#bonus points if Seven somehow gets involved

[bumblingbabooshka]

My dearest angst wish is for Janeway (attempting to be comforting/positive) to say something to Tuvok about how not having his bond with T’Pel anymore may be, while painful (of course painful) an opportunity for him to grow on his own as a true individual without obligation for the first time in his life and for it to lead to them having a fight.

#janeway-tuvok friendship yes....but sometimes.....friends fight :) #Tuvok #Janeway #st voyager #it's not a brief fight or a screaming match either it's tense and quiet and it drags on #and Chakotay's like what' s going ON. w i th you guys???? and they're like 'Nothing.' #-daydreams about characters hurting one another accidentally and on purpose while kicking my legs in the air- <3 #angst hits even HARDER when everyone has good intentions...... #bonus points if Seven somehow gets involved

[andiwriteordie]

andi!!!! mwah congrats on the milestone 🫂💕💕 perhaps a lil blurb about byler set during a dungeon crawl (or similar) in 5x01 ?? bonus points if one of them gets flustered or acts like a cringefail loser (<- mike) <3

sarah!!! thank you so much, my dear! god, this one was a little bit difficult at first, but i'm actually quite proud of it. not quite loser mike core but some good flustered and shy byler for you! stretching my s5 muscles tonight 💪🏽

—

playing soldiers, just pretending 

So, here’s the thing.

Mike Wheeler has written a lot of campaigns before in his life—like a lot of them. He’s been playing DnD since he was about eight or nine years old, and with the exception of this past year with the Hellfire Club, he’s almost always taken on the role of the Dungeon Master. Storytelling and writing are just two of his biggest passions, and there’s nothing more fun than watching the excitement in his best friends’ faces as the campaigns unfold. 

So, as a Dungeon Master of around… six or seven years, Mike is quite familiar with the idea of a dungeon crawl. Hell, he’s written a handful of campaigns involving dungeon crawls. They’re a pain in the ass to beat, but the Party loves them.

...

In theory, dungeon crawls are great.

In practice, they are, in fact, the most terrifying things in the whole fucking world.

Honestly, Mike is still just trying to figure out how the fuck his life came to all of this—how he, of all people in the world, is somehow stuck in the middle of a war with monsters from another dimension and how his hometown of Hawkins fucking Indiana has essentially been transformed into a labyrinth full of monsters and other people just desperately trying to survive.

There’s no way that his life has come to this. Mike’s not… Mike’s not a hero by any means, and his hands still tremble every time he holds the gun he’d stolen off a dead soldier’s body. He’s just a kid; Jesus Christ, he’s not even fifteen yet. 

All of this is fucking insane, and the worst part of it all is that Mike knows this is only just the beginning.

That’s what Will had warned him, right? Back in Hopper’s cabin, when the two of them were sitting on that dusty old couch and still reeling from seeing Max in the hospital. He’d warned Mike that One isn’t going to stop—not until he takes everyone.

Though Will hadn’t said it aloud, Mike had known immediately the implication of his words.

Will, with his connection to the Upside Down and to One, would be the primary target of this madness. 

And just like that, everything within Mike had been dragged back to nearly two years ago, watching his best friend struggle against the eldritch horror holding him hostage. It was as if everything within Mike had been reset—as if, suddenly, he could see clearly again and had purpose again, for the first time in a long, long time.

Will needs him.

…

Will needs him.

So, to hell with the fact that Mike isn’t a hero and to hell with the fact that Mike isn’t good enough to make his girlfriend happy like she deserves and to hell with the fact that Mike honestly, really just hates himself most days. 

None of those things matter.

What matters most is Will.

And that’s exactly why Mike has not left Will’s side at all over the past few days. The rest of them have gotten separated a couple different times—running around to different parts of Hawkins and trying to rescue anyone they can—but Mike has stayed firmly planted by Will’s side. 

It feels comfortable. 

It feels familiar.

It feels like he’s right where he belongs.

Right now, their little group, consisting of Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, Will, and Mike himself, is taking a break and camping out in the Byers’ old home. The new owners must’ve already fled, which makes the home a perfect place for all of them to hide out for now. They’ve got plans tomorrow to scope out the area—to see just how many monsters lurk in this part of Hawkins and to determine if this might be a good enough place to lay low for the time being. The Byers’ old house isn’t nearly big enough for everyone in their little group of Upside Down fighters, but right now, it might be the best they have.

Everyone else is asleep now—everyone but Mike and Will. Will really hasn’t been able to sleep, since his connection to One has been something ever present and active. He looks completely exhausted, and though he insists Mike should go to sleep, Mike’s definitely not going to do that. 

No way in hell.

“You’re so damn stubborn,” Will sighs, pulling his knees up to his chest and looking over at Mike. They’re in what used to be his old bedroom, and it looks different, just like the two of them do. 

This place… it holds so many different memories, and so much has changed. But at the end of the day, it still feels so familiar.

And for some reason, it still feels a bit like home.

“You’ve known me for almost ten years,” Mike points out. “This shouldn’t be a surprise to you.”

A ghost of a smile forms on Will’s face, and he shakes his head. “It’s not,” he admits. “It’s just a little annoying sometimes.”

“A little annoying is just part of my charm,” Mike jokes, and much to his delight, Will actually laughs.

(It’s a nice sound, and God… Mike didn’t realize how much he missed hearing that.)

“Damn right.” Will grins back at him, and Mike’s jaw drops open.

“Okay, rude,” he protests, picking up the closest object—somebody’s old shoe—and chucking it at his best friend. “You didn’t have to agree with me!”

Will catches the shoe easily, and he laughs again, smiling brightly at Mike. “I mean, you said it, not me,” he teases. “Can’t blame me for agreeing with you.”

Mike just sticks his tongue out at his best friend. “I can’t believe the world’s ending, and you’re making fun of me. What the hell, Will?”

“The world’s ending,” Will echoes. “That means we’ve gotta say what we actually mean, right?”

It’s a joke. 

It is. It’s a joke, and Mike knows it.

But still, the words feel like a punch in the gut.

We’ve gotta say what we actually mean.

Funny Will would say that… because Mike hasn’t said what he actually means in what feels like years.

“Yeah,” Mike says quietly, staring down at his dirty Converse. “Yeah… you’re right.”

(Of course, Will is right. Will’s always right, and Will always seems to know what to say to make Mike feel better or to encourage Mike to do the right thing. It’s just that… right now, Mike doesn’t want to listen to Will’s advice.

Because listening to Will’s advice would mean confronting a whole mess of things that Mike isn’t ready for. And look… the world might be ending, but Mike can’t deal with that yet. He just can’t.)

“Sorry,” Will says suddenly, and Mike looks up in surprise. There’s a guilty look on his best friend’s face. “Sorry, I… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, no, don’t apologize,” Mike reassures. Seriously, he needs to have a conversation with Will about apologizing for things he’s not responsible for. God knows Will always takes the blame on himself. “You… you didn’t do anything wrong, Will. Honestly.”

He pauses here, then glances down at his shoes again. “Do you… do you remember when we were talking in the desert?” Mike asks quietly. “After we buried Unknown Secret Agent Man. And you said… sometimes, it’s scary… to say how you really feel.”

Will’s breath hitches. He’s quiet for a moment, but then, he murmurs, “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“I, um… I think I get it,” Mike admits, still unable to look up at his best friend. “I get what you were saying, you know? And… sometimes, I get scared to say how I really feel too… even though the world is ending. Especially since the world is ending.”

The words are as close as he’s been to honest in a long, long time. That fact brings Mike a little bit of comfort.

“Well… I guess we’ll just have to hope the world doesn’t end,” Will says softly, and Mike finally looks up, meeting his best friend’s eyes. There’s a sad smile on his face, and Will looks so small like this, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his face illuminated by the dim moonlight. “Maybe by then we’ll be brave enough to say what we really mean.”

There’s… something in his voice… something that Mike can’t quite put his finger on. For some reason, Mike’s stomach does an uncomfortable little somersault, and he finds himself unable to look away from Will.

(Will… he looks really nice tonight. Not that… not it matters.)

“Yeah,” Mike finally says, his voice just as soft, and he offers Will a small, sad smile. “Yeah, maybe we will be.”

(For his sake and for Will’s, Mike hopes that the two of them are right.)

#andi's asks #byler #byler ficlet #andi writes not dies #st 5 ficlet

[knowltonsrangers]

Hi, Sullllllll!!!! Saw requests were open and just had to jump in! Out of all the fellas you write for, who is most to least likely to get scared in a haunted house? In your professional opinion, of course.

easily scared headcanons

[a/n: hi my friend! of course, I got you! this was sm fun, thanks for requesting! ♥️]

Most:

Ensign Baker, my sweet boy, is probably the most jittery out of the bunch. Though he’ll gladly do anything you ask around this time of year, he loathes the scary, scream-inducing kinda stuff. Typically, he’s the one hiding behind you, urging you forward first, trying not to get his heart pounding in the first five minutes. You don’t mind, happily holding his hand through the whole maze, but at the end, it’s Thomas who swears he’ll never do anything of the sort again. Though, somehow, every Halloween, he finds himself at the beginning of some kind of haunted house or something scary along the lines, and he just can’t help it. You always offer to go do something else, but he’d rather go through the attraction seven times then make you go through it alone.

Middle-ground:

John Adams, pretends that he’s got nothing to be afraid of, while in fact, he is biting on his bottom lip so hard that it’s actually begun to bleed. You’ll never catch him slacking, though, whenever you manage to peel him away from his work to something festive for the season, he’s always pushing you away from something scary. His cousin, sure, loves these kinds of things, however, he just really rather not. While is amazing at swallowing his screams and bypassing all the things that make you yelp, he doesn’t make it through the entire thing with his head up. Every time you look his way though, he’s perfectly normal, and you almost pout. How is he so nonchalant? And then Sam tells you that he’s actually the biggest scaredy cat of them all. While you hold in a fit of laughter, the two of them get into an argument, Sam laughing loudly.

Least:

Robert Townsend has the most bored, unamused, and annoyed look on his face the entire time. His expression screams ‘is this over yet’, and you clinging to his arm is not helping in the slightest. While you shout at whatever crosses your path, Robert sighs, pushing onwards, dragging you along with him. You could pout and give him a whole bunch of time to actually enjoy himself, and he just can’t bring himself to. He sees everything coming, brown eyes moving across the dark rooms, and he doesn’t understand how you don’t see it either. He tries to enjoy it, for you, but it’s just not something is going to be excited about. Sure, there’s plenty things that bring that small smile to his lips, most of them involve you, yet, no haunted attraction will make him jump. He’s the most boring partner for these kinds of things.

Bonus:

Caleb Brewster likely laughs at whatever does manage to scare him, even if you’re attached to his arm, a bit jittery from the fear. If he does see the jump coming, he’ll point it out, fingers brushing your hiding eyes to try and get you to see it before it happens. If something appears that he doesn’t foresee, if the fear flashes in his eyes, you don’t see it come across his face. Rather, he’ll cover his yelp with a laugh, just after swallowing his fear down. Caleb has seen it all, but he still enjoys doing these kinda things, even if you insist this time around you won’t be bested so easily. If anything, he likes how tightly you grip his arm, and if he even tries to move away from you, you give him the best glower you can, and laughs that he was only kidding. I think that he’s so easily amused, that no matter it be you, or the scary stuff, he’d do anything you asked as long as you were there to enjoy it with him.

#sul writes #turn amc #amc turn #turn washingtons spies #turn washington's spies #turn: washington's spies #ensign baker #ensign baker headcanons #robert townsend headcanons #robert townsend #turn robert townsend #caleb brewster headcanons #caleb brewster #turn Caleb Brewster #sons of liberty #sol john adams #sol #john adams headcanons #john adams

[the-rat-man-in-the-walls]

Little Things That Make Me Happy with Encanto - Part I

I’ve been on a binge with Encanto for most of the week (My family have started asking if I’m ok) and it’s actually reawakened my fascination and appreciation with Latin tradition, culture and country. Here’s some things that give my mood a boost when I watch Encanto. 

1). Camilo with the African Finger Snap! I learned a long time ago when I was watching a documentary about Ecuador and when the people saw something they thought was cool, they would snap their fingers! He basically said he thinks Antonio’s room is awesome. I do too. 

 2). Pretty much in the same scene; I really love the song that plays during Antonio’s room exploration. It is called Antonio’s Voice and it was made by a woman called Germaine Franco. About a minute and twenty seconds into the song I get chills. It is a beautiful song. 

3). I can’t find a gif for it but in the opening when the adults are grabbing their caffeinated drinks Luisa picks up her cup with two fingers. I don’t know why but it just makes me smile a little. She’s very gentle when she needs to be. 

4). Random Spanish added into the English lines. When I was younger unless it involved a stereotype of Mexicans there wasn’t really much added. Hearing the kids say “Mami” or “Tio” or “Tia” and even little sentences adds to the atmosphere. 

5). Spotting the colour combinations of the Colombian flag at random points. Of course you’ll see a sign saying Colombia during a small clip of the Town Kids. The sign has the colours of the Colombian flag. 

6). Caño Cristales! Or the Rainbow River. I was a little surprised to see the scene with the river. I looked at that location a few times in the past including a little nature documentary. It is a rather colourful place, very beautiful. 

7). Juancho or you might know him as The Coffee Kid. He’s just a little bit relatable. Coffee should be for grownups. 

8). Jorge making the spackle with Mirabel. Cannot find a gif but you know what I’m talking about. If you look closely you can see a little smile from underneath the bucket. 

9). Bruno dancing to his own disstrack. Described as seven foot tall and he turns out to be shorter than both his sisters. During this scene you might notice when he’s walking in the background and Mirabel turns away she get’s dragged back by Dolores. I suspect because Dolores could hear Bruno scuffling behind her and she still decided to keep his secret. 

10). The emeralds! Colombia actually mines most of the world’s emeralds and some people believe that Emeralds can tell the future and reveal the truth. This may be why you see Bruno’s predictions coming together into an emerald slab. Little bonus I love it when Bruno’s eyes glow green. Out of all the powers somehow Bruno’s gift seems the strongest. 

Depending on who reads and appreciates this like I do, I might do another part. I have so much to share with you. 

ETA: Part II

#encanto #bruno madrigal #the madrigals #alma madrigal #antonio madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores madrigal #mirabel madrigal #augustin madrigal #felix madrigal #luisa madrigal #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #isabela madrigal #colombia #rainbow river #germaine franco #cano cristales #african finger snap #gifs #juancho #coffee kid

[britishassistant]

I wonder what the supervillains (the dorm leaders) would do if they get switched with their other self in Twisted Wonderland.

They'll meet a younger Yuu calls them senpai and probably get shivers when they hear someone shout Prefect but then realize its Yuu's role in that world.

Bonus would be if Yuuken's there too, sharing the dorm with Yuu.

Thank you for the ask, dear anon!

I decided to take a little inspo from my Villainous Paranoiac series for this one! Not a whole lot, but the idea of Twisted Wonderland Yuu being put in the infirmary after the events of Chapter Five!

(Also consider it non-canon, since it kinda involves everyone’s identities being exposed!)

Basically imagine that the supervillains find themselves in what looks like a private school infirmary, late at night. The air is buzzing with a strange energy, almost like the powers back in their home world, but...different, somehow.

The room nearly empty, save for one occupant in a cot close to the door.

Poison Queen and King immediately begin bickering over whose fault this mess is, while Royal Flush tries to get them to keep their voices down or else they’ll be detected. Charon is half a minute from going to curl up in a corner, clutching his freeze ray like a lifeline, while Octo Dealer and Snake Charmer are busy inspecting their surroundings for anything of value or that can be requisitioned into a weapon on short notice.

Tsunotaro has wandered over to inspect the sole other living being in the room with them.

He is pleasantly surprised to see what looks like a younger version of the reporter he’s so fond of, fast asleep in the infirmary cot. Their cheeks still retain the last bit of baby fat from childhood, and there’s some acne left that will fade with age. He may give one cheek a gentle poke, just to satisfy his curiosity. The sleepy mumble they let out is a little more high pitched than normal, but that’s the reporter’s voice alright.

He is less pleased to see dark circles under their eyes, or the bandages around their throat that stink of medicinal salves. If this truly is a younger version of his child of man, then why do they look so worried, even in sleep? Why are they injured and sleeping in this place of healing in the first place? They’re a mere child, barely old enough to operate a vehicle or live alone. Their only worries should be trivial things, not whatever is causing this furrow in their brow and hunch in their shoulders.

The other supervillains have begun to migrate over to where Tsunotaro is crouching in silent contemplation. King flips his eyepatch up to get a better look, whistling lowly. Octo Dealer busies himself with refilling their water glass, sneaking glances at them as he places it within easy reach. Snake Charmer pulls their pillow more under their head from where it’s almost slipped off. Poison Queen straightens the arrangement of the very tasteful bouquet on the bedside table, so the flowers’ best angle is shown to the bed’s occupant. Royal Flush carefully tucks their covers in over them.

Charon takes a picture with his tablet.

He forgot to turn off his flash.

Yuu cracks their eyes open...

To see seven adults looming over their bed in masks that resemble the ink from the overblots that haunt the Prefect’s nightmares.

Cue terrified screaming.

Snake Charmer lunges forward instinctively to cover Yuu’s mouth—

It’s only thanks to Poison Queen yanking him back that he doesn’t end up with an arrow in the shoulder.

Several more follow the first one through the window above the prefect’s cot, cold iron sharp and perfectly aimed to seriously maim if the supervillains don’t immediately get away from the screaming teenager. Rook was lax in protecting the Trickster after VDC ended, assuming there was no more danger after Roi du Poison’s overblot was saved. He will not make that mistake again.

The infirmary doors burst open, a younger Yuuken in a sleep-rumpled uniform barging in from where he decided to sleep outside because Ramshackle felt too empty and quiet to bear, but was forbidden from staying in the infirmary himself. He only has a pillow, but he brandishes it at the strange adults, fully willing to defend his dorm mate in whatever way he can.

The vanguard appears in a flurry of bats though, too many to fight off, small and vicious and furious. Their commander materializes in the center if the swarm, hovering over the head of Yuu’s cot, pink eyes brimming with a cold rage that makes his small and cute form look like it’s bursting at the seams holding something much older and angrier back. He opens his mouth, fangs long and glistening—

Only to stop short at the sight of one of the supervillains. “Malleus? Malleus Draconia?”

Tsunotaro nods warily.

“Wh-What in Twisted Wonderland are you wearing??”

Tsunotaro ducks his head like a chastened child. “I could say the same thing.” He mutters sullenly.

From there the lights get turned on, and the seven supervillains are made to explain themselves to the sleep-deprived students and staff who trickle in to see what’s going on. All six dorm leaders and one vice dorm leader vanished from their beds, setting everyone on high alert until news of these...alternate versions spread.

It is very weird for the supervillains to see all their minions as teenagers (again in some cases). It is only surpassed by how weird it is for everyone else to see their dorm heads and vice head all grown up and adult, even if they are dressed weird.

Ortho still wants to shoot them with a beam until they bring back his nii-san. Luckily Charon is able to convince him that Idia should be fine if he’s in Charon’s lair—he’s got plenty of the latest games, manga and tech for him to play with, so that should keep him occupied for a while.

Sebek is in a state of Malleus awe. He has shut down and will not restart. Silver has taken to pinching himself just to make sure this isn’t a Lilia’s cooking induced fever dream, while Lilia himself scolds Tsunotaro that he raised him better than to go around watching people sleep like that! Tsunotaro tries to use the “but I’m a supervillain” excuse, only for Lilia to shoot back “and I’m a war criminal in some nations, what’s your point?”

King is enjoying watching the overgrown lizard get scolded. Now if only the tiny Ruggie would stop asking him what injury the eyepatch is for, and making remarks about how embarrassing it would be if it were totally pointless—King does not pay his adult self so much to put up with this shit. The baby Jack also needs to stop demanding to know if his adult minion self can pull a sled faster than a moose or something...

Jade and Floyd are attempting to wind up the adult Octo Dealer, trying to see how much they can get away with compared with the normal Azul. Octo Dealer is legitimately at a loss as to how this world’s Azul doesn’t keep them in line without letting them turn to a crime or two. Then he learns about Azul’s contract business and feels a pang of commiseration and understanding.

Poison Queen, Royal Flush, and Snake Charmer are unpleasantly shocked when their dorms address them by their respective secret identities in front of their fellow supervillains out of the blue.

Poison Queen has to put up with King’s uncontrolled laughter as he finally understands the full extent of the incident with White Neige so long ago, while Tsunotaro tries to tell him he liked Schoenheit in his role as the evil dragon prince in the GaoGao dramatization. Royal Flush is about two seconds away from throttling Octo Dealer if the bastard doesn’t stop trying to make a deal to guarantee his mother doesn’t learn about her son’s private activities. Snake Charmer’s just glad his civilian identity flies under the radar enough that Charon has to try and look him up to understand who he is (and fails because he’s not on school wifi and his cellular data is bust).

Poison Queen is also getting a headache from Rook rhapsodizing about how his villain form is another, enhanced mode of beauty he is fortunate to lay eyes upon, as if he hadn’t been willing to skewer Poison Queen along with the rest of the supervillains five minutes ago. He’s at least able to amuse himself by letting Epel run away with his speculations about how he’s the buff hyper-masculine muscle for Poison Queen.

Kalim is crying that Jamil had to resort to becoming a villain in his home world! He must be so sad if he has to do that! He’s mildly cheered up when Snake Charmer tells him they work together on schemes, and that Snake Charmer is actually reasonably happy with his chosen vocation—and then he begins panicking that Jamil will like that world so much, he won’t want to come back.

Royal Flush is glad his counterpart at least has good people around to look after him, even if it is odd to have young versions of Trey and Cater trying to mother hen him despite the fact that he’s the older one now. At least Ace and Deuce acting up seems more fitting now considering their age than it ever did on their adult selves.

Ace huffs a sigh and leans on Yuu’s shoulder. “This is a mess, huh Prefect?”

“You said it.” Yuu replies. “I just wanna sleep forever.”

The supervillains go still.

“I’m sorry,” Snake Charmer says carefully. “But isn’t Enma-san the Prefect?”

“No?” Yuuken replies, confused. “Yuu’s the prefect of Ramshackle Dorm. I’m their vice— or would be, if we had any other students apart from them, me, and Grim.”

Octo Dealer laughs, sounding slightly strained. “Ah, apologies, but you see, that isn’t possible. It can’t be. Yuu isn’t—”

“But I am the prefect, Azul-senpai.” Yuu the Prefect says. “I’ve–I’ve always been the prefect.”

There’s a stunned silence.

Royal Flush places his head in his hands. “What the fuck.”

Back in the Supervillain AU universe, Yuu the Reporter sneezes sharply while trying to wrangle five frightened teenagers, one frightened-but-playing-tough twenty year old, and one confused however-old-he-is-but-younger-than-Tsunotaro fae.

They wonder what the chill down their spine is.

#ask #twisted wonderland #twst #supervillain au #twisted wonderland yuu #twst yuu #twst malleus #malleus draconia #tsunotaro #twst riddle #riddle rosehearts #royal flush #twst leona #leona kingscholar #king #vil schoenheit #twst vil #poison queen #snake charmer #twst jamil #jamil viper #idia shroud #twst idia #charon #azul ashengrotto #twst azul #octo dealer #leviathan

[renatogpadilla]

About that Mario Movie cast:

There are VERY specific ways I can see this movie working, but that's mostly plot. REGARDING THE CAST THOUGH:

- Chris Pratt: He's funny, sure, but he's no MARIO. I'm glad Charles isn't voicing him. Not because I don't love him or because he doesn't totally hold the world record for voicing the same character, but because he can do soundbites, etc... but doing Mario's voice for a whole film might be a bit much for him. I hope he gave Chris some pointers because he seems like the ONLY miss in this cast to me. No judgement until a trailer drops, though.

- Anya Taylor-Joy: British Peach? I have no opinion on this, except that Rowdy, American-Accent Daisy would be a PHENOMENAL contrast in future movies. Though out of the Princesses, I always imagined Rosalina as the British one...

- Charlie Day: I have never once watched "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia", so I only know him from the memes... Wasn't he in "Pacific Rim", too? The scientist that wasn't Adam from "Forever"? Because if so, he HAS this!

- JACK BLACK: Sweet Seven Stars I can't WAIT to see this man play a comedically villainous single father of 6 CRACKPOT INSANE KIDS and Bowser Junior. Literally my ONLY gripe is that I've always imagined Bowser's voice to be DEEP. Like, The Beast or Smaug or something, and then he just HAPPENS to be comedic with an intimidating voice, but if Jim Carrey could pull off Eggman, Jack Black can pull off Bowser.

- Keegan-Michael Key: I've literally just heard a clip of this guy's voice... He is NOT Toad but he can be a hilarious version of Toad. If he pitches up his voice and screams a lot, he might be golden regardless, though.

- SETH ROGEN: PERFECTION. DK with his RASPY AF voice and crackpot laugh? Glorious. And you KNOW this man will try to sneak in the DK Rap somehow...

- Charles Martinet: THE GOD. Charles doing Cameos Stan Lee style will be great. He would make a phenomenal Toadsworth, too! Unless they plan on throwing Wario and Waluigi in there too, but honestly? I don't think they'd fit, especially if it's an origin story type of film...

- Kevin Michael Richardson: GANTU? AS KAMEK?!?! Scrawny, frail, fly-in-on-a-broom-and-drop-a-boss-on-you-rather-than-fight-you-myself Kamek?! OK, listen, deep voice Kamek is not something I thought I wanted, but... As advisor/surrogate father to Bowser? It might work! Bonus points if his mom is there! I WANT THE BANTER!

- Fred Armisen: OK, so I can't pinpoint his voice, but I think he was Speedy Gonzales in "The Looney Toons Show"? I think he might be able to pull off a good Cranky Kong. No real worries there.

- Sebastian Maniscalco: OK so Foreman Spike's ENTIRE job in the games (or rather, GAME, sigular, as he was only on "Wrecking Crew") is throwing stuff in Mario's path so he gets an excuse to fire him, which (after the "Donkey Kong" incident of 1981) I can't really blame him. 'Jumpman' is BAD PR. He barely ever showed up in anything, so I guess this works? He's a comedian, so I imagine there will be alot of exasperated yelling, like Benson in "Regular Show"... Just a guess though!

So yeah. That's my take. Again, they'd have to get A LOT of things right plotwise (I'm talking "Seven Star Children", set up from "Yoshi's Island", start with "Donkey Kong" followed by a "Donkey Kong Junior" mention into "Wrecking Crew" and then "Mario Bros." into "Super Mario Bros" plot for the movie and set up a "Mario 64"/"Mario Sunshine" Follow-Up with the Koopalings) for this to work...

I'm not even gonna go into the amount of ways this could go straight to Hell, but at least the cast (save for Chris Pratt, but we'll see) looks tight! There's DEFINITELY gonna be a "Jurassic World" joke in there involving Yoshi, though...

Thoughts?

#Mario Movie #super mario bros #super mario #Super Mario Movie #Mario Mario #Princes Peach #Luigi Mario #DK #Bowser #This can go so well or SO bad... #It's a coin flip until we get at LEAST the Trailer. #Your Thoughts?

[mammonprotectionsquad]

Writing fluff is something I really enjoy. Especially for this goofy sweetheart. Because he deserves all the love and affection!

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it ^_^

AO3

Fluff Alphabet - Seven

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Honestly, he couldn't care less about what you do, as long as he's able to spend time with you. You want to watch a movie and cuddle? He'll cling to you. 

Wanna go on an adventure? He'll think of something exciting for you to do. 

But something that's his absolute favorite, would be going stargazing with you. Huddled together, with him pointing out constellations every now and then, while you two plan your wedding at the space station. 

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

There's probably nothing he doesn't love about you. But if he had to pick one thing, it would be your smile. Whenever you smile at him, so brightly and full of love, it just makes his day so much better and he feels all warm and tingly. 

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Since he is no stranger to panic attacks, he'll do his best to gently guide you through them, help you ground yourself and steady your breathing.

"Is it okay if I touch you? Okay... Just focus on my chest, try and match your breaths with mine. In and out. That's it, you're doing amazing, babe. Now I need you to tell me five things you can see..."

He won't leave your side, unless he's absolutely sure that you're feeling better and even then he'll try to provide as much comfort as possible. 

If you're having a bad day, then fret not! God 707 is there to save the day! No one can be down for long, when he's cracking his silly jokes and if that shouldn't do the trick? He won't hesitate to throw on the most ridiculous costumes and put on a show for you until you at least crack a smile. 

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

He wants to go the whole nine yards with you. Marriage? Hell yes! (he'd also be more than happy to get married to you on earth) Kids? Oh, you bet that he'll want some eventually. Bonus points if his twin will be involved as well, which would make family life even more perfect for him. 

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

There's not really a dominant or a passive person in your relationship. He might not have a lot of experience, but it's a constant give and take with you two. You both put love and effort into it. 

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

You don't really have any major fights. If you should argue, it's about his bad eating and sleeping habits, which movie was the better one. Or him scolding you, when you didn't pay attention to what you were doing and accidentally hurt yourself, one way or another. 

But there's no way he could ever stay mad at you for too long, no matter what happened. 

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

There are no words to describe how grateful he is for what you're doing for him. He's not calling you his angel for nothing. Sometimes he still can't wrap his mind around just how far you were willing to go, in order to help him. And he's set on showing you just how much that means to him. 

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

After everything that happened, he's done keeping things from you. No more secrets. Well, unless it's about a surprise he's planing for you, but that's something else. 

But other than that, he talks to you about everything. Sometimes he might try to keep his (irrational) worries from you, but a reminder of your mutual promise to not kero secrets anymore will make him talk about it eventually. 

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

You helped him a whole lot. You made him open up about his past, made him want to live for himself and do thinks he loves, rather than just surviving. Before, he wouldn't even have really cared if he died. Now he likes to plan a future with you, do things he loves and he realized that it's okay to want things. 

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

He trusts you blindly and knows that there's nothing to worry about, so he's not really getting jealous that easily. Still, that doesn't mean that there aren't moments where he'll get irritated when someone dared to flirt heavily with you and get a little too close for comfort. If that's the case, he won't waste any time to walk up to your side, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you close to him. "Babe, who are you talking to?" And if that's not enough to make the person back off, he'll fake smile so obviously and just make a shit ton of sarcastic remarks about whatever the person is saying, until they eventually leave. What follows then is a big smooch to celebrate his victory. 

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

The first kiss was a little... Clumsy. The man had no practice before, after all. It was a little messy and kind of uncoordinated. But he's a fast learner and got the hang of it rather quickly, when you took the lead. 

Now he knows exactly what you prefer, how to leave you wanting more. Aka, he's an amazing kisser. (unless he's being goofy and places sloppy pecks all over your face. But even those kisses are absolutely perfect to you) 

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

If he would've had the opportunity to confess his love properly to you, he'd go all out. 

He'd take you stargazing, after preparing the spot. He'd put up a couple candles, basically prepare a picnic with your favorite food and drinks. And when you're huddled together on a blanket, he'd just let all his feelings for you pour right out, telling you how much he loves you and just what you mean to him. It might be a bit surprising, but he can be romantic when he wants to be. 

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

You bet he wants to get married to you! 

He'd start "mission proposal" with the rest of the RFA. Because since you're pretty much already living together, he needs help in distracting you, to make sure it'll be a surprise. So when the day comes, he asked Zen to take you out to town, keeping you busy until the house is properly decorated. Thanks to Saeran's knowledge, there will be the right flowers everywhere to express all his feelings for you. He's super nervous, but as soon as he sees you, it seems like his world narrows down on you. He's taking your hands into his, gets down on one knee and even when he forgets what he has planned to say, he'll simply start listing why he loves you so much and wants to spend the rest of his life with you. 

Since actually marrying at the space station would be a little bit difficult to pull off, you'd probably settle for a space themed wedding instead. It wouldn't be a big one, just your families (RFA is part of that as well, of course. Chosen family is a good family). 

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

There are probably a lot of nicknames, he'd give you. Including extremely silly ones with the pure intention to make you laugh. 

Mostly he's calling you babe, baby, angel, prince/princess, 606 and love of his life. 

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It's extremely obvious, but then again, he doesn't see a point in making a secret out of how much he loves you to begin with. You two are basically joined at the hip, where one goes, the other follows. He likes to hold your hand or keep an arm wrapped around you. Also, he's pretty verbal about his feelings, telling you how much he loves you and overall he can be pretty cheesy. And the big heart eyes he's constantly making at you are very hard to miss. 

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Shyness about pda? What's that? He really couldn't care less about who sees. When he wants to kiss you, he'll do it. Sometimes even to the point where you'll have to remind him that you're not alone, but he might just grin about it. 

He probably won't downright brag, but he will show you off happily and talk about you to anyone who's willing to listen. (also to the people who aren't willing to listen. He doesn't really care.)

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

His playful and goofy side can turn a gloomy situation around rather quickly. When he notices that you're getting frustrated/sad/etc? You best believe he'll crack funny (or stupid) jokes until your mood is lifting. Save to say, he's always able to cheer you up. 

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

He does go the cliché romantic route sometines, but most of the time, it's him building things for you, like the robot cat. Or building a big pillow fort, with lights, snacks and a laptop set up, so you can watch movies, cuddle and hide in there for hours. 

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Best believe that he is your biggest supporter for anything you plan. And whenever you need help, he'll do his best to do so. Research? Say no more, he's got you covered in minutes! You got any doubts? He'll be sure to listen to your worries, comfort and encourage you to continue following your dreams, like you always do for him as well. 

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Even if he's had enough drama for at lest three lifetimes already, he still wants to do everything with you. All kinds of dates, vacations, and everything he's never been able to do as a kid. But he's also extremely happy when you go about your days, just doing domestic stuff. 

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

More often than not, there seems to be a silent understanding between you two. He picks up on your moods rather fast and, as mentioned earlier, he learns quickly. All the things he learns about you are basically immediately saved in his brain. 

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Next to his twin, you are the most important person in his life. So there's really not anything that could get even close to it. 

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Whenever you have to be apart for a couple days, for whatever kind of reason, he's pretty much counting down the hours until he can see you again. And as soon as he hears the door open, he's running down the hall to swoop you up in his arms, twirls you around and just showers your face in kisses. Better be prepared to have him cling to you all day, no matter how much more difficult that will make some tasks. He's just too happy to be reunited with you. 

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

This boy is touch starved! That means he's very big on cuddles and kisses. One of his most favorite things is when you play with his hair, or when your head is resting on his chest and he holds you close, nearly curling around you. Even when he's just walking past you, he has to touch you on one way or another. Like resting his hand in the small of your back, hands or arms brushing, kissing your cheek and forehead or dropping a kiss to the top of your head. 

He melts when you give him a tight surprise hug out of nowhere. But those can also easily turn into little make out sessions, when he's especially needy and a hug alone just won't do. 

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Oh, he'll be whiney and complain a lot about how much he misses you, especially in the messenger. He probably hugs your pillow, when he sleeps and when he can't sleep, he'll work a lot to try and distract himself from how much he misses you. 

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lenghts for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

He'd probably go as far as sacrificing himself, if that means he gets to make sure that you're alright. So honestly, there's little to nothing he wouldn't do. 

Masterlist

#mysme #mystic messenger #fluff alphabet #seven x mc #seven x reader #mystic messenger seven #mysme seven #saeyoung choi #mysme saeyoung #mystic messenger saeyoung #luciel x reader #mystic messenger luciel #mysme luciel #luciel x mc #707xreader #707xmc #mysme 707 #mystic messenger 707 #mystic messenger headcanons #mysme headcanons #headcanon

[gravelyhumerus]

Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter Seventeen

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Title: “I may just take your breath away”

Relationship: Jemily

Summary:

Exams, pizza, board games... what more could a girl ask for?

Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.

Read it on AO3

Tumblr:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty

 “That was a lot of chess,” Emily complained, nearly chugging her latte as she and Spencer left the coffee shop. 

She pulled her beanie onto her head and braced herself for the snow as the taller boy held the door open for her. Emily almost slipped on the slushy tile floor on her way out but managed to keep her balance. 

“Fifteen of the multiple-choice questions to be precise,” Spencer replied. The salted sidewalk crunched under their feet as they made their way across campus. 

“I’m so glad it’s finally over,” she admitted. “I think I’ve had enough philosophy to last me a lifetime.” 

“I’m enrolled in ‘Minds and Machines’ next semester,” he said. “I think I might try and get a double minor this time around.”

“What’s the goal? Three PhDs by the time you’re 24?” Emily quipped. 

He was well on his way, having completed his engineering degree before she managed to graduate high school. He was 17, only two years younger than her, but somehow seemed like a kid. A kid with more education crammed into his brain than she could ever master in her life.

“Something like that,” he replied with a smile. His hair was getting long and he had tied it back during the exam. With last names starting with P and R, they were seated near each other in the large exam hall, and she glanced over at him as he fussed with his hair. 

They stopped at the red light, watching as the cars and busses wooshed past them, sending the slush flying into the snowbanks. It had been a fairly sunny day, but bitterly cold. Now, the sun was setting and the campus was bathed in a warm golden glow. The snow had fallen the night before, leaving fluffy white snow covering their campus. 

Emily had spent most of the day holed up in the library with Spencer, with him quizzing her on fallacies and philosophers. With his eidetic memory, he only really needed to read the material once. Earlier in the semester, she did feel useful when it came to editing each other’s essays. He always got bogged down with detail, word vomiting everything he knew, and she helped him with his structure and argumentation. 

More studying awaited her back in her room. She rubbed at the back of her neck as she thought about the upcoming evening spent hunched over her desk studying criminal justice, a subject that left her questioning her degree half the time as she was forced to learn about the muddled ethics of justice. 

That week, she had survived on minimal sleep, eating mostly bagels and coffee to sustain her. Her body was protesting with each step, and she had suffered from a constant tension headache for as long as she remembered. At least her college had that golden retriever walk around at the library yesterday, she thought to herself, sarcastically. Animal therapy definitely relieved all her stress. As if petting a dog for five minutes would fix the anxiety of finals season. 

Two more exams, she reminded herself. You’ll make it. 

Despite this mantra, Emily was conflicted. While finals were killing her, the end of the semester also meant winter break. Emily would be forced to go “home” for the holidays. For most college students, that meant going back to their respective towns and being surrounded by their loved ones. Emily, on the other hand, didn’t have anywhere she called home. Last winter break, her mom had at least been in DC, and Emily was able to catch up with some of her international school friends who were in the city. This time, her mom was stationed in London, and Emily knew she’d be roped back into her old life. She didn’t know anyone there and knew most of her break would be spent alone. 

The last place she had called home was Rome, and now that was tarnished by her complicated past with that city. 

Emily was good at being alone. Being an only child of a workaholic single mom meant she learned to keep her own company. She read a lot. She got good at running away, escaping her nannies, and skirting security in order to roam free. She’d be fine. 

The problem was that Emily had gotten used to this. She rarely spent a moment alone these days. Whether it was walking to class with Spencer, or Hotch, or Derek, getting lunch with the team, surprise coffee dates with Penelope and spending almost every evening with her girlfriend, she hadn’t been left alone in ages. She didn’t miss it. 

Their residence building had a warm yellow light shining out of the windows and a soft red brick facade. In the summer, ivy grew up the south facing side but in the winter, the ledges were covered in snow and the stone steps were slippery. She trudged forward, excited for the warm embrace of the dorm. 

Spencer had other plans. He reached into the garish yellow plastic newspaper box that was stationed next to their doorway and retrieved this week’s newspaper. 

“Come on Reid,” Emily said. “Just subscribe to the newsletter or something like the rest of us.”

He held up the cover to her in surprise. Usually it reported the news of a recent sports victory, or a change of policy announced by the administrators, or even a fun event held on campus. Sometimes there was even a dramatic protest or an important speaker coming to campus. But this week, the headline surprised her. In large font printed across the page read: “Multiple student politicians fired amid financial scandal.” 

“That sounds bad,” Emily said. It did seem way more dramatic on newsprint than on a website, so maybe Spencer was onto something with his affinity for the printed word. 

Grabbing a copy for herself, she then walked inside to escape the cold. Warm air greeted them as they entered their residence hall, and both students kicked the snow off their boots before trudging up the stairs. They read as they walked, but the route to their rooms was already muscle memory, so neither worried about stumbling on their way. 

Normally, Emily wouldn’t willingly touch this sort of student politics with a ten foot pole. Sure, she was involved with the Criminology council, but there was a difference between the kind of person interested in petitioning for better accessibility to faculty events or running a bake sale, and the kind of students to embezzle thousands of student dollars like what the current student government executive seemed to be accused of doing. 

She quickly ran her eyes down the page, the contents jogging a memory from Halloween, of Hotch and JJ discussing the early stirrings of said scandal. 

“You know,” Spencer said, “I’m surprised they got a lot of this information, it’s notoriously difficult to file FOIAs for student governments, as they’re technically private corporations. So the fact that they got these files means that this is a much bigger scandal than one might assume.”

Corruption, bribery, embezzlement, nepotism. All words that jogged memories of hiding in the corner of political fundraisers, overhearing the worst of politics from too-drunk elites sipping on their wine and munching on charcuterie. 

“I hate politics,” Emily said, stuffing her copy of the paper into her bag. 

“I find it interesting. It’s basically a microcosm of our current political climate. In fact, I have subscribed to the print edition of fifteen student papers in the region,” Spencer said, “I like to keep informed on the coverage of student issues, and compare them to our own.”

“Why?!” Emily said with a laugh. “You know you can just look them up online.”

Spencer gave her a withering look, and she should have known better than asking about his aversion to tech. He loathed having to use his computer, as the LCD screens apparently gave him a headache. Penelope even gave him a pair of blue light glasses to attempt to alleviate the issue.

Then, he began to speak, at length, about the dying printed news industry and why print copies were better for understanding than screens et cetera. She made sure to nod and hum at appropriate points, but her mind kept wandering. 

She wondered if her girlfriend was in her room. Emily missed her any time they were apart and she yearned to hold her in her arms once again. But she shouldn’t. She needed to work. She had too much to do. Her grades had slipped, slightly, this semester. Everyone warned her about how college would be harder than high school, but no one ever warned her how much the expectations were raised in second year. 

Two more exams. She clutched her coffee tighter. She’d rather do anything else besides study at this point. Her body was exhausted, her mind frazzled. She wondered if she could even manage to get through a chapter of revision before conking out on her desk. 

As she said goodbye to Spencer and struggled with her keys that were tangled up in their corresponding university-branded lanyard, JJ’s door opened.  

“Hey girlfriend,” JJ greeted her, sounding way too much like a straight girl greeting her platonic friend for Emily’s taste. She gave her a pass because it sounded cute in her voice. 

“JJ!” Emily said, somehow surprised to see her despite the fact that she lived right across the hall. Her girlfriend was dressed in sweatpants and an oversized sweater, with her straight hair tucked behind her ears and her face bare of make up. Her face was lit up with a smile, and Emily rushed towards her, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

“Hi JJ,” Spencer said as Emily and JJ kissed. 

When they pulled apart, JJ gave Spencer a smile as a greeting and asked them how their exam went. 

Spencer babbled about their Logic exams for a minute or two, as Emily basked in JJ’s presence. She grabbed onto her hand and found that it was so much hotter than her own and wasn’t sure if she held on tight because she was cold, or if she had missed her girlfriend. 

“I’m just glad it’s over,” Emily said. “I never want to hear about fallacies again.”

Spencer seemed to want to say something, but fell silent at Emily’s tired expression. 

“Wanna come in for a bit?” JJ whispered in Emily’s ear. Apparently she said so a touch too loud because Spencer replied instead. 

“Sure!” he said, and then walked into JJ and Penelope’s room. 

“I should really study,” Emily tried to argue, but a single glance into JJ’s deep, blue eyes had Emily melting. 

JJ’s room was much messier than Emily had last seen it. Both desks showed clear markers of the ongoing exams, with papers and books piled high. In addition to this was an assortment of pillows strewn all over the floor.

“You guys are back early!” JJ said, after checking her watch, “I thought it was a two hour exam?”

“I finished in an hour,” Spencer said, “and Emily only needed an extra half hour on top of my time.”

Damn straight, Emily thought, feeling somewhat competitive with the boy-genius despite herself. 

She really should study, but the prospect of seeing her girlfriend outweighed the desire to sit hunched over a textbook for another evening. 

Emily and Spencer kicked off their boots, placing them neatly on the mat by the door before peeling their jackets off and hanging them on the back of her door. Emily wasn’t sure if she liked winter. Whenever her mother was stationed in the Middle East she yearned for snow, but now that she was experiencing the Nor’easter for the first time, the desert sounded like a good time. 

“Well there goes my plan,” JJ said, blowing her hair out of her face with a puff of air.

Spencer flopped onto Penelope’s neatly-made bed, collapsing into the assortment of pink pillows while carefully keeping his take-away cup upright. Emily sat down next to JJ on her bed.

“Your plan?” Emily asked. 

“Yeah,” JJ said, sounding a bit shy. “I had this whole plan to make up a blanket fort here for you, and I would surprise you with it when you walked in.’”

JJ gestured with her hands at the mess. Blankets and pillows were strewn about, and a bundle of fairy lights were laying in the middle of the floor. 

“Then you came back early,” JJ concluded. “Spence, I thought you’d keep her occupied longer!”

“You didn’t tell me that,” he replied. Spencer looked quizzically at her, shrugged, then took another sip of his coffee.

“I just wanted us to have a cute date night,” JJ admitted. “I know you’re so stressed, and you deserve a break.” 

Emily grabbed her girlfriend’s moving hands and held them in her own. She felt overwhelmed. JJ was so… thoughtful. Caring. Attentive. So many things that were absolutely foreign to Emily. No one had ever tried to impress her like this. 

“It’s okay,” Emily said. “We don’t need anything special to have a cute date night. You’re cute enough.”

JJ gave Emily a goofy smile in response. 

“Okay,” JJ said. “If you say so.”

“You’re building a blanket fort?” Spencer asked. “I actually have some experience with blanket fort architecture.”

“You do?” JJ asked, raising her eyebrows skeptically.

“Of course,” he replied, seeming almost offended that she questioned him. “It sparked my interest in engineering. I wanted to overcome the problem of chair-tippage when it came to building the structure, so I devised a system of counter-weights that I found increased the structural integrity by 53%. My mom always told me that I could be an architect, but I thought the sciences better suited my intellect.”

“Oh?” Emily asked, genuinely interested. How would someone measure the structural integrity of a blanket fort? 

“Actually, I have some blueprints. Let me grab them,” he said, standing up and making a move for the door. 

“Of course you have blueprints,” JJ laughed. 

“I should probably go feed Gideon, anyway. I’ll be right back!” Spencer  said. Before closing the door behind him.

“Gideon?” Emily asked. 

“His fish,” JJ said, “the one he won at the fair. It’s named after his professor, I think.”

She shrugged. The kid was weird, they tended to just accept that. 

“I guess Spencer’s joining us on date night,” JJ said. “Sorry. I know you’re stressed and probably want to be studying, but I thought we’d order pizza and just have one night off. Just us. And Spencer.”

JJ planted a firm kiss on Emily’s lips, leaving her dazed and blushing. 

“Relaxing sounds perfect,” Emily said, pulling her girlfriend closer to her. “I can’t believe it’s already exams. This semester has flown by. Soon it’ll be winter break, and I won’t get to see you.”

“I can’t imagine you not being right across the hall,” JJ said. “Who will give me kisses when I want them?”

JJ kissed Emily, sucking on Emily’s bottom lip slightly before pulling apart to look at her. 

“I know you’re joking, but I hope you’re not kissing anybody else, no matter the circumstances.”

With that established, Emily pounced on her girlfriend, pushing her onto her bed and kissing her deeply. She intertwined her fingers in the blonde locks that were splayed out in a golden halo and breathed in deep, taking in the warm scent of the lilac candle that burnt on her night side table. 

All her worries melted away at JJ’s touch. Emily’s brain was filled with the feeling of JJ’s lips on hers, with her lithe form beneath her. Exams, student politics and thoughts of home were wiped away, and her stress faded into background noise. 

JJ’s pliant form writhed under Emily’s, her hands sneaking below Emily’s sweater and dancing over her back. They deepened the kiss until they were making out like teenagers in JJ’s dorm with the door still open a crack. 

This was how Spencer, accompanied by Derek, found them when they pushed open the door with blanket fort blueprints and bags of potato chips in hand. 

Spencer made a surprised noise, which made Emily aware of his return. She jumped up and pulled apart from JJ with a dark red blush gracing her cheeks. 

“Woah there ladies,” Derek said with a laugh. “Keep it in your pants!”

“Guys! I was gone for five minutes!” Spencer whined. 

Emily stood up awkwardly, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she watched JJ sit up and pat her hair down in a huff.

“Sorry,” Emily grumbled, not really meaning it. She would never be sorry for kissing JJ, but she was sorry for the awkwardness

“Pretty boy dragged me down the hall,” Derek said in explanation. He had Spencer’s rolled-up fort plans in his hand, and lightly smacked Emily’s head with it, making a comedic thwap noise as it made contact. “Hope you weren’t in the middle of something?”

“Only JJ’s legs,” Emily quipped to everyone’s surprise, even her own. JJ hit her jokingly and blushed. 

“Hey!” Derek laughed, “Let’s keep this PG!”

“You called?” The voice of Penelope Garcia—PG if you will—rang out from the hallway, and within seconds JJ’s room was filled with just about all their friends standing around in a slightly awkward silence: JJ, Emily, Spencer and Derek were joined by Penelope with Hotch in tow. 

The latter two of them had grown closer recently and walked into the room with white shopping bags with the walrus logo printed on the side, looking like they had just returned from out in the cold. Penelope and Hotch going thrifting together, that’s new! Emily thought to herself and decided to file the observation for later. The image of Hotch watching Penelope’s customary fashion show was enough to make her laugh under her breath. 

“We’re building a blanket fort,” Spencer announced, changing the subject to the task at hand. “Are you guys helping?”

“Oh you know I will, boy genius,” Penelope said with an excited smile. 

Emily looked over to her girlfriend. So much for date night.

———

Without much questioning about why they were building a blanket fort, the team got to work. In college, sometimes things just happened. Impromptu blanket forts were par the course. In their defense, any excuse to not spend the evening burying their heads in textbooks was a welcome reprieve. 

It started with just a few blankets draped in the space between JJ and Penelope’s beds, but with Spencer’s instruction, a verifiable architectural marvel began to take shape. 

While Emily knew that Penelope would be all gung ho for this sort of project, it was certainly amusing to see Hotch in his khakis and dress shirt crawling around on the floor like a child with the rest of them, tying off blankets and very seriously maneuvering the different parts of the structure. 

Sheets were draped here and there, tied together to form ceilings and walls. Two chairs stolen from the common room, loaded with backpacks on the seat for support acted as the entrance to the fort. 

While it was crawling space only, Emily had to note that there was a sense of awe when you emerged into the open space of the main fort-area. It was surprisingly big, fitting all six of them with ease. The key to the whole design was a curtain rod Hotch had stolen from the boys shower that lifted the roof up. 

The design was strangely reminiscent of Baroque architecture, which she was sure was due to Spencer’s designs. This was a fact that Emily kept to herself. She always tried to rein in the ‘I lived abroad’ conversation points so her childhood could remain under minimal scrutiny.

Emily’s exhaustion transformed into excitement as she relished the time hanging out with her friends. Music played from Penelope’s computer as they worked, they began to work as a cohesive group, each member doing their share. It was nice to do something besides sit at her desk and obsess over memorizing facts and statistics, or figuring out the proper argumentation for an essay on a subject. Making sure that a bunch of blankets didn’t crash onto them was treated with the utmost seriousness, and the whole group was focused with intense concentration at their own tasks. 

Spencer did, in fact, have literal sketches of blanket forts in his notebooks, but the details of which were fairly incomprehensible to her. While she believed that he did the math, his chicken scratch was just about indecipherable, and his drawing was little more than a few shapes on a page. Despite this, it was laid out on the centre of the dorm-room floor for them to reference. 

At one point, as Emily stood on JJ’s wheely chair, she feared that the fort had all come crashing down as she lost her balance and grabbed at the blankets to stop her fall before tumbling onto Derek with a yelp. 

“Sorry,” she muttered as she climbed back onto her feet and fought off the blanket that had wrapped her in a shroud. 

She flinched as she realized she had ruined it all, a pit forming in her stomach. She looked at her friends in concern, but instead of yelling at her for her mistake, or shunning her for ruining it for the rest of them, they smiled at her and helped her up.

“It’s okay!” Spencer said cheerfully. “I know exactly how to reinforce that wall.”

“You okay, Emily?” Hotch asked, righting the wheely chair as JJ fretted over her. 

“I’m good,” she answered, still confused as to why they weren’t mad at her. 

Instead of making a big deal over the set back, they went back to work. Soon, the fort filled out and it returned to its former glory. Arguably, better than it was because they had draped fairy lights throughout the inside, making the space glow with a warm orange light. 

Inside was filled with pillows and big enough for all of them to sit comfortably so it was a comfy lounge space. It was cozy and warm, the antithesis of the bitterly cold night air outside. 

“You know what?” Hotch said. “This is a damned good fort, Reid.” 

The group muttered in consensus. They all had piled into the space, and as the excitement wore off, Emily was wondering what happened next. What does one do in a blanket fort? She had vague memories of building one in her room, but she had just sat inside and read a book. 

“I hear the RA’s storage room has a ton of board games,” Penelope said. “They pull them out for socials and stuff.”

“That’s all well and good, but we’re not asking Strauss to let us in,” Derek argued. “I still think she thinks we were responsible for that fire alarm last week. She’s been giving me the evil eye ever since.”

“Who said we had to tell her?” Emily said. “We could just… borrow… them…”

“I mean, they are for us to use, anyway.” JJ’s eyes had a mischievous look in them as she looked at Emily.

“That is true,” Hotch said, the scowl that was usually a fixture on his face turning to a smirk. 

“That’s stealing, guys,” Spencer warned, as if they didn’t already know that. 

“We’ll give them back,” Emily said with a shrug. “Come on!”

Penelope led the way to a dark wooden door on the main floor, it was labelled simply “Storage,” but the computer science student assured them that it was where the RA’s stored all of their supplies.

“It’s locked,” Penelope huffed.

“Do you have a bobby pin?” Emily asked her in a hushed voice. She wouldn’t have gotten this far if she hadn’t learned how to pick simple door locks. She had trouble with deadbolts but a simple latch she could probably do within a couple of minutes.

The blonde pulled a hot pink bobby pin out of her perfectly curled hair. Emily snapped it into two, bending one end into a longer L-shape. Sticking that into the bottom of the lock and holding it in place, she used the other side to feel for the pins that held the lock in place. 

Emily could feel all eyes on her as she confidently knelt in front of the doorknob, the group keeping watch for her as she worked. No one questioned how or why Emily knew how to do this. She had her reasons. 

This definitely broke all sorts of residence rules and if they got caught, they knew they’d get into shit, but no one seemed to care that much. They just wouldn’t get caught. 

After a couple minutes, Emily’s hands began to sweat. What if she couldn’t do this anymore? She tried to centre herself. She had made it through infinitely more stressful situations in the past. It was the eyes of her friends on her that made her nervous. She was finally accepted by a group, and she desperately didn’t want to let them down. 

Then, it clicked, and she was able to turn the brass knob easily. Emily made a noise of excitement, got to her feet and yanked the door open. 

Instead of an empty storage closet, on the other side of the door was Erin Strauss, their RA, in a passionate embrace with David Rossi. Her shirt was unbuttoned and he was in the middle of sucking on her neck. 

“Dave?!” Hotch called out, startling the couple. 

Both groups stood stock-still, neither knowing what to say. While Emily had hid the bobby pins, she wasn’t sure who was in more trouble, them for breaking into the room or their RA for using the space for unofficial purposes. 

The room was small and cramped, with a pile of poster board mostly obscuring the one small window that lit the space. Strauss had been hoisted onto the desk, her legs straddling the other student. Emily could see a shelf filled with the board games stacked on the left side of the room, but they seemed unimportant at the moment. While Emily had known about their illicit love affair, she had never expected to see it in action. 

“Hey guys,” Rossi said after a moment, his unwavering confidence carrying on to this moment as he pulled apart from Strauss, who was furiously buttoning up her shirt and trying to sort herself out. 

“What are you all doing in here?” she demanded, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. “This room’s meant for RA’s only.”

“Well,” Emily said, startled by her own audacity, “Dave isn’t an RA so…”

“We just came for some board games,” JJ said in her most diplomatic voice, despite clearly wanting to laugh at the situation, “then we’ll be off.”

“Take them and go,” the RA said in a strangled voice, her face beet-red and as she avoided eye contact like it was the plague. 

Clearly not as embarrassed as Strauss, Rossi simply smirked, collected a few board games into his arms off of the shelf, then deposited them into Emily’s arms. 

Realizing that given the circumstances, they couldn’t be picky with their choices, the stunned group thanked him then scurried away, back upstairs with their loot. The silence remained until they made it back to their floor, where they all burst into laughter.

“What on earth was that?!” Derek exclaimed. 

“Rossi and Strauss,” Spencer muttered. 

Emily and JJ made eye contact, remembering all those weeks ago when they had caught their friend emerging from the RA’s room down the hall in the middle of the night. They had known that Rossi and Strauss had hooked up that night, but had no idea that it was a whole relationship.

“I see it,” Hotch commented. “I mean, I don’t know your RA too well, but Rossi likes a woman with authority.”

Derek and Emily fake-gagged in an exaggerated manner at the comment. 

“I think I need to bleach my eyeballs after that display,” Emily muttered. 

“Ooo-kay!” JJ said, pointedly changing the subject. “It seems like we have most of the pieces to Clue… I think we could manage a game of that. We also have Scrabble, Yahtzee and Snakes and Ladders. Uh… also a pack of cards.”

“At least it’s not chess,” Emily said, thinking about her seemingly endless exam that afternoon. 

“Agreed,” Spencer said. 

“We do not have chess, no,” JJ said with a quizzical laugh. 

———

After ordering a couple of pizzas to the dorm, they all settled in to play a board game. After a few minutes of debate, they decided to play Clue (or Cluedo as Emily continuously referred to it as). The board was laid out: it was vintage, with a teal and yellow colour scheme and some scuffs and rips showing its age. In their blanket fort, they were seated in a circle, all secretly looking at their Clue cards.

“Can I be Professor Plum?” Spencer asked before they had even gotten the pieces out of the box. 

“Of course pretty boy,” Derek said, “I’ll take Mr. Green.”

“My sculpted god of thunder looks excellent in green,” Penelope flirted, choosing the white piece for herself. 

“Did you know that in the original version of Clue, Mr Green was a Reverend, but they changed his name for American audience because they believed that the American public would object to a parson as a murder suspect?”

“Good thing you’re on our trivia team, Reid,” Hotch replied.  

Emily was Miss Scarlet, of course, and was seated right next to JJ, who had chosen to portray Mrs. Peacock. Hotch claimed the remaining piece: Colonel Mustard.

Emily loved board games. Her nanny in France, who was a kindly elderly woman that Emily only knew as “Madame,” would play with her each Sunday after church. She has hazy memories from that time, but the warm glow of sunlight streaming into their Parisian apartment as she learned how to play Cluedo. Emily would always try to cheat, but knew better than to try to do so with her immensely observant girlfriend seated to her left, JJ’s hand resting casually on Emily’s thigh.

She looked at her cards and grinned. She had been dealt her own character, she noted, as Miss Scarlet’s name was printed in bold on the top of her first card. It felt weirdly validating to know that she herself was innocent. Also in her hands were the cards for the candlestick and pistol, as well as the observatory. She marked these off of her card and tried to gauge her opponents' reactions. 

JJ was checking her phone with her cards face down, tracking the pizza’s arrival. Spencer was sprawled back, his long legs taking up way more room than was necessary, jotting down notes on some scrap paper. Presumably some statistics and probability for the possibilities of the cards that were sealed in the envelope in the centre of the board. Penelope smiled over at Derek and flirtatiously tried to sneak a peek at his hand. 

After the initial rounds being dedicated to moving around the board, Emily finally made it into her first room: the lounge. There, she decided on her first suggestion.

“I suggest,” Emily said, in her most dramatic, formal voice, which was particularly suited to the role of Miss Scarlet, “that Mrs. Peacock committed this heinous crime in the Lounge with-” she hurriedly grabbed the candlestick, “the candlestick!”

She knew that it wasn’t the correct weapon, but using it would narrow it down to someone ruling out either JJ’s character or the lounge as the scene of the crime. 

“Moi?!” JJ said, sounding almost offended at the accusation. “Your own girlfriend?!”

Emily grinned evilly at her, but internally she felt giddy. It was the first time she heard JJ use that word in front of their friends. JJ moved her piece into the Lounge. The others chuckled lightly at their antics.

“You have no alibi for the crime, Mrs. Peacock,” Emily said, “and I am merely making a suggestion.”

JJ glared at her, but said nothing. Emily turned to Derek, who was seated at her left. 

“What do I do?” Derek asked, looking around the room, slightly confused. 

“Do you have any of those cards?” Hotch asked. 

“Yeah-” Derek said, moving to show his hand. 

“No!” Penelope stopped him. “Just show one of your cards to Emily if you can prove her suggestion was wrong.”

He made an “o” with his mouth and sneakily showed Emily the Lounge card. Emily noted that, and that it was Derek’s card. Mrs. Peacock had yet to be proven innocent, and Emily gave JJ a suspicious glance. 

She loved this game. 

As the game progressed, Emily noted a few things about her opponents. A part of Emily was profiling her friends subconsciously, reading each of their strategies like a book. 

Penelope always seemed to luck out on her dice rolls, covering a lot of terrain and gathering information like it was a cup of tea. But, she seemed to take it personally when someone accused Mrs. White of having killed Mr. Boddy and gasped every time someone made that suggestion. 

Hotch seemed to take the game very seriously, and was at it like he was an actual police officer solving crime. But, it didn’t seem that he completely understood all of the rules, and definitely hadn’t played before, so he spent most of his turn grumbling as he skimmed the rule pamphlet. 

Spencer, on the other hand, had memorized the rules, common strategies and probabilities of the different outcomes, so Hotch often looked over to him nervously as the boy wrote longhand equations in the notebook that he pulled out of his bag for the very occasion. 

Derek also had never played before, and regularly made ‘accusations’ rather than ‘suggestions’ when he entered a room, frustrating Spencer to no end. But, Derek was smart and seemed to be picking it up as he went along. That was until he made the same suggestion twice in a row, both times making Hotch show him the exact same card. He asked Reid endless questions about specific rules, and more than once he made the boy double check in the rule book when Derek tried to make a rather unorthodox move. 

JJ seemed to be the only one genuinely trying to have fun. She munched on the Cheetos that she stored in the bottom drawer of her night stand, and made conversation. Her strategy seemed to be exclusively focused on playing the game like it was the 1985 feature film Clue, playing the role of Mrs. Peacock with a fake accent and treating it like an actual murder-filled dinner party.

After a solid twenty minutes of gameplay, the pizza arrived. With minimal grumbling from Hotch, who was apparently on a roll, they took a break to eat. 

“Did you see this?” Spencer said with his mouth full, lifting up the copy of the newspaper that he had grabbed earlier.

“Don’t get me started,” JJ grumbled and took a sip of her pop. 

“What happened?” Hotch asked, the conversation piquing his interest. 

Spencer explained—with the assistance of JJ who apparently knew one of the people involved through soccer—the entire scandal. Apparently, last year there had been very little interest in the leadership roles, so the President of the student government had simply waltzed into his role. He then hired all of his friends, his girlfriend, his roommate, and together they embezzled thousands of dollars of student funds. 

“I can’t believe they’re getting away with this,” JJ muttered. “Is there no oversight?”

“It’s always the same,” Emily replied. “Who’s going to oversee them? The college? They’re corrupt too.”

“This sucks,” Derek said. “Wish someone good would run for government, for once.”

Emily shook her head in frustration. It all just reminded her of her childhood. Embezzlement, corruption and nepotism all were casual topics discussed over family dinner in her home. She had higher hopes for students her own age, would they not break the cycle? Or was it just a microcosm of the outside world? 

“You should run Mr. Lawyer Man,” Penelope teased Hotch. “You could take any of these clowns.”

Hotch raised an eyebrow at her and went back to his pizza, brushing her off. Emily smiled at him. Penelope was right, he might actually do a good job if he set his mind to it. 

The people that surrounded her now were nothing like her mother’s friends—or the kids she had been forced to hang out with when she was younger—they were genuinely kind, supportive, and seemed to like Emily for Emily. When she told them she was an ambassador’s daughter, they had been more concerned with the cool places that she had been able to travel to than whatever power she had. At college, Emily finally exhaled fully, slowly relaxing more and more into herself. 

But, the topic of politics always set her on edge, especially since the semester was ending soon. Her mother had already begun to leave her voicemails about the galas, fundraisers and events that she was required to attend over Christmas break. She pushed thoughts of the future aside and focused on the warmth that surrounded her. With some music playing softly (a song that JJ liked by Vampire Weekend), the softness of blankets under her, and JJ leaning on her slightly as she ate her dinner, Emily felt at peace. She knew she could handle winter break, because she knew that these friends would be here when she came back. 

After years of leaving a school midway through the year only to show up to some new boarding school or international school each time her mom was reassigned, Emily never had a chance to put down roots. But, with each bite of pizza, Emily felt herself becoming even more firmly rooted. Not to this place, but to these people as their lives became more entwined. 

Once dinner was over, the game continued, and thoughts of politics left their minds. By then, Emily narrowed it down to the weapon (the candlestick), two rooms (the kitchen and the billiard room) and she was pretty sure that it was Colonel Mustard that had committed the crime. 

She had a decision to make: walk all the way from the study to the billiard room, or risk being wrong by making an accusation. She was pretty sure both Hotch and Reid were on the right track, as the younger boy’s scribbling in his notebook had gotten even more intense and the older boy was beginning to look around suspiciously, as if the others were trying to read his notes. 

She had pretty much ruled out Penelope, JJ and Derek as competitors, as the trio spent most of the time talking, and genuinely trying to have fun. Emily, Reid and Hotch were all way too into it, but Emily was competitive and this was her game. She wasn’t going to lose to Hotch, no way. Reid winning she could blame on his boy-genius nature, but Emily decided that Hotch was going down. 

The two boys seemed to have come to the same conclusion, all eyeing each other across the board, the tension palatable between them as their competition became heated. 

She nervously tried to move to the billiards room, deciding to play it safe. Better safe than disqualified. But, as soon as she made that decision, she regretted it as Spencer straightened up on his turn and said: “I’d like to make my accusation.”

“Write it down,” JJ prompted, as per the rules. He jotted it down in his paper. 

Then, with bated breath, they watched as he grabbed the envelope out of the centre of the board, and read the cards. His face fell when he saw one of the cards, so he must have been wrong. He placed them back into their envelope and back onto the board. 

“No dice?” Emily asked. 

He shook his head. 

“Statistically speaking that should have been right,” he grumbled. “My math was wrong.”

“Boy genius isn’t a good detective, huh?” Penelope mused. 

A few turns went by, with Derek, Penelope, and JJ moving around the board or making suggestions. 

Emily rolled the dice, making one square from a room. She sighed. She’d make a suggestion next round. 

On Hotch’s next turn, he made an accusation, which he wrote down on a pink sticky note that Penelope had handed out when the game started. He checked the envelope. 

Emily held her breath. She was sure he had it and that the game was over. She should just call it quits now. She went to bite her nails out of stress, but stopped herself, they were starting to get long and she wanted them to look nice. 

A moment passed as Hotch compared his cards. After he saw the third card in the envelope, his expression revealed that was also wrong. 

Boys, Emily thought. Always so overconfident. 

She made a suggestion instead of risking it: “Miss Scarlet—er myself I guess— in the Billiards Room with the pistol.” 

It was a gamble. If she was right, and the people who knew she had her own card and the pistol caught on, they would also know that it was the Billiard Room, because no one would be able to disprove her theory. If she was wrong, someone would have the card for that room, and she would know that the crime occured in the Kitchen. 

The second seemed to be true, as Derek showed her his card with a small illustrated image of the Billiard Room on it. She was right. She knew what it was. But, she would have to wait until her next turn. She was going to win. 

But, it was she who was overconfident, because as she was too busy preemptively celebrating her win, Derek casually made his accusation. 

“Hey I’m right!” he exclaimed, holding up the cards and his own hot pink sticky note. 

In his semi-cursive scrawl read: “Colonel Mustard, Candlestick, Kitchen.” These guesses matched the cards hidden in the envelope, and Emily’s own deduction that she planned to make on her own turn. 

“You guys really thought I hadn’t played this game before?” Derek laughed. “I’ve got two sisters, board games were everything.”

“Were you hustling us, Morgan?” Spencer demanded. 

He smirked. 

“Should’ve put money on the outcome,” Derek said with a laugh. “I’d be rich.” 

Emily threw her cards onto the table in defeat. JJ shot her an empathetic look, and Emily tried to stuff her frustration down to pat her friend on the back for the surprising win. He deserved it.

———

After the game concluded and the pizza had been completely eaten, the group parted ways, heading to bed, or for more midnight snacks or to finish up some studying, leaving JJ and Emily alone and to start? a game of Scrabble. 

The board was ancient, and quite a few letters were missing, but with music droning on JJ’s laptop, and the soft fairy lights overhead, neither girl minded too much. 

Emily looked at her letters:  O, B, S, O, T, B, W and thought hard, rearranging the wooden pieces to try and formulate a word. After a long day of academia, and investing so heavily into the game of Clue, she probably had only one or two working brain cells and both were telling her to play the word ‘boobs.’  

Her eyes flicked to her girlfriend, who looked absolutely gorgeous in the warm light. Her blonde hair almost glowed, and she had an adorable expression on her face. Emily couldn’t help but glance lower, thinking about the real world examples of her Scrabble word.  

She played the word with a cheeky grin. 

“‘Boobs,’ Emily?” JJ scolded. “Really?”

She sounded angry, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at her cheeks and Emily could tell the girl found it funny. 

“I can’t help it,” Emily said. “I haven’t thought of much else since last weekend.”

She raised and lowered her eyebrows in an exaggerated manner, making JJ laugh and kick her lightly in protest. 

JJ then played the word ‘throw,’ using the ‘o’ from ‘boobs’ to form her word, earning her thirteen points. 

“I don’t think you can throw boobs, babe,” Emily said. “They’re usually attached.”

JJ rolled her eyes. 

Emily made it her mission to find the funniest words possible, working extra hard (and missing out on some good points) in an effort to make JJ laugh. ‘Armpit,’ ‘meaty,’ ‘hoagie,’ ‘urine,’ ‘joint’ and her piece de resistance: ‘boner.’ All while JJ was playing incredibly normal, and often strategic words like ‘axis,’ ‘snow,’ ‘vain,’ ‘snag’ and ‘writings,’ hitting multiple double- and triple word scores on the way. 

“This is fun,” Emily said, sneaking a handful of JJ’s Cheetos out of the family-sized bag next to the blonde, while she was distracted by playing her turn. 

“I don’t understand how you’re winning,” JJ muttered. 

Emily shrugged, “Guess I’m just a genius.”

“Reid? Is that you?” JJ joked. “Why are you disguised as my girlfriend?” 

“Would Reid do this?” Emily said, leaning over toward her girlfriend and pressing kisses all over her face until she fell back. Then Emily straddled her, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace that left both girls panting. 

“I would hope not!” JJ exclaimed with a laugh, making a face at the thought. 

They laughed and went back to making out, with Emily careful not to disturb the game pieces. JJ sucked onto Emily’s bottom lip, making her weak in the knees and she struggled to support herself over JJ’s shorter frame at the motion. 

“We should-” Emily tried to say between kisses, “finish the game.”

JJ kept deepening the kiss, going so far as to grab onto Emily’s butt to hold her in place on top of her.

“You’re trying to distract me,” Emily chided, “because I’m winning! I see right through your plot.” 

She sat up and went back to her tiles before playing another funny word: ‘suck’ for twenty points. JJ grumbled,fiddling with her own tiles, as Emily collected a few out of the bag. 

Emily was preening as she rearranged her own tiles and didn’t notice as JJ put down her word. When she went to play her next word (‘zap’) and only then did she see what word JJ played. 

‘Love.’ 

It was there. Clear as day. Written vertically and connected to the word ‘snow,’ it was unmistakable. Emily looked at it for a long moment, trying to figure out what it could possibly mean that her girlfriend very intentionally played such a loaded word. Was it the only word that fit? Did she only mean that she loved the snow? Was she also reading into it? 

Emily looked up, making eye contact with JJ. The blonde blushed and looked away, nervously fiddling with the necklace around her neck. Emily smiled faintly at the warmth that flooded through her, but alongside that, was the sharp pang of anxiety. Was she supposed to acknowledge that? Would that make it weird? 

‘Zap’ didn’t feel appropriate when her girlfriend may or may not have confessed her love for her. 

She played it anyway, deciding that making a big deal of it would just complicate matters. Besides, did she love JJ? She didn’t know. It was all so new. She liked JJ a lot. She definitely like-liked her in the traditional sense of the world. But Emily had never been in love before. She’d loved people before, Matthew for one, and her mother in a way, and she loved Derek like a brother. But being in love was a whole ‘nother ball game. 

JJ won the game after playing ‘equinox’ for twenty two points near the end, beating any lead Emily had gained from her silly words. JJ deserved it in the end, as the blonde would sit and stare at her letters until they formed the most complex words that Emily had never even heard of. Emily’s eyes drooped and she was barely able to create three letter words by the end, while JJ was still surprising her with her vocabulary. 

Emily shook JJ’s hand to congratulate her for the win. JJ grinned and kissed her. 

Then, they looked around and realized two things: it was past one in the morning and Penelope hadn’t come back to the room yet and that all of the blankets that JJ owned were currently being used in the blanket fort. 

“Can we sleep in my bed, tonight?” Emily asked. “I’ll help you clean up in the morning.” 

JJ nodded but was in the middle of texting Penelope, wondering where on earth her roommate had wandered off to. Within a minute she got back to JJ saying: with derek! will explain tmrw!! 😘 🧚‍♀️ 😳

JJ showed Emily the message and both girls giggled. Emily saw that coming, but didn’t realize it would be a game of Clue that finally sealed the deal.

Exhausted but happy and relaxed after the game night, Emily and JJ tumbled into Emily’s bed and cuddled up together. Between JJ and Emily, the word ‘love’ was left unsaid that night, but Emily fell asleep that night feeling a new warmth in her chest.

#jemily #criminal minds #jennifer jareau #emily prentiss #cm #criminalminds #jj x prentiss #emily prentiss / jennifer jareau #gravelyhumerus cm college au #sweater weather au #emily elizabeth prentiss #jennifer john jareau #my writing #fanfic #criminal minds tv #my post #finally!!!!!!! shes here!!!!!! #its all fluf #also sets up the sequel abit #so see if you can catch on to that #enjoy!!!

[wordynerdygurl]

Seven Minutes in Heaven

Author’s Note:  Well hello my friends!  Since hitting 1000 Followers in July (WHAT?!  STILL UNBELIEVABLE!!!) I’ve been working on the requests sent in by my amazing troop of readers!  This is another one of those stories which I’m pleased to share.   As always, help my unending need for validation but re-blogging or liking the story!  Also, you can send asks, make your own request, follow me, or be added to my tag-list! Last, @sammy-jo1977 is my beta... and my ride or die home girl!  Thanks lady! Pairing:  Loki x Female Reader, appearances from most of the Avengers

Summary/ Request:  @queenofmischief asked for a story where “Loki and you guys are friends growing up and you realize you like him and try to hide it but somehow at a party or something or another, maybe Seven Minutes in Heaven is involved, it comes out and really hot smut ensues?”

I used some of the ideas you gave me, dear reader, but made it a little more mature, so I sincerely hope you enjoy!

Warnings:  Lots of 80′s references... music, movies, clothes, etc.  References of smut, heavy petting and kissing

ENJOY!

"But, like, I really don't want to go."  Your cellphone, pinned between your ear and shoulder, pushed your earring into the tender flesh behind your lobe.  It probably didn't help that the jewelry in question was a pair of huge hoops, fluorescent in color and hard plastic.

You heard Wanda sigh, "Yea… I know.  It's just, we all are… and you know it'll be worse if you don't show up."

"I really hate it."  Using a sing-song voice didn't change the feelings behind your words.  Going up to the main floor of The Avengers Tower for a theme party was not a thrilling idea.

"I know you do-", pulling open the door between your room and hers, you palmed your phone, frowning at your friend, "-But you look great!"

"Radical… or wicked… or tubular would be more 80's appropriate."  Still, her compliment made you smile.  It really was a great outfit, totally encapsulating the MTV generation's vibe, complete with hot lime colored leg warmers. 

 Your cropped REO Speedwagon t-shirt was cut off at the neck, dripping low enough to expose one whole shoulder, and a wide stripe of the magenta colored tank top underneath.  Having tucked the camisole into your acid washed denim micro miniskirt, you finished the ensemble with a pair of black pumps, and the obligatory scrunchie of cheap yellow satin.  It pulled your hair into a low, side ponytail.

For makeup you'd painted your eye-shadow on, bright turquoise with pink under your brows.  Lipstick in a shimmery rosy hue brought extra attention to your lips.  And you stored your cell phone, lip gloss and keys in your iridescent fanny pack.

Wanda couldn't help giggling at the sight of you and your collection of clashing colors.  For her look tonight she'd dawned a pair of skin tight leggings, an over-sized button down shirt with a stretchy black belt that was about four inches wide.  Ballet flats, teased out hair and stark makeup had Wanda looking like a video vixen.  It was impressive.

"See, you went sexy… and I went silly."  Pouting now, you flopped onto your bed, "Can I just not?"

Sitting down next to you, patting your knee, "You don’t look silly, but you do look like you could be a hair band groupie!  That’s sexy!” Shrugging your shoulders, unconvinced, Wanda added, “Besides, tonight… It may be fun.  And, worse case?  You get blitzed like a teenager on prom night."

"No… that's not the worst case.  Worst case?  He's there."

Sighing, Wanda shook her head, "He does still rub you the wrong way, huh?  And, yes, he may be there… but-" standing, taking you with her, "-it would be a shame to waste all your wicked cool work!"

Hearing her use the dated vernacular made you grin.  She was right.  Tonight could be a blast, if you were able to get out of your head.  Jumping off the bed, unsettling one of those fashionable leg warmers, you hugged your friend tightly.  You could do this.  You wouldn't be alone.  And if Loki was there, he'd just have to get over it.  You weren't going to pay him any attention.

---

"Mr. Loki… can we please go?  We're already stupid late."  

Bending to straighten his red suspenders, Loki smirked at himself, "Greed is good."

Sighing, exasperated and edging into anger, Peter pulled open the front door, "I don't know what that means, but you look… greasy."

"Like I could steal your company in a corporate take over?  Maybe steal your woman too", Loki questioned, excited at the idea.

Crossing his arms over the red puffy vest he had bought specifically for tonight, Peter grunted, "Uh… I… I guess.  I meant more like one of the assholes in Wolf of Wall Street."

God, you had better be there tonight.  Loki was putting a lot of hope on Stark’s little shindig and he wanted to make sure that all of the little details were absolutely perfect, giving him every advantage.  Standing now, slicking back his long dark hair, "That, my young spider friend, is exactly what I am going for… Evil 80′s CEO."

"Great."

Loki heard the frustration in the young man’s voice.  Someday he would understand, Loki thought, turning to the youthful Avenger beside him, "You certainly make a dashing Marty McFly, Peter.  Truly."

"Aw!  Really, Mr. Loki?  Ya mean it?"  That made the Spider Boy preen, popping his collar, and standing a little straighter.

"I do!  Now-" flashing a rakish smile to his reflection as he passed, "-let's get upstairs and see how everyone else is doing!"

---

Everyone else was ready to party.  The last mission, a particularly difficult one, involved Hydra agents banging it out against our heroes along the rough terrain of the polar ice cap.  Draining the physical and emotional resources of everyone, including you and Loki, Tony had planned a little party to kick off a period of rest and relaxation.

As soon as the elevator opened you knew it was going to be an insane night.  Everything was brightly lit.  Paper streamers were strung up haphazardly along the walls and ceiling.  Big plastic buckets of chips and cheese curls were put out on the counter along with a huge punch bowl that reeked of rum and sugary fruit juice.  On the floor in the kitchenette was a garbage can, freezing, full of ice, only the keg tap visible.  A stack of red plastic cups was at the ready.

Someone had ordered pizza.  Well, dozens of pizzas.  The boxes were piled along the table already crammed with pretzel bags and Doritos.  

Steve was being instructed on the basics of Beer Pong and, you decided, definitely being hustled by Sam.  Bucky looked on with curiosity, quietly sneaking closer to the chips and dip, hoping no one would notice.  Rhodey was watching them both through the reflective lenses of his aviator shades, doing a great job of looking like a Top Gun cadet, including the tight jeans and broken-in bomber jacket.  Grinning as he drank down a bottle of beer, Rhodes shouted, "Hey Stank!  Is all of this really necessary?"

"Don't come for me Rhodey!"  Wearing a pair of neon leopard spotted knit pants, a green polo shirt and white sneakers, Tony was clutching a glass bowl filled with little slips of paper to his chest.  No one had managed to figure out what they were or why he held them.  Drinking two beers from his plastic, can holding helmet, Tony would answer only with a slightly slurred, "It's my trashy 80′s party and I do what I want!"

And Tony had thought of everything.  Sounding like a mixed tape pulled from the radio, the tunes didn't let up!  Ratt, Foreigner, Cindi Lauper, Madonna and Tom Petty all took turns blasting through the room.  So many hits from the past pumped through the sound system, getting people on their feet and keeping them there.  You were swinging and swaying along, having a blast, but when Bon Jovi hit the group of Intergalactic Warriors went wild.

Clint, rocking a mullet wig and a vest with no shirt, jumped onto a table making the motions of an air guitar champion.  Singing into a beer bottle like it was his microphone, "Whoooooaaaa we're halfway there…"

Guffawing, you hid behind your Bud Light filled cup, already red cheeked from the non-stop laughing and alcohol in your system.  At some point you had given up Wanda to Vision in a varsity jacket, doing his best jerk-off jock impression, and not quite pulling it off.  It wasn't his fault that he was too polite to put people down in the way of Eighties movie bad guys. Alone, feeling flushed, but happy, you needed a break and some quiet.  Flinging yourself onto the soft sofa, watching the frat house style antics unfold all around, you couldn’t help laughing.  Tony always found a way to knock the group out of their post mission funk.  Sometimes that meant week long Caribbean vacations and sometimes that meant dressing up in retro attire and scream singing with a cold beer in your hands.  Either way, it seemed to bring everyone closer together, and the pictures were certainly worth framing. The couch dipped as someone joined you.  Swiveling, not quite drunk but not quite sober, you couldn’t help the groan that left you.  “Oh.  It’s you.”

Not exactly the response Loki wanted, he was just grateful that you spoke to him at all.  Lately you seemed to flee any room he entered, a hurt and heavy sigh escaping you before you'd make your exit, never looking back.  Loki couldn't understand why.

After all, it had been two months since that night.  The one where he'd stumbled on you, glowing blue in the light of the television set, alone and in the darkness.  You asked him to join you, he had accepted.

The movie was called "Say Anything" and Loki had to admit, as far as romance on film went, this story was very moving.  But that was an unexpected bonus to being so near to you.  Before the credits rolled, you had burrowed against him, snuggled under his arm with your head on his chest.  

Stroking your hair, Loki pressed a kiss to your forehead, thoughtlessly, naturally.  Pushing away, looking up at him through hooded lashes, "You… you kissed me?"

Words failed the silver tongued devil, something he still pondered all these weeks later, so a nod was all you got for a response.  Kneeling, your sleep shirt riding over your thighs, Loki watched your small hand rising to cup his cheek.  Feeling your lips against his own was the beginning of the best night of his life.

And then, nothing.  It was like a switch had been thrown and no matter how many ways he tried to reach out for you, Loki wasn't able to connect.  Not like that night.

So, he was going against his nature tonight.  Joining the group, drinking a bit of his brother's mead, wearing a dated but pristine business suit.  All done in the vain hope that something would shift in his favor.

He had already lost too many nights to memories of you.  Soft, full skin under his broad palms.  The tiny moan you exhaled when Loki’s tongue met your own.  How your wet, willing body accepted him, without question or stipulation.  And in the afterglow, when your head rested in the crook of his neck and your cherry cola scented breath circled him, you let Loki hold you close.

But he buried it all.  Tonight he was the embodiment of all things slick.  Nothing could stick to him; not when he had a goal in mind and this much gel in his hair.  Loki Odinson would be taking you home tonight, come hell or high water. Wolfish, Loki’s grin was wicked, “Yes.  Your dream has come true.”  Sitting back, he crossed his designer suit covered knee at the ankle, exposing socks with little golfers on them.  He let his right arm rest along the back of the sofa, not around you… not yet, but inching closer. “What is that cologne you’re wearing?” “Don’t you like it?  I’m told Drakkar Noir was quite the scent of the 80′s.  I did my research.” Twisting, you looked him over, impressed despite yourself.  The suit was totally of its time.  Black, pinstriped and you were sure the jacket that came with it was draped somewhere safe.  His shirt was shiny but soft and bright, blinding white.  Suspenders of red matched the tie that draped down the center of his chest. With his hair combed straight back and held in place with some kind of product, Loki looked like he was capable of eating a six course lunch at Sardi’s, complete with dirty martinis, then jetting back to the office in time to defraud a corporate spending account.  The kind of executive that blackmails a co-worker with pictures of a mistress.  The kind of douche bag that tries to take over a rec center to build a mall.  In short, an avarice little asshole.  So, why was it so hot? “It’s… overpowering.”, boy, was that an understatement.  Loki’s whole aesthetic was overpowering right now.  And, was he moving closer? His bent knee brushed against your own as he leaned near enough to be heard at a whisper, “You look adorable, you know that?” Scrunching into the corner of the couch, eyeing him suspiciously, “Oh?  Really?” “Really.”, his hand brushed over your exposed shoulder, making you jump at his touch.

Uh uh.  No way.  You would not be so easy to seduce this time around.  Even if those wide hands sent goosebumps growing all over your body, Loki would not charm his way into your panties again.  Not like last time.

It had been spontaneous.  Genuine, at least for you.  And in the moment, it felt like Loki had given you a little piece of himself, a tenderness that no one else ever saw in the far flung Frost Giant.  

Maybe that's why Clint's words hurt so much.  He had told you so casually, holding up a spoonful of Cheerios, "Loki said his last girl was a drag.  Basic bitch?  Is that what the kids say?"

Thinking about it now made your heart hurt.  You had given yourself to someone who thought you were beneath him.  Loki couldn't want you.  You would never be good enough.

But that night haunted you.  His soulful kisses that stole your breath.  The drag of Loki’s hands over the swell of your bottom as you straddled his hips.  His solid chest under your own hands, dark head curved against the couch cushion, but those burning eyes never leaving your face.  “I thought you said I was plain.  Simple.  Boring.”  

Leveling his own words back at him made Loki straighten in his seat.  How could you think that?  Unbalanced, stammering, “Uh… I… I’d never…” “Never expected me to find out?  I believe that.  And, let me tell you this-”  Pushing yourself up with the help of the couch’s arm, you rose on unsteady legs, “-I’m not nearly drunk enough to fall into your arms again.”  Spinning away, you made a dash towards the people in the kitchen, without looking back. Watching you go, Loki could do nothing but stare after your retreating form, flummoxed.

“That was… painful.”

He knew that voice well enough, frustrated, confused and unfit for company, “Go away, Tony.”

“I don’t think I will.  In fact-” sitting down in your empty spot, patting Loki’s knee, “-I’m going to make myself comfortable.  Now, tell Uncle Tony all about it.”

Rolling his eyes, unable to find you in the crowd, Loki risked a sideways glance at his replacement companion.  Was he really going to indulge in this?  Tell his almost friend about you… about your one night together?  Loki raked his hands through the pomade in his hair, growling low, “If you breathe a word of it Tony, I’ll-” Lowering his wrap around sunglasses, peering at Loki, Tony smiled, “Your secret is safe with me.” ---

Thinking less and less about Loki as the night went on should have been a relief but it seemed like the scent of him followed you everywhere.  Unable to get free of him, you busied yourself with drinks, dancing, and munching like you were a kid again.  Anything to keep your mind from wandering.

It's not like the party was boring.  Not at all!  There was plenty to distract you and you let it.  Natasha made you her partner for beer pong and somehow you successfully won against Rhodey and Sam.  

Next, Wanda needed you, which is how you wound up sitting on the bathroom sink listening to her go on about Vision in that wistful, loving way that made your own heart ache.  Being a little drunk, you had to fight the urge to cry because you were lonely and hurting. “I saw you talking to Loki… what was that about?”  She was reapplying ruby red lipstick, studying herself in the mirror, not looking directly at you.  

Wanda's voice cut through your self doubt spiral though, something you were thankful for, and with a casual tone you countered, “He was trying to get something started, I think.” Eyebrows lifting, Wanda’s interested piqued,  “Really?  Loki was hitting on you?” “Yea… I mean, I think so.  Was coming on awfully strong too.  But… he’s been a jerk, right?”  

Wanda cleaned up her eye make-up taking a minute, after washing her hands she looked at you, “I mean, he is here.” “So?” “So, you know he’s not really a joiner.  More of a lone wolf.  In fact, I think this may be the first of these little parties he’s come to.  Maybe he’s changed… grown a bit?  And, honestly, you never asked him about-”

Hopping off the counter, cutting her off, more than a little huffy at her good sense, “No, I didn’t and I don’t plan to.  Loki thinks I’m a bore?  Too basic for him?  Fine.  I have better things to do with my time.” Laying her hand on your shoulder, Wanda stopped you, eyeing you in the mirror once more, “I know his words hurt… but you’re going to have to clear the air eventually.  Especially if we’re all going to work together.”

Shrugging, you offered your friend a small smile.  There was truth in her sentiment, even if your slightly drunken brain rebelled against hearing it, “Yea, you're right… plus-” looking around the small washroom, just to make sure no one could hear the pair of you, “- he looks really hot tonight!”

Giggling, Wanda hugged you close, “I didn’t want to say anything, but… yea he does!” The pair of you were still laughing together, standing at the back of the crowd as Tony turned down the music, announcing, “Gather round children, Uncle Tony needs your attention!”  There were a few groans, mostly from the beer pong table, as apparently Bucky was unhappy about forfeiting his winning match.  Everyone else, in all their high haired glory, were congregating near their host, curious and more than a little drunk.

“Tony, what the hell, man?  You killed the tunes!”, Clint shouted, spilling Bud Light foam as he joined the tightening circle. “Patience, my drunk friend.  You all remember this?”  From the table nearby, Tony picked up his glass bowl, triumphant, “Our Destiny!”

Pepper, sighing with a smile, “So dramatic!” Shaking the bowl in her direction Tony smirked, “Ok smarty, then you pick first.  Go on… Pick!” There were oohs and ahhs from the assembled Avengers.  Rolling her eyes, Pepper reached in, grabbing the first slip her fingers found.  Pulling it free, she grinned, eyeing Tony, “It says ‘Loki’...” Hearing his name, Loki snapped his head up, surprise registering on his face, “Excuse me?” Holding it up for his examination, Pepper waved the slip under the regal nose of the junior Odinson, “See… your name.” “Yes, but why?”

Butting in, Tony snatched the scrap from the hand of his lovely fiance, practically dancing with glee.  Turning to Loki, “Now you, Gordon Gecko, pull a slip.” Aware of all eyes locked on him, Loki reached into the jar, digging around a little more than necessary.  Finally satisfied, the thin paper pinched between his fingers, Loki opened the folded note.  When his fierce gaze met yours, you knew without a doubt.  It was your name he had grabbed. Throwing a thick arm across Loki’s broad shoulders, Tony hugged him close, “Well?  What’s it say?” It all made sense in that moment.  The tacky costumes, flat beer and endless music.  A drunken moment of clarity had descended.  Tony, waving his arms, eating up the crowd’s reactions, heads turning to gauge your response.  Swallowing hard, your hearing failing you, you just faked a smile. You and Loki were going into the closet for Seven Minutes in Heaven. Only there was no way you were going to do that.  Not after what he’d said.  Not after your one night together, right?  But you felt a gentle hand pushing your forward, into the center of your circle of friends and for some reason, your feet followed.  

Refusing didn't enter your mind.  With everyone ogling you and Loki, making a scene would only cause more speculation, something you weren't keen to do.  Instead, you stepped next to Tony, outwardly eager to play along.  

You just shouldn't have dared to look at your proposed make out partner.  Laser focused, Loki’s lusty look hadn’t wavered.  No, the light in those thundering blue eyes was carnal, darker than you had ever seen, matching your own.  Against your better judgement, you wanted Loki, too.

Whatever Tony was saying was a blur, merely sounds, because you were utterly stunned by the nearness of Loki.  The roaring laughs of the rest of the group were drowned out by your pounding heart.  A door opened to a dim room, the pantry maybe?  You didn’t know and in that moment you didn’t really care. 

With a small smile, Loki ducked into the cupboard, lacing his fingers with yours, offering a bit of his strength.  Dragging you inside, your body pinned between a shelf of snacks and the hard body of your frenemy, a whimper of want passed your lips.  Loki still smelled so good and now he was so close.  “Have fun you two!”, Tony’s words were accompanied by the door shutting you and Loki inside, in the dark.  Surrounded by silence, Loki’s sharp pants were the only sound louder than your racing pulse, which was saying something. Afraid to move, afraid of spooking you, Loki struggled to search your stare in the low light.  He had already experienced your angry dismissal of his attention tonight.  It wasn't something he wanted to relive, not when you were so close with sweet and speedy breath, your chest brushing against his own at each exhale.

Lifting a hand, grazing over your uncovered shoulder, Loki's touch was electric.  You moved towards it, towards him, needing more of his energy.  Craving it.

Bold in the dark, you grabbed at Loki’s suspenders, tugging him closer.  Rising on your toes, covering some of the distance between your mouth and his, you pressed a hot kiss to those soft, pink lips.  Under your fluttering fingers Loki shivered, "Darling-"

"Shut up.  I… I don't care."

"But I never…"

"I told you.  I don't care.  Now kiss me like you mean it, because we only have about six more minutes!"

Not needing any more encouragement, Loki found the flare of your hips in the shadows, molding your curves to the rigid planes of his body.  Desperate, needy, you felt his tongue move against your own.  Want, plain and simple, led your own fingers to the collar of Loki’s starched shirt and the tangle of his raven hair. Fisting it, tugging against those luscious locks, you couldn’t seem to get close enough to the tall God sharing your cupboard.  Whining, his name on your lips, you drew Loki tight enough that the press of your breasts was edging towards pain.  Demanding, true to your word, with every pass of Loki’s magical mouth over your own the last few weeks were forgotten. Hungry for more, Loki roughly squeezed the flesh of your ass, grinding you against his wool blend covered crotch.  Stuttering, his arousal was so stiff, for a minute Loki worried about making a mess.  But that feeling was replaced with unbridled ecstasy when your lips found the tender skin below his ear.  

A nip, enough to make Loki hiss, was soon soothed by your sucking on the same spot.  Resting your butt on the nearest shelf, you didn’t have to stand on tip-toe to reach the soft, sweet sections of Loki where you longed to lavish attention.  He took advantage of your new position by sliding a free hand along the swell of your separated thighs.  “I just need to feel you, dove.  I need to know that you want me as much as I want you.”  It was a husky whisper, directly into your ear, and it sent an arc of icy fire to your core.  When his long fingers skimmed over the silky slick of your panties you moaned in unison, bucking into Loki’s touch, lost in the moment. Stepping between your legs, Loki took one of your hands into each of his own, pinning you wide open against the boxes of cereal and granola bars that lined the pantry walls.  Devouring you slowly, Loki kissed along the column of muscles at your throat, across the exposed line of your clavicle.  You could do little more than take his delicious torment as more and more of your sweat dappled skin was serviced by his silver tongue. “Yes… Loki…”, tumbling out of you, just like the night when you first came together, you crooned his name in delight.  Breathless, boneless and broken with need. CLICK!  The sound made you both freeze.  Snapping swiftly, Loki’s head swung towards the door where the bright light and noisy crowd of the party was intruding into your private pantry. “WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!  What do we have here?”  Swinging into the tight space, Tony’s shrewd look took in the scene in seconds, “What were you two doing in here?  It was a very quiet seven minutes!” Straightening to standing, Loki stood, blocking you from sight as you readjusted your clothes.  Smoothing down his tangled strands, sarcasm dripping, “Talking.  Very quietly.”  When he was sure you were decent, Loki offered you his hand, and blinking you stepped back into the wild and raucous party still in full swing.  Tony, flashing a knowing grin your way, nodded, “I hope you didn’t smush the chips!  We still need those!” Giggling, you locked onto Loki’s arm, letting him lead you towards the keg and away from the shouted questions of your friends.  You knew there was no mystery about what happened in those seven minutes.  Hair mused, makeup smudged, lips swollen and shirts twisted, the pair of you were walking neon signs for getting to third base.

Silently Loki poured you a beer, taking a small glass of Asgardian mead for himself, before raising his glass your way.  Returning his gesture, you downed the frothy ale fast, feeling a little parched after your spit swapping time in the hall closet.  Boring into you, his eyes followed each of your movements, searching for a sign of your feelings. Dropping your empty cup on the counter, you turned and jumped onto the marble ledge, feet dangling.  “Loki?” Placing his own glass down gently, Loki took his position between your bent knees, looking down at your darling face, “Yes?” “Did you say those things?  That I was… boring?  Basic?” Shaking his dark waves no, Loki bit into his bottom lip, “Never.  What I said was, my last girl, ages ago, was those things… but my new lady-” tracing along your jaw, tipping your chin his way, “-she is everything I could ever want.”

“Am I… am I your new lady, then?” With a fierce flicker of fire in his eyes, Loki nodded yes this time, “Absolutely.” Leaning into him, arms around his neck, you tugged him down to meet your waiting lips.  “Good.  Good to know.  Because I think I’m going to watch a movie tonight.” “Really?  I recall really enjoying the last one.” “Hmm… me too.”  Sliding off the counter, ducking under Loki’s long arms, you turned back to face him, “My room… say, an hour?”

Snapping his suspenders, smirking, “I’ll be there.”  Watching you skip away made Loki’s pulse pound in anticipation.  Pouring himself another glass of clear liquor, he chuckled, amazed at the change seven minutes had created.  

“You’re welcome.” “Ah!  Yes, many thanks Tony.”  

Leaning against the counter, Tony knocked into Loki’s shoulder, “You’re cute together, Rock of Ages, but don’t make me regret helping you tonight!  Treat her right.”

“Of course.  I... truly, thank you.”, sincerity seeped from Loki at the favor from Tony. “No worries!  No worries!”  Waving away any additional gratitude, Tony looked over the group of half cocked, and totally cocked heroes before him, “Of course the real bitch was getting Pepper to pull your name from the bowl…”

My Marvelous Minxes tag-list:  @queenofmischief @vodka-and-some-sass @just-random-obsessions @brokenthelovely @lots-of-loki @thefallenbibliophilequote @iamverity @iluvsumbucky @unadulteratedwizardlove @wolfsmom1 @procrastinatinglikeabitch @mizfit2 @shxdowofdarkness @nonsensicalobsessions @ahintofkiwistrawberry @jessiejunebug @rorybutnotgilmore @crystalizedcaramel @lokislittlecorner @scrumptious-finicky-illusion @capcapcapsicle @jamielea81 @caffiend-queen @thenatalie @sammy-jo1977 @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore @is-it-madness @jenjen8675309 @alexakeyloveloki @poetic-fiasco​

#loki x reader #loki x you #hot loki #loki smut #loki love #1000followers #mcu smut #mcu fanfiction #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #80's #80's loki #80's mcu

[kingandfireheart]

What stories are left in ACOTAR: Elain edition

It is likely that the next installment of the ACOTAR series will cover Elain Archeron. Elain is probably the least developed character of the Inner Circle, and the only character (other than Amren and Lucien) whose perspective we haven’t seen yet. This post details her trauma, the issue of choice, Elain’s personality, the sweet innocent Elain image, and her various roles. 

Elain will definitely have to face her past trauma, which include:  

Graysen: grief, feeling of betrayal

The Cauldron and being kidnapped: trauma, feeling violated, becoming high fae

Her father: grief

Sisters: having a role in the Night Court, belonging there, being protected

Choices: 

Before I get into Elain’s role, I want to talk about a huge thing for Elain, which is choice. Rhysand spends ACOMAF and ACOWAR showing Feyre that she always has choices. Nesta struggles with this in ACOSF, and while Nesta does make choices to be more active - she kills the Kelpie, saves Feyre, saves her friends, she choses Cassian, and kills Briallyn. 

“I am not a thing to be controlled by you”, Nesta said icily. Everything in her life, from the moment she was born, had been controlled by other people. Things happened to her; anytime she tried to exert control, she’d been thwarted at every turn -- and she hated that even more than the King of Hybern.

Elain, who has suffered much of the same trauma as Nesta, will make her own choices in her book. Those choices will involve who she ends up with (I refuse to get into the Elucien/Elriel debacle here - I like both!), how she wields her power (as a seer, as high fae, as a Made person, as the Cauldron’s favorite, as a political pawn), and what she makes of the situations that happened to her. 

Elain has already shown that she can make good on a bad situation in ACOWAR, I’m excited to see how she keeps that up in her book: 

“This could end very badly, Elain.” // She brushed her thumb over the iron-and-diamond engagement ring. “It’s already ended badly. Now it’s just a matter of deciding how we meet the consequences.” (ACOWAR)

“I know your circumstances for coming here were awful, Nesta, but it doesn’t mean you need to be so miserable about it.” (ACOSF)

Sweet Innocent Elain: 

Elain’s persona in the Inner Circle is a sweet and innocent girl. She loves gardening and cooking. She is kind and cares about things like manners and propriety. Here are a few quotes that show that: 

Elain had always been gentle and sweet—and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to love, to be kind. She had been always so full of light. (ACOWAR)

“You’re still lovely,” Mor said a bit gently. Elain offered a half smile. “I suppose that war makes wanting things like that unimportant.”Mor was quiet for a heartbeat. “Perhaps. But you should not let war steal it from you regardless.” (ACOWAR)

“What now?” Elain mused, at last answering my question from moments ago as her attention drifted to the windows facing the sunny street. That smile grew, bright enough that it lit up even Azriel’s shadows across the room. “I would like to build a garden,” she declared. “After all of this … I think the world needs more gardens.” (ACOWAR)

“I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or else she’d disappoint you all.” “With time and safety, perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge.”(ACOSF Bonus Chapter)  

We know that there is a lot more to Elain than anyone gives her credit for - Cassian, Amren, Rhys, and even Nesta point this out on different occasions in ACOSF: 

Cassian: “Nesta was wrong to think Elain as loyal and loving as a dog. Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why.”

Amren: “Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.”

Rhys: “I also think we haven’t seen all she has to offer. “Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way” “And torn up by thorns”

Nesta: “Elain stiffened, but refused to balk from whatever she beheld in Nesta’s gaze. “You think I’m to blame for his death? Challenge laced each word. Challenge - from Elain of all people. 

We also see Elain starting to take back her power in ACOSF when she steps up to look for the Dread Trove

“You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta.”

“You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

“I am not a child to be fought over”

“I went into the Cauldron too, you know. And it captured me. And yet somehow all you think of it what my trauma did to you.”

Elain’s Roles: 

Sister: Elain has long been a mediator between Nesta and Feyre. She is the calmness that complements each of their fire, she is the one they each seek to protect. (I’m thinking of SJM’s fire/ice/stone metaphor for Manon, Asterin, and Sorrel). However, she is able to fight for what she wants with each of them, and use her skills to her advantage. Elain shows Feyre her remorse for the years when they are poor, which is why Elain and Nesta step up to help with the Mortal Queens.

 “Feyre gave and gave—for years. Let us now help her. Help … others.” (ACOMAF)

“And as for Feyre’s hunting during those years, it was not Nesta’s neglect alone that is to blame. We were scared, and had received no training, and everything had been taken, and we failed her. Both of us.” (ACOMAF)

Sweet, innocent Elain who vomited from the violence on the battlefields, who recoiled from Cassian’s weapons, does show that she is willing to fight for her sisters. 

Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”

Seer: Elain seemed to gain clarity once she realized what she was seeing. She says she can control her Seer talk, and actually uses this power to help Feyre find the Suriel in ACOWAR, and offers to do the same with the Dread Trove.  It isn’t clear if Elain’s refusal to acknowledge her powers stems from fear, lack of acceptance, or just the fact that she needed to be normal before she can embrace her new life. 

“Are you asking me that as her sister, or as a seer?” (ACOFAS)

“Then I will find it. I might require some time to ... reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.” (ACOSF)

Made and Cauldron’s Favorite: Just like Nesta and Feyre, Elain is Made. All of the Like Calls to Like logic that applies to Feyre in ACOMAF with the Cauldron and the Book of Breathings and Nesta in ACOSF with the Dread Trove applies to Elain. Now that Nesta’s power is limited,  Elain may have to step up and use her power to help find the fourth Dread Trove item or with a new Cauldron-related task. The big distinguishing factor here is that the Cauldron likes Elain. 

The Cauldron purred in Elain’s presence as the King of Hybern slumped to his knees, clawing at the knife jutting through his throat. Elain backed away a step.

The Cauldron seemed to realize what she’d done, too, as his head thumped onto the mossy ground. That Elain … Elain had defended this thief. Elain, who it had gifted with such powers, found her so lovely it had wanted to give her something … It would not harm Elain, even in its hunt to reclaim what had been taken.

“You were Made by the Cauldron. You may track other objects Made by it as well... and because you are Made by it, you are immune to the influence and power of the Trove. You might use them, yes, but they cannot be used upon you.” 

Lucien’s Mate: Elain hasn’t been raised with the mating bond, she doesn’t care for it in ACOWAR when she tries to win Graysen back, but it is possible that after almost two years in the Night Court, and watching both of her sisters accept their bonds, that she may want to acknowledge it, or at least understand it. Being Lucien’s Mate also makes Elain a political pawn. Her presence in the Night Court ensures Lucien’s loyalty, and given that Lucient has ties to 3 of the seven courts and the human lands. Elain could potentially wield the power of those alliances (or destroy them based on her relationship with Lucien). 

“You are his mate. Do you even know what that means?”// “It means nothing,” Elain said, her voice breaking. “It means nothing. I don’t care who decided it or why they did—”// “You belong to him.”//“I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you.”(ACOWAR)

“You couldn’t say a single word to him? A pleasant greeting?//“He brought you a present”// “And that entitles him to my time, my affections?”// “No. He is a good male. He cares for you.”// “He doesn’t know me.” //“You don’t give him the chance to even try to do so.”//“I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male” (ACOFAS)

Elain, the wretch, had taken the seat between Feyre and Varian, about as far from Lucien as she could get.

Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing. Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen. 

Member of the Inner Circle: Elain insists that she is a member of the Night Court in ACOSF, and offers her help in tracking down the Dread Trove. . She is already an active member at Inner Circle dinners (seen in ACOFAS and ACOSF), and those bonds could continue to grow. 

“And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her. But she hadn’t hesitated to come. When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared she was a part of this court -- and would do whatever was needed. ... He’d never once in the two years he’d known her found Elain to be plain, but wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court... It sucked the life from her.”

Nuala and Cerrdiwen’s Friend: Elain has befriended the two half-wraiths who spy for both Azriel and Rhys. Give Elain’s powers for persuasion (”my sister Elain can convince anyone to do anything with a few smiles”)  and observation (”Nesta never spoke if afterward, I just observed”// “Elain’s brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that.” ), she could make an interesting spy or courtier.

“They’d spent more time with Elain than even I had. They understood her moods, what she sometimes needed.” (ACOFAS)

Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends. (ACOSF)

#elain archeron #acotar #elain #elain archeron week #kp analysis #acotar series #mtp

[danieyells]

Messy mutterings about Chapter 55 spoilers with a small angst warning, copypasted from discord with little cleaning and edits lol

I'm imagining Raphael sent Luke away so he wouldn't interfere with him killing/fighting Michael and Simeon went along with the idea and is in the human world too so Luke's not, y'know, on his own in a strange new world and to reduce Luke's suspicion and all. But as Michael and Raphael are fighting or whatever Luke somehow learns what's going on/realizes why things are off and rushes home to try and stop it.

He tries to get between Raphael and Michael(perhaps his back, Raph perhaps striking while Michael is lost in thought missing the brothers, spaced out, staring at the wall where their portraits were) and is struck violently by Raphael's spear instead. Simeon, ofc, followed him home to try and protect him but is too late because of Luke's own determination to protect Michael bonus if he grows a little in this scene--just magically, because his current smol form is too weak to help surely but if he were a little bigger, a little stronger, maybe he could make it in time--!! and Luke is impaled.

He doesn't die but none of the three wanted Luke hurt in this confrontation--Michael is angry at Raph for attacking/being violent in the first place, Raph is mad at Simeon for failing to restrain Luke, and Simeon is like is now really the time for this because hello Luke is hurt.

Angels are made of strong stuff, he's not gonna die but he'll be in a bad spot if they don't get him to an angel who specializes in healing. I've elected this to be Uriel for now although I've been told that Raphael is generally percieved as the angel of healing--but with OM canon his reputation sonfar is so hostile I'm gonna say that may not be the case. Michael (or Raph) can stave things off for a bit but he's not healing specialized either--they're all Archangels and Seraphs but their fields are elsewhere, mostly combat.

(Luke tries to assure that he's fine and attempts to remove the spear. They don't allow this because the spear is, of course, keeping most of his blood in at the moment.)

They can't fly him to someone because it'd be bumpier so they have to carry him or call/run/send for help--so other angels do learn what's going on and speculation begins. Luke is hospitalized and Raph and Michael and Simeon stay with him while he sleeps, kinda tensely, not really ready to talk out whatever happened. But before he passed out Luke tried to tell Raphael not to fight/kill Michael, to talk to him instead. He wanted to tell him to talk to the demons/humans too, they're not as bad as they think(he and Raph are very likeminded so he thinks 'maybe Raphael will listen to me since I'm starting to see that I was a little wrong maybe') but he couldn't get it out.

Simeon messages the demons, Solomon, and MC and says he won't be returning to the human world/devildom for a bit because Luke was hurt in the CR. Mammon, having had recently gotten attached to Luke, is stunned and angry and anxious and wants to know what happened. Simeon isn't ready to tell them yet, and Mammon demands Barb make a portal to the CR for him to check on Luke--surely Barb is also worried because he cares for Luke too!

Diavolo says they're not allowed to go and Barb agrees(he felt as much before Diavolo said anything too.) Simeon agrees because there's some unrest now and speculation and with an exchange student angel having had been injured by a notoriously demon-skeptical Archangel some angels are worried the demons may be involved in this somehow and if demons suddenly showed up it'd make things worse. Mammon curses his helplessness because his new little brother minion is hurt and he can't even check on him. Simeon feels helpless too--he's an archangel, a Seraph, but he can't help Luke either.

I imagine MC then offers to visit instead--they may be a powerful sorcerer now but they're still just a sheep human with an inhuman aura right? They wouldn't be as concerning for the general populace. After some consideration the demons and Solomon agree this would be okay, as does Michael and Simeon [and Raph maybe] but they say to wait a few hours/a day or two before doing so, just to allow some cooldown/recovery in the CR.

(In the meantime Mammon reviews one of Luke's recent text chains to him where he's baking something. He tries to copy all the steps and instructions and clumsily makes some cupcakes. They're ugly and Mammon isn't known for his stellar cooking, but they kinda relieve him a bit and Beel says they taste alright, so Mammon asks MC to bring them to the CR for Luke for him--there's enough for Michael too since he's probably going through a hard time. It's not like he cares or anything!! He's just building up credit! They'll owe him with interest when this is all said and done!!!)

Idk what'd happen afterwards--it's probably the first time MC meets Raph so it's not under the best circumstances and he definitely wouldn't trust sweets from a demon. And even if he was gonna fight/kill Michael he doesn't trust that Mammon would give him anything safe and instinctively would tell Michael not to touch them, let alone Luke if he's awake to do so. So it's not like he hates Michael, he just. Things need to change and he tried to incite it the only way he knows how--or, rather, the most effective way, given how quickly things changed after the Rebellion. A spear to the throat makes anyone listen. A rebellion is what made Michael change, so maybe it will help him go back to normal too.

(Maybe Luke is awake enough to hear them talking about these things and weakly asks if Raph is going to be exciled over this--the first thing he says since passing out. They're surprised because. He got injured trying to protect Michael but he's still trying to protect Raphael, Michael's assailant? But Luke understands how Raphael feels because he feels the exact same way--or he used to. He didn't trust demons or humans or sorcerers or the exchange program, he didn't think they should get along at all. And he saw how sad Michael was without the brothers and hated them for that too--and Raph feels the same way, right?

Angels are all family. Raphael, Michael, Luke, Simeon, even when they disagree, when their views don't align due to time and perspectives and experiences and ages and positions, they're all brothers. And Lucifer and them were their family too. Even if they disliked them or how they behaved, even if they resent their rebellion and its effects they were still family and they loved and cared about them.

And Raphael doesn't want to see Michael hurting anymore either--certainly not over people who don't care anymore, certainly not over people who turned on them and Father, who must hate them as well. . .but he's been with the brothers for over a year now. Maybe two or three at this point. And he may have only learned it recently but. . .they haven't forgotten. They probably don't hate them. And the demons, the humans, even those unfaithful and the practitioners of dark magic, the fallen, they're not as bad as they thought. They're not necessarily their enemies. Raphael doesn't know it like Luke does because he's never left the CR aside for war and maybe visiting the human world briefly too, right? But if he'd consider things differently, if he's allowed a chance to learn, Luke himself promises Michael, promises Father who's surely watching as he always is, that he'll understand. Raph made a rash decision albeit after many many years of consideration-- but it was out of ignorance, so please forgive him and give him another chance and don't excile him? On top of that he needs a chance to learn and do better--imagine how he'd feel, being turned into something he hates or fears? It will help him learn, sure, but it also may only make him feel worse or make him do something more rash or result in another Fall if he has supporters.

Raphael doesn't hate Michael--he just wants things to be different. Perhaps to go back to normal. And he doesn't want Michael to mope over the loss of the seven brothers and Lilith anymore either.

And maybe in this time, since they'd have to decide what to do about Raph, Michael requested Diavolo come over too--y'know, in case Raph is exciled, they'd want Diavolo's approval and reassurance to keep an eye on him too. So maybe he or Barb, as they arrive in the room, would approve of Luke's appeal--ask what Michael and Simeon And Raph and MC think. They could always bring him in as an exchange student too! 😘 That worked for Luke!

Ultimately Raph probably wouldn't be exciled/become a Fallen but be given another chance. Maybe he's stripped of his title temporarily, until he's sufficiently deemed to learn about demons, angels, their history together, culture, whether or not they can get along, etc--so he's bitter, but thankful. And Michael understands that perhaps he's been allowing how much he misses the brothers and Lilith to cloud him and maybe it's time to move on and make changes to the Celestial Realm again after all this time. Bonus points if the bros came along and he was too distracted to sense them--someone's like "oh you're moving on? So we came here for no reason after all?" and ofc he's happy to see them again and gets to hang out with them again for a while before getting to say a goodbye with more closure. And he hangs off of Lucifer's neck the whole time they're there lol he and Dia bond over being Lucifer fanboys too.

Luke's okay in the end--a little worse for wear because being stabbed by Raphael is Not A Small Ordeal but he's okay and he shows a little more maturity. But he's also still same old Luke who will happily point out how awful demons are and use it as an excuse for distrust/fear--but he's more mindful of it now because he feels like he needs to set a good example for Raph lmao.)

#obey me! #obey me! spoilers #obey me! headcanons #obey me! luke #obey me! raphael #danie yells at obey me! headcanons #danie yells at obey me! #danie yells writing #i meant to take a nap like an hour and a half ago but my brain went 'WRITE THIS OUT FIRST' and it got so long i haven't slept yet lol #so now it's naptime #long post

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

*cracks knuckles* Clearly I’m going straight for the Blackout. 

ENJOY, FRIENDS. FOR YOU, I THROW IT UNDER THE CUT

Under 1000 Words

take my burdens (and bury them deep) by @thelionshymnal​ Rated M Nothing makes me happier than a fic of my favorite BroTP, especially when Obi is offering to disappear Kiki’s dirty dealings. Content warning for attempted sexual assault and Obi doing what he does best: getting rid of the body.

A Fic That Got You Involved In Fandom

Seven Suitors for Shirayuki by @sabraeal​ Rated T Look. You all are just going to have to accept that there is a certain generation of this fandom that was dragged in, kicking and screaming, by this fic. I wanted to diversify by saying something else managed it, but no. It was the fact that this story was stuck on chapter five for MONTHS that made me vibrate until my own fic fell out. XD

Made You Laugh Out Loud

An Extra Rise Before Dawn by @sabraeal​ Rated G I don’t often worry that I am going to pee from laughing so hard when I’m reading something, but this one definitely does. In one spot in particular. You might be able to guess it. It is simultaneously an incredible sweet and incredibly funny fic that hits all the right notes for me.

Favorite Trope Reversal

Fussing with Firedrakes by @leewritingrecs​ Rated T 1) Dragons. 2) Damsel in distress is no damsel and she is NOT in distress thank you very much 3) Kiki is a DRAGON 4) Obi is cursed, and 5) DID I MENTION D R A G O N S ???

Fic That Made You Friends With the Author

The Wide Florida Bay by @sabraeal​ Rated E I had to think about this because while I read Seven Suitors first, this was the series that made me start sending anons and eventually made me join tumblr where I proceeded to endlessly play the ‘what if’ game with Jen. CLEARLY this is where our friendship was forged.

Action-Packed Fight Scene

Agent, Parts I, II, and III by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated T Like Jen, I was positively torn, because both Andi and Sarah do fight scenes SO WELL, but Agent ultimately won out because there is just something so delightful about Shirayuki flailing and clinging to Obi like a cat that doesn’t want to go in the bath while arrows zip all around them

Edit: Screw it, I’m reccing them both

Republic of Tanbarun by @claudeng80​ Rated T An action adventure series where romance is involved but is by no means the focus. Zen and Obi adventures abound. Politics galore. And some masterfully done slow-motion to quick motion fight scenes that I L O V E D

Gen Fic

Fugue in Three by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated G Ryuu casually destroys Obi and Shirayuki by breathing as they count down the days until he comes of age. Technically this fic has a romantic pairing, but it is by no means the focus of this fic. If you don’t agree, you are welcome to meet me under the Big Oak between the hours of 12 and 4 for a duel.

Missing Scene

Like Brothers Do by @claudeng80​ Rated G Obi is clearly Kiki’s annoying big brother and handles Mitsuhide’s rejection in the best way he knows how. Also read: Mitsuhide gets what’s coming to him. (ง'̀-'́)ง

Canon Divergent

We work at the mall by @kaedix​ Rated T With how many AUs we got floating around this fandom, I was hard pressed to choose a favorite. But there is just something so sweet and wholesome and American teenager about this. It just latches onto you and never lets go. (Also the gang all work at my favorite places in the mall when I was growing up. What’s not to love?)

Steamiest Kiss

Were Hearts Not An Unknown Country by @sabraeal​ Rated T LOOK. SOMEONE was going to have to go dig this out of the rubble of her compilation fics and it might as well be me. Also the birthplace of the much loved AnS fandom practice of solstice kissing.

Contains Your Favorite Headcanon

The road to Clarines is Gravel by @codango​ Rated E Not the focus of the fic as a whole, but like, Torou and Obi are siblings. GALAXY MIND EXPLOSION. I mean, I loved that so much that I wrote a pre-canon fic of this fic. Additional note totally not related to the bingo square: I will ALWAYS be here for positive sex worker representation in fics. Fair warning, though, this is the most unfair AU in existence because the brain screams that it SHOULDN’T WORK and yet by some sort of writerly sorcery, it DOES. PLEASE READ IT IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY.

Wept Real Tears

let it make you by @thelionshymnal​ Rated M It’s not every day that someone manages to write a fic that makes me stare numbly at the very first line for a solid 15 minutes, big fat tears rolling down my cheeks, but Hymn did it. And then she somehow managed to kiss it better. All in 1100 words.

Free Space

AnS Role Swap AU by @owlsshadows​ Rated M This series has it all. Shirayuki as an assassin. Obi as both a royal bastard and a pharmacist. A mysterious meeting out in the woods where it makes you question whether Nanaki and Obi are two different people or the same. Also Zen having some very conflicted feelings regarding his royal authority and how he can choose to handle rejection.

Edit: Since I’ve already doubled up once, let me double up again, I have so much love to give and not enough space to give it!

Blizzard by @nebluus​ Rated T This is one of the earliest fics I read in this fandom and it remains to date one of my absolute favorites. Obi gets hurt protecting his Miss and a blizzard rolls in. Thankfully they find a cabin where Obi, who is definitely on his death bed if no one finds them and SOON, proceeds to still fuss over his Miss. Best scene: When he warms her hands with his. Also the second chapter is all sorts of delightful domesticity I IMPLORE you to please read it and soon.

Favorite Fan-Made OC

All Pain Will Turn to Medicine by @sabraeal​ Rated M All y’all should’ve seen these coming from ten miles out. I fucking LOVE Herr Anda, the cantankerous little bastard. And Jen knows this because she designed him specifically with me in mind. Academic catnap >:|

AU That Made You Find the Source Material

All Knotted Up by @sabraeal​ Rated G Admittedly, there are a great many AUs out there that made me look up the source material, but this Tangled AU is the most recent because I finally got on Disney+. And yes, Mitsuhide is the horse. Ryuu may be Pascal a little bit, but Mitsuhide. He’s The Horse. XD

First AnS Fic You Read

Loyalty by Evelyn Fiedler Rated K+ (which is basically G on AO3) My one and only ff.net rec from my earliest days in the fandom when I was combing for absolutely any content I could find, begging the fandom to help me decide if I was down for Obiyuki and all that it implied and this author most assuredly delivered.

Favorite Minor Character

Undertow by @jhalya​ Rated E The fic itself is a space odyssey of sorts. One mission among many where humanity attempts to colonize Mars. However the real selling point here, if you didn’t know, is Lord Seiran. He is a delightfully eccentric billionaire who clearly always wanted a large family, judging from how easily he fills out the adoption paperwork.

WIP

Caulk dirty to me by @leewritingrecs​ Rated E Have I mentioned I love the sex worker trope? I. Love. The. Sex. Worker. Trope. Also Obi is clearly divine at all of his jobs. Shirayuki already got to experience his skills at one of them. I wait with BAITED BREATH for her to experience the other :3

Canon Compliant

Thicker than Blood by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated G In the aftermath of the death of King Kain, Izana and Zen must decide on which path they will take moving forward. Amazing fic. Unfinished, but a wonderful look into the dynamics between the Wisteria brothers and their absent mother.

One-Shot

Worth his Weight in Rice by @claudeng80​ Rated T AU set in an Edo-adjacent Period where a disease has wiped killed off a significant portion of the male population. Resulting societal shifts occur. If you go into the comments, I have a couple of pages worth of reasons why I love this AU, but what I appreciate even more is how you have an absolutely perfect oneshot in this fic. It is a well-translated universe where we get a delightful clear, beginning, middle, and end, all in 5k. NOT an easy feat. Please enjoy.

Rare Pair

the fog pushing through my mind by @thelionshymnal​ Rated E Obi/Yuzuri, friends with benefits. Two pining idiots with some sore feelings decide to get stoned and take comfort in another warm body for the night. I just really enjoyed the casual intimacy of the encounter and how this is clearly neither of their first experiences with a one night stand. Neither of them are going to make it weird in the morning, they just need to take the edge off, ya know? Additional bonus for Obi being ready to stab the dumbasses who made Yuzuri feel like she was a weirdo in her past.

AU You Took a Chance On (And Now Love)

Lightning in a Bottle by @jhalya​ Rated M I mean, if Jules is gonna play dirty by making Obi the hot fish man running around without his shirt on 99% of the time, then of COURSE I’m going to enjoy Deep Blue Sea. It’s, like, one of my favorite movies now.

Favorite Trope

Moonshine Phantom by @leewritingrecs​ Rated T We got a murder muffin who ALSO used to be a sex worker? Sign me the fuck up, I am 1000% here for this. Also all the showgirls who clearly love their coworker and only want him and his adorable wife to have the best. They may have never heard of her before, but she looks sweet, and they all have a silent agreement between them that if she breaks his heart, they’ll cut her.

Fic That Gave You a New OTP

What the Heart Wants by @sabraeal​ Rated G Haruto/Mukaze. An attempted kidnapping and subsequent rescue makes Zen and Shirayuki painfully aware that their parents have had, at some point in their lives, sex. Izana may not be happy about someone banging his mom, but is HE rather pleased at having a new sister. >:3c

Pre-Canon

The Wolf in the Woods by @krispy-kream​ (YES I STILL HAVE THIS BOOKMARKED) Rated G Everyone knows that I have very delicate food feels and this ALMOST went under the Wept Real Tears category, but I like to spread out the crying as much as possible XD Shirayuki finds a boy at the edge of the wood and decides he needs something to eat. Filed under: Guaranteed to wreck me in 500 words or less.

#ansficbingo #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #PLEASE ENJOY ALL THE PRETTY FICS #I LOVE THEM ALL AND HOLD THEM DEAR

[ourmixedrealities]

Mixed Signals (Part One)

~WARNING~ Alcohol / Swearing

Kai Parker and (Y/F/N) some would call us troublemakers while others would say I was the one who tamed the monster.

Kai and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. My first introduction to Kai was on the schools playground, I was seven years old minding my own business while I played in the sand box, I was quickly joined by Bryce and Devin, If you looked at them quick enough you’d easily assume they were twins.

 “I like your hair.” Snickered Devin as he ran his fingers through my hair, I shrugged him away quickly. “Yeah, Wouldn't it suck if someone put sand in it?” Bryce mocked as he scooped up a handful of sand. Before a single grain of sand could fall onto my head another little boy ran over shoving Bryce head first into the sandcastle I was building. Bryce gasped causing sand to fill his mouth. The new kid chuckled as he climbed off Bryce’s back. Devin took off running as he cried out for our teacher, Bryce quickly scampered after Devin as he spat wet sand onto the pavement, His eyes growing red as the particles irritated his eyes. “The names Kai. I’m sorry for destroying your castle.” He smiled as he began rebuilding it. “I’m (Y/N)” I replied shyly. “I won’t let anyone bother you anymore.” He vowed, Little did we know this would be a promise he would never break.

“Mr. Parker!” Mrs. Fieldsman scorned. I watched as Kai’s eyes grew wide and I specifically noticed how his smile never left his face. “Sorry! I gotta go!” Kai laughed as he jumped back up onto his feet and began running away from our teacher. I couldn’t help but smile for the rest of the school day, A strange sense of safety wrapped around me.

After that not a single day would go by without us seeing each other, Even if one of us were sick we would hangout through the window that divided us. My parent’s loved having Kai over since that was the only time he was ever truly well behaved. As time passed I realized he was spending more and more time over my house and I was rarely ever invited over to his, I began to think his parents didn’t like me. I was wrong...

As the years passed Kai became more troubled, He would get into a fight at least every other day. It got to the point where our school threatened to expel him. Of course the school didn't care to know the cause of each fight, They just cared that Kai was always involved in them. Somehow I was able to convince Kai to behave himself long enough for us to graduate high school. I quickly learned that things at home weren't great, His parents were constantly belittling him and claiming that he wouldn't amount to anything. Since Kai was so troubled his family decided that they couldn't handle him any longer, They figured since he was 18 he was old enough to go off on his own. My family acknowledged how mature I was and allowed me to move out at 18 too, Sure it took a little begging and bribing but it worked. Kai and I  decided to get an apartment together near the college I was going to attend. It worked out perfectly, We each had somewhere to live and I didn't have to live with a stranger.

Now here I am 21 single and still living with Kai who is very much not single, As a matter of fact he has a beautiful girlfriend who I also happen to be very good friends with! Her name is Harley and she’s absolutely perfect for him. She’s extremely adventurous, Patient, and overall a great person to be with if you needed to let off steam, Nothing scares her. An added bonus to Harley is she is extremely welcoming of Kai and I’s friendship, There’s zero jealousy or distrust. We can all hangout as a group or one on one, It’s great. As a matter of fact I’m the reason they even met, Harley and I needed a place to study for an upcoming test and of course I offered my home as a safe spot. Kai came home early and the rest is history, Truth be told he didn’t let us study much but we did end up passing the test.

(Present Day)

“Guess what!? Guess what!?” I squealed as I ran up to Kai who was in the process of making a sandwich. “What what!?” He replied as he jokingly tried to match my excitement. “James Buckland asked me out!! You remember him right!?” I gleamed. “Buckland? Yeah, I remember him.” Kai’s enthusiasm quickly diminished. “We are going out this weekend!” Kai took a big bite out of his sandwich, While he chewed he repeated “Buckland!? Why Buckland?” My excitement began to dwindle. “Why not? What’s wrong with James?” I asked cautiously. Kai shook his head after taking another large bite. “Nothing... He’s just not your type... I mean it’s Buckland!” Kai became extremely expressive as he spoke. I crossed my arms over my chest as I asked. “Oh? And who exactly is my type?” Kai paused, Clearly attempting to choose his next words wisely. “Well... For starters your type is a guy who needs to be intelligent which yes Buckland has that going for him, But he’s not exactly brave and he’s rather boring... You need a guy who can keep you on your toes, A guy who can keep your attention. Someone who can make you roll your eyes and then burst out into a fit of laughter, And that’s just not Buckland... You wouldn’t have any fun with him, He’s to safe.” Kai shrugged knowing he was right, But I was feeling even more confused. “Shouldn't I be with someone safe?” I commented back. “Well yeah of course... But no... See, Buckland is to safe meaning he wouldn't be able to protect you... Sure he wouldn't get into a bar fight or hurt you which is perfect but you need a man who can make sure you're taken care of. Safe.” I couldn't deny the fact that Kai had made valid points but I still refused to let him believe that he won, Either way James is a good guy and he deserved a chance, And I haven't seen him in years so I’m sure time has changed him.

After much anticipation Friday finally rolled around which meant it was the day of my date with James. I will admit that our texting conversation wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I was still excited nonetheless. We decided to meet at a fancy restaurant and he said it was his treat, I was becoming more excited by the moment. I showed up in my favorite dress, I was honestly feeling like a million bucks when I heard, “(Y/N)? Is that really you?” The voice sounded vaguely familiar. I glanced around the room until my eyes were met with a man whose glasses were much to large for his face. “Wow! (Y/N) it’s me... James!” He exclaimed. “Oh! Hi! Of course. It’s so nice to see you.” I smiled noticing how his tux was even to tight for his slender frame. “I suppose you thought this was a casual restaurant.” James mentioned as his eyes scanned up and down my body. I attempted to laugh it off but his face told me he was serious. The night continued to decline rapidly after. The whole night James would brag and use words that I don't even think he knew the real meaning of. I suppose he could of been insecure and thought all he did have was his intellect, I would of disagreed, I could of told him he had kind eyes but at this point even that would of been a lie. For hours James attempted to make himself look better than everyone else here, He even tried to make me feel like I should of been honored to be invited here. Kai was wrong about one thing, James sure did know how to make my eyes roll. “Pardon me” I excused myself mid sentence, I have no idea what James was going on about but I couldn't take it any longer, I grabbed my possessions and strut into the restroom. “You’ve got to help me!” I exclaimed feeling relived when Kai answered the phone. “It’s going that great huh?” I could hear Kai attempt to hide his chuckle. “Shut up, Do not tell me ‘I told you so’ I don’t want to hear it... I just need to to call me in five minutes with some excuse as to why I need to leave. Ok?” I pleaded. “Give me ten minutes and I can do even better, Which restaurant are you at?” He asked calmly. “The Moonshine Rose, Why?” I questioned less calmly. “See you soon!” Kai cooed before he immediately hung up the phone. 

I wasted an extra two minutes before making my walk of shame back to the table. It was like I didn’t even leave the table, James began rambling on and on about his oh so perfect life. I sat there picking holes into my bread while muttering the occasional “Ah... Yeah... Is that so? Nice.” This was not at all the James I remembered... If anything he was the exact opposite, He was loud and rude, He was overly confident and seemed to lack true ambition. I had never walked out on a date before so I was thoroughly glad that I would be leaving before we ordered anything.

“What are you doing here?” A voice said from behind me, I whipped my head around to see Kai standing there with his arms crossed. “I’m on a date... What are you doing here?” I answered back unsure of how to react.  He paused to walk next to our table where I stood up. “You look beautiful...” He added without thinking. “I...You have to go home, It’s important..” Kai’s act quickly changed leaving me more confused but I nodded. “Sorry James, I’ll message you sometime.” I left a twenty for our poor waitress who sadly had to deal with James for the entirety of our date and even more so now that I left.

Once the fresh air hit my skin I turned to Kai and said. “That was your big master plan?” I laughed as I nudged his shoulder. He let out a forced chuckle. “Honestly? No, But I really don’t wanna talk about it...” His voice grew more serious as he began walking to my car. I gave him a puzzled look but followed close behind. “May I ask what your plan was?” I questioned apprehensively. Kai shook his head. “I just wanna get out of here.” He mentioned. “Then why are you walking to my car? Shouldn't you go to yours?” I joked. Kai didn’t seem to think I was very funny as he replied. “No man should ever allow a woman to walk to her car alone. I have to make sure you’re safe, Remember?” I nodded again understanding where he was coming from. “Are you okay though?” I asked as I opened my car door. “Yeah, I’m fine... I just have plans with some friends... So I’ll be home later...” He mentioned as he walked further away from me. “Oh... Shit, Harley is supposed to come over tonight... Would you mind keeping her company?” He added sounding less excited than usual. I however was very excited, I could use the girls night. 

Harley and I decided to stay home for the night while Kai had his boy’s night out. Since Harley’s initial plan was to hangout with Kai we decided to just stay at Kai and I’s apartment that way as soon as he came back they could easily be together. Our plan was to have a horror movie marathon, Freak ourselves out and then to eventually pass out after watching the sun rise. Unfortunately for me Harley had a busy day and was able to fall asleep easily while I remained awake and scared. Even my phone ringing was enough to make me jump out of my skin, Granted it didn't help that it was two in the morning. “Hello? Is this (Y/N)?” A man vocalized, I could hear loud music and people cheering in the background. “This is she, Whose this?” I questioned back. “My name’s Dallas, I’m the bartender at Burgers and Beers Bar and Lounge. I’ve got your boyfriend here, He’s pretty far gone and has been begging random people to call you.” He chuckled obviously amused by my drunken friend. “Oh, No... That’s not my boyfriend, If he wants his girlfriend I can wake her up and have her come get him” I stated as I looked over at Harley's sleeping body. “I don’t know what to tell you, He was very adamant about calling you.” Dallas assured. “Oh, Well... Okay I guess, I’ll be there soon.” I stated feeling uncertain. Once off the phone I attempted to wake Harley up, But once I realized there was no use I got dressed, Wrote Harley a quick note in case she did wake up and set off on my adventure to pick up a blacked out Kai. 

Thankfully for me the bar was only a fifteen minute drive away, I was also able to find a parking spot right in front of the entrance, At this point I was feeling pretty lucky. Once inside of the bar I grew slightly nervous since it was packed but once I linked eyes with the bartender I was quickly able to spot Kai. I squeezed past the drunken crowd and finally next to my best friend. “You look radiant!” Kai gasped as he finished the liquid that remained in his glass. “Who let you drink more?” I questioned sternly. Kai pointed at the bartender who was smirking to himself. I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Let’s get you back home and in something that doesn't reek of whisky.” My face warped as the smell filled my nose. “Oh come on... Stay awhile. I’ll buy you something.” Kai offered. I shook my head. “I’d rather get you home where Harley can deal with you.” I admitted. Kai groaned as he placed a hundred dollar bill onto the bar. “Fine, Let’s go.” His demeanor went from happy to seemingly numb. I mouthed a quick ‘sorry and thank you’ to the bartender for dealing with Kai. Dallas smiled sweetly letting me know that Kai wasn't any trouble.

As we walked towards the exit of the bar a man smacked my ass and proceeded to say crude things. I tried to grab Kai but I wasn't fast enough, He was already on top of the man. “Kai! It’s fine, Let’s just go home.”  I called out. Kai looked in my direction. “No, And you know I would never just let this go.” Kai glared back at the man. “He’s not worth it though!” I exclaimed. “Maybe not but at this point I sincerely don’t care.” No one in the bar moved a muscle. “Kai... Please, I just wanna go home.” I answered back calmly. Kai released the man and slowly walked back towards me. “That’s right, Go back to your little whore.” The man scowled as he picked his drink back up before he could take a sip Kai was back on him, After one swift punch to the face he lifted the glass and bashed it onto the mans nose causing blood to spray everywhere, “Now we can leave.” Kai voiced, Quickly wrapping his arm around me. 

“Won’t you get into trouble for doing that?” I asked once we were by my car. “Nah, The bartender said that guy had been harassing woman all night, I just finally did something about it.” Kai shrugged as if it was nothing. I sat down in the drivers seat and turned to Kai. “You know, You scare me sometimes.” I stated with a smirk. Kai’s face instantly became serious.. “Wait, Really?” He began to sit up straight “No goofy, It’s an expression, You don’t actually scare me. Honestly I should be thanking you..” I voiced. Kai shook his head. “You never have to thank me, You know I will always do whatever I want.” He admitted. “This I know.” I laughed. “I’m just scared that one day you’ll get into serious trouble, I mean, You’re old enough to go to jail...” My body trembled at the idea of Kai in prison. Kai took my hand. “I promise, I will always do less than what will cause me legal issues.” He smirked. I forced a smile back. Kai’s phone began ringing wildly, As he took it out of his pocket I could see Harley’s photo. “We should get home.” I announced. “Yeah.” Was all Kai would say before he slid his phone back into his pocket. That’s when my phone began to ring, Before I could pull it out Kai stated “Please ignore it.” and I did. The rest of the car ride was quiet, Which is odd when it comes to Kai.

Once home Harley was waiting by the front door, Kai went straight into his room. “When you called I was driving and Kai passed out in the car.” I lied in hopes of not hurting her feelings. She smiled believing every word I spoke. “No worries, I’m just glad you both got home safe. She stated happily. I nodded as a rush of guilt washed over my body. I hated lying to my friends and I didn't even really understand why I lied, We weren't doing anything wrong. “Yeah, See you tomorrow.” I vocalized. I shrugged off my negative feelings as I assumed that was just from being tired. Harley left me after voicing a quick “Yeah... Ill see you tomorrow.”

Harley walked into Kai’s room feeling her heart grow heavier by the second. “Kai... can we talk?” She began knowing there was no going back after this. “I don’t know Harley.. It’s been a long night and I would really rather go to bed... Can it wait until the morning?” Kai asked trying to be compassionate. “Honestly? No... It can’t wait.” She admitted. “Alright, What’s this about?” Kai patted the spot next to him. Harley ignored his gesture. “It’s about (Y/N)...” She began. “What about her? Is she ok?” Kai scrunched his face completely unaware of where this conversation was about to go. “She’s fine, But you do realize that you’re in love with her, Right?” Harley stated. Kai froze. “I’m not mad.” Harley added calmly. “I... What..? Is this some weird joke?” Kai mumbled. “That’s why I’m breaking up with you. I love you both way to much to get in between you two, And I know that you’ll never be able to love me the way you love her. This is far from some joke.” She forced a smile. “No, Where is this coming from? I do love you.” Kai pleaded. Harley shook her head. “No you don’t Kai,  You love the fact that I can distract you from loving her, But we... We  both know it’s just a short term distraction.” Her voice began to break as she spoke. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, the way you look at her when she’s not even paying attention to you... You constantly compliment her which don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that, She deserves to feel beautiful... But that’s love and ill never have that with you. I will never regret our relationship, But I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for keeping you from her...” She admitted, Unable to make eye contact with him. A tear finally broke free as she realized how right she was. “You wanna know how I know you love her?” She questioned. Kai shrugged, Unable to find the right words to say. “Because you haven't denied it...” She spoke under her breath in fear that speaking up would cause her tears to escape further. “I do love you though!” Kai grew louder as if he was trying to convince himself that it was true. “I don’t doubt it, But stop fighting me on this. We both know you would be way happier with (Y/N)... So let’s stop pretending that you and I have a future Ok?” She paused. “Maybe sometime in the future we can be friends again, But Kai?” She added. “Yeah? What?” Kai was now staring at his feet. “Don’t come after me, I’ll be fine.” She added quickly before taking off. Kai remained silent as he watched her walk out of his life, He knew deep down that she was right...

#Chris Wood #Chris Wood FanFiction #Chris Wood FanFic #Chris Wood Smut #Chris Wood Fluff #Kai Parker #Kai Parker Smut #Kai Parker Fluff #Kai Parker FanFiction #Kai Parker Fanfic #TVD #TVD FanFic #TVD FanFiction #The Vampire Diaries #Kai Parker Imagine #Kai Parker Image #Chris Wood Imagine #Chris Wood Image #Kai Parker Picture #Chris Wood Picture #Kai Parker Short Story #Kai Parker Story #Chris Wood Short Story #Chris Wood Story #Kai Parker X Reader #Chris Wood X Reader #Kai Parker OneShot #Chris Wood OneShot #The Vampire Diaries OneShot #TVD OneShot

[sondepoch]

Chapter 6

Written in the Stars (Lucifer x Angel!Reader)

Four thousand years is a long time. In the absence of your most cherished friend, it feels even longer. But when a certain student exchange program in the Devildom reunites you and Lucifer, things aren't the same. Because four thousand years of separation is a long time. And the love you once felt for Lucifer has changed into something different—something forbidden. But that might not even be your biggest problem, because with each passing day, your holy wings are turning blacker and blacker.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | ✔

MASTERLIST

You're in your element.

All of you, really.

The demons love Solomon—well, "love." Most of them still avoid him, never really having taken the effort to look past the shadiness of his outward personality, but the few demons that have stuck around have been added to his collection of pacts, and they have iron-tight bonds with the sorcerer. You've never seen him so pleased.

And then there's Simeon: probably one of the most goodhearted angels even in the Celestial Realm, so blissfully kind that even the demons have grown used to him and his little antics. Of course, it absolutely helps that the angel is nowhere near as innocent as anyone expected, constantly keeping the demons on their toes, but they seem to consider that thrill an added bonus to his company.

Luke...well, Luke might be the one having the hardest time, if you're perfectly honest. He still gets teased by the lower demons for his youthful appearance, but once they grew to learn that he was more bark than bite, even they began to relax with the insults. By now, the angel boy is quite happy, with Beel readily available to taste whatever treats he produces, and Barbatos always equipped with a new "recipe he doesn't have time to make but would like to see made."

And of course, there's you.

Well, you always knew that R.A.D. would be a blast. Even if the lower demons hadn't grown to love you for your bubbly nature (a fresh change, they say), you had the entire House of Lamentation to keep you entertained. And not to mention the fact that you and Lucifer grew involved at the beginning of the year—that thought alone still sends a flutter of butterflies to your stomach.

But you can't think of Lucifer like that right now.

No, Lucifer is the enemy.

"MC, catch!" Luke exclaims, tossing two water balloons your way, which you somehow manage to grab without popping them on contact. "Everybody ready?"

You glance around at your teammates: the nine demons remaining alongside you, Simeon, Solomon, and Luke. Everybody has two water balloons in their hands, and your faces are all rock hard with the memory of your comrades who have fallen at the hands of the enemy team.

A firm frown fixes its way onto your face when you recall how Belphie and Beel had cornered you from the treetops earlier, and had almost released an entire bucket full of liquid onto your shoulders before you bribed your way out with promises of paying for dinner next time the three of you go to Ristorante Six.

"Alright, split into teams!" A demon shouts, and then you're at Solomon's side. The mage enchanted your body earlier with a weightlessness spell that makes it even easier to sprint around and evade balloons, and you're not about to leave his side after he already helped you out once. "And go!"

Wordlessly, you and the mage begin sprinting along the treeline, both of you harnessing the full strength of Solomon's enchantment to jump and land in the treetops, where you have the best view of what's going on below.

"What if someone else is in the trees?" You ask, making a long leap from one tree branch to the next. Your figure peaks out over the treeline every so often, but the giant oaks are so high up that you doubt anyone will see.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Demons don't like using spells to boost their bodies, and Diavolo said that shifting out of human forms will lead to an instant game-over for that person."

You nod, continuing the journey forward in silence.

The other demons may be taking this lightly, but for you (and the rest of your dormmates in Purgatory Hall), this is your only shot—and you all plan to win.

You briefly recall the assembly this morning from when Levi took the mic. At the time, you'd been shocked that the shut-in otaku was willingly giving a speech in front of the entire student body, but you quickly realized that this was a major source of his ego. At the end of every sentence, as Levi explained (probably for the thousandth time, since he remarked that this was an annual occurrence) the rules of the Water Wars, cheers would erupt from the entire student body.

It took a message from Lucifer to calm everyone down enough for you to actually learn the rules of the Water Wars, but they were simple enough.

There are only four rules.

Rule 1: No switching sides. Everyone is assigned to either the Southern Water Fortress or the Northern Water Fortress, based on which half of the campus their dorms are on. Friendly fire, even if accidental, is grounds for "Water death"—a fancy phrase Levi coined for being 'out,' but you're determined not to let it come to that.

Rule 2: No leaving the R.A.D. campus. Yep, for the annual Water Wars, Levi has clearance to use the entire R.A.D. (buildings included!), though the students who are more interested in playing will stay towards the center.

Rule 3: Participants must get one 'kill' every half hour. Evidently, the entire Water Wars game was framed in the image of an actual military war, so getting someone out counts as a kill, and being killed yourself really only means that you're out of the game. Rule 3 is what prevents students from hiding during the entire game, since it only lasts one day, and is enforced through an enchantment spell everyone was bound to at the start of the game.

Rule 4: Avoid killing. And now this is probably the only rule you actually have a problem with, since it only says "avoid" killing without explicitly prohibiting it, but Simeon reassured you that demons won't actually take it to heart.

But if Rules 1 through 3 attempt to create a semblance of order, the subtle openness of Rule 4 wrecks it all, perhaps the only reason why these Water Wars have begun to feel like actual war.

And Lucifer is the enemy.

It's nearing the end of the day, and both teams have suffered heavy losses. The enemy team is exclusively the remaining members of the House of Lamentation and some other odd demons, while your team's numbers are even fewer. But that's why you and Solomon are going straight to their base—to eliminate the brothers before they can eliminate you.

You glance at your wrist, where there's a timer that dictates how long ago your last kill was. Eighteen minutes.

"How much time is left for you?" You ask Solomon when the Southern Water Fortress becomes visible. It looks empty, almost completely abandoned, and the sight worries you.

"I need to make a kill within ten minutes," He mutters back, squinting at the ground in case any lingering demons are foolishly wandering around.

You don't bother.

This is the endgame, less than twenty people left on both teams after the eight-hundred that started the game, and no one who's lasted this long will be making careless mistakes.

"Ready?" You call to Solomon when the fortress grows close enough for the two of you to jump onto it. For a moment, you worry that his human body won't be able to take the force of the collision, before realizing that he's not stupid enough to allow something so trivial to kill him.

He nods.

The two of you jump, landing weightlessly in the heart of the enemy fortress not seconds later. Staying back to back, you slowly begin walking around until you realize that your earlier worries have indeed become reality.

"They abandoned their fortress."

"Damn," Solomon mutters, standing up straight after he realizes you're right. "Shit. Five minutes before Rule 3 gets me out."

"Same," You mutter worriedly, seeing that the timer has approached twenty-four minutes on your wrist.

But before either of you can further comment, an announcement from Diavolo interrupts you both, his figure lighting up the sky over the R.A.D. campus.

"Greetings, students!" He exclaims happily, arms crossed with a pleasant grin stretched across his face. "At this point, there are less than ten students remaining in Leviathan's annual Water Wars!" You hear a cheer go up, but you can't tell where it's coming from. "To keep with tradition, the formal betting will now begin! More interestingly, it is now exclusively exchange students versus demons, with three exchange students defending the Northern Team and seven demons remaining in the Southern Team!"

You and Solomon exchange wary looks.

Shit.

"In light of this turn of events, your host Leviathan has decided to refill both fortresses with holy water and hexed water! The rules of elimination have been altered: to eliminate an exchange student, you must tag them with hexed water; to eliminate a demon, you must tag them with holy water. That will be all! The next update will come in either one hour when this session of the annual Water Wars comes to a close or when there is a winner!"

Double shit.

"Um, won't holy water kill a demon if it touches them or something?" Solomon asks. "And won't the same thing happen with angels and hexed water?"

"Not quite," You murmur, grabbing Solomon's arm and using all your strength to jump up with the sorcerer, the enchantment carrying you high into the sky where you can already see a group of demons returning to refill their water balloons. The two of you float to the ground right in front of their fortress, realizing that you're in for an all-out battle. "It'll sting a lot, but that's about it. Levi is probably only doing it to make us scared so that we fight even harder."

"Alright…" Solomon trails off, nodding his head hesitantly. "So, what's our current plan for those demons heading straight for us?"

"The reason they're returning to their base is because they need hexed water to get us out, right? That means they can only tag us with normal water right now," You respond, grabbing your two sad-looking water balloons.

Solomon nods, grabbing your arm. "Ready?"

"Ready."

And then the two of you have jumped forward with all your strength, soaring over the demons and their looks of utter shock as you begin the return to the Northern Water Fortress.

***

You and Solomon had managed to reset your Rule 3 timers on your journey back, both of you dropping water balloons on an unsuspecting Mephistopheles. It hadn't counted as a kill, but it had worked to give the two of you an additional thirty minutes.

On your return journey, you'd been completely cautious, making every effort to avoid demons for the sake of your own protection.

It seems that Simeon, on the other hand, went all-out.

"I'm not sure how they got here before you did, but the Southern team attacked our fortress!" He exclaims with his usual pleasant smile, sliding you both water balloons filled with holy water. You would worry at his revelation, but he says it with such a calm demeanor that you can't help but be suspiciously at ease as well.

"How did you manage to evade them?" You ask, squishing a balloon experimentally.

"Evade?" Simeon asks, shaking his head with a smile. "Luke and I attacked them, of course! Though Luke sacrificed himself to take Beel out. The lower demons came in range of the water cannons, so I managed to get them out like that—but I actually had to venture out to fight the rest of the brothers." He shakes his head, frowning. "I was only able to get Mammon and Satan. Lucifer is still out there."

Who put this overpowered angel on defense? You can't help but wonder, realizing that he's successfully reduced the entire enemy team to one demon in a single attack.

"Simeon, you're amazing!" You exclaim, wrapping him in an excited hug. Before, your team was the underdog—but with only one demon on the other side, your chance at victory has never been higher!

"What about the rest of the brothers?" Solomon asks. "Levi, Asmo, Belphie—are they already out?"

"Levi couldn't play, since he's hosting the Water Wars. I think Asmo got out in the morning because he didn't want to play and risk ruining his face and Belphie…" You actually don't know about Belphie. "I'm guessing he fell asleep and also got out because of Rule 3."

"So that means…"

"Right."

There's only one enemy left.

"Alright," You say, crossing your arms. "Then let's make a plan."

In the end, it's really Simeon who makes the entire plan while you and Solomon stare at him in awe, wondering whether he was a battle commander in a past life. The angel's reasoning is perfect, and he thinks of everything: a counterstrategy, four different what-if scenarios, and a plan to throw Lucifer off-guard. And it absolutely helps that he still remembers everything about the fallen Morningstar, using his current knowledge of the demon to even pinpoint where Lucifer must be right now.

And, from your position in the treetops, it seems that Simeon was right.

You wave at the angel subtly, keeping movement minimal to not draw attention. He's hundreds of meters away, but you can still make out the subtle nod he gives you and Solomon, all three of you now in-position for the plan.

As expected, Lucifer is standing in the middle of an open field, arms crossed, with a bucket of water balloons next to him. His pride won't allow him to seek out the enemy on their terms, so he's forced the three of you to come to him, and now he waits. You know all too well that he's waiting for a single one of you to make a sound, so that he can pinpoint your location and throw a balloon filled with hexed water your way to knock you out. But you won't give him that chance. You bend your knees, hands firm around the two water balloons in your palms.

Ready, you mouth to Simeon. Solomon must do the exact same thing, because in seconds, the angel is moving—your own cue to begin the assault.

Simeon stays low on the ground, zig-zagging his way toward Lucifer as the demon pauses and aims, focusing on the angel while Solomon makes his own lunging jump forward with three haphazard balloon tosses.

Lucifer manages to dodge all three, barely taking a second to grab a balloon and knock Solomon out with it—the impact of the collision dropping Solomon's body to the ground, and you can't help but wince—before he's back to focusing on Simeon.

With the demon's brief shift off balance, you recognize your cue to make your jump out of the treetops, soaring over Lucifer while Simeon draws ever closer, and—

Oh no.

You can feel the precise movement when Solomon's enchantment wears off, likely caused by the sorcerer's sudden unconsciousness, and Simeon pauses for a moment to glance worriedly up at your flailing form. You've already jumped, but your body is no longer weightless, and you're charging headfirst at Lucifer with gravity pulling you down all the way.

Sensing Simeon's hesitation, the firstborn demon wastes no time in delivering a swift throw straight to Simeon's chest, the added sting of the hexed water crumpling Simeon to the ground in a hiss.

Still flying through the air, you decide that it's too late to turn back, so you do your best to take aim and throw your balloons at Lucifer, now approaching him directly overhead. Powered by your strength, the balloon cuts through the air faster than you, and it makes a streaming sound as if approaches Lucifer overhead, and it's so close to hitting him, just another hundred feet and he'll be out, and you're so close and—

Damn it.

Hearing the sound, Lucifer looks up, only briefly stunned by the fact that it must look like you're falling out of the sky armed with water balloons. His eyes widen, realizing that both his hands are empty, and then he comes up with perhaps the most frustrating solution he could possibly think of: throwing the entire bucket of hexed water balloons up at you, the pink and purple and yellow balloons soaring up into the air at top speed.

When they collide with the two balloons from your own throw, the sudden stop after such overwhelming speed is nothing short of chaos.

Seven hells.

The balloons collide in a deafening pop! that sprinkles holy water and hexed water everywhere in a mini-explosion: onto you, onto Lucifer, and every inch of space in between.

Your body streams through the suspended water particles in the air, and you hiss at the sensation of hexed water. On the ground, Lucifer is wincing with the same pain, feeling holy water sizzle on his skin—but really, that should be the least of either of your problems because your jump was extremely well-aimed and any second now gravity is going to your body all the way and you're going to collide with Lucifer and—

Goddammit—really, can you catch a break?

The two of you groan in pain, skin hurting from the holy and hexed water, bodies aching from you literally crashing into Lucifer from almost a thousand feet up in the air.

"Are—are you okay?" You manage to ask him, wincing as you try to stand up, only collapse onto his chest again.

"All...good…" He mutters, groaning. "And you?"

"S-same," You manage to stutter, holding your head.

And then you both black out.

***

Today's dinner is served in the House of Lamentation, with the food prepared by Luke and Beel.

At the beginning of the school year, you would all eat in your own dorms, separate from one another. But by the end of the second week of school, there was no point to it. You would always be texting the brothers on a group chat, Solomon would always be video calling Asmo, and it got to the point where even Luke, with his self-proclaimed hatred of demons, was texting Beel on his D.D.D.

Simeon and Lucifer got together and agreed that, to cut down on everyone's phone usage at the dinner table, your dorms would begin eating dinner together once a week. And then it turned into twice a week. Soon, thrice a week. And then it was every other day, and now the only time you guys don't eat together is on weekends.

But today, there's a competitive edge in the air, all of you having come fresh from the Water Wars. (Well, others did. You, Lucifer, Simeon, and Solomon were all temporarily stored in the infirmary until you regained consciousness.)

"Oh please, Asmo." Solomon crosses his arms, tapping his fork on his plate while Beel brings the dishes from the kitchen over. "You were out in the first half hour, there's no reason for you to act all cocky."

"Excuse me!" Asmo gasps dramatically, crossing his arms. "What if someone threw something at my face?! I know you're okay with being knocked out, but I have to look perfect all the time. You could never understand, Solomon."

"Alright," You interrupt, leaning back in your chair. "But I'm sure we all know that our team actually won, right? Lucifer totally lost to me."

"Those are bold claims, MC." Lucifer regards you with a smirk. "If I recall, I wasn't the one who was completely soaked to the bone afterward. Look, your hair is still wet."

"Shut it, Luci." You scowl. "The only reason it even counted as a tie was because gravity did all your work for you when I fell through the water. How did that feel, hm? To know that, if not for the Devildom's natural forces, then you would have lost?"

"Wasn't it you who came crashing into me, though? You needed me to break your fall. Are all your plans so thoughtless?"

"Only because Solomon's enchantment spell wore off!"

"And you didn't think of that as a possibility? Tsk, how disappointing."

"Hey!" You protest, crossing your arms. Lucifer still wears that devilish smile, daring you to continue. And you absolutely would, if not for Simeon.

"Now, now. No need to be upset, little lamb." Simeon pats your head, frowning slightly at the dampness before his lips curve upward once more. "We all know he's simply jealous because he knows we were the rightful winners."

"Simeon!"

A wave of laughter rises from the table as you continue to taunt each other, only finding eventual peace when Luke brings out the last of the food. You mindlessly take spoonfuls of whatever looks good, your plate a mixed assortment of Celestial and Devildom food. It took two months to get to this point, but you've finally grown used to the local cuisine.

Everyone seems extra talkative today, the excitement of the earlier events still not worn off. Levi chatters animatedly about everything that happened, regaling you with all the details you weren't able to see in person.

"Still, though. I can't believe no one thought to dry you off," Simeon tuts disapprovingly, a frown present on his face. "I hope you don't fall sick, little lamb."

"Oh, right!" Mammon exclaims, glancing at you. "I forgot that angels fall sick so easily. How ya doin', MC? All good there?"

"I feel fine," You say, stretching. "I think falling onto Lucifer was worse. He's not comfortable."

But as if on cue, you suddenly cough, a shiver following soon after.

Simeon sighs, his frown deepening.

The rest of dinner passes by quickly, but no one's in a rush to leave. As with tradition, the Water Wars took place on the third Friday of the second month of school, and no one has any plans for the evening.

The eleven of you end up spaced out over various couches (with Belphie napping on the floor) in the common room, chatting aimlessly about all the projects you have coming up. As usual, Mammon keeps trying to convince you all to play card games—and thus, to gamble on them—but Lucifer shuts him down quick enough.

Another violent cough is ripped from your throat, the room going silent at your momentary struggle.

"Little lamb?" Simeon questions, concern present on his face. "Are you sure you're alright? You know that this is how all our illnesses start, and I don't want—"

Another coughing fit comes from you, only stopping when Simeon moves forward to rest his hand on your back. "Little lamb?" He repeats, voice gentle.

"I, um…" You place your hand over your chest, where it still tingles from all your coughing. "I don't feel too good."

Simeon brings a hand to your forehead, and when he steps back, his frown is even deeper. He turns around, glancing at the brothers. "I'm going to take her back. Her forehead isn't incredibly hot, but it's warmer than usual."

But Lucifer shakes his head. "You know how cold Devildom nights get, Simeon. The journey back will only make things worse." He glances at you, worry written into his features. "It may be best if she spends the night here."

Simeon looks hesitant about the idea, still incredibly aware that the exchange students dorm separate from demons for a reason, but when he sees you shiver, he relents.

"I'll fetch her things," He says, unclasping his Celestial cloak in favor of using it to cover your body as a blanket. "Solomon, Luke, let's go."

"I'll come, too!" Asmo exclaims, jumping up as soon as his eyes settle on Simeon's bare shoulders. An amused smile dawns on the angel's face at the realization, but he humors the fifth-born and allows Asmo to tag along as he ushers the rest of the residents of Purgatory Hall out, Asmo practically clinging to his arm the whole time.

When they're gone, the air in the room changes.

"Are you alright?" Lucifer asks, moving to sit next to you on the couch. His lips ghost over your forehead, earning a small groan of protest from Mammon at the PDA. Even you're surprised at it—given that Lucifer has never liked showing affection so openly, even when it's as small as this—but when you look into his eyes, you see genuine worry.

"I'm fine," You respond, laughing a little. "Don't kiss me, or you'll fall sick, too."

"Demons don't fall sick as easily as angels," Satan comments from the other side of the room, leaving to give you some privacy. The other brothers soon follow suit.

Lucifer watches them leave, waiting until they're all gone before he pulls you into his lap, pressing his forehead to yours. "Excited to spend the night here?"

You laugh lightly, leaning into his warmth. Even with Simeon's thick cloak wrapped around your shoulders, you feel undeniably cold, and you shiver in the demon's arms.

"Still cold?" Lucifer asks. You nod, and he lifts you. (You have to stop yourself from gasping when you realize that he's carrying not only your body weight, but the weight of your Celestial cloak, plus the weight of Simeon's even-heavier cloak.) "We have a guest room in the House of Lamentation, so I'll set you up for the night in there."

"I can walk," You say, pouting lightly as he carries you up the stairs, but Lucifer ignores all your protests.

"You're sick," He justifies, entering a room you've never seen and setting you down on the bed. He goes as far as to tuck you into the covers, batting your hands away when you try to do it yourself. "Rest and sleep is the best remedy for a common illness like this. If we were in the Celestial Realm, I'd get you some medicine, but…"

"Luci," You reach your hand out of the blankets, slipping it into Lucifer's. "Don't stress. I'm fine."

You hold back another round of coughs, but not for long, and in half a minute, you're in a seated position once more, coughing into oblivion with no signs of stopping.

"Shower? Do you think a shower will help?" He asks as he helps you lie down, his eyebrows furrowed. "Or do you want warm water? I can get you some more blankets, too, but if you want some—"

"Lucifer," You interrupt, silencing him with a hand. "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning, really. I'm not as sick as you think."

But he's far from convinced.

"Fine, do you really want to know what might help me right now?" He nods, crossing his arms, ready to travel to the ends of hell to get you whatever you say you desire. "You. Come and lie next to me."

You tug him into bed, giving him no chance to retaliate as you snuggle into his side.

"Simeon will be returning…" He begins, hesitant.

"Shush," You say.

You close your eyes, forgetting how cold you are when Lucifer silently wraps his arms around you, keeping an ear open for the sound of a message on his D.D.D. or any approaching footsteps. But the only thing you register is the soft sensation of his hands as they go up to stroke your hair, and the feather-light kiss he lays against your forehead.

"Get well quickly," He murmurs softly, pressing his lips against yours as if he knows that you're already drifting off, and the action is more than enough to keep all bad thoughts away from your dreams as you're pulled into a deep slumber.

***

Simeon didn't leave your side the entire night.

Angels certainly fall sick more often than demons, but it's still unpleasant whenever it happens—and the last time Simeon had seen you shiver this violently was six centuries ago.

He frowns as another gasping cough tears its way through your lungs, your frame curled into itself as you try to stop the sickness from progressing, and a wave of sympathy washes over Simeon's heart.

Being sick is never pleasant.

But it seems that he's not the only one concerned for your well-being.

"You don't need to watch her from all the way over there," The angel calls, not bothering to turn around and face the demon standing at the door. "Come inside, Lucifer."

Simeon hears the firstborn hesitate before he finally accepts the request, quietly walking over to the other side of the bed.

"How is she?" Lucifer asks, raising a hand to your hair, brushing the loose tresses out of your face. You flinch at the contact, but your body leans in to the additional source of warmth soon enough.

"Worse. She began shivering around midnight. I think her fever started up two hours later. It broke for a while in between, but…"

"It's back."

Simeon nods, tightening his grip on your fingers as he holds your hand, thumb brushing over the knuckles as you sleep. He glances upward, trying to catch Lucifer's eyes, but the darkness is too overpowering. The moonlight falls into the room at the perfect angle, illuminating your body but neither the angel nor the demon, the two men as hidden from each other as their thoughts.

He watches with bated breath as Lucifer's hand trails from your hair to your cheek, gently stroking the skin in soothing circles, just how Simeon had done an hour ago.

"She's beautiful," Simeon comments, more to fill the silence than anything.

"She is," Comes Lucifer's response, a confirmation, but it's something more than that. It's an affirmation, a silent you're right, and you've done well that comes from the guardian of old to the guardian of new.

And then the angel doesn't bother saying anything else, because the silence that wraps around Simeon and Lucifer isn't a veil of awkwardness or edge, but one of serenity. Their faces are tranquil as they watch over your figure, at peace as they bask in the quiet knowledge that the bond they share—two guardians, past and present, connected through you—is something that words can never convey. Their bond goes deeper than brothers, deeper than the love they have for one another and deeper than any materialistic birthright that could bind them together: no, they are bound to each other by their love for you, pure as an angel in Simeon's case, passionate as a demon in Lucifer's.

The demon bends low against the bed, cupping your jaw gently with his hand to lay a chaste kiss against your forehead. It looks innocent, sweet; but Simeon knows the truth.

As Lucifer's lips ghost over you, you begin to stir in the slightest, eyes fluttering open as you look up for the first time since falling asleep. "Luci?" You ask, though it's more of a quiet mumble than anything.

"I'm here," He mumbles, leaning back. "Go back to sleep, MC. Save your strength."

But you don't heed his words, tugging insistently on his sleeve before he can draw your hand away. Your eyes are clouded with drowsiness, but your request is clear: "Come closer, Luci. Lie down with me."

There's a moment of silence, one where Simeon presumes the demon is raising his eyebrows in shock at the boldness of your request, before he lowers his head. The moonlight catches his eyes just the slightest, and Simeon can make out the question in his gaze—the silent May I? that Lucifer is requesting.

Simeon smiles. "Go ahead."

Lucifer is stiff as he shifts onto the bed, your body embracing him instantly with no regard for Simeon next to you in your compromised state. Your chest is soon rising and falling in a calm rhythm once more, arms wrapped tight around Lucifer's waist as you press into his warmth, but the demon is more preoccupied with Simeon than anything else. Now, in the moonlight, Lucifer's face is completely bare—the angel is the one who is concealed.

"Simeon, I—"

"You don't need to pretend," Simeon cuts him off, a soft smile present on his lips. "I already know, Lucifer."

"You...know?" Lucifer asks, voice incredulous.

Simeon can't help but laugh a little at that, the sound soft as it leaves his lips. He smiles, even though he knows that Lucifer can't see it in the darkness. "Being her guardian for four thousand years has taught me how to read MC well. She hides the truth with her lips, but not her actions. Even Solomon has figured it out."

For a moment, Lucifer is left speechless, evidently not having expected this of all things. And then, Simeon feels guilty for having his face hidden by the darkness and he sits on the bed, facing Lucifer where they can both have an honest conversation illuminated by moonlight.

"How long?" Lucifer asks, relaxing the slightest when he sees the kindness in Simeon's smile. "How long have you known?"

"As long as this has been going on, I suppose." Simeon taps his chin. "Though I only grew confident in my deduction that night before school started, when you called and covered for her."

Lucifer nods, remembering the night well.

And now, it's Simeon's turn for a question.

"Do you love her the way she loves you?" He asks, though he suspects he knows the answer.

"No," Lucifer murmurs, looking down at you fondly. "I love her more."

"I'm sure she would say the same thing."

"I don't think it's possible to love anyone the way I love her," Lucifer responds, raising his eyes back up to Simeon's. For once, the angel realizes that Lucifer isn't trying to hide any of his emotions behind his wall of pride, and everything is evident on his face: the love he harbors for you, the adoration, the inexplicable infatuation that nothing seems to surpass. "A part of me suspected that you knew," Lucifer comments, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers. "MC told me that you never asked questions, so that meant that you either hadn't noticed anything at all or you were consciously letting us be. And you've always been…" The edges of Lucifer's lips curl upward. "Observant."

"I wanted her to tell me when she felt ready," Simeon whispers. It's the truth—he knows that if he were to ask you an outright question, you wouldn't lie to him. "And I wanted to give her the option of keeping the secret. I can't imagine this relationship…"

"You can't imagine it has a happy ending."

Simeon nods quietly, dropping his gaze.

He knew from the start that this would happen. When you begged the High Seraphs to send you to the Devildom for Diavolo's exchange program, your heart only thought of Lucifer platonically—but that was before the element of temptation had been introduced in your relationship. When you used to both be two holy beings, proud and pure, it was unsurprising that only a friendship blossomed between you two. But when Lucifer's wings turned black, his nature changed as well, and four thousand years had only furthered your subconscious desires for the man.

And the High Seraphs knew it, too.

Part of Simeon's role as your guardian was to save you from temptation, to keep you walking the holy path and to halt any potential relationship between you and Lucifer. But he had never sworn it. And so when he saw the light in your eyes as you talked about the demon, he knew that he would not pry you away from the man who made you so happy.

Because he knew that in the end, the two of you would be separated regardless. So why not allow you the mercy of happiness in between?

"That night she left Purgatory Hall crying. It was two months ago, but I'm certain you remember. That night, she went to you. Tell me, Lucifer." Simeon's eyes darken, an occurrence rarer than a blue moon, but Lucifer doesn't flinch as their eyes meet. "Were you the cause for her tears that night?"

There's a moment of silence between the two, Simeon's protective instincts over you colliding with Lucifer's natural urges to shield you away, but Lucifer finally speaks.

"You are asking if I hurt her, correct?"

A nod.

"I did not." Lucifer casts his eyes away. "But I was inadvertently the reason she was crying."

A spark of curiosity lights Simeon's eyes for a moment, but it's gone as soon as it arrives. He does not seek forth anything beyond what is necessary, and the temptation for answers is one that cannot influence him. "Very well," He says, lips curved upward. "If you have not hurt her, then the two of you have my blessing."

Lucifer smiles.

The look in his eye is amused, and Simeon understands the reason for it. A relationship blessed by an angel is fated to succeed, it is said. Neither of the two know if this is truth or merely a myth cultivated from the heavens above, but both want to believe in it.

"Blessing a relationship that is doomed to fail," Lucifer mutters. "You have always had a strange sense of humor, Simeon."

"I have still yet to see a failed union that was blessed by an angel. Who knows? Perhaps, there will be happiness for you both in this."

"Perhaps," Lucifer responds.

The two of them remain in silence for the rest of the night, all things that needed to be said having been said. They only speak again to soothe you in hushed whispers when your figure begins to tremble particularly violently, or your cough grows especially bad. By the time the sun has begun to rise, you've broken out into a cold sweat, your entire body shaking as you try, in vain, to get warm.

"Are you leaving?" Lucifer asks when Simeon finally gets up, surprise written onto his features.

"Not quite. The High Seraphs gave me some medicine to use in case of an emergency...I know that a common cold such as this hardly constitutes as an emergency, but I'll deal with them later if I need to fetch more."

Lucifer nods, bidding Simeon farewell while the angel promises to return with Solomon and Luke, hoping that by the time he can bring you medicine, you'll be woken and eager to see your friends.

"Go," The demon says when Simeon hesitates. Only a final promise actually convinces the angel to depart: "I won't leave her side until you return."

***

As expected, mornings in the House of Lamentation are chaotic. Add all the residents of Purgatory Hall into the mix, and the house can hardly go a full ten minutes without a shout or the sound of something breaking.

Thankfully, both the parental figures of the dorms are locked by your side, tending to you while the brothers (and Luke and Solomon) pop in and out of the room.

"How long does the medicine take to work?" Lucifer asks impatiently, crossing his arms as he stares down at you. Simeon administered the aid over half an hour ago, but you've yet to show any signs of getting better. If anything, you've gotten worse.

"Relax," Simeon comments, amused at his friend's impatience. "It should kick in any second now. We'll know when it's working."

"How?" Lucifer asks, tapping his foot on the floor.

"Goodness, Lucifer," Simeon tuts disapprovingly. "Have you no recollection of how Celestial medicines work? We know it's kicked in when her angel form materializes. The natural boost to her magical power will force whatever toxins are causing this illness out of her system, and—"

"Her angel form will materialize?" Lucifer asks, with an intensity that Simeon doesn't understand.

"Yes. And then we'll begin to see symptoms of—oh look, it's already begun!"

Simeon watches with a pleasant smile as he recognizes the familiar light overtake your body, observing as you transform from human to angel. He hums approvingly, noting that it's been quite some time since he's actually seen you in this form.

And then the light fades.

Simeon's smile drops.

"Little lamb?" He whispers, eyes round in confusion. It quickly fades into horror, and then fear. This can't be right. His eyes are failing him, surely. How can it be possible that your wings, so pure and white and precious, have turned black?

The angel glances up at Lucifer, desperate for answers, for solace, for help, but the sympathy in the demon's eyes stops Simeon completely.

Lucifer knew.

There's another moment of confusion: a second of agony where Simeon simply doesn't understand why you would keep something so important from him but would tell someone else, why you would hide a change that must have torn your heart apart, why you would act like nothing is wrong when something clearly is.

And then the pain clears, and there's a flash of understanding where the truth dawns upon him. Not just the reasoning for your blackened wings, but truly everything. Why you never told him about your wings. Why you hid your relationship with Lucifer. Why you thought you could protect him if he never found out.

The two men glance at each other, eyes communicating more than words can ever say as they mutually vow to protect even this secret.

But then the sound of footsteps—the sound that they've both heard over ten times in the past hour alone—draws nearer once again, and they realize that while they can protect your secret, the moment the other residents of Purgatory Hall find out, it's over.

The door! Simeon's eyes seem to shout. But neither the angel nor the demon can move as they stand frozen at the sound of the footsteps drawing nearer. It roots them to the spot, freezing them like an enchantment stronger than anything they've ever experienced.

"Hey, guys!" The familiar voice of Luke calls out, drawing closer and closer. Simeon wills his legs to move, his mouth to say something, but his body isn't his own anymore. "Breakfast is ready!"

And then Luke is in the room.

Simeon doesn't think he'll ever forget the deafening silence of this moment, as the secret of your blackened wings that you've tried so desperately to keep hidden comes unraveled.

Because in one second, Luke is screaming at the sight, flinching at your impurity, and calling Michael's name at the top of his lungs, summoning the archangel in what he doubtlessly thinks is the right thing to do.

We failed her, Simeon and Lucifer seem to say to each other as they maintain eye contact, unmoving despite the sudden chaos that has gripped the room. They don't move, nor do they speak, nor do they flinch when the holy light of Michael's spirit materializes next to them, the rest of the brothers soon following suit.

I'm sorry.

The words are meant for you, a quiet beg for forgiveness that Simeon couldn't protect your secret. Would it have been different if he had known the truth from the start?

It matters not. I have failed her.

The angel's turmoil is written in his eyes, in his furrowed brow, in his slumped shoulders. But as the world around him continues to move in slow motion, he closes his eyes, sending a quiet prayer to God that this situation may somehow be salvaged.

Though in his heart, Simeon already knows that all is lost. 

MASTERLIST

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | ✔

Word count: 7.1k

Notes: Posting this really late at night because today was wild :( Also i took a nap in the afternoon and i am like 90% sure that it was just a graphic sex dream (straight up porn, but like mild plot) which is extremely interesting because i am not a horny person and he’s the last brother i would expect to dream about but maybe its a sign that i should give him sum attention

Comment & Like

Next Update: 6/9/20

I do not own the rights to Obey Me! or any of the characters within it.

#Word count: 7.1k #obey me #obey me shall we date #shall we date #obey me lucifer #obey me lucifer x reader #lucifer x reader #obey me simeon #simeon #angel x demon #angels and demons #reader is mc #reader is female #fem reader #angel reader #slow burn #ish pining #mutual pining #friend to lovers #wholesome #recruited love #very very recruited love #in the end tho #eventual happy ending #expect 9 parts for now #:D #author takes creative liberties with the canon plot #COMPLETED

[kyoka-jirou]

HELLO HI HOW ARE YOU. Soo I heard soulmate au; can we have a tamakixreader where reader has had bad soulmate experiences (parents didnt work out) and is insecure and avoids the situation? Bonus points for Tamaki being insecure and wondering if it's because he's not good enough.

The ANGST IS REAAALLLL! ; - ; this is just so cute and pure it’s not even- like what o-o

note: your dad is aged-up Hawks now. you’re welcome.

Tamaki Amajiki X Reader | Doodles

soulmate au in which whatever your draw on yourself also appears on your soulmate.

(Warnings: Parents that fight, insecurity, self doubt, extreme verbal abuse, lANGuAgE)

They were fighting again. You could hear it from downstairs.

“You can’t just come home drunk every night!” your dad shouted.

“I told you, I was just at the office late tonight! I wasn’t- I’m not drunk!” you heard your mom slur. Even though her words were steady, you could hear her tripping over her own feet.

“I can’t do this anymore, Belle! Y/N cries herself to sleep half the time because of you!”

“Y/N is just a wimpy little whore! She can’t even talk without that damn stutter!”

“She only stutters when she’s talking to you!” your dad shouted, “You’ve made her so scared of you she can’t even look you in the eye!”

You let a small tear fall down your cheek before turning the music in your headphones up. It seems like the only thing that could keep you calm was music. Whether it’d be Garth Brooks, Jared Halley, or (favorite artist), you somehow found comfort on nights like these.

‘Hey, you up?’ you scribbled on your arm.

Thirty seconds later, there was a response. 

‘Of course I am. Is it happening again?’

You sighed. He always knew what was going on.

‘Yea. Trying to drown it out though.’

‘That’s good. Where are you going for your third year of high school? I remember you said you were transferring...’

You sighed, remembering that you were starting school tomorrow. A full two weeks into the school year.

‘Yueei High. How about you?’

‘Yueei? Wow. That’s pretty cool.’

‘I guess. It wasn’t my choice though. I feel pressured into it, my dad being the freaking number two hero.’

‘Wait a second- what?’

You gasped, forgetting you’d barely mentioned anything about yourself besides the fighting. Capping your pen. You curled up on your bed, letting out a sob.

Your snow white wings curled around you, and the halo of hope that you felt in your hidden identity shattered, as you cried yourself to sleep.

----------

“Mirio I messed up.” he said as soon as his friend picked up the phone.

Around fifteen seconds later, a naked teenager barreled through his wall. Tamaki stifled a scream and he covered his eyes.

“You keep forgetting that we live in dorms Tamaki, just come on over and knock!” he smiled.

“M-Mirio, p-please put some c-clothes on.” 

“Oh, right. Sorry about that.” he said blankly, going back to his room. A few minutes later a knock sounded on his door and Tamaki got up and opened it.

Outside stood Mirio and.. Nejire.

He shook his head, of course Mirio called her over. They were practically attached at the hip ever since they found out they were soulmates. It would have made him feel like a third wheel, but he was too involved in their friendship to be let go like that.

He motioned for them to come in, and then he explained the situation.

“Well,” Nejire trailed off. “She obviously doesn’t know you’ll be here. So we could surprise her tomorrow. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

Mirio nodded, “That could work! And, we could all be best friends!”

Tamaki shrunk back, “But what if she doesn’t like the attention?”

“It’ll be fine!” Nejire smiled, “She’ll feel welcomed in no time!”

----

It was Monday.

You had hesitantly gotten up to your alarm at around five-thirty, and had taken a quick hot shower. As soon as you’d gotten dressed and your hair & wings dried, you looked at the clock. It was now six-thirty.

You headed downstairs, being mindful of the shattered vase on the ground. Sliding over to the kitchen in your sock-clad feet, you opened the fridge to find a small bento and a note.

‘hey little fledgling, I made you some lunch- don’t forget that you have a meeting with principal nezu at eight. love you! - the overgrown chicken <3’

You smiled softly at your father’s antics, and you put the small bento in your saddle bag, along with a few one-subject notebooks and a pencil case.

Filling up your water bottle, you clipped it onto the side of your bag and slipped on your shoes. Patting the side pocket, you made sure your phone and wallet were in there, before heading out.

You didn’t live very far from the school, but you still wanted to get out of your house early, before the rush of kids trying to get to school came out. You didn’t like it when they stared at your wings. It made you feel uncomfortable.

Sighing, you trudged along the sidewalk, littered with old pieces of gum and trash. Quickening your pace, you managed to get to school at around seven-fifteen.

Taking a breath, you entered the gates and pulled up the schedule and map of the school that your dad had sent you earlier. Taking a few more cautious steps forward, you made your way up the steps to your locker. 

---

“Hello!” a small white mouse thing shouted, looking at you. “You must be Y/N Takami!”

You nodded your head slightly, “That’s me.”

“Great!” he smiled, taking a look at your obviously nervous form, before starting the meeting.

He ended up giving you a tour, since you were pretty early, and explained how the hero course would work.

“I understand that your father has taught you about hero-work for the past few years, correct?”

You nodded, “Yes, that’s true.”

He grinned, “I take it you’re very well acquainted with the rules of hero-work then.”

You nodded again, “Yes sir, I am. I have even already received my provisional licensing exam.”

He hummed, already expecting as much. “Well then, Takami-san. Here is your classroom. Do you need anything else before we go inside?”

You stiffened, not quite realizing that you’d already made your way to your class.

“N-No, not of the moment. But thank you.” you stammered.

“Ok then!” he smiled, opening the door, and leading you inside.

You took a shaky breath before following him in, your wings stiffened.

“Hello!” Nezu started, “A new student has transferred into your class, please introduce yourself.”

You faced the front of the class with the most false courage you could muster.

“H-Hi, I-I’m Y/N Takami, p-please take care of me!” you bowed swiftly.

“Woah! You have wings!”

“That’s so cool!”

“She’s cute, too!”

“Yess! Another girl!”

You smiled politely at the compliments as you made your way to the back of the classroom, waving Nezu goodbye.

“Well!” your teacher said, “Why don’t you all take this period to introduce yourselves!” 

The students cheered before you were met face-to-face with a guy who looked a bit like tin-tin.

“Eep!” you screamed slightly, startled.

“Mirio!” a blue haired girl yelled, “What did we talk about! Don’t scare her off!”

She sighed, before taking your hand, “Hi, I’m Nejire Hado, just call me Nejire.”

“Y-Y/N Takami, but y-you already knew that. Just call me Y/N.”

“Okey dokey, Y/N!” she smiled. “So! What do you like to do in your spare time?”

You and Nejire chatted away as the rest of the class just fell into a steady murmur. But, as you glanced around, you couldn’t help but notice the guy sitting a few rows from you, who was stressfully talking to the other guy from earlier.

Huh. Weird.

----

“Y/N! Y/N! Come eat lunch with us!” Nejire shouted from across the room. You froze before nodding slightly, feeling like a deer in headlights.

Packing up your bag, you looked at the small red flower you drew on your hand during class. It wasn’t much, but looking at it helped you calm down.

Slowly, you followed a chipper Nejire down the hall, noting the two boys following you as well.

When you all had finally found an empty table in the cafeteria, you sat down and began to eat.

“So, Y/N-” the tin-tin look-alike, who you knew as Mirio, started, “Have you found your soulmate yet?”

You, Nejire, and the shy boy you were introduced to, Tamaki, choked on your food.

“Mirio!”

“Y-you c-can’t j-just ask t-that!”

You giggled slightly at their antics, the question settling deep into your mind. What do you say?

“No.” you sighed, “I haven’t met him yet.”

The table was silent as you began to eat again, the tension thick.

Finally not being able to take it, you sighed looking up, “Is there something wrong with-”

Your breath caught in your throat.

On Tamaki’s hand, was the very flower you drew in class that day.

They seemed to notice your tense stature as they one-by-one began to follow your gaze.

“-oh.”

“Surprise?”

Your eyes widened as you realized that in fact, your soulmate was sitting right in front of you. This was it.

As your mind processed your feelings, you were reminded of last night, and how everyone at this table might know about your situation. Memories rushed through your head; the fighting, the drinking, the words, abuse, everything.

It all came back to you in a rush as panic started to seep in.

“I, u-um.” you started, trailing off, “I’ve gotta go.”

Turning quickly, you hurried out of the cafeteria, tears slipping past your eyes.

“H-hey, wait!” you heard, but it didn’t stop you. You just kept running.

Suddenly you found yourself under a water fountain, hyperventilating. 

What felt like hours later, you heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Soon enough, you were wrapped into unfamiliar, yet comforting arms.

“H-hey, hey. It’s alright. Nothing’s gonna hurt you here, ok?” you heard someone whisper into your ear.

“I’ll go grab Recovery girl.”

“Ok, I’ll go inform sensei.”

You heard other voices, but you slowly drowned them out and listened to the one who was beside you. They rubbed soft circles on your back as your breathing slowly calmed down.

“Are you alright?” They asked, and you finally opened your eyes.

It was Tamaki.

“I-I’m so sorry!” you cried, “I couldn’t stop thinking about-”

“It’s ok-” Tamaki cut in, “Y-you’ll be okay. We can sort this out.”

You let a few more tears out as your breathing slowed. You felt your eyes close as your last thought flew through your mind.

‘Maybe- this’ll be alright.’

Bonus:

“I hereby give full custody of Y/N M/N Takami to Takami Keigo.”

A loud slam was heard before you broke out into tears, hugging your soulmate and your father close, one of which was being very stiff and awkward at the sudden contact.

‘Yeah, this’ll definitely be alright.’

Hope you enjoyed!

-alice <3

5.12.20

#tamaki amajiki x reader #tamaki x reader #bnha #bnha soulmate au #soulmate au x reader #my hero academia #nejire hadou #mirio togata

[theuniversitychallengereview]

UC 51.04 - Emmanuel, Cam vs St Andrews

Here’s your first starter for ten - what links Wenlock and Mandeville of London, Kingsley of Partick Thistle, and Manny and Ellie of Emmanuel College, Cambridge? 

Okay, that was a pretty easy one, but I don’t write the questions for the show, so cut me some slack. Anyway, that’s right, they are all mascots. 

Wenlock and Mandeville represented the London 2012 Olympics (they were apparently formed from the final girder of the Olympic stadium [presumably through some sort of arcane alchemy] and have a single eye which is meant to be a camera, implying that they are part of some sort of state surveillance authority, disturbingly). 

Kingsley is the game-day mascot of Scottish football team Partick Thistle, and looks like this, which is perhaps even scarier than the idea of the London mascots keeping tabs on you. 

Manny and Ellie, meanwhile. are a lion and duck respectively, and sit in the centre of the Emmanuel quartet for tonight’s University Challenge first round match. Emmanuel are making their first appearance on the show since the third of three consecutive quarter-finals in 2019. Manny and Ellie accompanied them on each of those campaigns, beginning with the Bobby Seagull-captained 2016-17 side. 

That year they also had a Klein bottle - called ‘Kleiny the Bottle’, which had been made for Bobby by one of his Year 8 students. Other teams have had a good mascot game at various times (St Andrews appear to have a lobster this year for example), but in terms of sheer consistency and brand recognition I think Emma are probably the most reliably solid UC team on this front.

St Andrews are one of the most reliable UC teams on another, less desirable front, as their current streak of seven appearances without making a quarter-final is only bettered by Nottingham with nine. Unlike Emmanuel, this is one reputation they will be hoping to shake off, starting tonight against Manny, Ellie and the rest of the Emma team. 

Its Ellie who gets proceedings underway with an incredible buzz on a question about whether or not duck quacks echo, but unfortunately these points are disqualified on account of her being a duck, and inanimate, and the fact that I made all of that up.

The actual first queston goes to Emmanuel’s Thatte, who takes far too long (though still quicker than the rest of the contestants) to recognise a Benedict Cumberbatc from a list of his roles, one of which was his character from Starter for Ten. They grab a pair of bonuses on Shakespeare to take a twenty point lead, before Thatte takes his second starter in a row to make it thirty.

McMenamin, who has the most Scottish name of anyone on the St Andrews team, but who is actually from London, guesses Physics for the next starter on the basis of the letter P in the initialisation APS, and is right. The Scots quartet are off the mark. Fennell takes the first picture starter on equatorial countries, but their weaker bonuswork leaves them fifteen points adrift.

I was about to tell Paxman off for his pronunciation of Iga Swiatek’s name, but it turns out he’s totally right, and it is I who is the fool. Still, Emmanuel don’t know that she’s from Poland either way. It doesn’t matter, because they are miles clear. Their lead is helped by a neg from St Andrews, which Wrathall picks up. The bonuses which arise from this are on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which delights Emmanuel.

The music starter is far too easy, and Fennell gets St Andrews involved again by identifying Oliver! a few beats into ‘Consider Yourself’... They get a couple of the bonuses to close within forty five points, but Thatte stops any thoughts of a comeback. They get all three bonuses on modern piracy, including one on Captain Phillips, about which they have an amusing discussion, nearly going with Captain Tom, before that man Thatte remembers the correct answer.

Paman lets Alderson off for saying the Sea of Bothnia rather than the Gulf of Bothnia, and St Andrews continue their renaissance with the second picture starter, and after the bonuses they are somehow only five points behind! We have a match on our hands! Where did this come from?

McMenamin negs the very next starter, but Pullinger starts conferring when it is offered to Emmanuel, and they don’t get it either. Pullinger then comes up clutch with the best buzz of the match on the next starter, getting David Copperfield from the words [which eponymous Dickens character has to wear...].

A brilliant buzz from Wigg keeps St Andrews right in it, and a very quick hat-trick on the bonuses ties the game at 125! The next starter rambles on for a while but it is Wrathall who holds his nerve to buzz in correctly. They dawdle a bit on the bonuses, and Paxman hurries them along very sternly to stop the babbling. They don’t manage to get any of them and Fennell ties the game again by identifying George III as being on the throne at the start of Wuthering Heights. 

They scrape a solitary bonus, and start panicking on the last question, but the gong sounds, and confirms their victory.

Final Score: Emmanuel, Cam 135 - 140 St Andrews

What a finish from St Andrews! They looked nowhere with five minutes left, and even they don’t look like they quite believe it, as their faces of wonder throughout the credits can attest. For Emma and their mascots, 135 might be enough to come back as a high scoring loser, and if that is the case they won’t be too annoyed - Alex Guttenplan won the whole thing for Emma in 2010 by going through the play-off round...

#university challenge #bbc2 #emmanuel #cambridge #st andrews #quizzy mondays #jeremy paxman