

“dr. blake, great to see you here,” she greeted the older woman, who embraced her in a hug.

“you too. you were great there, no one would’ve thought it was your first time teaching,”

“well, what can i say, i learned everything from you.”

“please, our fields are as far apart as they could be. it’s all thanks to that big brain of yours. which, speaking of, meet dr. spencer reid, we work together.” alex stepped aside, revealing a tall man, hands fidgeting with his leather bag and long strands of hair covering his forehead. alex always had a soft spot for spencer, the young genius reminded her of herself, once upon a time.

“pleasure to meet you, dr. reid,” the young girl smiled at him, offering her hand.

“likewise,” he said, taking her hand in his. alex’s eyebrows raised, she’d been expecting a speech about germs and pathogens but got none.

“so, what’d you think? was it too much? think i scared the kids?”

“today’s youth doesn’t take things too seriously, they prefer one night stands and lack of commitment.” spencer explained.

“think i’m reaching for the stars for trying to get them to channel their emotions and actually feel them?” the young professor asked him, a smile on her face told him that she’d already thought about that.

“not necessarily, studies have proven that people who can feel and acknowledge their emotions are happier, live longer and have better relationships with themselves and others. also, they have more confidence in themselves and can make lasting relationships, but physical and emotional.” he continued, and this time dr. blake spoke.

“so if you do your job right you’ll get lots of people laid,”

“ah, if only i could make that work for me,” she replied, heat creeping onto her cheeks as she looked down. her words made spencer stop breathing.

“i’m sure someone with your wits and… well, you could get anyone you want,” the words slipped out before he could control them.

“sounds easier said than done, but i’ve decided to devote my life to my work and books, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone coming anytime soon to change that. i’m alright with that, life is more than that.” she shrugged her shoulder.

“not enjoyment, and not sorrow, is our destined end or way; but to act, that each tomorrow find us farther than today.” spencer recalled from memory.

“you speak my language, doctor,” the young professor breathed. and the older woman took the opportunity to interfere.

“like i said, genius. you two should talk, he’s got a very interesting brain that i’m sure you’d love to pick,” she reached toward her friend, wrapping her in a quick hug, “i’ll meet you out there, reid, i have a few things to do.” with that she walked out of the lecture hall, leaving the two young brilliant minds together.

“sorry about her, she’s been trying to set me up with someone since we met. i was her t.a back when i was a grad student.”

“you worked with her?” spencer asked, internally rolling his eyes at himself, she’d obviously just stated that.

“yup. i know, how could someone go from linguistics applied in criminology to poetry? it’s a big leap, but… she’s helped me more than anyone in my entire career.” she spoke with fondness in her voice. “anyway, she was right. i would love to pick that brain of yours.” she said, “sorry, that sounded weird, but-”

“no, no, it’s- fine. i- i’d like to talk to you, more, as well.”

“it’s a date, then.” she smiled, even wider when she noticed the slight blush creeping on his cheeks,

“if only i could recollect it, such a day of days. i let it come and go as traceless as a thaw of bygone snow; it seemed to mean so little, meant so much-” spencer started, the words taking over his mind and mouth before he could even think about it.

“if only now i could recall that touch, first touch of a hand in hand- did one but know,” she finished for him.

“i-i,” he started, surprising himself by the way he stuttered. “i don't speak your language, not like you do, not yet. i'm not a poet. but… i want to learn… i want to.”

she breathed out, all the air leaving her lungs, his wild eyes scanned all over her face, not profiling. but learning, taking in her cues, and a pressure left his shoulders when she saw her lips twitching, breaking for a smile.

“i may be the writer, but you'll always be the words.” she took a step toward him, his eyes settling for her own, it helped him calm down. “it's like i said, anybody can be a poet.”

“i-i’ll see you friday?” he said.

“friday?” she raised her eyebrows.

“yeah, you-you said you had to see what you're working with?”

“i do.” she nodded, a playful gleam in her eyes, “i guess i’ll see you friday. we can get coffee, before coming here.” she suggested.

“is that special treatment, professor?” one more time, he surprised himself by the way he spoke to her, like it was the most natural thing to do. we wished it never stopped, he wanted to hear her amused laugh again.

“maybe.” she bit her lip as she laughed.

****

“this could be the start of something new, and it feels so right to be here with you.”

-high school musical

[oneatlatime]

Appa's Lost Days

Dare I hope?

You know, if ten year old me had turned on my TV to watch my weekly dose of Avatar and been greeted with a nearly two minute long uninterrupted sequence of a frightened and distressed animal being mistreated, that TV would have turned right back off again.

I don't buy that a ten tonne bison who has the leverage of his own weight as well as his airbending abilities would succumb to so few people.

Name one other character that Avatar has presented as so thoroughly without any redeeming characteristics. Even Zhao was at least kind of funny. Everything about the chucklehead on the left is rotten to the core. "What's your dad going to do when he finds out we broke his stuff while doing crime?" "Nothing. It's not his stuff; it's previous crime."

I thought beetle-headed was a commentary on their intelligence, but it's actually a description.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I should have waited to get my hopes up until I came to an episode called Appa's Found Days. Is this whole thing going to be a series of near misses with the Gaang?

You know, if I had a nickel for every time an animal companion on this show has been threatened with a trip to the butcher's, I'd have two nickels. In the space of two episodes.

This is not fun to watch guys.

Not if I break you first asshole.

The way this Nurse Ratched type circus guy says "earn it" is chilling.

Of course the Fire Nation would find a way to turn bending into animal abuse. Of course.

a) that cage is way too small b) who knew cabbage suction could be so cute?

Completely unsubtle parallel with the boy here, right down to the complete disregard they show to the threats thrown their way.

Stubborn and wilful are not adjectives I would use to describe Appa this episode, or ever.

Wind buffalo. Wind Buffalo. Really? Was Fart Cow taken?

That's a very relatable facial expression.

That makeup and costume is awful.

Now that's satisfying.

Is the Fire Nation kid voiced by Aang's voice actor?

Nevermind. THAT'S satisfying.

I was right - this episode is Appa always being a step behind the Gaang.

Baby Appas! This almost makes this episode worth it!

It's funny how a single feature can contribute so much to a character's design. Arrowless Aang is just some kid. Let me rephrase that, since such a big part of Aang's character is the fact that he's just some goofy kid. Arrowless Aang is indistinguishable from other kids for the first time this series, because every other time we've seen him on screen he's either the only child airbender with his arrows, or the only airbender left.

Lady monks. Nuns? I don't think I've seen those before.

Appa and Aang share a dreamscape? That could be useful.

There's dumb, there's really dumb, and then there's 'wake a completely asleep and therefore harmless unknown creature with threats of violence' dumb.

Close call for Iroh. Do you think he's suspected that Appa (and presumably the Avatar) haven been in Ba Sing Se this whole time?

Bipedal Appa is strange. A very effective fighter, but strange to look at.

I'm amazed that giant boar thing walked away from that.

And now they're hitting me with an 'Appa's given Up' montage. Someone who works on this show hates me.

*Heroically refrains from ranting about the impracticality of using white fabric for an active warrior's glove.*

"This could be our most important mission yet." Foreshadowing?

Did Suki and Appa actually meet at any point in the Warriors of Kyoshi episode?

Turns out 'Aang' is a magic word.

Appa kisses!

Appa is apparently legally banned from having anything good for more than five minutes. Although it's good writing that they're using a previously established weakness - Appa's shedding - to bring the danger ladies back in.

I guess they have Azula drop the line about her brother to remind the audience of who she is, but surely Suki's like "Who are you? Who's your brother? Why should I care?"

Azula going after the Kyoshi warriors is completely unnecessary right? The Avatar isn't there. Neither are Zuko and Iroh. It doesn't even net her Appa. She's just looking for someone to beat up.

WOW this is bad writing. Like really bad. My Immortal levels of bad.

Would it be too much to ask for the Kyoshi warriors to do even slightly ok against the Azula ladies? Couldn't they at least get a couple of hits in?

Kudos to Suki for essentially sacrificing herself and her warriors to save Appa. 'Most important mission yet' was a bit on the nose.

Out of options, Appa goes home. Ouch.

Someone explain this to me. Air Bison teething ring?

My what a human sounding cough you have buddy.

This is why you don't use Air Bison as guard dogs.

I like what this Guru is saying. Fear displacing trust but not love feels more accurate than how I usually see the consequences of trauma discussed.

The music playing throughout this sequence fits so well. I think it's some sort of metal thing you hit - I want to say a variation on tubular bells, and maybe something Glockenspiel adjacent? It's unlike anything I've heard in this show before and it fits so well that I'm nerding out a bit.

Disney princess Guru. Aang has Disney princess moments too. Maybe it's an Air Nomad thing?

No wonder the monks built a temple here. Even destroyed, it's gorgeous.

And Appa decides to trust again. I love it when an animal visibly comes to a decision about your trustworthiness.

This energy reading stuff makes sense given that Aang and Appa already share a dreamscape.

He IS a great beast. The best!

OH COME ON

Someone whip up a wanted poster for Long Feng: Cattle Rustler. It had also never occurred to me that he was an earthbender.

That flip move with the earthbending platform must have caused Appa to land on his back. I bet that hurt.

One of the times I am very grateful that the closing credits music is so upbeat.

Final Thoughts

@aboutiroh I see why you recommended I save my chocolate for this episode.

The Tale of Momo was really just a preparatory taste of things to come, huh? Almost a microcosm of this episode.

This is the first episode where I had to take breaks while watching. Especially the circus sequence, I think I got up twice to do things like get a cup of tea and stare randomly out windows at squirrels. I didn't even have to do that with Zuko Alone, despite freaking out a lot about it, because at least that episode took breaks from the child abuse to check in with Aang being miserable. This episode was unrelenting.

If I had seen this episode when I was the age of the target audience, this may well have turned me off the show for good. If my Mom had seen this episode, I would have been banned from watching the show entirely. Not a decision I'd agree with, but my Mom is the type of person who banned her kids from watching Bambi.

To watch through all of that unrelenting animal (at best) unhappiness, and still not get Appa back at the end of the episode? That's a bit much. It's not often that this show ends its episodes without at least a little bit of something positive.

Once again, the music did a lot of heavy lifting this episode. The animal noises weren't quite as emotive as the ones in Momo's Tale, but Appa's face is more expressive, and more was shown through his expression than through Momo's, so I feel like this episode had just as much non-verbal animal communication as Momo's Tale.

I think I'm renaming season 2 "the Suki redemption arc." I really didn't like the Warriors of Kyoshi episode, and I didn't like what her character did in that episode. But every time Suki appears in season 2? She absolutely nails it.

The show since losing Appa has taken to wallowing. Even with bright spots like the poetry bouncer, the overall tone since Appa's appanapping has been ever more dark. If this keeps up for many more episodes, it will no longer be fun to watch.

Somehow I don't think this one is going on my rewatch list.

[integra1127grimmreaper]

Could Sure Use Your Company (Joel Miller)

Joel Miller Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Summary: As Joel attempts to settle into Jackson something completely unexpected happens; he meets you. Inspired by Pam Tillis' - In Between Dances.

"See ya finally decided to come out an socialize" Tommy greets Joel at the entrance to the Tipsy Bison with a hard pat on the back.

"Well, ya been buggin' me for the past two weeks, not like I had much a choice" Joel mutters under his breath as they make their way to the bar.

"Ya needed this, so stop complainin'..." Tommy scowls, standing behind the bar as he poured them both a drink.

"After what Ellie and ya went through... it's time to destress."

"We'll be fine" Joel grumbles against the rim of the whisky glass.

"Ellie's beginnin' to fall in with the lifestyle, but ya still about; 'waiting on the other shoe to drop'..." Tommy responds.

"Ya need to relax, Joel. Sit back, have a few rounds an enjoy the nice Friday evenin'."

Stepping away; Tommy left Joel to his own device, to tend to the other patrons at the bar. The bar was surprisingly busy; couples slow dancing in the centre of the room to the sounds of a fiddle being flawlessly played by an older gentle sat on a small stage against the sidewall.

Silently savoring his drink whilst watching Tommy work behind the bar, Joel's eyes flutter shut as the fiddler begins to play a familiar song. The sense of tranquility soon vanishes when a feminine voice begins singing the words that accompany it.

*

There's room at my table, why don't you pull up a seat? The music's inviting but I'm staying off of my feet The floor's getting crowded, but I don't wanna take part I bet you can guess it's got something to do with my heart

Turning around as if hypnotized by the voice, Joel finds himself staring at what could only be described as a pure vision. The woman was beautiful, almost angel like. The entire scene felt like from a movie as Joel watched her through the crowd of dancing couples; eyes shut tightly as she poured her soul into the song.

*

I could sure use your company now But don't be mistaking my smile I'm only in between dances Sitting it out for a while

The partners are chosen, look at them waltzing away The tempo gets slower, closer and closer they sway

I've had my moments when I could get lost in the sound But when the song ended the one in my arms let me down

Joel was entranced as he continued to watch her, he hadn't heard a voice as beautiful and soulful as hers in a long time. It made his fingers ich in yearning for his old guitar, for the opportunity to string the chords in synchronize with that perfect voice. Not only that, but to be able to get to know the person attached to the voice as well.

Joel's breath catches in his throat suddenly when the most magically moment happens then; her eyes gently flutter open and make direct contact with his own, a soft smile crossing her lips as she continues. *

Have you been in my shoes? I search your eyes for signs Will you remain, remember my name After closing time

I'm only in between dances Sitting it out for a while...

The song ends as everyone stops to give cheer as she giggles while bowing.

"See ya taken a liking to our residential songstress..." Tommy remarks, snapping Joel from his daze.

"Huh? What?"

"Y/N..." Tommy answers with a head tilt.

"She's the music teacher. Likes to entertain 'em once every weekend, when she's not working behind the bar that is."

"Uh... got a nice voice" Joel mutters after clearing his voice.

"That she does" Tommy responds with a knowing smirk.

"Sure that ain't all ya noticed."

"Don't know what ya mean" Joel frowns, throwing back the rest of his drink in one gulp.

"Ya forget I'm ya brother. I know that look..."

"What look?" Joel scoffs, his facial expression turning anxious when you suddenly appear next to Tommy behind the bar.

"Great work as always, Songbird..." Tommy remarks, pulling you into his side for a hug.

"Thanks" you lightly slap his chest with a soft chuckle and that's when you notice the older man seated in front of you.

 "Hi..." you smile at the man that looked similar to Tommy.

Joel, at lost for words; stared open-mouthed at you until Tommy saves him.

"This is my brother, Joel. Joel, this is Y/N..."

"Pleased to meet you" you reach out a hand in greeting.

Snapping himself out of his stupider; Joel hastily grips your hand, making an even stupider move.

"Please to me you too... Names, Joels."

"I know..." you smirk in response as Tommy softly snickers beside you.

Joel shuts his eyes, letting out a pained groan, "he said that already."

"Yup" you place the other hand over one the one that was holding yours, gently patting it.

"Don't worry about it. Ya good."

Slowly cracking his eyes open, Joel was met with most genuine smile he had received in ages.

"Say, Joel was just busy complimenting ya singing before this..." Tommy interrupts the moment then.

"Thank you" you blush in response.

"Ol' Charlie's good on the fiddle but it could really have used the backup of a base guitar."

"Joel plays base!" Tommy eagerly volunteers.

"Seriously...?!" you stare at Joel in fascination.

"Ahem... used to play, ya mean" Joel splutters out, silently staring daggers at Tommy.

"That's too bad..." your shoulders sadly drop.

"Would've been a great if you could demonstrate a bit for the kids. Charlie's already shown 'em how the fiddle works, and I teach them on the piano, just never been good with the guitar."

Feeling like an asshole for making your smile disappear, Joel attempts to soothe you.

"Ain't got my guitar no more, that why."

Your eyes suddenly spark up then, "so, you're saying; if you had one you would?"

Joel breaks out in a nervous sweat as he looked deep into your hopeful eyes. Not wanting to see the sad look of disappointment in them again; he caves.

"I might."

"Great! I'll see if I can get one!" you perk up in excitement.

"Let me get ya another drink" you offer, spinning around to grab the whisky.

What you didn't see during that moment; was Tommy bouncing his eyebrows suggestively at his brother, while Joel silently flipped him the bird in response.

"Great..." Joel mutters out, rubbing at his brow with a heavy sigh.

"Here ya go..." you place the drink in front of Joel with a broad smile.

"Thanks" he flashes you a shy dimpled smile in response. Lifting the glass to his lips, Joel's eyes fall onto your ass when you walk away to tend to someone else.

"Lord... help me..." he mutters into the glass, knocking it back in one go.

Part 2

[yulin-pop]

⤷ ✧ Jamil Viper with a crush

Gender neutral

- order 51 | Headcanons | Jamil

⇥ Azul Ashengrotto • Kalim Al Asim ⇤

I’d say he’s pretty self aware. He thought you were just weird at first. You’re the only one that’s ever gave him this type of feeling.

He couldn’t describe it but it wasn’t bad. But because it was so foreign, he thought it was weird. He has a little understanding of love. He’s always had other priorities after all.

He probably has a sad definition of love like “Love changes people, in a good way or a bad way. It depends on the person it is.”

Okay but, he wants all your attention. He won’t do anything bold but he will be noticeably more charming and smart around you.

Probably a bit more humorous and just trying to get your attention. If anybody interrupts, he’ll either just back away for the time being or glare at them.

Maybe if he was really desperate he would use Snake Whisper and tell them to go away. But yeah.

But if it was Kalim out of all people, he’s gonna go insane.

“Kalim, we need to get going now.”

“Wait, Jamil! Get going to where?! Don’t tug me so hard—“

He’d rather leave than watch you two interact. With the context of chapter 4, it’s understandable. Kalim has some charm of his own so he’s careful.

Maybe eventually the topic of crushes would come along and Jamil would be put in the spot.

“Ah, nobody in particular has caught my eye.”

Though his body language and his facial expression says it all. Nobody calls him out on it but I’d say it’s pretty obvious.

He’s slightly flirty, he says a bunch of things that could be left up for debate.

If you compliment him on anything, he’s gonna melt. Scarabia heat doesn’t have him sweating as much as when you call him talented.

He puts his hood up despite sweating so much to hide his obvious joy from being praised by you.

He has a very wild imagination. He might be casually talking to you and get some thoughts in his head telling him to make a move.

Kiss them.

Why am I thinking this…?

Maybe sometimes he gives in and asks if you wanna hang out. But that’s normal friend stuff, for the most part.

He might not know how to please you. So he pats your head. It’s a pretty friendly gesture and most people do it. But when the tables turn— he’s just huh.

He doesn’t understand why he loves it so much when you do something like that. It’s always completely unexpected.

Love is a complicated thing. But not as confusing as he thought it would be.

[burgerrat]

Alright so... let's talk about this scene

(Fair warning I will be talking a lot under the thread cut and might touch on some sensitive topics. TW for s/icide mentions)

Oh boy where do I even start- this entire rainstorm scene is charged with emotions man. The music, the ambiance, the facial expression of each actor, their body language. Everything right down to the bone is terrific. It almost completely drags you into the mind of the characters, mainly- Winslow and Swan.

I don't need to say much but the entire scene is practically Swan purposefully hurting Winslow further and taking great enjoyment in watching him suffer. PLUS TRAGIC IRONY how the song 'Old Souls' Phoenix sang a moment earlier brought joy to Winslow and a smile on his face as he watched her perform, and now that same song is being used to passive-aggressively make a mockery of him as Swan gets intimate with Phoenix.

I cannot BEGIN to tell you how these facial expressions made me feel:

At first when he initially positions himself on the glass, he looks almost like he's in disbelief of what he's seeing. Like he's shocked to see Phoenix willingly getting intimate with Swan. There's also something I can only describe as a feeling of yearning in his look? It's quite obvious that he wants to be there instead.

He cares for Phoenix- tried to warn her and is completely aware that Swan is just using her. Especially after being sealed into his own room and seeing Beef perform his music instead of her. He knows Swan doesn't give a shit about him or what he wants. He made the mistake of reluctantly trusting this snake once again, only to be tricked again. Now potentially putting in danger an innocent lady he cared for that just wanted to sing.

I know a picture is not the same as watching the scene in motion- but here in this part you can that, no pun intended, how he looks and his body language seem as if he just got stabbed through the heart, long before actually doing it himself.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, theys and thems, is where I broke down:

It's amazing how much a mostly-masked face with only one eye visible can convey so much emotion. You can even see in the first picture Winslow's lightly biting his lip as if trying to hold in his tears.

It's hard to pin-point it in the scene because it's raining, but if you pay attention to the shine in his eye, you can conclude that he does begin to cry. Tries holding it in for a short moment, but it's too much to bottle up.

Intentional or not, the amount of details and the little things all spread around in this scene leave me beyond speechless. It's so like... raw and beautiful.

In this one moment, I feel that all the rage, indignantion and desperation to be recognized for his work leave Winslow for a second- and all that's left is his pain and regret. Because of the realization that Swan, his supposite work partner, lied to him again and he got played again; because Swan never intended to credit his work or respect his wishes, now going a step further and humiliating him (Winslow probably being fully self-aware Swan knows he's watching them since he's facing up to the glass, and he himself never tries to hide or make his presence unknown) by making love to Phoenix, his voice; because of how unaware Phoenix is to who she's dealing with and him possibly having doomed her by allowing Swan to hire her.

And despite how much he may want to undo it and help her see Swan for who he really is, he can't. After all, Swan is the respected owner of the Paradise that has granted her to become a rockstar; he's just the masked 'freak' with a stained reputation that is now only known for murdering Beef and the Juicy Fruits, he's not exactly the one people would want to side with immediately.

He can't do anything but watch.

I feel it's this sense of powerlessness and dehumanization that drive him to give up entirely and committing suicide soon after.

[short-black-diamond]

I'm the queen in this life.

(@ajsihc requested: please write about “I’m the queen on this life” where the reader suddenly finds herself in the novel. It could be sth like her encountering Alfonso and talking to him (him immediately liking her because she is sweet and doesn’t know who he is) and then encountering Cesar in a bar with his friends.  He immediately likes her after she puts isabella (who was being a bitch and openly flirting with him) puts her into place? Sth like that. Love triangle)

---

It was a rather sunny day. But too quiet. Where were you?

"Lady ____, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!", a maiden spoke, and some of her red locks framed her freckled face.

'Sancha?'

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I must've forgotten about the time for a moment!", you quickly spoke. Wasn't this Ariadne's residence? what were you doing here?

"Uh, where's lady De Mare?"

"You mean Isabella?"

"What? No, Ariadne!"

"I am sorry, but I do not know of a "Ariadne". Are you alright, miss ____?"

'How...?

Wait- does that mean-'

did you take her place? How?

Oh. Now you remembered.

Somebody murdered you and now you're here...

"Sancha, can we look up a bar? I need a drink right now.."

"A-a bar? But why all of a sudden-? It's not usual for a highranking-"

"Sancha. I need a drink. Now. And we can wear casual clothes."

'And I need time to think through all of this...!'

"So, this is the dress you can wear, put in your arms like this!", your favourite character said as she quickly made her way over to you with an easy looking dress.

"Uhm, let me do it on my own. You put on something else too."

Sancha looked at you with a facial expression which could be described as betrayal, hurt, and confusion. "...are- are you sure? It is not that easy to put on-"

"Sancha. if you move into a different setting of clothes in the same time as me, we can go there faster. Now go."

'I shouldn't be so hard to her...', you thought as you watched her leave with hanging shoulders and head low.

...

"Welcome to the Inn, young maidens! What can I get'ya!?", a middle aged man called to you and Sancha. She looked around with an uneasy expression. "Give me the strongest drink you have and for my friend a sweet beverage."

"Haha! Are you sure?! My strongest drink might not be for everyone!", the man yelled and you yelled right back. "I can take it! Now deliver it!" "Aye, Ma'am!", and the man yelled and laughed.

You kinda liked that guy. "B-but my lady-"

"I can take it." "You never even drank such a beverage, milady!"

"Sancha, when did I take you to my house?"

"a-a few months ago." "That's right. Don't worry about me."

'I hope that I can hold my alcohol in here too...'

"____? What are you doing here?", a voice asked which you could only describe as nerve-killing. Isabella.

"I'm grabbing a drink. And you?" "Of course you'd be drinking, I am looking for someone worthy of my attention!"

"Don't you have like, a hundred men by your side? How about you take a rest from being such a slut?"

"Wh- what did you just say?!", she yelled, outraged. Her skimpy dress did nothing to hide her small body or big cleavage. if only she had real tits instead of using pads.

Yours accentuated your nice figure sweetly. and you honestly looked way better than her. The people around you guys were gasping, gossiping and laughing.

"Oh yeah, and now you must be flirting with that bedhead over there too. Don't you have any shame?"

And Isabella left angrily.

"My my, if that isn't ____ de Mare. What brings such a fine young maiden into such an average Inn?", a male voice asked. You needed a moment to process what he said. wait, is that-?!

'nooooooooooooooo!'

"And you are?" 'yeah, suck that in bitch, for what you did to my precious Ariadne.', you thought as Cesare gave you a perplexed expression.

"I-I am count Cesare, and-" "So what brings you here then? Also drinking something in an average Inn?"

'Haha, he's seething now- wait, why is he smirking?'

"Hm, I've never met such a funny lady such as yourself, milady. But really, what brings you here?"

"A drink." "Nothing more? Not even a fine young man such as me?"

"A bar would be the last place I'd look for a man in.", you deadpanned and Sancha allowed herself to snicker at your remark. Cesare looked desperate now.

"Here's your drink, Ma'am!", your precious brewer yelled as he slammed the big beverage on the poor wooden table which croaked in pain at the impact.

'was this guy a knight or an Orc in his earlier life-' "No way, you ordered the same drink as me? You know that it's the strongest drink they have, right?", Cesare's voice called you out of your thoughts and you nodded absent-mindedly. the redhead thought that you'd be having second thoughts, so of course, he challenged you.

"Let's have a friendly competition, ____. If I win, you'll have to pay for my drink as well, plus, you'll have to do me a favor. And if you win, I'll pay and do you a favour."

'keeping the money sounds like a good idea and I don't even know how strong it really is. Also, I have been drinking alcohol the whole time I was in my previous life. It can't be that bad.'

"Alright, bet." And it wasn't even bad. The drink was soothingly going down your throat and you felt relaxed rather than drunk. It honestly felt more like drinking tea than alcohol.

The Inn keeper stared at you in shock as you emptied the glass, Sancha frowned in fear and Cesare didn't even get to have his third gulp before he got red from the strength of the beverage.

You pitied him. "Let me pay. You're too drunk." "nooo, I'mmarigh!"

'Jeez, he certainly can't hold his liquor.'

cesare had the dignity to pay though, and he then asked you about the favor. "I'll think about it, but you go home now. We don't want you passing out on the floor now, do we?"

Cesare stared at you with half lidded eyes. he also frowned. "What's wrong?"

"How'an you dring somin as that with such ease? Are you a frewuend visi'er?" "Uh, yeah?"

'Can he stop speaking gibberish?'

"and how are you sooooo pretty?"

"I dunno. Now g-go home.", 'Am I embarrassed because he called me pretty?'

"ca'we see ea'other againnnnn?"

"Yes, we can see each other again, now go.", and you paid two men a generous amount to bring the count back home safely.

"I love how you handled the situation, milady!" "Please just call me ____, okay?" "Really?" "Yep. Did you also like the drink I ordered for you?"

"It was alright, just a little too sweet! But still, thank you very much!"

"Okay, next time we visit, I'll ask them to tone it down with the sugar."

"Next time? You plan on visiting again?" "Why not? It was nice there, wasn't it?" "You're right, actually!"

"Good, now let's go- oompff-!?", you got interrupted by someone who bumped into you. It was another guy, and this time you actually liked the person.

"Oh, I am so sorry, are you alright, young miss?", the blonde asked and you nodded. "Are you?"

"Yes. And again, I apologize for not paying attention to you!", he exclaimed and you had to internally deadpan at Alfonso too. "It is alright. Really, no need for such formalities."

"Oh, alright. Say, what does a sweet young woman like you do here in the city? Are you new here?", he asked and gave you a small smile.

Your knees were threatening to buckle and you smiled back. 'First I'm pretty, then I'm sweet, is today "complement ____"-day or what?'

"Oh, no. I'm actually lady ____ de Mare, and I am here with my friend, Sancha. We were just out to grab a drink and then go home again."

You were a little dissappointed that you didn't really get drunk or think about how you could actually land here because of Cesare, but oh well. And Alfonso was also really sweet.

"A drink? really? Huh, maybe I could try the same drink and see what you like, madam!"

"Oh, don't do that!", Sancha exclaimed and her eyes widened comically. "Lady ____ had drunk the heaviest beverage there was at the bar and she didn't even get drunk! She also had a bet with count Cesare, who lost and got drunk just after two sips! I recommend you not to drink it!"

"Oh my, that sounds...hilarious. Then I guess I'll have to try it some other time. anyways, there was something I ought to ask you, miss ____; would you like to attend one of my balls? You could come as some form of debut, and there will be many people there."

"Hm...I need to think about it, but I'd like to attend it."

"Sounds great! I'll also send in an invitation to you, of course!", the young royal cheered and you then spoke your farewells.

'Jeez, when I'm taking a drink, a lot happens...!' "Sancha, wanna take a walk maybe?" "Of course, La- I mean, ____!"

"We'll work on that."

...

You were in your chamber now. 'This must've been Ariadnes's room...I feel like I'm not avenging her and her past...even though Cesare has been nice to me today-albeit in his own way-I can't forget on how he treated her. But maybe he only got that bad after he fell in love with Isabella? I'll have to see for my own. And Alfonso is just as much the sweetheart as he was in the novel.

I just hope that I can change Isabella for the better and give Sancha a good life as well, and let's not forget Arabella, this poor little girl.

Yeah, I'll teach 'em on how to be good people and have a good life!'

And with that, you fell asleep with a smile, already awaiting the next day and what wonders it might bring.

---

BRO, no. nah, I'm sorry but I don't like how it turned out. I dunno, I never like any of my posts but it is like that...

anyways, I hope it was okay.

Read you in the next post!