#youre reading my last braincell and its last breath i have nothing left after listening to that interview

[bluewinnerangel]

just wondering - do you also think they're working on communication lately? i've been thinking about this because of the songs on harry's house? the implications from satellite, late night talking, and daylight give me those vibes. but also i feel like they still struggle, especially since harry recently talked about how bad he is at talking about difficult things.

I personally don't think Harry has communication issues with their SO, if that's what you mean, when listening to all his lyrics about how there's a lack of speaking (and it's not a tiny thing either, there is a heavyass emphasis on it throughout his discography for sure). I think a lot of these mentions refer to how he can't say out loud in public, in interviews, in his music, what's on his mind exactly. How he can't come forward with what happened in 1D times exactly, can't be open about a lot of things. Maybe can't is a too strong word here, maybe not. But I think what's changed is that he's no longer bothered by it the way he was before. That now he feels OK setting his boundaries and dividing his public and personal life, views his situation differently. I'm not saying he's now fine being closeted and under a bigass load of stunt and image bullshit because fuck that, I'm saying he's found some peace among the circus he hasn't before, perhaps. Or at the very least it's not something he focuses on like he did before.

Sure there are lyrics that you, and he, can interpret as being about his personal relationships, I think if his songs didn't have that ability he'd lose something extremely valuable I think he very well knows he has (which is writing songs he loves, singing about things he cares about, real true things close to his heart, the ability to interpret things differently when he want to), I just ..don't think that's the main/initial thought behind these themes. His songs are far from literal, and even when it seems to obviously be about a love interest I think it's just written to fit that concept because it's what most listeners can easily identify with (or its both to him, go for both).

And yeah communication issues in a relationship are there too, we're all flawed and he does seem like a stubborn shit affectionately, but I just don't think that's ever been the driver of this ongoing.. communication theme, if that makes sense.

[guessimwritingficsagain]

To been seen, part Four (Frankie Morales x Reader)

Summary : You get a text. You freak out.

Author’s note : I am very very soft for Frankie.

Also, I have a few days off and I thought I have been really self-indulgent so : the cheese gift really happened to me (best birthday ever, he got me a Mont d'Or because he knew I had planned on eating one with my best friend to celebrate), the Edward Scissorchands movie thing really happened to me, and the "date" with the grandma too. In France, the Opera is often showed in movie theaters. When I was a teenager, I thought it was quite the event, though. So I got invited. Next thing we saw together with that guy was the movie Black Swan and I made sure someone was tagged along.

The holidays came and went in a blur of laughter, hot chocolate was big sweaters. You were happy. And Jessie was happy too. January came, and went, too. Everything was slow. So you watched the movie you’d bought, and a bunch of others too.

February was over before you knew it, and when March warmed up the air, you found yourself, one morning, looking at the screen of your phone like the message would disappear if you blinked. You turned your eyes to the cupboard that contained the empty box of chocolate that sat there, hidden from the sniggering remarks of Linda, and looked back at the screen. The text message was still there. You put the phone down, abruptly, fingers tingling and burning and went to get a glass of water. Your eyes landed on the bottle of wine, still unopened, and you almost spilled your drink. You went back to your phone in a hurry, opened the chat you shared with your friends and sent

Who the fuck gave Francisco fucking Morales my phone number ?????

You waited, breathing hard, hoping anyone would answer. Nothing came, not right away. Phone on the table again, you slumped on the couch, nervous breakdown on its way. You couldn’t do it, there was no way you could do that, you couldn’t, that would kill you, you wouldn’t survive this.

Time floated for a while, up until your phone vibrated and you jumped. You’d been so caught up in your thoughts you hadn’t noticed everyone had answer, Anna, Jessie and Linda with a simple « not me » but James …

James had sent a

Go get some

And an eggplant emoji.

James, then.

Okay.

Okay.

You were fine. You could answer a text. You knew the drill, by now. You knew how to pretend you were not freaking out every time Frankie did something unexpected and kind, like that time he offered you chocolate and a bottle of wine for Christmas. You had coping mechanisms, now, to hide the fact you had a doctorate in yearning.

You’d replayed the Christmas Scene so many times in your head you sometimes thought you made it up, but the reminders were there, in your flat.

You’re replaying it now.

You’re getting out of your car, with ten minutes to spare before work starts. It’s almost six. You spot Frankie’s truck on the parking lot and you’re a bit surprised but mostly delighted, even more so when you see the man himself jogging towards you. It takes you a minute to see he’s holding presents. By the time he gets to you, you’re confused. He smiles a breathy hello before handing you what he’s got in his hands. You stare at the neatly wrapped packages for a bit, like the dumbass you are, unable to put two and two together. Maybe it’s for Clara ?

It must be for Clara.

You take them. Say thank you. And Frankie answers :

« Open them. »

Your braincells must have left the building like God in Supernatural, gone off to do the Macarena dance somewhere very far away because all you can answer is what and you know you sound like a dumbass and you feel like one too.

The lack of reaction is getting to Frankie, you can tell, because he’s rubbing the back of his neck and you feel bad that he’s embarrassed so you say :

« You got me presents ? »

Well, except you don’t really say it. More squeal it. Or shriek it. You’re not sure. It feels like a repeat of that moment a boy you’d liked but never made a move on offered you fucking cheese on your birthday and was all embarrassed about it and you didn’t know what to do or say because his birthday had been a few days before yours and you didn’t get him anything.

You add, for good measure, because why the hell not :

« But I didn’t get you anything. »

Like maybe he’s going to take them back, or maybe the moment is going to rewind except you don’t want it to rewind because Frankie has gifts for you, just for you.

Maybe he got something for Jessie and Anna, too ? You wonder. And Linda. You know he goes there to buy books. Maybe he showed up and got her some stuff. Not books, you hope. Stupid to buy books to a bookseller.

All of this goes through your mind and in the meanwhile Frankie’s waiting and when you finally put your bag down on the hood of your car to carefully open the first present, your body finally moving, you don’t miss the sigh of relief that escapes Frankie. It’s a box of chocolate, a fancy one at that. You recognize the brand. You hold it for a while, before you set it down with your bag and say thank you in a voice that’s way too small. You open the second one, then. Wine. White wine. Wine that you actually love. Your favorite. You wonder how he knows that.

You’re holding the bottle the way he’s holding his breath : tight. You lift your eyes to meet his and you can tell he’s embarrassed and a bit blushing. He rearranges the cap on his head and announces :

« Merry Christmas. »

You say it back, smile so big your cheeks hurt because Frankie got you presents for Christmas. You put the bottle with the rest of your stuff and then, on a whim, you throw yourself at him for a hug. He closes his arms around you, and one hand comes up right between your shoulder-blades, his thumb just here, sitting on the back of your neck, skin against skin and maybe you’re dead and in heaven right now.

You stay like this way too long and at some point you mumble against his shoulder that you really didn’t get him anything.

« It’s fine », he answers as he lets go, hands squeezing your side briefly.

You get into work late.

And now, you got a text. You opened it, read it again.

Maybe you could do this. Maybe you could take it to the next level. After all, you’d became closer to the boys over the last two months. Santi could have sent you that text, right ? That text didn’t have the word date in it. Maybe you were friends now. Frankie’d gotten you Christmas presents, after all.

So you read the words again, and before you could talk yourself out of it, you sent a yeah, sure, I’m in !

Your eyes went over his message once again, just to make sure the words would be burnt into your brain.

Hey, it’s Frankie. I know Friday’s your day off this week. I got two tickets to that new Marvel movie and one with your name on it. You in ?

You could spend two hours in a dark room with Francisco Morales right next to you. No problem. None at all.

———

He’d picked a screening that ended around seven. Your mind supplied just in time for dinner, and you kicked the two remaining braincells you had. You’d decided to drive there separately and were now sitting next to each other, you explaining the Marvel timeline and him listening intently. You were a nerd, but, him, not as much. You didn’t try to think too hard about the fact that he was doing this for you, because he was not as much into comics or movies as you were.

The whole thing was pleasant and relaxed.

This was not a date, you reminded yourself.

You got dinner after that, dissecting the movie as you ate - nothing fancy, but it was nice. The conversation shifted, at some point.

« Yeah, I get what you mean : movies are not the place to make a move. Especially when there’s a hot guy on the screen. I mean, what chance do you get when you’re watching a movie and Oscar Isaac is right there ? » Frankie laughed.

You nodded, getting another sip of your drink, and, as an afterthought, added :

« You know, Santi kinda looks like Oscar Isaac … »

Frankie grunted :

« Never, ever, tell him that. »

You promised you wouldn’t. After that, the two of you told each other stories about your worst dates, and you remembered :

« You know, when I was younger, before I met James, I hung out with a bunch of guys. I was like, fourteen, and they were sort of … beginning to understand I was a girl, you know. There was this guy, a good friend of mine, who actually told this other guy we weren’t going to see a movie. I remember, it was a special screening of Edward Scissorshands. So, my other friend never showed up and the guy told me he couldn’t make it. »

« Let me guess, the other guy told you later he thought you weren’t going ? »

You laughed.

« Yeah, basically. And then this guy I went to see the movie with invited me to a really fancy thing. It was a Wednesday afternoon, I remember. We got lunch. I didn’t pay for anything because he’d invited to come along with him and his grandma. Let me tell you : after that, I made sure to always have someone with us when he invited me somewhere. »

Frankie’s laugh was something you’d never grew tired of, you knew that.

———

Months went on, like that, with you and Frankie hanging out to see movies, and everybody showing up for Benny’s fight when you could (Jessie and you had to keep James updated, those nights, because he’d gone back to Washington after new year’s eve but wanted to know everything). Jessie had started dating a guy, at some point, and you didn’t find him that great but Will hated him.

« When are you gonna make a move ? » You asked, one evening as you were sipping beers with him at his place.

« When she doesn’t have a boyfriend dull as dishwater » He answered without missing a beat.

You knew this was the moment, then. You had two options : say nothing and let things be, or say something and get those idiots together. You thought hard, about the phrasing of your next sentence, and settled with :

« For you, she’d dump him. »

Will froze at that, just for a second, and quipped back :

« I’ll make a move when you make a move on ‘Fish. »

So that conversation was happening. You’d hoped none of the guys had noticed but obviously, at least one of them had. And you knew, by now, that his ex-wife had left him, had left Maria too. You knew he was available. You sputtered a bit and Will, kind Will, let it be. You enjoyed a nice evening with him, not once wondering why he sought you out, because Will and you didn’t hang out.

The answer came a few days later, with a simple text from Frankie.

Come over please

———

« I need you to take care of Maria », Frankie said as he opened the door. He looked really tired, like he hadn’t slept in days.

Please, he added, begging but you didn’t quite understand what he was begging for.

You complied, never stopping to think that this was the first time you saw Maria, never stopping to think about what might be possibly happening, even as Frankie went to his room, muttering apologies. It hit you when you put the girl to bed, and you remembered Frankie and the way he’d been looking at you that day, when he’d asked if they could throw a birthday party for their late friend’s daughter.

It was around that time, last year.

You walked hesitantly towards Frankie’s bedroom and stared at the white paint in it for a while. You were nervous, and actually turned around to smoke a cigarette outside, the air a bit too chilly for you, but cold enough to wake you up and give you the strength to walk to Frankie’s bedroom and knock.

So you did it.

He didn’t answer, but, feeling bold - or rather, feeling like you needed to do it - you opened the door anyway. The room was almost dark, the moonlight giving you an idea that Frankie was curled up, on his side. You put a hand on his shoulder. He put his on top of yours. You chose - you chose - to take it at a silent invitation, lifted the covers, and got, fully dressed, right next to him. Because friends do that.

———

When you woke up, he was staring at you. While your brain tried to make sense of the situation, you asked, voice heavy with sleep :

« What time is it ? »

Seven, Frankie answered. Maria’s gonna wake up soon, he added. You were too tired to say anything else, because when you’d laid down next to him you’d felt like your heart had been about to burst so you’d just listened to him, his breath steadying as he’d got to sleep. You’d finally got to sleep too, but it was too damn early for you.

Later, you’d blame what happened on your foggy brain : you snuggled closer, and Frankie let you. Then, it hit you. At that moment, right next to him, it hit you : you were not friends with him. You were pretending to be, but you were not and never would.

You couldn’t.

You wanted to wake up everyday like that, to Frankie telling you it’s seven, Maria’s gonna be awake soon. You wanted everything and friends just wouldn’t cut it.

Two things happened at once, then : you were realizing how much you liked - loved - Frankie when he gently took one of your forearm and brought it to his lips. All of the feelings hit home just as he was kissing the soft skin on your wrist and you froze.

He saw it and let go immediately, muttering apologies, while you were still processing what you felt about him. When you reached to grab him, to tell him how good that was and how wanted him to do it again, it was already too late.

[peaches-writes]

party night

prompt 2: “But it looks like it’s enjoying itself!”

member: minho / lee know wc: 1.9k genre: fluff, bakeneko au, neighbor au, the crackiest fic you’ll ever read in a while warning: explicit language note: finally it’s done it took a while and it’s not even good it’s so trippy sldjflskdf but i’ve been slumped with work rawr + idk i didnt do my research im so sorry this was quick bc i still hav hw lskdfjsldjk

“Swswswswsws...” You hiss continuously as you point your flashlight into the darkness of the forestry ahead, turning your head to your neighbor after. “Ji, what’s your pet’s name again? It might respond if we called it by its name, you know. It’s been five minutes since we’ve been looking for it.”  

“P-Pet? I don’t—”Jisung briefly stops walking and squints his eyes at you, accidentally pointing his own phone’s flashlight to your face when you turn around to face him at immediately noticing his pause. You hold your free hand up to your face in instinctive response to his accidental action, wincing in pain of the bright light to which Jisung guiltily heaves a sigh at. That was close! “A-Ah, I mean!—L-Lee Know! His...yeah, the cat’s name is Lee Know!”      

You furrow your eyebrows and bring your hand down once Jisung apologizes and points his flashlight elsewhere, a confused frown settling on your lips. “Lee Know? You named him?” 

“Y-Yeah?” He raises his own eyebrows curiously, jogging up the remaining distance to you when you beckon for him to continue walking deeper into the forest with you. It’s time like these when the eco-friendly agenda our village has going on is such a hassle, Jisung groans internally to himself, Minho could be anywhere in this forest...that idiot. “Why’d you ask?” 

You shrug, flinching when a distant rustling faintly goes through your ears. When you point your flashlight towards its direction, however, you only see, much to your disappointment, a raccoon scurrying away. “It’s just—and don’t get offended!—Lee Know sounds a bit of a choice for a cat’s name.” You explain sheepishly, looking away in case he does get offended. “I actually thought Minho named him...given his generally weird tendencies. Maybe he got tired of naming pets cutely like Soonie, Doongie, and Dori or something so I thought, you know...”

Jisung snickers under his breath as you explain, frantically shaking his head and waving his hands when you surprisingly hear and ask him about it. Tell that to him when you see him, he so badly wants to tell you but he opts to quietly continue looking for his roommate instead, mirroring you and pointing his flashlight towards every inch of the path. 

“It’s that ridiculous, huh?” He jokes, to which your eyes widen at. When he peers over your shoulder and notices this, he immediately lets out a hearty laugh. “Don’t worry, it’s cool. I think it’s ridiculous for a cat too.” 

Your shoulders unintentionally relax at this and you muster up a laugh as well. “It sounds like a stage name.” 

“It’s swag, apparently.” 

After five more minutes of walking (and not much progress in finding clues as to where the cat went but misleading footprints of foxes and more raccoons), you stop right under the warning sign your village’s Homeowners Association, placed right before the forest’s restricted area. “Nothing.” You turn around on your surroundings twice before concluding against the stillness of the night and the distant cricketing, facing Jisung again with a disappointed expression. “We can’t go beyond the subdivision limits, Ji. I’m so sorry.” 

Jisung glances between you and the angry ‘No Trespassing’ sign in thought, biting his lip down as he ponders on what to do next. It’s either he risks having you see more than one supernatural creature tonight and drag you with him past village limits or he pretends to go back to the village with you then run all the way back to the other side of the forest and continue looking for his escaped roommate. Then why did I ask Y/N to help me look for Minho in the first place? Jisung asks himself as he scratches his head in the hopes that his last functioning braincell could make a quick decision. 

“Ji?” You elbow him gently when he takes too long to think. Only then does he notice that you’ve already taken a step back from the village limits, body twisted and facing the path back. “Let’s go back, maybe it’s better looking for Lee Know in the morning.” 

“A-Ah, but—” Jisung raises his free hand, as if reaching out to you and tugging you back. Before he could finish his thought, however, he sees a brilliant white light reflect back in your eyes and when he turns around, his eyes widen at colorful lanterns approaching from the trees. “Oh, shit...” 

“What the fuck is that?” You ask in a whisper, instinctively going back to Jisung’s side in fear. When the lanterns draw nearer, you start making out figures of raccoons, foxes, rabbits, and cats dancing on their hind legs. “What the hell?” 

Jisung slaps a hand up to his forehead and purses his lips, gritting his teeth hardly in frustration. Too late, he thinks to himself as he turns to you, eyes wide and mouth agape in bewilderment. “Y/N, listen to me—” 

But again, he’s cut off by a certain orange and white cat catching your attention, waving at you with its paws. “Hi, Y/N!” Minho waves at you casually in his cat form, his smile peeking out of the rainbow towel on his head. “We’re doing a conga line around the forest if you want to join!” 

“I...” You freeze, leaning back in confusion. “T-That’s...Lee Know?” 

“Um...” Jisung turns to you, meeting your unreadable expression. You look simultaneously shocked, horrified, and curious but with a small smile threatening to slip into your features. “I can explain!” 

“He sounds like—” 

“My roommate, Minho. Yeah, um...” Jisung scratches the nape of his neck again, instinctively stepping in front of your view to block the sight of dancing forest animals. “Listen, it’s not what it looks like! Minho, he’s...” 

“Jisung—I mean, wilder things have happened in college—” 

“Yeah but—” Jisung stops halfway, staring back at you as if you’ve grown a second head. “You’re not—you’re not freaked out?” 

“So you are admitting that your roommate is half-cat?” 

“He’s a bakeneko...” 

“Bakeneko, sure, okay.” You repeat, rolling your eyes. “As I was saying, you dragged me out here at 2 AM to look for ‘your cat,’ knowing there’s a slight risk of me finding out who the cat actually is, then you react like this when it does happen? I’m surprised, of course, but you really should’ve thought about that.” 

A part of Jisung heaves a sigh of relief but another part of him panics even further which is only amplified with the music growing louder behind him as more animals pass by. “Yeah, well, I did thought about that but I really needed help looking for Minho because he left without a note and I didn’t expect that he’d be out here partying tonight!” 

This time, it’s you slapping a hand to your face. “Jesus Christ, and here I thought you guys were at least sharing one braincell.” You sigh, to which Jisung immediately protests at. You ignore, him, however, and gesture for the growing line of dancing animals. “So, should we stop him? But, then, it looks like it’s enjoying itself! “But it looks like it’s enjoying itself!—I mean, Minho! Minho looks like he’s enjoying himself.” 

Jisung opens his mouth to speak but, for the second time tonight, he’s accidentally cut off again by Minho, this time by said roommate suddenly materializing on his shoulders. “Are here to pick me up?” Minho asks him, the way his normal human voice comes out of his cat form momentarily surprising you from the corner of his eyes and catching his attention. “Oh, hi, Y/N! Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to see me like this! Ya, Han Jisung, why did you bring Y/N along?” 

“Because you just left the house without telling me where you’re going, dumbass! How would I know if you weren’t suddenly kidnapped or something!” Jisung complains in response, flicking Minho’s forehead. “And get off my shoulder, fatass, you’re so heavy. Have you been eating spirits food again?” 

You clear your throat awkwardly, waving at the two boys before they could engage in a full-on argument. “Yeah, I’m still here, guys?” 

Minho and Jisung glance back at you then to each other, as if in contemplation. You raise an eyebrow nervously at this. 

“Hyung, is it okay that Y/N saw you?” Jisung asks Minho in a hushed whisper. 

“Do I really look fat tonight?” Minho frowns, to which Jisung groans at. 

“Dude, come on, I’m asking you a matter of your security and you ask me if you’re looking fat.” 

“Because Y/N saw me!” 

Jisung sighs. “Fine, then, yes you do...you look like a really really fat cat tonight.” He answers reluctantly, to which Minho pouts even deeper at. “It must be those brownies that other cat, Felix, is always baking at these parties.” 

Minho then immediately hops off of Jisung, walking over to you and encircling your ankles once. “Alright, then, I guess, Y/N, you should see me like this on another time, when I’m looking cuter! You’ll have to forget everything you saw tonight, okay? I can’t have my crush seeing me as a fat cat!” 

“W-What?” You try stepping away from Minho’s circling movements but before you could even get a foot out, you already start feeling lightheaded until your vision’s fully clouded in nothing but white. 

“See you tomorrow, Y/N!” Minho’s voice echoes in your ears before you. 

- 

Jisung is waiting for you by the fences separating your houses the next day, a seemingly rehearsed smile on his face. From what you can hazily remember of last night (which is oddly few, you’ve noticed), you last saw him banging his head against the pillars of his host family’s front porch at dinner time because the Internet connection at his place won’t let him pass his homework. 

“Good morning, Ji?” You greet him as you water the plants in your front garden, unintentionally coming off as questioning. “You look...happy. Did you get to pass that homework of yours?” 

The boy nods happily as he organizes the recyclables he’s supposed to take out. “Yep, passed it on time.” 

You nod, opening your mouth to speak only to be interrupted by an orange and white cat emerging from your garden’s potted sunflowers. “Oh, hi!” You greet the cat, instinctively crouching down to scratch its ears to which he purrs positively to. You don’t catch it but Jisung heaves a sigh of relief when you don’t seem to recognize Minho or have any recollection of last night. “And who are you supposed to be, hm? You’re so adorable!” 

From the corner of your eyes, Jisung frowns at Minho before shaking his head and answering you, “O-Oh, that’s—Lee Know, the new house cat! My host family brought him in just—just last night.” 

“Just last night?” You ask, briefly looking up at Jisung and catching his frown turning into a sheepish smile. You try catching his reaction to your question but the cat brings a paw up to your hand and regains your attention again. “Didn’t they come home at like 4 PM yesterday, though? I even greeted Mr. and Mrs. Lee and I don’t remember seeing them with this cat.”     

Shit, Jisung curses himself, glaring at Minho again who only sticks his tongue out discreetly at him, I was doing so well! “W-Well, Mr. Lee went out at around 9 PM, I think, when you were already inside, then he came back with the cat. It’s a stray, basically.” 

You nod at this, smiling at the cat again. “Aren’t you too cute to be a stray cat, though?” You coo, making Minho smile and nuzzle his whiskers more into your hands. “And you remind me a lot of Ji’s roommate, Minho, too. Have you met him? He’s a bit of a weirdo but he’s...cute too, I guess.” 

Minho so badly wants to open his mouth and protest halfway when you called him a weirdo but he puts up the facade anyway and goes around you once again. He’ll have to bring it up to you next time, when he’s human. 

“Look, Ji, he likes me!” You point out excitedly to which Jisung only musters up a small smile. You then pet the cat’s head once more before standing up to continue watering your plants. “Speaking of, Minho’s okay with this? And Soonie, Doongie, Dori?” 

“Yep.” Jisung reluctantly nods, kicking Minho gently with his foot when he comes back to his side of the fence. “Very much so.” 

on a night much like tonight (drabble game) 

@skzwriternet 

[ghostbread892]

Fly with me

Pairing: Geralt x jaskier

Warnings: Near death experience, Love confession, Fluff, Oblivious boys, Roach has the braincell, Hurt/comfort, Soft jaskier, hurt geralt

A/N: I really liked this one and I hope you guys do too-

Summary: Jaskier throws his lute into the mud to distract the monster that about to kill geralt and it ends up needing to get repaired, chaos ensues and unknown feelings come to light

During his time on the path, Geralt never got to experience the little things life created. He only focused on getting coin and never being in the same place twice, he knew that if he stayed in the same place for too long someone would eventually grow tired of him and kick him out like many villages before had done, he had gotten used to the rinse and repeat routine he'd established for decades. He never truly got to experience what it was like to wake up calm, inhaling the scent of freshly bloomed flowers and the natural scent of the air after a long rainstorm like he had been able to do today. He knew this morning would be different, and in time he would realize that his whole day would be different as well.

He woke up to the sounds of singing and lute strings being plucked, his chest filled with relief that his bard hadn't been taken during his slumber. Something which he would've been able to notice but he feared he would be too slow to save him. He paused and went back over his inner dialogue again, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 bard, he'd gotten so used to this tiny human that his brain had claimed him already. This brought a warm feeling to his heart and made an unusual flush take over his normally stoic features.

No no, the bard wasn't his, as much as he would like that, the bard wasn't his to claim and even if he was, who in their right mind would love someone as monstrous as him. That thought brought a sour taste to his mouth, so he pushed it back and started getting their camp packed up, already thinking of where to head next and what monsters he would find in these parts.

~

They reach a village by dusk; Jaskier having been extra talkative and excited the whole day, but Geralt couldn't seem to figure out why which annoyed him to no end due to possibly not knowing or forgetting a special day for his bard. He paused again, the blush returning to his neck as he thought of the bard being his before he clenched his jaw and scoffed, as if a human could ever love a witcher. He continued walking whilst trying to keep his mind off Jaskier, which proved to be more difficult than it should've been. He ended up quietly talking to Roach as they made their way over to the closest inn, completely unaware of how Jaskier had gone quiet and was staring at his witcher with a lovestruck expression.

When they reached the inn he motioned Jaskier to go in to get them a room and food, while he saw to Roach and left her as comfortable as their coin could leave her, and checked for any contracts.

He found one for a fiend in the woods behind the tavern opposite of the inn and took it, he then made his way up to their room using his senses to locate jaskiers specific scent. One that he'd grown to love and that often calmed him when he woke up sweating and panting from a nightmare of the fears that haunted him as a child and that still haunt him even in his decades of life.

Once he got there he put his packs down before sitting down on the small table near the fireplace to eat the food Jaskier had got them, which was a mug of watered down ale that tasted like swamp water and a bowl of rabbit stew that had way too many unseasoned vegetables and hardly any rabbit, but it was enough to fill him up for his hunt so he ate it. Not before giving Jaskier an amused look as he went into a speech about how inns should be more greatful of their guests and give them better food, he chipped in now and then to correct Jaskier about small things just to watch him flush a soft pink, looking alarmed before continuing with his rant.

When he finished his food Jaskier was still rambling so he took a moment to look at his companion; the companion who has cornflower blue eyes that beam whenever Geralt brings him small gifts like lute strings or oils for his collection, who has hands that he fidgets with when he's nervous and shake when he's inspired to write something but too busy too get his book out, who's smile never fails to make Geralts world brighter even after seeing it for a decade, who's words still leave him speechless when he talks about something he likes because goddamn Jaskier knows how to treat each word with such gentleness that it could melt his heart, who sings away his sorrows and helps Geralt remember what happiness and joy feel like whenever he talks, the companion who has stayed by his side through ups and downs, and the companion that Geralt found himself loving more every single day.

He snaps out of his lovestruck haze when he smells the foul stench of fear and worry.

Looking up to see Jaskier reading through the contract with a frown on his face before looking up and sighing "Beloved, are you sure this is safe? I mean I know you're strong enough and trust your judgement but this sounds very dangerous and as much as I like having coin I wouldn't want to ruin my clothes, which were very expensive mind you, by going to drag you out of whatever hole you fell in and thats-"

He stops when Geralt gives him a fond look, "Jask I'll be fine, it's not that hard, I'll be back by daybreak" He rumbles out, seeing how it visibly affects his bard, making him shiver in place and gulp roughly, causing him swallow out of the sudden dryness in his throat.

He shakes the thoughts out of his head before getting up to grab everything he needs for his hunt, not looking over at Jaskiers direction on purpose because he needs to be focused.

He can feel Jaskiers eyes on him the entire time and can basically taste the worry radiating off him like the stench of a kikimora but he doesn't have time to calm him down. Even if Jaskier is the love of his life, his soulmate, his everything, he can't put his focus on anything else other than the monster of he'll be too slow.

Just as he's heading out the door he feels two arms wrap around his stomach and Jaskier press himself as close as their bodies allow him too. Geralt feels his heart stop, just as he feels his lungs collapse from emotion, his brain not capable of processing that for the first time in all the years he's been alive someone is holding him, someone fears that he may never come back and that scares them. He can feel Jaskiers heart accelerate just as he can feel his own.

"Please be careful, dear heart" Jaskier whispers, sounding like a wife saying goodbye to her husband who's about to go save his kingdom in the battlefield. It makes him feel special, wanted, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙.

He takes a moment to calm both himself and his heart before humming softly in confirmation, "I'll be back by daybreak, I promise, little lark" He quietly grumbles back, not used to having to express his emotions through words.

Jaskier seems satisfied with his answer and let's him go, not before leaving a kiss on Geralts shoulder blade, even if it was covered with armor Geralt felt the kiss in his soul and it gave him more of a reason to come back to his little lark.

He walks out of their room and towards the stables, setting up roach for the long night of monster hunting ahead of them. He let's out a small smile and gently pats her nose to which she huffs and pushes against his hand, making him chuckle softly, "let's go girl" and with that they take off, not knowing that this night might end with something neither him or Roach had planned.

~

He doesn't know how it happened.

One moment he was landing the killing strike and the next he was on the ground, a gash made from its horns going right along his chest to his ribs.

He knows he's too weak too get up and without his potions, which were shattered mid battle he has nothing to do but wait.

He starts thinking about everything he's every done. Kind of ironic since they say your life flashes before your eyes as you take your last breath. To him it sure feels like it.

He thinks back to when his mother left him on the road for Vesimir to find and train as a Witcher. How much he had to endure during the trails just to end up alone in the end.

Alone? That's not right; he has Jaskier now. Jaskier who's probably worried sick back in their room, who even when Geralt has looked more beast than man has smiled at him, not showing any fear even when Geralt spat nasty words at him to get him to leave, who even after Geralt hurt him, came back because he wanted to, because he wanted Geralt to be the person he spends his life with.

Geralt had never felt more joy than being with Jaskier when they would travel together, his bard chattering like always while Geralt listened, listened because he cared and loved everything about Jaskier.

From the way his eyes crinkle with happiness when he sees something pretty, to when he taps his fingers to a beat when composing his next song.

He knows Jaskier will move on, his bard is one of the strongest and most courageous person he has ever had the luck of meeting.

His little lark will find someone else who can always be there for him, not having to worry about dying every minute, and that Geralt thinks, is how it should be. He let's a small tear slip as he's falling unconscious, not worried in the slightest because he knows that his lark will learn to fly again, even without him.

~

When he woke up again there was someone screaming and a monster weakly roaring.

It turns out that the fiend was still alive and that Jaskier was trying to distract it, that dumb bard was trying to distract a fucking flesh eating monster without a sword to protect himself.

Geralt doesn't know what fueled him but the next thing he knows is that Jaskier throws his lute far away, catching the fiends attention long enough for Geralt to get close enough to slice it's head clean off.

After he collapses, Jaskier being faster and catching the Witcher in his arms. He can feel jaskier shaking and something wet splashing on his face.

"Jask- Jaskier?" He rasped out after jaskier forced one of his potions down his throat, him already feeling the effects of the potion healing him.

Jaskier shushes him, snifling softly while rocking them both back and forth, "You stupid, stupid Witcher, I told you to be careful" He whispered while holding Geralt to his chest, in an awkward position too.

Then Geralt realizes something; his lark is listening to his heart. This hits Geralt harder than it should but it does, his lark was so afraid of losing him that he wanted to lay his head on top of Geralts heart. As if listening to the beat made everything better.

This realization made something warm spread throughout Geralts chest. He lifted his arm and hugged his bard back as much as he could, softly stroking through his hair.

"It's okay little lark, I'm here, you can let it out" He whispered, knowing that Jaskier was holding back his tears and even if he couldn't bear the thought of his lark crying, he had to let him get the grief off his chest before they could walk back to their room.

As if on cue, Jaskier started to sob, gripping tightly onto Geralts chest plates as if he thought that if he let go, Geralt would disappear.

After a while, they got up and headed back to the inn with the proof of the monster being dead, Jaskiers destroyed lute, and whatever they could salvage from the fiend.

After they got to their room and had a bath is when Geralt realized what happened to Jaskiers lute. He softly put his hand on top of Jaskiers, which was stroking his now dirty lute.

"You shouldn't have risked your life like that for me, jask" He whispered softly, looking down at the dirty lute and wincing, because be knew this was his fault. Jaskier on the other hand seemed offended by that comment, "No no, you do not get to play that card with me Witcher, you almost died out there and I wasn't just going to sit around and watch you die like that" He said in defiance, his face twisting into a frown that only made him cuter in Geralts eyes.

"You love that lute like a child, little lark" He spoke quietly as if afraid to get Jaskier mad at him. At his words, Jaskier softened,

"So that's what this is about huh?" He asked in a softer tone, "Geralt, while it is true that I love this lute a lot, it is replaceable and there are so many just like this one all over the world." He turned to look at Geralt, letting the lute lean on the bed frame as he took Geralts hands in his. Which left Geralt breathless at the softness, he never experienced something so intimate and his brain almost went into shut down mode before he managed to calm himself down.

Jaskier gazed into Geralts eyes, letting him see all the love and adoration he felt for his dear Witcher, "The reason I love this lute so much, is because you gave it to me, darling" He smiled, his thumb rubbing Geralts hands soothingly as he felt his lungs collapse from how hard those words punched him.

"What? " He breathed out, unable to form a clear sentence in his daze.

"Granted, you didn't directly give it to me, but it's a reminder of the first adventure we went on together" He paused and squared his shoulders leaning in to press his forehead against Geralts, and softly, sweetly, and so gently that Geralt thought he might collapse he said, "A reminder of when I started to fall in love with you, my white wolf"

And with that sentence everything became clear, after four decades of traveling together, everything made sense. He knew now that he wasn't alone on this boat of love, softly drifting with the current through calm waters, watching as the sun sets and the flowers bloom.

He leaned in, closing the gap between them, sharing the sweetest kiss he'd ever been given and that when he knew that even if they had their ups and downs, close calls, and awkward moments; they would both rely on each other and learn to fly together, because in the end, his little lark still had a lot to learn about life, and he would be there to teach him every step of the way.

Taglist: @binkysteebnpewter @andyl394 @fuzzy-cloud-head-queen @nightunite @punof-agun @sc4rletw1tch @timelords-13 @likubuju @bonkyboinkybucky @bombshellbella @subtlewriter @ashleefo @mori-senpai @klinenovakwinchester

[8zs]

Amortentia

(gif is not mine)

Pairing: Gryffindor! Hongjoong x (Your house)! reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst??, Hogwarts! au

Words: 1.615

Song: Pin - Grimes

A/n: i listened to pin while writing this and im not sure if the lyrics have anything to do with the plot but yeah kgjldfjgld hehe hope u like it anon! since u didnt specify joongs house i just went with gryffindor :D IGNORE THAT I PUT LIKE a tiktok audio reference in here... I just. Man i got no braincells.. 

It was  your sixth year at Hogwarts, so it was no surprise you finally got a lesson about Amortentia. You and your gryffindor boyfriend, Hongjoong walked to class. You were holding hands as he joked about the Amortentia smelling like your sweet shampoo.

“Like my Amortentia wouldn’t smell like your signature stinky smell!” You laughed.

Hongjoong threw his head back, laughing because of your remark.

“Wow, thanks (y/n)!” He ruffled your hair and quickly pecked your cheek, knowing that if any teacher saw you, you would have detention;  Again.

Potions was one of the few classes you and Hongjoong had together. He was pretty good at it, and you were, well, not failing the dreadful class.

“Good morning , students!” Slughorn spoke and the class went silent, you all respected Professor Slughorn greatly. “Today, I’m going to teach you about Amortentia. If you had done the preparations, you had known Amortentia is a love potion. The most powerful one in the world, to be exact.”

You all quickly got to work, and Hongjoong being your partner in class, you had it brewing pretty quickly.

Professor Slughorn finally got to your table and smiled. “Hongjoong, I hadn’t expected anything else. It’s perfect. (y/n), did you help? Or did you let Hongjoong do all the work?” You quickly shook your head. “No, professor. I helped Hongjoong a lot!” He grinned. “Good, that’s what I like to hear.”

After chatting with the professor a bit, Hongjoong turned to you. “What does your Amortentia smell like?” He had a sparkle in his eyes and it made you smile.

You took a little sniff from the brewing cauldron. You giggled. “It smells like my bed, paint… And strange enough… You after a quidditch match?”

Hongjoong blushed, and giggled. “Well, my amortentia smells like… Hmm. A quaffle, new parchment and your hair… Hey, I predicted that earlier!” You just smiled and squeezed his hand.

After you and some other classmates were done with the potion, class ended. It was now dinner time and you and Hongjoong were on your way to the dining hall. When you got there you had to part ways to sit with your respectable friend group.

You sat down beside Yeri and Jungwoo, and started talking about your day and classes. Suddenly you felt someone squeeze in between you and a housemate , who you recognized to be Yewon. You looked up and it was Youngtaek.

Your relationship with Youngtaek was… Interesting. The boy had always had a small crush on you, and you kinda suspected he did. You never said anything about it, though.

You didn’t get along that well, he annoyed you sometimes with his know-it-all attitude but you always tried to be nice to him. He was a housemate after all.

“Hey, (y/n). I know we’re about to have desert but I made you a little pastry.” He said, visibly nervous.

“Oh my god…” “Jesus…” You heard Yeri and Jungwoo mumble. You were about to say something not so nice, but you changed your mind. Sometimes you can choose to not be a dick. “Do you like it?” Youngtaek asked you while playing with his fingers. You gulped. “Yes… Thank you.”

After dinner you were still a little hungry. “Hey, Youngtaek. Is it okay if I eat the pastry now?” He nodded eagerly. So you took a bite and looked at Youngtaek who grabbed your hand. You wanted to shove him away, but suddenly you didn’t mind it anymore. You actually liked it and laced your fingers with his. He giggled and put the pastry away. “Did it taste good?” You booped his nose. “Of course, silly!” Yeri and Jungwoo witnessed what went on and looked at each other. This couldn’t be good, but they decided to wait it out and see what happens.

Hongjoong had no idea that this had happened. But that wouldn’t last long.

That night you didn’t come to the gryffindor common room to cuddle and read with him. But he tried not to be too sad about it, maybe you just needed some time alone.

The next day you didn’t greet him on the way to the dining hall, in fact, he hadn’t even seen you. 

That was until he walked in there, and saw you glued to Youngtaek’s arm, Yeri and Jungwoo looking visibly uncomfortable and Youngtaek enjoying it very much. 

He stormed to his table and sat down next to Mingi. “What’s u-“ “What the hell is with (y/n) and Youngtaek? I’m their boyfriend, why are they glued to his arm? Why is he enjoying it so much? Why do (y/n)’s friends look so uncomfortable? What the hell is going on?!” Hongjoong ranted to Mingi. “Wait, didn’t that guy have a crush on (y/n)? Like, for a long time already? A-and, I don’t wanna assume but you guys got taught about Amortentia yesterday, no? Maybe… He took some and used it on them? I don’t know I’m just guessing but, it’s an option?” Mingi said.

Hongjoong’s blood started to boil. Could it be? Would Youngtaek do that? What the actual fuck? That was his s/o, not Youngtaek’s. He turned back to Mingi. “Dude, can you make an antidote. Please? It’s Saturday, we don’t have classes and I’ll make your herbology homework for the rest of the month?” Hongjoong pleaded. With a sigh and a nod, Mingi agreed.

After breakfast, Mingi headed to the potions class and Hongjoong went to look for Yeri and Jungwoo. 

He found them pretty quickly and pulled them aside. “Did Youngtaek give anything to (y/n) recently? Like to eat or drink or whatever the fuck?” 

Yeri nodded. “Yeah, yesterday at dinner he gave them a pastry and suddenly they were all over him.” “And you guys didn’t tell me anything? You guys didn’t tell a teacher? You didn’t tell him off?” Yeri and Jungwoo looked at eachother, and then looked down in shame. “What the fuck?” “Look, we didn’t think it was serious? Like, maybe (y/n) just got over their annoyance for Youngtaek and liked him? A bit? I don’t know, I’m sorry…”

Hongjoong ran his fingers through his silver locks and sighed in annoyance. “It’s- it’s whatever.  Look, just get (y/n) to the potions classroom in like, 20 minutes. Okay?” Yeri nodded as Jungwoo spoke. “Yes, sir!” And with that they went off to find you. Hongjoong headed to the potions classroom.

Meanwhile you, you were in your common room with Youngtaek. He was feeding you strawberries and cuddling you. “Ah, Youngtaek! You’re so cute!” You pinched his cheek and booped his nose. 

As he fed you the last strawberry, he spoke up. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” “Oh, of course, Youngtaek!”

“Not happening.” Jungwoo said and quickly picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. 

Yeri gasped. “Gosh, (y/n), you look so sick…” “Whatever!” You snarled. “Let me go! I was about to kiss the love of my life! The boy of my dreams! Let me go, right now!”

Needless to say, you struggled the whole way to the potions classroom. And a lot of people gave you, Yeri and Jungwoo weird looks. But none of you cared, Yeri and Jungwoo needed you cured.

As soon as you entered the classroom, Jungwoo sat you down in one of the chairs and you growled.

“What the hell is your problem? Can I go back to Youngtaek? He was gonna take me on a date to Hogsmeade.” Hongjoong balled his fists and was ready to go find him, but Mingi stopped him.

“Let’s cure your s/o first, okay?” Hongjoong just nodded.

Mingi walked over to you, holding the antidote, but you didn’t know that. It just looked like regular juice to you. “You can go to your loverboy if you drink this, you look… Uh, dehydrated. Yeah.”

“Whatever.” You took the cup and swallowed its contents.

Suddenly, you felt like you could properly breathe for the first time in twenty-four  hours. You felt dizzy and refreshed all at once.

“What- was that?”

Mingi squatted down in front of you. “Youngtaek gave you Amortentia and you were, well, in love with him for a whole day.” You nearly gagged in response,  but then it hit you.

You were “in love” with Youngtaek for the past twenty -four hours. Your eyes went wide and tears formed. “Where’s Joong?” You croaked out.

“I’m here…” He said and walked over to you.

Tears spilled from your eyes and you looked away from him. “’I’m so sorry, Hongjoong. I didn’t know he poisoned me. I-I-…” You stopped talking and just cried. He sat down where Mingi sat, and started rubbing soothing circles into your thighs. “Look at me, love. You didn’t know, and you couldn’t prevent this from happening. It’s fine. I still love you.”

You threw yourself onto Hongjoong and sobbed into his shoulder. “I love you too, so much. Don’t ever doubt that.”

You all eventually left the potions class and walked over to (your house’s) common room. Youngtaek was still sitting there and when he heard people enter he turned around and saw you. “Hey, babe.” He smirked. You just smiled at him and walked over to him. He stood up and stood in front of you, he noticed you didn’t look as sick anymore and panic set in. Before he could say anything, you slapped him in the face. “Don’t ever pull this shit again.”

That night, you slept over in Hongjoong’s room and you cuddled all night, whispering sweet nothing’s to each other and giggling.

Mingi and some other gryffindor boys didn’t get much sleep that night, but at least they were happy that their best chaser had his person back.

[bucksbisexual]

okay since im rewatching 2gether, might as well make my reaction public lol

tine trying to be a supportive boyfriend by asking wat if something is troublig and wat’s himbo self being like “nah fam im good” god i love this dumbass

also tine not knowing how to talk about his feelings is so relatable help

honestly i would’ve LOVED to see sarawat at least one (1) question

tine’s smile while wat drinks..... Sir I Am In Love With You

also his blush..... Sir I Am More In Love With You Than I Was Before

“is the lyric about smile or happiness?” “don’t cheat” wat saw through his bullshit right there KSJFHKS

i wonder what’s in those glasses because it doesn’t quite look like coke but it obviously isn’t beer,,,,

ohhhhh “a friend from high school” ... explains tine’s reaction we see in the teaser when he introduces pam as his highschool friend

also explains why tine thought sarawat made that video for her instead of him. wat is in his high school clothes and tine probably thought it was before he saw him (when in fact it was probably recorded the same day lmao sarawat hopeless romantic)

tine: one more game! [spins the coin and supposedly falls on heads] wat!

sarawat: no one can talk to me if i fall asleep

i’m trying not to look at bright’s jiggly butt why is ass so fat fOR

it doesnt add the points here if i dont write something else so intro time yeet

yknow what . we need more earn and more pear in these two last episodes . i need my wlw rep and i need it Now

“personal space is important even for couples” still cant believe man was the owner of their braincell in this scene

tine giving all of type’s info away to wat so wat can give it to man who tine knows will use to pester him until he becomes his boyfriend...... say it with me: tine mantype shipper

“how did you know?” “i prayed to god” literally the funniest part ever

manboss: im not going good luck wat: you’re so full of bullshit

GREEN <3

i will just say that pink is tine’s best colour. i need him in every soft pink thing u can find. it accentuates his skin colour so perfectly and we are Here for it honeyyyy

MIL SHUT THE FUCKUP

sarawat being a savage (rachet booty nasty) we stan

bro get over him oh my god he’s taken and happy with wat LEAVEEEEEE

and man pestering type begins Now ksjfh

i’m like 100000000% sure that the only thing in that whole backpack is a pencil and half of an eraser

im also sure type saw him buy the book since u literally can see him from where man and that girl are and

hold up the waiter looks like a guy from whyru,,,,,,,,,,

i need someone to write a fic about tine being an astronomy lover and wat falling in love with him because of the joy in his eyes when he talks about the stars and interesting facts about the universe and new discoveries of galaxies and other things that wat doesnt really care about but he listens to either way because he’s too in love to shut off his brain

okay back to the episode sorry i just really had to say this

wat really said “don’t take advantage of me when i’m sleeping” when they haven’t even kissed.......... no words, completely speechless

tine probably thought he was being real sneaky right there lmao boy he fell asleep 2 seconds ago

god green really appears for 2 seconds and yet he steals the show KSFJHKFJFS he really was about to beat the person in front of him’s ass for not walking faster im crying i love him

BITCH SHUT UP AND LEAVE THEM ALONE STOP TRYING TO BE A HOMEWRECKER

wat looks so offended by his offer it’s so funny jhfksjhgj still MIL GET THE FUCK OUT

them running around is so funny when u know they had to do that like 20 times and were tired as fuck KSJFHKSHFS

WAT YOU SMOOTH FUCKER i love u

omg the bracelet truly isnt there at the start of the scene :-(

“nuisance tree” lemme just cry a bit

the music stopping here......... they truly played with our feelings there huh

WAT YOU SMOOTH FUCKER 2

the reactions are so kdrama outro i cant breathe KJHFJSFKJS

GET THE FUCK OUTTTTTTTTTTT

“well, you left him” IM GOING TO STEP ON YOU

bracelet where r u :-(

“it was here a second ago” it wasn’t im an obsessed bitch and noticed just as the scene there started

he looks so worried:-( tine baby

“i can make you a new one” “but i want the old one” why do i feel like that has more than one meaning,,,

half of the times wat touches tine’s head his hands are dirty as fuck lmaoooooo

is- is someone wearing a marihuana dress??????

manbosss again and he has a book

type is the teepakorn brother that can lie and will lie meanwhile tine can’t lie for a living

I LOVE THIS GUY GIVE ME HIS SELF CONFIDENCE

dim really made up a whole spirit just for wat to be with tine lmao i cant breathe (unless the pine tree spirit is an actual thing and he just used it for this specific thing lmao)

“that senior is me” “and who did you go with?” “that was a long time ago” “it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me” “green, drop it!” i love them KSFJHFSJHF

green and wats faces i cant bREATHE these are the faces of people who know this is all fake

BRO WAT WASNT EVEN THAT SLICK WITH THE PAPER IN HIS HAND SJKHSFHHKFS

my guess is that he had two papers that were the same number just incase they didnt get the same number but then somehow mf MIL had to come in and ruin it

i dont know who chose to make bright wear this much brown but it honestly fits him so well

coffee for his soon to be boyfie

man: loving u is kind of bothering? type: o_o man

he’s still reading the book kjshfsf WAIT HES SO CUTE

“you gotta miss me if i don’t show up one day” “just back off. i’m leaving. do not follow me. give me some time to miss you” okay tsundere ass bitch

type’s so rich he’d rather spend money on getting his tire fixed than get it fixed by man for free i hate rich people

he’s also too rich to care to check if his doors were locked i-

“for me?” “do you see anyone else?” bitch ass tsundere

type: smiles, realises he just did that, eyes cutely go o_o

type looks so cute in that scene for no reason im going to eat ur cheeks if u dont stop being a cutie

aaaaaand of course theyre not paired up

dude of course he is youre creepy and also trying to break his relationship apart only because u dont have the decency to see that you dont have a place in his heart whatsoever

dim honey........ jskhsjf

tine’s hair....... PLEASE I NEED TO TOUCH IT IT LOOKS SO FLUFFY

“the spirit doesnt like it when you pray with your eyes opened” did literally no one notice how nonsense that was? KSFJHSJ

GREEN U SCARED THE BABY WHY WOULD U DRESS LIKE THAT

he looks so cute im gonna cry like actually cry

weak ass blankets they gave them i swear

if u cuddled then u wouldnt have been cold but noooooo ur big puppy boyfriend has trust issues

baby:-((((((((((( i will cover u with a blanket and give u lots of kithes and hugs

tine having his phone die at an important moment and also having no sense of direction whatsoever is so relatable lmaooooo

thank god for the rain because otherwise sarawat wouldnt have ran the way tine actually went lmao i wouldve beaten dims ass if mil was the one who found him

this scene hurts so much:-(( his throwing the grass like that in complete defeat??????? the flashback to him saying that bad things seem to happen to them lately makes my heart break

the soft touches:-((((( please im gonna Cry

dnotsaysorrydontsaysorrydonsaysorrydontsayHE SAID SORRY FFS

baby :’((((((

“i prayed for something but i havent redeemed that prayer yet” “what did you ask for?” “it’s if i got to see you again, i would show you the video i made. it’s the song your smile you are so curious about” BITCHHHHHHHHH

HES GONNA SHOW ITTTTTT YES I LOVE HOPELESS ROMANTIC HIGHSCHOOLER SARAWAT

he’s all shy i cant breathe he cant even look at the screen skjfhksh

oh so it was on the same day sksjhj forgot about that

I CRY I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

tine is all blushy im gonna sob i love these two

im trying not to scream and tines reaction to wat telling him he went to every scrubb concert just to look for him

ITS NOT GONNA GET STUCK ON THE VIDEO BABY HE WILL LIKE U BACK IN A YEAR!!!!!!

“i like you” “yeah. i know. i like you too” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA IM LITERALLY REWATCHINNG BUT I STILL JUST SCREECHED AT THAT I LOVE THIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

their smiles after he said it tho.......... my heart hURTS

wat: the wish only drew us to cross paths again. us being together is because of something else, tine: what then? wat: shout out to my homies for being there for me since day one i love u bros

THE FLASHBACK AAAAAAAA I FOUND HIM YES U DID BABYYYYYY

boss’s whistle after he tells them that he only said he would kiss him until he dropped lmaoooooo

“his name is tine. [with the softest voice ever] what a cute name”

manboss looking at each other like this bitch is so gone for this random dude but we’re gonna support him because we’re the only friends he has

wat was probably wishing the pool had water in it so he could throw both of them into it at that moment KJSFHJSFHF

“he’s the one i like” “shiiiiiit” same dim, same

fan dee nAAAAAA

his ass was so gone he was gonna make his ig username lovetine i literally cant believe him

boss having the braincell in this scene i love it

“but earn has a boyfriend” LIES. SO MANY LIES. ITS A GIRL. SHES A WHOLE LESBIAN.

boss once again being the owner of the braincell...... im starting to think he owns it half of the time

“you get it now? us being together is not a coincidence. it’s because of us” WAT YOU SMOOTH FUCKER 3

wait,,,,, tine’s little head tilt,,,,,,, SIR I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU

the stars!!!!!!!!! theyre there!!!!!!

“i think nothing bad is going to happen anymore” honey you got a big storm coming

it ended :’(((((( my beautiful boys i love this episode and drama so much i swear

lets watch the next episode teaser

i dont think tine is gonna lsiten to pam saying that but if he does,,, baby pls dont overthink okay he loves u and wont leave u for anyone in the world

phukong dont come back to him he knows that u like him and will play with ur feelings

type is gonna have to choose between im guessing either a boy interested in him from work or man and im gonna vote for him going with man lets hope i win

WHAT IS WRNOG WITH U BRO GET OUT HES HIS BOYFRIEND OF COURSE HES GOING TO CARE AND WORRY YOURE JSUT A CREEP FOLLOWING HIM AROUND HOPING THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP ENDS SO U CAN SNEAK IN UGH

“is pam your first love?” WHY DID U END THE TEASER THERE AAAAAAA BITCH

im so glad that the episode comes out today because i Need to know more

okay thats it if anyone read all of this first of all sorry kjshkfj and second of all thank u ,, u didnt have to but u did and ily for that okay bye

[tobiomlk]

those tsukki fluff hcs? i am LIVING. could i get general dating hcs for tobio? 👉👈 good luck with your blog - 🐸

— kageyama as your boyfriend

LISTEN kageyama has a condition where brain is filled by (2) things: volleyball and food. relationships? that doesn’t exists. you’re gonna need either a miracle or a saint’s patience to get anywhere with this nerd, whichever works best for you.

i hope you’re well aware that your luck is on a negative count from the get-go, since 1) his knowlodge about romance is next to none and 2) he’s dense as fuck. even if he’s the one to develop feelings first, he wouldn’t act on those any sooner because he doesn’t even gets what’s going on. he just goes ( ??? ) whenever you smile at him and there’s this funny feeling around his ribcage and he’s 100% sure it’s hunger. so, unless you have the guts to fess up first… get ready to simp over this boy for the longest time.

that or until his teammates ( namely, suga ) do a divine intervention ‘cause damn, he’s so grossly in love, and if kageyama was already in the dark we fucking lost him, because what does it means to be in love??? that’s not a position or a game tactic as far as he’s concerned.

he even goes as far as to seek the textbook definition on dictionaries and spiel to himself like a damned mantra in the hopes he’ll get it but guess what? he doesn’t. if anything, he just further confused with the poor intent of describing such abstract concept with big words.

the whole process of realization is so agonizing and infuriatingly slow, it has gotten to the point where all da fucking team is up to date with the tragedy and they’re even making bets as to how it’s going to end ( tanaka and noya are putting all their money to kageyama not ever knowing about his feelings, ennoshita and the third-graders still have a bit of hope for their son. the first-graders are just enjoying the shitshow. )

but when it finally hits him… that there’s no better place than the one by your side and he couldn’t possibly have it otherwise… then it’s over for both of you.

once tobio is set his way, there’s no stopping him. hell, he might as well blurt it out as soon as he sees you, for all he cares. “it seems like i’ve fallen in love with you”.

but now you returning his feelings??? the most unrealistic and unlikiest scenario. his monkey brain definitively didn’t think out this far and now he’s in shambles. you’ve to spent half of an hour explaining to him that, all of it apparently means that you can be “a couple or something” and you can literally see his braincells combusting through his eyes.

are you going to clown him for his confession for the rest of his life? yes. do you hold the moment close to your heart regardless? Yes You Do.

needless to say, kageyama as a partner is awfully awkward. the boy’s barely familiar with platonic relationships, dating it’s like walking blindfolded onto unknown territory. he’s going to need you to teach him the ropes !!! ( not that you’re complaining, of course you’re not complaining )

being as unapproachable and volleyball-crazy as he’s known to be, i think many people depict kageyama as someone who doesn’t fully invests himself onto his social relations, especially the non-platonic field; because yes, to kageyama, volleyball comes first and foremost, but he’s just as devoted and earnest when it comes to his teammates and friends, and more importantly, you. once there’s something that means a lot to kageyama, he’ll give everything he has to offer, and you aren’t the exception to the rule.

while volleyball still takes most of his time and that won’t change under no circumstances, you can tell he does his best to spend the scarce time he has to spare with you. juggling between his passion and his loved one is not an easy task, but kageyama knew what he was applying himself for and there’s no way he’ll be half-assing, no sir!

at the very least, he always makes sure to walk you home. even if that means he’ll have to return afterwards to the gym, because he always trains ‘til very late and there’s no way he’s gonna keep you waiting that long for him ( you keep telling him it’s fine, that you don’t mind waiting, but he doesn’t relents “no. im taking you home first, then practice. and that’s final. now come here, dumbass.” )

he also calls you every single night before heading to sleep! he can’t stay long on the phone because he needs to go to bed early for morning practice, but just being able to hear your voice… to know about you and your day… is more than enough for him.

honestly it never fails to melt your heart when he begins talking in this raspy, low voice and you can tell he’s sleepy by the way he mumbles his words so you tell him that it’s ok for him to go to sleep now but he just shakes his head in spite of the fact you can’t see him and goes like “i still have a couple of minutes left. i want to hear your voice.” like honestly GET FUCKED !!!!!! HE’S SO LOVELY I’M-

kageyama understands if you have different interests and things you’re passionated about ( in fact, he’ll even try it out just so he can something to share with you! ), but, truly, nothing would make this blueberry as happier than you showing the tiniest bit of interest into volleyball. sometimes, the topic creeps onto your talk and unavoidably, tobio switchs to full nerd mode and starts geeking out about the matches and stuff and he’s just so giddy about it but then he freezes, and realizes he might be info-dumping you about something you probably don’t even care about, so he kinda cuts himself before going on… but the look of sheer happiness he offers you when you encourage him to go on? how his big, doe-eyes lit up once you ask him to explain you more carefully? can you possibly fathom how joyous it makes him to know he can get the best of his favorite things together?

to be honest, you’d expect him to be less considerate and act more fit of the self-centered, entitled king role he has been granted— not saying that he doesn’t slips and has his bossy moments of no filter, because he does, but the thing is: he’s surprisingly open to your opinions, too. over time, he’s been taught that communication is of utmost importance and the only way to understand others and have them understand you, and he’s firmly sure that applies to every aspect of his life. he wants you to know that, just as he speaks his mind, you’re free to do the same.

it’s ok if you argue, it’s ok if your points of view don’t match, because that means you’re talking to each other, and that’s way better than letting things sink without actual closure. kageyama learnt that the rough way. his speech might not be the most articulated or refinated, but he tries his best to get his points accross without unecessarily hurting your feelings. communication is so crucial to him, please, keep it in mind.

with that being said, kageyama’s prone to be unromantic and even insensitive at times with how he voices his opinions, because he’s no concept of sugar-coating and won’t hesitate to tell you if you suck at something, or flawlessly ignore your efforts to put on a lovey-dovey mood. but if you talk him about it and express that you’d like him to have some more tact, he’ll take the note! “tact? ok, ok. i’ll.  try to be as tactful as possible from now on and… read the mood? but i make no promises” ( spoiler alert: he keeps telling you that you suck but now he lets you have a sip of his milk and pets your head to soften the blow. )

and speaking of physical affection… god, kageyama is an utter stranger to pda. i mean, the boy is just a prude, unripe blueberry. he doesn’t know how it works, he’s not used to it, and the last thing he wants is to go and do something that’ll put you on a tough spot. your comfort is one of his main priorities, so you have to let him know what’s ok and whatnot, then he’ll start getting the hang of it. once he does, you’ll find out that kageyama is, as a matter of fact, one of the most touch-starved persons you’ll come accross with.

he just can’t seem to get his hands off of you, in the most literal and non-sensual way possible. be it small gestures like your hands brushing together, shoulders bumping, or your heads resting against each others’, kageyama just craves the feeling of your skin against his. despite how bad he denies it, he’s pretty clingy.

you’ve picked on how much he apparently enjoys holding hands, and petting your head, for that matter. you don’t know why, but his hand would always makes its way atop your head. it has even gotten to the point in where he does it out of habit, and when you ask him what’s wrong he just replies “nothing? why do you ask?”

i think kageyama has two stages while he’s on a relationship. the earlier ones, where he cannot lock eyes with you for more than give seconds before going all blushy and stiff, and the advanced ones, in where physical contact has practically become a must and one of his primary functions as a human being to operate naturally.

kageyama’s hugs are so freaking awkward at first… there’s no guides about this. does he just envelops you with his arms ??? and then stay still like that ??? what if he hurts you by holding you too tight ??? oh my god he’s even holding his breath while he’s at it SOMEONE FREE HIM-

and don’t even get me started on the kisses. LISTEN YOU DEFINITIVELY CLASH YOUR TEETH DURING YOU FIRST KISS AND YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND ON THIS ONE !!!!! knowing him, he needs weeks of mental preparation and advice from his god-send suga-senpai before going for it, and when the moment comes… he goes too hard for literally no reason and right after you’re both on the floor whimpering ‘cause that shit HURTED.

“ow, ow… tobio WHAT the HELL” “oh, PISS OFF”

well, at least he has an excuse for rehearsing!!! don’t worry, he’s a fast-learner ;))))

cuddling is just about the same you guys spend all day squirming in order to find a comfortable position and it’s just a mess™ of limbs and giggles.

“wait… maybe if i put my arm around here…” “wait, tobio, you’re tickling me-” “??? don’t laugh !!! STOP LAUGHING THIS IS NOT FUNNY”

but once you finally manage to settle down, god, it’s so pure… kageyama loves to have you in his beefy, setter arms as much as he loves being hold by you. the crook of your neck? a heavingly place for him to rest his head and which belongs to him and him only !!!

look kageyama is so weak for physical affection i’m not even kidding. all you need to calm him down is to rub his back soothingly and he’ll even forget why he was so mad about to begin with. the amount of power you hold over this boy… it genuinely surprises people to see how tame he’s when it comes to you. everyone can agree that if kageyama has a weakness, that’s you.

tobio is not the one to get particularly cheesy or romantic, everyone knows at least that much. however, he has this thing in where he genuinely voices out how great he considers you to be without batting an eyelash which of course makes you super flustered because “why are you getting so cheeky for?” “??? it’s the truth though” SHUT UP IM SOBBING.

you know how slow and oblivious your boy is, so the last thing you expect is him being able to read you as easily? it takes its sweet time, but within the years, kageyama steadily learns to understand you and how do you operate. your habits, your body language, what makes you happy or upset, he knows all of it. he can tell when something’s off just from a glance, yet he’s so nonchalant about it— like it’s obvious to know what’s on your mind. now, does he know how to act knowing this? not really, but give him props, he tries his best!

with all that has happened to him, it should come as no surprise the fact kageyama can get pretty insecure in the relationship. it’s not like he doesn’t trusts or you ( god, the boy could trust you with his life ), but you can’t blame him for letting his insecurities get the best of him. he’s just so, so afraid… that one day you’ll notice how unlikeable he truly is and you end up leaving him, like most of the people have done to him in his life…

tobio desesperately needs the reasurrance, the words of affirmation, to bask on the feeling of knowing he’s so deeply loved, and that he’s no such thing as an unlovable person. i hope you let him know that, just as he lets you know how grateful he’s for having you in his life.

all in all, kageyama can be a blunt, awkward and more than a bit dense partner, but he’s striving to become a better version of himself day by day, so, he secretely wishes you’ll put up with him a little longer.

[miu-paras]

Lvl. 4 ⋮ Kalar // Final Chapter

Mission: Return ♪ - Berlinist / Perseverance

TW: mentions of death, disturbing scenes

Another day, another letter home to my parents.

Granted, the first few were justified. Within two months of starting third grade, I’d been sent to the principle’s office twice. Once for getting into a fight with Jess Winters, my desk-mate in art class and a glitter marker thief, and the other for “disrupting the class” when me and my friend Mateo started an impromptu farting orchestra with our armpits.

Those? I’ll admit it, they were justified. But this, I refuse to take the blame for.

“Marley needs to apply herself.”

God, I hated that name.

That’s what the end of the letter read. I hadn’t opened it, but my mother read it aloud to me in a tone so tense you could tell she struggled to smolder the anger she was feeling.

But what did she want me to do? How was I supposed to “apply” myself any more than I already was? It wasn’t my fault that the readings were boring, or that the lessons dragged on for longer than they should, or that I was expected to just sit still the entire time she’s rambling on about multiplying fractions when I was already capable of doing these problems with half a braincell, rendering her long-winded explanations useless.

The only problem was I never felt like doing the problems. Or the reading, or sitting still. I never took interest in the things she or anyone around me would do or say, especially when I’d tried before and failed to fit in. Words were just sounds and the people around me merely shapes. All of it empty and devoid of any meaning. I took more interest in the characters moving across my Gameboy screen. A Gameboy I was going to lose after my parents grounded me.

My mother folded the letter and placed it on the table with perhaps a little more force than she intended. My father, far more disappointed than angry, sighed as he crossed his arms. I sat in silence, staring at the swirling pattern of the wooden table, afraid to look either of them in the face.

“Mars, look,” my dad began, “I know it’s difficult, trust me I know. But you’ve gotta stop—”

“Leave us,” my mom interrupted. We both looked at her in surprise.

“Please,” she continued, “I… need to speak with her. Alone.”

My father, reluctant to leave, stood for a moment looking between the two of us before finally conceding. He pointed a finger at me, “We’ll continue this later.”

After he left the room, leaving me at the mercy of the harsher parent, I continued staring hard at the table, trying desperately to avoid those piercing eyes. I could practically feel her gaze burning a hole in the side of my head.

But instead of her typical scolding, instead of yelling at me, she simply sighed. And all the negative energy practically dissipated out of the room.

“Look at me,” she ordered calmly, and I slowly turned my head, timid eyes staring up at her.

“I am only going to say this once, so listen.” She frowned at me, leaning in. “You are better than this. You are brighter than this. I know you are. And I know that what you’re dealing with is hard, and that you feel no one around you understands…” She pulls my crossed arm away from my chest to hold my hand, dragging her thumb lazily across my palm, “But I need you to know that no matter what anyone says, be it teacher or student or doctor, your mind is special. There’s no need to feel ashamed of that.”

Annoyed, I snatch my hand away and cross my arms again. “But isn’t that what you teach me to do? To hide what makes me ‘special’?” I shot back, complete with air quotes. “Well, I’m sorry. But this isn’t anything I can just… pack away! No matter how much you or Ms. Archie or anyone wants me to!”

She’s silent for a moment, averting her gaze, as if she’s searching for the words to say in the pattern of the wood. I expected her to be angry with me, scold me for my outburst. Instead, when she turned back to me, she was still calm. Still trying her hardest to reach out to me. Trying to understand me.

“I don’t want you to hide yourself. I would never ask that of you,” she spoke, “I’m asking you to harness your bright mind for good.”

She takes my hand back yet again, cradling it gently in both of hers.

“Ellar kalmonerri.”

My eyes darted towards her again as the familiar tongue rolled past her lips. A language she spoke only rarely, mostly when she was thinking of her home.

“…something your mom told you?” I asked gently, nervous of her response. She only occasionally talked about her own family, and her past. The subject was still… sore for her.

She smiled softly, another rare behavior that made me believe something was really wrong. Maybe she was sick? Whatever illness struck her, I was thankful for it. She was being nicer than I’d ever seen her be in my 8 long years of life. I smiled back at her, squeezing her hand gently.

“Yes,” she said simply, smoothing out my hair, “Something my mother told me.”

Fear seems to be a theme with me these days.

There was the fear I felt when Xhen was tracking me. Then the fear of death I felt not too long ago, being impaled in the side and bleeding out until I was unconscious.

But this fear… It was a blinding, white, hot fear. It made every bone and muscle in my body turn to liquid at the very thought of the enemy I was to face now.

The Process.

I know very little about them. That being, I’d never had the pleasure of encountering one. But I do remember them being mentioned a few times in my mom’s stories, and I learned more from Red, who is surprisingly more acquainted with them than I’d originally thought they’d be.

They were responsible for the eradication of my entire race.

Every part of them is weaponized. Their scream, their touch, their massive bodies of black, molten metal that allowed them to bend and shape themselves however they like. They seek nothing but destruction, and to drain the life of everything around them in order to power themselves. They were dangerous. Perhaps the most dangerous enemy I’ve faced since being here.

And they were searching for me.

I knew they were. Red didn’t have to tell me in order to realize that. I was certain that they could sense me, similar to the way I could sense other people. Bioelectric fields, though faint, always give me a good sense of my surroundings. And while I don’t know for certain if they also function this way, I did tell by their behavior that they could pick up something. Something about living things, about me, made them instantly more curious than when I hadn’t entered the city.

Luckily, I was pretty good at hiding. But I didn’t know for how long.

I needed to make a distraction.

[ This area is not safe. ]

“I know…” I whispered back faintly. I was holed up in what remained of someone’s bedroom. That someone, unfortunately, was still in their bed. A pile of bones tucked in neatly under their sheets. This was the standard every two feet I traversed. Bodies everywhere. Lifelessness everywhere. Everything and everyone was… gone.

Maybe that’s why the Process was so curious about me. For them, there was a source of power nearby. With everyone else being dead, there was nothing for them to recharge from. They hadn’t fed in, what, years? Decades? Centuries, even?

They wanted me… because they’re dying.

“The Process is dying… the Process is dying!”

The last words came out as a little more than a whisper, but it was enough to alert one of them. They let out a short, inquisitive howl and my hands immediately slapped over my mouth. I went still. Not moving, hardly breathing. I did absolutely nothing while the processor searched for me, its flexible arms curling around the walls while its large, glowing red orb for an eye peered through each window.

I was trembling, almost vibrating, praying to anyone, any deity or spirit or ancestor that was watching over me to make it leave.

Now would be a good time for a distraction, wouldn’t it?

If power is what they want, then I need to give it to them. Somewhere else, somewhere far away from me. I closed my eyes and searched. I searched for any slight signal or wave of energy to grab on to. For a while, there was nothing. Every building for what felt like blocks was too severely destroyed for any of it to be useful. Until…

Wait.

These bodies still had tsanista. And some of them still worked.

[ …What are you thinking of? ] I could tell Red was on to my scheming. But I had to try, no matter how much they’d protest.

The tsanista was far, but not beyond my reach. That made it perfect for my plan. I may not be able to link with it, being already linked with Red, but I can probably activate it enough that the signal it gives off is strong. Hopefully, strong enough to lure these guys away.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the device, my mind looking into their own, pulling at it ever so carefully until I could connect with it fully. I reached in further to link with it, seeing what it saw, feeling what it felt. Before I knew, they opened up to me. And in that moment, I was hit with a surge of visions, memories of itself and its wielder, all within half a second.

It was activated. And shortly after, it rejected me.

I was pulled back, inhaling sharply as my eyes shot open. The Processor, whose elongated, twisted arms were now curled around my face, began to retreat towards the new source of energy, and so did the rest. Their cries slowly became more distant, until they were no more. Finally it was safe to move.

I looked in the direction of my desired destination. A large, towering skyscraper. Dilapidated, but in better shape than the rest of this place. Something about it felt… familiar. It felt safe in a way I couldn’t explain. For that reason, I assumed it was my best bet of finding a way out of here. Or at least, getting as far away from these monsters as I could.

But I guess I spoke too soon.

As soon as I left my hiding spot within the destroyed building, climbing out the window and onto the path, I felt it behind me. Slowly, I turned to meet them, trembling as soon as I met its face.

A Processor had stayed behind. It stared me down, completely still and not making a single sound. Their form was much like mine, two arms and two legs, albeit still a rather weird, oblong shape. They mimicked me, rather than something alien and unsightly like the rest. But the stillness of them, it was more than unnerving. It put the fear of God in me. That blinding, white fear, building up in the form of burning, hot voltage in my veins. I could feel it down my arms to my fingertips. And they could feel it too; I knew from the way one of their statue-still arms slowly formed and hardened itself into a thick, heavy blade. It deemed me a threat, or perhaps deemed my power a suitable meal. But wouldn’t be so easy to ground. After everything, after all I had to do, after all the fighting and building my way out of Talur, I refused to be snuffed out so easily.

I lifted my arms, and with all the strength I could muster, I sent a massive blast towards the beast and blew it to fragments.

The legs were all that stood, the entire upper body gone. Obliterated. Perhaps it was dead. I was still shaking, adrenaline still coursing through me after such an action. A move I would soon regret, as I turned to see I’d alerted the others.

And turned back to see the Processor I’d previously destroyed slowly reforming the top of its body.

I didn’t need Red to tell me to run. I immediately took flight, taking off as fast as I could in the direction of the tower. Following behind were a plethora of arms and other ligaments, shooting at me in an attempt to drag me out of the sky. Many of them climbed over rubble and bodies in an effort to reach me, and they just might. I wasn’t moving fast enough. I wasn’t going to reach it. I dodged and weaved away from their attacked as best I could, using Red to cut away whatever arms managed to grab at my shoe, throwing blasts here and there if I could, most of them missing. No use. There were too many, and the tower was too far.

Yet still, I refused. No matter the odds, I was never the type to give up, was I? This would be no different.

That same energy from before surged within me again, this time coursing through every vein, every arm and leg and through my fingertips, my eyes glowing bright and hazy as the electricity overtook them. I was a ball of lightning, shooting through the sky.

And within less than a second, I went from flying away from death to rocketing straight through a window of the tower.

I made it.

Ow.

I don’t how long I was out. It couldn’t have been that long, because lifting my head off the floor I could still see two suns hanging in the sky, albeit both on the verge of setting. Groaning, I lifted the rest of my body from the ground and rubbed my head while a free arm rested over my still-healing side. It was sore, just like every other part of me.

May or may not have to do with the fact that I just flew into a building at the speed of light.

Or at least… it felt that fast.

I straightened and looked around, taking in my surroundings. The room was empty, safe for the intricate carvings that decorated every wall. Every figure there looked… familiar. I knew these carvings. I knew this place, and yet for some reason, I—

Red.

[ This place… ] They’d finally spoke, after moments of complete silence. [ I hadn’t been here in what… eons? Some things haven’t changed still… that’s good. ]

I imagined this was all harder for them to see than it was for me, and trust me when I say I wasn’t having fun. They were essentially born here, raised here. And now it was all gone.

“Mm… Red? I think… I think I remember this place… from a dream.” I studied each and every carving carefully. I did more than recognize the carvings; I recognized the people in them.

[ My memories along with the memories of my wielder, both past and current, are stored permanently within me, unless purged. The memories of my previous wielder—your grandmother—were never done away with. And if I’m honest… I never want to be without them. ]

I was silent for a moment, taking in their words. These dreams I’d been having for months, they were all just Red’s memories, playing out in my head from time to time. Red dreamt like I did, except they thought of their past. They thought of home. And those thoughts were shared with me.

Everything was starting to make more sense to me now. My powers, my heritage, everything. Being linked was more than just a psionic connection. It was an emotional one. A marriage between two souls. Two minds becoming one. I was just much a part of Red as they were a part of me. Relaying their memories to me through my dreams was just their way of deepening that connection.

“Red,” I started again, still looking around the room, “Can you, umm… can you tell me about her? About this place?”

They’re quiet for a while, and the silence felt long, but eventually they began.

[ This place is the ancestral home of the Aedonnoe clan. It is the clan of your mother, your grandmother. Your entire bloodline belonged to the most powerful and influential house in Camerian history. ]

Damn.

“Continue,” I requested, moving on to search through other rooms, stairs, and corridors of the estate.

[ Kalar nu Aedonnoe was one of the twelve Ministers of Camer. Each Minister ruled over one of twelve factions. Kalar’s was the capital, Essa. That is where we are now. ]

“Is that why they were so rich and powerful? Because they got the best faction or whatever?” I asked, entering a wide, spacious room that looked mostly untouched, safe for the doors that had been thoroughly rummaged through. There was a wall that carried nothing but daggers, swords, and knives of elaborate designs. It looked like a few of those had been missing too. Apart from that, it had been the biggest room I searched so far. Large furniture to match. The person who slept here must’ve been important.

[ Only half the reason, yes. ] Red answered my question. [ This is Rael’s room. ]

“Rael?”

[ Your mother. ]

Oh.

Granted it made sense that this was her room. She certainly was an important person, being a Minister’s daughter and all. And the room definitely looked like her. Minimalist, no gaudy designs. Just her and her collection of weird knives.

I took the smallest dagger from the rack. It folded neatly, and I sat it in my pocket. Maybe… she’d be happy to see this again. A piece of home…

If I ever have the chance to give it to her.

“You said that was only ‘half the reason’ for their power,” I continued, leaving to venture off into other parts of the tower. “What’s the other half?”

[ The other source of their power was simply… raw power ] Red stated, [ The Aedonnoe were famous for coming from a long line of powerful Camerians. They even get their name from a legendary Gris they are supposedly descended from. ‘Aedonnoe’… I believe it is why you are so powerful. It is rare, but Gris Al Morrena children have existed within the Aedonnoe line. You are the latest of them. ]

“Yeah? And what happened to them, then? If they’re so powerful, maybe they survived.”

[ Same that happened to everyone, it would seem. I doubt they were as lucky as you to escape the Process. ]

Red sounded morose with that last statement. It seemed like traversing through the tower was less interesting for them. Understandably so. What was once, I imagine, a bustling metropolis in the center of a powerful empire, was now a ghost town. Halls filled with nothing but cobwebs, lost memories, and forgotten souls. The entire place was wrecked by a feeling of sadness and loss.

It only made our next discovery worse.

After exploring several more rooms and halls, investigating the remnants of my family, we pushed our way through a massive door. They were heavy and slow, and could only be opened by a Camerian; they needed to be controlled through technokinesis. It was a massive, circular room. The only lighting in the room came from the windows that covered every wall. Ripped and mangled tapestries hung from a ceiling so tall the very top was hidden in the shadows. Even the colors were elaborate, glistening hues and pink and purple and blue, from ceiling to floor.

And on those very floors… laid the skeletal remains of the fallen.

Bodies everywhere.

I couldn’t describe what I was feeling now. An ugly, heart-wrenching mixture of shock, fear, and sadness. I was still, taking in the awful scene with mournful, glassy eyes. A hand went over my mouth to keep any sobs from escaping.

This was my family… what was left of them. They didn’t make it.

No one did.

No one escaped.

I walked through the room slowly, minding any bodies that draped over my path to the single, large throne in the center of the room. In it sat their body. The body of someone I hadn’t met, but knew.

The sob I was holding back, came out as loud, strained whimper.

“It’s…”

[ Kalar. ]

I dropped to my knees, trembling as I stared up at their body with glassy eyes, tears falling down my cheeks every time I blinked. It was as if Red’s sadness intermixed with my own to form a deep, painful, and unending sorrow. I don’t know what I was expecting to find. Maybe, I thought, just maybe, I’d find a chance. A chance that someone, anyone, could’ve made it out too. That my all-powerful family found a way to beat this great evil. That maybe, in all my searching, I’d find a glimmer of hope.

But there is no hope, is there? There’s no hope for any of us. All we can do is try.

“Ellar kalmonerri.”

We all carry weight.

I leaned forward in a deep bow, my forehead centimeters away from touching the floor. “Go in peace,” I uttered softly before rising to my feet again. I gave them, and everyone else in the room, one last look over, before the action started again.

The Process. The fucking Process. They’d scaled the tower, their twisted limbs now breaking through every window and wall, through the ceiling through the floor. They were bringing the tower, my ancestral home, the grave of my family, my people, to the ground.

Sadness turned to fear, turned to anger. Pure, indescribable anger.

I wanted to destroy the Process. I wanted them to be as broken down and forgotten as the rest of this place. And more than anything, I wanted to leave, to be home where it was safe, where death wasn’t everywhere.

Anger turned to power, and that power took over every cell of my body yet again, my eyes filled once more with the white hotness of electricity, which traveled down through every vein.

I was more than just lightning now. I was a supernova, releasing itself in the very face of evil.

The blast that left me was enough to level the tower. Every Processor was obliterated. Whether they’d reform or not I didn’t care. Because now I was rocketing through the sky, past the clouds, breaking through the atmosphere at such speed and force that you could hear the loud crack as I soared like a missile through the universe. Red already encased my body completely, protecting me from the vacuum of space as I flew far away. Away from Camer, from Ulteria altogether. Away from Xhen, from Zhu’drak, from Dan and his mech. Away from it all.

And rocketed toward home.

I don’t know how long it took to reach Earth. All I could remember was blazing forward at blinding speed, seeing nothing but light. I only slowed down upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.

I could’ve started flying, protecting myself from the fall. But I didn’t mind the sensation of freefalling. I welcomed it. The exhilaration, it was almost enough to erase the pain. I wanted to keep feeling the wind in my face, taste the fresh air of the planet I was raised on, for just a little longer.

But the force of the ground took it away from me.

Welcome back.