#zayn is active all the sudden??

[wellbealrightipromise]

which was more culturally significant: the renaissance or liam commenting on zayn’s post and zayn responding to it?

[odoraful]

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐔𝐌 𝐩.𝟏

zayne's last dream has left him shaken and he hopes to meet you again to reconcile his fears

content: dawnbreaker!zayne x reader; a direct continuation from zayne’s anecdote 'still in the dark'; ~1k words a/n: spoilers for ‘still in dark’ so if you haven’t read it yet be warned! read part 2 here reading bgm ♫ Prologue V - The Weight of History's Presence

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Though it had been days since that last dream, the shocked expression on your face has since haunted Zayne. 

You aren’t Dr. Zayne. Who are you?

He’d been afraid to fall back asleep again since. Those dreams he once coveted so much, desperately hoping for your warm embrace, now became a source of fear for him. In every fleeting moment you shared, he thought he’d done everything right. He played the role of that smart and reliable partner just for you. 

It had all been perfect until that last dream. 

The days from then on stretched endlessly like taffy. Zayne filled in his time doing anything he could to silence his fears. He thought often about activities Georgie would have enjoyed and made himself plans with the young boy in mind. Trying new sweets at the dessert shop, reading beside the jasmine flower field in the plaza, watching the sun set from his apartment window. Detective Ivan seemed to have kept his promise, and the public whispers of Dawnbreaker fizzled away, leaving Zayne free to carry out his duties in complete anonymity. He’d sometimes finish his day off with a visit to Georgie and his mother’s graves. During the night, he’d stay awake for as long as his body could handle until he was overcome with fatigue, passing out wherever he sat.

He found that no dreams would come if he slept this way. 

The impracticality of this type of living did not faze Zayne until he stared at his own reflection in the mirror one day. He had heavy bags under his eyes and a pallor to his face that made him almost unrecognisable to himself. He gripped the edge of the sink, a sudden nausea making his head spin.

It was foolish to continue like this. He needed to see you again. 

Perhaps he should try and talk to you without the guise of this doctor. If the dream had allowed you to speak out, then surely it would give him the same ability. He would explain himself to you, prove that he was the person you loved. These dreams he had since he was a child had shaped his entire worldview. He moulded himself to be yours. Surely, with your presence in these dreams also, they must mean something to you too. 

Yes, that would be the most sensible course of action. 

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For the first time in a while, Zayne gave himself a proper night routine. Though, the flavourless nutritional liquid he downed for dinner did little to quell the anxiety in his stomach, and washing his face with cool water could not banish the heat from his cheeks. 

His mind was filled with rehearsals of what he would say to you as he laid in bed. In his periphery, he made out the dim, red glow the numbers of his alarm clock casted across the dark room. Zayne read in a medical fact sheet that it took a person around fifteen to twenty minutes to fall asleep. Turning to look at the clock, the numbers that read 23:18 dazzled his vision. 

He closed his eyes, the afterimage of the red numbers remaining behind his eyelids. His final thoughts were a plea to the stars above to let him visit you again, before he let his subconscious pull him deeper.

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Zayne did not know how he arrived here, but he now stood on a gravel path beneath archways of curling shrubbery. The greenery was well manicured with small white flowers. As he inhaled, he was surprised to find the light scent of jasmine in the air. A small piece of familiarity that calmed his senses.

Stepping out from the shade and onto grass, he realised the dream was set in a garden. Benches were scattered around to provide viewing seats for the flowers, which, Zayne noticed, seemed to only be variations of different types of white flowers. Close by, there was a river dotted with clusters of lily pads and white petals that gently drifted along the surface. A bridge over the river led to a green roofed pavilion suspended atop the water. Zayne was so accustomed to his own drab and dark world that it almost hurt his eyes to gaze around this idyllic scene. The sound of indistinct chatter surrounded him, however, there were no signs of other people around no matter where he turned, save for one person he spotted standing on the grass.

Zayne exhaled a shaky breath.

A pale blue dress that stood out against the flowering white buds flitted around your legs, though his own clothes did not rustle against any breeze. Sunlight illuminated your skin, though he could not feel any warmth from its rays. His dreams had strange ways of carefully crafting his desires. You had an expectant expression on your face, glancing about in search of somebody. Zayne’s feet felt like dragging weights as he forced himself to walk, fighting off his fear of closing the distance. 

Your expression turned to delight when you saw him approaching. You waved at him, grinning. Something twisted inside him. How long had it been since he’d seen that smile? 

He put up a hand hesitantly in greeting. 

You began to walk, almost skipping towards him. Zayne almost backed away, startled by your enthusiasm. 

Only metres apart now, you suddenly froze, eyes going wide. Zayne didn’t move a muscle, feeling his own body lock up. The background chatter dissipated, as you opened your mouth to speak. The world turned silent as if in anticipation for the words you were about to say. 

“It’s- it’s you again.” 

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[empty-vessel-of-a-person]

Pre-Misty Invasion Event (LnDS) Thoughts

1st I do not have enough diamonds for this. I do however, have enough for 70 pulls. But since this is an All LnDS Boys event, I need at least 140 pulls to ensure Zayne will come home.

This event is so sudden (or is it?) considering we still have the Free 5 Star Event for Rafayel.

The truth is I start spending real money for this game just to missed Snowy Serenity. I was only able to watch the whole memory through a fellow player. I was so sad for that but still want to push through since I love Zayne so much. (bad move)

I know from the start that this is business and those who is willing to spend (including me) is in a serious trouble. But I will not be spending this time around because Zayne's birthday event is right around the corner and I need to save up for that.

It just come to my knowledge that LnDS is widely popular in Japan (east Asia in general) at the moment and a lot of girls is willing to spend a fortune for the game. (if you are active on "X" formerly twitter, there is this player reach Affinity 100 with Sylus 6 days after his official release. I can't imagine the amount of money she must have spend on the game.

There is even a report that girls are not getting in a relationship because of otome games and LnDS is on the top of the list for reasons in the beginning of 2024. I lost the link to the article. So sorry. But the growth of the game is so massive in just 7 months after international release. (tsk tsk, Infold is Loaded)

Lastly, True that there is a bragging rights when you make them come home to you but I hope everyone is being clear headed on this as I force myself to as well. Those who can spend, fell free to do so, and those who can't, please do not force your self to. I say this with love, but if you find me hypocrite or offensive, I apologize. All I am asking is be reasonable when it comes to your finances.

May the odds be in your favor in Misty Invasion Event.

[ursawastricked]

The Glimmering Pearl

Silco x f!reader Moulin Rouge inspired fan fiction

The Dens Delight, a nightclub, one tucked between the undercut of Zaun and its sister city of Piltover, is the secret delight of the rich and poor of Runeterra. The call of loud swing music, the smell of cheap booze, and the warmth of the dens dancers draw in crowds by the hundreds every night, in attempts to lure them into spending.

You call this place home, it loves you like its daughter, and you take comfort knowing that the people love you just as much. That doesn't change that tonight,,you meet him. The eye of Zayn, the kingpin of the undercut,,and he might just be your ticket out of here.

warnings for fic: Drinking, lewd behavior, night club activity in general

word count: 3,289

total wordcont: 3,289

Silco found little joy in places like this. Despite The Drop's atmosphere of bright lights, loud music, drugs, thugs, and alcohol all surrounding him in most of his day to day life, he at least had the luxury of it being muted beneath his office. It didn't bite him like it did here. The sickeningly intense stretch of “rose” perfume stung his nose, and the booze sprinkled about on the floor and patrons stung the rest of his senses as he fought his way through the sea of under city patrons that flocked to places such as this when they needed to feel worth something.

Perhaps it wasn't his scene, but for Finn it was like home ground, which would be the only reason Silco had crawled here to begin with. With him he dragged some extra hands, but found that they too had quickly been washed away in a sea of drunkards, or pulled away by half clothes workers, each one's skirt a differnt brightly colored pattern to draw the attention of whomever had money to spend.

That is what made this place so aggravating. It wasn't like the brothels, those at least held some class in Silcos opinion. At places like Babbettes, attention was requested, then provided, it wasn't demanded, it did not result from a sudden “mis-step” that landed a women lewdly in your lap, or sneaking hands of a pretty face taking inappropriate hold on someone to weasel them into spending hard earned coin. He didn't worry about randomly spilling cheap beer on his silk vest, nor did he have to worry about them then offering to take it off for him. Simply put, he wasn't having fun. He wasn't enjoying the festivity filled floor below, packed not only with thousands of Pilties, desperate for depravity despite them sharing the house with Aunties who too had ventured here for that reason. He less enjoyed that now as he finally found sanctuary in a box seat above, that he could see Sevika, sitting back in a plush armchair, a lady hiking up her peacock colored skirt in his muscles lap, and as she would put it “Having friendly conversation”.

He grumbled lightly, offering a light from Finn as he sat finally. He accepted the silent offer, tucking a cigar between his lips and allowing the flames to lick at the end of the expense tobacco roll. He closed his eyes, another failed attempt to drown out the numbing sound of the ballroom below, as he inhaled a thick cloud of smog into his lungs. He held it for a moment of ease, letting it burn his throat and maybe even seer away the dreadful taste of whatever that wicked bartender considered ‘top shelf brandy’, before he willed himself to exhale the black smoke and let it ribbon away into the ceiling above. His good eye followed its path lazily, finding it curling around a collection of ropes and scaffolding tucked above the box seats and further toward what appeared to be the old placement of a chandelier. He wondered what monster had decided removing such a piece would make this palace look better, clearly a chandelier would vastly improve the facade of class in a place like this, but who was he to judge interior design. He was sure the random placement of ropes and wood made for a much better design choice, not to mention against an old classically crafted glass ceiling. Indeed, why would a chandelier be a valuable piece to keep. 

 His discomfort was quickly caught by Finn, who smirked at the rare entermainted of an uncomfortable and out of control Silco,“Is it too much for you, old man?" he taunted, flicking closed his lighter before snapping it open again, keeping in time with the current music. “I suppose after so many years, the sound of fun can be too much to bear.” he continued, leaning over the ledge and watching as workers danced about with unknowing citizens, unaware of how much each of those stolen kisses would cost them. “Perhaps you, Finn, confuse mindless noise for entertainment..” Silco snarled back, low, controlled. He tapped the ashes of his cigar into a provided bowl on the small table they were given.Finn only offered him a chuckle in response, shrugging off the large gold coat he had worn as he approched and placed himself into the opposite chair of Silco. “Mindless noise? Do you not hear the laughter? The singing of the entertainers?’ “The drunken howls, the croud whistles at the passing waitress, the belch of vomiting patrons…” Silco added bitterly, taking another deep breath of his chosen grounding tool tonight. Finn only stared back, aggravated quickly by the negativity. But to Silco, truth came in positives and negatives, if one side was to be ignored, then you were missing the picture. In this case, missing the picture of a loud, over decorated, overrated, and overly fancy club, one that looked pretty to hide the shady work it openly offered. The two watched each other's expression for a long moment, as two predators would in a territorial competition, who could remain standing their ground longer. But it was Finn who broke the silence first, rolling his hand over the table as he reached for his empty glass and held it up in signal to the standing by server. “I must admit, I had hoped for at least a little down time with you, Silco. Perhaps a meeting that doesn't require a rehearsed debate over the constant work and stress of running our little empire,” he began, maintaining their locked gaze as the server approached and poured a generous amount of amber liquid into Finn's waiting glass. He gestured for Silco to have his glass filled as well, before dragging it to his lips and letting it pass over his tongue during the pause in speaking.

“My empire..you still find yourself in the habit of forgetting where you come from. Where I came from.” Silco sneered, not given the courtesy of a glance to the server as they filled his glass and retreated back behind the curtain.

“Again with the age debate, ‘remember our lives before’, ‘the mines from which we came’, It is always your age that defends your power Silco..and I had just told you, I had hoped for down time with you.” Finn reminded him, placing down his glass with a soft ‘tink’.

Silco rolled his eyes slowly, taking his own glass and leaning back in the seat he had. He felt much more at ease then he would like to admit when the liquor passed his scared lip and spread over his tongue. He was elated to taste actual brandy, not the gasoline he had been fed not thirty minutes ago when he had first arrived. The flavor was rich, a velvety, warm taste, the whispers of the imported fruits it was made with still ghosted into each drop as he swallowed and let the liquid warm his belly, further drawing him into a more comforting position in this prison he found himself in. Embarrassingly enough, it had tamed him enough to cease the fight against Finn and just relax into his seat.

“Besides, the show tonight is one I think is best enjoyed when you have only her to focus on.” Finn cooed, reclining and gazing off into the crowd below. Silco took another blissful sip, considering the words Finn had said without much worry. Yes, this place was well known for its exotic performances, dancers, singers, usually half clothed like the rest of them. But now, with a drink in his hands, smoke in his lungs, and the sound of music slowing down, he welcomed whatever performance was interesting enough to catch Finn's attention as often as it seemed too. Let the show begin,

“Im sure.” he hummed, in reply, closing his eyes and clutching to the comfort of good brandy and an expensive cigar.

Another thirty minutes passed, Sevika arriving back beside Silco, dragging along the peacock lady and sitting her comfortably on her knee as she resumed her guard over the kingpin. He offered her a nod of acknowledgment, earning a satisfied nod back from her, enough of one that he had noticed the smudge of lipstick across her cheek and further down her neck.

He lifted his glass back to his lips before he saw the light dim, and following it immediately was the hush of the loud music, the hush of patrons and the awful howls of laughing girls. He followed all their gaze, to the lowering figure from the ceiling. Above the world, like a bird descending, a swing lowered just level with the box seats where the eye of zaun had found himself. Perched on the seat was a figure, one he had not quite expected. You. You sat above the crowd, your eyes closed tentatively as you held tight to the ropes connected to your seat. You held your breath, still finding your breath a bit constricted by the tight costume they had pulled you into tonight. It was a torturous thing, tight, stiff with what must have been a thousand false pearls, expertly patterned to trace your figure and accentuate your curves. You cross your legs expertly, earning a whistle from below and giving you a little boost of confidence. You straighten your back, take in a deep breath and start your usual performance.The silence breaks with a silk like voice, one Silco didn't expect as the swing slowly sways, and allows for the limited light to shimmer off the pearls stitched to your costume. His gaze locked first onto the tall black heel you wore, but slowly trailed up long legs, to the start of your costume just above your hip, and dragging slowly to your shoulders. But what broke the facade of his disinterest was when you suddenly dip your head back, catching his gaze in yours and revealing the face behind the vision he had been blessed with, as you reached out a hand toward the booth, and the swing slowly began to swing, descending down into the crowd below. His heart raced at the limited eye contact, and he found himself now like Finn, leaned closer to the edge of the box, chasing you to keep your figure in his sights as the music swelled slowly around the hall, reaching its peak when your heel clicked too the floor and you stood at the center of it all. The center of a once chaotic hell scape, had ceased and created a pool from which this divine thing could fully shine, and he was enraptured. This was entertainment indeed. Especially as your voice rang through the sound and your feet followed a practiced little prance around the crowd grabbing playfully at random from time to time and dragging them into your next little move before abandoning them in favor of another. You held the entire hall in the palm of your hand, those not too awestruck to speak offering your whistles, howls, and the occasional help in the song. You chuckle as you allow for a lucky customer to dip your weight, teasingly snatching his cap and placing it on your head for safe keeping. You leave his head spinning and Silco finds a light smile on his scarred lip as you step away, leaving everyone around you chasing your touch, one he imagined was heavenly based on how the other visitors clamored for a chance at it. He rested his glass against his lips as you retreated back to your swing, standing on it with a tight grip on the flimsy ropes before it lifted you again in the air. “Quite the show isn't it, Silco?” Finn murrmered on, stealing a peak at how Silco had become so focused after spitting so much distaine for this place earlier. Silco chuckled lightly, feeling just as relaxed as Finn insisted he be tonight, humming a quick “mhm”, and inhaling a deep breath of smoke. You smiled teasingly at the patrons that flooded where you once stood moments ago, spreading your stance a little for balance as you began to lean back and let the swing move carefree above them, using enough force so that the trajectory of it had began to circle and allow you a to give those in the boxes a bit of a closer look as you. Janna, this always felt so good, yes the height was a little frightening, but the way the people flocked to you, around you, starved for any glimmer of your attention, you felt like a god among them. But as always, the best part of a performance was engaging the audience, and you had been looking out all night for people to play with. About an hour ago you had been doing one final walk around before being dressed, when your eyes caught something particularly interesting moving through the club. A familiar Burgundy colored coat that swept over the dance floor and up the stairs into Finn's box. He was a regular, one you had a few run-ins with in the past, the occasional dance, invitations to his bed after a paid for “chat”, all of which you had politely declined. It wasn't in your best interest to leave the club with patrons after all, you were higher class then that, The Glimmering Pearl of the undercity. But this not so mystery guest, he was more your interest tonight. A ‘big catch’ as your den mother would put it. So you pulled your swing back, aiming directly for that box, and swinging back and propelling yourself toward the balcony. You hooked your legs over the lip of the ledge, sitting yourself nice and pretty in front of a very startled Eye of Zaun. He stared, dumfounded, the snicker of his accompanying crowd. How delightful, the king of the undercity, positively flustered at your sudden appearance. You could swear there was a hint of pink appearing across his skin, through it could just be the lights. You offer him a sly smile, tilting your head and kicking a foot up to rest the tip of your heel just under his jawline. He stared forward, completely enchanted as the satin of your shoe dragged against his skin, causing him to involuntarily lean forward into it. His eyes met yours finally, half lidded, hazey with a building desire as your heel was now placed on his shoulder. It was an easy transition to slip off the ledge slightly, and push more of your weight into his chair as you rested your one leg other his shoulder and leaned close enough to truly see if it was the lighting that resulted in that exquisite rosey color in his cheeks..it was to your excitement, not a trick of the light.  “Good evening, I do hope I didn’t startle you” You hummed, drawing your hand to your chest dramatically, feigning apologetic.Silcos good eye caught the movement effortlessly, taking a moment to admire how the lace of your gloves looked against your skin tone. Only then did he flick his mismatched gaze to yours, ignoring that his face was warmer then he would have liked. You looked into the infamous gaze, finding yourself a bit frozen when the burning orb of his bad eye focused itself on you, a gaze that had often resulted in the blood-spill of maybe thousands. It made you nervous, but quickly you tried to psyche yourself back up, back to flirting, maybe earn a little favor from the royal head of the undercity. “I can’t say I mind,” he replied, training his gaze on you before putting his half finished cigar to his cracked lip, maintaining eye contact as he took a long inhale. Despite your expertise in this, the game of flirtation, you held your breath. It was caught in your throat like you were preparing for something that wasn't coming, and you weren't able to hide it before he had seen it. The roll in his  mouth escaped its hold, and you failed to keep your eyes seedy, as they had now locked on his mouth. Silco cracked a half smirk, titling his head back to exhale the long cloud of smog from his lungs. It was an offered opening, one you hastily took to breath and return to your usual practice routine. You were able to bring back your coy smile, and bring your hands to his tie. You played with it between your fingers, as you expected it was fine silk. With a little smirk, you went with your usual game, loosening it before pulling it away from his throat. You waved it in front of his face,“I expect that back Madame,” he hummed, catching Finn's far too satisfied smirk in the corner of his eye. You giggle lightly, “Well,” as you drag the fabric over your chest, causing Silco to squirm lightly in his seat beneath you. Far more in your element now that you had an in, you tuck the scarf into your cleavage and push your weight back onto the ledge, “I expect i will be seeing you again then.” You tease, watching the hint of challenge in his good eye as you turn and give Finn a fast wink of acknowlagment, waving a little goodbye before you were back on your swing, being pulled back by gravity far away from the Eye of Zaun. As you vanish and drag the warmth in his lap away, Silco gives a disappointed sigh, watching you fly off with his scarf..He breathed in the last breath of his dying cigar before tapping it out in the ashtray. To his left, he can see Finn's stupid smirk still plastered on his artifical jaw.

“How much did it cost you?” Silco asked, refusing to give him anymore for the question, he didn't plan to disrupt his viewing experience just to address a constant thorn in his side. “Not a single coin.” Finn purred, leaning forward to follow you in time with Silco. Silcos raised his eyebrows lightly, trying to hide it, fruitlessly. It wasn't a feeling he would have admitted too, the burning feeling igniting deep in his chest, in the pit of his stomach, the top of the flames licking at his heart. You land again on the ground floor, enveloped almost immediately by the crowd of waiting fans, allowing light touches, lifts, and dips as you make your way to the stage. You strut, trying to keep up your sultry energy, lips softly pursed, eyes lidded, but you struggle as you fight away the growing heat in your cheeks, you try to convince yourself it's all the action. As you huff in a deep breath, tiptoeing up the stairs and clicking your heels loudly on the stage with a loud hollar into the crowd. Silco feels a hum deep in his chest as the sound echoes into him, and his pupils dilate. You give a few playful steps back, up the further stage steps into the feather like bed at the back with a deep call of your final verse. You lay down your weight, flirtatiously flicking your leg over. “MMMwah!” You call, with a dramatic kiss thrown into the crowd. You pull out your stolen scarf from your cleavage, waving it playfully toward Silco, whom you are pleased to see, just as focused as before. You feel the burn in your cheeks win, just as the curtains flutter closed in front of you, and you feel the heat finally reach you, the heat of that single burning eye that now knows about you. Your way out of here.

Yippie! my first big fic!

I really enjoyed working on this one, and I hope to write a part two if it goes well. 

If you enjoy for would like more please lmk, I'm finding for pretty Silco content 

[biohazard-inevitable]

Lost

The dragon and the fox S2P2!!!! Pardon this one is just a short scene but its funny as fuck and i had to write it

S2P1 here

Very beginning here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zayne remembered now why he hated government buildings so much. Of course he was stupid to insist to Winston that he cluld figure out his way to the cafeteria on his own, and yet somehow he had ended up on the roof of all places, still entirely clueless as to where the hell he was.

“Fuck. Gods if only this were a heist! Then I could just bust my way through walls until I got out.” He mumbled to himself before a slow, honey-sweet voice sent a startled jolt up his spine.

“Whats a little thing like yourself doin all the way up here? Thought only I had dibs on this little lookout.”

Zayne swiftly whipped around to face the sudden voice that had come from behind, his feet casually sliding into a firmer stance as he prepared to fight for his life if needed.

“Woah there pardner, didn’t mean to spook ya!” Chuckled the stranger as he stepped out of the shadows hands raised and a cigarette between his teeth.

The man wore a loose fitting flannel and a pair of worn jeans held up by a tacky belt with a buckle that read “BAMF” in all it’s clichéd glory. His face was ragged with stubble and his hair was a deep auburn, curling around his ears in bed-ridden waves. His eyes shone a deep sienna in the warm light of noon and a tattered red shawl fluttered in the breeze kicked up by the waves that slammed against the rocky cliffside gibraltar sat upon. He would be rather attractive if it werent for the smokey stench of tobacco and the hilariously cliché cowboy hat atop his head, or rather, his entire costume of an outfit.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Zayne scoffed, loosening his posture slightly but not dropping his guard. “Some hillbilly lost from their cheesy western movie?”

“I ain’t a hick like that.” The man chuckled softly as he removed the cigarette from his mouth. “Name’s Cassidy, Cole Cassidy.”

“That supposed to be a Bond reference?” The little ninja remarked snidely as he crossed his arms.

“Hey James Bond was an excellent action hero!” The cowboy snapped, a twinge of redness brightening his cheeks as he flubbed around, caught off fuard by the sass. “That’s besides the point though, who are you supposed to be then sugarcube?”

“Zayne Shimada, Overwatch’s newest recruit.” Zayne introduced with a small, prideful smirk.

“A Shimada huh?” Cassidy smirked as he continued his approach, looming over the shorter man. “Lil small to be a proper agent aint-“

Cassidy’s words were swiftly cut off into a high whine as Zayne’s fist went rocketing into his crotch with the speed of a viper-strike, bringing the cowboy down to his knees, tears sparkling in his eyes as a familiar shape rounded the corner of the rooftop.

“Ibotei! There you are,” Genji called as he approached the two boys. “I figured you got lost and- oh what happened here?”

“He called me small in a mean way.” Zayne shrugged as if he had done nothing wrong, which, in his mind, he didnt really.

“Uncle-“ Cassidy whimpered breathlessly as he glared up at Genji. “Fuck Gen- yer brother’s got one hell of an arm-“

“That he does! And I thought I taught you better than to pick a fight with a shimada when we sparred.” Genji laughed as he extended his hand to help the cowboy up.

“Didn’t know that extended to family!” Cassidy groaned as he was hoisted up by his teammate. “But damn! Taught me better for sure! Didn’t know such strength was hidden behind such smokin looks though-“

“Don’t make me hit you too.” Genji warned less than playfully as he gave Cassidy a light shove. “Though it has been a while since we last sparred, I’m glad you stuck around after all that happened.”

“Well, not like I had much of a choice as an active outlaw y’know.” The cowboy laughed dryly, dusting himself off. “Though from what I’ve been hearin, Zayne aint so innocent neither.”

“Did what I had to, and had a bit of fun along the way.”

“Aint that right?”

“Alright you two, enough ‘bonding’, I need to show my brother around the base, maybe have him meet less annoying people.” Genji teased with a firm jab to Cassidy’s ribs.

“Hey will y’all quit beatin on me already?” Cassidy chuckled, giving Genji a soft jab in response. “I don’t need to be beat any further to hell today.”

“Sure, sure.” Genji chuckled, the roll of his eyes implied from the shake of his head, though hidden behind his visor.

“Seriously though, its nice to have you back Genji. Even if you are way more talkative than back then.”

“A lot has changed since then, for example, I’ve got better jokes than your stupid puns now. Learned from some of the best around.”

“Well I for one can’t wait to hear em.”

[rkwritingprojects]

Zayn the Dragon. . .?

Zayn is a gold colored Mobian dragon, at least in appearance. Gold eyes to match the scales of his body, and white horns protruding from underneath his bright gold hair, Zayn's appearance can be otherwise described as overly bright, and maybe even gaudy. But when looking at him under normal lighting conditions, one would be able to tell that what spots on his body that aren't covered by scales, are about as pale as can be.

If you tried to question him about his past, his history, he'd try to avoid the questions by stating that there is no history to dive into. While a blatant lie, he will usually insist that this is the case to the point where he will forcibly drop the topic. Unless he trusts you of course.

Having been around for what has felt like an eternity, there are almost no events that Zayn hasn't been a witness to in some form. Yet, he doesn't appear in any public or military databases. Files of him can be found, if you know where to look, but would one really want to look there?

Typically found wandering the world, keeping an eye on things and certain others, and assisting from the sidelines most of the time, Zayn isn't much of an active being. If it wasn't for his own code of conduct, he would not involve himself at all most. However, a moral obligation of sorts chains him to the decision to provide aid to those who need it, when it is most needed.

Yet, this is only scratching the surface about him.

Truthfully speaking, Zayn is actually one half of another very powerful being, making him equally as powerful. He is also that other. . . Thing's opposite in terms of natural balance. As such, for every bit of power one gains, the other is growing in power respectfully, meaning that they act as perfect counters to one another. This also means that while Zayn may appear to be Mobian, he very much is not. Quite, he is unfortunately just like his creator in that regard.

This was something that his creator found to be highly intriguing, and severely annoying. Something that lead to him being constantly contained except for when experiments were to be conducted on him, to explore what all he was fully capable of. This lead to a myriad of discoveries about him, ranging from his ability to split himself off into smaller pieces that could operate independently, as well as being able to heal others.

Like his creator, there are ways to slowly eliminate him. Using the material that his creator is made of is the most prominent method, as they directly counter each other. The main determining factor between which material is destroyed first typically comes down to who has a greater willpower, as well as who has more energy to burn.

The other method is extreme heat, which can directly burn and break down his existence. While not as commonly known, it leads to a similar behavior as his creator, in a preference for colder climates and locales. This does not stop him from acting in environments that would work against him, however. It just makes things much, much more difficult.

An additional weakness that was discovered through experimentation, was that Zayn is exceptionally prone to high voltage charges. While smaller currents can safely pass through his body without harm, large sudden charges like those from a substation, a lighting strike, or an amped up shock collar can quickly debilitate him, and leave him vulnerable to attack.

Despite these weaknesses, and the suffering Zayn has gone through, he works with some of his creators other various projects to prevent his creator from starting new projects, while freeing the remaining projects under his horrible control. A goal that he intends to accomplish, even if it ends up destroying him at the end.

[hanarchy]

as someone who has been here during earlier Stay Days, it really has changed

from what I've seen (and assume so far), it seems that ppl have either moved to twitter and just haven't found a reason to come back or just changed interests but haven't re-picked up any skz stuff since they left (if that makes any sense cnjdjc)

(tbh it Does seem like there was a sort of 'odd pause' in stayblr activity when woojin left, but that was just an odd/bad time overall for everybody. i also left bcuz of work and school eating up my time so my data may be skewed hdjdjdjd)

(sorry to dump that in your inbox all of a sudden haha)

omg please don’t apologize, i literally asked fjdjjwkwjs

thank you for sharing!!

that’s fascinating actually!! do you mind sharing how you feel about it then vs. now? was it better back then or just different. of course you dont have to 💕

i have heard the woojin thing before, i think that makes a lot of sense. that kind of thing is bound to cause a tear in the fandom and not just the group.

i don’t personally have a ton of experience with k-pop groups but i remember zayn leaving 1d a little too well. and with a group whose story/mythology is as much about being found family/blood brothers/fated as skz is, it’s gonna be a rough time when someone leaves no matter what.

edit: happy belated birthday!!! 🎉

[thenpoisedsaidwere]

a little thing i wrote a while ago and just dug up again:) honestly it's my favourite thing to look through my old stuff and see how much my writing has changed

should i continue this? maybe. will i continue this? probably not

Music has always been there for Louis. Through all the good times, all the bad times, and all the times in between, music has been a safe space that he can turn to when things get to be too much. So it’s really not the best when this boy is standing in the door to the music room, his body angled towards the drum kit that Louis sits at facing away from the doorway. Louis tries to keep drumming, he really does, but it’s so annoying because he can feel the gaze of the boy in the doorway on his back.

So, Louis stops, turns his head around and glares at him, hoping he’ll get the message. Apparently not. Louis sighs and says without rotating his body to face the curly headed boy: “Look, mate, I’m flattered, really. But could you, I don’t know, maybe leave?” Okay, so maybe that was a bit ruder than necessary, but it got the job done, right? Wrong. When Louis checks, the boy is still standing in the doorway with a faint smile that Louis finds a bit creepy, if he’s honest, painted onto his face.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, that was rude-”

Louis is cut off by a boy with dark hair and cheekbones sculpted by the gods - Louis is pretty sure his name is Zack or something like that - walking up to Doorway Boy and tapping him on the shoulder. Doorway Boy jumps a little but turns, relaxing once he sees who it is, and moving his hands in a flurry of activity which Zack laughed at (yeah, Louis was fairly sure that was his name) and… replied to? Shit. He’s pretty sure they were speaking in sign language. Jesus. That’s embarrassing - he was talking and Doorway Boy couldn’t even hear him.

“Hey.” Louis is startled from his thoughts by a voice. He turns, spinning on the stool he is sitting at, to see Zack walking towards him, Doorway Boy following closely behind him. Ugh. Social interaction. “Louis, right?” Zack says.

“Yeah.” If he had to talk, he would make it clear he didn’t want to be doing so.

“I’m Zayn, and this is Harry.” Zack- or apparently Zayn- says. Wow, Louis was way off with that one. Louis' eyes are drawn up to Harry who gives a small smile and a wave.

“Cool.”

“Yeah.” Zayn says, fidgeting on the spot. It was getting awkward now. Interrupting the uncomfortable silence, Harry taps Zayn’s shoulder and signs something to him. Zayn nods. “Harry just said that he wanted me to say that he’s sorry if you said something and he didn’t answer. He’s deaf, if you didn’t catch that.”

Louis nods. “Yeah, I figured it out. Tell him s’alright, it doesn’t matter what I said anyways.” He feels a bit bad about being rude to Harry, even if he now knows that Harry doesn’t know what he said.

“He can read lips, I don’t have to, like, translate or anything.” Zayn says, getting slightly defensive. Louis could guess that he didn’t want Harry to seem helpless. “Just face him so he can see your lips.”

“Oh, that’s cool. It must have been hard, right?” Louis said, facing Harry and making sure he could see Louis’ lips. Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making Louis burst out with a sharp laugh. A grin spreads across Harry’s face.

“Well, we should probably go, H.” Zayn signs as he talks, a feat which leaves Louis impressed. Harry nods, and the two turn to leave, Zayn throwing a “Bye, Louis.” over his shoulder, and Harry waving again. Just before they walk out the door, Harry signs something to Zayn. Zayn turns, a grin on his face. “Harry says maybe he’ll see you around?”

Louis nods quickly - a bit too quickly, that’s embarrassing - smiling widely at Harry, who returns it with a shy one of his own.

“Yeah, see you around.” He says, feeling a pink flush rise to his cheeks. Louis sits in silence after Harry and Zayn, wondering what the fuck just happened, and why is he so happy all of a sudden and why is Harry so cute?

♡♡♡

Harry slaps Zayn’s shoulder. I don’t like him! He signs.

You sure? Why’d you want to see him again then? Zayn teases.

I don’t know. He just seemed cool. Harry responds, his cheeks red.

Sure he did. Look, you’re blushing! Zayn says. A light on the roof of the car flashes, catching Harry’s attention, and both boys look up to Zayn’s mum who is sitting in the front seat of the car next to Zayn. She twists around in her seat so Harry can see her hands.

Home, boys. I made cookies today, you want to get them before the girls find them. She says.

Harry has been living with the Maliks for just over three months now, having moved in when his mum found out he was gay. Let’s just say her reaction was not ideal, and Harry had been living in a refuge for two weeks when Zayn found out about his situation and insisted that Harry come and stay with his family. It wasn’t the best situation to be in, but Harry has come to love his small basement bedroom with the creaky bed and dusty corners.

The two boys jump out of the car and speed-walk (ok, so they ran. What can he say, Trish’s cookies are good) into the house, grabbing as many cookies as they can fit in their hands and heading down to Harry’s basement room, their unofficial hangout room.

So. Back to Louis, huh? Zayn signs, a mischievous grin rising to his face as he lies sprawled out on Harry’s bed..

“Ugh. Zayn, I don’t like him, and I don’t know why you think I do.” Harry says out loud from the beanbag in the corner. He can talk, and he likes doing so, but he only lets people he really trusts hear him talk because no matter how many people tell him that his voice is fine, and he sounds totally normal and not weird at all, he is still self conscious about it. “And talk out loud, Zayn. I can read your lips.”

“Fine. Why were you watching him if you didn’t think he was cute, huh?” Zayn said, turning his body so he was sitting cross-legged and facing Harry.

“I never said he wasn’t cute…” Harry says.

“I knew it! You do like him, you just won’t admit it.” Zayn crows gleefully, pumping his fist in the air.

“What about you, though? Any progress?” Harry diverts the conversation away from himself and onto Zayn, referencing his gigantic crush on Liam Payne, who just so happened to be the most popular kid in the school.

“Well I can’t exactly ask him to prom, can I? But, he did ask me for notes in Advanced Biology, so I’m taking that as a win.”

Zayn had come out as bi to Harry when he was 14, two years ago. He says it was easier coming out to Harry because he knew what to expect and because Harry had kind of always been gay, it wasn’t a big deal for him. Harry supposes that he’s lucky in that aspect, that he never really went through the whole coming out thing. With Zayn, Harry would talk about crushes on boys as normally as Zayn would talk about crushes on girls, and Zayn’s whole family had sort of just automatically known.

With his mum, it was a bit different. Every teenagers idea of a horror story had come true when Harry’s mother had walked in on Harry jerking off to two boys on his computer screen. So it wasn’t like he really had a choice in the matter.

Attention going back to Zayn, Harry guiltily waves his hands around to get Zayn's attention, a strategy that all his friends and family use to get Harry’s attention which had kind of rubbed off on him.

“Sorry, Zaynie. Could you sign while you talk?”

♡♡♡

Louis stares up at his ceiling, dark blue paint an abyss that Louis was falling into. Why does he… like Harry? He isn’t gay, is he? Grabbing his computer out from under his bed, Louis types into the search bar: ‘how do i know if im gay’.

He clicks on an article about a girl who started questioning her sexuality in highschool and is… bisexual? Huh. Bi. Sexual. Bisexual. Maybe that’s what he is? Bi. Yeah, that sounds right.

Louis is interrupted from his crisis/life-altering moment by his sister Lottie yelling at him about pizza arriving. His mum is working the night shift right now as a nurse, and that leaves Louis, the oldest at 18, in charge of his younger siblings - Lottie, Fizzie, and the twins, Phoebe and Daisy. Granted, he should probably be out there taking care of the girls, but Lottie is 11 and can handle them for ten minutes. Pulling on a hoodie (Lottie teases him all the time about how big it is on him, but it’s so soft and comfy that he can’t bring himself to care), Louis plods out of his room and to the front door of the house, grabbing some notes on his way there off the dining room table. He gets the pizza and brings it into the kitchen, setting it on the table.

Two hyper six year olds race into the room at the smell of pizza. “Lou-Lou, can I have pepperoni, pretty please with sprinkles on top?” Phoebe asks, clasping her hands around Louis’ leg with the intention of not letting go.

“Sprinkles and pizza? That’s something new.” He laughs and bends to hoist her into the air, spinning her around in a circle. “‘Course you can, bub, I got pepperoni especially for you!”

He hoists Phoebe onto his hip - she is way too big for this - and turns to the other twin. “And Miss Daisy, I’m sure you would like ham and cheese?” She nods, a gappy smile spreading across her small face.

“How’d you know?” She asks.

“Because I’m magic! Shhh, don’t tell the others, it’s a secret.” Louis held a finger to his lips and sets Phoebe down on the ground. “Now, Pheebs, I’m assigning you a special mission to go get Fizzy, and Daisy-Doo, I’m gonna need you to go hunt down Lots. Got it?”

The two little girls nod enthusiastically and run off to get their sisters.

♡♡♡

The five of them end up snuggled on the couch, stuffed full of pizza with Bambi playing on the TV. The twins are fast asleep, and Louis snaps a quick photo of them tangled up in the corner of the couch, snoring away, and sends it to his mum. She wouldn’t see it until her break, but he liked to keep her updated anyways.

Louis looks over to see Fizzy struggling to keep her eyes open, and smiles fondly at his sisters.

“Right then, I think it’s just about time for bed, what do you think?” He says, reluctantly getting up from his position on the couch. “Can you girls get yourselves to bed? Don’t stay up or you’ll regret it tomorrow.” he says to the two older girls, and Lottie and Fizzy nod before getting up for bed, murmuring their ‘night’s and ‘love you’s’.

“Now, what to do with you two monsters.” Louis says under his breath, walking over to the two girls sleeping on the couch. After many manoeuvres and complaints from sleepy children, Louis manages to get his little sisters into their shared bedroom, tucking them in with cuddles and kisses before turning on the nightlight and heading to his own room.

Flopping down on his bed, Louis puts in his headphones, How to Save a Life by The Fray coming on. He closes his eyes, letting all the stress and tension from the day melt out of his body with the soft melody. Drifting off into sleep, Louis' thoughts turn to a boy with curly hair and green eyes who can’t hear him, and as he sleeps, Louis dreams about kissing those pink lips.

♡♡♡

Harry has been deaf ever since he could remember - he was born deaf, so his family had learned sign language to communicate with him. Harry had met Zayn when he was six, and had spent so much time at the Malik’s house that his whole family had ended up learning. So, sitting at the dinner table, it was easiest for everyone to sign.

How was school then, boys? Trisha signs.

It was good, I got an A on my assignment for Spanish. Zayn replies, grinning at Harry and saying: I think Harry had a pretty good day as well, right, H?

Harry glares at Zayn. My day was good. I got an A+ on that assignment though, Zayn.

Zayn’s older sister, Doniya, laughs. Harry… Did something happen today at school?

Harry’s cheeks flush red as he takes his last bite. Thanks for dinner, Trisha! It was delicious. I can wash up. He signed. Exiting the dining room, he gathers up everyone’s empty plates.

As he scrubs plates and glasses, Harry’s thoughts drift to a certain blue eyed boy, sitting at a drum kit and looking so focused, almost as if he was in another world. Not many things made Harry wish he could hear, but he yearned to hear the music which Louis created so earnestly.

♡♡♡

The next day at school, Harry is sitting at his desk halfway through Math class copying equations off of the board, when a familiar boy walks into the room nonchalantly, a scowl on his face and his hands shoved in the pockets of his black hoodie.\

“Ah, Louis.” The teacher, a cranky old lady named Mrs Anderson, who quite frankly could use some help getting rid of those lumpy cardigans and long skirts that look like they’re made of curtains, said. “How kind of you to join us.”

Louis nods his head, and Harry can’t see his lips but he says something to Mrs Anderson which apparently doesn’t please her.

The teacher waves a finger in the air and tuts. “That simply won’t do, Louis.” She proclaims to the class. “Now, this is a prime example of what you shouldn’t do. What is your excuse, Mr Tomlinson?”

Louis turns slightly as he speaks, and gives Harry a view of his lips, which, let’s be honest, Harry thinks, are completely adorable. “...rather not say, can I stay after class?”

Kids in the back of the class have begun to snicker, and Harry feels like death glaring at them because he can see genuine panic in Louis’ eyes.

“No, Louis, tell the class why you’re so late? Surely something important must have kept you so long?” This teacher is pure evil, Harry swears.

“Fine. Do you want me to tell the whole class how my mum was working the night shift ... so fucking poor that she has to do that… drove… sisters to school… so tired… goddamn car crash… I had to help them? Is that...wanted to hear?” Louis speaks so fast and moves around so much when he talks that Harry finds it difficult to read his lips, but he gets the idea.

Mrs Anderson fish mouths for a few seconds before appearing mollified. “To your desk, please, Mr Tomlinson.”

The lesson continues, though the students all kept sneaking glances at Louis, who had collapsed at a desk which just so happened to be next to Harry. Biting his lip, Harry decides to chance it and rips a scrap of paper out of his book, writing a message on it and kicking Louis in the foot before tossing the ball of paper over discreetly.

♡♡♡

Louis sighs and rests his head in his arms on the desk, trying to ignore the gaze of the other students on his back. Ok, so his little outburst may have been slightly aggressive, and poor Mrs Anderson had been left quaking in her boots (horrifically ugly leather things, they were), and probably a little shell shocked. To be fair, though, he had had a fairly horrific morning, beginning with his mum insisting on driving the girls to school so that Louis wouldn’t be late, and ending with a trip to the hospital that Louis mum had just left, which resulted in a mild concussion to Jay, but the girls being safe and sound. All of this, however, had left him half an hour late for first period, and he’d half a mind to skip and go for a smoke in the alley with his friend Liam. He’d decided to stick with his New Year's resolution, though, which turned out to be not the best idea judging by the glares being shot his way by the teacher.

Louis frowns as he feels a sharp kick to his shin, glancing up to find Harry (who, huh, just so happens to be in the seat next to Louis, which is crazy and not like Louis did that on purpose, not at all), looking at him before ‘discreetly’ throwing a ball of paper over to Louis, who unfolds it and breaks out of his somber state to quirk the corner of his mouth up in a half-smile. On the scrunched up piece of paper a single word is written: ‘number?’.

Louis scribbles an answer before dropping a pencil on the ground and rolling it over to Harry as he bends to pick it up: ‘pretty forward, huh, Curly? :) here:’ and lower down on the page is Louis’ number. Harry tucks the paper into his bag, and Louis returns the bright smile coming his way.

“Text me,” Louis mouths. Harry nods enthusiastically, then turns his head to his hands on the desk when Louis motions towards the teacher, the same stupid grin never leaving his little froggy face.

♡♡♡

After school, Louis rushes home as fast as he can without getting pulled over for speeding. Bursting into the house, he immediately calls out: “Mum! Girls! I’m home!”

Walking into the lounge, he sees his mum surrounded by a gaggle of girls, green goo on her face and hair wrapped up in a towel.

“Hey, baby! The girls have given me the proper spa treatment today, it’s been lovely, right girls?” Jay replies.

A chorus of agreement comes from the huddle around their mother.

“That sounds… awesome.” Louis says, somewhat scared.

“Don’t be scared, Lou-bear! Come, we can paint your nails!” Daisy calls.

Louis teeters, apprehensive. “Maybe… maybe not the nails, yeah? We can do other things, though! Why don’t you give me some of that lovely smelling hand cream?”

“Lou, pleeease? We can wash it right off, promise. We need practice.” Fizzy wheedles.

“Fine. But we’re washing it straight off, ‘k?”

♡♡♡

Z, I did it! I got his number! Harry signs, dancing around his basement room.

Zayn grabs Harry and pulls him onto the bed. Slow down, H, I can’t see your hands. What did you do?

I got Louis’ number! A grin comes to Harry’s face at the thought of the number in his phone.

Zayn gapes for a second or two before punching Harry on the shoulder. How’d you pull that one off, huh?

I gave him a note in math class. Harry signs, hands moving a million miles an hour.

Well have you texted him? Zayn says.

Harry looks down at his hands sheepishly. Not yet. I don’t know what to say.

Zayn rolls his eyes goodnaturedly. Should I leave you, then? Have a deep conversation with your eternal soulmate who you’re gonna marry and grow old with? He teases.

Harry buries his face in his hands. Get out, loser.

Watching Zayn’s retreating form, Harry thinks about Louis. Again. Should he text him? What does he say?

After much procrastination, Harry comes up with a simple ‘hiii its harry’.

Almost immediately, his phone vibrates and he snatches it up to read the text.

Louis: hi harry

Louis: what u doing?

Harry: nothing much

Harry: i was hanging with zayn but i kicked him out lmao

Louis: haha u guys live together right

Harry: yeah i moved in with him a few months ago

Louis: that must be cool

Louis: living with ur best friend i mean

Harry: yeah ig

Harry: he’s awesome i love him

Harry: and his family is great and stuff

Louis: is it rude to ask why u live with them?

Harry: nah its fine

Harry: my mum kinda kicked me out when i came out to her

Harry: well. It wasnt voluntary

Harry: and anyways they took me in

Louis: oh nooo

Louis: im so sorry u went thru that

Louis: but its awesome that they were there for u

After texting back and forth, it almost began to seem as though the two of them were having a real conversation, and Harry can almost picture Louis, sitting on the edge of his bed (Louis! In his room!) in an oversized hoodie and jogger bottoms.

“So you’re… you’re gay, right?” Louis says, uncertainly.

“Yeah.” Harry says.

“When did you, like… know, I guess?”

“I’ve kinda always known, you know? Like, it’s never really been a big realisation for me because I’ve always liked guys.” Harry answers.

“Oh.” Louis seems mollified.

“But it’s not like that for everyone, yeah?” Harry rushes in, hoping he hadn’t just confused Louis further if he was trying to, like, figure stuff out. “Some people might not know until they have a crush on a guy. Like, Zayn, right? He’s bi, but he didn’t realise he was because he’d always liked girls, and when he had a crush on a guy he got really confused.” Harry pauses. “Although, don’t tell anyone that. He’s not, like, in the closet, but I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate being outed.”

Harry can picture Louis nodding, feathery hair bouncing as he thought. “Of course I won’t say anything. Yeah, I get what you mean.”

“Yeah.”

Their conversation is interrupted by Trisha coming into Harry’s room.

Dinner’s ready, H. No rush, come up when you’re ready. She signs with a smile.

Thanks, Trisha. I’ll be up soon.

Harry texts Louis reluctantly to say goodbye:

Harry: zayn's mum just came to say dinners ready so i should go

Louis: np, see u tmrw?

Harry: yh sure, byeee

♡♡♡

Louis, in fact, did not wash the (purple) nail polish off - the six of them had fallen asleep in a pile in the living room, cozy in a nest which they had spent a solid hour constructing. And it just so happened that they had woken up late, so Louis had had to rush to get himself and the girls ready, meaning that he had run out of time to wipe it off.

On another note, did it mean something that while sitting in the library where one should be doing homework, Louis is currently reading a book (a book?!). Well, close enough to a book. A sign language dictionary is sitting in front of him and he is trying to teach himself sign. It probably means nothing. Probably.

At that exact moment, a shadow falls over the book. Looking up, Louis is greeted by the face of a certain curly haired boy.

Harry waves, grinning.

“Hi Harry!” Louis says, probably too loud for a library. Butterflies erupt in his stomach (butterflies? Really? Could you be any more cliche?) and he gestures to the seat next to him. Once Harry has settled and starts getting out his work, Louis taps him on the shoulder. Lifting his head from the paper, Harry looks at Louis inquisitively. Quickly, Louis moves his hand in one of the few signs he had spent the better part of an hour memorising.

How are you? He signs, a radiant smile coming to his lips. This smile, however, is nothing compared to the positive sunshine that beams out from Harry. Quickly scribbling something on a scrap of paper, Harry shows his words to Louis.

You learned for me?

Making sure Harry could see his lips, Louis says: “Well, I’m not that good, I only know a few phrases, but I want to be able to talk to you.”

Harry writes something else.

You don’t know how much that means, Louis. Trust me.

Taking a moment, Louis thinks about it. It’s not likely that Harry would have had many people make the effort, just so they could effectively communicate.

Louis feels a bit stupid and also disruptive talking out loud in the silent library, so he writes on the paper in answer.

I do.

Smiling gently, Harry answers. How’s your mum? I got the gist of what happened in math class.

Groaning softly, Louis hides his head in his hands. God, that was humiliating.

She’s fine, a little knocked around, but the girls took care of her.

Cute. Harry writes back. Did they extend that to you? I’m assuming they did your nails.

Ugh. Louis is a fucking mess today.

Yeah, they did. He writes. That’s embarrassing, sorry.

Harry frowns. I don’t think it’s embarrassing! I do mine sometimes.

Whoops. Hoping he didn’t offend Harry, Louis quickly scribbled down something before he could stop himself.

Do you wanna get coffee with me this afternoon?

Harry smiles softly, his face lighting up. Sure! Straight after school?

[aliciaandandrea]

Family Friend - Zayn Oneshot Part 2 (FULL)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Damn okay it has been 7 years since I posted the part 2 preview of this oneshot. I haven’t been active on tumblr for a couple of years so this might be weird for my new followers, and I don’t even know if people still read smut now a days. But I’ve gotten notifications about people liking the posts on this series plus I received messages about the full part 2 of this series over the years. So to those people who messaged me and/or for those people who wanted an update, this is for you (just a disclaimer: I was 18 when I wrote the preview and am now 25...so if this is cringy or you think I’ve lost my touch, I apologize LOL):

=============================================

It has been a week since the cottage and I haven’t heard from Zayn since. I should have saw it coming. We almost hooked up, but I’m glad we didn’t, especially with that attitude of his. I was going through my phone and I decided to text Shawn, who’s been my crush before Zayn entered back into the picture.

“Heyy Shawn…” I texted him. “Hey Y/N :) Whats up?” he texted back. “Bored as always, you?” I asked “Same, I feel like we haven’t hung out at all this summer :(” he wrote. “lol thats because we haven’t” I texted. “Well let me make it up to you. My friend and his gf are goin to the movies tonight and asked if I wanted to go…I don’t wanna be the third wheel…do you wanna join?”he texted me. Did this guy just ask me out? “I’d love to :), just text me the details.” I texted back. And he did just that. I put on my low cut grey graphic tank with a black bralette under it and my black maxi skirt, while putting my hair up in a half up-do and keeping my makeup natural.

Before I could touch up my doorbell rang. I opened the door thinking it was Shawn but then stormed inside Zayn with no explanation. “What do you want?” I said bitterly as I closed the door after he walked inside. “You can’t fucking call me back?” he said looking at me. “What the hell are you talking about Zayn” I said walking up to him. “What do you call this?” he said tossing me his phone. On the screen was his call log, He’s called me once every day, except..that wasn’t my number. It was a fake one I gave as a joke when he asked for it one day. “Zayn that's not my number,” I said giving back his phone. “What the fuck is your problem then? You know I have fucking feelings for you !” He said fed up. I didn't know what to say. He just told me he had feelings for me. “Zayn..I..” I said trying to hold his hand but he pulled it away and turned away from me. “Fine. You wanna behave like that go ahead. And don't fucking tell me that I’m playing you. You’ve been teasing me ever since you found out that I liked you and then you almost hookup with me leaving me with a hickey that was hard to explain at dinner with mine and your parents and then you don't even fucking talk or try to reach out to me in a week. Don’t you even go there.” I said angrily. At this point we were both pissed. We managed to both profess our feelings and hatred towards each other…all at the same time. We were going to either end up fucking on my couch or wrestle on it. “Did you not see the phone calls that I supposedly made out to you. And why the fuck have I been hearing from people that you’ve been sleeping around with other guys?” “What the fuck Zayn? You hear anything you want to believe don't you. This entire time I’ve been thinking of you, you idiot.” I said as he chuckled. He composed himself then stared at me, “Where the fuck are you going?” “To the movies..with Shawn.” I said looking down. “And this is what I’m talking about, you’re going out with a loser and trying to get laid with that outfit.” he said as his body tensed up, looking up and down at me. At that point I was pissed, but I was not going to let that jerk ruin my night. We both stared at each other angrily. My ringtone broke the silence, Shawn was calling me. “Hey Shawn,” I said out loud for Zayn to here as I glared at him. He shot me an irritated look. “Yeah I’ll be there soon, can’t wait to finally see you,” I flirted with Shawn making Zayn jealous. “Yeah its been a long time,” I said as I ‘accidentally’ put my phone on speaker so Zayn could hear. “Maybe you could stay over for breakfast,” Shawn joked but that's when Zayn snapped. He grabbed my phone, hung it up and threw it onto the couch. He looked at me with a lustful look as I furrowed my eyebrows at him, but was secretly loving the fact that he was jealous. Jealous Zayn was probably my favorite Zayn. “That’s it,” he growled at me as he threw me over his shoulder. “Zayn put me down!! What the fuck are you doing??” I said playing victim, even though I knew what he was going to do. “Something I should have done a long time ago.” Zayn said as he kicked the door shut and threw me onto my bed. “I don’t know what you think you’re about to do right now, but I’ve got a date to get to tonight” I said eyeing him as he climbed on top of me. “Yeah?”. Zayn asked as he bit my bottom lip causing me to let out a little whimper, “What was his name again?”, Zayn asked as he was kissing my jawline and biting the sensitive area. I blanked out for a good few seconds, wanting to wrap my legs around him and pull him closer, but I couldn’t let him win this one. “Ohh yess Shawn..” I moaned to irritate Zayn while pulling his hair. He stared me down but before we could continue, the doorbell rang. “Fuck”, Zayn said as he got off me. Zayn got to the door before I could and of course there was Shawn looking confused as to why there was a man at my house with disheveled hair.

“Hey Y/N..” Shawn said to me, as Zayn stared daggers. “Can we help you?” Zayn asked, "We’re in the middle of something important, so it’d be great if you can, I don’t know, fuck off?” he continued with a smirk. “Sorry, Shawn, I’m ready we can go,” I said to him before turning back to get my bag. “I don’t know where you think you’re going,” Zayn said looking at me before turning back to Shawn. “You know what, maybe we can go out another time, I didn’t realize - ...” Shawn started to say before getting rudely interrupted by Zayn who said “Didn’t realize what? That she already had a boyfriend? Fuck off now will you.” Zayn shuts the door on Shawn, and blocks me from trying to open it.

“What the fuck are you doing Zayn?” I asked trying to move him to open the door. He gently grabs my wrists and looked into my eyes, “We need to finish what we started”, he says hungrily. I manage to free my wrists, push Zayn against the door, then proceed to walk away from him, “In your dreams“ I say flipping him off from behind me. Before I know it Zayn has picked me up bridal style and is taking me back to my bed. We’ve reached a point where we both want this to happen, as deep down we knew something had to be done with the intense sexual tension between us. I was torn between wanting to fuck like wild animals vs wanting to make slow and passionate love, to take our time and explore each other with the limited time frame we had. As if he read my mind, “Slow or rough?” Zayn asks as we arrive at the foot of the bed.

“Both”, I said as Zayn dropped me on top of the bed for the 2nd time tonight. He stood over me, slowly taking off his Denim Jacket, leaving him in his baggy grey t-shirt and black jeans. I looked at him impatiently, wanting to help him get out of his clothes, but he just smirked at me and said “Well, you said both”. Fine, he can take his time, but I’m not gonna wait any longer as I knew my parents were coming back home from their night out. I knelt on the bed in-front of him taking off my low cut grey graphic tank revealing the lacy black bralette under it, then pushed my girls into him aching for him to touch me. But he just stood there staring into my eyes, as he took off his baggy grey t-shirt. “What is he doing”, I thought to myself, “What are WE doing, playing follow the leader?”. It was getting too much for me, I needed him. I grabbed his face but decided to tease him by gently having our lips barely touch. “We don’t have much time, my parents might come home soon”, I whispered against his lips, desperate for him to give in. “What?” he said pulling back a little. “My parents might be home soon, plus -” Zayn stops me from continuing. “I want to take my time with you. And I know you need all of me. If we’re going to this, I don’t want a few minutes with you, I want you for as long as I can have you.” Zayn says holding my face. Look I know I could have shut my mouth and not brought up the fact that my parents were going to come home soon, but I couldn’t risk having them walk in on us like they almost had when we were at the cottage.

We both redressed and I walked Zayn to the door, as I needed Zayn to leave before my parents got back. “Can I have your actual number this time?” Zayn said as he pulled out his phone. I giggled and put my real number with a kiss and rose emoji as part of my contact name. “I’ll text you,” Zayn says before he opens the door. “Wait,” I said. Before I knew it I pushed him against the door again but this time I kissed him. We began making out, taking turns biting each others lips and teasing each other with our tongues. We tried to pull each other closer; I pulled on his hair as he groped me making me moan and whimper. We couldn’t get enough of each other, as we got lost in our little foreplay. All of a sudden, I heard a familiar honk, and a set of keys jiggling on the other side of the door. Fucking hell, my parents were home...

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LIKE/MESSAGE ME FOR PART 3 IF YOU WANT !

Link to part 1: http://aliciaandandrea.tumblr.com/post/92086930206/family-friend-zayn-oneshot

[twopoppies]

What’s it like when a mutual or someone who was a huge part of the fandom becomes an anti? Is it awkward? Is it a sudden moment of realization where you stop giving them the benefit of the doubt or smth expected, like there were several signs and you saw it coming? I don’t mean to be annoying, it’s just bc I heard that an infamous anti was once one of us, and it was really weird, like what?? I’m not sure if I’d be sad, or a bit resentful, perhaps “wtf, you’re not making any sense, love” and if I’m not abusing your kindness, what was it like in the old days compared to nowadays?

Well, if you’re talking about E*mie, she went from being a big part of fandom and making tons of proof posts and timelines proving Larry, to many people recognizing that she was a bully and unfollowing/blocking her, to being pretty obvious that she only cared about Harry and was obsessed with him. Then one day she made a long-winded statement about how she was renouncing her ways and being a Larrie was bad and she deleted everything on her blog that had to do with Louis and Larry. Now she’s a solo harrie.

If you’re talking about S*a, she went from being a big part of fandom and making tons of song analysis posts and absolutely adoring Harry and being certain about Larry, to saying that maybe they’d broken up but still respected and loved each other, to they definitely broke up but still cared about each other, to Harry has been orchestrating his takeover of the music industry since 2013 and is the evil overseer of Louis’ suffering and she deleted everything from her blog pertaining to Harry and Larry. Now she’s a rad louie.

Really, just two sides of the same coin. There’s generally a pattern if you pay attention.

But there are also people who just decide that they’re more interested in one or the other of them, or think they broke up and just become solo stans. It’s sad sometimes, because they were nice to have as mutuals or just because I liked the content they created around Larry, but if you’re not being a dick about Harry or Louis (or Larries), then that’s just the way it goes. No big deal. I still have mutuals who no longer are Larries. But they’re still nice people. Not every former Larrie is an “ex-larrie”.

As for what was it like in “the old days”, I’m assuming you mean in the fandom in general? When the band was active, it was amazing. So much constant content and so much inspiration so there was great art and manips and edits and gifs and videos (RIP FIMQ) and fics all the time. Fandom was united and powerful. There were antis and neutrals, but most of the time we didn’t care much about them because the Larrie fandom was constantly fed. The rainbow bears lit us on fire, concerts were like an online party. We had things like project no control and rainbow direction. It was a lot of fun.

On the negative end, there were definitely cliques who did a lot of gatekeeping, and tons of indirecting posts if someone didn’t ascribe to the current accepted head canon. And always there was homophobia from antis. And there was bullying (a lot of the main nasty people are gone, but there are still a few around). Zayn leaving, babygate, and hiatus were the nails in the coffin. Prior to that, maybe I wasn’t aware of it because I was a new fan, but overall things just seemed fun.

[whumblr]

Wednesday

Home is where the hurt is: Part 1 - Continued from Part 28

Tagging: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @burtlederp @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @hurtmebeautifully  @rougenoirofthepurpleterror @snuffhimout @susiequaz12 @mnmlover2002 @undertheburrow @whump-me-all-night-long @whumpinggoodtime @starnight-whump @rippedjeansandfadeddreams @im-just-here-for-the-whump @restrainthenmaime @freefallingup13 @whatwasmyprevioususername @myfriendcallsmeasickwoman19 @firewheeesky 

-

A wave of annoyance hit Jay when he came home to Zayne waiting in his chair.

Wednesday was one of the few days of respite he got. He had training in the evening and after Zayne had intimidated him to get home on time after work, Jay had bargained a fixed day off so he could continue going without raising eyebrows.

It worked well. Except today, clearly. Though maybe he should’ve bargained for Tuesday evenings off. It could be quite hard, not to mention fucking ironic, to push through self-defence courses while the injuries from yesterday’s beating prevented him from standing up straight.

"Are you going senile? It's Wednesday." Jay pretended not to notice the dangerous atmosphere, Zayne leering at him from his chair, as he avoided eye contact and went to the bedroom to grab his bag.

"Thought maybe you were still sick in bed and in need of some distraction,” Zayne said, swivelling  the chair sideways.

"So you were planning on bullying on the sick," Jay called from the bedroom, "nice." He rushed from one end of the room to the next, fishing a t-shirt and shorts from his closet, grabbing his sneakers and stuffing them all in his bag in a hurry. If he could just make a quick exit, he could grab a bite to eat somewhere and kill some time outside. Not here.

Zayne’s gaze followed him as he rushed through his flat, eyes on the bag. “Means you’re well enough for some physical activity?”

Was he ever? “Not the kind you have in mind.”

“Just a little warm-up exercise to get you ready for your class.”

"No need.” Jay finally turned to him, frustrated. “Do you know how much it sucks when someone grabs your arm sparring, right on a day old bruise and-- oh what the hell, of course you do," he muttered as Zayne's grin only grew wider and his eyes lit up with every irritated word Jay spoke.

"No, really, do tell," Zayne got up and followed Jay to the hallway before he could slink off and out the door.

"Like this?" He clamped a hand over Jay's shoulder, right where he knew a large bruise was still healing.

Jay hissed at the sudden pain and twisted free.

Zayne took the moment to slither around him and stood in front of the door. Jay’s only escape.

“Get out the way,” Jay grunted. “I have to go.”

“No, you don’t. Still got an hour.”

Zayne casually stretched out an arm, leaning against the doorframe with his forearm like a bolt resting over the top corner of the door. He didn’t fully block the exit and his stance was open, like he actually stood to the side to let Jay pass.

But when Jay tried to scurry out and pull the door open, he looked up in annoyance – somewhat incredulous even - as it stopped against Zayne’s arm.

Come on, it’s a human arm, not some wooden bolt, why can’t I just…! He tried again hoping Zayne would pull back, which of course he didn’t.

Still leaning his full weight against the door, Zayne bent over Jay.

“You’ve had almost a week to heal, in more ways than one,” he cooed down on him, arm still not budging an inch. “Figured I should ease you into our routine again.”

Jay’s eyes widened and his breath caught for a bit. “It’s Wednes—“ he tried again, looked up to meet Zayne’s mischievous eyes.

“I know what day it is.”

“We had a deal.”

“Well, we don’t have to go all the way. Just a warm-up. Remind you what you’re taking those lessons for. How are those going, by the way?”

“Fine.”

“Fight me off, then.”

With Zayne reaching up like that, his torso was unprotected. He was practically inviting – daring – Jay to make a move. Yet Jay resisted the urge to plant an elbow into his stomach and run. All it would do was make sure that Zayne would be waiting for him later that evening to show him what a bad idea that had been, leaving him with a boatload of extra adrenaline and stress during his training hour, only to come home absolutely drained and too exhausted to defend himself.

He scoffed at that. Defend himself? Yeah, right.

Zayne, noticing his hesitation, tsked softly between his teeth. “What use are those lessons if you’re too scared to use ‘em? Stay here. I’ll help you get over that fear.”

“You want to teach me how to kick you out of my own house?”

“Instruct you in the ways of violence, sure, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.”

“I think I’ve had enough lessons in violence.”

“Tell you what. You can go to your little fight club tonight,” Zayne started and Jay already narrowed his eyes, waiting for the ‘but’.

“And I’ll be waiting for you when you return and we’ll pick up where we left.”

“Yeah, no.”

“Or…”

Jay didn’t like the sound of that. He quickly let go of the door handle, but Zayne’s hand snapped around his wrist in a bruising grip, pulling him back. Caught off-balance, Jay fought to stay upright before he keeled right into Zayne’s chest. The hand over the door lowered and settled against the frame next to Jay’s head as Zayne encroached on his personal space and sidled closer.

“Get on your knees and beg.”

“You have got to be kidding,” Jay growled in return, but the fingers around his wrist only tightened in warning.

“Am I?”

Jay pulled against the grip and to his surprise, Zayne let go. He flexed his fingers to get rid of the numb feeling, the blood now rushing back to his fingertips. Zayne however, pushed himself off the doorway. He tilted himself up to full height and pressed his torso forward as he stepped towards Jay, pushing him away.

Jay instantly fell a step back, only to be followed by Zayne who loomed over him.

The intimidation worked wonders. Jay stumbled back in fear. He dropped his bag, ready to compromise to avoid the looming punishment.

“Okay, fine! But I’m not begging to leave my own flat! We had a d—“

But as he lowered to the floor, hand raised in surrender yet still sputtering his complaints, the sudden force of a boot to the chest caught him off guard. He fell back over the doorstep to the living room. Heard heavy thumping footsteps get closer and before he could scuttle away on his elbows, a groan was forced from him as Zayne stomped on his chest and pinned him to the ground.

The leather toe of Zayne’s heavy motor cycle boot nudged against his chin. Jay glanced up, eyes wide, and caught Zayne’s grin before the man let his weight fall down.

Jay grunted, his ribcage protesting against the sudden force.

His back arched against the wooden floor and he let his head fall back as he grit his teeth against the pain. Big mistake. Zayne took full advantage and slipped his boot down over Jay’s now exposed throat.

Carefully and very slowly, he shifted his weight again and Jay let out a cut off soft gasp as the pressure on his windpipe increased until he couldn’t breathe.

Hands roamed up, clawed into fists and pounded uselessly against Zayne’s ankles and shinbone that were protected by more rigid, sturdy leather. Jay kicked and struggled, his own shoes squeaking against the wooden floor.

He reached up, feeling for the edges of Zayne’s boot, fingers clawing into the fabric of the black jeans. While it seemed he was just scrambling desperately at Zayne’s leg, he had a plan. He found the weak spot, just behind the knee, and his fingers squeezed hard.

“Whoa!” Zayne yelped and pulled back in alarm when he felt the soft pinch break through his jeans before Jay could fully twist his fingers into the tendon. “That is nasty, Jay! What the hell, did your training actually teach you something useful?”

Jay didn’t answer. He scrambled up and pressed himself up against the side of the couch. He sat on his hunches, one arm over the armrest the other hand massaging his throat, panting and wheezing trying to catch his breath with his eyes still warily on Zayne.

Zayne let out a scoff as he saw him like that, a cat backed into a corner, but started to laugh. He rubbed the back of his leg. “I still feel that. Well, okay. Go learn some more tricks, I guess.”

He stepped aside, clearing the way out. “The extra adrenaline might give you a bit of an edge, tonight.”

-

Continued here

[theshatteredrose]

Relic Keepers: Awakening of the Red Lily (Chapter 34) - Original Fiction

AN: Yup, still working on this. There should be about 47 chapters to this story, so got a few more chapters to go. Enjoy reading~

Ao3 | Wattpad | Inkitt | FictionPress

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 34:

Eishirou found himself listening closely to the forest noises around them as he kept a close eye on his tablet. He could hear the sounds of frogs croaking and the buzzing of insects. He wondered briefly if there had been such noises during the time that ShadowDweller had been stalking them. In hindsight, he wished he had paid more attention.

Yet, he reasoned with himself that the usual sounds must have been present as no one other than Zayne had realised that they had been followed. And Zayne only really caught on because of what Eishirou had seen on his map.

Zayne’s own father, a veteran Elite, hadn’t noticed.

The ShadowDwellers within these mangrove trees were quite…unusual was probably the right word.

The creature Team 3 faced off against was a large lizard in appearance, and was most definitely an ambush predator. It didn’t get destructive or violent until after Zayne exposed its presence.

Before then, it had moved silently. Not a rustle of a leaf. Not a snapping of a twig.

Nothing.

There was just so much they didn’t know about ShadowDwellers. They were as individual and unique as any species of animals.

Eishirou paused in his making of notes to glance at his surroundings. The foliage of the environment hadn’t changed; mangrove trees intersected with tall swamp reeds and light brown mangrove roots spiralling into pools of algae covered waters.

The temperature had warmed significantly, despite the shading of the thick canopy above. It was well after midday now, yet the dull light had stayed the same. And Eishirou assumed that the night of these woods fell sooner than they were used to.

Night-time beneath the canopy and lush vegetation were sure to be dark and unnerving.

A sudden and sharp pain from his shoulder promptly reminded Eishirou of his injury and he gritted his teeth to prevent a pained-filled murmur.

He mustn’t have fully succeeded as Zayne placed a hand on his back to get his attention. “How’s your shoulder?”

Eishirou gave a cautious shrug of his shoulder but promptly stopped when he was greeted with more pain. “Ah, it’s aching a little, to be honest.”

Zayne frowned in concern. “Do you have your painkillers?”

“I’ll take them when we return to camp,” Eishirou insisted. “They make me a little sleepy.”

Zayne’s frown deepened for a moment before he nodded his head. “Hm.”

Eishirou could only assume that Zayne’s frown was due to the fact that he wasn’t all that happy to know that he was in pain. And that he had a way to ease said pain, but due to certain side effects, wouldn’t take it.

And he was likely still annoyed about how he received such an injury in the first place.

A loud, sharp crack suddenly resonated. A low rumbling soon followed, along with the distinct sound of trees shaking. And breaking.

“Watch out!”

Zayne reacted immediately. He simultaneously wrapped his arms around Eishirou and manifested his wings. Eishirou found himself reacting just as quickly; he clutched his tablet against his chest with one arm as the other moved instinctively to loop around Zayne’s neck. He then crouched down for a moment, slipped an arm under Eishirou’s legs and scooped him up before he launched them both into the air.

And not a moment later, rocks and boulders barrelled through the tree line, careening destructively as they destroyed everything in its path. The way those large boulders and rocks moved looked so surreal. Boulders, four-foot wide bounced and rolled like they were made from cardboard.

The noise, however, was testament to how heavy, and how brutal, those tumbling stones were.

A rockslide. Not only were the ShadowDwellers dangerous, so was the environment.

With one arm around Eishirou’s back and the other under his knees, Zayne pulled back as his teammates, all with their own wings manifested, created a protective semi-circle in front of them. Their weapons were drawn, ready to deflect any stone or boulder that could potentially jostle in their direction.

A few of the small, somewhat ‘lighter’ stones were ejected from the slide in their direction, but Leon and Rinka were quick to deflect them away.

Eishirou subconsciously tightened his arm around Zayne’s neck and pressed himself closer to him. Had he been alone when that landslide occurred, it definitely would have killed him!

There was no way he could outrun something like that!

As quickly as the rockfall had begun, the tumbling stones came to a stop at their new resting places. The smell of toiled soil and freshly cut wood permeated the air. Along with an uneasy silence.

“You all right?” Zayne asked.

Eishirou nodded his head. “Yeah. Only thanks to your quick reflexes. That was a little close.”

A crease appeared in Zayne’s brow as he, too, nodded his head. “Yeah. What started that, I wonder.”

Eishirou turned to look at the now exposed hillside. The foliage had been so thick that he hadn’t realised that just a few feet away the terrain ascended steeply. The damage trail appeared narrow, gouging a potential new path. Though, he was reluctant to inspect it so soon after a rockfall.

“Something clearly dislodged these stones,” Ernesta mused as she lowered her mana-lance to her side. “Perhaps a ShadowDweller?”

“Perhaps,” Cadmus responded as his gaze remained firm on the debris path.

He didn’t sound fully convince. And, honestly, Eishirou wasn’t exactly sold on the idea that a ShadowDweller was responsible either. Perhaps he was just jumpy or paranoid after all the troubling events that had occurred recently.

“Let’s keep moving,” Cadmus ordered before he turned sharply in Zayne’s direction and raised an eyebrow. “You can put him down now, Zayne.”

Eishirou felt his cheeks abruptly heat up when he realises that Zayne was holding him, carrying him in what others may call “bridal or princess style”. Easily and casually at that.

“Walking is taking too long,” Zayne returned coolly, making no attempt to lower himself to the ground to allow him to safely loosen his hold on Eishirou. “It’ll be easier this way.”

He had a point…

A point that Cadmus couldn’t exactly refute.

“You can hardly fight like that,” Tatsu was the one to point out, rather scathingly at that.

Zayne turned his head sharply in his direction. However, he directed his words toward Eishirou.

“Hold onto my neck.”

Wordlessly, Eishirou did as he was told and tightened his arm around Zayne’s neck. Zayne then unwound his arm from around his shoulders, deftly snatched up his holster, and presented it toward Tatsu. Showing him that he was capable of drawing his weapon if the need called for it.

“See? I can fight just fine,” he retorted. “We’re wasting daylight; let’s move.”

Ernesta made a sound that was similar to a cough, and yet it was a forced cough. Like the one would make to cover up a laugh. Or something.

“I agree,” Ernesta stated. “Flying at low altitude would indeed move things along. And we’ve suffered enough distractions. We need to continue.”

Her tone of voice left little room for debate.

Though, Cadmus did give the impression that he had wanted to say something else. But decided against it. He did give Zayne a peculiar look before he turned, still mid-air, and took the lead once more.

Zayne and others soon followed.

That look was…parental, in a way. Exasperatedly parental. Probably inwardly lamenting how much of a rebel his own son had become.

Was Zayne being rebellious? Eishirou didn’t think so. He hadn’t done anything he hadn’t done before. He may be more vocal about it, but only because other people kept questioning him.

So…maybe the way he was acting wasn’t how Elite normally would or should act?

How ever an Elite was supposed to act, Eishirou was grateful for Zayne. For his determination and dedication toward him. He saved him and protected him more times than he could count.

He…didn’t know what he would have done without him.

Eishirou must have unconsciously shifted closer to Zayne as the other tightened his arms reassuringly around him. “I won’t drop you,” he said.

“I know,” Eishirou returned immediately. “I was just thinking of something else.”

Zayne gave him a quick smile before he returned his attention to the space in front of them. And Eishirou turned his attention to his tablet. Or more specifically, the map. He made the mental note to mark the rockfall when he was able to use his other hand.

Until then, he’d keep an eye out for any unusual blips.

They were making good pace and approaching the next point of interest quickly. A few minutes later they moved from the narrow, natural tunnel created of mangrove trees, and into an open clearing where they could see the blue sky above from an opening within the canopy.

“This is the second site,” Cadmus stated as he dropped to the forest floor, his red mana wings still activated.

As Zayne’s teammates followed the veteran Elite’s example, Zayne himself chose to stay in the air a moment longer. To cast a cautious glance at their new surroundings. Only when he was satisfied, did he finally land. And place Eishirou back onto his feet, too.

Eishirou thanked him quietly before he also inspecting the clearing. His gaze soon landed on an object found north in the clearing. A tall stone covered in moss and vines, of which had only been recently brushed aside.

It was the mural that had caught his attention back at the museum.

Zayne also noticed it and was close behind him as they walked toward the runestone. “Is this what that sentinel being Professor Jairus mentioned looks like?”

Eishirou nodded as he stood before the mural. More of a portrait. Someone that those who had painted such a thing held in high regard. “That’s right. He looked similar to this. Distinct long white hair with beads and feathers and dark brown skin.”

“Is this painting as old as the Red Lily?” Rinka was the one to ask as she, too, looked at the painting in interest.

“Yeah. Amazing, right?” Eishirou replied. “Possibly ten-thousand years old. Survived the bombardment.” He trailed his fingertips over the rough stone cautiously. “And it still has mana.”

Hmm. It appeared to be in good shape. He didn’t need to restore this one.

All he needed to do was prepare himself to receive a recording.

He stepped back momentarily and slipped his tablet into his bag. He then lifted it up over his head and dropped it carefully to the grass by his feet.

With that done, and with the knowledge that Zayne was sure to protect him from anything and everything, he raised his hands and placed them flat against the stone. He lowered his head. And with his mana, reached out to the memories stored within the stone.

They rushed forth without hesitation.

An underground temple. A sacred fire burning before a tall runestone. The sound of humming, wordlessly singing of a song of revere. Rapid drumming, wooden musical instruments.

A figure dressed in white with feathers and twine in white hair. The sentinel being Eishirou had seen so many times before. He stood before the fire. He looked youthful, though his soul was ancient.

He raised his hand to his side to reveal a golden wristlet. Upon it, the Red Lily.

Dawn of a Crimson Gold,

Celebrations of the Sacred Earth.

A gentle voice resounded as the drumming increased.

Shadowy beings, no form nor structure, edged in from all sides. Toward the sentinel being and the relic he wielded on his wrist.

The figure in white, completely unafraid, raised his hand toward the shadowy entities. The Red Lily shone with a bright light. Yet, the radiant light seemed to create a sphere around the being. Encasing him, protecting him.

Elements of a Fated Connection,

Reveals the Strength of the Mirrored Souls.

Someone else suddenly appeared before the sentinel being. Crouched into a battle stance that was somehow familiar. Though, they, too, were hidden in shadows.

Bright blue eyes suddenly looked at him. Directly at Eishirou himself.

Everything came to an abrupt end and Eishirou reeled his head back from the sheer force and power of the recording had shown to him. He clutched at his head and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt an arm encircle his shoulders.

Eishirou rubbed his temples with his fingertips as he attempted to wade through the lingering images of the recording playing through his head.

A golden wristlet. With the Red Lily as the centrepiece. It also appeared that the figure in white was…using it in battle? It wasn’t used offensively, though. Not fully. He was…using it defensively, and yet it felt as though he was also using it to enhance or support…someone else?

That second figure…he couldn’t see anything from them. But…they were of a masculine energy.

That was honestly the downside to reviewing recordings – he didn’t have enough time to inspect and intersect the images. He had to go on memories after the recordings were done. And he could only view the recordings once. Only after the object he pulled the recording from restored its mana supply could he possibly see it again. But there was a high possibly that it would not be the same recording.

It was all rather complicated.

The wristlet was new, though. Previous recordings had the red jewel nestled within a crown. The Red Lily back at the academy, however, was alone. So, it may be possible that the relic could be interchanged with other relics?

And the environment those images took place. It looked like a temple of sorts. An ancient sacred place. Carved stones, man-made altars and totems. And a tall runestone with ancient etchings.

Somewhere important.

Somewhere that still existed?

“Eishirou?”

Zayne’s voice holding a subtle sense of concern pulled Eishirou from his thoughts. He opened his eyes and immediately glanced over to his left. Where Zayne stood. His arm across his back in a comforting and supportive touch.

“You all right?” he asked.

Eishirou nodded and dropped his arms to his sides. “Y-yeah, sorry. It wasn’t holding back with the energy.”

“What did this one reveal?”

It honestly took Eishirou a moment or two to gather enough coherent thoughts to answer. “A…an ancient ritual of sorts. Another relic, I think. There’s…a stone temple. Underground. I think it still exists. Somewhere on this island. That relic…might be able to help me to understand the Red Lily further.”

Of course, he had no solid facts on any of that. But he felt it to be true.

“And no idea where this other…temple is found?” Cadmus asked, poorly hiding his scepticism.

“No,” Eishirou admitted. “But I’ll know when I see it.”

That wasn’t exactly reassuring. And Cadmus’s expression stated as much.

“Your injured shoulder might be interfering with your ability to view recordings,” Zayne suddenly suggested.

A sharp pain erupted in his shoulder, seeming in response to that observation. “Ah,” Eishirou winced. “You’re probably right.”

His shoulder wasn’t the only thing aching. His head was starting to set into a low throbbing. Something that happened when he used a bit too much of his own energy. The pain of his shoulder surely wasn’t helping.

A sudden, piercing buzzing from his tablet caused Eishirou to turn his attention down to his bag. He stepped away from Zayne and knelt onto the grass to pull out his tablet. As he flicked it on, he was greeted with the sight of the map.

And a strange dot close to the area where they had encountered the rockfall.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Zayne immediately asked as he crouched down next to him, his gaze on the map, too. “Another strange blip?”

Eishirou nodded his head. The marking wasn’t like the red symbol he had seen before. The one that indicated the ShadowDweller. The new blip…blips (there were three now), were light green in nature. Similar to the indicator of the tablet’s location on the map.

That…

“Is there anyone else on the island with us?” Eishirou asked suddenly, his attention toward Cadmus.

Cadmus seemed surprised by the question before his brow quickly furrowed and his expression turned stoic. “There shouldn’t be. Why?”

“It’s just…the map indicated to another possible party. Close by,” Eishirou explained as he glanced down at the map. However, as he looked down again, the dots had moved on. Off the path. “But…it’s gone now. Maybe they’re out of range?”

Had the academy sent another team to help in the research? But that didn’t seem plausible. Jacob would have definitely told him if he even entertained the idea so not to alarm him.

Something didn’t feel right. He would contact Misaki later and ask him.

“Let’s return to camp,” Cadmus suddenly commanded. “And stay together.”

Something didn’t feel right with him either, it seemed.

[ziamln]

Just wondering,why do you think nobody has forced zayn to post about the baby? And is that a good thing or do you think he’s in trouble for it?

It is an interesting question, thank you for asking.

I think a lot of the reason he's been able to get away with it so far is the fact that they've been pushing this crap about him hating social media alongside him being an extremely private person.

A lot of the fans don't even question his lack of 'excitement'/posting because of his anxiety and the slow reduction over the past year of his social media presence. One of the articles that was questioning why zayn wasn't there went on to say that it 'isn't anything out of the ordinary. Its not really about him- he's not the one gestating a baby' [essentially saying hes irrelevant to the posts] and going on to talk about how he's 'notoriously private' and prefers being 'out of the mix' and saying their desire for privacy will only intensify, which is utter bullshit if Giggles latest posts are anything to go off- she's actually getting less and less private.

Also a lot of the baby related posts are all linked directly back to giggles, and rarely Zayn, we've only had 2 posts linking Zayn to being the father and the rest was a shit ton of articles. There's not many people questioning why he hasn't said anything, they're mostly just [alarmingly creepily] idolising his supposed child. They've never questioned his absence BC the relationship has always been tailored to favour giggles and make her out to be this amazing person.

All of a sudden giggles is the most amazing person and a Queen and the best everything. No one wants to remember a single bad thing she's done. I mean they don't question a single thing because they idolise her and her relationship so much they forget how badly this whole things has been played out through the drastic changes in bumps between pictures and don't even get me started on the shambles of the dates and timeline of this mess.

Also I'm not sure how well thought out and planned this whole thing was or whether it was a last minute decision of yes, there's quarantine and its more difficult to stunt so how can we carry this on??? Oh perfect quarantine baby announcement so people can't see the same patterns and flaws from the last two baby gates! [Or I also have the theory about how she may be pregnant [not zayns ofc] and that she fell pregnant around the time this one was announced randomly at 5 months in the middle of lockdown???? Like that's not weird at all...] Like you're trying to tell me she would be careless enough to get pregnant whilst being at the "peak" of her career and was unsure if Zayn was 'the one'... Okayyyyy.

Out of all the Hadids the only one who has explicitly used Zayn's name is Bella in her recent, and that was most likely to promo her new Versace perfume but z*gis didn't see how odd that was and ate that shit up BC omg Bella mentioned Zayn, couple goals!1!! The only other real indication they've had for Zayn being the dad is that hella photo shopped post giggles posted captioned as baby daddy and so now no one is questioning Zayn for not responding because the mother of the child confirmed it and they're obviously loved up and there's nothing else left to question at all is there?

Tbf though with all three of the baby gates it has never been made out to be about the 'father', they get next to nothing out of it. It has always been tailored to suit whatever narrative or promo the 'mother' needs because its all about the fame for them and what they can get out of it and just like hardly anyone questions [other than larries, ziammies or people who can see past the lies] Louis or Liam's involvement in their children's lives, unless theyre hating and calling them a deadbeat [once again proving they get nothing out of this but the 'mothers' do]. 

Giggles has proven time and time again that she loves capitalising off Zayns name, e.g. Mohameds recent [deleted post]- who started trending? G*gi and Z*gi, but not Zayn???? Why??? and then surprise surprise Giggles makes a post... And then, the first thing she does after Zayns posts a selfie after months of silence... The baby daddy post... And people don't even question this shit because being happy for Zayn means they love him so much!!1!!1!1!!! Like its funny how in this whole thing, everyone BUT Zayn has been getting some sort of promo from it. Seriously, go onto google, search Zayn and go on the news bar, not a single article there is Zayn centric, its all about Giggles or the 'pregancy' and Hadids.

Zayn has always been second place when it comes to Z*gi, despite the fact that she has used his name to get to where she is, [you can't deny how much her profile has grown since this shit started] Zayns music gets no attention from the media unless they make it about Z*gi- this has always been about boosting Jelenas career, and its evident about how much press this baby is getting over any of Zayns projects or music.

But no of course because some can see through the lies and question if Zayn is truly happy and actually look into this shit we are fake fans because we aren't playing ball and just being blindly happy for him.

Or maybe its to make people question less if they decide to go down the route of it turning out to not be Zayns child [DNA scandal or something?] Not sure on that one though now that Bella mentioned him... Tbf tho, until Bella mentioned him, if you look back at everyone elses posts, lives or interviews they have never mentioned Zayn, only ever mentioning giggles or 'they'. Honesly, its actually amusing how giggles posted that post saying baby daddy, Zayn actively ignored it, [its not like her posts could get lost in his feed when he only follows 27 people and he couldn't spare her a like i'm-] yet Bella managed to post a picture of Gigi saying baby mama, kind of embarrassing if you ask me, love.

Its funny how he's only hates social media when it suits the narrative. He was pretty active on social media this time a year ago, posting a few times a week or at least a few times every month, and then suddenly at the start of the year he's posting a bit and then, bang- nothing. All of a sudden Zayn hates social media and doesn't post for 5 months after years of regular posts...

So he can come online to post about UFC [which I find adorable] but he can't take a minute to like his pregnant girlfriends pictures and z*gis don't even question that??? It kind of says a lot about what Zayns role in the relationship is to them. Because Giggles is the queen don't forget, Zayn has no relevance unless it suits them or she posts a picture with him, after all, all he did was get her name out there!!!1!!

No one is even questioning Zayns family's lack of response on this whole thing and some of the shade they have thrown, purely because they liked a few posts or made a comment here and there so obviously Zayn is the father and he must be so excited because his family is liking the post, oh wait but he hasn't? No that's totally normal and not questionable at all.

They think being happy for Zayn equates to genuinely caring about him, when in reality its not the case because if they truly cared and weren't so far up Jelenas arse they'd be able to tell what was true and false and whether he was truly happy or not, simple.

As for whether he is in trouble or not, its hard to tell. I should think not, with all the crap he's having to endure the least they could do is leave him in peace. But they're evil personified so chances are they could be very pissed with him and waiting for this 'baby' to be born to wreak havoc and have him super involved. I doubt that would sit well with him though because its obvious to see how difficult he has found stunting since the beginning, this would be hell for him if they made him have to be active. I do have a feeling that BC we are in the endgame of some of these stunts [some contracts may be ending soon] that they could get a lot more in your face with it...

Or maybe because Liam has taken on the engagement they'll go easier on Zayn? I just hope Zayn is not made out to be the bad guy however this ends, he deserves better.

Ok i need to stop because there is so much wrong with this whole thing I could go on about it forever, but either way this whole thing is hella suss, regardless of what you believe. You can't deny it.

I'm sorry this ended up so long, I hope it answered your questions though! x

[tenglows]

in the name of the old days

summary: it’s the last day of the year and you’re feeling nostalgic. you come across the twitter of the boy who used to be your best friend a few years ago, and decide to message him.

category: fluff, a bit of angst? maybe??, internet friend!mark

it was currently december 31, at half past one am, and you were scrolling on twitter

some chuckles here and there while reading your friend’s posts about timothee chalamet

you were about to close the app to go brush your teeth and prepare for bed

when your eyes wandered off and focused on another tweet

“almost 2020 and still no flying cars” read the tweet

from @/markly_

this made you sit straight in your mattress

you clicked on his profile

you two still followed each other

there weren’t a lot of recents tweets, so that’s why you figured you hadn’t come across the boy’s twitter sooner

plus; lately you weren’t the type to be so active on social media either

you mentally counted the years since you first met mark lee

it was 2019 (almost 2020) now and you guys had met in 2015

you had gotten involved in a drama with a one direction stan, you being part of 5sos stan twitter

and mark, little mix stan, had defended you

it was in the middle of the zayn and perrie scandal, so he assured both of your teams had to stick together to defeat one direction’s fans

you became mutuals after that

and you soon realized that mark had the tendency to initiate lots of twitter fights

often with the people that would bash perrie and her group

your friendship rose as the two of you took turns defending the other one on those enfrentations

you don’t know how but all of the sudden there was no day you wouldn’t talk to mark

you were both 16 at the time, you being older just by a few months

you guys would talk about everything and anything

and basically grew up together

you were there for him when school got hard and future scared him

he was there for you when you faced a pretty bad relationship

and you honestly considered him your best friend

sleepless nights with him on facetime were one of the things you looked forward to the most

hearing him talk about his day

him showing you a new song he learned on the guitar, or him playing some melodies and lyrics he composed himself every now and then

watching the same movie or show at the same time on your respective screens

struggling to press play together to match the exact second

“i totally knew he was gonna die”

“shut up you’re way ahead!!!!”

you had other friends at school, too

but mark was just mark

and you two had such a loving bond, you were so close you took him with you to everywhere you went

you just wished you had him closer

at least you were both from canada

him being from vancouver and you from quebec

you had made lots of plans about meeting in real life, and you genuinely believed they would come about

but it is true that time passes and people drift apart

you were about to begin college and made new friends

mark moved out to toronto

and gradually, the responses took longer

and the calls had kinda been left aside

until one of you just stopped replying

you honestly don’t remember who it was

but there isn’t really a reason, either

you just parted ways

and it’s fine, it’s human and natural and normal

but now looking at his profile picture: a polaroid of him hugging another boy

you felt as if a bucket of cold and frostbound nostalgia had been dumped over your head

you recognized his moles, and how he had the same smile

his header picture was a guitar

and it wasn’t the same he used to have, but something about him still liking music made you feel warm

it’s always astonishing to see how the life of a person who is no longer in yours just,,,

goes on

and you aren’t aware of a thing about their existence

or even think about them

so it’s almost as they don’t exist

but now you know mark still exists

and it’s so weird to think about how your lives had been so overlapped, so united

and now you didn’t know anything about him

the mix of reminiscence about this and the year ending

resulted in your impulsive fingers pressing the envelope icon in mark’s profile

you stayed like that for a few minutes, writing and deleting messages. the sentences you thought about never feeling enough

you sighed as you told yourself this would be the last attempt

“hi mark, i’m not sure if you remember me but i saw you on my tl and it made me want to check on you! maybe this message will disappear into thin air but i just wanted to try. i hope you’re doing well <3”

you stared at the blue bubble of text almost without blinking for a moment

maybe he didn’t want to talk to you, and it was okay. you stopped talking in 2017, almost three years had passed

you thought looking at yourself in the mirror while you brushed your teeth

you came back to your room and turned off your lights, ready to go to sleep

but when you grabbed your phone with the intention to charge it, you saw you had a twitter notification

“y/n! how could i forget about you? haha it’s been so long two years without talking. how are you? how’s life? tell me something”

an instant smile started growing upon your face

the way he texted was the same as before

and you missed his haha

two and a half hours into the night you felt as if you were stuck in 2015 all over again

you had always had this fluidity at the time of talking with mark

the conversation just,, bloomed

he told you he still lived in new york, but he was actually gonna move back to toronto in a couple of months

he was majoring in music and owned a soundcloud rap account, and he had gotten quite popular as well

you mentioned how you had changed majors

what started as you being a marketing management major ended up on you leaning towards philosophy

something that no one had seen coming

so you expected the same reaction from mark

“i can totally see it, you always liked to think and question everything a little too much”

and that comment made you feel thrilled in your stomach, to say the least

even after all these years

mark was probably the person who knew you the most

days passed

weeks, even

and what you thought was just a conversation remembering the old days and filling the other in on your life

just,,, never stopped

mark and you went back to talking every day

everything felt the same as it did before

because after all, it was the same mark. it was always mark

still, the day you had agreed on facetiming for the first time again you felt kinda nervous

what if you ran out of what to talk about? what if it was suddenly weird?

and when you picked up the call and found yourself face to face with a flustered mark you knew he felt the same

you both hesitated as to who would speak first

him being the one to break the ice

“hey y/n” he giggled

“wow, your voice has gotten deeper”

he laughed loudly at your honesty, making you laugh back

“your hair is shorter”

“i know right? it was so long, i just got fed up of it reaching my waist”

“i like it, it looks pretty” he paused “you look pretty”

and in that moment you wondered how your heart could be beating this hard at a blurry screen with poor connection

comments like that kept making an appearance as time went by, sometimes from mark and eventually from your part

and that was the only thing that differed from the relationship you used to have with the one you had now

was it flirting? you didn’t know

but you had never thought of mark the way you think about him now

“so? what do you think?”

you set the phone on your desk as you walked away and showed mark your white dress. you were on your way to a costume party one of your friend’s brother was throwing, and even though it was cliché, you couldn’t be bothered to think of a more ingenious costume than a traditional angel

mark took his time fixing his gaze on you, his eyes getting closer to concentrate on what the vague wifi let him

“i can’t recognize the costume”

“what do you mean? i’m literally wearing wings and a halo”

“could it be because you always look like an angel?”

“ayee mark that was cheesy”

“i know, i’m sorry” you both laughed

“but really, you look amazing. go and have fun babe”

then pet names came into play

you weren’t sure what you were doing, but flirting with mark was sweet and fun and innocent

you always found yourself wanting for more

you were yearning for mark, you wanted to see him, listen to him, touch him

and you didn’t know what to do with yourself

until one day he called you out of the blue, which startled you, since he always asked before calling

“hey! were you busy?”

“no no i’m just doing the dishes, what’s up?”

“okay, so you know how i’m moving to toronto in two weeks, right?” you nodded “well, i just managed to change my flight so i would go to quebec for some days before properly settling in toronto, you know since it’s not that far”

“you’re kidding”

“i’m going to visit you!!!!!!!”

he squealed in your ear and you squealed back, scaring your poor cat who was sleeping soundly

after some more yelling, the excitement died out a bit and you stayed in silence for just a few seconds

“i don’t really have a place to stay though” he snorted, embarrassed

“you can always stay with me, mark”

after some long and never-ending hours and days (you had seriously convinced yourself some wrinkles had appeared on your forehead from all the waiting)

it was finally the day you would see mark

it was currently 11 am, mark’s flight was at 1 pm and he would arrive at quebec at approximately a bit less than 3 pm

now, he was at new york’s airport taking care of all the travelling procedures

and you were cleaning up the same spots in your aparment for the fourth time in a row

to say you were nervous was an understanding

you felt like you were going insane

you barely had gotten any sleep the night before, not being able to defeat the crowding thoughts about finally meeting your long-time friend

(who now you wanted to be more than a friend and seeing him physically could totally help with that)

you arranged some lunch for you and your cat (magnus) and sat in front of the tv, wanting to find literally anything that would keep your mind occupied

luckily, it worked, and you let yourself lose track of time

until your phone beeped, indicating you had received a text

“i’m boarding now!! i’ll text you when i get there, can’t wait to see you”

“have a safe flight love”

you sighed dramatically and rested your arm against your forehead

magnus stared at you in confusion and boredom

“magnus, i think i’m going to die”

as promised, mark texted you as soon as the plane landed

you offered to go pick him up at the airport, but he denied, saying he had already scheduled a taxi

so now you were ready and dressed, going all over your apartment non stop

mark was texting you through all the taxi drive and updating you on his location, you growing more and more anxious as you knew he was getting closer

you went to the bathroom and as soon as you stepped out, a knock was heard on your door

it was soft and steady, and you opened your eyes widely when the realization of who the owner of the hand was hit you

you panicked, one last time

you even eyed your room window to check if you had any chance of jumping out and running away

but you took a deep breath and walked decidedly towards your door

you just had to remind yourself it was the same mark as always, and nothing could go wrong if there was him

thus, you opened the door

and the facetime pixels and instagram pictures could have never prepared you for how dreamy mark looked

you two stayed like that for a bit

just watching the other with shy eyes and smiles

you eventually snapped out of your trance and helped mark get his luggage inside

"it's a bit small but i hope you can make yourself comfortable"

"oh please it's perfect, don't worry" he gave you a reassuring smile before getting totally distracted by the fluffy ball of hair in your couch

"oh my god is that magnus!!!!"

after letting mark get comfortable and installed, you guys decided to take a walk and go over your apartment zone, showing mark all your favorite places and memories you had there

it was a bit cold and you were both tightened around your coats

eventually, it was getting late and more chilly

so you opted for going back to your place

as you walked there in a bit of silence, you could feel mark's body getting more close in proximity

you looked at him, his gaze fixed upon the path with a small grin on his lips

you got closer too

and you liked it

it was cold outside but when mark brushed against your body

canada has never felt more like summer

you guys were really close now

as you took step after step, your jackets made static sounds, rubbing against the other

you looked at mark and delicately touched one of his fingers with your pinky, as if asking for permission

he finally looked up from the way and focused on your eyes instead, breaking into a smile once again

he took a peek at your close hands and softly intertwined your fingers

both of your faces reddening, from the low temperature and the feelings that were growing in your stomach

when you got to your apartment you guys were still holding hands, but you realized you had to open the door with that one, and couldn't find the keys in your pocket

"y/n, you will have to let go of my hand to get the keys"

"that's the point. i don't want to"

"y/n, i'm freezing. please open the door i can still hold your hand when we're inside"

and yeah,,

he did

you changed into comfortable and warm clothes and prepared some hot chocolate while mark chose a movie in your laptop

when you entered the room, two mugs in hand

mark was lying on his stomach on your bed, his hand on his chin with his mouth a bit open while concentrating on the variation of movies netflix offered

you felt a shiver down your spine

he really was here

after taking a while to decide on a movie, or at least its genre, you just selected a random title

you turned off the lights and went back to your bed, getting under the covers

and you just felt warm

and whole

maybe more because of mark than the actual sheets that were meant to keep you heated

(he also held your hand the entire time, rubbing his thumb against your palm and drawing invisible figures on it)

your head rested on his shoulder and you went up as the same time his chest did with every breath he took

in some moment you stopped paying attention to the movie

your mind wandered off to thoughts about the boy, about how you have never felt this close to him. you felt like you were really inside his ribcage

still from his shoulder, you moved a bit so you could look at him

his face was glowing

yeah, the images and lights of the computer were reflecting on him

but you meant this boy glowed in the dark

he just had something in him

it was either rays of sunshine or neon paint

but he, in this frosty and amusing night within your bedroom walls, glowed on his own

he turned his gaze towards you too, and tightened the grip on your hand

you felt mark’s arm on your waist and he rearranged the position so you would be on his chest

hearing his heartbeat, it was music

mark always did music. and he himself was music too, his heart creating your new favorite beat

“markie”

“hm?”

“i’m falling asleep” you confessed with a drowsy voice, making him laugh

“let’s turn off the movie, shall we? we can continue it tomorrow”

he shut the laptop closed and placed it on your desk, quickly making his way back to the bed so he would hold you

you had prepared him another bed next to you, a mattress already covered

but he was showing no intentions of moving a muscle

“are you going to sleep here?”

“that was the plan, yeah” he giggled on your neck. you shuddered

“i made the bed just in case”

“i can go there if you prefer”

“no” pause “i want you here”

and he smiled proudly as he hid his face in the crook of your neck

you smelled nice, like coconut and vainilla and all his sweetest dreams combined

and with his arms around your waist he felt strong, like he could defeat anything that the world aimed at him

“do you think it was meant to be that we’re here after all this years? would you consider it destiny?” he thought out loud, gazing at you

“i can’t give you an answer right now”

“fine, philosophy major” he mocked, making you both laugh

“as a philosophy major, i don’t know. destiny is always a tricky thing to discuss”

“but as y/n, yeah, i believe it was meant to be”

he stared at you in awe

“i really want to kiss you right now”

[justapayneaway]

Now it’s all ma*a here ma*a there, again it’s all transparent how they tell him to mention her and when they don’t

Am I the only one finding it interesting that now he starts mentioning her a lot after he mentioned Zayn so many times during those two days a few weeks ago?! And also that she is all of a sudden active again on social media? 

She spent months without posting much, went to Texas and now she posts every single day? Nah we back in the promo land with these two. 

[hidelaney]

Hi Delaney!

Ah, yes the quarantine. It’s getting to me. Definitely. Suddenly I have no office to go to. But it’s good, I think. Make the CEO realize the upper management has no literal reasons to keep us in the office. Like at all. Seriously, everyone from my team is working from home and the level of productivity is actually better. Because guess what? Not having people breathing down our necks is SUPER helpful. So HA!

Okay, about Larry Stylinson. You’re right, I did fall into YouTube Blackhole. And Twitter. And I just watched 1D San Siro concert. By watching, I mean I actually paused the work I’m doing and looked at the screen while it played. Admittedly I was also doing chores but! It wasn’t just background music! It counted!

When I said I could put Larry Stylinson in a microwave and be done with it, I mean the theories and compilation videos are so readily available and easy to digest like, comparable to instant meals.

It’s so neatly packaged, too. Like, I was introduced to Larry Stylinson basically yesterday. Now I could recite the storyline in my head whenever I please. Or when I want to please you, in this case.

Let’s see if I can get it all summarized down here. FYI, I’m borrowing your assumption that Taylor was in on it the whole time. And Eleanor, too. Because I actually know of her existence now! Character discovery! Except they’re real people so I feel the need to point out that I’m making all the assumptions all over the place. I’m doing this for you, my dear Delaney.

Keep in mind that we all need character growths and personal developments when I make non-flattering assumptions toward your favorite people here, ok?

First up! HS & TL met in a toilet.

Now it’s debatable whether it was during an X-Factor audition or Battle of the Bands. For the sake’s of my next argument, I’m going with they knew each other before X-Factor. Likely during their time in White Eskimo and The Rogue, respectively. Their (unconfirmed?) first words to each other were ��Oops!’ & ‘Hi’

Up next, the X-Factor audition and getting put together in a band.

So here is where I kind of needed my first assumption for this to work. Their chemistry was so obviously through the roof. It made so much sense if they were already sort-of friends and then got put together in a band. Plus, I don’t think the way Louis jumped into Harry’s arms is something a relative stranger would do. And if they only knew each other out of everyone there, it’s no wonder they were both so apparently clingy and codependent. It’s like a situation where both of them went ‘I have no idea what’s gonna happen next, but at least I know you and you know me. So we’re bestie now. No take back!”

And then there’re video diaries, twitter cams, radio interviews, and other broadcasting media they appeared in. These need no explanation because you’ve probably seen all of them and I have functioning ears and eyes. So, yes, I saw videos of them being all disgustingly cute all over the place. During the so-called ‘Fetus’ phase (a wording which I personally find rather disturbing, no offense to your anatomy textbooks or anything.) They’re so sweet. Especially whenever there’s a mention of how they moved in and lived together. Their interactions must’ve been responsible for so many tooth cavities. So many aww-worthy moments. On stage, on screen, behind the scenes, potato cams. Basically everywhere in front of everyone.

Then 1D blew up and were well on their way to become their label’s biggest and brightest BCG-metrix star. It’s not hard to see why investors’d be invested (lol) in employing every marketing strategy possible to keep 1D in the spotlight.

There’s a twofold marketing exploitation to Larry Stylinson that I see from miles away.

Hard sell the heteronormative version of the boys. (To capture major market shares)

Never had Harry or Louis explicitly confirm nor deny their relationship status. (To capture additional market shares with queerbaiting)

But let’s say Harry and Louis were actually together and making 1) too difficult to achieve. Otherwise this whole thing falls apart like a wet house of cards.

Thus, here came what I’d like to call ‘dousing a fire with gasoline’. This is where there’s a sudden drop of their interactions in public and Larry Stylinson isn’t a cutesy smashup name of two boys who got along like a house on fire anymore. This is the part where a ship turned into a full fledged conspiracy theory. And it’s MEGA COOL WICKED awesome.

I say this in the nicest way possible. A tragedy is the grandest form of entertainments. Misery loves having friends.

Also, I’d like to say this. I’m having fun thinking of this as a fictional arc. Because I still feel like it will shatter my heart in to a million pieces if anything resembling what I write next was true.

Since breaking into US market was the Kickstarter into a global one, to the US 1D went.

This was where the heavy closeting got way more difficult to handle. Elounor had the excuse of Eleanor being a private citizen and therefore should be left alone for the most part. Haylor was the complete opposite. Taylor Swift was and still is an American Sweetheart. Harry Styles might have been the most famous British Harry if it weren’t for a (former?) prince and a wizard. (Seriously, we should not call any of our hypothetical future children ‘Harry’ unless you thought ‘Albus Severus Potter’ was a good idea. Poor kiddo.)

The saddest part about Harry Styles public image was how reminiscent of Emma Watson it felt. The minute they turned eighteen, their media portrayals immediately became hyper-sexualized. Suddenly, they left the human zoo into an open hunting game. Famous lives are terrifying.

Anyhow, say, Taylor Swift knew what the US music industry was like. She’s been playing the long game for quite some time. She got to know Harry and then became rather protective of him. Her conclusion was that ‘hyping up Haylor’ would: 1) increase media exposure for both Taylor and 1D which would translate to bigger channels of revenue for all involved, 2) hold the speculation about Harry’s sexual orientation at bay because, as horrible as it sounds, gays don’t sell in America.

This one fit nicely with your ‘Out of the Woods’ interpretation. Taylor wasn’t just spending time with Harry. She was actively enforcing the lock on the closet. Which explains why Louis seemed to resent Taylor quite obviously and quite a lot. His own heteronormative scripts with Eleanor had been relatively tame. Harry’s whirlwind series of romances in public had only just begun.

As Harry started gaining a womanizer reputation in earnest, so did the Almost-Subtle Couple Tattoo Sprees.

If ‘Always in my heart @Harry_Styles . Yours sincerely, Louis’ tweet was a sign that circumstances were about to go south for them. The tattoos were signs that the circumstances had already gone to shit. The tragic package had been shipped, signed, and delivered.

This is where non-flattering assumptions rise to the surface. I think 1D had been overworked past the point of exhaustion. Self-destruction as a coping mechanism became rather prevalent and pervasive within the band. The boys gleefully collected regrets as a new favorite pastime, some more than others. Consequences were nipping at their heels.

Then Zayn left right in the middle of a world tour and all hell broke loose.

Here comes the biggest Assumption Affair!

Louis and Liam, the last to release their solo debut albums, were the most prominent songwriters for the band. I’m not going to go on about Liam because I’m here to give you Larry Stylinson. And this is already way too long as it is. But, needless to say, the first discussion of a prospective solo career probably hit them the hardest.

If each song they wrote was a battle scar, Louis was still bleeding for the band when Harry, of all people, brought up the idea of a hiatus and solo careers. Realizing how many songs Harry already had waiting in the back catalogue must’ve felt like a slap in the face. Or a punch in the gut. Whichever you think is worse/more dramatic. I’m not picky.

Remember self-destruction as coping mechanism? What about relationship-destruction as coping mechanism? Louis cheated and had a baby with someone else. Infidelity at its finest.

ALERT! THIS IS A NEON SIGN OF ASSUMPTION AFFAIR! Please don’t kill me. I told you I was gonna make unflattering assumptions toward your favorite people. I just did as I promised!!! *run for cover*

Anyway...

I’m gonna take you back a little. I mentioned earlier how Eleanor was a private citizen and therefore should be left alone. At times when Louis desperately needed to be left alone, Elounor makes so much sense. If she’s a PR-only girlfriend, she’s a stellar employee. If it’s not just a PR thing, she’s as forgiving as a saint. Just, if it’s Harry and Louis, they likely both messed up and hurt each other badly. If it’s Louis and Eleanor,... I mean... Have you seen a meme where you misspell a word so badly that the autocorrect goes, ‘I don’t know what to tell you, man’?... Louis would be that misspelled word and Eleanor would be the very best autocorrect that practically brute force through every word in the Oxford AND Urban dictionary to find out what that word was. If that’s who she is, then bless her soul. However, for the sake of this argument, we will proceed with the assumption that she’s the star employee of the decade.

Losing loved ones and grieving for them are inevitable parts of human lives. Nothing put more things into perspectives than losing someone so fundamentally dear to you. When I heard Louis Tomlinson’s ‘Two of Us’ for the first time, I remembered walking through an actual forest my grandpa planted for us because he wanted to make sure his great grandkids would have a nice home to grow up in. Do you remember when you called and told me that he died the night I got on my first solo international flight ten months after the fact? I wanted to hate you for keeping something this big a secret from me. I wanted to hate everybody at home for that. But then you told me that it was what my grandpa had wanted. That he didn’t want me to be a sad sack of an exchange student. That you decided to not listen to my parents and call to tell me just before I was due home. So that I’d have time to feel hurt about being lied to. So that I could get all the angry words out. So that I wouldn’t scream at my parents when I got home and learnt the truth. So that you could take the brunt of my grief instead.

I just took a break to have a little cry. Where was I? Oh, yeah. You did the best you could for me when I lost my grandpa. I still managed to effectively shut you out for months. Just because you were the messenger of the bad news. What I’m trying to say is that grief changes people. It changed me. For the worst for a bit. And then for the better once I came to term with what it means to me. There’s a quote from Rosamund Lupton that sums it up neatly.

“Grief is love turned into an eternal missing.”

I guess this is the part where I connected the dots back to Harry and Louis. Well, their music definitely give grief different names. Both albums talk about coming to term with it and moving forward. Every songs they wrote could be woven to fit the narrative of Larry Stylinson and events surrounding them. If you buy the theory, then the good news is both Fine Line & Walls seemed to have a positive ending. One thing I know for sure, though, is that no matter how convincing a conspiracy theory maybe, it could all be built upon a faulty assumption. I’d probably have a way easier time disregarding Elouner if I didn’t have you as a solid proof in my life that, yes, people like the best autocorrect exists. It’s funny how I feel no hesitation at all in categorizing Haylor as a calculated move. Because in my head that’s just par for the course in business. And it genuinely terrifies me in a way. Who the hell I could’ve become if it weren’t for you knocking me off the ground and pouring kindness on me.

I know I skipped a lot of stuff. Missing names like Caroline, Danielle, Kendall, Freddie, Camille, Xander, etc. But HS and LT have a decade of history on public record and, frankly, my interest ran out four paragraphs ago. So just let me conclude this.

I think it’s tiring, spending this much time speculating on someone else’s relationship history. I must admit that I had to get it out of my chest because it was way too interesting to let go off. But now, I feel like I’m just going to stream Heartbreak Weather and listen to ‘No Judgement’ on repeat. Nile is my favorite non-problematic celebrity. I could spell his name so wrong and it probably won’t be an issue as long as I politely say, “Sorry, Mr Niall Horan”

This quarantine clearly leaves me with too much time on my hands.

Virtual hugs and kisses

Your Incredible Sasha 😘