#like long hair is cool but i myself can not deal with hair that's longer than shoulder length

[lyxchen]

That moment when you sit in bed at night and draw hands because you're very fucking gay♡

#that is exactly what i'm doing right now #hhhhh hands #also very much not on topic but #i need a haircut like asap #whenever i draw myself i have to look at how long my hair is so i can draw it pretty accurately and it's too long for me right now #like long hair is cool but i myself can not deal with hair that's longer than shoulder length #anyways #hands pretty hhhhhhh #i love drawing hands #lea's other art #sketchies #my art #lyxchen's art

[standfucker]

Hello!! I've been thinking about an AFAB reader in the straw hat crew who dresses as a man. Short hair and masculine clothes that cover her up. She doesn't want people treating her differently or going easy on her in fights because of her gender hence her constant charade. Because of this the crew doesn't know that she is actually woman. I'd like to request drabbles of how Zoro, Sanji, And Luffy would react when finding out and where they would. Also, SFW please!

This was fun! ^^ Thanks for submitting a request! I tried to keep these a consistent length and failed. Each one ended up longer than the last... I'll have to keep trying harder to pace myself.

Discovering Your Secret - Monster Trio

CW: chest binding, canon-typical violence, injury (not described in detail), gun violence, battle trauma, nudity, awkwardness

Luffy

Group bathing was one bonding activity on the Sunny that you had to miss out on. Shyness wasn’t like you, but the guys chalked it up to a weird personality quirk and long since stopped questioning it. Some people liked their privacy, no big deal. Really, it was never a problem until Luffy barged into the bathroom one day while you were soaking, the door swinging open so hard it bounced back shut behind him.

You tried to shout that the bathroom was occupied, but it was drowned out by Luffy’s own yell of “GUM GUM CANNONBALL!” The next thing you knew, Luffy had somehow launched himself out of his clothes and into the tub, making a massive splash that took out half the water. It was only by sheer luck that he didn’t collide with you. 

Instantly you sank down low into the remaining water so only your head was above the surface. The clear water offered no protection, however, so you had to cover your chest and cross your legs. Embarrassment and panicky fear were rotten feelings to have when you had just gotten relaxed, and you found yourself getting angry on top of it all. This was such a stupid way to be found out, and it was only because your captain lacked any self-awareness.

Luffy came up with a laugh, then opened his eyes and blinked at you for a second. “Oh, hey!” he said, oblivious to your stress. “I didn’t know you were in here! Robin told me she just drew a bath, so I came in. Didn’t hear the rest of what she said–I guess she drew it for you! Shi shi shi.”

You stared at him, open-mouthed, too stunned to speak right away.

Luffy’s brows raised when you didn’t respond. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t like to bathe with others. Sorry!” “Luffy?” you tried, but he kept talking.

”Well, I’m here now, so we might as well share! We can wash each other’s backs.”

”Luffy.”

”What are you so shy for, anyway? You look fine to me.”

”Luffy!” you snapped.

”What?”

”Get out!”

”But I’m already wet!” he complained, and you mentally screamed at his stubbornness.

”Then I’ll get out! But you have to look away!” you barely managed to keep from yelling at him, trying not to lose your cool lest he get suspicious.

Luffy pursed his lips. “Fine, sheesh. I won’t look.”

He turned his head away. You hesitated, then quickly stood up and made to leave. You took one step onto the tub–and immediately slipped, thanks to the water Luffy splashed there a moment ago. A yelp left you as you fell fast.

”Y/N!” Right before you hit the tub, Luffy’s arms shot out and wrapped around you, pulling you safely back inside. “That was close!”

You froze in place, heart in your throat both from the fall and from your new position. Luffy’s arms were wrapped around your torso. He could clearly feel your chest against his rubbery arms. You gaped at him, wide-eyed in shock. Luffy smiled. Then he squeezed you again and frowned. Slowly, he looked down at your chest, then down even further.

”WHAT?!” Luffy yelled in shock, his eyes bugging out. “Y/N got attacked by Iva?! But when did you meet him?!”

You facepalmed hard.You’d heard about Ivankov through Luffy’s stories, so you had an idea of what he was talking about. But he missed the mark so hard it was astonishing.

Luffy quickly unwound his arms from around you and covered his face, stammering. “I’m sorry, Y/N! I had no idea!”  

Even though your own face was hot, you couldn’t help but start to laugh, though it was a bit nervous. As you carefully exited the tub, toweling off and pulling on a robe, you contemplated letting Luffy go on believing you were attacked by Iva. But then you would have to make up a story about meeting him, and lying to your bright-eyed captain seemed wrong. He meant well, after all.

Maybe this whole charade was unfair to him. Luffy couldn’t hold onto a secret to save his life anyway, so once he knew, the whole crew would know too. Still…though it would be a big change for you, it would be one less thing to worry about…

You draped your towel along the edge of the tub and perched on it, crossing your arms. “What did we learn about respecting people’s privacy?”

”I’m sorry,” Luffy said, peeking through his fingers before lowering his hands. “I didn’t know you had a reason…I won’t do it again! But when did you cross paths with Iva? During the two years I was away?”

”No, Luffy. I’ve never met Ivankov.” You took a deep breath, steeling yourself. “I’ve been a girl this whole time. I was just pretending to be male.”

”Whaaat!? Really?” Luffy’s eyes bugged out at you again. “But why?”

You did your best to explain your reasons. Luffy only seemed to grow more confused as you went on, crossing his arms and tilting his head.

”I don’t get it. Nami and Robin are strong,” he said.

“Never said they weren’t,” you replied patiently. “But Nami and Robin get underestimated constantly. Maybe they’re used to it, but I can’t stomach the idea. It’s insulting.”

“Hmm…” Luffy thought for a second. “Does this mean we can’t wrestle anymore?”

“Of course we can! The whole point is that I don’t want you to treat me differently!”

“Oh… Oh! I see!” Luffy said, his eyes lighting up with realization. “Okay then! I’ll whoop your butt like normal!”

A warm feeling filled your chest, and you smiled. Now he was catching on, and he didn’t seem to mind. The relief was almost dizzying.

You asked Luffy to try to keep it a secret for now.

He lasted about three weeks, until he asked you one day, point-blank in front of the others: “Hey, Y/N? Where do your boobs go when you get dressed?”

Zoro

“Behind you!”

Zoro’s shout made you whirl around, raising your weapon, but your opponent was already on the downswing. Their sword cut your chest open from clavicle to rib. Pain sizzled out from the gash, hot and burning, but in addition to that, you could feel that your binder was damaged, freeing your breasts. You grit your teeth through the pain and managed to strike your foe down. Then you hunched over yourself, arms crossed over your chest, quivering. The warm blood on your arms told you this one might be serious, but despite the wound, all that was on your mind was getting found out.

Zoro rushed to your side, mowing down foes as he went until he was there. “Did they get you? Let me see.” But you shook your head. “Let me see!” he insisted, an edge of panic to his voice as blood dripped onto the ground below you.

You looked up at him with visible fear, which he misunderstood. “You’re going to be okay, but you have got to let me see.”

Shaking, you lowered your arms, revealing your wound and your secret all at once.

Zoro’s eyes widened, momentarily speechless. Then he snapped out of it, hurriedly taking off his shirt and wrapping it around your torso. He picked you up, one arm supporting your bottom while the other tucked you against his chest to hide your front. You pressed your face into his shoulder, discomposed from the shock of the injury and from the sudden reveal.

What would he think of you now? All the times you arm wrestled, all the times you sparred, all the drinking contests and shared conversations and shared fights–would you never experience them again? You kept asking yourself those questions as Zoro took you out of the slowing battle.

Chopper was shocked, but promised to keep your secret. However, after he found out that you’d been binding your chest with bandages almost 24-7, he scolded you harshly, going on about how you could permanently damage your body.

At your request, Zoro’s the only one Chopper let visit you in the ship’s infirmary. For a while, Zoro didn’t say anything, just stared at your bandaged chest with an unreadable expression.

“I wanted you to respect me,” you said, breaking the silence. He didn’t respond. “I could never be your equal otherwise. Please understand.”

Zoro looked down at you and gave a heavy sigh, eyes distant for a moment. “...You remind me of someone I used to know.” He sat on the edge of your bed, some softness to his gaze now. “I get it. I get why you hid this. But you’re an idiot.”

”I know. I let myself get hurt.”

”No, dummy. Because you treated the crew like we wouldn’t understand. You didn’t trust us. It makes sense in the beginning, but after all these years?” He frowned at you, and you realize that deep down, he was hurt.

”I didn’t want anything to change between us.” You looked away, ashamed. “Between you and me.”

”It doesn’t have to.”

”You don’t like to fight women.”

Zoro grimaced at the accusation, knowing you’re right. The infirmary was quiet for a minute.

”I’m sorry,” Zoro finally said. “I’ll…I’ll do better. Nothing has to change.” He paused, and offered up a smirk. “After all, I go easy on you anyways.”

You feel yourself tear up at his acceptance, and grinned back at him. “Once I heal up, I’ll make you regret that.” You paused, face falling. “You won’t tell anyone, right? I don’t want Sanji to…you know.”

“Yeah.” Zoro made a face at the cook’s name. ”It’ll stay between the three of us,” he promised. “I still think you should tell them, but it’s not my secret to share.”

”Maybe in time. I’ll have to think about it,” you said, and he nodded.

Zoro held out his hand. You clasped it in a big swing, grimacing when it made your wound sting, and squeezed as tightly as you could.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Zoro said, squeezing back. “Okay? We’re still buds.”

”Okay.” Again, you felt the tears threatening to spill.

”But if you cry, I’ll make fun of you.”

”Shut up!”

Once Zoro realizes you were hindered by the binder for all of your matches against him, he got fired up. All the times he won, you had a handicap–it wasn’t a fair match, he decided. However, there wasn’t really a place on the ship where you could take it off in front of others, so he was forced to remain undecided on the topic of which one of you is stronger.

It wasn’t until you revealed your secret to the others that you and Zoro finally got to have a proper, no-holds-barred sparring session. True to his word, he didn’t hold back, too battle-hungry to care if he touched your chest when you wrestled or exchanged blows. (Sanji snarled in the background, but neither of you were paying him any attention.)

As it turned out, when you let your aching ribs heal and could breathe properly, you were far better than you were before. You ended up almost defeating the swordsman, and he was so proud of you that he threw an arm around your shoulders and noogied your head until you were certain he left track marks in your skull. “That’s my girl!”

Sanji

The impact of your sword against your opponent’s knocked the weapons out of the both of your hands. Undeterred, you dashed forward to take them on barehanded, confident in your unarmed strength. Right as you reached them, they drew a hidden flintlock from their back belt, and touched the muzzle to your forehead.

You froze. The battlefield seemed to fade away, nothing solid or corporeal except for the gun to your head. You couldn’t hear anything but the blood rushing in your ears, feel anything but the cold steel pressed to your skull. Everything rushed through your head in one synaptic burst, a thousand million thoughts of how soon, how final this was. All the years of adventure, ending here. One slip-up. You were going to die.

You couldn’t even feel regret. Just the sensation of your heart beating as if it was in every blood vessel. You didn’t hear the call of your name, nor the shouted “Diable Jambe!”

In the time it took for your opponent to squeeze his trigger finger, Sanji appeared seemingly out of nowhere and kicked the guy’s hand so hard you saw it break. The gun fired into the ground a few feet away from you, and with another burning kick, Sanji knocked him out.

You were in shock, standing there unharmed, but useless. Sanji took notice, calling for you again. When you didn’t respond, he rushed to you and grabbed your shoulders, shaking you hard. “Get it together! We still need you!”

Suddenly the sound, the sensation, everything came rushing back, hitting you all at once. You blinked, glanced at the surrounding battle, then at Sanji’s tense expression.

“Y/N!”

“I’m okay!” you said. “T-Thanks. I’m okay.” With that, you rushed for your fallen sword, ready to rejoin the battle.

It wasn’t your first brush with death, but this one rattled you worse than the others. After the battle you dwelled on it constantly, thinking back to that moment and breaking out into a cold sweat even though you’d just cleaned up. You couldn’t think about anything else, focus on anything going on around you. You skipped dinner, stomach too upset to eat, and were barely able to sleep despite your exhaustion from the day’s battle. You skipped breakfast the following day, and only around lunchtime did your mind seem to catch up to your body. You watched Luffy and the crew mess around, playing and laughing and arguing, and suddenly you realized that you almost lost this forever. Immediately, the urge to cry overtook you with tremendous force. You hurried through the ship’s interior, shoved yourself into a corner, and sobbed into your hands.

Dead. Oh god, you were almost dead. How was it that easy? All the strength you had worked so hard to build, meaningless. How could you have been so overconfident? How could you have let yourself lose so easily? Had Sanji not been there, you would have been gone. Gone.

The tears ran hot down your cheeks, and you bit your tongue to keep from being loud. It could have gone so much worse. Sanji was dependable, but tended to keep his eye on the girls during fights. He only saved you because you were close by. It was sheer luck that he saved you. Only luck.

“Y/N!”

Sanji’s call of your name made you go quiet. You resisted the urge to sniffle, even as your nose ran. If he found you…it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but you’d rather not be caught crying. You spent years building the image of the stoic, masculine fighter, and would prefer to keep up that appearance. Sanji called you again, closer this time, and you cleared your throat.

“Yeah?” you called out.

“Lunch is ready, so hurry on down,” he announced from the doorway, just out of your vision.

It took you a minute to gather yourself, but after washing your face and regulating your breathing, you were ready to rejoin the group once more.

In the weeks following, you dealt with your shock and processed it the best that you could. Eventually you started sleeping better again, your appetite returned, and life seemed to go on as normal…except for one thing: Sanji. He started acting strangely when he was nearby.

It started off small. He was far more pleasant around you than he normally was. Not that you and Sanji held animosity toward each other, but usually he treated you like another male: friendly enough if you weren’t Zoro, but not to this degree. He never really brightened up at the sight of you before. Nor did he ask for your opinion in his upcoming meal plan for the week. At first you chalked it up to him noticing your earlier distress somehow, but after you got better, he kept on acting saccharine.

One day, he brought you a drink. Not served you at the table with everyone else, but went out of his way to bring it to where you were sunbathing on the deck. You could only stare at him until he awkwardly left it by your side, stammered something about the heat, and then left.

Incidents like that kept happening, usually out of sight of the other crewmates, but not always. The others started picking up on it too. At one point, Sanji brought Robin, Nami, and Chopper slices of cake–and then brought you a plate as well. That time, everyone’s eyes were on him, but Sanji pretended like nothing was off.

When he chirped “Hi, Y/N-chan,” to you as he passed by you in the hall, you had enough. You grabbed him and shoved him against the wall, hard. He immediately knew he messed up, but despite your fingers fisted in his collar and your murderous expression, he only flushed red.

“What are you doing?” you hissed.

“I–I’m–” Sanji stammered. Blood started to run from one of his nostrils.

“Why are you acting like this?” you demanded. “Being all sappy and disgusting to me. Who do you think I am?”

“I–I’m sorry,” Sanji tried. You grit your teeth, beginning to fear the worst.

“Did you lose all respect for me when you saved my life?” you asked bluntly.

“Of course not! I think highly of you.”

“Too much so, don’t you think?” you had to struggle not to shout. “Is this because you heard me crying last month?”

Sanji shut his mouth, glancing aside and giving away the answer. He nodded.

“Am I weak to you or something?”

“No, that’s not it–” he tried, but you pulled him away from the wall and slammed him back into it.

“I don’t understand! You’re too soft with me. Why are you treating me so nicely?”

“Because you’re a woman, and women deserve the best.” He said it unflinchingly and with conviction, looking right back into your eyes.

The answer was obvious, but a part of you still hoped it was something else, hoped that because he didn’t go overboard with his affections that he didn’t know. Your grip on his collar weakened and gave away along with your hopes, hands hanging limply at your sides.

“When did you find out?” you asked quietly. “Or should I say, how?”

“I saw you crying.” Sanji pulled out a handkerchief, wiping his nose.

“So?”

“You may look and act like a man…but a woman’s tears leave no room for doubts.”

You stared at him in disbelief. Unfair. That’s what this was. Just unfair. Because after all those years living as a male, you got found out because of Sanji’s freakish sixth sense for women. Your sigh was heavy, and you had to rest your head in your hand for a moment.

“Okay, well, we need to set some things straight. You can’t keep slipping up around me, or the others will find out. They already suspect something’s up.”

“I'm trying!” Sanji retorted. “I knew you were hiding it for some reason, so I tried to keep myself in check! Do you know how hard it’s been?”

“How hard it’s been?” You wanted to punch him. “You have no idea what I go through every day just to keep up appearances! Just to earn the regard I deserve! Why couldn't you respect me as a man?”

“I don't respect men.”

“Ugh!” You punched the wall by his head instead. Sanji didn’t flinch. “You have to take me seriously.”

“I am!”

“We can’t keep going like this.” You bit your lip in frustration, trying to think of a solution. Maybe you could use his weird complex around women to your advantage, if he would just stop giving it away. “Okay, listen. Sanji. If you really want to do me a favor, the best thing you can do is help me keep my secret. That means whenever you have the urge to treat me like a girl, you nip it in the bud. Can you do that?”

“I…I’ll try.” Sanji went to take your hand, but you yanked it away.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about! You can’t be so familiar.”

“I’m sorry. It’s hard! I–I want to treat you right. I want to be close to you.”

“I want to be close to you to,” you admitted, surprising yourself. “But I. I’d… I’d rather hold onto my secret.”

He looked hurt, which sent a cold pang of guilt into your stomach. Reaching out, you patted his shoulder. “I’m depending on you, do you understand?”

Sanji took in your expression–serious, worried, uncertain–and nodded. The hand that reached for yours instead went over his heart. “I promise,” he said, “I will do everything I can to help keep your secret.”

The talk with Sanji helped massively, fixing his odd behavior around you for the most part. There was one thing he couldn’t give up, and that was giving you a nickname. He called you something in French–“mon petit chou,” he would say–but as it was foreign, you figured it was safe to use around the crew, and let it slide.

It was only a few months later that you learned Robin was fluent in French.

#replies #luciledreamz #zoro x reader #luffy x reader #sanji x reader #x reader #one piece imagines #finished requests #zen writes

[bonetrousled]

the TAPE WOMAN INCIDENT is as follows. under a cut because this is a LONG ass ride

okay so to preface i need u to understand two things

1) i live in the middle of nowhere. i personally live in the middle of a CORNFIELD and it takes me fifteen minutes to drive to where i work and even that location is pretty non-notable. i work on the weekends and it gets pretty dead past 6 pm

2) i had a coworker we’ll call Sheldon who was one of THE worst people i’ve ever met. the most unbearable obtuse cishet white gay guy you can imagine. like “lesbians get too much rep” kind of guy. would follow you around WHILE you did your job stocking shit and talk your ear off to hear his own voice .  beyond that he was super weirdly violent. he’d make up stories about himself to sound cool but instead of being like “yeah my dad works at minecraft” he’d make up stories abt himself beating the shit out of people and like. wrenching their hair out.

if anyone else said these things to me i’d be scared shitless but i knew i could take him in a fight but it was still fucking WEIRD. talked abt wanting to hurt a higher-ups kids and he STILL wasn’t fired for that (eventually got fired later thank god) but he constantly did things that were borderline like. budding serial killer behavior ON TOP OF being unbearable to work with and constantly stealing my sales to make my numbers look bad

so. one of my coworkers had to leave early bc she was sick and i was given an ultimatum. i could either A) close alone for the very first time and be by myself for like two hours with no prior warning OR B) have sheldon come and close with me. of course i picked the former with NO hesitation. i figure yeah this is a scary and sudden happenstance but also if i had to be around him any longer id freak the fuck out. plus im like it’s like what. 5pm already? it’s not gonna be bad. i can deal w this.

so i’m sitting in the back alone and relaxing and whatever. i did everything i needed to do for the rest of the night earlier and since nobody was in the store i was just new boot goofing. the only thing of note that happens is that these middle school age boys come in and buy perms and leave. they will be back later

i go back to the back room and i’m enjoying myself when i hear the door ding so i go up to the front. in comes the omen: a woman in a tank top, coated in orange spray tan, with a bedazzled cross necklace. she’s the normal amount of annoying for any given Customer Interaction. HOWEVER

i go to cash her out. and i’m waiting for her to press a button on the card scanner but i don’t get the chance to be like “hey you need to do this for me to even start scanning your shit” because she begins telling me about an experience she just had

she goes “well. just so you know, i saw a woman in this parking lot, and she was sort of peering around into people’s cars, and she came up to me- and her face was ALL taped up.” so at this point im thinking like. gauze?? medical tape??

and she continues- “and she wanted a ride. so i said, okay, and i let her into my car. and she wanted a smoothie”

 (i have to interject here to say there is NOWHERE to get a smoothie near me. i have no idea what she’s talking about)

“so i took her to the smoothie place. she also had a BIG bag of carrots, and she wanted them to put the carrots in there. so they did, but then she decided she wanted them to remake the drink because they touched the carrots. anyway, i decided that was too much, so i had to drop her off. i let her go at starbucks, so, you know. if you see her, BE CAREFUL.”

okay so let’s unpack this. FIRSTLY i have had a woman made up to me. this is completely unbelievable from start to finish. i have no fucking idea what she’s talking about . SECONDLY: BE CAREFUL??

so i’m just like. sure this might as well happen . and i’m just like “ooh. um. haha yeah okay” and finally get to scanning her shit. and she goes to leave and stops at the door and her face falls as she STARES at me and whispers:

“i don’t know if you believe in this sort of thing, but i think god is watching. ALL the time. and i think he really, really wanted me to give her that smoothie. but i just COULDN’T do it.”

and she fucking leaves . so i’m just left there like 🧍 and i go sit back in the back. and im chilling out back there when i hear the door ding, so i go up and i’m greeted by the perm boys. they forgot some stuff they needed, so i’m like. ok cool no prob, heres what you need. while i’m helping them i hear the door ding again, but i’m helping the perm boys, so i figure i’ll finish with them and then see who came in and what they need.

we go to walk up to the register and someone’s facing away from us in the aisle. so i’m like “oh um excuse me! just gotta sneak past ya” and the Person turns around.

the tape woman. imagine if you will a lady with her ENTIRE HEAD wrapped in duct tape like the INVISIBLE FUCKING MAN. with a hole cut out in the duct tape for her mouth but NONE FOR HER EYES . there’s a single tape hole right next to her nose that she’s using to look out at me and in order to see me she has to lean all the way back to look at me with it . ADDITIONALLY she is carrying a fucking DUFFEL BAG that’s OPENED and filled with LOOSE BABY CARROTS

so while my heart takes a fastpass route straight to my stomach i am faced with a MYRIAD of realizations:

FIRSTLY the tape woman is fucking real. the omen i was given not even an hour earlier had come to pass and she was now in my store. SECONDLY i am the only person working. i can’t even look at anyone and be like HEY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON because my only witnesses are the goddamn PERM BOYS and THIRDLY i have to act like her head is NOT in fact covered in duct tape because like. i dont know what the hell is going on i think if i react in any way i will be in danger

so the tape woman scoots out of the way and i check the perm boys out. and they BOOK IT out of the store . so i am now left alone with the tape woman

and i’m like <:)  ..... do you. um. need any help with finding anything? and the tape lady turns around and she points at a bottle and goes. “is this shampoo?” and i’m like “ohhh um no that’s color sealer. this is shampoo here” and like. despite looking 100% like she was going to axe murder me she was one of the nicest people i had dealt with all day. she was just like “oh okay! thank you”.

and she asks me how much is so i tell her and she’s like oh alright. i only have five bucks on me right now so i’m gonna go into the parking lot and see if i can find any money. and i felt bad because like. i was going to offer to pay but the registers don’t let you cash yourself out if you’re ringing on them so i was just like “oh! alright!”

so she leaves and comes back a minute or two later and she’s very nicely just like “oh um don’t worry about it, i’m not gonna get anything today. have a nice night” and im like oh you too! and she leaves. and i watch through the front window as she goes to leave and this guy gives her like 20 bucks . so i’m thinking “oh she’s gonna come back and buy it right”

she comes back into the door. and stops in the doorway and she says to me

“um, don’t worry about it, actually. i’m not gonna get that right now-“

and she lowers her voice before going:

“because i have to pray. and if the prayer turns out RIGHT. i will come back. and i will buy it.”

and she LEAVES without a second word. did not even see her in the PARKING LOT for the rest of the NIGHT . i have asked MULTIPLE PEOPLE who work in the same plaza if they encountered this lady and NOBODY HAS. i asked the people at STARBUCKS and they say they haven’t ever seen her. my ONLY witnesses are these middle schoolers trying to get perms. i have been thinking about this at least once a day since the event has happened. i haven’t even seen the first lady who warned me about her since. i think i was contacted by spirits or something

tldr two separate women channel god in a beauty supply store in the middle of country bumpkin nowhere at 7:30 pm while i closed alone

#txt

[s1k0zu]

Hey everyone,

While I was a bit (okay a lot) late to board the Austin train, once I did, I fell HARD. Before I saw him in Dune II, I knew about him, but never thought to take a second look.

Then I saw Dune and I still can't get Austin's performance out of my head. He was amazing! 😍

I've devoured everything I can find with him since then, and I've been reading a lot of fan fiction lately, and a scene has been playing on repeat in my mind, so I decided to write it down.

I love all the Feyd fics but I find myself wanting more of Austin and less of Feyd (he's just a bit too intense and I kinda miss the hair). So I came up with the idea below.

Let me know if you liked it and if you want me to try writing about something else. 🫣

Fair warning ⚠️ I've never written any fiction before, so this will probably be a mess...and it's maybe a bit too long.

🔞 It's pure smut, so minors stay away!

Under his skin

You and Austin have been together since before his Elvis movie.

You'd met when you were teenagers and became fast friends, but until you had to spend two weeks locked together in his apartment in Australia, because of the pandemic, that was all you were - friends.

You'd visited him for the weekend and then the lockdown forced you to stay.

The tension between the two of you had started escalating gradually, until one night he couldn't resist kissing you any longer. All it took was that one kiss and you were his forever.

You started getting jobs in the crew of all of his projects so you could stay together, which is why you're now in Budapest on the set of Dune II.

It's early morning and it's already as hot as hell. Add to that the giant sound box you've been setting up, so Austin can film his fight scenes in it later, and you're close to fainting.

You haven't seen Austin in two months, because he was busy training in L.A. and you were on location in Jordan with the rest of the cast.

You flew in with the night flight, dropped your bags at his place and went straight to set. He was already there, getting into costume, and you didn't have the time to see him.

Once you're done setting up and finally have some free time you head to his trailer to surprise him and wish him luck.

You open the door and cool air hits your face. Then you see him and you're sure the chill running down your body isn't from the AC.

He's gloriously naked, a black loincloth is all that covers his body. They've painted his torso with black lines and he's got his bald cap already in place. You've seen him in full costume before, but only in photos. This hits differently.

There's something feral and imposing about him and it's doing things to you. Gone is the sweet, gentle Austin you know and in his place is a man who exudes power and dominance.

His body is pure perfection and you know how hard he worked to get here.

"Hey, Earth to y/n. Are you ok?" Austin's voice comes through the fog.

"Yeah", you sigh, "It's just..."

"What?", he asks, a sly smirk forming on his lips.

"Let's just say if you weren't about to shoot, I'd be ruining your makeup right now", you say, raking your gaze over his gorgeous naked body.

"Fuck", he mutters and steps toward you, biting his lower lip, his eyes darkening with want.

"Ah, ah", you stop him, placing a hand on his chest, "makeup."

"Damn you woman! How am I supposed to focus now?", he asks brushing a stray hair behind your ear.

"Hey, I'm not the one wearing next to nothing here," you tell him, "and you're not the only one having a hard time focusing."

You brush your lips against his and his hands instantly grip your face as he deepens the kiss. All the frustration of not being able to touch each other for the past two months melts as your tongues dance frantically, fighting for dominance.

"I'll make you a deal," you say, panting, "you go slay them with your talent and we can come back here during the lunch break, to finish this."

"Deal", he says huskily in your ear, melting you with his beautiful voice.

A crew member comes in to call him to set and breaks the tension before you two can go any further.

You watch him perform, always in awe of his ability to switch between himself and the character in seconds. You busy yourself with work and bringing him water bottles and towels between takes, and just like that the hours go by and it's time for lunch.

"I can't wait to take this thing off my head. I'm sweating like a pig," Austin says, taking a towel from your hands. He's been doing fighting scenes for the past hour and he's in full combat get up.

"I'll stick around to help with the set. Text me when you're done and we can take a shower," you say, walking your fingers playfully up his chest. You lean up to give him a quick kiss but he grabs your waist to keep you there, turning it into a steamy makeout session.

"I've missed you so much," Austin breathes out, his forehead touching yours.

"I've missed you too," you say, tilting his head lower to kiss his nose.

You disengage and he heads to his trailer so the makeup team can remove his bold cap.

A while later you get a text from Austin:

R u coming? We had a deal remember?

You mutter an excuse and head towards his trailer, willing yourself not to run.

#

When you enter, you see him running a hand through his wet hair, the bald cap gone. He still hasn't removed his costume.

"Want some help with that my lord", you ask, starting to unzip the back of his wetsuit.

When he hears you call him that Austin feels a shiver run down his body. He turns and wraps his arms around you.

"Say that again," he growls.

His eyes are dark with desire and you swear you can see Feyd still lurking in the background, ready to pounce.

"You should play the bad guy more often. It's a good look on you...my lord."

"Yeah? Wanna show me just how much you like it?"

You grip his neck, fingers tangled in his hair, and kiss him long and hard, your tongues fighting for dominance. You bite his lip when he pulls away and the groan that escapes from his throat sets your whole body on fire.

He returns the favour by placing kisses on your jaw and down your neck. When he reaches your collarbone he gives it a bite in just the right spot, making heat pool between your legs.

You lean into him, feeling his erection against you and bite his earlobe, whispering into his ear: "I want you inside me."

Austin's hands tighten on your ass and he gives you a smouldering look. His blue eyes are dark with desire as he dives in to kiss you again.

You start undressing each other frantically, hands running all over, tongues locked in a dizzying dance. The room fills with the sounds of heavy breathing, your moans, Austin's groans and wet kisses.

He grabs you by the hand and pulls you into the shower.

You're both panting while he turns around to fidget with the water tap. You admire his naked body while he adjusts the temperature. He's a work of art - all lean muscle chiselled to perfection.

Your eyes travel down his chest to the trail of hair under his belly button and between his thighs and the sizeable erection he's got. His penis is perfect: a round red tip, its length marbled by veins. You can't wait to taste it and feel it inside you.

You can't believe he's yours.

"My eyes are up here, gorgeous", Austin's amused voice brings you out of your dazed wet dream.

"And what a sight they are," you smile up at him.

After seeing you standing gloriously naked before him, raking your lust-filled stare over his body, Austin can't hold himself back any longer.

His hands come up to grab your face and he bends down to devour you. As the kiss deepens, Austin's hands travel down your body, lingering on your breasts. He pinches one of your nipples and you moan into his mouth.

He breaks the kiss to look at you.

Before you can answer he bends down and licks your neck, slowly descending to your left nipple.

"Fuck you're gorgeous. I can't wait to be inside you."

You start kissing his neck, his chest, his abs, your hands trailing down to his hips. His skin tastes salty from the sweat. You kneel in front of him and lick his length slowly, feeling the veins with your tongue. He lets out a groan and braces himself against the tiled wall.

You place tiny nibbles on the head, squeezing his balls, teasing him. He shudders in ecstasy as you swallow as much of his length as you can and start moving your head up and down slowly.

"Fuck, y/n, you have to stop or I'll come...," Austin pants on top of you. You speed up your pace, locking eyes with him.

Seeing you kneeling before him, your mouth on him, looking at him like that drives him over the edge. Austin comes with a groan and you feel his seed spill into your throat. You take him out of your mouth and give the head a little kiss.

"You taste so fucking good every time," you say standing up.

Austin grabs your cheeks and gives you a rough kiss.

"You have no idea how hot you look on your knees, do you?"

When one of his hands sneaks between your legs and he rubs his fingers on your clit you feel a jolt run over your whole body and you can't stop the moan coming out of your mouth.

Austin hears you moan, hands digging into his back and throws caution away - he bites down hard on your nipple, sliding his fingers into you.

"Fuck Austin", is all you can say, your mind going blank with pleasure. You don't know what's gotten into him, but you love this new, dangerous and dominant side he's showing you.

Austin places wet kisses and nibbles all over your breasts and stomach, pumping his fingers into you. You writhe in his arms, hands tugging his hair.

When his mouth descends on your clit you moan loudly. He bites it and then licks the sore spot, curling his fingers inside you. This sends jolts of electricity all over your body and you feel yourself coming, nails digging into his hair.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you," he says, voice hoarse from lust. You can feel his hard length pressing against your entrance.

Austin groans in pleasure when he hears you moan his name, the pain from your nails digging into his scalp sending bolts of pleasure straight to his groin.

He gets up, grabs your hips and lifts you, your back against the tiled wall.

You look at his soft, puffy lips and can't help kissing him again. Austin groans and slips his tongue into your mouth, making you dizzy.

When he finally breaks the kiss to look at you, you see the passion burning in his eyes, but there's something else there too - something feral. You realise he hasn't shaken Feyd off completely.

That sparks something in you, emboldens you.

"Have your way with me, my lord na-Baron. I'm all yours", you say, threading your fingers through his hair and pulling on it, your hips bucking into him.

Hearing you say that, something in Austin snaps. He can't think anymore, all he knows is that he wants to be inside you, now.

With a quiet growl he bends down to crash his lips into yours, sliding into you in one swift move.

You can't help the cry that comes out of your mouth when he slams into you. You were already wet, but he's big.

The sharp pain quickly turns into intense pleasure as he starts thrusting into you with abandon. You can feel every vein on his hard length as he's stretching you and filling you in the best way.

You've been together for years and every time he enters you feels like the first time. It's like your bodies are pieces of the same puzzle. The feel of him inside you is divine.

Austin doesn't wait for you to adjust to his size, he couldn't even if he wanted to. He's possessed by the desire to be inside you, to own you. He picks up his pace, slamming into you, his teeth leaving red marks all over your neck and shoulders. His left hand is moulded to your thigh, his right squeezing your breast.

You've never seen him like this, so forceful and primal, and you realise you love it. As the pain shoots through the pleasure you find yourself coming, trying not to scream. You mould your lips to Austin's to stifle your moans and that just spurs him on. He continues to slam into you, balls-deep, throughout your climax.

After a while, Austin comes to his senses and realises he's too rough, he's hurting you. Just as he slows down his pace, releasing you from his grip, he hears you say:

"No, don't hold back. I want you to lose control. Ravage me."

He looks into your eyes, making sure he didn't just imagine that, and sees only carnal desire and love there. He can't believe you're his.

"Fuck, I love you," he whispers.

You smile and bite his neck hard. The little control he'd managed to take back shatters. Austin slips out of you so he can turn you around, your back towards him, and slams back into you.

One of his hands travels to your neck and squeezes, the other goes to your nipple.

This angle helps him sink even deeper inside you. The sensation is almost too much and you feel the waves of another orgasm coming. Sex with Austin is always great but this is different. He's lost all control and given in to his desire, and you fucking love it.

Austin feels your walls clenching around him and he knows you're close. The hand around your throat tightens as he moves his other hand from your breast to your clit, running his fingers in agonisingly slow circles, and right before you come he inserts two fingers in.

The feeling of his fingers and his hard length inside you is too much and you trip over the edge, your whole body shaking. You claw at his neck and bury your fingers into his hair as he swallows your moans with a kiss when you both come.

You've never seen this side of him before. He's always so protective of you, so gentle. You realise he's been holding himself back, afraid to lose control and hurt you.

He looks at you apprehensively and you smile at him, tugging him close so you can wrap your hands around his neck and give him a slow, tender kiss.

For a while the only sounds in the shower are the running water and your heavy breathing as you're both coming down from your highs.

Eventually, Austin lets you go and eases out of you with a groan. Your legs are shaking as you lean onto the tile wall while he turns around to adjust the showerhead.

He melts into you, relieved you're okay.

You disengage and proceed with your shower, washing each other's hair and bodies, placing soft kisses here and there.

When you're done, Austin stops the water. He swaddles you in a huge fluffy towel, picks you up and carries you to the bed.

He lies next to you on his side, head propped up, facing you, tiny droplets of water running down his face and torso.

"I'm sorry", he says quietly, giving you a sad puppy look and caressing your face.

"For what? Giving me multiple orgasms?"

"No..." he laughs and then falls silent.

"I hurt you. I don't know what came over me."

"Not what, who. You've still got some of Feyd lurking in the background," you say a soft smile playing on your lips.

"That's not an excuse y/n. I should've stopped...I should've..." he trails off, looking remorseful.

"I don't know if you noticed Butler but I liked it. A lot", you lift his head so he can look at you.

"I'm not made of china you know. Promise me you'll stop holding back on me. This was fucking amazing."

"Yeah it was, wasn't it," he says, finally relaxing, "Okay, but on one condition: you promise to tell me if I cross the line."

"Deal," you say and mould your lips over his.

#austin butler #fiction #feyd x you #austin x reader #smut #austin butler smut #austin butler x y/n #austin butler x you #first time writer #fanfic

[shivvyscat]

Stay.

[summary: shiv lets you lounge on her bed after an afternoon together, watching her get ready for an event; lots of gay panic and reader being a simping mess]

[gxg, shiv x f!reader]

• • •

It took Siobhan at least a year of hooking up before she even entertained the idea of you staying at her place for even ten minutes after being done in bed. But you persisted, and you would’ve been fine with being kicked on your ass for another year if it meant getting the slightest bit closer to the redhead.

Your patience paid off though, and now each time you went to see her after an ‘I have the place to myself, come over’ text, you’d get your cuddles, your long talks, and sometimes, you’d get a glimpse of her life, that she would willingly show you. Tonight was one of those days, as you laid naked in Shiv’s bed, watching her sit in front of her vanity mirror, in her cute little satin robe.

“Could you not?” Her silky voice brought you out of your haze.

“I’m not even doing anything.” Shiv raised a brow, looking at you through the mirror with that smirk that made you want to get on your knees and kiss her from toe to head. But you kept your cool.

“You’re ogling. It’s annoying.” Her hands kept working on her face, your eyes still on her.

“Well, you’re the one ogling if it’s bothering you. Look at your own pretty face.” You tease and turn on your stomach, cuddling a blanket as your head is still turned to her direction.

“You little shit.” She laughs, and you grin, wanting to make her laugh again, and again, and then one more time. “Don’t you have anything else to do? I have to be sharp for this thing. Get in the right headspace to deal with those fuckers.” You revelled in the way her eyes lingered for one second longer on your half sheet-covered figure even as she said this.

“Not really.” You lied. The truth is that you had a bunch of stuff you could be doing instead of lounging in this woman’s bed. But you wanted to be here, for as long as she’d have you, you would be here.

“Yeah, well, I do, so quit it.”

“Why did you even invite me over if you knew you had this thing? I wouldn’t have come if I knew it was gonna be just a couple hours.” Before you even said it, you knew it was another lie. You would’ve come here if Siobhan wanted just a quick release. You would’ve come here if she wanted just a peck on the lips.

“You would’ve.” Shiv smirked. “Besides, I wanted you. Got a problem with that, Y/N?”

“Whatever. Like I said, I had the day free, anyway.”

“Oh yeah? No standing up your girlfriend for this?” She asked, a little teasingly, her movements as she fixes her hair as sharp as her tongue. You smile.

“Which one are you talking about?”

“Hm, I don’t know. Roman did say you fucked his girlfriend.” Shiv looks amused as she turns on her seat, grabbing a bottle of lotion from the vanity and leaning down to apply it on her legs. Now you’re really ogling.

“I fucked you. Are you my girlfriend?” This makes her laugh. And once again you bask in the pleasure of that sound being caused by you.

“Come here, smartass.” You raise your brows, eyes full of surprise and subtle excitement. “What? Are you scared? I want your opinion on something.”

“Oh, that’s a first.” You lean over the edge of the bed to grab your shirt from the floor, but she stops you.

“Uh uh. That won’t be necessary. Come here.” You stand up, completely bare as you walk up to her. Once again revelling in the way her eyes travel up and down your body, in that subtle way only she can pull off, and probably only you can notice. She pulls you closer by the waist. “Which of these go best with my eyeshadow and a black dress?” She holds up a few lipstick options.

“Hm… I don’t know. This one?” Shiv scoffs, with a grin.

“Please, that one screams whore.”

“Why do you even have it?”

“For situations where it’s acceptable. Like your birthday party.” She looks up at you with that teasing smile, it makes you smile as well, and your knees feel like they might buckle under you.

“Oh, fuck you, Siobhan.”

“What? Don’t you remember this lipstick all over your body after? I think it looked great. But not for tonight.” She puts the options down. “Come here.”

“What, you ass?” Shiv pulls you in again, making you settle on her lap, your thighs on each side of hers. You are so, so aware of the minuscule amount of barrier between you two.

“Put….” She holds your waist with one hand, and with the other she picks out a lighter option of red. “This one on me.”

“I’m sorry, are your hands not working?” You smile, grabbing the lipstick she handed you, once her hand is free she holds the other side of your waist, her touch firm and gentle at the same time.

“Well, I want you in my lap. You might as well do it for me, no?” You roll your eyes, unable to not smile at her words, her expression, her hands caressing from your hips to below your breasts.

“Pucker up, then.” You reach up for her lips, but before you touch them with makeup, you lean in and kiss her, just a soft contact. As you pull away, she puts her hand on the back of your neck and pulls you into a proper kiss.

It’s hard to keep it going, since you’re both smiling, you pull back with a chuckle. “Do you wanna get ready or not?”

“Yes. Don’t go overboard. Just one layer is fine.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Shut up.” She mutters, trying not to move her lips too much as you put on her lipstick, it’s clear to you that she wants to smile.

“All done.” You put the little tube back on the table and she turns to inspect your work, her hands not once leaving your body.

Shiv hums. “Good.” She moves your hair behind your shoulders. “I’m gonna get dressed….” She says in a lower voice, leaning into your neck, planting little teasing kisses on it. “And you’re gonna be right on that bed when I get back.”

You tilt your head a little to give her better access, sighing softly. “Yeah?”

“Hm mhm. I want you here. Stay.” Shiv says, and you nod. She lightly smacks your ass, making you stand up from her lap. “And don’t get dressed.”

Shiv voice says ‘demand’, but her eyes say ‘plead’. Either way, you’re going to oblige. You’re gonna be here when she gets back. You always are.

• • •

(my first tumblr post 😭 send me requests! I love writing for shiv. let me know your thoughts as well <3)

#shiv roy x reader #shiv roy #succession #succession x reader #fanfiction #self insert #x reader #siobhan roy

[dira333]

Akashi kisses are nothing like you’d expected them to be. 

His hands are rough from Basketball as they cradle your face, warm lips press firmly against yours and he’s so impossible close that it hurts. He kisses you like this was always meant to be happening, on a random Monday in between classes and basketball training. He kisses you like the world has turned upside down and his mothertongue is no longer japanese but rather the movement his lips make against yours, as if he’s speaking through touch alone. 

You don’t remember moving your arms or your hands but there’s the sensation of silky hair between your fingers. Your nails lightly catch on his scalp and there’s a sound, breathless and hot, that travels from his mouth into yours. It’s followed by a tongue, wet and warm and so eager to explore. Your knees give out when his tongue touches yours. 

“Are you okay?” Akashi’s still looking a little blurry, even through your glasses. He’s helped you onto the ground where you sit and try to catch your breathe.

“Was it a bit much?” He whispers and his hands hesitantly reach out towards you. You nod weakly and put your left hand into his right, expecting him to pull you up.

He sits down in front of you, instead, holds your hand gently in his, caressing the skin where callouses have formed from scribbling countless notes. 

“I don’t think my heart can take this much.” You tell him when his index finger brushes over your pulse point. 

“We’ll go slow.” He promises. It sounds suave and self assured at first, but then he ducks his head when he adds. “If you let me.”

Through stolen glances and moments, hidden away in the library or when you’re supposed to be studying, you learn that Akashi might seem the perfect man, but he is so much more than that.

He’s ticklish and has trouble sleeping, loves to listen to voice notes of you reading out loud his business textbooks. He wants to hold hands more than anything but usually loses his cool the moment you two are alone, craving your touch like it’s the air he needs to survive.

He’s impatient with kisses but tries to go slow. He’s never even thought of the possibility of leaving a mark and when it does happen, he’s the one running to the store for a good cover up foundation.

You can tell that he wants the world to know that the two of you are a thing. He wants to hold hands everytime you walk in the same direction and tries to come up with reasons as to why he needs to walk you towards any place possible. 

But he’s not into PDA. Kisses are reserved for places where no one can see the two of you. 

And you’re more than fine with that, because the  thought of even holding hands in public makes you break out in cold sweat. You’ve worked up yourself to casually brushing hands when walking next to each other, feeling like the whole world is watching you, thinking how you’re not fit to be his partner. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” Akashi tells you on the drive back from a movie night with the others. Aomine’s staying back at his parents house and Yori had fallen asleep in his bed before the group had even left his place.

Somehow, everyone else filed up into the other cars, leaving you and Akashi to drive back alone. 

“It’s not that I can’t see myself the way you see me.” He tries to interrupt but you click your tongue. “No, I know that I can’t do that, but that’s not the point. The point is that everyone else can’t see me the way you see me. And normaly that would be great because I only want one boyfriend, but it’s just…. You’ve never had to deal with bullying. It’s illogical to you and it is illogical, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still happen.”

“Okay.” He puts his hand on your thigh and squeezes you through the fabric of your trousers. “I don’t mind waiting as long as I’m waiting with you.”

“I love you.” You tell him, the words floating out of you, coming as naturally as a breathe or a sigh would.

“I love you too.”

Excerpt from my long fic “how to make friends as an adult….”

#akashi x reader #akashi seijūrō #knb #knb scenario #aomine daiki x reader #my writing

[mamawasatesttube]

@deadchannelradio said:

obsessed w "civ hostage" kon. obsessed.

THANK you for giving me the opportunity to talk abt this one bc it is, if i do say so myself, funny as hell. like, i talk a bit hurt/comfort character study etc game, but i am also just a guy who deeply, DEEPLY enjoys some good old fashioned shenanigans.

SO. to set the stage: we have conner kent, good ol sweet country boy conner kent, spending a weekend in the big city to visit his buddy tim. things are going well, for the most part, until tim and conner make the mistake of going to hang out at a nice café. why?

the cafe is SO nice that it is, in fact, right next to a bank!

they are in gotham city (uh oh!).

the bank gets robbed.

sirens start blaring, the gcpd are there, the robbers burst out of the front door frantic to get to their getaway car, and oh, hell, the gcpd is right there, they need some kind of leverage to not get their tires shot out from under them--

they need a hostage!

there's a cafe patio full of civilians right there!

this guy who's jumped to his feet as if to get between all the guns and his buddy? oh sure yeah he'll do cmon grab him get him in the car lets go lets GO MOVE IT MOVE IT

FLOOR IT LETS GO KEEP A GUN TO HIS HEAD MAKE SURE THE COPS SEE WE HAVE HIM LETS GO

[!] Congratulations! Your Conner Kent is now a Civilian Hostage™! In order to protect his secret identity, he may not use any of his powers to escape. Make sure he doesn't run his mouth too much, or else getting shot will reveal that he's bulletproof!

tim, left at the cafe: what the fuck. kon, sitting in the getaway car: what the fuck. the bank robbers, who have no idea what they've just brought upon themselves: phew! that was quick thinking!

what follows is a progression of increasingly more ludicrous conversations as kon desperately tries to control his inability to shut the fuck up. the bank robbers start to argue.

"boss, he's just a teenager!" one argues. "he isn't even from here--look how much he's talking about his grandma. i feel bad. we don't have to keep the guns on him at all times, do we?"

"if he doesn't shut up about his grandma, shoot him in the foot," boss grouches.

"oh, please, don't do that, sir," kon wheedles, valiantly resisting the urge to ttk the duct tape off his arms so he can gesture rudely at the big boss. he does his very best big, innocent doe eyes instead. "my grandpa bought me these boots, and he passed a couple years back!"

"oh, now look what you did!" a third guy exclaims. "he's gonna talk about BOTH grandparents now!"

kon looks back and forth between the bank robbers. two out of three are glaring; the first one, the sympathetic one, tries to smile at him.

kon looks at them all some more.

tim is somewhere up in the rafters of this random gotham wharf warehouse by now, he's sure. this will all be over soon. he doesn't have to keep resisting the giggles too much longer. right?

"could i convince you guys to let me go?" he blinks so sweetly. so innocently. "shucks, i can sweeten the deal! how's this?"

he flutters his eyelashes a little. smiles so innocently.

"i'll give you my grandma's apple pie recipe--"

this is the worst day of these bank robbers' lives.

tim, in the rafters: forget the robbers. I'M gonna strangle him.

anyway, red robin swoops in to rescue Sweet Innocent Country Boy Conner Kent. of course, he can't stay long, but he makes quick work of the hostage situation.

Sweet Innocent Country Boy Conner Kent is more than happy to give a quick statement to the press outside, of course. he looks directly into the camera and gushes about how amazing it was to have red robin himself rescue him! he's so suave and mysterious and cool, and his hair smells so nice--

tim, who is the only one who knows that kon is just very smugly patting himself on the back for finally convincing him to try his fancy shampoo and conditioner set: :|

trending on gotham twitter: Red Robin Smells Like Rosewater

tim is going to kill Sweet Innocent Country Boy Conner Kent. he's gonna do it.

"i'll fucking leave you there next time," he tells kon, who is scrolling through all the tweets with glee. "see if i come rescue you ever again. i'll let the assholes with guns keep you."

"sure you will, rob," kon agrees oh-so-sweetly. tim is going to throw things at him. kon is so smug. god dammit.

but hey, at least he makes tim some apple pie afterwards.

#rimi writes #sort of #timkon #deadchannelradio #its about the shenanigans you see

[gripefroot]

Crooked Ways [16/22]

Vegeta had Bulma all to himself for two days and two nights. What he had considered a moment of insanity (on both of their parts) disintegrated into hours and hours of insanity and finally, on the last night, he was forced to admit that the insanity might be there to stay. 

Her hair clung to his chest while she slept, curled up against him as if he were something soft and comforting, not the battle-hardened warrior that he was. He didn’t have the heart to move her. So Vegeta propped a hand beneath his head and watched the stars move across the sky through the skylight, wondering how his existence had changed so much in so short a time.

But how much had changed, truly? 

He was no longer a virgin, no longer had to hold himself back from the woman that tempted out the most salacious parts of himself. He hadn’t trained for several days, it was true, but that would return in time. When Bulma decided she’d had enough demonstrations of Saiyan stamina and stepped back to their old barriers of bickering. 

He’d never disliked arguing with her…not really. But trading in constant love-making for quips struck him as a raw deal. If he had to choose one or the other, though, he’d deny himself her body. Fewer distractions, that way. And when, after the androids were defeated, he finally left Earth…he could do so without anything tugging him back. 

Quieted by that resolve, Vegeta turned away from the window to rest his cheek on Bulma’s head, his senses overtaken by her natural, womanly scent half-hidden by the soap she’d been using in his shower. It smelled different on her than it did him. Better, he’d dare to say. 

Whatever the day had in store…he’d always remember this. All the smoke of her he could catch between his fingers before she drifted away forever. 

Bulma stirred before he did, stretching out her body in all directions while Vegeta, disoriented, mumbled something about his arm going numb over the course of the night and why did she have to be kicking him first thing in the morning? 

“Morning, sleepyhead.” A kiss bloomed on the crest of his cheekbone. “Hungry?” 

He gave a grunt. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Don’t go anywhere.”

As if he would. Most days he was up and ready for training before his eyes were fully opened, but something deeply and heavy in the region of his gut kept him on the bed, utterly languid and unwilling to move. Not that he’d tell her that. Who knew what Bulma would do with that information? What felt like a few seconds later, when the room was quiet, he reached out to find the opposite side of the bed cool. He was alone, but not for long. 

Bulma returned with a gallon of milk, two boxes of cereal, two spoons and two bowls - one the typical human size and the other he’d seen the cooks use to mix giant batches of dough. “Rise and shine,” she sang, kicking the door shut behind her. She positively swam in a Capsule Corp shirt that she’d given him weeks ago, which she must have grabbed from the dresser. Hair stuck out everywhere, her smile brighter and wider than any sea. 

“I could have gotten that,” Vegeta said crossly, hoisting himself to sit cross-legged on the bed. 

“I know. But you just looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Is that why you told me good morning before you left?” 

She stuck out her tongue, dropping the mixing bowl in front of him. “I thought you could use this. Fewer refills.” 

“I poured milk into a box of cereal once,” he told her, unsure of why he was revealing this. Bulma listened with a smile, cereal rattling into his bowl. “It was efficient until I realized there was a hole in the bag and it soaked through the box. Your father asked if I pissed myself.”

Her lips twitched. Vegeta sighed. 

“You can laugh,” he muttered, picking up the bowl. 

But all she did was snicker, pouring herself some cereal in the smaller bowl. Then came the milk, careful not to splash over the rim and onto the bed. “When I was traveling the world, I came across people and places I didn’t understand very well,” she said musingly. “I can’t imagine how much more difficult it must be coming from another planet.”

He grunted, chewing and swallowing a mouthful before responding. “I barely lived on any one planet. I am accustomed to such differences.”

Bulma sat on her foot, shirt riding up her legs as if to taunt him. If he’d been hoping to be more immune to her…he was a fool. “Will you try on the newest battle suit today?” she asked between bites. 

“Fine.” 

“Good. I made a few modifications last time that you haven’t seen yet, so that’ll be good to test.” 

He didn’t bother responding to that. 

“Vegeta,” she said suddenly. Her spoon was left resting on the side of her bowl, eyes gone misty as he hurried to swallow and choked. “How are you so good at sex? How is that a Saiyan thing?” 

If he hadn’t choked already, he certainly would have done so then. “It’s natural,” Vegeta said shortly, hoping Bulma would accept that. She didn’t, nudging his knee with hers with a smile until he scowled. “Fine. I’ll say it like this. Reading a lover in the throes of passion to know what will take her to greater heights is much like reading an enemy to know where to strike them.” 

She pursed her lips, eyes narrowing. “You didn’t hit me. Which is good, because I would have murdered you.”

Absurdity of that statement aside, Vegeta pointed out, “I’m not trying to kill you, am I?”

“This time.”

Exasperated, he gave up on his cereal for the time being, waving a hand in explanation. “Both activities monitor heart rates; tiny, personalized tics of the body; intimate knowledge of an individual… To destroy an enemy you must know his weaknesses. To love a woman you must know her weaknesses. They are simply used in different matters. To pleasure instead of to destroy.” 

“So…what you’re saying is,” Bulma said slowly. “You know me well enough to do either, and I should thank you for choosing the former.” 

Vegeta picked up his spoon again. “If you so choose.” 

“But why have Saiyans developed those skills? Do they really go hand in hand?”

“Absolutely. We are a warrior race. Many die before procreating. Therefore, those that are left must carry the extra burden of replenishing and increasing the population.” 

“And where does that leave you?”

He lifted his head, frowning at Bulma’s tilted head, her intense curiosity.

“You’re nearly the last one left,” she clarified. Something heavy weighed down his stomach, and it wasn’t the milk. 

“The possibility of full-blooded Saiyans replenishing is well out of reach,” Vegeta said. “I have no urge to chase a hopeless dream.” 

She said nothing to that. Which left him prickling and uncomfortable, as if a light was shone on his face and soul in places usually too dark to see. 

“There is no better glory for a Saiyan man than to have a woman in his bed and a brood of children fighting amongst themselves to discover the strongest among them,” he said in a mutter. “I saw it in my father, in my cousins, in all the strongest warriors.”

“How can that be true?” Bulma asked. “Goku - ”

“Kakarot willingly castrated himself from his heritage,” Vegeta spat. “He knows nothing of his own traditions or instincts. He plays with what feels good and right but doesn’t understand the true reasons behind it. He will never reach a wholeness of self as he continues to pick what he wants from his blood and ignores the rest.”

“Ah,” was all she said. 

“Do you have the answers you want?” He couldn’t help tacking on, ignoring the flash of hurt in her expression when she met his eyes. 

“Some,” Bulma said with an elegant shrug. 

“Then what are you prying for?”

The silver of her spoon flashed in the growing morning light as she stuck it between her lips. “I want to know you better,” she said. “What’s wrong with that?”

Vegeta grunted, reaching for the second box of cereal. It filled his bowl to the brim, and he patted down the top to make it even. 

“You hide a lot of yourself behind your rudeness, but I think you’re worth knowing.” 

The stream of milk into his bowl emptied the jug. He twisted the lid back on, placing it next to the empty boxes. “I promise I’m a simple man,” he told her. “I want to be the most powerful Saiyan again. I was for a long time, surpassing my companions at an early age. Kakarot provides a new level to achieve, and I will achieve it. There is nothing else about me that matters.”

Bulma started to laugh. He stared, dripping spoon halfway to his mouth as he watched her clutch her chest, wheezing with mirth. 

“Why do you laugh?” he demanded. 

“You!” 

“How dare you laugh at - ”

“Gosh, Vegeta, just listen to yourself!” She sobered enough to shake her head at him, eyes glassy from tears. “Nothing else about you matters than achieving a high power level? Says the guy constantly reminding everyone he’s a prince!”

Stiffening, he let his upper lip curl into a sneer. “So there are two things about me that matter - ”

“Forget power level and royal blood. What about your perseverance? What about your determination? High pain tolerance? Passion? Do those things matter?”

“They only exist in conjunction with my aspiration or my heritage.”

Bulma gave a sigh that felt, to him, a tad condescending. “Oh, honey. I think I’m starting to figure you out. Can I ask you one more question?” 

“What?” Vegeta snapped. 

“Do you resent Goku because he has a wife and family, too? Is that part of it?” 

He opened his mouth, and closed it again. “It scarcely matters. For now I seek only to surpass his power. Perhaps one day when we have established that I surpass him in every way that matters, I will turn my attention to finding a more beautiful, passionate wife and to sire more children than he.” 

“Of course you would turn love into a competition.” 

“Why shouldn’t it be? Don’t tell me you believe those foolish human notions of romance on those awful television shows you watch.” 

“I believe enough to know that if your every action and choice is to make yourself better than someone else, you’ll never be happy,” Bulma said tartly, unwinding herself and scooping up the trash into her arms. “You’re better off settling for second best and at peace rather than alone on the first place podium.” 

“What would you know about that!”

“Enough!” 

She turned on her heel to leave. Shirt still rucked, Vegeta saw a peep of her underwear barely covering her backside. He shoveled more cereal in his mouth, chewing moodily while she disappeared through the door. 

Showing off her body to anyone that might pass her in the hallway! Brazen! Vulgar! 

And what did that make him, for his rising urge to stomp after her and haul her back to his bed where he could remind her that she was for him, and no one else? 

My sullen, Saiyan prince.

Listening to her stomping down the hallway unwound his heart like a string, leaving his chest a hollow cave.

“I spent a half hour picking your hairs off of my clothes and my bed this morning.” 

Bulma, mouth full of pins and brows furrowed in concentration, didn’t respond until she pinned the section beneath his elbow. Other than his last comment, the lab was quiet. Dr. Briefs was working the corporation audit, whatever that was, and Vegeta was starting to loathe the silence. 

“If it makes you feel better, I have a rash on my thighs,” Bulma said finally, moving around to his front to slip a finger into his collar. Vegeta craned his neck back with a scowl, hating that his skin broke out in goose pimples where her skin touched his. 

“Why would you have a rash?” 

“From your whiskers,” she said as if it were obvious. “I don’t think you shaved all weekend.”

“Why should I? A hundredth of a second of aerodynamics matters much less in bed than it does in battle.”

“My gosh, you’re impossible.” 

“No, you’re simply limiting yourself.” 

Another handful of pins, Bulma gave him an unhappily baffled look before lifting his other arm, tugging the battle suit. “That didn’t make any sense,” she said. She was right, so Vegeta only gave a tch. 

“And for another thing,” he wound up again when she was at his ankles, marking notes on how much longer the inner hems would be. “I found a hair wrapped around my penis while I was in the shower.” 

“Wow. I’m impressed.”

“It’s insufferable. I cannot tolerate it.” 

Bulma glanced up at him, unfortunately catching him in the act of watching her every movement. Vegeta ignored the flare of heat in his cheeks. Her curls spilled over her shoulder, held back by a headband. “We don’t have to have sex ever again,” she said, bottom lip protruding in an angry pout. “Silly me for thinking you enjoyed yourself as much as I did!”

He crossed his arms, deepening his frown. 

“It’s funny how I didn’t hear a word of complaint when my mouth was on your penis, but oh no! My hair! Anything but that!” 

Her sarcasm hit the mark. “And when I accidentally rolled on top of it the other night while we were asleep!” Vegeta continued. “You nearly deafened me with your scream.” 

“It hurt!” 

“So did my eardrum!”

Bulma shot to her feet, eyes blazing heat and ire in a way that got under Vegeta’s skin in a bad way. And by bad, it meant, of course, good. 

“Is this because I asked you personal questions this morning?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “Because I asked you how you were so good in bed? Now you’re taking it out on me? Because I mentioned Goku? Or laughed at you for thinking you aren’t worth more than your power level?” 

He scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Such paltry words have no effect on me.”

“So why are you being a jerk?”

“Because your hair is an annoyance!”

“It’s hair! Talk about an overreaction!”

“Are you done yet? I need to train.” 

“Go!” Bulma waved her hand at the door, temper evident in every tense line of her form. “Enjoy getting stuck with pins!”

He’d forgotten they were there. Meekly Vegeta loosened his stance, dropping his chin a half-inch to amend, “Hurry with your…whatever you’re doing so I can test your suit.” 

“Thank you.” Retrieving her notepad, she scribbled for several quiet moments with an occasional glare at his face. Finally she asked in a neutral voice, “How does it feel?” 

“Fine.” 

A pause. “That’s it?”

“Better than the last one,” Vegeta allowed. “Roomier in the crotch.” 

“Well, now that I know how much space you need there,” he could’ve sworn he heard her say under her breath. But she only dropped her notepad on a desk with a brilliant smile. “Take it off, Vegeta. I’ll sew up these modifications and then you can put it back on and train.” 

“Take it - off? Here?” 

Bulma glanced around the empty room long enough to make him feel foolish for acting like a prude. “No one else is here,” she reminded him, tapping her foot impatiently. “And I’ve already seen you naked. Don’t be stage shy now.” 

Grumbling, Vegeta wrenched his arms through the sleeves until he felt the first prick of a pin. Swallowing a yelp, he narrowed his eyes on Bulma, who merely smiled sweetly, and he finished undressing more slowly until he was left in the buff. He handed her the suit, noting the southward dip of her eyes. 

“Thank you,” she beamed. “Sorry, but I don’t have anything for you to wear while I’m sewing.”

“Is this some kind of a joke?” Vegeta burst out. “Don’t you ever think ahead, woman!”

“Only when it matters.” Bulma threw the suit over her shoulder, wandering around the desk to heave out a sewing machine to plop on top of the mess on the desk. He grunted, hating the careless way she shoved things aside to make room. “Feel free to stand right there,” she added, dragging over a chair with her foot. She sat with a wink. “I like the view.” 

He stood where he was, hands on hips with his neck burning in an odd mixture of embarrassment and pride. “You could have brought an extra pair of shorts,” he muttered.

“Could have,” Bulma sang, threading the machine with brisk skill. 

“What if someone walks in?”

“Then they’ll know you aren’t just swagger and boasting.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Those infuriating curls were thrown back from her shoulder as she laughed. “Oh, Vegeta,” she sighed at last. “You’re the cutest.” 

He grumbled displeasure at the comment, and ignored the warm balloon in his chest at her every glance of admiration. 

#bulma x vegeta #vegebul #dragon ball #dbz fanfic

[wutheringmights]

Can we get the latest directors commentary pls?

Of course you can!

All things considered, this chapter actually came together really quickly. I haven't had a free weekend in a while, so that the chapter got done in a little over a month is really cool and sexy of me

My original plan was to have the bit about the war ending and the engineer leaving in secret at the end of the last chapter, and for this chapter to be the scene about Kat plus its consequences. The entire year would have passed between chapters with the reader getting no glimpses into what happened

Obviously, things got screwed up and I had to think of a way to make the war ending work with the Kat scene. I ended up with the idea of showing the passage of time with Link constantly reflecting back on how he failed to see the engineer. And I think it worked really well! For once my bad pacing was a blessing in disguise.

A part of me feels bad that I didn't do more with the friends of the Heroes Spirit, though I already struggle at times to give Midna things to do. I don't think I could have handled more of Ravio or Tetra.

There was going to be way more of Marin, including a bit about how she fades in and out of existence since she's only a dream. The engineer was always going to be the first person who knew when she was back, as he could always sense her presence.

This chapter also has one of my knew favorite lines (which I will highlight because I want to draw attention to it): "He hadn’t been a child for a long time now. But he had been in that comfortable space where he wasn’t a kid but not yet an adult. He always had the sense that if he turned around, he could walk back into a small shape his mother could hold in her arms."

Fort Raven was named after Sir Raven, from the Oracle of Time manga

Where do I start with the Kat stuff?

First off, I almost named this part of the chapter after the pudding bun. I really wanted to highlight the idea that what breaks through Link's disassociation is one person being selflessly nice to him. Like showing someone humanity begets more humanity

Also, the auburn woman who pointed out which direction Kat went in is the same auburn woman who danced with Link and spread rumors about the engineer in chapter 16. This is a detail only I care about.

Okay, so random trivia aside, let's actually talk about Kat

I have mentioned many times before that Kat is based off of Kattrin from Mother Courage and Her Children. Kattrin is a girl who became non-verbal after she was sexually assaulted by a soldier when she was a kid. You can obviously see how that relates to my Kat.

A long time ago, I mentioned that one of the deleted subplots in CTB was about Link dealing with the Waltons wanting to connect with him now that he was the hero. A character who was deleted from that plotline was a slightly older cousin who was also in the army, and was a total asshole of a man.

I bring the cousin up because the cousin's storyline was going to end with Kat-- that's right, he was supposed to play the role that the major with the slicked back hair played in this chapter.

Obviously, this would mean that this bit about Kat being continuously harassed would have gotten a lot more attention and gone on way longer before climaxing with cousin assaulting Kat.

The cousin got deleted from the story when I got rid of the subplot with the Waltons. I told myself that having a random character attack Kat would still work, but it still feels a little sudden to me.

I really wanted to keep this scene not only for the ways it forces Link to respond, but also to show how shitty soldiers are to civilians, especially men in power

And yeah, I wanted Link trying and failing to save someone to be what triggers his wake-up call. Link definitively fucked up. The only thing he has left is being the hero, and he just fucked up saving someone he cares about.

Watching you all speculate about how Kat got injured up until this point was interesting. For a long while, a lot of you thought that the engineer would be involved. I somehow never expected anyone to associate the engineer with Kat's injury.

There were also a lot of people who thought Link was the one who injured Kat. That, I saw coming. It's been interesting to see how people think about what actually happened.

Of course, I was going to have this section go all the way until the end of the next scene, where Link faces the consequences of his actions. You'll have to see next chapter what those consequences will be.

Okay, onto the present--

Up until this chapter, I was utterly convinced that Twilight and Spirit would hate each other from the moment they meet. Then I wrote this chapter and realized that Twilight's protective gene would triumph any misgivings he would otherwise have. Absolutely no way he wouldn't find out about Spirit and not decide he was going to be the only bozo standing in his corner.

I really wanted this bit with Time and Warriors talking to be at the end of the last chapter. In my brain, the pacing just makes more sense that way. I can't even regret pushing it off until this chapter because their talk ended up being so long.

I also had to write this scene twice because the first time, Time was way out of character.

I was initially worried that Time explaining his point of view would be redundant, but after blindsiding you all with his extremely bias POV during his argument with Spirit, this ended up being necessary. My bad.

But also, Time's perspective is so, so... *vague gesturing*

There were a lot of people who were really certain that the child must have hated Link after Link hit him in the temple. Since then, I have been waiting for someone to connect that scene with the moment where the engineer hit the child first. I thought someone would point this point out after Time's argument with Spirit. But, no! No one did! So I had to point it out in this chapter!

I gotta emphasize that Time is not necessarily correct. But I swore that once I got everyone comfortable with Warriors's morality, I was going to start throwing curve balls to challenge your opinion. And as Time puts it, if Spirit can be forgiven, then why not Warriors? Weren't they both responding to shitty situations? And is Warriors correct when he says it's different?

And why am I writing literary response questions for my own fic? Damn.

I originally scrapped the Wolfie scene because it was too cheesy, then I had to put it back in because I had been writing Twilight like the scene was still there

I've been worried that CTB Hyrule has become so iconic for being kinda a hard ass that he's being flanderized, so I figured he could be the one who declares that everyone is safe and sound.

Wind gets a new haircut because it's not real trauma unless your hair changes. The author is someone who changes her hair every time her life falls apart.

And he has a cool anime-esque eye patch because he's thirteen and he deserves a cool anime-esque eye patch

There actually was going to be a scene where Warriors shared his plan for the Triforce with Lana first, but I cut it since I didn't want to have the same argument twice, once with Lana and once with the Chain; it still feels a little out of character for Link to not talk to Lana first.

So the Warriors and Spirit scene

I wanted to convey that talking about everything that happened too soon would cause Warriors to sort of relive his memories and worsen his trauma. I wanted to try showing that without needing to outright state it, hence the dream-like sequence.

I think this was largely successful. People get the idea. Shout out to this story for forcing me to get good at writing trippy sequences, though. I wasn't really planning on that.

I think my favorite part about Twilight taking control is that he still needed Four to do some of the heavy talking for him. Power duo between a grown man and his 16 year old BFF

As I promised, a Triforce quest comes with a lot of morale quandaries that we now have to navigate with the characters, the biggest one being what is the definition of a war won? How do you wish for a war to be over without causing a larger disaster?

Everything about the world building for the Faovarian government and society was designed to add complications to that question. You can't annihilate the army without killing thralls. You can't use it on their ruler because they have a senate who can be replaced. They're an empire made of conquered people, so there's the risk that you could hurt an oppressed state.

But yeah, we're ready to go on another adventure. The boys are sticking together a little bit longer, and now we have to go meet up with Lincoln.

I wanted to get them on the road this chapter too, especially so that I could end with another really important Spirit scene, but I punted that off to the next chapter. Hopefully, the pacing for the next chapter won't be too weird.

And because the ending is different from what I had planned, I didn't know HOW to end things. Then I remembered how much you all liked dog imagery.

One last note: I love reading everyone's thoughts on the story, especially your thoughts on Warriors, Spirit, and Time. I am amazed by how many different takes I have seen. There is no one out there who is thinking the same thing.

On one hand, that's terrifying for me. When I was younger, I was really into the idea that a successful story left every reader thinking the same thing. The part of me that is forever 20 years old is scared shitless that someone is going to have a bad take and get mad at me for it.

The part of me that is older and somewhat wiser wants all of these polarizing opinions. Every reader brings their own experiences to the table, and I want to see everyone reaching their own conclusions about the characters. I love this. I relish in every ask, reply, or AO3 comment. I love your mini-essays and note taking. I love knowing what everyone thinks.

So, yeah. I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on that. Things are a little terrifying, but they have to be in order to be exciting as well.

#oh my god do i have a bonus funfact for this chapter??? #uhhhhhhh huh. i don't think i do. i think i actually got everything #me rambling #lu ctb #linked universe #ctb lore #ctb spoilers #ctb commentary

[xoxomoonlightxoxo]

P&C | Ch. 5: Fever

➪ Playlist (Spotify) l Series Masterlist

Our eyes remain locked as I choke on a piece of carrot. Quickly grabbing a tissue, I try to hide the flush rising in my cheeks. Jungkook doesn't mind my state and proceeds to open another container of food.

"Pardon?" I manage to blurt out. Why am I the only one feeling tense? Relax, Mira. He is so unbothered, you look pathetic, I think to myself.

"Hmm?" he lifts his eyebrow slightly, hands busy with the dishes. I don't say anything, trying to ease my tense body. I'm too obvious. Whatever he meant by that didn't seem like a big deal to him. So it's better to play it cool, I reassure myself.

Once I managed to taste almost everything on the table, Jungkook began cleaning up. He set all the dishes in the sink before I abruptly told him to stop.

"Jungkook, really you don't have to ... You've done so much already. Seriously, I'll be fine, you can go now." I explained calmly, as a sweat drop rolled down the side of my face. My body was weak as I began to shiver, but I couldn't let him stay here any longer. He gave no thought to my offer and proceeded to soap the sponge until my legs buckled and I fell to my knees.

"Mira!" Jungkook gasped, dropping the bowl and rushing toward my body. I was flushed, both from the embarrassment and the fever. Lifting my chin with his thumb and index finger, he searched my face, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"Mira, you need to rest, please let me get you on the sofa," Jungkook says softly looking for any sign of consent. As much I regret it, my judgement of the situation is overcome by fatigue so I give him a weak nod as an ok.

With my hands wrapped around his neck, I can now clearly see the small scar on his left cheek. He manages to fix up the sofa, throwing the blanket hiding my dress from last night onto a nearby chair. As my head rests on the soft pillow, I knock out immediately. The last thing I remember was Jungkook's soft smile as he tucked a few hair strands behind my ear.

--

Mmmhh ... I stretch my body as the smell of something delicious fills the air. My vision is blurry as I'm trying to make out the time on the clock.

"11??" I scream, uncovering myself from the layers of blankets. My back is all sweaty, but at least I'm not shivering anymore. I can hear a familiar voice from the bathroom as I make my way towards the kitchen.

"Miraya, are you awake?" Jiah asks, opening the door slightly.

"Yeah, how long have you been here?" I follow, scratching my eyes as a yawn escapes mid-sentence. She walks out and rushes in to check my forehead, her face concentrating on my pale skin.

"Okay good, no fever. How are you feeling?" she pulls me in for a tight hug, as her words murmur into my hair.

"I'm better, where's Jungkook? Did he leave already?" I ask trying to scan the room for any evidence of his presence. She nods her head and passes me a cup of water with flu medication.

"Please take this honey, you fell asleep for three hours. After you stopped picking up your phone, I decided to check your dorm and found Jungkook dozing off on the chair next to you. He insisted on staying but I sent him home with Jimin." she explained, drying the dishes that I assume were washed by Jungkook.

"Oh, I see ... well I'm thankful for everyone's concern, really. But, I feel fine now Jiah, please go and relax now, it's so late." I assure her with a soft smile. Never in my life has the flu caused so much commotion. Back home, my mom would just tell me to drink Tylenol and wear fuzzy socks.

After drinking some tea and making sure I was full, with no signs of a fever, Jiah left. We hugged and wished each other goodnight. But I was wide awake, it seemed like my sleeping schedule had been completely ruined after meeting Jungkook. Let me make it up to you. I shiver and shake my head. Stop it, Mira.

--

"Flip-flops!" Tae called, waving his hand across the lecture hall. Microbiology, his favorite class now. Who knew that he would find such fascination in learning about E. coli when a few days ago he couldn't even pronounce its full scientific name? Nonetheless, we have successfully finished our first week of Nursing, and it's been a rollercoaster ride, to say the least.

I'm feeling better, most symptoms have subsided, but I've heard nothing from Jungkook since the last time we saw each other. I'm not sure what I was or am expecting, I mean the phone line works both ways. There's no need though, I think to myself. He is probably just as exhausted with school and all. Relax, Mira.

--

Knock Knock Knock

My thoughts are interrupted by the sudden knock on the door, did I plan on meeting up with Jiah, I wondered. Standing on the other side of the door is Jungkook, hair all fluffy with the same white shirt from the party. My face begins to flush and hands get all sweaty. I don't know why so please don't ask.

"Hey hey!" he smirks, giving me a salute gesture waiting to be welcomed in. I respond with a soft smile, opening the door. It all flows naturally even though it's his second time here. Nonetheless, he walks in and places his hand on my forehead.

"Good, no fever," he says with a soft smile, analyzing my face. I let out a tiny gasp and made my way to the sofa.

"What brings you here?" I ask, trying to look everywhere but his eyes, as he plops onto the seat across.

"Needed to make sure you were feeling better," he explains, folding some blankets.

"A text would have sufficed, you didn't need to bother," I chuckled back, looking at my reflection on the TV. Once again I am appalled by my Barbie merch. To be fair, he is the one that is in my dorm. So technically, I could wear and look however I want. Unfortunately though, right at this moment, I would have preferred anything but Ken's face on my shirt.

"I am Kenough," he softly reads the slogan on my chest. His nose scrunches as his bunny teeth peak through his grin.

"Ok, ok, that's enough. I was just about to do my laundry until you decided to show up," I explained, rolling my eyes at his obvious teasing, folding my arms over the shirt.

"Sounds good to me, where's your basket?" he plops up, searching the area.

"Pardon?" I yelp, quickly rushing toward the door, making sure to grab my ID and keys on the way out.

"Jungkook!" I shout as his one arm holds the pink basket and the other stretches out to stop the elevator door. Speed walking, I pray that my flip flops don't pull a Tae on me.

--

"You know you don't have to do this right? I'm feeling better now, there's no need to babysit me," I say with a serious tone as Jungkook plops himself on the machine right next to me.

"I'm not babysitting, just making sure you're fully recovered," he reassures with a soft smile, pulling a pair of fuzzy rabbit socks out of my basket. He grins.

"So you like bunnies, huh?" his doe eyes meet mine, I can't help but smile trying to snatch them back. An attempt that failed, as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer. Now, face to face, my eyebrows furrowed at his sudden action.

"Sorry guys, just going to squeeze past you, these machines aren't going to clean themselves," a soft voice speaks behind me. Mrs. Bae is one of the cleaning ladies in our building. She gives a slight bow and pushes a trolly full of cleaning supplies past us.

Jungkook reciprocates the bow, lowering his gaze to my face. Letting go of my wrist, I can still feel his arm on my waist. Cue the flush.

"Do you have a fever?" he quickly checks my forehead. I move back, shaking my face.

"No ... n ... I'm fine, please let's just finish this quickly," I stutter, turning my back towards him, feeling his stare on me.

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#bts #bangtan #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook x yn #bts x yn #jungkook fanfic #fanfic #jungkook smut #romance #young love #college love #slow burn #jungkook angst #jungkook fluff #jungkook x female reader #jungkook #jeon jungkook #jungkook imagine

[forabeatofadrum]

A Good Bad Hair Day

Summary: Simon tries a hairdressing spell and he accidentally switches hairstyles with Baz.

Notes: This is inspired by @artsyunderstudy‘s wonderful art with long haired Simon and short haired Baz and her additional art with more long haired Simon.

I was inspired and I came up with this in the Discord: “Watford era fic idea where a spell goes wrong and they swap hairstyles and Baz "Pining" Pitch is having a difficult time cause Simon is more attractive and Simon "I Don't Think" Snow has a "OH NO HES HOT" moment” and some people liked it. 40 minutes later... and here we are!

AO3

--

SIMON

I am staring at myself in the mirror. I don’t like using magic on myself, but I promised Penny I’d help her.

“Hairdressing is not a job,” I start my spell, “It’s a craft.”

I close my eyes and I feel my magic wash over me, but when I open my eyes, my hair is still the same. I frown. Why can’t I get this spell to work?

Penny said not to worry too much about it, but her hair has been changing colours in a rapid pace, it is distracting other students and she hates it. I cross Hairdressing is not a job, it’s a craft of my list of potential spells. I have an actual list, provided by Penny.

A part of me wants to ask Agatha. She’d be the kind of girl who knows about hair care. Her hair is always flawless. But we broke up and I’m not sure she’d be down to help me.

“A good hairstylist is a shear delight,” I say next. I repeat the process: I close my eyes, let my magic wash over me, and open my eyes only to be disappointed. Well. Another spell down the drain. (Where did Penny get these spells?)

I am so invested in this that I don’t hear the door open.

“Snow, what are-”

“If your hair looks good you can deal with anything.”

I close my eyes and I wait for my magic to-

Baz shrieks.

My eyes open instantly, but I can’t see anything. It’s as if my head is surrounded by fog and it makes my eyes burn. I cough and I try to wave this cloud away. After a few seconds, the air becomes lighter and I can see fog disappearing around Baz’s head too.

And then I see Baz’s head.

Baz.

He-

Baz looks at something behind me. I realise too late it’s the mirror. I definitely know it’s the mirror when Baz pins me against it.

“What did you do, Snow?”

 BAZ

Honestly, it could’ve been worse.

Simon’s magic is unpredictable and it has led to unfavourable outcomes. But the moment I saw my reflection in the mirror, I wanted to weep. My hair. My beautiful hair. It is gone.

Well, not entirely. It’s short. It got very short. I think I may even have an undercut. I was so focused on being pissed off at Simon that I didn’t even notice that his hair is different too. Now that I have him up against the mirror, with his face close to mine, I see how long curls frame his gorgeous face.

He’s had longer curls before, often at the end of the year, but this is a whole new level. They reach his chin.

I can’t admire it for much longer, since Simon throws me off him.

“Anathema!” I snarl.

“You started it!”

I was upset and shocked, but I didn’t want to harm him. I never do. I think the Anathema knows this.

The two of us stare at each other, loss for words. I didn’t hear the full spell that Simon uttered, but I think he might have swapped our hairstyles. Again, not the weirdest magickal mishap that has happened in the life of Simon Snow, but this is…

This is not good.

Not only did I lose my luscious locks, but Simon has them now and he looks amazing. He shouldn’t look this good. He does not have the right to look this good and make me feel this… this…

Enchanted might be the right word.

I imagine sweeping the locks of his face. I wonder what it is like to play with his hair when his face is in my lap. I think about untangling the knots with my hand. I want to pull his hair when he’s hovering over me and he-

Okay, shit, I need to cool it down.

I do the most dignified thing that I can do. I turn around and run away.

 SIMON

I blink in shock. At one moment Baz had me pinned against the mirror and the next, he was gone. I didn’t even have time to inspect the damage, but I think I know what is going on. I fucked up and I swapped our hairstyles.

Now that Baz is gone, I have time to properly look at myself in the mirror.

I look weird. Not bad weird. Not good weird. Just weird. I brush my fingers through my hair, trying to make it look decent. Baz always slicks his hair with gel, but the gel wasn’t transferred over, which is fine. I always prefer it when he doesn’t gel. I mean, not that I care, but objectively, I think it looks better.

This isn’t the result I wanted, but hey, at least the spell wasn’t completely useless and I managed to do something without blowing shit up.

“If your hair looks good you can deal with anything,” I cast again, but I wait for the fog to cloud my vision. Nothing happens. My hair is still the same.

I guess that is my cue to find Penny.

--

Penny is wearing her boater and she has her hair stuffed underneath it. She usually doesn’t want to wear hats, but even the hair that is sticking underneath her hat is giving me a headache. The colours are too much.

When she sees me, she lets out a gasp.

“Simon, what happened to you?”

I quickly explain what I did and she mutters something underneath her breath.

“What was that?” I ask.

“Oh Simon, I appreciate the help, but as I said, the spells aren’t tested!”

I don’t recall her saying that, which is probably my bad.

“We now know what this spell does,” I mutter, “But I can’t seem to reverse it.”

Penny frowns. She thinks for a small moment.

“Probably because you need Baz.”

“I don’t need Baz,” I instinctively say.

“In this case, you literally do,” Penny says with an eye roll, “You need him to swap back! So do what you do best, and stalk him!”

 BAZ

Once I’m back in my room, I let out a sigh of relief. Simon isn’t in our room. I fall face down on my bed. Maybe it is a bit stupid to mourn my hair, but I looked amazing, okay?

Hm. Maybe I still do. I reluctantly shuffle towards the mirror to inspect the damage. Just like Simon, my sides are shaved. I brush my fingertips against it. It feels soft and my treacherous mind wonders if his shaved hair also feels this nice to the touch.

Ha. As if I can ever touch his hair. As if I can ever touch him.

My hair on top of my head is parted to the side. The spell also got rid of the hair products I use, but I actually don’t mind. I sweep some loose strands to the side.

Okay. I have to admit that I don’t hate it.

Just when I have that epiphany, the door flies open and the room is filled with Simon’s magic. It’s leaking out of him, but I’m used to it. It could’ve been worse, which seems like the mantra for today.

Once again, the two of us stare at each other and fuck, Simon looks so good. He must’ve run here, because he looks messy, but he makes it work (as usual). His long hair is all over the place and it makes him look beautiful. I wonder what he’d look like with bed hair like this. In my stupid fantasies he’d sleep next to me and his hair will sprawl on the soft pillows and I-

Nope. I can’t think like that.

But I can’t help myself.

He is so beautiful.

I want to insult him, so that I don’t give him the wrong idea, but I can’t. I’m afraid to even speak. I don’t want to accidentally say what’s on my mind, namely that I want to push him against the door and kiss him and run my hands through his hair.

Damn Simon. He’s always perfect to the eye, but this hairstyle makes it even better.

Again, the way the curls frame his face. I want to cup his face and hold it.

I gulp. I need to focus. I need to say something. He came here with a mission, or so it seems, but he is also lost for words.

I pull myself together, sort of, and I open my mouth to speak, but then he strides towards me. My eyes widen as he puts his hand on my face and he stares at me intently. I wonder what is going on in his mind.

 SIMON

I have no idea what is going on. I came back to our room, hoping to find him, so I could reverse the spell, but when I arrived I saw him checking himself out in the mirror.

He looks different. He looks hot. The short hair really makes it possible to see his cheekbones and when I was standing there, all I could think of was that I wanted to touch them. (I suppose that’s what I am doing now.)

“Snow,” Baz splutters out. Splutters. Baz. Spluttering.

My own heartbeat is racing. Has Baz always looked this good? I look at the top of his head. His hair is parted to the side and it shines in the sunlight that shines into our room. I never thought of Baz as someone who would rock this cut, but he does. In my defence, I’ve never seen him with short hair. Even when he was eleven years old, his hair was longer than most boys in our class.

I do miss his long hair. It always looks so marvellous on him. Baz always looked marvellous and put together and downright beautiful and- wait, what?

I scan his face. When did I start thinking about Baz like this?

But then I realise I have been thinking this for a while. After all, I miss his old hair. I miss his long locks, especially when they aren’t plastered to his head with gel, but even when it’s slicked back it still makes him look good. But it always looks good when it’s loose, like when I watch him sleep. I’ve always admired his looks. He’s a good looking guy. That is just another objective fact!

I never really think about my thoughts. I don’t have time to reflect on them, but now, standing here in my room with Baz, all my thoughts about him come back to me. And new thoughts also arise.

I think about how I wanted to sweep a lock from his forehead. I can’t do that now, but I don’t mind. Instead I want to see how he can part his hair. I want to touch the side of his head to see if the shaved sides are as soft as mine (well, back when I still had short hair). Fuck, I even want him to use gel to slick it back, because he’d make it look classy and hot as fuck.

This new look is different, in a good way, in a wonderful way.

“Baz,” I say. I put my other hand on his face as well and I tilt his head, so that I can see him better. I want to see him. I always want to see him.

“Simon,” he says back. He still sounds nervous.

There is a feeling inside my chest and I realise that it isn’t a new feeling.

Baz tentatively moves a hand to my hair as well and I let him. For a while, the two of us are just touching each other’s hair and faces, as if this is a usual thing. This isn’t normal. Nothing about this is normal. Usually he’d throw insults and I’d scowl at him, but now he’s brushing his fingers through my curls and it feels so good.

The next thing I know, I lean in and I kiss him.

 BAZ

My hand goes still in his hair.

Because I am shocked. I am surprised. Simon is kissing me.

I recover quickly and I kiss back. He is still cupping my face and I grab the back of his head to pull him closer. My head gets tangled up in Simon’s new hair and I don’t mind. I use my other hand to grab his vest.

Simon is kissing me. I am being kissed by Simon Snow!

His lips are as soft as his curls.

Eventually he pulls away and I feel a small dent in my heart. This must be it. He must realise what he’s doing and he’ll push me off him. But instead he smiles at me and he leans his head on my chest. His hands are still on my face.

“Woah,” he says.

I nod. Woah indeed.

What does this mean? I am afraid to ask, but he’s still with me.

“Okay. I think I understand now.”

“Understand what?” I say. There’s no malice in my voice, even though it’d be so easy to say something hurtful now. But I am hopeful

He looks up to face me and he looks happy, but also a bit nervous.

“Understand why I was always so obsessed with you.”

Did I hear that correctly? Fuck, if he loves this new haircut so much, then I don’t mind losing my long hair at all. I should’ve cut it off sooner if it would’ve led to this.

“What-”

I can’t finish my sentence. He kisses me again.

 SIMON

After we stopped kissing, we moved to the bed. Just to sit. And to let it all sink in. Baz is leaning against me and he has his hand in my hair and I have my arm around him.

So much just happened and I don’t mind. Neither does he. In fact, for the first time ever, he seems happy to see me. I wonder how long he wanted this. Heck, I wonder how long I wanted this. I can’t believe I needed a magickal haircut to get my head out of my arse and realise what was right in front of me.

Baz is playing with my hair and it feels so good, I wonder why I never grew my hair out like this.

I came back to reverse the spell, but I don’t think I will.

#snowbaz #carry on #simon snow series #2023 #holy fuck I wrote #ficlet #yes i wrote this in like 40 minutes in one go and it is completely unbeta'd even by myself (i dont have a beta)

[tirsynni]

Okay. I’ve written about people’s takes on age before. Usually in the form of rants. Now I’m seeing some things pop up regarding the characters’ ages and their appearance in the upcoming RE animated movie and I’m flailing a bit. Too tired to do it too energetically, but I hope everyone knows that the thought is there.

If I have the timeline right, the characters in the new Death Island (someone just told me the correct name) should be in their late 30s to early/mid 40s. Now, we all know that Capcom is weird with ages. They like to make characters unrealistically young for the amount of experience/rank/education they have. They do that fucking ageist shit with women where they always look young and beautiful and perky, and btw, here’s some unnecessary skin shots. (Do some fucking skin shots with Leon, you cowards.) Thus, frustrated fan responses are to be expected.

Except some of these fan responses are just... wtf, people??? I’m cool with “Let characters look their age,” but then they get specific with how they think the characters should look. “Give them wrinkles! Give them grey hair! Give them things that don’t actually match their ages!”

How old do people think that age range is? People are considered young adult until they hit thirty-five years old. Thirty-five. 35. 3. 5. After that? Adult. You’re still going through puberty until you hit 25. At 35? At the bridge between young adult and adult. You still have years to go before you hit retirement age. I promise.

This reminds me too much of that bullshit online where people get on adults (especially women) when they reach a certain age and they’re still online. Like, once you reach a certain age, you’re no longer allowed to have fun. You are no longer allowed to interact with people below that line without being considered a predator. You’re supposed to follow this normative (typically heteronormative, ironically enough) pattern of being married with kids and only dealing with “adult, boring” things. “Wait, you’re how old? Get offline, you weirdo, and do your taxes or something.”

It feels like people want to deny to the death that they’re influenced by societal ageism. They have unrealistic, often creepy expectations of how people are supposed to look and act when they hit a number which usually has a creepy parallel with Conservative purist beliefs. They get angry when they hear about the ageism in Hollywood and then say the same things but just with different wording. Isn’t that funny? How you have two, supposedly opposing sides with the same exact nasty opinion? It’s all in the language and wording. Each side has a different dictionary, and as long as they use the words appropriate for their individual sides, it doesn’t matter if the message is the same.”Ugh. You’re a woman and you’re how old and still writing fanfiction? Shouldn’t you be taking care of your kids?”

A popular argument is that these people are traumatized and of course that would age them. That further enrages me. Can trauma have a physical impact like that? Yes. But there seems to be this popular concept that trauma must have a visible impact. I’ve seen over and over again that finally Leon looks as traumatized as he actually is in the RE4 Remake. Trauma has to have a physical appearance: otherwise, is that person truly traumatized?

That’s not how it works. That’s not how it works at all. I’ve written a fic myself where Leon experiences heavy trauma and it leads to premature greying, but that was for individual fic purposes and I hope people recognize the difference, how one fic or one instance doesn’t make something automatic or universal. People can go through horrific trauma without a physical mark to show for it. No scarring, no premature wrinkles. Their hair won’t magically turn white overnight. Fuck, some people go through trauma without PTSD or lifelong issues. It is based on their history, their genetics, their role in the traumatic action, level of support, what happened before/during/after, etc. Not everyone goes through trauma and welp! Immediate PTSD and triggers and nightmares and grey hair and weeping fits. (And no, for fuck’s sake, this isn’t an insult to anyone who went through trauma and now deal with these issues: the point is that trauma and trauma response is individualized and needs to be recognized as so.)

There are an insane amount of real stories where someone commits suicide and everyone comments that they never saw it coming, that there was no indication prior. The person seemed so happy! They were always friendly! Hell, maybe they were even the group comedian! If you look at warning signs for suicide, sometimes visible depression is one of them but it is usually far more subtle things. 

Trauma hits people differently, with different responses, different signs. Two people can go through the same exact thing and one comes out with PTSD and the other not. One person has nightmares and the other doesn’t. One has nightmares but no triggers, no PTSD. One can’t stand certain smells or sounds anymore but sleeps reasonably well and has a good life.

People have this thing where, if your trauma isn’t visible, if you aren’t acting appropriately, it didn’t happen or it wasn’t that bad. Raped women are often told that surely it couldn’t have been rape: they weren’t acting traumatized. One airplane crash survivor was scorned and called heartless for not being in hysterics when she was just in shock and oblivious to the fact that she was the only survivor. If you don’t show your trauma in certain ways, people dismiss you or insult you. To be accepted, you have to act traumatized. It has to show like the blood is still painting your skin. You have to have dark circles under your eyes. You must always, always visibly carry your pain and grief.

It’s exhausting to see this everywhere, but it’s even more frustrating to have supposedly “woke” people parroting these lines: if you are above a certain age you are old and you better look it; if you really went through trauma it had better show.

Fuck, too much time in the sun and too much smoking will age your skin more than trauma will. Yes, I want them to make the women look like they can legally drink, and when the time comes, I would love to see these characters with grey in their hair and wrinkles. In their 30s/early-to-mid!40s? Probably not going to see too much unless you have the genetic disposition for it.

Sincerely, someone who is in the same age range as these characters and who is sick and tired of hearing comments about her young appearance.

#resident evil #rant #ageism #purity culture #because that's what it is #tw: rape mention #you don't experience trauma #and then have it appear on your skin #a tattoo for every tragedy #you don't it a certain age #and immediately pop wrinkles #wtf people #long post #longer than expected

[rcguish]

*slams down a reverse uno* 🍨🌙🔥⚡

mun vs muse.

🍨 What is the mun’s favorite ice cream flavour? 

silver thinks on this for a second, pondering the left wall before giving a short hum. " i'd say it's a pretty good flavor, cake batter. i don't think it's my personal favorite but i can't disagree in saying it's good. "

do you even have a favorite, silver?

he pauses, opening his mouth as if to retort yet actually spends more than a second to further think about his answer. only to realize something: he doesn't have ice cream that often. " and even if i do, i'd tend to get vanilla. maybe strawberry. " he frowns, " i'm adding candy to it, the flavor can't be intense. something like mochi, bits of marshmallow. "

yeah, buddy, you tend to like the frozen yogurt help-yourself chains huh?

he sneers. " like it's bad? hit me with the ube flavor, please. that's the only thing i can tolerate besides vanilla with all the candy toppings. "

🌙 Does the mun stay up long or goes to bed early? 

and it's at this silver loses his composure and snorts, a smirk of all smirks lifting only one side. " i'm not much to judge, seeing as i keep them awake when i'm around and particularly... hyper. i'd say we both have a relatively fucked up sleep schedule. "

i seem to remember you keeping us up until 2 am when we had to be up for class the next morning at 6:30?

he rolls his eyes. crosses his arms and leans back into the seat with the most inaudible huff. " atleast i'm not the one consistently making us both only get 5-6 hours of sleep a day for the past two weeks. i don't think you've seen the bags under your eyes yet. "

🔥 How would you spend one day with the mun if you could? 

beats of time where he thinks about it, chewing on his lip all the while. " i don't know. i already feel like i've been brought around everywhere, even at work - which, fucking sucks by the way. i've learned to deal with it, but still. "

you can't deny you love those kids.

" not denying it. just saying what we do sucks. atleast sometimes. " another little huff. " i think if it were an off day, joint laying down on the bed and relaxing for a nice few hours. i'd like to draw some things, maybe a pokemon battle or two. i don't think they'd mind that, either. "

you know i'm game for anything. taking a nice nap sounds amazing.

he thinks even longer on this. " i would really like to draw shota and silver, actually. you dragged me into this and now we both suffer. "

⚡ What is the mun’s favorite weather? 

it's almost instant in silver's response. " rain. that's something we both share in common. "

what's funny is you don't even believe in umbrellas.

" i keep finding myself not having one or thinking about bringing one and suddenly i'm caught in the rain. then i'm stuck with soggy shoes and wet and frizzy hair and i hate it, but it feels amazing at the same time. throw in a few bonus points if it's a cool rain, no breeze to be felt. "

have you ever wanted to dance in it?

he screws up his nose in disgust at the mere thought. " absolutely not. i'm not the 'frolicking' type. but, i know you are, and you even did, way back in the fall semester. real good frolicking there, laughing and skipping along with a friend, one arm around each other, who also happens to be a whole head taller than you. you felt those soggy shoes for that entire lecture and the way home.

you weren't there?

" i think i was, in the back. i always feel alive when it's raining, i derive joy from seeing the dark clouds. i relished even the discomfort that came with cold and damp clothing. and i'd feel it all over again if i had to, and i know you share the exact sentiment with me. "

#ooc. #gobbles it up

[angelasscribbles]

New Beginnings: A Choices Prompt Story

This is for the prompt challenge hosted by @choicesprompts. Anyone who hasn't seen the prompt and wants to play along, go here.

Series: Ride or Die Fanfiction

Fandom: Ride or Die

Pairing: Logan x Ellie

Rating: G

Warnings for this chapter: none

Word Count: 1,259

A/N: I know I already submitted one, but I had two ideas for this prompt. I decided to write them both.

My other stuff: Master List.

The cool wind pushes my hair back as I walk along the familiar path, every step taking me deeper into the past. It’s been years since I’ve been here, everything is different, everything is the same.

I’m not paying attention to the present as I walk, I’m too lost in memories of the past. That’s why I don’t notice the other person walking toward me until I hear a familiar voice call my name.

I freeze. It can’t be. What are the odds? I lift my head and my eyes dart wildly around before finally landing on a face I’d recognize anywhere, even now.

“It’s you.”

“Hey troublemaker.” He gives me that lopsided grin that has haunted my dreams for the last decade.

“Logan!” My breath stops, I freeze to the spot. My heart starts pounding in my chest. How? How does he still affect me like this all these years later?

I didn’t expect to find him here, but maybe I should have. The spot where Kaneko’s garage used to be is empty now. The entire block has changed. At least, part of it has. One side of the street is exactly how I remember it. The corner store, the donut shop, the car wash down at the end. The other side is completely new. Nothing I remember still stands, torn down, demolished, the town has moved on. The Chinese take out place is now a cell phone store, the massage parlor is gone, there’s a laundry mat there now. And the gaping hole where the garage used to be mirrors the one in my heart.

I haven’t moved on. I should have, years ago. I finished college, moved from one coast to the other, again, for law school. Worked here and there the first two years after I got my Doctor of Jurisprudence. I just moved back home to open my own law firm. I put a down payment on a house. My dad offered to let me move back home, save money, have home cooked meals when I get home from work. But I couldn’t do it, I can’t. I still blame him for a lot of what happened. I’m here, in this town, because of his failing health. That’s the best I can do for him. Things are still strained between us.

I’ve had many relationships since my formative one. Most of them transient, a few of them longer lasting, but they always end for the same reason. None of them are him. I’ve tried, I really have. There was even a misguided year long fling with Colt right after I’d moved back to the west coast to attend UCLA. Colt somehow made me feel closer to Logan. It wasn’t fair to him; it wasn’t fair to me, and it ended with bitterness and recriminations.

I know what my reasons are for being back here, in this town. I know what drew me to this particular city block this afternoon. But I don’t understand why he’s here, how he’s here.

“Say something Ellie.” His voice is soft, beseeching. He looks nervous, off kilter, vulnerable, and I want to run to him, but I don’t.

“Where have you been for the last ten years?” I sound argumentative, even to my own ears. I don’t care. He broke me. I can’t be broken again. I won’t.

“Prison, for a while. Your dad didn’t tell you?”

“What? No!”

Something hardens in his features, “I shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t suppose you got my letters, either?”

“What?” I feel tears spring unbidden to my eyes.

“I wanted to get out from under it all. I turned myself in, cut a deal, turned state’s evidence. I ran for the first two years, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wanted out from under all of it. I wanted to come back to you a functioning member of society. I did two years then spent another year in a halfway house. I got my GED; I got into community college and got a two-year degree in automotive technology.”

I do the math in my head, “What about the last three years?”

He watches me with a guarded expression before quietly replying, “I’ve been here. Waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” I feel a lump form in my throat. What is he saying?

“You.” He looks away, unable or unwilling to meet my eyes.

“Me?” It was true that I’d been bouncing all over the country for the last couple of years, and I’d been busy. Too busy to bother to update social media. Has he really been here, all this time, waiting for me to come back?

“Yeah. I have a job and an apartment now. I come down here every day, just because. I’ve run into Colt a few times.” He rubs the back of his neck nervously.

Colt. That fucking bastard. He has my contact information. He could have told me Logan was in town, but of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t.

“So…what? You moved back here for me? You come down here every day on the off chance that one day you’d run into me?”

A flush creeps up his neck, “I drive by your dad’s house sometimes too. God, I’m sorry. That makes me sound like a stalker, doesn’t it?”

“Logan, I….” I feel so many emotions well up inside me, tears gather in the corners of my eyes. This is literally everything I’ve wanted to hear for the last ten years. I’ve played out so many fantasies about this moment in my head, but I never thought it would actually happen.

“It’s ok, Ellie. I get it. It was ten years ago. I’m sure you’ve moved on. You’re probably married or something. I just…I just wanted to see you, know that you’re ok. I’ll go.”

He turns to leave, and the air rushes out of my world, the sun stops shinning. Again. “Logan, wait!”

He turns back, a guarded, but hopeful, expression on his face. “Yeah?”

I shrug, “Have dinner with me? Catch up?”

It’s a start. A beginning, maybe. It’s something, after years of nothing.

A hesitant smile pulls his lips up, “Really?”

“Really.” I finally move, closing the distance between us. The moment I’m within reach, he pulls me into his arms, hugging me tighter than I’ve ever been hugged.

“I’ve missed you so much!” He whispers into my hair.

I return the hug with just as much vigor, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. I pull away and wipe at my face. I take his hand in mine and tug him down the street, “Come on. I know a place.”

I check him out as we walk. He’s older. So am I. His hair is shorter, his smile is the same. The smile that’s haunted my dreams for the last decade. His face, his eyes, the callouses on his roughened hands, all the things that have taken up residence in my memory and made lasting relationships with other men impossible. It’s him. It’s always been him. A sudden certainty washes over me, the low-level anxiety that has buzzed insistently in the background of my mind, of my life, is suddenly just gone as a sense of rightness floods through me.

I smile up at him as we reach the restaurant and he pulls the door open for me, “I’m not married.”

His smile broadens, “That’s good news for me. You knew the boy I was, Ellie. I hope you let me show you the man I’ve become.”

“I can’t think of anything I’d like more.”

~~~~~~~

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[athenswrites]

Knight of Dawn, Chapter 14 [NYTF]

Meetings with JUST Councilor Miles were getting worse and worse.

Combing their hair back, Piers sighed as they tried to cool their temper. Miles sat at the other end of the long table, reading through each page of their inflation reduction proposal word by word. She didn’t speak, her brow furrowed, lines cutting deep across her forehead. Her glasses sat low on her nose, as her eyes scanned every line. They weren’t sure if she was reading that slowly purposefully or not, and honestly, they didn’t care anymore.

“Overall 1% increase until…” She muttered then looked up at Piers, “Don’t you think that’s excessive on the interest rates? If you’re increasing it and tax rates simultaneously, you’re going to tank the state economy. Plus with the current loan that Rome has from the state government, you’re never going to get Councilor Green to pass this.”

Piers bit their tongue, until a metallic taste filled their mouth, avoiding direct eye contact and staring at her hands.  Rolling her eyes and shutting the proposal folio, the eldest councilor glared at Piers, frustrated, “Look. You’re not going to get me to agree to anything a royal puts in front of me that I don’t have at least some hand in writing, and that includes Councilors Johnson and Sidney, since I know you’re buddy-buddy with them both. I learned that lesson with your mother. Let me keep this, and add some of my own thoughts and experience to this. I’ve been Councilor longer than you’ve been alive...” Miles paused. Piers continued to avoid eye contact. “…This isn’t going to make me want to agree with you. You’re acting like a petulant child who isn’t getting their way.”

Piers retorted,“I am not acting like a child. I’m…thinking.” 

The large conference room fell awkwardly silent, save for the buzzing of the overhead fluorescent lights. They weren’t going to engage with her for their own sanity. 

Finally, Miles spoke, irritation creeping into her stern voice as she pushed her rolling chair away from the table, standing, “I’m going to leave this here with you. If you want my help, if you want to get anything passed, you’re going to let me have my hand at writing and editing some of these proposals. You are not going to bully me into passing whatever you want. It’s called compromising. Learn it.”

Miles left, quietly closing the door behind her and Piers was finally alone in the big conference room. They finally let the tension subside from their shoulders, getting up from their own seat, and leaving the portfolio behind. Hansel was expecting them and Piers had no intention of dealing with anything Miles had said for at least a day.

The Palace was busy, people hustling here and bustling there. With their head down, Piers made their way through the masses of servers and guardsmen and everyone in between. They managed to go unnoticed in the elevator, as five guardsmen, dressed in identical dark grey and green dress uniforms, packed in there with them. Gold emblems adorned the lapels of ther jacket collar, denoting their status as low-rank Special Operations agents. As they arrived at the main kitchen’s floor, the guards stepped out of the elevator, laughing amongst themselves. Others took their place, packing the elevator full. The line for lunch stretched all the way down the hall, a mix of military and civilian workers. While they waited, Piers scrolled through the various messages they’d received throughout their meeting, answering the most urgent questions and leaving the rest for later. 

“What can I do for you?”  A woman’ voice jerked their attention from their work. She stood behind the long counter, holding a plastic to-go box in her gloved hand. Behind the glass, a variety of food had been displayed, some likely leftovers, some fresh. They spotted a variety of fried foods and casseroles, and prayed there would be something they could eat without their stomach deciding to get sick.

”I’m actually going to be grabbing a meal for myself and a friend-“

She rolled her eyes, interrupting them in a monotone voice, “I can only do one tray at a time. If you want another tray you need to return to the back of the line.”

Piers blinked incredulously, taking a moment to just stare at the woman. The gears turned in her head before she recognized them.

“I apologize-”

They waved their hand, shushing her, “Just get two boxes, I have to run.”

The woman nodded furiously, pulling another box from the dwindling stack, then yelled back to her coworkers. Piers picked out both their food, and the list of what Hansel had sent them. Over the glass case, the woman handed Piers the two boxes, and they slipped out, not having to worry about meal points.

The elevator got emptier and emptier as they rode up to the studio floor, until they were all alone for the last stretch. They scanned their wrist as the last person got off, without even recognizing them, and pressed the button for floor 59. The ride lasted for a few more seconds, then the silver doors slid open. Bubbly pop music and Hansel’s out-of-tune singing could be heard from all the way down the hall, as they approached the large room at the end. 

“Your lunch has arrived.” Piers knocked loudly on the doorframe. The singing and music stopped, and Hansel slid around the corner, seated on a rolling stool. He grinned, hopping up and taking the plastic container that Piers offered them.

Hansel brushed his hair behind his ears, before opening the container and taking a deep inhale, “Dude, I was so excited when Gret told me they were gonna have the stewed lentils and rice at the line. I could eat it every day.”

Piers laughed, “And I remembered today why I don’t go down to the line very often.”

At one of the tables, Hansel cleared papers and fabric samples to the side before motioning for Piers to join him. They passed him a set of metal utensils, and they both began to eat. Mouth half-full, Hansel opened up a file of outfits he’d been working on for them and shared it, everything from rough sketches to fully sewn projects, just awaiting the final tailoring.

“And this one,” he pulled up one of the last files in the bunch, having just swallowed his last bite of food, “It’s a potential outfit for you to wear for your birthday event, whatever you’re calling it. It’s not done as I’m working on a complimentary outfit to go with it, but I wanted to get your thoughts. It’s not at all something you’ve worn in the past, but I think it’d be nice and get you out of wearing just suits. I know that’s what you’re comfortable with, and you generally present more masculine, but it’s just an option.” 

He showed them a rough sketch, a beautiful emerald green dress with a high neckline, but low cut sides and back, and a high slit on the right thigh that would likely be revealing a little too much if they weren’t careful.

They weren’t sure if they’d ever wear it, but it was certainly something they’d at least give a shot.

“Anyway,” Hansel closed the drawing, a grin on his face, “You ready to get ready for tonight?"

NYTF WIP PAGE

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[emeritus-fuckers]

Hello! I hope I’m not too late for the matchup event, but I thought I’d give it a try!

Identity: I am a 23 year old woman. I go by (she/her) and I identify as straight.

Who do you like: I love the ghouls 🥵 I’m a pretty new fan, but they are how I discovered the band so I’m pretty attached.

What do you look like: I have long dark brown hair with layers. I’m 5’2, but I’ve been told I look taller because I have longer legs 🦵. I have hazel eyes that can look green sometimes. I’d say I’m on the skinner side which is something my family likes to poke fun at. I have a couple tattoos (on my ankle, sternum, and thigh) all of which are animals because I’m a massive animal lover. My style is pretty versatile, I’d say I dress based on what looks good on me so that it makes me feel good. Sometimes it’s more girly, and sometimes it’s all darks, sometimes it’s more dark academia. I like to play around with my style.

Personality: I’ve been told I’m very mature. I’ve had to experience a lot when I was younger that grew me up pretty fast. I try to be kind and welcoming to all people because I know what it’s like to feel left out or judged. I can have a temper when I drive (but who doesn’t). I deal with some mental issues and at times need some space. But I’ve made it a point to work on myself so I’m able to have a great life despite that stuff. I’m not confrontational unless I need to be, I’m too nervous. After a lot of hard work I’ve become pretty secure in myself but there are still those days yk.

Interests: I love animals, I’m a massive animal lover. I’m currently going to school for photography in hopes that I’ll be a wildlife photographer. I love being outside, but only when it’s cold outside because I hate the heat. In my free time I either like to do something cozy like playing animal crossing or reading. Or I like to do something creative like coloring or an easy craft. But I also have those days where I like to lay down and watch a movie and do nothing. I also like going for walks or bike rides during fall and winter. My music taste varies depending on the day. From harry styles to Metallica.

Trivia: I have a dog who means the world to me. He’s saved my life and made me a better person. In ways that I didn’t think was possible for a dog. I am one of 9 siblings (half and step). Mental health is something that I’m very passionate about, and I will always advocate for it.

This post is part of the 1000 followers match up event. Entries for the event are now closed.

Your match is...Rain

You were so kind and welcoming to Rain even though you were new to the world of Ghost and Ghouls. He just adored that about you.

Rain just loves any excuse to chill with you. Ver are happy to sit in silence and just hold you. Even more happy when your dog joins in too. He just kinda stole Rain’s heart as well.

Rain is so proud about how you've worked on yourself, he will support you in anyway he can.

If you need space Rain respects it but if you are having a bad day and want him around he'll just hold you close.

Rain enjoys napping with you, ve loves to just cuddle you and fall asleep knowing you are there with him.

He will go with you on any trip you want. He's happy that you prefer the cold weather as he is a cold water Ghoul. So while you are trying to photograph the wildlife, he'll do his best to sit still just chilling next to you.

But sooner or later you see him sneaking off to the nearest cool water and just happily hanging out in the lake or river. You get some really good photos of Rain too.

You two then spend the evening together cuddling on the sofa under a blanket playing animal crossing.

~

Written by Nyx

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