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#presentations take lots of energy out of me anyways even if it's just a small quick one like today was like I am just done for the day afte

steddiewithachance · 4 months

Text

I'm Here on Business

Wayne is a regular at the bookstore Steve works at and badgers Steve into going on a blind date with his kid.

For @extocancer Happy New Years!!! I hope you enjoy your presents ◡̈

***

It's a quiet night in the little bookstore on the corner of Brinks and Williams. Steve is sitting behind the check-out counter flicking the leaf of a potted pothos placed next to the register. Soft music plays from the radio behind him.

Steve likes taking the evening shifts at the shop just to see the place warmly lit up by all of the eclectic and ornate lamps that Amber, the owner, has collected. The store doesn't give him migraines from obnoxious fluorescent light, which has been an issue at previous jobs.

Ever since Robin moved out of their apartment for Grad school, it's been upsetting to be at home alone at night. Without her company, the couch feels longer. And without her unhinged apartment decor, the walls feel taller and colder. Consequently, Steve has taken on more work hours instead of being home.

Plus, he has kind of fallen in love with reading. It came as a shock to him that he could enjoy it as much as he does. It started when his all-female team of coworkers began ranting to each other about these romance novels they were all into. He felt a little left out and decided to give one of them a try. It turns out that reading was actually a really great coping mechanism for dealing with his temporary loss of Robin.

The nicest, and most surprising thing to come out of this job though, is probably Wayne. A one-time customer turned regular, turned tentative friend for Steve. He's got a caring, parental energy that Steve's own parents never had.

The guy looks like he'd have a gruff or standoffish personality. His face naturally rests in a frown and he's got receding grey hair. He wears a flannel every day without fail; he's got a million different colors of them and Steve has even made a game of predicting which one he'll be wearing when he comes in.

"Did ya guess right today, boy?" Wayne will ask.

"No," Steve often admits glumly. "The universe told me you'd be wearing your green and blue one."

So anyway, Wayne comes around a lot to make small talk. He often mentions how he misses his son, Eddie. He's so stiff with personal information about his kid, but one time he let it slip that Eddie was on tour with his band. Steve had a field day afterward colluding with Google to find out exactly who Wayne's son was.

Eddie Munson, lead singer and guitarist of rock group Corroded Coffin.

Steve hadn't heard of ‘em but they certainly have a following. He listened to some of their stuff, to give himself some context for the next time Wayne brought up Eddie's music. It was nice enough, the guy has a good voice.

Steve's been waiting for Wayne to come in tonight. He's later than usual and it would be ridiculous for Steve to worry about a man who probably just thinks of Steve as that one kid who works at the bookstore. He may not come in at all tonight, and that would be fine too. Steve's still holding out on him pulling up in his... yellow flannel.

Steve's about to cave and start the next book in the current series he's reading when the door jingles. Wayne pushes inside in his mother fucking yellow flannel.

"Yellow Flannel!" Steve exclaims. Wayne chuckles and drops a book on the counter followed by a receipt.

"You got me right today?" Wayne asks fondly.

"Yup. It's been a while. I was aching for a win." Steve starts returning Wayne's book for him without giving him slack this time. Wayne treats the store like a library and Steve doesn't have the heart to tell him it's not allowed.

"Was this book any good?" Steve throws Wayne's receipt back at him and starts moving around the counter to put it back on the shelf for some other historical fiction lover to purchase.

"It was just alright." Wayne follows behind him languidly, eyeing the rows of colorful book spines for something that catches his eye. "But actually I'm here on business tonight."

Steve leans on the shelf and waits impatiently for Wayne to tell him what sort of business he's on.

"I think you ought to go on a date with Eddie. I think you two'd compliment each other."

Well, that's... not what Steve was expecting to hear.

"That's business to you? You came here to set me up on a blind date with your famous kid? I think he's gonna be a tad underwhelmed by a bookstore employee, Wayne." Steve's not gonna lie, he's a little intrigued by the prospect of dating a musician. He read a romance novel about one, not that long ago. Concerts, greenroom intimacy, targeted lyrics: Steve could be into it, in theory.

And ultimately, Steve did see photos of Eddie on Google and he's attractive. He looks good holding a guitar.

"He's gonna be home for a while so I figured now's a good time. Just go on one date. He's a big softie, you'll like him." Wayne pulls a book off the shelf and squints to try and read the title. He holds it further from his eyes before giving up and pushing it back into its slot.

"What happens if he doesn't like me? Will you still come around?" Steve runs a nervous hand through his hair. It wouldn't be the end of the world if Wayne stopped showing up, but it would probably hurt a little. It might fan the flame of his fear of abandonment.

"Of course, unless you break his heart. I know where you work, young man." Wayne pats his shoulder good-naturedly.

"Okay old man, you need my number to hand off?"

***

A day later, when Steve feels his phone buzz against his thigh, his instincts already know who it is. His heart gives that anticipatory squeeze he often gets before a first date with someone he finds attractive.

The text reads:

Hi Steve, this is eddie. Wayne swears we're soulmates. Wanna get dinner on friday?

It's a funny text to receive out of nowhere. Steve doubts Wayne actually used that word, but he imagines that Eddie is probably getting more of an earful than Steve got about this whole blind date. He also wonders what kind of person calls their dad by their first name.

Hi Eddie. I'd love to get dinner on Fri and discuss our soulmate status. I'm pretty sure he expects us to be married by the end of the night. Should I bring my tux? Also do you have a time and place in mind?

The master of puppets (Wayne) suggested we go to Maggiano's, are you okay with Italian? 8 maybe??? Tux optional but I think I will not be wearing one.

Haha. That sounds good Eddie, it's nice to hear from you. I'll see you soon.

***

Steve has to ask Amber to change his shift for Friday to work in the morning instead of the evening.

"Steve has somewhere other than work to be on a Friday night? Unheard of!" She slaps her palms down on the book display she was laying out.

"I know. I'm surprised too." Steve fiddles with his lanyard and gives her a 'please say yes' smile. She sighs.

"Yeah, I'll cover you. You can take my morning slot."

"Thank you! I owe you, boss."

***

When Friday arrives, Steve has the nervous jitters. It's been about a year since his last date, it didn't go very well. He's flattered that Wayne thinks highly enough of him to set him up with his kid.

Steve picks up a few small gifts for Eddie on his way home from work. He always brings his first dates a little something. He likes to see the way their faces light up. He thinks maybe he should get Eddie something music-related. So he walks into a little music store he's never been in and asks for small gift ideas for guitarists. He walks out wearing a smile, and hoping Eddie digs what he bought him.

And he's all smiles and confidence until he pulls up to the restaurant at eight and realizes he didn't send a confirmation text this morning. That's like, a rule, right? What if Eddie doesn't show up?

Steve steps out of the car and is equally anxious and relieved to find him leaning artfully against the restaurant near the front door with his hands in his pockets.

His curls are haloed by the warm light spilling out of the restaurant window. He's wearing a dark button-down with the sleeves rolled up to reveal tattoos on his forearms. And yeah, okay, he's hot.

The fact that Steve's going on a date with someone sort of famous hasn't fully sunk in. He's not sure he needs the added nerves though. He approaches as casually as possible and smiles when Eddie looks over.

The man does a double-take when he sees Steve. His eyebrows shoot up and he pushes off against the wall to stand straighter.

"Hi, Eddie?" Steve steps up onto the curb with a little wave. Eddie gives him a thorough once over.

"Oh, damn. Hi." He pulls a hand out of his pocket to shake Steve's.

Eddie is pretty up close. He's got long eyelashes and a bridge of little freckles across his nose. Steve notices all the little details that the on-stage photos didn't capture. He wonders if Wayne described what he looked like to Eddie who was at an informational disadvantage.

"I don't know what I was expecting you to look like, but my uncle didn't mention you were model pretty." Eddie tucks one of his big curls behind his ear and then steps forward to open the door. Steve's face gets warm at being called "model pretty", but he's terrible at taking compliments. He tries to redirect the conversation.

"Your uncle?" Steve asks.

"Wayne? My uncle?" Eddie motions towards the open door and follows after Steve once he's inside.

"Oh. You know he tells people that you're his son?"

Eddie's face softens and he scratches at his cheek. "Oh. Yeah well, I basically am. Maybe I should start calling him dad, I don't know."

"We don't take walk-ins." The hostess of the restaurant announces, breaking up their small talk. Steve looks over to see a tall woman with a slicked-back ponytail mad-dogging them. She has a cold demeanor, she kills the mood with one look between them. Steve knows the look, he's sure Eddie does too.

"Good to know! I have a reservation, though." Eddie responds.

"What's the name?" The woman pulls her iPad closer to herself like a shield.

"Munson." Eddie glances at Steve nervously.

"Hm. I don't see it." She pretends, tapping around meaninglessly. Eddie is getting agitated and maybe embarrassed too. He's scratching at his arm, unsure of how to proceed. First dates are already so awkward, especially blind ones. And if there's one thing about Steve, it's that he's gonna try to lighten the mood.

"Don't you know who he is?" Steve asks offendedly. Eddie whips around to look at Steve with wide, panic-filled eyes. The hostess raises an eyebrow and looks more closely at Eddie. It makes Steve chuckle. "I'm just kidding, let's go get burgers or something." He grabs Eddie's hand and pulls him back out the door.

"Holy shit, you scared me. I didn't know you knew who I was." Eddie has a hand on his chest and a wild grin. "She definitely didn't."

"I was just messing around. She did not want to seat our gay date." Steve sticks his hands in his pockets and then remembers Eddie's gift. "Oh but hey! I got you something."

Steve pulls out a nice bar of chocolate and a little tin of black pearly guitar picks. He offers them to Eddie with an open palm.

"Oh, what? You didn't have to do that." Eddie grabs them eagerly and slides open the tin. "This is so nice! How'd you know I've been needing picks? Now I feel doubly bad about dinner falling through."

"Hey, if I'm honest, sit-down dinner dates kind of give me anxiety. Too much pressure to keep the conversation going." Steve pulls out his keys, "You like burgers?"

Eddie huffs dramatically. "My palette is far too sophisticated for greasy burgers, Steve. I'm a chicken nugget man, obviously."

"That makes sense. You look like one." Steve teases. Eddie pouts.

"I'm taking that as a compliment."

"If you want nuggets we can just walk down the street. Unless you want me to drive?" Steve points in the direction of the row of fast-food restaurants.

"Yeah, let's walk."

Steve slowly turns and starts walking, glancing invitingly over his shoulder.

"So you know me." Eddie rattles the tin of guitar picks and looks a little worried by the prospect that Steve is some sort of fan.

"Only through your uncle, really. And maybe a short Google search. Sue me." Steve holds up his hands guiltily.

"Oh yeah, Wayne's my marketing manager. I send him out to spread the good word."

"Well I don't know who you've been instructing him to market to, but he's spending all his time in my store making me read book summaries to him because he conveniently forgets his glasses every time he comes in." Steve deadpans. Eddie chuckles and shakes his head knowingly.

"Yeah, It's this new long-con form of marketing. We decided to go all in for just one new fan." Eddie's got these sweet little dimples on either cheek when he smiles.

"Kinda worked, I dunno. I'm charmed by the Munsons." Steve and Eddie are veering towards each other as they walk. They're set to collide like two little asteroids. When they do end up bumping shoulders, it's soft. They stay close after that.

Steve hears a truly horrible sound coming from a bar a few meters ahead of them.

"Oh shit! Karaoke bar!" Eddie exclaims and speeds over. Eddie stands in front of the fenced-off patio and looks in while someone butchers Guns N' Roses. He looks absolutely delighted.

"What, you want to go show off in front of these poor, tone-deaf drunkards?" Steve rests his arms on the little fence and leans forward. Eddie vehemently disagrees.

"God no, I just like hearing all the very talented Midwestern voices." Eddie wiggles his eyebrows to express his sarcasm. "In other words, I enjoy making fun of bad music. I'm only human."

They sit there and give each other pained looks at the bad voices for a few minutes until someone starts trying to drunkenly stumble over the verse to a Nicki Minaj song and then Eddie drags Steve away in anguish.

"Can't take it anymore, Steve. Spare me."

***

The two of them have a good rapport, Steve thinks as they sit on a curb and share a big box of chicken nuggets. Maybe Wayne was right. It's playful. He can see how Eddie and Wayne share a handful of mannerisms and a sense of humor.

"Let's intertwine our arms like newlyweds do when they drink champagne," Steve says with a ketchup-covered chicken nugget in his hand. He wraps an arm around Eddie's and then takes a bite. Eddie follows his lead and giggles.

"I didn't know they did that. I've never been to a wedding." Eddie swallows and reaches for his soda.

"What? Never?"

Eddie shakes his head and looks up at the night sky. It's too cloudy to see any stars, unfortunately.

"My tux is in the car, by the way, should things pan out tonight." Steve jokes.

"I think they're panning." Eddie winks and leans in slightly.

"Oh yeah? Have I lived up to Wayne's description of me?" Steve bats his eyelashes and gives Eddie a sweet little smile.

"You've exceeded it, sweetheart." Eddie picks up Steve's hand and presses a chaste kiss to the inside of his wrist. Steve's heart jumps. When Eddie pulls back, he doesn't pull back far.

"Do you ever kiss on a first date?" Eddie whispers and squeezes Steve's hand. He glances at Steve's lips.

"Mmm, I could be persuaded." Steve feels a heady rush at the fact that he has somehow won the interest of a successful musician who probably meets loads of people every day. Steve reaches forward and tugs at one of Eddie's loose curls. He twists it around his finger and looks up with big doe eyes.

The tension is cut from Eddie's body when Steve looks at him like that. The move has a pretty good success rate at this point. And it doesn't fail him tonight. Eddie rests a hand on the base of Steve's neck. He strokes his thumb back and forth against the hollow of Steve's collarbone and leans in slowly.

Eddie's warm lips press against his own gently, experimentally. Their lips make a sweet sound when the suction is broken and Eddie's immediately reseal against Steve like he's irresistible. It's been forever since Steve kissed anyone, especially anyone worth kissing. He forgot how sweet and floaty it feels.

The hand on Steve's collar slides up so it's lightly holding his neck, it feels quietly possessive. It makes Steve's face heat up. Eddie's free arm wraps around Steve's waist pulling him closer. He lets himself be pulled.

Eddie starts getting more confident and hums softly when Steve weaves a hand into his long hair.

Steve could keep this up for hours, he wants to. But as dark as it is, he doesn't love the idea of continuing this so out in the open. He pulls back with regret.

"Damn, how are you not already taken?" Eddie wipes at Steve's shiny lips with his thumb.

"How are you not already taken? You're the accomplished one." Steve counters, squeezing one of Eddie's knees.

Eddie gathers their trash around them and stuffs it into the paper bag. "Well, I'll be home for a while if you'd want to do this again sometime. I can take you to a nice restaurant next time, I promise." He stands to throw away the trash. "Damn, I don't want the night to be over..."

"It doesn't have to be, you're welcome at mine." Steve leans back on one of his hands and bats his eyelashes up at Eddie.

"My New Year's resolution was to not do first date hookups, though."

"We don't have to, just come hang out." Steve holds an arm out to be pulled up to his feet from where he’s still sitting on the curb.

"Oh, yeah okay. You want me to?" Eddie pulls him to his feet with more force than necessary. It sends them both stumbling and giggling.

"Obviously I want you to."

***

The walk back to the restaurant is much faster than it was at the start of the night. They regretfully have to split at the parking lot, each having their own ride.

"Wait, call me so we can still talk on the way there." Eddie requests before jogging off to Wayne's truck. There really isn't much need to talk on the phone since Steve lives so close, but it's kind of cute that he wants to. Steve hits the call button on Eddie's contact.

"Hello, to whom am I speaking?" Eddie asks in a formal, over-the-top voice.

"This is Steve Harrington. I'm contacting you regarding your car's extended warranty." Steve backs out of his spot and waits for Eddie to do the same before driving out of the parking lot.

"Oh wow, what a coincidence. I was just wondering if my car had an extended warranty." Eddie always plays along, he digs into all of Steve's jokes and finds his own spot to grow there.

Steve drives slower than he normally would so that he doesn't get separated from his date. Eddie doesn't appreciate the sentiment.

"You drive like a grandpa. Has anyone ever told you that?" Eddie laughs and honks his horn. Steve hears it both over the phone and from his window.

"I'm only driving slow so we don't get separated, asshole."

"There's barely anyone on the road tonight to separate us, but it's fine, Steve. I value your safety. Drive at your comfortable geriatric pace."

When they pull up to a red light, Eddie instructs Steve to roll down his window so they can stick their hands out and play Rock Paper Scissors. Steve is so distracted watching Eddie's hand through his side mirror that he misses when the light turns.

"It's green, honey," Eddie alerts him softly through the phone, and Steve apologizes.

He's smiling real big the whole way there and when Steve eventually gets out of the car, Eddie comes up and grabs him from behind.

Eddie plants a few eager kisses on the side of Steve's neck. "You're fun, Steve."

"I'll show you real fun some other time." He jokes and pulls Eddie towards his place.

As soon as Steve opens the door to his apartment, he feels self-conscious about how dull it looks inside. Eddie looks around quietly. His eye catches on a picture of Steve and Robin.

"That's my best friend, Robin." Steve clarifies, just in case Eddie reads it wrong like dates have in the past.

Eddie smiles and pulls Steve back against his chest. "She looks nice."

"Looks can be deceiving." Steve laments which has Eddie chuckling into his shoulder. Eddie rubs at Steve's tummy.

What Steve really wants, what he's been desperate for, for months and months is human touch. He just wants to cuddle so badly. And Eddie doesn't seem the type to cuddle, but looks can be deceiving, so Steve's gonna ask anyway.

"Wanna cuddle and watch trash reality TV?" Steve's shoulders rise to his ears, it's a defensive gesture and he's expecting to be rejected. Eddie looks slightly amused by his offer, but he nods.

***

"So you liked him alright?" Wayne asks smugly patting the counter. Steve nervously watches the back of the store where Amber is reorganizing. Steve shouldn't be having a conversation like this at work while she's around.

"Yes, Wayne." Steve rolls his eyes. "Your nephew is lovely."

"I told him he should come here with me next time. Maybe we'll both visit ya." Wayne looks happy. The corners of his default frown have been pulled upwards by the return of his nephew. He's a good man. Steve thinks if his kid was only home a few weeks he'd want to hoard all of his attention, surely not set him up on dates.

And that's the thing about Wayne, it seems like he puts the people he cares about first. Steve wonders if Wayne is all that lonely when Eddie's gone, or if he just comes into the store so often because he knows Steve is.

"I'd love that." Steve hopes things work out with the Munsons.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie ficlet #steve x eddie #steddie fic #steddie fluff

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cooki3face · 7 months

Text

why are they silent?

message: I’m feeling called to do this reading so I’m doing it. My posting and content schedule was literally all planned out and organized but I am unfortunately the embodiment of chaos however organized so now everything is all jumbled up. I think I’d love to have a little schedule and do all these wonderful things but I don’t believe that it’s really indefinitely the right direction for me to go in. I’m naturally spontaneous, I kind of go against the grain and go my own way all the time naturally and have done so since I was a child and so I think it’s time I live in my reality and find some acceptance here lol. I’m in the process of working through my drafts I have countless readings set up to be written and posted that I haven’t even tackled yet. Well anyways, hope this brings you peace and clarity.

***

Guys, *deep dramatic sigh”, this person has a lot to say. I can’t stop channeling. It’s running through me like water lol. You could’ve stopped speaking to this person, cut them off, or cut them off from your energy all together here. Someone feels like something is incredibly unfair or unjust. They may feel like the world or the most high is against them and they feel like you slipping away from them is a manifestation of what it means to hit rock bottom. But , I don’t see you able to romanticize this, this person, this behavior, their feelings for you (any longer) you’ve expanded much too big or experienced what it means to be valued and you’re never going back there or you simply don’t resonate with this at this time.

channeled:

teenage dirt bag

I smoked away my brain- asap rocky

“Lowlife energy”

Disrespectful/disrespect

Peter Pan syndrome

“I don’t want to grow up.”

Catalyst

Life lessons

“Bigger than me” “you’re bigger than me.” “Larger than life.”

“It’s above me now.” “It’s out of my hands.”

Looking to the moon for answers

666- “a reminder to refocus and find balance in your life.” “a positive and transformative message from the celestial realm, representing self-discovery and spiritual essence.”

777- “linked to self-discovery and personal growth” “a signal to get present with what's going on between you and your significant other”

8891- “centers around personal growth and development”

786- “centers around personal growth and development” “healing and self-care. This number encourages you to take time for yourself and to focus on your own well-being”

**the angel numbers were insane, confirmation on confirmation***

Temptation

“The devil”

Forbidden fruit

Forbidden love

Unrequited. Unrequited love

“Are you finished with me?”

“Can I be your shadow?”

“Within you.”

Karmic cycles

Mirror

“See you again” -Tyler the creator, kali uchis

“Can I get a kiss? And can you make it last forever? Because, I’m about to go to war and I don’t know if im going to see you again.”

“La la la” “ok ok ok”

Feminine/masculine

Opposites

Ends of the spectrum

Redbone- childish gambino

***

Someone is coming to a conclusion about you and about themselves through you. I get mirror energy here this could be twin flame connection that you’re keeping small here. There’s imagery of someone trying to blow out a candle, or a flame that’s flickering and small. It’s not being fed. A fire that’s dying. Whomever this person is, they’re receiving their karma for who they were to you, for not making the right decisions, for being disrespectful, for stumbling through life like it’s a joke. Your spirit guides, ancestors, deities, the divine, stand behind you so fiercely. Someone is feeling some sort of wrath here for who they were to you or what they’ve done to you. I just heard, “you’ll know loss.” Someone is going to have to rise out of the ashes like a phoenix, exorcise parts of them that have kept them stuck, be physically pulled away from karmic cycles and habits. Someone says, “they aren’t learning. They aren’t moving.”

They’re feeling very restless and burnt out here. Someone’s tired of fighting. Someone’s being brought to their knees. “I hear you haven’t seen or felt rock bottom yet.” I even hear an ancestor saying, “watch this.” I’m getting the imagery of very divine and large beings sitting in a row of chairs. Almost like the last supper or the imagery of it and looking down on what’s happening attentively. This person is undergoing large heart chakra openings or having an awakening here. The imagery of the ace of swords gives me the energy of someone pulling a sword from the earth, after it’s been buried for ages. Someone is finally picking up their sword or stepping into their power here. But I see you being completely inattentive to this here. If you’re even reading this right now this is a privilege to them to have you sit and see what it is they’re going through. Someone’s not available and has made themselves unavailable or out of reach.

This person is so stubborn, they’re hard headed, and they’ve sorted planted themselves firmly in their place and have refused to move. They’re obsessed with status or are obsessed with keeping up some sort of facade or reputation to protect themselves or make them appear invulnerable, heartless, reckless and damaging. This person could like to fight, could be someone whose met with a lot of criticism or always is pushing up against or things. Using or manipulating some sort of influence. I see you coming to terms with this person and not resonating with who they are and not seeing any admirable qualities within this person any longer. This person is going to have to fight their way through the thick of the situation that they’ve built for themselves, undergoing inner purging, arising out of karmic cycles, disconnecting from karmic connections in all sorts and shapes.

This person is avoiding making hard decisions and setting themselves apart from others and owning up to their mistakes and actions. Something about this persons lack of accountability may trigger deep childhood wounds within you of some sort or be a pet peeve that you dislike very intensely in others that you now dislike very intensely within them. This person has to make a choice. The right one this time after a long time of playing games with the divine and playing games within the lives of others. They’re going to have to be reborn and undergo immense transformation and change. And this is what is going on. There’s a massive tower moment in store for them they you won’t be there for or won’t be a bystander in. This is for them to experience all on their own. It’s very likely that you may find this persons demise satisfying or be apathetic towards their hard ship at this time, I almost typed heart ship. You may be apathetic toward their internal conflict and heartbreak as well. It’s a long time coming I heard.

Someone is allowing the scales to be balanced out and protecting themselves by being nowhere near this incoming explosion or tower moment. They won’t be stepping in, helping to protect this person from their karma, or hiding this person away from their shadows. I’m getting imagery of the shadow man or Dr. facilliers death in the princess and the frog. This person is so unattractive to you right now. After a long time potentially of being your wish fulfillment and end all be all.

Messages:

“ I’m scared somebody will take you from me.”

“ I let others interfere with our connection.”

“Go back to our spot.”

“I want to call/text you, but I’m afraid you won’t answer.”

“The warmth of your hands keeps my insecurities away.”

“Don’t give my love to anybody else.”

“I was too stubborn to admit that you were my person.”

“I need closure from you.”

***

ii.

everything is okay pile two, you can relax. You may feel tension in your neck, your back, and feel a lack of energy in your legs or have some leg pain. You’re purging energies, undergoing transformation, and getting ready to accept more gifts and more happiness. Make sure you prioritize your rest, your eating and your overall health. The color blue could be significant, beige or light shades of brown, the color white, doves, crows, cats, and spiders. Snakes as well. If you feel lost, answers are on the way. If you feel alone and/or abandoned, spirit is always standing with you and protecting you. Spirit will not allow you to be mislead, be hurt, or be put in situations that will destroy you. Your spirit guides and ancestors commend you. I hear round of applause, whistling, and chants of encouragement. I actually left and took my ass to bed after pile one because pile one’s energy was crazy asl, I actually know pile one in real life. Bless their heart for real. ANYWAYS!!

channeled:

Tangled up in you- the Alton’s

Heart to heart- Mac Demarco

Let’s stay together- al green

Tell it like it is- Aaron Neville

I put a spell on you- Nina Simone

Fade into you- mazzy star

Relaxation

Inner peace

Fulfillment

222 - you’re on the right path. “signifies good fortune in finances, relationships, and career, as well as a reminder to work towards your soul's purpose.” “symbolize balance, harmony, and spiritual alignment” “the time has come for you to be more self-reflective, and focused on the duality of situations”

444 - your spirit guides are protecting and supporting you. “conveys a powerful message of love, support, and guidance from your angels”

22 - “welcome balance, wisdom, and divine transformation into your life.”

12 - “something in your life has been completed, and it's time to turn your attention away from the past and look into the future.”

896 - personal growth & development. “896 encourages you to put your devotion and efforts towards your spiritual passions and interests, in turn, manifesting abundance and plenty into your life”

888 - “positive flow, abundance, and rewards are coming your way.” “Stay open to abundance in whatever form it appears, not just what we expect or want”

8 - infinite possibilities

0 - “the number 0 is ultimately about unconditional love. "The force of love is around you all the time, taking the form of other people, opportunities, and even moments of clarity”

65 - “Angel Number 65 is giving you a message from the guardian angels that your efforts to transform and improve your life are being appreciated by the divine energies.”

100 - “symbol of new beginnings, manifestation, and spiritual guidance.” “aligning oneself with eternity while finding balance between our inner world and outer reality so that true harmony may exist within us.”

110 - “it’s time to manifest your dreams.”

Sleep

Relaxation

Careful consumption of media

Deciding on morals & boundaries

Candles

Journaling

Shadow work

Smoke cleansing

Water cleansing

Detox

Rejuvenation

Chrysalis

Hibernation

Mother Nature

Mother Earth

The Moon

Menstrual cycle

Divine feminine energy

The metaphysical

Inner child

Inner compass

Erykah badu

***

pile two… this person.. this person.. I’m so obsessed. This person is open and genuine. They may have expressed to you so much already but anything their withholding is more and further confirmation of deeper feelings and desire to do more for you and offer you more love and more peace. You may be in a relationship with this person, this gives committed relationship vibes, it doesn’t give situationship vibes, nothing is in the air, there’s no dust kicked up or fog that’s obstructing the clarity of the situation. It is what the two of you say it is, it looks like exactly what it is. It sounds like exactly what it is, devotion. Amy winehouse “love is a losing game” just came on, I have it playing on my tv and I just turned it up because it’s playing so quietly all of a sudden when my volume is already high and everything else was loud and clear.

It kind of gives me the impression that anything within the energy of loss and heartbreak is over and silenced. Spirit is covering your ears and covering your eyes to perspectives and ideas that aren’t in alignment with this connection and the love you share. The song just ended, “tell it like it is” just came on, blaring loud I was like 🫨🫨🫨. This person is a real man or a real woman. They’re ready to love you, to give you everything. They’re asking that you be honest and bare your soul and tell me them how you feel. Pride aside, fear aside. This person loves you beyond the fear and ego. I’m getting sensual energy, it’s deep and it’s passionate lol I feel like someone is squeezing my heart right now. This person applies pressure or they really get you riled up. I’m feeling all of this persons feelings. I hear my heart in my ears, you know those chills you get when you listen to oldies, the blues, or that STANK face you make when you feel something deep in your spirit. This person is in your spirit, coursing through your veins right now lol. I haven’t even began reading through the cards. UGH! Unhand me immediately!!!

This is like an intensely passionate saxophone solo. If this person is silent in any way, it’s because they’re trying to take action in their lives to get themselves in a position to show you how much they love you in a material and physical aspect. They already have laid out so much love for you to have but they want to give you more. They want to over fill your cup. They fill your cup. Your cup is full but I keep hearing “more.” I’m seeing imagery here of a divine masculine giving you everything in his pockets or anything that he has and carries with him. For some of you this is a divine masculine energy. They know your love and devotion isn’t free and isn’t cheap. They’re willing to put it all on the line. They’re even becoming more enlightened spiritually. I see the imagery of the five of pentacles and one of the men on the card is looking up the sky here. This person is looking to the heavens behind you, looking to the divine, to the moon, to spirit. Showing their gratitude, asking for and manifesting success for them to give you, asking for and manifesting safety and protection over this connection.

This person is not undecided about you, they’ve made a decision. They have some self doubt about how well they’ll be able to show up for you or how able they will be to provide you with everything you deserve because they smell your divinity, they wouldn’t do wrong by you, betray you, or give you less than what you deserve. I’m hearing “don’t” by Bryson tiller. This person feels sorry for your exes. This person is ready to give you everything and do anything on your behalf and it only gets more intense everyday. This person is in their bag or about to be, making plans for the two of you, planning a future for the two of you, making decisions and making choices behind you and your influence and your presence in their life. Financial choices, spiritual choices, emotional choices.

This person is thinking of all the things the two of you can do together or build together it’s their primary focus. Any of this persons silence is them exercising self restraint or making room for you or for this connection to unfold and blossom naturally. They want you to feel safe and feel valued despite how passionate they feel or how much they want to envelope you in all of their love and desire. This person is levitating right now. They often feel they have to take moments to pull back and gather up their energy and bring themselves down from a high or an obsessive part of them that feels driven to you.

This person, in their silence, is constantly thinking about more ways to be honest with you, value your boundaries, express their own, communicate their feelings to you. This person wants to earn your trust and your devotion.

messages:

“ save the date.”

“ will you marry me?”

This person is most definitely thinking long term commitment, sees you as someone who could be their wife or husband. Wants to live harmoniously with you and have you for a long time ❤️

“you’re a witch.”

This person feels as though you have so much power over them. They constantly feel your influence. You could be into witchcraft or be into spirituality and manifestation and they believe in your power and divinity wholeheartedly. They don’t doubt you.

“You have so much power over me.”

“Healing my mother wound.”

You could’ve brought to light some maternal issues within this person or opened their eyes to the gravity of a situation regarding their mother.

“Sending you all my love.”

“You have my undivided attention.”

“Open your heart to me. Let me in.”

“Please wait for me.”

***

iii.

This reading is being done in such immensely high and free floating energy. Someone is relaxing into something or surrendering, I’m getting imagery of someone being fully submerged into something warm or something with healing properties or that has the intention of transforming and rejuvenating them and restoring magic within the spirit. I’m getting Steve lacy - infrunami. Someone was hiding in plain sight here or may have been hiding away on purpose but the both of you are being met with true devotion from one another. There’s a lot of passion and longing I’m feeling. Someone misses someone or has plans to come to someone and be near them. Spirit is telling me, “I’m giving you space to miss one another or come to terms with who one another really are and what you meant to one another after a long time of being right underneath each others noses” there’s this energy of truths being revealed, the light or divinity in someone or the both of you being revealed. Someone within this collective may be drawn to pile two or have messages in two piles.

channeled:

Love on the brain - Rihanna

Infrunami - Steve Lacy

Tears dry on their own - Amy winehouse

Mercy mercy - Marvin Gaye

Let’s stay together - Al Green

Wet dreamz - J. Cole

CPR - Summer Walker

Trust - Brent Faiyaz

(There is) no greater love - amy winehouse

Just another interlude- Bryson tiller

Glory box- Portishead

Wholeness

Accepting love

Energy of recieving

Gifts

Divine timing

Divine plan

“Proud of you.”

Appreciation

Music

66 - “a powerful symbol of balance and harmony.”

67 - “you are on the right path and to keep going.” “prosperity and good fortune are on their way.”

68 - “your angels are encouraging you to take a leap of faith and start something new”

88 - “great success, abundance, and prosperity.” “ This number's presence is a positive sign for matters of the heart, often associated with the abundance of love and blessings.”

99 - “spiritual growth and awakening” “it confirms that your bond is based on mutual respect, understanding, and love. But, there's always an opportunity to enter a new phase of even deeper connection.”

600 - “Your material security and wellbeing are protected. Balance, harmony, and stability in your relationships. Spiritual growth and higher understanding.”

666 - “ a positive and transformative message from the celestial realm, representing self-discovery and spiritual essence”

789 - “number centers around healing and self-care. This number encourages you to take time for yourself and to focus on your own well-being. It serves as a reminder that it's important to make sure your emotional, physical, and spiritual health are all taken care of.”

884 - “ a powerful reminder that you should stay open to what life brings your way. It's time to trust that everything is happening for a reason. The angels are reminding you to stay in alignment with your heart and soul. If you do, the universe will aspire to bring you what you need.”

200 - “conveys a message of hope and optimism for your future endeavors”

211 - “guides us to maintain balance and harmony within our relationships.” “a positive omen that learning to trust yourself will set you free”

Equal give & take

Space to be yourself

Satisfaction

Overcoming fears

Emotional stability

Messages/calls

Abundance

Self-care

Singing

Throat chakra

Chakra activation

Kundalini activation

Intense physical & emotional intimacy

Support

Devotion

Red roses

Vinyl records

1970s

History

***

This person is carrying with them a lot of emotional stress and burdens here but I also see them carrying themselves almost. Like they’re trying to hold themselves back from coming face to face with you on a deep and personal level. This person is having hard time and is tired and a little burnt out from feeling as though they have to suppress their devotion or their love for you. This person is incredibly attached to you as well as sexually attracted to you. They may hide from you or try to create space between the two of you so that you won’t see just how much they like you or how much they want to be with you, how much they want to be intensely intimate with you. This person overthinks a lot, they’re an anxious person and they’re afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of you or disappointing you. This person also feels like they might inconvenience you greatly by being authentic with you due to past connections and heart break that made them seem or feel like they weren’t important or valued or weren’t owed loyalty or devotion because of the way they were when they they showed up honestly. This persons needs weren’t met and their nervous system is in overdrive trying to overcome their fear of being close to someone again despite how much they love they hold for you in their heart.

Someone in this persons past may have gaslit them or told them that they weren’t as special as they advertised themselves to be or that their love and support wasn’t genuine or wasn’t worth fighting for or sticking around for or their portrayed this to them through actions. This person has been tired, carrying a lot of tension in their bodies, or are burnt out from how much energy it takes for them to keep themselves from you. Heard the worst by Jhene aiko, not necessarily the whole entire song but “I don’t need you but I want you.” And “I don’t mean to, but I love you.” But this person, they’re afraid, because they think that they love you but are afraid to tell you or reveal their love to you through words and action. This person feels as though you’re meant for them and they constantly feel the need to apologize for pushing you away or holding off from you out of fear.

This person adores you, they care for you genuinely, and they feel they’ve been blessed with and given divine love. You may come as a surprise to this person, you catch them off guard, or appeal to them in a profound way due to past experiences. I hear this person hoping and wishing that nothing takes you away from them. This person is in a constant state of healing and transformation in order to accept you. Manifesting their fear away, taking steps to let you see them, practicing putting down their weapons, leaving their past in the past, and breaking down the walls they’ve built around themselves in order to call and manifest true love and now you’ve arrived and the walls are ready to come crashing down. This person is reprioritizing things within their life as well. They could’ve had to shift into their dark feminine energy if this is a feminine energy. This person could’ve had to remove people from their lives, undergo a lot of purging, awakening and healing in order to put themselves in their divinely ordained position to receive love and love themselves.

This person is coming to terms with the fact that the worst is over and they won’t have to fight anymore and that they can fall into you finally and be taken care of and loved correctly. They’re in the process of coming to terms with the fact that the past is in the past and they no longer have to revisit it or hold onto it. That they’re safe. That nothing else can harm them any longer.

messages:

“Every song reminds me of you.”

“You taught me what real love is.”

“Divine masculine.”

you represent true masculine energy to this person. True divine masculine energy. Especially if you identify as the divine masculine within this connection.

“You have a lot of heart.”

“Lover.”

“I’m sorry I pushed you away. I didn’t understand you, I didn’t understand my feelings.”

“Forgive me.”

“My souls purpose is to love you & be loved by you.”

*double confirmation about spending time apart.*

***

Hope this served you right and brought you Justice and true clarity! I enjoyed curating this reading, thank you for co-creating my reading by being apart of the beautiful collective, by loving my work, by being patient with me! You are so loved and valued. ❤️!

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deblklesb · 4 months

Text

[Phantoms of Past — Abby x Reader]

[AFAB!reader, friends to lovers, Christmas themed, br!reader, angsty, MDNI]

a/n: well, is this late for Christmas? yes. but do i care? also yes bc i'm paranoid and have some need to make stuff on time, so imagine my despair when i couldn't finish this. but i ALSO know that I'm doing my best, and for that i have to pat my own back. anyway, this is for my brazilian besties out there!!!

cw: reader is brazilian, usage of phrases in pt-br with the translation after and between parenthesis, owen mentioned (this man is a cw by himself idc this is not a owen appreciated blog), mutual pinning, Abby understands portuguese and even talks some. let me know if i forgot something.

not proof read | word count: 3,274

reblogs are highly appreciated!!

While you drive through the recently cleaned streets of the neighborhood you grew up, thanking the heavens that it stopped snowing for now, the radio plays a seasonal song and your murmur along. The traffic on the main roads were chaotic, almost as congested as your uncle's arteries, but now the decorated rooftops and doorsteps replaced the headlights on your peripheral vision. In front of a house stood a snowman, or at least his body stripped of arms and face.

You park in front of a house with simple adornments and flashers around the main door, a LED deer standing next to it and a small table with fake cookies and milk on top. All the energy was so reminiscent of the years you'd spend a whole day decorating the house with your mom, mainly inside, just so your father and sister could take care of the outside. Now that you both were grown and away, the couple occupied itself with the house interior and resumed the exterior with a simple approach. It never failed to take a smile from you, though, especially seeing the way they would adhere to simple things just because it looked cute, even if it had nothing to do with their native traditions.

Coming from Brasil, for the first part of your life you had hot weather and sunny days on Christmas. Maybe a night of rain, but never snow. Fireworks and catholic mass were on the list, but your parents went just to go along with the rest of the family and friends. They weren't religious, so in the end Christmas was simply another holiday, but with presents and - as all the other holidays - a family gathering. The main difference now was that you were studying in another city, becoming one of the absent relatives; you know, the ones that mainly go home for the holidays and vacations. It wasn't bad, but they definitely missed you a lot and the feeling was mutual.

Using your key to get in, the sounds of Simone’s “Então É Natal” (“And So It Is Christmas”), a brazilian holiday song, hit you immediately. You chuckle, taking off your boots and coats. From the front corridor the ornamented tree is visible, carrying innumerous lights and details. There's probably not a single empty wall, the seasonal decoration filling every inch of your field of vision.

“There she is!” Your father shouts as you appear in the living room smiling. The man goes into your direction with open arms, holding you tight. You smell that same cologne he wears since you can remember anything, and along with the warmth of the house, it truly feels like home. Some of the tension from university and work just falls on the carpet, leaving your body to receive all the good things inside that place.

“Carlos, you'll smash our child and I cannot have another one”, your mom yells somewhere from the kitchen direction, making you laugh.

“I can get another one anywhere, Marília”, he finally lets go, an arm around your shoulders. “Won't be as nice as this one, though”

“Of course not, she's irreplaceable”, your cousin Felipe says, approaching. “Prima, você tem feito falta!” (“Cousin, you have been missed!”) He holds you sideways with an insane amount of exaggeration, taking an embarrassed chuckle from you. Felipe was a lawyer with a lot of charisma, but inside he was just your cousin that your mom liked a lot. You both used to play together growing up. “From some people, a little too much”, he whispers playfully before running away, not letting you scold him for bringing up something you were not prepared to deal with this earlier, especially when the person implied wasn't even around. Yet.

Your father doesn't seem to notice, now talking with your mom again.

“Hey, Alice”, you wave to Felipe’s wife sitting on the couch, drinking something on a Christmas themed mug.

“Hey, sweetie! How's uni?”

“Tiring”, you shrug. “How about the kids?”

Your name is once again shouted through the house, and as you turn around three kids are running into you. Camila, Jorge e Rayana hold your waist, almost making you fall with a laugh. Camila is the oldest, at five years old, but the others are at the age of three. They're simply the most precious people in that family.

“Meus pestinhas!” (“My little brats!”) You start messing their hairs and pinching their ears playfully.

“Eu perdi um dente, olha!” (“I lost a tooth, look!”) Camila smiles widely, showing the first little window on her mouth.

“Ela tá ficando banguela e feia” (“She's getting toothless and ugly”) Jorge points out, and by Camila's reaction this isn't a new saying.

“Well, that's too bad. Because you'll get toothless and ugly too, just wait a few years”, Rayana and Camila laugh as the boy pouts at your response, looking at their mom.

“Vamo, vamo, abram espaço. Preciso abraçar minha filha” (Come on, come on, clear the way. I need to hug my daughter) Your mom’s voice finally reached the living room before her arms were wrapped around your torso. It's warm and familiar, you've missed her so much.

“Oi, mãe” (“Hey, mom”)

“Você tá tão magrinha, filha. Aposto que não anda comendo direito na correria, né?” (“You're so skinny, child. I bet you haven't been eating well in all the rush, right?”) The caressing she does on your back is reassuring, and by that you can tell you're going back with bowls filled with food. “Sua irmã vai chegar só mais tarde, seu pai vai buscar ela na estação” (“Your sister will arrive just later, your father will pick her up on the station”)

“When will uncle Jerry get here? He said he would get me new crayons”, Rayana mumbles while playing with one of the numerous ornaments on the lit up tree.

You try not to react to what that phrase implies, going with your mom to the kitchen to busy your hands and your mind with something else. She would probably kick you out of there soon anyway, she never liked having other people in the kitchen with her unless very necessary. But the need to act normal, smile and not think about family friends coming over it's bigger than the prospect of being scolded out of a room.

While the conversation continues in the living room and the song plays to never leave an empty place in your audition, you hover around the place talking with your mom about the neighborhood news and her routines in the morning walks group. It's comforting to know about what's going on, even if it doesn't really affect your life.

You help her cut the bread to make rabanadas (french toasts), looking forward to finally eating them. It's one of your favorite things of this season, even though you could actually find it anywhere at any time of the year. But the memories of having a plate of those on the supper table, covered in sugar and cinnamon, it's one of your favorites. So you're dividing your attention between the chore of slicing the bread and listening to your mom speaking, when a name being yelled in the living room catches your ear and you almost cut the tip of your thumb.

It's Jorge’s voice. “Abby!”

It's a blessing your mom didn't notice it, but now you have a bigger motive to stay inside the kitchen and never leave it.

No matter how much your mother talked, or the music filled the air, or the people in the other room got into different conversations within the group; her voice seemed louder than any other thing to you. You would swear she was next to the table you had the cutting board on, chatting with the children and playing with them.

You could swear you could listen to her whispering to you about lonely nights and missing pieces of a puzzle.

“Tia!” (“Auntie!”)

Your mom stops speaking just to turn around and look into the tall woman's direction. “Abigail!” Her comforting, mothering arms hold the strong torso, and the blonde needs to be in a not very straight posture to fully embrace your mom. What could you say, hightness wasn't in your family's genes.

“One of these days you'll be able to carry me around, with how big and strong you're getting!” And they both laugh as if Abby didn't live at the end of the block and they saw each other constantly.

All the while, you're trying to avoid the upcoming, inevitable moment. Your eyes glue on the bread, but you're not really looking at it. They're talking but you can't decipher the words, just assimilate the sweet voice making your cells tremble in vibrations. Cutting another piece, and another, then another, then-

“Puta que pariu-” (“Motherfucker-”), a drop of blood falls onto the cutting board when you pull your hand away, thumb red and hurting.

“What happened?” Your mom asks, concern in her voice.

“I cut my finger”, the running water of the sink makes the wound sting when you put the finger under it, the blood keeps coming out.

“I can take care of that if you need to”, Abby says, making you look directly at her for the first time of the night.

And you have to give the lack of air to the pain. You have to, because otherwise you would be admitting that looking at her takes your breath away.

“Yeah, Abby is working as a nurse in a school now. I bet she's used to this type of thing”, Marília goes to the cutting board, taking the pieces you've cut already.

There's nowhere to run over this. What will you say, that you don't want her to take care of your wound? That you can't be next to her, orelse all the coherent thoughts in your mind will fade away, leaving room for her voice? That your fingers ache to touch her?

You look to your still bleeding finger under the open faucet, then to the tall, blonde woman again. And while your mother wasn't looking, you both had a silent conversation about something, everything. She could see the doubt in your eyes, but you could see the pleads in hers.

“Sure, I think it wouldn't be much…” You try to smile, finally turning the faucet off and grabbing a towel to wrapp around your finger.

You both go upstairs, she tells you how there was a first aid kit in the bathroom and your stomach jumps at the realization that she knew your house more than yourself probably. Looking forward at all times and trying not to pay too much attention to her careful hand touching your arm like she was guiding you around the place.

“Go to your room, I’ll take the kit”, and you don’t even look at her to see how she was looking at you. You don’t know how that hurt her, mainly because you’re trying to get out of this situation as fast as possible.

The room is just like you always leave it after the breaks, bed neatly covered and books on the shelves. Some stuffed animals that you couldn’t bear to donate were aligned on a shelf next to a poster of a band you liked, the black and red contrasting with the creamy colors of a small giraffe. You saw the table where once you were pressed against, the lamp giving a soft light on the room as you felt a pair of lips so close to yours after all those years of yearning and silent pining.

“Okay, let’s give this a look” she was back using that voice, the one for the workplace. Tender, but firm; like she was trying to be secure, but reassuring.

Abby pulled the chair next to the table so she could sit in front of you, her knees together between your separated legs as she carefully took your hand and unwrapped the towel. Crimson drops started to flow down your finger, and the blonde woman never took the blue eyes away from the cut.

The distance wasn’t enough. Her scent would haunt the bedroom all night, making you dream about her just like it happened before, during your late school years, when she came to spend the day and left you numb and daydreaming. Her touches were so gentle, featherlight.

“It wasn't that bad, we can handle it”, she muttered like she was talking to one of the students from the school she worked at. “So, how's college?”

“It's okay, I guess”, with eyes glued on your own hand, you tried not to notice her thighs too much. “I've been working my ass off to write a paper while keeping up with classes and the monitoring thing”

“You'll get this, I'm sure”, you looked up just in time to see a smirk on her lips, but then returned to look down again before being trapped on that hypnotizing expression. “After all, you've always been very good with your words”

“It was easier in school, though”

“It always is”, she cuts the bandage before wrapping your finger with it. “But that's the thing, right? We start to realize how school was maybe easier, but then again, would you rather be back?”

“Oh, fuck no”, you chuckle as she finishes the curative. “I wouldn't change this for that”

“Yeah”, you finally look up more confident, meeting her indescribable expression. “I would change some things, actually”

“Like what?” You're just keeping the conversation, just trying to let it flow well enough for it to be bearable. You surely weren't expecting the next phrase.

“I wouldn't have dated Owen”, she sighs.

Owen was Abby's boyfriend. They started dating in the last year of school, and looked very much in love, for your displeasing. He wasn't a bad guy per se, but the fact that you already had a crush on Abby made you think that your feelings towards him were totally based on jealousy. So every single thing you had to say about him would be shoved down your throat immediately, and you'd just smile and nod to your friend anytime she mentioned him. You told her he was nice - couldn't bring yourself to say more than that - and supported their relationship with the most painful role in that whole story: the best friend with an unrequited crush.

By fall you found out she and Owen had broken up. Right after…

“Why is that?” Her eyes wander from the quilt to your hands, then back to your face. They were so beautiful, you could spend the rest of the night admiring them. Or the way her hair would fall around her face with soft lines, how her freckles were so attractive to the touch, especially on her arms.

“Don't think I was really into him… At least not in the right way”, Abby was the one not looking at you now, almost more interested in putting the stuff back on the kit box. “I could've been honest with him… And with you”

“Abby-”

“That's fine…” She shrugged. “He was a little bit of a dumbass anyway”

Silence falls around you both, filling the room with an emptiness.

The image of them both in your living room, last Christmas, haunts your mind as soon as you remember how you knew nothing and was too caught up in your own thoughts at the time. The way she laughed at his jokes, making your stomach turn as you smiled politely. Or how you saw them kissing next to the coat holder by the front door, and all the food you ate wanted to come back in awful bitterness.

You never told anyone. Never said a word, as always, rather keeping the green feeling on the back of your mind in order to not do something stupid - like being rude or start crying.

But then, you came home for the summer break. You dad was making barbecues in the backyard, you mom decorated the house with all the stuff your cousin brought from Brasil on his last trip, and you'd listen to pagode in the living room while the kids were playing and running, waiting for the meat to be properly roasted so they could finally eat.

Internally, you were ready to deal with that same gut-rotting feeling all over again. The plan was to sustain the fake expression until the time allowed you to pull the tiredness card on everyone and go to your room to watch some old telenovela.

Abby showed up alone, greeting everyone as usual. And when she looked at you, you could swear that was something in her eyes that could make you shiver. How she took your figure in before hugging you, how she held you so tight and for a little bit longer. How she was always trying to be next to you. You couldn't decipher, though, and the whole day went by mixing the confusion of her being without Owen and not even mentioning his name, and the rush of being that close to her again.

That night, in your room, she kissed you. Right there, where you were sitting now, she held your face between your hands and your skin shivered, while her lips touched yours.

You waited for years. Kissing her was probably one of the only things you wanted to do every time she was around, flesh craving hers. And it finally happened… But she had a boyfriend.

So you never talked about it again. You went back to college and texted her less and less.

“Abby, Abby, Abby!” A childish voice came from the corridor, the door opened to show Rayana. “Come here, I need your help to defeat Jorge and papai” (dad)

“Okay, I'll be there in a second!” The blonde smiled before the girl ran back downstairs. “Well, it seems like a have a duty”

“Can't let her down, she'll never forgive you”, you both chuckled while she got out of the room, first to leave the kit back in the bathroom and then to go to the living room again.

Sighing, you laid back on the mattress. Just like that summer night, you were alone in your room trying to collect your feelings about an interaction with Abby. Heart beating fast and a familiar warmth on your chest, wanting to curse every single entity for putting you in this position.

You came down maybe 15 minutes later, mask back on to decorate your face with a smile. You saw the tall woman on the mat with the younger children on top of her, attacking her while laughs filled the place.

“Okay, okay, saiam de cima da Abigail” (“Get off of Abigail”) Your mom didn't have to say it twice before they were sitting next to her. “Abigail, I need a favor. Remember that bowl I lent to you last week?”

“Sure”, her arms seemed stronger now that she was supporting herself on the elbows. Why was she so gorgeous?

“I need you to get it for me, darling”

“Okay, I got it”, Abby got up and immediately went grabbing her coat again.

And you were about to go back to the kitchen to make yourself useful, but it couldn't be that easy.

“Filha, vai com ela. Está nevando bastante, não é bom dirigir sozinha nesse tempo” (“Daughter, go with her. It's snowing a lot, it isn't good to drive alone in the weather”)

“Oh, it's not necessary-” She really tried, but your mom wouldn't take a negative answer.

“I'm not asking, you won't go alone!”

You nod and start putting on heavy clothes. It was okay, all good. You both would get in the house, grab the bowl, and get back in no time. It would be fine.

[dividers by @cafekitsune]

#abby x reader #abby anderson x reader #abby tlou2 #abby the last of us #abby tlou #abby anderson #tlou abby #tlou2 abby #abby the last of us 2 #christmas theme #deblklesb #abby anderson the last of us #abby anderson tlou #abby anderson the last of us 2 #abby anderson tlou2

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ellssbellss · 1 year

Text

Lavender Roses ~ (K. Ootori x Reader)

pairing- Kyoya Ootori x Reader

In which a rational head hides a generous heart, but you have always known how to see past his walls and help him bloom into the gorgeous rose he is. Enjoy a slow burn between an honor student and our beloved glasses character!

-> summary: You expected him to whine a bit, yelling at the twins to stop playing unfairly while rubbing the bump on his head.

However, you didn’t expect the tiki statue to light up.

-> word count: 17.3k (she a long one)

-> tw!: mentions of small injury (including blood, scrapes, ankle injury, and being knocked unconsious), mentions of drowning sensations (no oxygen, trapped underwater). please read if your comfortable!

-> legend:

(f/h/f) - favorite hot food

(f/f) - favorite fruit

(f/c) - favorite color

see masterlist!: masterlist

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Jungle Pool SOS!

“Haruhi!”

The brunette turned slightly at your voice, and she watched with a small smile as you picked up speed behind her, your leisurely pace molding into a speed walk to catch up with your friend. A drink carrier balanced in your arms as you made your way to her side.

Ringing bells of gold signaled the end of the school day and crisp, early spring air blew through the cherry blossoms of the courtyard. Uniforms, both yellow and lavender, covered the space, the crowd heading to the cars lined up along the road. Students were excited to go home and spend the evening doing whatever they chose.

In your case, however, instead of taking this evening to perfect one of your many engineering projects, the Host Club collectively decided to meet up after school. Kyoya had informed everyone that he had a sort of field trip planned for everyone, and he needed your input on it. He had stated that everyone’s perspective was appreciated, and mandatory.

“Hey, (Y/n).” Haruhi says as you walk with her, her deep tone relaxing as you match her stride. “How are you?”

“Good!” You reply, and she quirks an eyebrow up at the bounce of your step and the brightness in your voice. No one should be this cheery after an entire school day.

Before she can speak on the matter, though, you reach into the pile of to-go cups balancing on your forearms and produce a medium sized coffee, the words “Love of my life” written in black sharpie on the side.

“Here, this one’s yours.” You say as you hand her the drink, your fingers clamping around the top of the cup like a toy crane. She laughs a little at the name. “I figured since we are being forced to work on our time off, I thought everyone might want a hot drink as a nice pick me up! I asked them to make a coffee with equal amounts of milk and sugar for you. They even used the instant coffee that you like.”

The coffee is warm in Haruhi’s hands as she takes it from your grasp. She breathes in the steam, grateful for the heat it provides. “Wow, (Y/n), thank you. You didn’t have to do this.”

Smiling at her appreciation, you shake your head. “That’s what friends are for. Plus, I thought you might need the energy boost, considering our esteemed company this afternoon.” You joke, and Haruhi chuckles as she brings the drink to her lips.

The honor student takes a sip, relishing in the taste of the cream and the coffee beans blending together. She swallows, and as the warmth blossoms in her chest, she registers just how many drinks you have in your arms.

“How did you have enough time to get these? Didn’t school let out a few minutes ago?”

You smiled, joyfully working to rearrange the pyramid of drink orders so that they didn’t spill out of your grasp. “My engineering teacher gave us a lot of freedom today. She said that as long as we had everything ready for tomorrow’s presentation, we could leave class early.” You shrugged as you assessed the organization of cups. “I figured since I had to come back here anyway, the least I could do is buy everyone a few drinks.”

Haruhi squinted her eyes at you over her cup of joe, suspicions firing from both sides of her brain. They trailed over the glint in your (e/c) irises, the extra spark in your movements as you both continue to walk towards your agreed meeting place.

“You’re extra cheery this afternoon.” The brunette bluntly stated.

You turn to look at her this time, a little confusion gracing your features. “Am I?” Your glance then roams around the academy’s property. “Just excited to get started, I guess.”

She hums in thought for a second before turning her attention back to her drink. “I think it’s because you’re excited to see Kyoya.”

At the sputtering that occurred to her right, she was surprised none of the drinks made it onto the ground.

Haruhi laughs a little as she sees you trip over yourself, and she reaches out to help you, making sure the cups are stable in your grasp. “Do you want me to hold some for you?”

You heaved a light-hearted, defeated sigh as you passed her two cups, one that said “Thing One” and another that read “Princey”. “Am I really that obvious?”

She shakes her head lovingly as you both continue to walk. “No, not to most people. But I know you.”

Scoffing playfully, you nudge her with your shoulder as you both arrive under a beautiful archway that has been built on Ouran’s property. As you both wait underneath it, you see two limousines appear, but ignore them, as limos are a very common occurrence when it comes to rich students.

After a few minutes passed the agreed meet up time, you look at Haruhi.

“Maybe we should call them? See where they are?” You say, but right when you’re about to fish your phone out of your pocket, an arm loops under yours, picking you up by the shoulder.

“Targets-” You hear a familiar voice beside you.

“Captured.” When you look over, you see that Haruhi is in the same position that you are, except she has Hikaru to her left, while you have Kaoru to your right.

“What the hell?” You say as you tighten your grip on the drink carrier.

Haruhi is thrashing a little in Hikaru’s grasp. “Wait! What is-”

Before she can ask her question, the window of one of the limousines rolls down, revealing Tamaki. To add to your growing confusion, he was wearing a red lei and sunglasses, looking very smug in his seat.

“Good work.” He says, and gestures to the limo behind him. “(Y/n) goes in that one.”

“Roger!” Shout the twins, and off you go. Kaoru is suddenly dragging you away from Haruhi as you watch her get pushed into Tamaki’s car.

“You better tell me where we are going right now, Kaoru, or I’ll-”

He interrupts you by opening the passenger door to the second limousine and shoves you inside, a large smirk on his face. Before he shuts the door, he grabs a cup out of your carrier, the one labeled “Thing Two”.

“Don’t be such a brat, (Y/n).” He teases with his cheshire grin. “Patience is a virtue.”

And with that, he closes the door, trapping you inside.

Your brow ticks with annoyance as you stare angrily out the tinted window, watching him return to the limo in front of you, and you sway as you feel the car start to move.

“I take it that's for me?”

You cannot catch a break as another surprising voice sounds across from you. You jump slightly before processing the fact that Kyoya is sitting across from you, hands folded neatly over a brown journal resting on his lap.

“What?” You ask, still reeling from the events prior.

“The drink. In your hand?” His gaze rests on one of the only two drinks left, a small earl gray tea labeled “Shadow King”.

“While I find the name intolerable, I will take the beverage.” The ravenet speaks again, a smirk resting on his sharp features, and you sigh, accepting your fate.

Thrusting the drink tray out in front of you, you roll your eyes playfully. “Just take it.” And when he does, you add. “After all this, I find the name to be quite fitting.”

Kyoya’s smirk never left his face after that.

After an hour or so passes, coffee cups lay discarded in a themed trash can, the bin looking very similar to a Tiki statue. Even the remains of a small black coffee labeled “Mori'' and a strawberry frappuccino with “Cutie” scribbled on the side lay atop the pile.

Instead, the sunlight reflects through crystal glasses filled with tropical drinks and refreshing ice. As the scene pans out, tropical birds fly through a domed space, winding through tall palm trees and intricately built water slides.

A certain red bird trained his eyes on a bright, yellow shape, and his excitement and curiosity heightened tenfold. He had never seen that big of a flower before, but it looked soft and inviting. The bird dove for it, his red color blurring in the air as he moved closer to his target, thinking that he might be able to break off a petal or two for his wife back at their nest-

“Squawk!” Haruhi shooed the winged-pest away from her yellow pullover casually, the red bird sounding its surprise as it flew away quickly. She was too distracted to care though as she shielded her eyes from sunlight beaming through the waterparks glass ceiling, still racking her brain as to how exactly she got there.

‘Am I dreaming?’ The honor student asked herself when no rational answer appeared in her logical mind. ‘We’re still in Japan, right? It’s not really known for its tropical locals.’

Before she could question herself further, a manicured hand settled onto her shoulder, kicking her off her train of thought.

She looked to her side to see a shirtless Tamaki, and even she had to admit that he absolutely glowed in the sun’s path. His blonde hair shined, and the light rivaled the sparkle of his violet irises. It was hard for her to look away, that is, until the prince opened his mouth.

Then it was very easy.

“Behold, Haruhi, bask in the beauty of tropical birds!” He sighed dreamily as he followed the feathered things in their flight. “Aren’t they breathtaking? I wonder what they’re called.”

She shook him off of her slightly as she felt a migraine already forming behind her eyes. The brunette took a moment before turning to the blonde once more, only to find that he was already lounging in a long chair, sunglasses over his face.

“Right, so…” She said, getting his attention. “Where’s the exit?”

She could feel the eyeroll the prince gave her before settling into his seat more comfortably. “Try to make the most of this down time and just relax.” A smirk made its way on his chiseled features as he raised the drink in his hand. “We’re so worried about keeping our good looks day and night, we deserve a little vacation.”

The headache began to wrap around her skull to nuzzle into her brainstem, but her face didn’t have enough energy to convey anything other than a deadpan expression.

“Personally, I think this is pointless and a waste of time, so can I go home now?” She chided, fully turning away from the prince to talk to the actual person in charge. “I should really be studying, and I’ve got a ton of laundry to do today.”

Her bare feet take her to a certain ravenet lounging under the shade, his little brown book open on his lap while his fingers expertly work his pen onto the pages. The seat next to him is empty, only a towel draped over the back of it giving any evidence that someone might be sitting there.

He seems busy, but Haruhi decides to interrupt his thoughts for the sake of her freedom. “Senpai, where are we anyway?”

Kyoya barely gives her a sparing glance before returning his focus to his notes, but answers her question. “This place is a brand new theme park that my family, the Ootori group, runs. It’s called the Tropical Aqua Garden.”

She takes in the resort in front of her, watching as the lazy river a few feet away glides and ripples against the tile walls.

“I don’t understand, I thought the Ootori Group ran hospitals and that they’re focused on the medical business, Kyoya-senpai.”

The Ootori son feels the corners of his mouth tilt up slightly at her correct observation, and finally meets her eyes before his next statement. “Yes, but my family likes to diversify and try different things. Besides, this place could be classified as a healing facility.”

Haruhi hums in thought, and Kyoya is about to expand his explanation before the sound of wet footsteps are heard behind him. Haruhi has barely any time to move out of the way before you are barreling past her, feet slapping against the concrete before they are leaving the ground. The twins in the pool jump at your fast approaching figure while Honey sits on Mori’s shoulders cheering you on. The Hitachiians rush to move out of your way, making room for the inevitable.

You laugh and squeal as you push off the balls of your toes when you reach the pool’s edge, quickly hugging your knees to your chest and screaming Cannonball! in mid air before becoming submerged in the water below.

Kyoya uses his book to shield himself from the, frankly impressive, splash before making another note on the page, his smile a little bigger now.

“It can also be therapeutic.” He says, gesturing to you and the twins splashing each other once you come up for air. “Think of the people who are overworked who would just love a vacation in the south tropics. However, they may not be able to get time off, or they may not be able to afford it.” He put his book down and reached for his tropical glass, adjusting his glasses to his nose.

“Those people can now come here and reduce their stress levels. The Ootori group's primary concern has always been for the good health and well-being of the general public.” At the end of his speech, he flashes Haruhi a host grin, and she feels a weird shiver up her spine.

“Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all.”

At your voice, the two hosts direct your attention to you, and Haruhi notices Kyoya’s Adam's apple bob slowly at the sight of you, his smile faltering into something more real.

With your palms placed in front of you, you pushed yourself over the ledge, stretching your back slightly to feel the sun on your newly exposed skin. He didn’t dare to breathe in case it disturbed your peaceful image.

But as you walked out of the pool and towards him, Kyoya just stopped breathing.

Earlier, when you had emerged from the changing room in your new two-piece, Kyoya had been on the phone with his family’s managers, too distracted to fully take in your appearance.

But now, his eyes followed stray droplets as they fell off your wet eyelashes, down the perfect shape of your cheekbones before slipping in between your parted lips, a sight that made him lose his breath.

More cascaded over your shoulder and across your arms, finding a home on your bare stomach. Another drop streaked over your chin and down your neck before disappearing somewhere he refused to look, out of his immense respect for you and, of course, his own sanity.

Cooly, he locked eyes with the twins following behind you before turning back to Haruhi, silently cursing them in his head for helping you pick out such an exquisite swimsuit. One that flatters every curve and dip in your body. One that lit his nerves on fire at the site.

Clearing his throat, it takes Kyoya a little more than a second to organize his composure, mind still hazy from your appearance.

“The park doesn’t officially open until next month, but the host club was given a special advance invitation.”

Your laugh sounded again, closer this time as you stopped in front of him and oh, why would you do that? How could you laugh like that and look like that and not expect him to be bursting at the seams?

“Oh, so we are just a bunch of guinea pigs for your new waterpark?” You ask, cocking an eyebrow at the man below you. “I’d expect nothing less from the Ootori’s.”

Kyoya rolls his eyes, reaching over to your chair to hand you your towel. “Never expect anything less from the Ootori’s.”

You chuckled again and reached out to take the towel from his grasp, feeling the graze of his fingertips when a sweet, higher pitched voice calls for your attention.

“(N/n)-chan! (N/n)-chan!”

As you dab your head to get rid of the excess moisture, you turn to see Honey-senpai skipping towards you with pure delight on his features, and your face softens at the sight of a pink floaty around his waist.

“What’s up, Honey-senpai?”

When he gets to you, he grabs your arms and tugs on your wrist, making you smile even wider at his antics. “Wanna share some coconut juice with me? Or some mango cake?”

He suddenly runs around you, spinning you off your balance so that you fall into the chair next to Kyoya. Another laugh pushes past your lips as you adjust yourself to recline a little bit.

“I’d love to have some coconut juice with you, Honey-senpai.”

And if you thought his face couldn’t get any brighter, you were proven wrong as his eyes widened into happy saucers as he giggled away happily, appeased at your choice.

The energy that Honey had brought you was collected into a moment of calmness as your gaze traveled to Mori, who watched a bird fly over his head in the distance.

The stoic host turned and looked at you directly, as if he felt your eyes on him. Knowing him, he probably had.

You smiled at him and waved, and got a simple smile and nod in return.

He was precise and to the point. Something that you admire about Mori-senpai, but something that admittedly took a little getting used to.

You sigh and lean back. “This is so nice.”

“Does this mean you forgive me for not telling you where we were going?” Kyoya asked beside you, a knowing look playing on his lips.

Wiggling deeper into your chair, you throw an arm over your eyes, completely content with the sun warming your skin as your favorite megane sits beside you. “If it means you take me to places like this, you can surprise me all you want.”

Unbeknownst to you, gray eyes lingered on your form before another content simper made its way onto the club director’s visage, happy to see you happy.

“Hey Haruhi!” The peace was broken as the twins finally made their way towards your group, a banana in Hikaru’s hand.

Kaoru points to the large yellow slide in the distance. “You wanna go check out the water slide?” His offer falters, though, when he notices Haruhi’s yellow sweatshirt and green checkered shorts.

True to his character, Hikaru reads his brother’s mind. “Hang on, what’s the deal with the pullover you’re wearing?”

Haruhi pulls at the elastic band at the bottom of her jumper. “Oh, this thing?”

“Tamaki made her wear it.” You say, hearing an offended, betrayed gasp from the table next to you, your eyes shielded from the dirty look the prince was giving you.

The twins spun to face the boss.

“Why would you do that?” Hikaru asks, discarding his banana peel into some unknown area.

“Yeah, we even brought all of our mother’s latest designs for (Y/n) and Haruhi to try!”

“Meh.” The gingered brothers turned again, surprised at Haruhi’s disinterest. “I didn’t really like any of them. I mean, one of them was only a couple of strings.”

Another strangled cry from the lounge chair Tamaki occupied.

You pulled your arm away from your face to join the conversation. “Oh yeah, I tried that one on. It was a really good material, but it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.”

A gurgled cough sounded to your left as Kyoya brought his drink away from his lips, covering his mouth as he tried to swallow without difficulty. The twins smirked evilly at his reaction.

“You okay, Kyoya-senpai?” They said in sync, a mocking tone hidden in their smiles.

“I’m just fine.” The third son said darkly, clearing his throat as his glasses flashed at their attempt to fluster him even more than he was. “It just went down the wrong pipe.”

“A proper lady should not show that much skin until after she’s married.” Tamaki said, his face beet red at the topic of conversation.

“Oh yeah?” Hikaru starts.

“Then why is it okay that (Y/n) isn’t covered up?” Kaoru finishes.

You and Tamaki meet glances, and you see him nervously trying to find some sort of excuse as to why he cared so much about Haruhi’s privacy and respect. You simper a little bit, sensing his dilemma before saving him from answering. As his best friend, you knew that Tamaki hadn’t confronted that aspect of his feelings for Haruhi yet, and you didn’t want him to explode on that lounge chair.

Hopefully, though, he will be able to answer that for himself eventually.

“I wouldn’t let him. Why would I hide your mother’s amazing talent under some sweatshirt?” You say, adjusting the bikini on your hips.

“Plus,” You say looking over at Kyoya, a newfound confidence taking over you. That’s what the power of a good swimsuit holds. “I look amazing.” You state matter of factly, winking at your favorite ravenet.

With an air of nonchalance, Kyoya merely arched a brow at your antics before shaking his head and turning away. Mentally, you fist pumped when you notice the light pink dusting the tip of his ears, and you knew you got him.

Oblivious to your small victory, the twins turned back to Haruhi. “So you’re not going to swim?” Hikaru asked, a complete deadpan on his face. What was the point of coming out to a huge waterpark if you weren’t going to swim?

Unless…

Kaoru asked the question he was thinking. “Hold on. You do swim, don’t you?”

Haruhi lets out a groan of annoyance at her two classmates. “I can swim just as good as the next guy, but this isn’t my idea of fun. We’re just gonna spend the day goofing off.” She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Honestly, I’d rather be home. I don’t understand what’s so great about this place, and really all you need to swim is a plastic pool.”

You prop yourself up a little more. “A plastic pool? What’s that?”

She turns to you before her face shifts into a thoughtful look. “Hm, let’s see.” She starts making a large circle with her arms, trying to demonstrate the size of the toy without actually having it in front of her.

“I guess they’re about this big, and uh, and this round. And you pump it full of air.”

Hikaru and Kaoru look at her like she just said the sky was red instead of blue.

“You dunce.”

“That’s an inflatable boat, dummy.”

Haruhi’s mood turns foul again as she yells at the brothers. “Guys, it’s an inflatable pool! Haven’t you ever seen kids playing in one?”

“But isn’t that too small?” You ask, taking a sip of your coconut juice. “There’s no way something that size could be used as a pool, it would be too cramped.”

Your drink is knocked out of your hand as Tamaki pulls you out of your chair, much to your distaste. Next to you, the twins stumble to catch up in his grasp as Tamaki crouches, speaking to you in a sharp, hushed voice.

“You idiots! If Haruhi thinks it’s a pool, then it’s a pool, got it?” His eyes are wide, and his lips pucker with his attempt to keep his voice down. “Don’t go embarrassing her! She can’t help it if she’s an ignorant commoner.”

“She’s far from ignorant.” You say under your breath, knowing that if you turned in your crouched position, you would see Haruhi staring right back at the three of you, her arms folded or tapping her foot.

“So, you just want us to lie to her?” The twins asked simultaneously, and Tamaki nodded firmly.

The twins blinked at him before a smile crept onto their faces.

“Nevermind that, we’ve got a question for ya.” Hikaru asks, looking between Tamaki and his brother.

Kaoru continues. “Why did you make Haruhi put on that monstrosity?”

Hikaru just shrugs. “I mean, I’m sure you would’ve been all ‘I wanna see Haruhi in a swimsuit!’.” It wasn’t that hard to imagine, and you found yourself grateful that Tamaki didn’t throw a tantrum for once. “Not making her cover up like that.”

“It was surprising.” You admit before standing back up and brushing yourself off. You didn’t need to tease Tamaki into telling you something you already knew.

“What are they saying?” Haruhi asked when you made your way back to her and Kyoya.

“Uh,” A sheepish smile stretched your face. “Would you believe me if I said nothing?”

She rolled her eyes and grunted, making her way over right behind Tamaki before the twins pointed at her. The prince jumped in surprise, slowly turning to face only to cower at her deadpan energy.

“Well,” you sigh, leaning against your chair. “That’s what he gets for telling Haruhi what to do.”

You look over at the hum of agreement that emits from Kyoya’s throat, and you catch his cursive lines from over his shoulder as he continues to record the world around him in his notebook.

“What are you writing about?”

He looks at you before clicking his pen closed and handing you the book, allowing you to flip through its pages. Notes like ‘too many palm trees’, ‘diversify drink menu’, and ‘add diving board’ covered the lines, and you sent a confused glance his way.

“Referring to yourselves as my guinea pigs isn’t straying too far from the truth. This trip doubles as a test run for my family, to see if there are any kinks that need to be worked out before the park officially opens to the public.”

You nod with a knowing smile – because of course Kyoya could never just take a break and enjoy himself for once – and continue to look through the leather-clad booklet.

“And thanks to you guys, I’ve gotten some great data today.” The ravenet uses a delicate finger to support his lenses, and you see a flash of the business man he is already becoming.

Your heart beats a little faster.

Kyoya opens his palm for his notes, and you move to hand it back for him, only to hold it just out of his reach.

“While I appreciate your ability to multitask, I’m sure you’ve taken the necessary data to report back to your father.” Your eyes are sincere when they meet his. “Promise me that for the rest of the day, you’ll actually relax.”

His eyes squint narrowly while his jawline ticks, and you see his mind working out a debate to your request.

“Please?” You beg, and what could he do, really? When you were looking at him like that?

The argument he had loaded in his throat dies at his lips.

“Fine.” Kyoya says, his voice warm as he reaches over and closes the gap between him and his book, and you realize he could’ve done that the whole time. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.” Now you’re beaming at him, and he knew it was worth it.

“(N/n)-chan!” Your eyes leave Kyoya’s as you see Honey-senpai bounding towards you, this time with Mori-senpai in tow. “Let’s play! Wanna go swimming in the current pool with me?”

“Maybe in a sec? I’m taking a break for a minute.” Truthfully, you were enjoying relaxing with Kyoya, being in each other’s space. You didn’t want to leave him just yet.

For a moment, Honey’s eyes drooped and you were about to give in, but he got over it quickly as he skipped over to Haruhi to ask her the same question.

But Haruhi shook her head too. “Nah, I’m not gonna swim today.” She smiled before noticing Honey’s attire. “Hold on, you know how to swim, don’t you? Do you still need that float?”

At the talk of his floaty, Honey did another little spin, but this time he shook his head. “Nope! It just looks cuter this way, ya know?”

You chuckle lovingly. “He’s right, those bunnies are pretty cute.”

“He’s so innocent.” The twins remark, and your whole group watches in peace as Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai play in the pool together, a heartwarming scene.

Unfortunately, though, you were about to experience the complete opposite in just a few moments

As a shrill ‘No way! You’re wrong!’ sounded over the intercoms of the waterpark, your body stiffened like a toothpick, spikes of pure panic surging up through your veins.

You could recognize that voice anywhere.

“Is that…” You say, forcing your tongue to form the syllables, dreading to even mention her name on your vacation. “Renge?”

Out from the abyss, the dark angel that is Renge Houshakuji rises out of her lair. She poses at the top of her tiered rig, holding an umbrella and looking as smug as ever.

Your laugh is strained as more panic swirls in your irises. Swiftly, you launch yourself out of your chair, rushing a quick explanation to Kyoya before rushing over to the current pool with Honey and Mori. “You know what? I think I will join Honey-senpai for a swim. Watch my stuff, yeah?”

And you’re gone. Ignoring the unspoken rule of not running near a pool, you hike it to the water, diving deep, hoping Renge didn’t see you hide.

This is why you couldn’t have nice things.

Rising out of the water to catch your breath, you find the group in a forced chat with Renge, and you blow out a sigh of relief.

“(N/n)-chan? Do you not like Renge-chan?” Honey says as he floats next to you, kicking his little legs as much as he could so he didn’t cruise down the river.

Your mouth opens agape, but then you close it. Honey may look delicate, but he has impressive observational skills. Nothing gets past him.

“Uh, I’m still trying to get along with her.” A closed-mouth smile appears on your face, hoping to convince him

“So you jumped in the pool? That’s not a good way to make friends, (N/n)-chan.”

Mori nodded his head next to his cousin. “Yeah.”

You deadpanned at the two of them before sucking some water in your mouth and spitting it back at the duo. “Could you two not gang up on me? Isn’t there a game you wanted to play?”

Ever the scatter-brained boy, the third year’s face lights up at your suggestion, and he immediately climbs out of the pool. He takes his floaty off and throws it back at you.

Shooting an amused look to Mori, you catch the pink, plastic ring and hold it, waiting for your next order from your senpai.

“I want to practice jumping through the floaty! Can you hold it steady for me, (N/n)-chan? I bet I could jump in the hole!”

It takes you a moment, but you finally understand what he is getting at. “I can do that! And maybe, each time you’re able to jump through the ring, I can step back a bit to make it more challenging?”

“Yeah!” Honey agrees excitedly, happy that you’re taking an interest in his game. “And Takashi could create obstacles for me to jump over!”

The tall host nods, sticking his arm out between Honey and you to create a jump for Honey. “Okay.”

“Okay, ready?” Honey backs up a little before charging at the two of you. His legs jump out and over Mori’s arm, only to come to a point as he changes his pose to fit perfectly in the middle of his floaty. With a splash, the ring bounces against the water at the force, and Honey’s head goes under before he comes back up.

“You did it!” You exclaim as he pulls his arm through the center, resting his body onto the floaty.

Honey looks at Mori, water dropping off of his blonde hair. “What would you rate it, Takashi?”

The black-haired host allows himself another smirk as he holds up both hands, spreading his fingers out wide. “Ten out of ten.”

“A perfect score.” You say proudly as Honey’s excited energy becomes contagious. “Wanna do it again?”

Expectedly, he nods his head, and Mori helps him out of the pool only for Honey-senpai to jump back in the ring again, this time a little farther than he was in the first round. You all played this again and again, Honey getting a perfect score from Mori each time, until the small host was bored with his floaty and wanted to play something else.

While the cute host spun himself into his thoughts, searching for another game to play, you took the opportunity to take in the moment.

As sad as it was to admit, being able to spend time with Mori and Honey like this was rare. They had their graduation to think about, as well as their martial art training and other responsibilities that come from training police forces and overseas militia.

You were just as busy, honing your engineering skill and preparing to inherit the company your mother had built from the ground up.

But now, as the water swished between your fingers and Mori’s signature smirk secured its place on his lips, you found it hard to accept that as a valid excuse. Especially when Honey got another gleam in his eye, splashing around so that he could face his cousin dead-on.

“Takashi! Can we play Surfboard?” The boy lolita’s warm brown eyes morphed into stars as he begged his cousin to accept. The usually agreeable Mori wrinkled his brow, and you could tell he did not like Surfboard.

“What’s that?” You ask.

“I get to stand on Takashi’s back while he swims! It’s like I’m surfing!”

“Oh, I see.” You say knowingly, making eye contact with the taller host to show him that you understand why that wouldn’t be the best idea. “Do you maybe want a break, Mori-senpai? I could play with him for a little bit while you get a drink.”

Mori looked back at the hosts, seeing Haruhi fiddle with her glass alone under the canopy.

“Yeah, thanks.” His deep voice answered you simply, and soon he was out of the pool walking towards the honor student, who had a drink in her hand.

Honey looked a little sad at the loss of his cousin, but he turned back to you with renewed energy. Did this kid ever run out of gas?

“Do you wanna play Surfboard?”

A sweatdrop appeared on your forehead as you waded in the water. “Sure, but you can stand on my stomach as I backstroke. Sound good?”

You really didn’t feel like drowning today.

But he agreed with an enthusiastic ‘Okay!’ as you readied yourself to float on your back. You breathed in and filled your lungs with air, the buoyancy of the organ making it easier for you to stay a float. Honey sat, then stood on your ribs and stomach as you started to swim backwards in the water, keeping your face above the surface.

You were lucky he was light.

“Look!” Honey called to the group of hosts and Renge, drawing attention to your game. “Check this out! Even though we’re swimming really fast, we never go any further than we are now!”

‘We’ was a generous term as he stood on top of you, happy as a clam to be along for the ride.

You stayed like that for a while until your arms hurt, and you tapped on Honey’s leg to tell him that you were done. You propped yourself against the wall of the current pool as Honey kicked for himself, smiling slightly at the content look on his face. You never wanted to see this kid unhappy.

Shuddering, you pushed the thought from your mind.

“Watch out, (Y/n)!” You hear the twins yell as they run past you with water guns, trying to get away from Tamaki with a vengeance. They playfully sprayed you with their water guns before skidding around and leaping around Tamaki’s shots. Luckily, you notice, Renge has left as well.

A small voice spoke beside you. “You wanna go play water guns? You can if you want.”

Turning your attention back to Honey, you saw the most genuine look of selflessness in his eyes. He would be totally okay if you said yes right now and left him to his own devices.

But that made you want to stay even more. “Of course not, Senpai.” You said, swimming back alongside him. “I’ll stay here with you.” Honey saw a sweet grin illuminate your lips and he cheered, forgetting about the force of the pool as he stopped kicking. Catching him around his middle, your heart warmed at his eagerness to keep playing with you.

In the distance, you hear Tamaki yell “Sideways-leaping shot!” His figure blurs as he leaps to the side, trying to catch the twins by surprise as they hide behind decorative surfboards.

But he doesn’t stop.

You watch as Tamaki’s feet land on Hikaru’s discarded banana peel and propel him forward, and you wince when he lands head first into the tiki statue outside of the bathrooms.

You expected him to whine a bit, yelling at the twins to stop playing unfairly while rubbing the bump on his head.

However, you didn’t expect the tiki statue to light up.

Like a tripwire had been activated, the eyes of the statue began to glow a deep red, setting off a chain reaction within the waterparks mechanics.

A rumble split through the concrete of the resort, and you hugged Honey closer to your body, not liking the sound of this at all.

You learned to always trust your instincts as a huge wave suddenly appeared in front of the both of you, towering to great heights above your heads.

Eyes widening, you spin your head around, seeing if there was any time, any at all to at least push the third year out of the way. But the water was coming at you too fast, and separating yourself from your friend was the last thing you needed to do.

The host club is sprinting towards you both now, meeting your (e/c) eyes as you register that they’re too far away.

“Mitsukuni!”

“(Y/n)!”

Kyoya is too far away.

So with almost no time to react, you wrap your arms around the boy, your body rounding to shield Honey from the barrage of water whirling at you at high speeds. You will your heartbeat to slow as you hug the student to your middle, whispering in his ear before bracing for impact.

“Deep breath, Honey.”

Then the world was blue.

Water surrounded you. Even with your eyes closed you could feel it pour into your nostrils, rushing against your closed lips as you held onto your precious breath. The waves flooded in between the grip of your arms, but you refused to let Honey go. With every attempt that the pool gave to rip the boy-lolita away from you, you strengthened your hold, straining your muscles against the onslaught of water.

You were sent flipping, crashing against sides of the pool, scraping over sharp twigs and fallen branches. A sting shot up your right arm as you hit it roughly, and the coolness of the liquid surrounding you seeped into the open skin.

In the blind surge, your foot got caught in one of the drainage divots in the resort, and it twisted painfully before the water forced you back again. You opened your mouth to cry out when another giant wave pushed you roughly into a rock, and instead of blue, the world was black.

The host club was in a panic on the shore as they saw the wave about to swallow you two.

Mori-senpai raced with all his might, hoping to beat the concept of time and get to his cousin and his friend as quickly as possible. He saw Haruhi running next to him, yelling for you and the boy-lolita. “Honey-Senpai! (Y/n)!”

“Mitsukuni!”

“(Y/n)!” Journal forgotten, Kyoya leaped out of his chair, the rim of his glasses creating the perfect frame to see a shadow cast over your figures, blocking the light that was reflecting off your skin just minutes ago.

Swim, (Y/n)! Get out of there! He cried in his head as he raced for the pool’s edge. Why were you just sitting there? Why weren’t you making a break for it?

But his lungs deflated when your body language gave him his answer. You met his eyes, and the emotions that warped through them were almost apologetic as you turned away from him. Distressed, Kyoya saw your shoulders hunch protectively around Honey-senpai, your palms spreading over the boy’s chest as you pushed him flush against you in brace for the impact. He still willed his legs to pump faster.

Damn it, of course you wouldn’t leave Honey-senpai. If you couldn’t protect him, you’d go down trying.

Kyoya’s fingers were drenched with the splash as he reached out, desperate to try and get to you, his heart thumping with his effort.

But in an instant, you were gone, washed away with the tide.

And at the edge of the current pool, the Ootori son froze, his feet rooted to the decorative flooring as he watched the water swish back into its original shape. It was unaware of the drama it had just started, splashing up against the cool blue tiles.

Kyoya worked to catch his breath, the adrenaline in his body oscillating between the valves of his heart and the nerves in his mind. He closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling in more controlled manners as his brain fired, trying not to imagine the water rushing into your lungs. The force of the wave replayed in his mind, your gasp and Honey’s cry as it overtook you haunting his ears.

His tongue was too big for his mouth as it pressed against his soft palette, internally channeling all his tension so his persona wouldn’t shatter. But with one final exhale, his eyes snapped open, and the downward spiral he was sinking into was interrupted by a new determination.

Black hair whipped as Kyoya spun on his heel, making a beeline for the waterpark’s directory. If there was one thing he learned as an Ootori, it was that nothing could be solved if you didn’t push forward.

“Gentlemen!” Tamaki yelled as Kyoya brushed past him, the blonde’s finger pointing high into the sky. “We’re going after Honey-senpai and (Y/n)!” He points towards the path that was near the pool that swept you away. “That pool looks like the quickest way! Charge!”

Everyone except for Kyoya rushed at Tamaki’s orders. But Kyoya was the one looking at the map.

“Wait!” He called, still studying the sign. “I wouldn’t go-!”

Just as he anticipated, the club came running back to their starting point, alligators emerging from the edges of the path they had chosen. “There are alligators in there!”

Tamaki thinks before shouting out another command. “Okay, so we can’t use the pool, let’s try this way!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya sighed as another alligator blocked Tamaki’s path, and the prince scrambled back to his group.

“What’s with all the alligators?” Haruhi called as the group of hosts put their hands on their knees, trying to catch their breath.

Sharply, he answers them with a monotone voice, eyes sweeping the map to find the best way back to you. “Those alligators belong to the park’s tropical animal exhibit. I guess it is dangerous to let them run in the wild.”

He works his jaw when he spares a glance at the totem pole. “Though, the cause of our present situation seems to be the location for the switch of the current pool.” He pushes back a headache as he revisits the map. “I’ll have to have a little chat with our designers.”

Haruhi and the idiotic trio shivered at what his tone suggested, and they prayed for the designers’ safety when talking to the Shadow King. They were going to need it.

Kyoya brings a hand to his chin and relaxes slightly, grateful to at least have a plan formulated in his mind.

Turning to the rest of the hosts, he points to the map. “This is a map of the Tropical Aqua Garden.” He points to a red circle near the bottom of the signage, and the host’s eyes follow his finger. “This is our current location, but we need to get here. I have a feeling that’s where Honey-senpai and (Y/n) ended up.”

His hand raises to the top of the banner, passing several spaces marked with a large question mark. “It might be tough, because to get there, we will have to pass this jungle area here in the southern block. Distance wise, we’re talking about 800 meters.”

Haruhi walked up to the map wanting to get a closer look. “Looks like there are a lot of undeveloped areas.” She observes, gesturing to the question marks. “Any idea what might be lurking in those parts of the jungle?”

A deep sigh escaped him as he shook his head. “Since they’re still being developed, I’m afraid I don't know.”

The twins are staring at the map too, picturing you and Honey in the vastness of the unknown jungle.

“Whatever’s out there…” Kaoru trails off.

“It could be even more dangerous than alligators.” Hikaru finishes, swallowing thickly.

Tamaki squares his shoulders. His best friends were lost, their safety undetermined. Haruhi was amazed at the hard glint in his eye as he called out to the rest of the host club. “Alright! Now this is a mission of survival!”

Instead of the intimidating, worried glare that Kyoya gave to his friends, Tamaki gave them a look meant for heroes stepping onto a battlefield, one full of confidence and resolve.

“It is our sworn duty to save Honey-senpai and (Y/n)!”

So, with a plan in place, the club walked into the sea of twisting vegetation and branches , hoping to spot you amongst the vines.

The first thing you hear is rustling.

Leaves brush against one another in the wind that brushes across your damp face, creating an aura of calmness. It’s enticing, the ambience drawing your senses out from your slumber.

After another second, the white noise is painted with more sounds. Some pop out more than others, like the song of a cricket, or the jostling of a parrot hopping from one branch to the next. But they all surround you, and your ears stretch to hear birds and insects, all singing to you. Maybe even for you.

Your eyelids feel heavy as you work to open them, but you immediately squint them closed, wincing at the daylight that threatens to disturb your peace. Coming up with a compromise with the sun, you slowly open one eye before the other, allowing both of them to adjust to the brightness.

Above you are trees, and even if they are still a little blurry, they are gorgeous. They tower royally over you, mercifully, as the sunlight drips through the holes in their shade like thick honey.

Honey.

Completely blissed out, your tired eyes crinkle for a bit before the effort makes you close your eyes again. Why does that word feel so familiar?

An image of a bright smile and a pink floaty flash behind your eyelids, and soon you are taking a deep inhale, your eyes snapping open as the moist air of the tropical forest propels you back to your reality.

Instead of speaking though, you’re coughing. As you bend over, your body heaves water out from deep in your lungs, and you watch it sink into the deep soil below. You don’t register the reassuring hand on your back.

After your airway was cleared, you whipped your head around, desperate to find your friend. “Honey-senpai!”

“(N/n)-chan!”

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the proximity of his voice, and you turned your head to your left to find Honey kneeling beside you, his eyes wet with water and worry.

“Oh my god, Honey.” You say, trying to reach out for him with your right arm before feeling your skin stretch painfully. You bar your teeth, your lips drawing back in a hiss as you cover the scrape with your left hand. Putting pressure on the scrape, you turn back to the host.

“Are you okay?” Pleadingly, you stare into his eyes to find that they crinkle even more, relief and uncertainty mixed within his irises.

“(N/n)-chan!” Honey crumples as he flings himself on top of you, and you feel your next bout of pain.

“Ah-!” Feeling you tense under him, Honey gets off almost immediately, and follows your line of sight.

As he scans your body, both of your visions rest on your left ankle, which is no longer symmetrical to your right. Instead, it’s purple and bruised, swelling as if a lemon had been wrapped around your ankle.

“Oh no! Does it hurt, (N/n)-chan?” Honey whines, and he watches in alarm as you nod your head slightly.

The movement causes a drop of red to fall past your vision, and you hurriedly place your palm the side of your head, only for it to be colored a light red when you pull it away.

“I was worried about that.” Honey cooed. “You hit your head pretty hard.”

That’s when you notice the pounding.

A persistent beat has settled itself on the inside of your skull, pulsating as your blood cells rush to the spot where you hit your head, trying desperately to reconcile any damage that might’ve taken place.

Honey’s soft voice broke through the insistent pressure as his face came back into focus. “(N/n)-chan?”

In his eyes, you were propped up using your left arm to lean on the ground as your legs straightened out in front of you. A small streak of dried blood appeared on your forehead and your ankle was bruised. Now you cradled your skull, trying to get your wits together.

Because your swimsuit gave no protection from being washed away, there were mild scratches across your body, especially your back as you both were flung backwards into the pool.

“Honey-senpai,” you caught his attention, your voice low and strained, “do you know where we are?”

He puffed out his cheeks before looking around. When you both had landed, he was still wrapped into your grasp. He quickly had gotten off to check if you were alright, only to find you unconscious. After that, he had been by your side, touching certain pressure points on your body that would help you wake up faster, something his dojo master had taught him.

He hadn’t really thought of anything else.

But you see him point with assurance towards an open path that was glistening, wet after a wave came and crashed through the opening.

The third year’s face turned serious, and he looked his age for a moment. “We came from that way, so that’s where we’ll find Takashi.”

“How do you know?” You ask wearingly, and Honey reaches out to hold your hand as you get up with a limp, the height difference hindering him from totally supporting you.

Despite your situation, a soft smile made its way onto his face. “Takashi will always find me!”

The twins huddle together clasping hands as the host club walks through the path, the screeches and hums of the jungle putting them on edge.

“Kyoya-senpai, you don’t think all those animal sounds..” Hikaru starts, a quiver in his voice.

“..Could belong to the real thing, do you?” Kaoru finishes, just as shaken.

The megane inhales sharply as the twins pull him out of his thoughts, and the host club hears him clear his throat before answering the twins.

“To be honest, I’m not sure, but I do know that my family always strives for authenticity.”

Kyoya looks up at the towering trees overhead, as another rush of concern surges through his body. It caves into his chest as he breathes to try and stop the feeling. The only thing that truly helps it is when Tamaki places a hand on his shoulder.

“She’ll be alright, Kyoya. She has Honey-senpai with her! Everything will be fine.”

His eyes widen a bit as he takes in his best friend’s reassuring stance, before lightly shaking off his hand. “I’m aware.” But Tamaki listens to the tense tone of his voice and his gaze softens as he plants himself by Kyoya’s side.

The club’s director is grateful.

Haruhi comes up to walk with the two of them, drawing their attention to a certain tall host who is lacking behind the rest of the group.

“Mori-senpai is always so straight-faced, I can never tell what he is thinking.” She states quietly, turning to look at him out of the corner of her eye. “Even though he is doing a good job at staying calm, I can tell he is worried.”

As if on cue, Mori slips on a banana peel, his usual signature stability faltering as he tumbles to the ground to fall flat on his face.

The club is in shock at his lack of balance, and it doesn’t take the twins long to comment on it.

“Mori-senpai is…” Hikaru states, astonished.

“Acting as clumsy as you do, boss!” Kaoru exclaims as Haruhi reaches out a hand to help Mori up.

Tamaki rolls his eyes next to Kyoya, folding his arms across his chest. “Wha-, shut up!” And the normalcy of the interaction lifts the meganes spirits, if only slightly.

As Mori sits up, a banana peel still on his head, he sniffs the air. Kyoya watches him with a calculated gaze before bringing his eyes up to an ever darkening sky.

His realization catches in his throat. “Oh. Oh no.” Kyoya glances down at his watch then back up at the sky, arms hanging with a sort of defeat.

“It’s time for the squall.”

As if electrocuted, the twins exclaim a shocked ‘Huh?’ before rain begins to fall over them. One drop on the nose, two on the shoulder, until raindrops are pelting them from all angles. Luckily, they were still in their swimsuits.

“Over here!” Kyoya shouts over the rain, pointing to a grass gazebo that could provide shelter from the weather. The hosts huddle under it, dripping and shivering slightly at the dampness on their skin.

Haruhi ducks under the roof of the gazebo and assesses her friends. She watches as Kyoya and Mori lean against separate walls of the gazebo, both lost in thought as the rain pours on the other side.

Her gaze stays on Mori the longest, though, as she approaches him with a tentative pace, hoping to distract him by helping him think about better times. Kyoya could take care of himself.

“Hey Mori-senpai, you seem to be really close with Honey-senpai. Are you two childhood friends?”

Hikaru and Kaoru look up at you from their seated positions, both feet flat on the ground as they take a breather from all the walking.

“You mean you don’t know…”

“...That they’re cousins?”

Her jaw drops as her eyes widen, a struggled noise sounding before voicing her amazement. “You’re kidding me, they’re related?”

Distracted on his phone, Kyoya never misses an opportunity to share information. “The Morinozuka’s have been serving the Haninozuka family for generations.” He explains, then dials a number on his cell, pulling the phone up to his ear.

“But the two families became relatives by marriage, and the master-servant relationship became a thing of the past…” Kaoru points out.

“...But even so, Mori-senpai has always made a point to protect Honey-senpai.” Hikaru stated, and the host club caught a glimpse of the stoic man, still resting his elbows on top of the railing of the gazebo, trying to sense Honey in the rain.

“Must get his blood boiling,” Tamaki pointed out. “The blood of a loyal servant flows like a mighty river through Mori-senpai’s veins.”

Sympathy reaches Haruhi’s features as she makes her way behind Mori, trying to give him more comfort.

“Hey, Mori-senpai, it’s going to be alright.” She says, and Mori’s shoulders open a little more to her presence. “I’m sure that Honey-senpai is safe. He has (Y/n) for some company, and he’s a lot tougher than you might think he is, and if he gets hungry, the trees are full of bananas!”

In the background, the twins look at eachother incredulously. “Bananas?”

But Tamaki is on the edge of his seat. “What’s he going to say?”

Haruhi shrinks as Mori turns and stands to his full height, which is multiple heads over her own. His face is unreadable, and it looks like he is about to scold her before a small smile finds its way to his face.

The idiotic trio watches in astonishment as Mori reaches out and pats the honor student on the head, ruffling her hair as he states a simple, “You’re right.”

His rare but warm smile surprises Haruhi, but spins the twins and Tamaki into a frenzy.

On the other side of the gazebo, Kyoya huffs at his phone, pressing the ‘end-call’ button with more force than necessary.

He has talked with all of the managers of this park about their situation and every single one of them was utterly useless. His fingers dig into the buttons on his phone as he dials the number of his last resort.

Kyoya closes his eyes as he listens to the ring, once again urging his voice to sound normal when his police force answers on the other line.

“Hello? It’s me.” He breathes a small breath of relief when the phone is passed to the chief. “Well, we’ve had an incident that’s caused some trouble.”

His casual tone betrays the anxiety in his chest, but he stays professional, giving them orders on how to find you.

“My friends, a small boy and a (h/c) girl, have gone missing in the resort. I’ve not a single idea where they are, but they could be hurt or in danger.” Kyoya swallows at the notion, but it only drives him to continue. “You need to find them, eliminating any suspicious figures in the way. Do you understand?”

There is an affirmative yell on the other end of the line before the chief speaks. “You want us to go now, sir?”

Kyoya has to pinch the bridge of his nose to stop himself from yelling at their obliviousness. “Yes. At once, please.”

The sun comes out from behind the clouds as he ends his call, and he turns to the other hosts in the gazebo.

Tamaki is red in the face, waving his arms at the twins as he whines. “Would you jerks quit calling me a perv?!”

The ravenet considers leaving them here.

Clearing his throat, Kyoya grabs the trio’s attention. “My family’s police force is going to send in a search and rescue team to help us.” He sighs as he adjusts his glasses. “It pains me to say this, but they are better equipped at finding (Y/n) and Honey-senpai than we are. We should go back to the gate and wait there.”

But as he goes to relay the message to Haruhi and Mori, his gaze sweeps the gazebo, finding no trace of the other two hosts.

“Where are Haruhi and Mori?” Kyoya asks, and the twins and the prince stop their fighting, only just realizing their friends’ absence.

“What?!”

The three of them jump up and run out into the drying daylight as Kyoya tiredly follows behind, exhausted at having lost, not two, but four friends in the span of ten minutes.

His tired movements pause as he looks out into the vastness of the jungle, remembering a crucial detail.

“You know, I don’t believe I mentioned that there are other visitors here.” Kyoya blinks for a second before his priorities come back into play and he catches up to the hosts. “Oh well.”

You wipe your forehead once more, the rain acting as a carrier liquid to the blood dripping down your face.

You were certain you looked terrifying, drenched from head to toe as you limped through the humidity and shadows of the jungle, limping next to the equally drenched student beside you.

If anyone saw your silhouette in the rain, you were sure they would run screaming.

“Of course it had to start pouring.” You said, shivering slightly at the water running down your bare back.

Honey looked up at your strained gaze, your face calm and pleasant despite the slight wince in your eyes at every step. He saw that you were trying to be strong despite the pain you felt. His heart tightened at the thought, and he looked around the jungle before an idea came to his mind.

“Here, (N/n)-chan, hold on for a sec.” He said sweetly, helping you lean against a tree before running towards one opposite you. Your jaw fell open when he propelled himself off the dirt with a strength you had forgotten about, landing on the second to lowest branch before climbing upwards. Soon, he was in the tree, swinging from limb to limb before jumping down in front of you.

With his knees bent, he straightened up into a pose, reminding you of a gymnast who had finished their bar routine.

You clapped lightly with relief, glad he didn’t slip on the wet bark, before realizing what was in his hands.

Bananas.

“Here ya go, (N/n)-chan!” Honey said, and you took the yellow fruit from his grasp, your mood brightened by the fact that you had something to eat with great company.

“Wow, what did you go and do that for?” You said, peeling the banana before ruffling his hair and thanking him.

“So you wouldn’t be sad anymore. Did it work?”

You paused your chewing while your heart grew at his words, threatening to burst completely as it pressed against your sternum.

“I’m not sad.” You say softly, swallowing the bit of banana in your mouth. To reassure him, you force your lips into a smile. “Why would you think that?”

Honey just blinks at you before turning to his own banana, the fringe covering his eyes. “Because you keep lying to me. Why would you lie to me if you were feeling happy?”

It’s times like these when you’re reminded that he is a year older than you.

Wincing, you lay your aching head onto the trunk behind you. “I’m sorry, Senpai, I’m just…” Your chest hitches, the wetness in your voice halting your speech. “It’s just a little painful to walk.” You chuckle breathlessly, the sound coming out a little gurgled by your emotion.

“Plus, we’re lost in a very accurate jungle, and I think I saw an alligator or two on the way here.” Emotion drenches your words as you try to keep your tears back, laughing through it to lighten the mood. “I just want to get you back to Mori safely.”

You feel a pressure on your good leg, and you see Honey hugging you around your calf. A wobbly smile adorns your face as his actions, but his next words really hit close to home.

“You’re so sweet, (N/n)-chan! We will get there, don’t worry. I’m sure the others will find us, and in the meantime, I’ll be there for you, just like you’ll be there for me!”

There’s a bright strength in his tone, and you realize why he and Tamaki get along so well. Both boys represent the quintessence of optimism.

Humid air filled your lungs as you took in his words, but you were too focused on the dark side of your situation to be affected by them. Letting your knees give out from under you, the tree supports your back as you lean against it, giving your body time to focus on your wounds. The hammering in your head quickly exhausts your willingness to look on the bright side.

You were embarrassed. Here you were, in the presence of an incredibly skilled martial artist, and yet you were crumpled to the ground, defeated by a bad ankle and a few scratches.

“Maybe you could go find the others and bring them back here? I might be too weak to make it.” You asked him, and you were thankful for the rain as a few tears managed to escape your eyes. Your chest started to rise rapidly as anxiety started to seep into you through the rain, starting at your toes and rushing to the pain in your head.

You cursed the pulse in your ankle as you tried to roll it. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, just sprained.

It was fixable.

There was crinkling next to you as Honey sat himself down, plopping right by your side. His blonde hair tickled the nape of your neck as he rested his head on your shoulder. With the weight on your chest, it forced you to focus on your breathing. Your heartbeat slowed as you took deeper inhales and longer exhales, each one becoming clearer than the last.

Heat radiated off your skin as the sun finally peaked out from the clouds, and you relished in the dry air.

“You’re not weak, (N/n)-chan. You’re strong.” His light voice vibrates through you, embracing the anxiety of your feeling with a warmth that is welcomed and needed. “People who let themselves feel are the strongest people in the world.”

He takes a bite of his banana while still snuggling with you. “Plus, you always help me when I need it. Why would I leave you alone?”

The comfort of his words started to push out your previous unease, but his next sentence was the one to motivate you. “I think Kyo-chan might be really worried about you.”

You pivoted your head to him against the bark of the tree, puzzled by his seemingly random statement. “What makes you say that?”

Honey set his banana peel on his lap, spreading out the sections of the peel to look like an octopus as he fiddled with its tentacles. “If someone I cared about got washed away right in front of me, I’d be worried too.”

Your throat was dry when you swallowed. “I’m sure he’s fine.” A passive smile found its way to your face. “Kyoya’s good at keeping his cool.”

“Not when it comes to you. That time when you two weren’t talking because of the otaku lady? I’d never seen him like that before. And that time you cut your knee on the vase? Or that mean doctor was in your room? He acts differently when he’s with you.”

Your heart started beating a little faster as you breathed a sigh. “We’ve known each other a long time, Honey-senpai. There isn’t much else to it.”

He gave you a childish shrug at your side, and you know he doesn’t believe you. “Maybe, but if I leave you here, then that means Kyo-chan will worry some more, and I don’t want to see him like that. Do you?”

And, oh, this is what it felt like to be guilt-tripped.

Innocent brown eyes looked up at you, cheeks filled with banana mush and eyes wide and questioning, but you noticed a deep knowing in his eyes. As if he knew just the way to pluck your heartstrings.

A teasing, exasperated simper curves your lips as your lazily poke at his side, emitting a series of giggles from him. “Oh-ho, you little mix.” He squirms your hold, and you ruffle his hair again.

Smiling brightly, you could see bits of banana in his teeth. “Did it work?”

Suddenly, your belly is full and your heart is as warm as the sun on your skin, and the emotional pain subsides, giving you strength to push through the physical.

“You know what? You’re right. Let’s make sure Kyo-chan doesn’t worry.” As you jostle next to him, Honey springs up and grabs your good arm, pulling you the rest of the way into a standing position.

You take a step with your new found confidence before immediately teetering to the side, cringing as you accidentally put pressure on your ankle.

Honey takes satisfaction to see you laugh at this instead of cry, and he glows when you turn to him.

“It still hurts a little though.” You say through a strained chuckle.

“It means your body is healing.” He says as he giggles at your sheepish look, glad to know that your heart was happier.

Emotions make you stronger, not weaker. They are rooted into your DNA, their vines reinforcing your pulse and your mind, their leaves turning towards the light of your heart.

They are powerful, you realize as you glance down at the sensitive boy in front of you, the picture of a certain director flashing through your memory.

You continue to limp through the small opening that the wave made through the artificial jungle before Honey stops you, an arm shooting out to block your knees.

“What is it?”

“You there!” You flinch from the sudden voice, but can’t tell where it’s coming from. “Put the boy down immediately! If you refuse, we’ll remove him forcefully!”

A bush in front of you crackles, movement making it jostle from the otherside. In the cramped twigs and leaves, you and Honey carefully creep over to the bush, still hiding behind it as you peek your eyes over.

The ground beyond the bush opened into a clearing, creating a perfect view for you and Honey to observe the action before you.

Honey’s eyes lit up when he saw Mori, who was standing tall in the middle of a circle of police officers, although they were dressed in very protective SWAT gear. You were touched to see that he was cradling Haruhi to his chest, but then had to stifle your laughter at the fact that the officer had just referred to her as a boy.

Honey was about to call out to them before one of the officers reached for Haruhi, roughly tugging on her arm to rip her from Mori’s grasp. You put both hands over your mouth this time when the stoic host punches the officer in the face, the force shooting the guard into the forest behind him.

“The suspect is resisting! Prepare to fire warning shots!”

Warning shots?!

Honey had decided that the line had been crossed, and with a smirk, he helped to prop you up against another tree before tugging on a vine hanging from it. Checking the integrity, he hopped on it and climbed high, bracing himself against the tree as he wrapped his ankles around the plant.

You watched as he straightened his legs, leaning out before pushing off the tree, swinging through the air.

“Takashi, Haru-chan! Out of the way!”

With no reply, Honey swung across their heads like Tarzan, throwing his foot out before kicking one of the guards square in the nose and knocking him out. Once the vine oscillated back to the center of the opening, the boy-lolita flipped off, doing another gymnast-like finish before bouncing up to his cousin and friend.

But before he could have his reunion, another guard interrupted him.

“Hey pipsqueak, what do you think you’re doing?”

The third year simply turned around, giggled, and then proved his martial arts title by sending every guard around him to the mat. Or, in this case, the grass.

When there are no more enemies to fight, Honey laughs a little, his voice bright and careless to the fact that he just took on an entire force by himself. “You guys should be more careful who you mess with. Picking on my friends is bad, got it?”

Your jaw dropped as you began to gently climb down the slope, wincing as your foot twisted a little more on the descent, before hopping over unconscious guards.

“Haruhi! Haruhi! Are you alright?” Tamaki rushes around the bend as you all turn your heads to see him, the twins and Kyoya running towards you.

“Oh wow, it’s Tama-chan!” Honey states as they step closer and closer.

When you push past the bush and come into their sights, they see nothing but your presence as their faces light up.

“Mon ami!” Tamaki says as he wraps his arms around you, tears in his eyes before calming down instantly at your embrace. “I was so worried.”

His smile goes away when he feels you flinch against his touch. “Tamaki, I love you, but could you please get off?”

The prince’s hands shoot up into a surrender motion as his face crinkles at your raspy voice.

And that’s when they see it.

A deep, barely healed scrape on your arm.

A trail of blood drying on your forehead.

And an angry purple color around your left ankle.

Tamaki lets out a dramatic gasp while the twins surround you in concern “Oh wow.” Hikaru states, taking in your figure.

“Are you okay, Senpai?” Kaoru asks, touching your shoulder, only to have it brushed off as a figure steps in front of him.

“Give her space, please.” His voice was calm but firm as Kyoya stepped into your line of sight.

Relief had flooded him the moment he saw you in that clearing, glad to see you standing and smiling, even if it didn’t seem as bright as before.

But the minute he spotted blood stains covering your delicate features, his heart had dropped from his throat to his stomach, becoming a thing of stone at the exhaustion and subtle pain in your eyes.

“(Y/n), are you alright?” At an arm's length, Kyoya waves a finger in front of your face, prompting you to follow it with your stare. You did so fluidly, albeit hesitantly, as the quick movement encouraged the headache seeping behind your sockets.

Good, he thought, no concussion.

“I’m fine, I’m good.” You say, laughing weakly as you cover the scrape on your shoulder, hoping to hide it from concerned eyes.

“Kyo-chan! (N/n)-chan can’t walk!”

Betrayed and offended by your partner through this whole experience, you turn to Honey with wide eyes, asking him to please shut up.

“What?” Kyoya hissed, and he looked down, seeing the swelled joint. You didn’t think his jaw could take any more tension.

“It’s nothing, really-”

But Honey kept going, a not so innocent look in his eye. “And she hit her head on a rock, and she coughed up a lot of water after she passed out! Aren’t you worried?” His doe eyes turned as big as the moon as you watched Kyoya purse his mouth after the last sentence.

Here it comes.

“You were unconscious?” His tone was calm, calculating, but his energy wasn’t. His gaze dropped a net, wrapping around your form as he scanned it head to toe. The movements of his pupils were sharp, and your stomach twisted at the array of questions that were firing in his mind.

“Kyoya.” A weak smile crossed your lips at his refined concern as he met your eye once more. “I’ll be okay. I’m just tired. And my head hurts.”

At the mention of your head, Kyoya reaches out and turns your wound to the light, his breath slowing when he saw it really wasn’t bad at all, just a small gash at where the rock had made impact.

The pale hand at the top of your head trailed down to your face, lingering there before dropping completely.

Finally, after his examination, Kyoya emits a conclusive sigh. “Well, you at least shouldn’t be walking. You can’t put pressure on that ankle.”

All of your energy went into quirking an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, well I figured as much. But unless you brought any crutches with you, I don’t think I really have a choi-”

At your waist, a sudden force brought your left side against a Hawaiian shirt, and a gasp involuntarily escaped your lips at the contact. Stretching your arm, Kyoya gently reached it over his shoulders, encouraging you to put your entire weight against him.

You started to protest, betraying the sudden want to stay as close to him as possible. “Kyo, I can-”

But when you tried to pull away, the fingers at your side tightened, pulling you closer against him. “Let me help you.”

Tamaki and the twins flinched at the way the pain flashed in your eyes when your feet dragged across the soil. “We need to get you to a doctor, (Y/n).” The prince said. “You can’t walk out of here by yourself.”

Your heartbeat caught in your throat, and even though your jaw had dropped open slightly, no words came to debate the men in front of you.

Inhaling, the moisture of the jungle was replaced with the air of Kyoya’s cologne, and the safety of his arm wrapped around you suddenly made you realize how exhausted you were. Your vision blurred slightly as you watched the rest of the hosts begin to walk out of the clearing, leaving you and Kyoya behind to get adjusted.

Your muscles ached, your wounds pulsed, and when the crutch of your best friend released the pressure on your injured ankle, you let out a sigh as the pain lessened.

Fatigue rushed through you, and your head felt too heavy on your shoulders, so you dropped it down, slightly nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

The muscles under your cheek strained at the contact, and out of the corner of his eye, Kyoya saw your eyes drop closed as your entire body relaxed against his.

His breath rippled across your forehead as he turned his head to face you, his lips almost grazing your skin. “(Y/n)? Are you okay to walk?”

Swallowing, another sigh blew past your lips as you hummed an affirmative tone, but your body leaned more onto him, and he felt the weight of your weariness at his side.

His eyes scanned you for a few more moments before he detached from you. “Here.”

Startled by the lack of warmth, your eyes shot open, only to widen when you saw Kyoya bend down slightly in front of you, his hands held out behind him in a welcoming gesture.

“Kyo-”

“The others are already down the path, and there is no way that we will catch up to them if you can barely stand. There aren’t any other options.” The ravanet turned to look at you over his shoulder, his glasses glinting in the high rise of the sun. “I’ll have to carry you.”

Your lungs filled with apprehension, not just over the fact that you would definitely enjoy it a little too much if he carried you out of here, but because you know how resistant Kyoya can be to physical connection. A series of excuses and protests bubbled up in your throat, only to be popped by the sensation of Kyoya hands on your bare thighs.

Kyoya had used your moment of shock to his advantage as he grabbed you around your lower thigh, right above the knee. Force vibrated through his arms as he hauled you onto his back, and he smirked at the squeak that came out of you as your chest came into contact with his back.

Your arms came around his neck instinctively, and you pulled yourself around him in an attempt to make sure you didn’t fall. Your ankles locked at the front of his waist, and his hands had slipped up, now resting higher on your leg.

It took a moment for each of you to register the position that you were in when he straightened up, and a blush raged over the tips of your ears to the small of your back. You might’ve even spotted a reddish hue on the back of Kyoya’s neck, but you were too flustered to care.

You didn’t think that it could get any worse – or better – until Kyoya started walking.

Even though your ankle pulsed, the rocking of his movements distracted you from any pain that you might’ve been feeling. Your headache was eased as your cheekbone dropped onto his shoulder blade, and the sounds of the rainforest around you lulled you into a restful sleep as you immediately relaxed against him once more.

Kyoya could feel the rise and fall of your chest slow alongside his back, and he stole a glance of your restful features that made his heart skip, washing away any hesitance he had of being this close to you.

“You know, maybe we should go to the beach next.” Hikaru said after Kyoya had rejoined the group, and the twins shared a knowing look when they saw you draped over his back.

“Yeah, the beach would be nice.” Kaoru said, sharing a smile with his brother when Kyoya caught their gaze.

“What are you two smiling about?” The megane asked, a bored look on his face.

They both shrugged in sync and they shook their heads as Tamaki and Haruhi made their way over to the three of them. “Nothin’.”

Kyoya debated egging them on, but the warmth behind him kept his frustration at bay, and he feared that him talking too much might wake you.

“You idiots, Haruhi wouldn’t be interested in anything like that.” Tamaki said in a low tone, coming over to one side of Kyoya to look you over, seeing each scratch and mark on your skin.

“Actually, I might like to go to the beach.” The four hosts turn to look at the brunette that stopped in front of Kyoya. “I may not be into this silly water park, but I like the ocean. No offense, Senpai.”

A huff came out of the ravenet as he rolled his eyes. “None taken.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“It’d be really nice to go to the beach,” she continued. “It’s so pretty.”

Kyoya watched a flash of light pass through his best friend's violet eyes as Tamaki looked at the honor student with adoration. His lips curled up slightly as he watched the prince’s resolve melt completely at her request.

“Yeah, alright. Then that’s where we will go next time.”

Haruhi had Tamaki wrapped around her finger.

“We’re all going to the beach Tama-chan?” Honey’s voice pierced the moment as he rode on Mori’s shoulders with a large grin. “That’ll be fun, don’t you think?”

Mori glanced up at his cousin with the same emotion that Tamaki had just held in his gaze moments before. The gentle giant smiled, rare and soft, as he nodded. “Yeah.”

This was the second time today where you had woken up and you didn’t know where you were.

Your back sunk into something soft, and you blinked your eyes open to a familiar ceiling. Warmth engulfed your body as a quilt laid across your body, and you felt the cloth against the fabric of your swimsuit. Pillows of your choosing sprawled out from under you, and you found one resting under your bandaged ankle.

Immediately, your eyebrows drew together at the gauze that wrapped around the joint. When had you…?

An itch pulled your hand to your forehead, and you jerked at the gauze under your fingertips.

You turned to your shoulder, which had multiple bandaids stretched across the wound that had a shiny film over it. Antibiotics.

Letting your head fall back onto the mattress, you flipped through your memory of the past few hours. Hazy images replayed themselves in your mind, and a distinct sense of rocking and cologne filled the air. You remembered leather seats and the touch of a shirt as the rocking turned into a constant rumble. Then, the sound of doors, opening and shutting gently.

Cool air filled your lungs at the memory of the same touch that had been at your things seemingly minutes before now coming under your knees and across your upper back, pulling you towards a hard chest. A blurry sight of black hair and a sharp jawline appearing above you, and you remember feeling your lips move before your eyes closed once more.

Kyoya had carried you back here.

“Oh my god…” Whining, you brought your hands up to rub your face before the rush of embarrassment rose too high.

You always knew Kyoya was a gentleman first and a friend later, but for him to have to deal with your lack of consciousness all evening must’ve been the last thing he had wanted to do.

Groaning, you placed your palms on the duvet, pushing yourself up to a sitting position when something caught your gaze in the corner of your eye.

Tylenol, an ice pack, and a cup of water rested on your bedside table, and your heart glowed at the sight.

A gentleman indeed.

The quilt slid down your body as you reached over for the glass, exposing the top of your bikini when you brought it to your lips, hoping it would ease some of the dryness in your throat.

You almost choked on the drink when the door opened.

Having used his back to prop the door open, Kyoya stepped in, letting light from the hallway enter the dim room. He hadn’t turned on the big light in your room, but had opted to turn on a few lamps and light a candle so that you could sleep peacefully. As if you hadn’t taken a single sip of the beverage in your hands, your mouth dried at the white sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows, jacket and tie discarded with two buttons of the top undone. He had untucked it, and his glasses slipped low on his nose as he turned to your bed.

Kyoya’s eyebrows rose in surprise when he met your awake gaze, and his finger tightened on the tray he held out in front of him.

It was the TV dinner tray that you had bought for your dad when he had come home from his back surgery. He had had you disinfect it multiple times before setting anything on it, his germaphobia running rampant even in his medicated state.

Instead of his favorite foods though, it was decorated with yours. A hot plate of (f/h/f) sat in the center as a small bowl of (f/f) accompanied it, sliced and diced in perfect proportions. Hot tea steamed in the upper corner, a small dish of honey placed to the side.

Your tongue darted out to wet your hungry lips before smiling when you took in the whole picture. A warm giggle ran through you as you set the cup back on the nightstand.

Kyoya looked like a domesticated house-husband.

And if that thought didn’t make your nerves tingle across your ribcage, nothing would.

“What are you laughing at?” Kyoya said, his shocked visage morphing into something gentle.

“The fact that I thought someone had broken into my house when you opened that door.” You lied, swallowing the heartbeat in your throat.

“And you would’ve just sat there?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice as he came to your side, setting the tray over your legs, helping it balance on the soft surface. “Seems foolish.”

You rolled your eyes and gestured at your ankle. “It’s not like I would’ve made it very far.”

The megane hummed, moving to sit on the edge of your bed, back arching slightly as he rested his elbows on his thighs. “Fair enough.”

He peered over his glasses, and you felt his gaze on the patch at the top of your head as well as the bruise that had formed at your shoulder.

“How do you feel?”

You almost wanted to laugh again, the answer too complex as plenty of emotions ran tracked into your heart. The fact that he had stayed, bandaged you up, carried you to your bed, made food for you. He had done something that no one had done in a very long time.

He took care of you.

But you just shook your head and looked at the dinner in front of you. “I feel fine, I’m just…what are you still doing here?”

His adam's apple bobbed as he pushed his glasses back on his nose, and you took in the picture-perfect moment of him resting on your bedside, the dusky sunset glowing against his raven feathered hair.

“I wanted to make sure that you had everything you needed before I left.”

The butterflies in your stomach flurried at that, batting their wings every time you took a breath. “How long have I been asleep for?”

“In your bed? Or are we starting from when you fell asleep on me?”

Scoffing at the teasing smirk on his face, your head lulled as you covered your face again. A defeated groan rumbled the back of your throat as you peaked at him through your fingers.

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been taxing.”

Kyoya’s smirk only deepened as he turned his head back to the front. “I wouldn’t say that.” His clasped hands unraveled themselves as his thumb traced his palm. “It was more entertaining than anything.”

Oh, god. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you talk in your sleep?”

Butterflies were released into your chest, spiraling up your sternum as dread enveloped you. “Stop it, no I don’t.”

“Oh yes, (Y/n), you do.”

Your hands slid down your face, dragging your lips as he looked at you with amusement in his eyes.

“What did I say?”

His eyes met yours for a moment before dropping down to your shoulder. Following his gaze, you saw that the strap of your bathing suit had slinked off your shoulder in your embarrassment to favor resting on your bicep.

Before you could fix it, though, Kyoya’s hand reached out and hooked his finger under the strap.

Your breath hitched when you realized he had leaned around the tray, and his smile had grown so much that a hint of his front teeth had appeared. You felt the strap be situated into place as his attention was back on you.

“You said that I smelled nice.”

Your eyes closed in a wince, not only to hide from the shame, but to hide from that smile that teased and teased, but pulled you in for more every time.

“Oh my god.”

The bed shifted, and his touch left your skin ablaze as you felt him sit back. You opened your eyes at a deep chuckle being pressed out of his chest, then stopped at his closed mouth.

“And I would hope so, considering that this cologne is very expensive.”

You huffed, the energy in your body needing some kind of escape as you rolled your eyes at him.

“I’m glad you’re proud of yourself.” You said, shaking your head, picking up the utensils on the plate to stab a piece of food and taking a bite.

A sensation racked through you, as well as surprise, while any tension in your body melted away, and you went for another bite before speaking again. “This is delicious, Kyo, thank you.”

The curve in his mouth was back as he shook his head. “You should be thanking your kitchen staff. I simply cut the fruit.”

Laughing, you nodded before taking a sip of the tea. “Ah, that makes more sense.”

“Do you doubt my cooking skills?”

“I doubt the cooking skills of anyone with a personal chef, even my own.” You explain, pointing your fork at yourself before eating more of the entreé. “Except for maybe Tamaki. I feel like that man could make a mean french dish.”

Bursts of air left his nose in amusement as Kyoya agreed, but his lips smacked in recollection as he brought out his phone. “That reminds me. Tamaki asked me to ask you to call him when you were feeling better.”

“Oh? What for?”

Blue light from his phone reflected off his glasses as he adjusted them, reading over the text message on his screen. “He wants to know when you’re available to go to the beach.”

You swallowed the last piece of fruit. “The beach?”

Kyoya nodded, not looking up from his phone as he texted his friend. “Haruhi wanted to go to the beach, saying that it was better than a ‘silly waterpark’.”

Snorting, you stacked your empty plates on top of each other to get it our of the way, reaching for what was left of your tea. “I’m sure that was fun to hear.”

He gave you a blank look before sending the message and stuffing the phone back into his pocket. “It was.”

Your giggle made a home at the back of your throat before the hot drink washed it down. Licking your lips to get the excess drops off the corner of your mouth, you hummed. “The beach could be fun. I’ve never been before.”

That earned a surprised look from the club’s director. “You haven’t?”

Warming the mug in your hands, you shook your head. “No. I’ve had the chance, but something always got in the way.”

His brow raised as he fiddled with the rim of his glasses once more. “Interesting. I’m glad you’ll be able to go, then.”

“Me too.”

Sipping the last of your tea, the flavors exploded on your tongue as they accompany the comfortable silence that fell between you two. Side-eyeing him, you watched him perched at your side, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves. You look at the medicine, the bandages, the dinner he prepared for you.

Suspicion fills you. The man who only acts on self-interest has made sure that you were comfortable and properly cared for. Liquid honey swishes around in your mouth as you squint at him before swallowing.

Kyoya glances at you before undoing the roll on his other sleeve. His smirk falls a little as he shakes his arm slightly, loosening the cotton around his elbow.

“What?” He asks before becoming distracted with his sleeve again.

The shirt makes it all the way to his wrist when you ask him. “Why did you do all of this?”

His eyebrow goes up when he looks at you again, and confusion shadows the gray in his eyes. “What do you mean?”

Reaching out, you fiddle with the mug on the tray before lifting the whole thing and setting it aside. “I mean, you really went above and beyond. Is there something you need me to do for you? Because I don’t know if I can sneak around taking pictures again, and I’m definitely not working with the set crew for Renge.”

“Firstly,” Kyoya replies, his arm nearest to you coming over your legs as he props himself up to face you. “I would never ask you to work with Renge again, considering that you nearly drowned yourself today just to get away from the poor thing.”

“Poor thing?” You ask, exasperated.

“Secondly,” He continues, and he suddenly became serious. “I don’t need anything from you.”

You arch an eyebrow at him. “So this was all just from the kindness of your own heart?”

“You don’t think I’m capable of such acts?”

You shrug, picking another piece of fruit from the bowl. “I didn’t say that.” Biting the inside of your cheek, memories flash through your mind, your headache becoming a little more apparent with each one.

‘I am very helpful. Without me, you would’ve slept through every alarm you set.’

’And I told you, (Y/n), that that’s not the only motivation I have for complimenting you.’

’You’re okay, (Y/n). You’re okay.’

’If you are ever in need of support, please don’t hesitate to ask.’

‘Mind if I join you?’

’Let me help you.’

You smiled at the ever increasing times Kyoya had offered his help to you. If every single time he had opened up to you was only out of his own self-interest, he was very good at hiding it. It seemed like years of being around his group of friends had influenced him to open up to them, to you, more often than not. That was something you couldn’t ignore.

Even if the term friend didn’t fit very well in your mind.

You set the mug on the try, a teasing tone woven throughout your next sentence. “I just thought you might be out for one of the favors I owe you.”

A look of recall painted his face as he hummed. “Oh yes, you’re right.”

Deadpanning, you look at him. Why did I have to say anything? “I didn’t mean right this minute.”

“But I do have a favor to ask you.”

You held his stare for a minute before giving up a sigh. “Fine. What is it?”

“You need to take a shower. Your entire room smells like chlorine.”

Your nose twitched as you inhaled slightly. An unnatural scent raced through your nostrils with abandon, and you cringed at the scent of the water park. You looked at your fingernails to see mud packed underneath them and you nearly gagged.

While you were glad that Kyoya hadn’t given you a quick spit-bath, you realized that you had been sleeping in the filth of the jungle and the chemicals of the waterpark for at least a few hours.

“Oh my god, you’re right, get up.” Waving Kyoya off the bed, you toss the blanket to the side, careful of the tray of food as you swing your legs over the side.

“Wait, (Y/n)-”

You landed with both of your feet on the floor, only for a strike of pain to shoot up your calf. Startled by the sudden spark, you lost your balance as you rushed to ease your weight off your foot.

You reached your hands out blindly, and the same shirt you had been admiring minutes ago appeared under your fingertips.

In front of you, Kyoya’s hands gripped your forearms as he worked to balance you while you gripped his biceps for support, trying not to think of how they feel under your touch.

“I don’t know if you remember this, but you sprained your ankle.” He said as he did what he tried initially in the jungle. Your arm draped over his shoulders and he tugged you gently against him, leading you to your en suite bathroom.

You winced as you tried to keep up with him, your ankle pulsating from the sudden pressure. “I think I was just reminded.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw at your pained tone when Kyoya got an idea. “You said something else in your sleep, you know.”

Struggling to be in the mood to be teased right now, you gave him a blank stare. “Oh yes, please embarrass me further.”

Your side ignites from the deep rumble of his snicker. “I don’t think this is as embarrassing as it is touching.”

As you enter the bathroom, Kyoya sets you down on the edge of the bathtub before reaching towards the faucet, setting the temperature to a comforting warmth.

Bending your knee, you slowly prop your foot up on your knee to rub at it to ease the pain. “What did I say?”

“That I was your favorite person.”

You froze. The hand massaging your ankle paused as you slowly looked at him when he stopped in front of you, a washcloth drying his hand from testing the water.

“What? When?”

“When I was pulling you out of my car.” His smirk returned when he saw the tension in your face lessen from pain and wrinkle in confusion.

Thinking back, you knew you felt your lips moving to say something. You just wished it wasn’t so…affectionate.

Tucking your head back down to your ankle, you tried to hide your blush in the steam. “I guess that’s not too far from the truth.” Clearing your throat, you try to force your shock into something more nonchalant when you raise your gaze again. “You’re pretty tolerable when you want to be, Ootori.”

His grin enhanced at your deflection. “Am I? I was hoping I frustrated you to no end.”

Squinting your eyes at him, you laughed a little. Frustrated isn’t the word that you would choose.

He simpered down at you, a gentler tone coming from him. “Are you okay on your own? I’m going to give you some privacy for the rest of the night.”

“You’re leaving?”

He nods and checks his watch through his uncuffed sleeves. “It’s later than I expected. I enjoyed being here, but I do have my own home to return to.”

Even if your stomach dropped from the constant excitement of him being here with you, you understood. Plus, you wouldn’t want him to be just outside while you cleaned yourself up. Who knows what kind of thoughts could enter your mind then?

“That makes sense.” You smile up at him. “Go get some rest, I know you weren’t able to relax much like I hoped you would.”

He just shrugged and turned to walk out the door. “If you hadn’t ended up nearly drowning, maybe I could have.”

“Wait!” Leaning off of the very edge of the tub, you were careful of your ankle as you grabbed his wrist, stopping him from leaving.

He immediately looked over his shoulder, the same sharp look in his eye from earlier as he scanned your face. “What is it? Does your head hurt again?”

Your grip lowered into his hand while you shook your head. “No, no, it’s not that. I just wanted to say thank you, Kyo.” You lightly gestured around you with your injured shoulder. “For everything.”

Kyoya’s gaze softened as he squeezed your hand once more before letting go. “As long as you are alright.”

Your heart jumped when he let go, and you watched him leave, your eyes meeting for a final time before he closed the door behind him.

Peeling off your bathing suit, you sighed as you sank into the water, propping your ankle and arm out of the water so the bandages didn’t get wet. Of course, the bath was the perfect temperature.

Gratitude suddenly shined within you, making the smile that you felt coming on hard to fight as it took over your face. How you had gotten someone so perfect to care about you even a little completely left you speechless, but you weren’t complaining.

Thoughts of him didn’t leave you as you soaked and bathed, and they stayed as you toweled yourself off, dressing in a (f/c) satin robe that your mother brought back from Florence. Steam billowed into your bedroom as you walked in, bare feet leaving small water puddles on the hardwood floor.

When you saw your bed, you couldn’t help the small gasp that left your lungs.

The quilt had been folded and laid across the edge of your bed, and the tray of empty dishes was gone. One of your favorite shirts and a pair of oversized pajama pants folded on top of your straightened duvet, and when you got closer you noticed a note propped beside them.

You bit your lip to stop your smile from getting wider as you read the perfect cursive drawn onto the page.

You’re my favorite person too. Goodnight.

Next Time on Lavender Roses!

“We come to the beach like she wanted, and suddenly everyone starts fighting!”

“I thought you weren’t going to talk to me anymore, Senpai?”

“I cannot believe you, Kyoya!”

The Sun, The Sea, and The Host Club!

267 notes · View notes

ghostherlig · 4 months

Note

no no let’s get you started on talking about railao breeding kink! (I meant to send that yesterday but completely forgot 🤣 please talk about railao and trans railao and t4t railao please I am so starved and desperate for them. Also, moment of silence for the lost fics, that is literally the worst feeling in the world 🫡🙏😭)

ASDKLJFHDA- railao breeding kink never leaves my brain i wish i was joking-

i really do have to write a fic about them (which technically the western au is gonna be my top priority once the collaring fic is done and they're going to be a big part of that- (and once it get bATTERIES FOR MY MOUSE AND KEYBOARD-))

also thank you, moment of silence 🫡😔

okay here's my trans railao rant bc i cant contain myself (under the cut bc it gets long and also nsfw warning- includes trans raiden, trans lao, and t4t railao)

i love love love trans raiden- i think lao brags about his everything for a reason and i think raiden knows that intimately- trans raiden whose always had a smaller chest and never felt the need to bind and just worked out to get his chest how he wanted it- raiden who has little to no shame about undressing around ppl bc he grew up in a small village and everyone knew and was fairly supportive :) lao who was ultra extra supportive and helped raiden since boyhood feel more comfortable with who he was and how he presented himself- hasldfkjasd they are so soft i love them

anyway- lao def also takes the strap when raiden feels like topping, and you bet lao makes that all about raiden- literally all the praise and affirmations for him as lao absolutely loses his mind as his boyfriend takes him apart like he gets paid to- raiden who had the biggest breeding kink and likes to get stuffed but also loves stuffing lao even more- they for sure have an ejaculating strap on just so raiden can make an absolute mess out of lao aslkdjfhasdf

trans lao had a lot more insecurities as a kid to me, wasnt necessarily afraid of telling ppl bc they would be hateful but was afraid bc he wanted to be only a man in their eyes- like he was scared they would see him differently than he really was- but raiden helped him with his self-confidence (a little too much, some might say-) and that's why lao talks big game- though often he can follow through, there's a limit to the things he's done and can be good at first try

trans lao who absolutely goads raiden into stuffing him full at every possible convenience- before training? why not- we got twenty minutes and an empty closet, no one's coming by here- it's almost five am and we have training in half an hour, that leaves them plenty of time to have raiden stuff him full and clean him up after- lao is so tempting and raiden falls for it every time, the poor man

lao also loves absolutely breaking raiden down with a strap on- whenever he has the energy to he teases raiden until he's fit to burst and then makes him wait while lao goes to grab everything they need- pillow princess raiden is so near and dear to my heart aasldfkjdf he deserves it :)

railao with one of them being trans is always fantastic but t4t railao really has my heart- t4t railao where both of them grew up and learned how to be themselves together, both kind of figuring it out and coming out at the same time, going through the awkward spots together and helping each other through it- asldkfhasdf them having that friends to lovers slow burn where it takes them like five years, three life crises, and almost the end of the world to realize that they love each other-

t4t railao where they both crave the closeness of the other so much so that it's maddening and they end up forgetting where one starts and the other ends-

any version of railao that knows where the other is in a room at all times, even blindfolded they could find each other in dead silence, i swear- railao with that soul tie bc they've spent so long together that they've become basically inseparable, literally a package deal, where one goes the other does too-

asdlfkjasdf i love railao so much i need to spend more time writing them- new year's resolution: write railao-

#ghost answers #ghosts hcs #putting it in that tag too bc this is basically full of hcs asldfkhasd #railao

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miniaturecollectiveendermen · 9 months

Text

omfg so this is for @strawberrylabs birthday which was a month ago school has overtaken my life and i havent been able to work on any reqs or really anything except school i am so sorry to anyone whos requested and i still havent done the request - im trying my best to finish them but final year is very hectic

anyways without further ado~!

how they celebrate your birthday !!

ft. nagi seishiro, bachira meguru and kaedehara kazuha

!!WARNINGS!! gender neutral reader / no pronouns mentioned no actual warnings just pure fluff

nagi seishiro

so nagi

my husband

we all know how he is, he's very lazy and does not like putting effort into things

he loves you very much but he doesn't have the energy for anything

honestly a part of me feels like he'd forget about your birthday and reo would have to remind him

when he remembers its your birthday he'll do a little something

i think he'd by you a little gaming console as your gift so you could play games with him

this man cannot cook to save his life so dont expect him to cook you dinner

but he would order some food and light a small candle and make it look like a cute romantic dinner date

he only puts effort into / pays attention to things he likes

and he likes you a lot :)

after the dinner he'll drag you to bed and cuddle with you

and once he's latched on to you good luck getting him off he'll be on top of you cuddling you

and this man is h e a v y

tall muscle man

if you need to get up for whatever reason youll either have to pry him off or beg till he gives in (which will take a long time so you better start prying his arms off your body)

i like to think he likes wearing oversized hoodies so he can pull them over your head and the two of you can cuddle in his hoodie

my skrunkly baby mwah mwah i love him

bachira meguru

this rat /affectionate

this man would do SO MUCH for your birthday

imagine coming home from work / school and the entire house is decorated

like there's balloons everywhere and confetti

oh and a giant pile of gifts

you'll do a double take when you see the huge gift pile "meguru darling! what is this-" you call out to him "hun!! you're back!!" he pops his head into the room

he has a giant grin on his face and he's wearing a little party hat

he runs over to you and spins you around in a hug and puts a little crown on your head

"come on i have so much planned for today!"

he doesn't even let you get a word in he just drags you off

you have an amazing birthday

he makes you open all the presents while he records because he wants to show his mom his amazing partner

most of the gifts are very sweet and things you wanted

but there will be a couple of… odd- gifts

like a single sock

idk don't ask

anyways!

this man will literally tell you he's proud of you for being born

10/10 very good boyfriend

kazuha

kazuha my love

so as we know from what beidou said when she introduced him flowers come out of his mouth the moment he speaks

so just be prepared for that

i think kazuha would write poems for and about his s/o all the time and that includes a special birthday poem for you

if at the time of your birthday youre out at sea with the alcor crew then your birthday will be celebrated by the whole crew all together

its a very lively and fun celebration

but afterwards (when most of the crew passed out) kazuha will take you to a part of the ship where no one else is

the two of you will sit in the moonlight and he'll sing? recite-? idk but he'll tell you the poem he wrote for you

the two of you will have a nice romantic moment

the two of you might end up falling asleep together on the ships deck under the moonlight

AN// ohkay! thats done now

i hope you like it beloved <33 and others who read hope you enjoy too~!

i am now going to go work on other requests while im still in the groove

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allthingsfangirl101 · 11 months

Text

Oscar-Worthy Morning After–Joe Keery

Wattpad Request by minty-fox-candyyki

People often talk about the Oscars. They don't talk about the after-party. They really don't talk about the morning after the after-party.

Last night is pretty hazy. What's not hazy is the pounding in my head as I sat up. My heart jumped into my throat when my blanket fell off. I looked down to see that I wasn't wearing my pajamas. I wasn't wearing anything. I was about to get out of bed, but my heart jumped even higher.

I wasn't alone.

Through my hangover, I studied the guy next to me. It took a second but it finally hit me who it was. Joe Keery.

I tried to remember how we met but nothing came. I tried to remember how we got to talking and what led us to my bed. All I could remember about Joe was that he was there presenting the same award that a film I worked on won, Oscar for Best Art Director.

I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. I threw on a pair of shorts and the first shirt I could find. My stomach did a weird flip when I realized it wasn't my shirt. I quickly tore it off and grabbed my shirt. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to remember what we did last night.

I remembered drinking. A lot. I remembered dancing. A lot. I remembered drinking and dancing with someone. I remembered drunkenly making out with someone. I remembered me and that person making out in the back of a cab, outside my apartment, inside my apartment, in my bed, naked in my bed.

My heart plummeted into my stomach when there was one important piece of last night that I couldn't remember. I looked on the ground around my bed, hoping to find the wrapper. The longer I looked and came up empty, the more nervous I got.

"Where is it?"

I gasped, freezing when I realized I said that a little too loud. I looked over, holding my breath as I waited to see if I had accidentally woken Joe up.

I turned around and went back to looking for the condom. I was on my hands and knees searching for it.

"Where is it?" I mumbled. I repeated those three words over and over as I looked for that damn wrapper. "Where the hell is it?!"

"What are you looking for?"

I gasped, sat up, and turned toward my bed. I blushed when I saw a shirtless Joe smirking at me.

"I'm umm. . . I'm looking for. . . The. . . I'm trying to find. . ."

"Y/N?" He asked gently. "What's wrong?"

I stood up and wrapped my arms around myself. I couldn't look at him as I answered his question.

"I was trying to find the condom," I admitted, "because I can't remember if we used one."

"Let me help you. . ." He started to move but something made him stop. I looked away as he lifted the blanket and looked down.

"Found it," he chuckled. I glanced back at him but quickly looked away when I noticed he started to take off the condom.

I looked down to see his boxers next to my feet. I leaned down, picked them up, and tossed them onto the edge of the bed. Joe smiled at me in thanks but I ignored it. I could barely look at him. Whenever I did, I got small glimpses of what we did last night.

I glanced up at him when I heard my bed creek. As Joe found his clothes scattered around my room, I walked over and sat on the side of my bed. I put all my energy into picking a hangnail.

"Last night was a mistake," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I was drunk."

"Sorry?" Joe sat next to me and grabbed my hand. "Last night wasn't because of you. I was already drunk before I started talking to you and drinking with you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked under my breath.

"After the Oscars last night, I saw Maika," he sighed.

"Maika Monroe?" I asked. "Isn't she. . . Or wasn't she. . ."

"My ex," he clarified. "She cheated on me six months ago with her costar Karl Glusman, who she swore to me I didn't have anything to worry about."

My heart felt weird as Joe got angry. I remember hearing about their breakup. It was rough and I felt horrible for him. He seemed like a nice guy and he definitely didn't deserve how Maika treated him.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat, "I didn't just see her. She was with the guy she cheated on me with."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "You didn't deserve that, Joe."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. He cleared his throat as he asked, "So do you want to get breakfast or something?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, my voice dropping.

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Joe asked as he walked over. "I thought you had fun last night. It seemed like you did."

"I did," I said faster than I should've. I cleared my throat before continuing, "I just meant that. . . We barely know each other, Joe."

"That's why we go to breakfast," he chuckled. "Or dinner if you'd rather have a more formal date."

His smile dropped when he saw the look on my face. "I'm sorry," I whispered, "but I can't do this, Joe."

Before he could say anything, I quickly got up and headed into my bathroom. I turned on the shower in hopes that hearing it will make Joe leave. I held my breath and waited with my ear pressed to the door and waited for Joe to leave.

I took a shaky breath when I finally heard my bedroom door close. I leaned my back against the door and slowly slid down it as I heard my front door open and close.

"What happens at the Oscars," I mumbled under my breath, "stays at the Oscars. I hope."

* * * * *

Over the next couple of days, I couldn't stop thinking about Joe. Every dream I had exposed a little more of the night we spent together. I couldn't help but wonder if he was going through the same thing. Was he constantly thinking about me? Did he also regret me saying no when he asked me out?

That Friday I walked back onto the set I was working on after lunch. I walked into the editing trailer, looking down at my phone.

"Hey."

I looked up, my heart jumping into my throat when I saw Joe waiting for me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice sounding barely audible.

"I came to see you," he shrugged as he walked over to me.

"Oh," I said under my breath. "Well. . . Hi."

"Hi," he chuckled. He grabbed my hands, looking down at them before slowly looking up at me. "Look, I know the last time we talked you didn't want to go out with me. But Y/N, I have to admit something to you. I've gone over our night together over and over in my head. I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about you, Y/N."

"I can't stop thinking about you either," I said under my breath.

"I know we started off drunk," he sighed. "But we can go on from there. We can go on date after date after date to get to know each other. We could agree to not sleep together until we go on a certain amount of dates. As long as I get to spend time with you, I don't care about waiting. I really like you, Y/N. So please, go on a date with me. Just one date. One chance. Please, Y/N."

"I just," I stuttered, "it's not that I don't like you, Joe."

"Then why won't you go out with me?" He asked, the desperation coming through in his voice.

I looked down at our intertwined hands, embarrassment flushing through me.

"Hey," he whispered. "Talk to me."

"I've never had a serious relationship," I confessed without looking at him. Joe let go of one of my hands and reached up, gently grabbing my chin. He lifted my head so I was looking at him.

"To be honest," I continued, "I was flirting with one guy. We went on a couple of dates. We had the "serious relationship" talk. The next day, I went to surprise him at work with some lunch but when I walked into his office. . . His assistant was sitting on him. Their clothes scattered around his office."

"Damn," Joe sighed as he let go of my face, grabbed my other hand, and pulled me closer. "I'm sorry, Y/N. That guy was a dick. You deserve better and I can be that for you."

I started to pull away but Joe pulled me back toward him. "I'm serious, Y/N. I would never do that to you. I could take care of you. I could protect you. Please, Y/N. Give me a chance."

"Yes."

"I mean it, Y/N, just one. . . Wait, what did you say?" Joe cut himself off and asked. I smiled, slightly laughing at his surprise.

"I'll go out with you."

* * * * *

It's been a month since I agreed to go out with Joe. Just like he promised, we started things off slower than they started. He never once pushed me back into bed with him. Tonight being our one-month anniversary, I decided that things were solid enough to take our relationship to the next level.

"Happy anniversary!" Joe yelled the second I opened the door. I smiled as he held out the dozen red roses and the box of chocolates.

"Joe," I chuckled, "you didn't need to do anything big."

"I wanted to," he shrugged as he leaned in and kissed my cheek.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him into my apartment. He leaned against my kitchen counter as I grabbed a vase and filled it with water. I put the roses in the vase and placed them in the middle of my table.

When I turned around, Joe was right there. He instantly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled as I slowly kissed him back. We broke the kiss, leaning our foreheads against each other.

"We should probably go," I whispered. "Our reservation is in twenty minutes."

Joe leaned back, smiling at me. "After you, my darling."

I rolled my eyes as I walked out of the kitchen. Joe jogged to catch up to me. Once he did, he grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. We went to dinner and talked about anything and everything.

After dinner, we got ice cream and headed back to his apartment. We ate the ice cream on his couch, talking some more. Talking eventually turned to something else. Our lips moved in sync as Joe laid us down, hovering over me.

"You wanna take this to my room?" Joe asked, breathing heavily. I was about to say yes but there was a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I'll be right back."

Joe quickly kissed me before getting off of me. I sat up, grabbing a pillow and clutching it to my chest as he went to answer the door. I wasn't sure who it was but from what I could hear, Joe wasn't happy they were here.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Joe asked.

"Come on," a female voice cooed. "Don't pretend you aren't excited to see me, babe."

"I am not your babe," Joe said through his teeth. My curiosity got the better of me. I stood up and walked toward the front door. I froze and tucked into the kitchen when I heard what the woman said next.

"Don't act like you haven't been begging me to take you back."

"That was months ago, Maika."

Maika? His ex?

"And besides," he continued, "I'm happy now."

"You're what?" She snapped. I jumped when she let out a rough laugh. "Don't tell me. You've got a new girlfriend."

Silence.

I held my breath as I waited for Joe to say something. Anything.

"Holy shit," Maika sneered. "You have a new girlfriend?! You were just begging me to go out with you."

"It wasn't just," Joe said, slowly losing his patience. "That was after you cheated on me. But I've moved on, Maika. I'm with someone who truly makes me happy. Someone who would never do to me what you did."

"Can't you move past that?" She scoffed. "It was six months ago. And a drunken mistake."

"A drunken mistake that led to you dating him for those six months," Joe said through his teeth.

"Come on, Joey," she tried to coo again.

"I mean it, Maika!" Joe snapped. "Get out."

"Joe. . ."

"No!" He yelled. "Get out of my apartment and my life."

I jumped when the door was roughly slammed shut. I slowly walked out into the hallway to see Joe still facing the door. His shoulders were tense and his fists were clenched.

"Joe?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" He asked, anger still in his voice.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he snapped. He quickly turned around and walked straight past me. I hesitantly followed him into the other room.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I know how bad the breakup was. . ."

"No, you don't!" He yelled, turning toward me. "You have no idea what it's like, Y/N. You don't understand what it feels like to have your heart ripped out of your chest and stomped on by the one person who was supposed to protect it! You've never even been in a real relationship!"

I gasped, taking a step back. I opened and closed my mouth, not able to form a response. Before I could stop them, tears started streaming down my face. Joe's face instantly softened.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I was just trying to. . . I didn't mean to. . . I thought I was. . . I'm sorry, Joe."

"No," he said gently. He closed the gap between us and delicately grabbed my hands. "I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I was way out of line. I wasn't expecting to see Maika today. Seeing her makes me a little crazy. I'm sorry I took that anger out on you. That was cruel and unfair. I'm sorry I ruined our anniversary, baby."

I jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. He let out a sigh of relief as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered.

We stood like that for a little bit before Joe started leading us down the hallway without breaking our embrace. Neither one of us said anything as we climbed into his bed. Joe kept me tightly in his arms as we lay down. It didn't take long for us to fall asleep in each other's arms.

Part 2

#joe keery #joe keery imagines #joe keery x reader #joe keery POV #requested imagine

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plasmasimagination · 5 months

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Hi there! I recently stumbled upon your account and I must say that this is what I was looking for for quite some time. I am interested by your matching up event and was wondering if you're still up for it?

Fandom: Honkai Star Rail (and/or) Genshin Impact

Preference: women

Characters I would NOT like to be paired up with: men

(I am pretty much gay)

I am a cisgender woman, she/her pronouns. ENTJ, Virgo sun, Libra moon, Scorpio rising.

I am androgynous-looking, can easily be mistaken for a dude. My voice is deep and had a slight rasp to it. When it comes to clothes I present soft masc. I am 6', very athletic (as it is a big part of my life to stay active). I have brown eyes and wavy hair that is styled in a short wolfcut with a middle part and curtain bangs. No tattoos, but when I have the money I will get covered in designs.

I perceive myself as a calm and collected person who is more on the quiet and observing side. Which, close ones always tell me, makes me appear intimidating and judging (Scorpio rising). I like to keep my social circle small and trustworthy because I have trust issues. But around my friends I am friendly and always there to help out with the teenage dramas. I would say my top traits are sarcasm, assertiveness, loyalty, and adaptiveness. (Being an ENTJ and Virgo sun say enough about me, but I am softened up by my Libra moon.)

I am a very artsy person, but also very sporty. I am passionate about a lot of things (playing the guitar, drawing, writing, reading, acting, playing soccer, volleyball, training calisthenics, martial arts...) but in this short lifetime I had to choose one, and it is drawing - more specifically, becoming an Architect.

I've never been even close to catching feelings for someone. I've had barely any crushes, none of them real, none of them celebrities, just successful/badass/dangerous/mean women from fiction. I guess that puts me somewhere on the Asexuality spectrum, most likely Demisexual. I want to use my teenage years to work towards building a secure career for myself so that I could eventually spoil and take care of someone who deserves it.

I don't have much preference for looks, despite the fact that I am attracted to femininity, not necessarily someone stereotypically girly, but fem. For me, I need someone who will be able to match my energy and challenge me with playful banter and deep, meaningful talks. Someone who has a strong and unapologetic personality, (I am a sucker for mean fems), but knows when to stop and take a step back.

[Thank you, even if this doesn't get attention, which I completely understand. I will love to see your future works and posts!]

HEYYY DARLING ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ IM SO FLATTERED HIHI (*ˊᗜˋ*)

Anyways as for your matchup....hmhmhm...

Your match is....

KAFKA

OKAY OKAY let's be honest this was to be expected!

Scary looking girlfriend X equally as scary looking girlfriend (both can beat your ass)

I like the power couple dynamic here.

Plus I think she fits your type pretty well hmhm...

Kafka would be quite interested in your hobbies, she isn't very vocal about it but sometimes she just sits in the same room when you're doing something (drawing/playing guitar/writing etc...) and she'll just discreetly pay attention to it.

She also will kind of tease you about it, telling silverwolf and blade how good you are at your hobbies, and she'll intentionally do it in front of you

Chaining it to the one above-She likes showing you off, not only your hobbies...just you in general

She will also vibe with your attitude and find it amusing and definitely match it just as strong.

Also I think that kafka would also have equally trouble to completely warm up to you, yeah shes confident and flirty with people but I dont think she trusts people as easily,but when you guys spend more time together she would actually become quite fond of you

YAE MIKO

Honestly this is a pretty good pair, love it Picasso

I don't think miko is as outgoing and challenging as kafka, but she's there

It's just that miko is a bit more how do I put this ..dominant? Controlive? I know it sounds bad to put her up against kafka but I have a feeling miko is more on the serious dominant side while kafka is more playful, especially with their darling

Though yae miko is quite the person to talk to in moments of need, she's a good listener and gives good advice, she could simply talk&listen with you for hours on end

She, similar to kafka, would definitely match your vibe, just a bit more reserved type of sarcasm for example.

She's sly with it, just how fox's are eh?

Miko would take it slow to become closer to you, as she can guess you're having trouble fully trusting her, and she would definitely be less teasing at the beginning when you guys first met than when you're in an established relationship

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futurewriter2000 · 5 months

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ELLO, I hope everything is going well on your side, I was wondering if you don't mind if you could make a post about pisces?

Thank youu!💕

a/n: It has been okay on my side. A bit of impulsive and stupid decisions that lead to large consequences but I handled it. If you think something doesn't have a way out, it does- it just takes a lot of brain effort. Thanks to my Tarot Cards, I swear. They help me so much when it comes to what to do and to clarify the situation.

Anyways... ABOUT PISCES...

When it comes to Pisces, I had quite an experience with them (good and bad) but usually they always seem to do me wrong. Now, I have been done wrong by other signs as well, but somehow Pisces wins this round. That doesn't mean I have a bad opinion about them, I don't. I just believe that there is more to them that meets the eye.

There are a few things that people like to say about Pisces, no matter the sex. The infamous qualities are:

Emotional

Glimmering eyes

Dreamy (living in their own world)

Easily distracted

Innocent

The usual, of course. Here is my opinion of them. The ruler of Pisces is Neptune (and today 6th December it went direct in Pisces so there is new era coming from today on). Neptune is the unaware, the planet of parallel reality and it is the force that you cannot control- so when it comes to Pisces, inside of them is a force that nobody can control, not even them. What I realised when I was done wrong by a Pisces is that from their side, it wasn't intentional, so I don't really blame them from anything. They get the "innocent" quality because they are the most unaware sign that I know. It's like wherever they go they have this bubble around them and you can see it in their eyes- their glimmering eyes that they are just not here with you but in their own fantasy, illusion or dream. It's kind of amazing when you think of it; to be able to disconnest from reality the way they do.

The way they are also portrayed to be one of the most emotional sign is that the reality can trigger them. They live in their own world and when something goes wrong or is done wrong to them, they feel it so much more intense, since the wrong thing doesn't happen in their world. But it did and they cannot believe it. See in their own little bubble they can control things, but when something uncontrollable happens, they just explode a bit. Don't get me wrong, they can be great problem solvers as well, especially male Pisces but they like to sit in the problem for a while before they choose to fix it when they see it won't fix itself.

The victim card? Let's talk about that. With their glimmering eyes and their unawareness, who wouldn't believe they are the innocent ones. They do have the power to control a person if they wish to or not. They do not realise the effect of their energy just like a Leo cannot control their alluring nature to bring people in their world. When a Pisces does something wrong, it is not wrong in their eyes. They will find every single excuse to reason their action and with their energy, you will believe them. Don't think Pisces cannot be scary. They are snappy little fishes and if you poke them on a bad day, they will emotionally scar you. You don't expect that from a Pisces. From the soft , innocent looking Pisces but they can be quite cold and sharp when they ground themselves.

For me, a Pisces is easy to spot. Here are a few things:

Eyes (if there is a sparkle in their eyes, you know they have a Pisces in their chart somewhere)

Small hands and feet (Sun/Rising Pisces)

Rarely present (Sun/Moon/Rising)

Big procrastinators (Sun/Moon/Rising/Mars)

Idealistic when it comes to love (Venus/Sun)

They can have sharper teeth (or "fish teeth")

Quite adorable and childlike demeanor

Goofy, generous and quite creative/innovative

#pisces #pisces moon #pisces horoscope #zodiac signs #astrology #astrology observations #zodiac #horoscope.

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severussnapeconfessions · 5 months

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To the admin who writes short stories: can you write something in the lines of Severus and Lily talking about the way they feel when they get back to their muggle homes?

Hi there. There's only one admin so that'll be me :)

Here we go:

On a hot summer day after the term concluded, all students boarded the Hogwarts Express once more to return to their homes and to their families.

Severus and Lily had just ended their very first year at Hogwarts. Upon finding an empty carriage, they sat facing each other and began to unpack the sweets they illegally obtained from the Hufflepuff Head Boy.

As they were unpacking, neither said a word. THey were listening to the cheered-up roars and the laughter in the other carriages. Between them, there was an unspoken feeling of unease. Both were conflicted about their feelings, compared to the full blast of energy and generic good disposition from the other students when faced with the reality of actually going home.

But Severus and Lily felt different. They felt out of place.

"Lily, come join us. Don't stay there with Snivellus or you'll catch cooties." - said James, stopping abruptly by the carriage's threshold, catching air of Sirius who was running at full speed towards the best carriage by the end of the train.

"The ones that he actually caught from you and Sirius?" - Lily said, mocking him

"You've been warned, Lils!" - said James, defeated and removing himself from the threshold.

"What an idiot. If we weren't at Hogwarts his remedy would have been to shave his head" - muttered Severus, frowning.

"Don't listen to them. But you'd have to shave yours as well. Can you imagine?" - she giggled at the mental picture, stealing a snort from Severus who managed a half-smile.

"I don't understand why they are all so happy, you know?" - he said, staring bleakly through the window.

"Me neither. We can't do magic at home. What's the point of staying there all summer?" - Lily's voice was equally dispassionate.

"At least you can play with Tuney, no matter how strange that is. Is she fun at all?" - Severus asked

"Not really, but if I don't mention anything about magic she will actually play with me without making a fuss. But no one is interested in anything that I say regarding magic. It's like... I'm talking to strangers. But they're my parents and my sister... anyway. How about you?"

"Tobias doesn't like magic, and mum rarely uses it. "

Lily eyed him when he mentioned his father by his given name instead of simply 'father' or 'dad'.

"I don't even know where she keeps her wand, or if she even has one." - he continued. "When my magic began manifesting, she tried to teach me a few tricks, but she never used her wand." he shrugged. "If we are alone, she pulls off some cool household spells, like ironing my dad's shirts just by waving her hand. But if he's home, she's just a muggle and never uses magic. Magic... makes Tobias really angry." his eyes fell to the floor.

Lily reached for his forearm and stroked it briefly with her small hand, trying to console him in a way only children do.

"I know that your parents fight a lot." she said.

"I wish they only fought. Tobias gets furious with meaningless stuff. When he takes his belt off and shuts the door, I know it's going to be a hard night. My mother spends hours sobbing to her elbow in the kitchen after he lets her go. "

Severus looked further away at the window, not meeting Lily's gaze.

"In the beginning, they used to shout at each other, and if I tried to say something or if I dared to cry, he'd take the belt out and lash at me. But my mother asked me to never do that again... So, for the past years she has been taking the hits and I just..."

He didn't know how to finish his thought. What did he do after all? He didn't even know if the fights were worse whenever he was present. He felt like all the problems that plagued his home were because of him. And in the end if he intervened he'd get some of Tobias' ire.

Was he a spectator? A twelve-year-old boy? Was he turning insensible to his mother's suffering by now? He did not know.

His voice was low and calm, almost as if instead of the barbaric acts of violence, he testified a soap opera that repeated the same episode every time it aired. It was his normality.

He shrugged his sentence away.

"I'm sorry, Sev." Lily said after some silence. She managed to say it in the most comforting tone she could manage. "I wish I could take you to my home. But I'm afraid we'd have to deal with Tuney first."

Severus snorted, contemplating the idea of actually sharing oxygen with Petunia, and smiled at Lily, his eyes glinting with gratitude for her intention.

"We can meet every day by the old oak after lunch if you want." he proposed expectantly

"Deal." she beamed at him and took a couple of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans from the package. She balled one in each hand and hid her fists behind her back, pretending to mix them up.

After some theatricals, she extended both her fists towards Severus.

"Please, let it not be vomit..." - Severus pleaded, taking the one in her right hand.

It was.

Finite.

#severus snape #snape confessions #lily evans #sorry if this is not what you had in mind

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k-martins · 7 months

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Words: + 2k Prompt: Healing the wounds and the heart. Warnings: This is funny. This is a post-Shibuya oneshot that has no Shibuya or Culling Games spoilers. Just a brief mention of Hakari that might leave anime confused, but just ignore that. It may also contain a lot of the word "blood" and possible post-traumatic stress on Yuji's part (I didn't think about this while writing, but there are some symptoms present) A/N: This oneshot came about after I had a nosebleed last month and instantly remembered that fight between Hakari X Yuji. So yeah, this is me working on Yuji's broken psyche while wishing someone would take care of my bleeding like Megumi did. Anyway, have a good read :D

Yuji felt like his head was broken into a thousand pieces.

Maybe because it's true.

Just maybe .

The beating he took from Hakari was nothing like anything he had ever felt, at least nothing he had accepted without fighting back. His ribs hurt where senpai's punches landed – it wasn't a lie when he said that his cursed energy was much greater than that of other sorcerers – and perhaps there are some broken bones in the chest area. This would explain why Yuji's breathing is labored, difficult even after rest.

Not that he cares.

If, for Hakari-san to listen to them, it is necessary to break every bone in his body and turn it into jelly, Yuji is more than willing to accept any punch, kick or blow.

What's more, he's starting to get used to the pain.

Blood runs from his nose, dripping onto his old bruised hands like water from a tap. The metallic taste, however, remained suffocated in the back of his throat and Yuji instinctively swallowed it. It seems so natural to him now, like blowing on hot food first or humming while eating ice cream – innocent things he'll never do again without constantly remembering the taste of blood and the smell of smoke.

Yuji took off his jacket, wrinkling his nose when he saw the state of it.

It's a disaster.

No, that's an understatement.

It's much worse.

The white fabric turned into a mess of rusty red. There are three large tears showing off ostentatiously and so much concrete dirt that it looks like it was used on some construction site instead of being a new jacket. Okay, maybe 'new' is an exaggeration since she was bought at a thrift store, but still... He knew it was stupid to be upset over just a piece of cloth, however, once the guilt set in his chest, it was impossible to get him out.

Yuji grunted, trying to remove a small mess of blood with his fingernail, but failing miserably. Red was engraved between the fibers of the fabric.

Fushiguro had used the last savings they had to buy this jacket, opting for something white so that he wouldn't lose sight of Yuji when they entered Hakari's fighting game, where men in black suits and fighters in other dark clothes could easily devour him. it.

"Not that that's really necessary..." Fushiguro commented vaguely as he changed out of his school uniform and into a black hoodie that Yuji found vaguely familiar, though it was hard to tell from the corner of his eye. He no longer wanted to think about how narrow his colleague's waist was. “Your hair attracts much more attention. It will be like finding cotton candy in the mud.”

Yuji's cheeks heated up at the memory... Or maybe he hit him harder than he thought.

Who knows...

Yuji jumped off the bench when the locker room door slammed shut.

Under the dim light of a single lamp, Fushiguro frowned at him, his spiky hair falling like a shadow before his very green and sharp eyes. The other boy locked the door without taking his eyes off Yuji, without blinking, without any other satisfied expression. Granted, it is still difficult for him to fully read Fushiguro, however, at least a relieved sigh should have come. Maybe a “ hey , good job”.

However, none of these things seemed to be about to happen.

Yuji swallowed.

“Fushiguro...”

The name echoed through the bathroom with a hoarse, choked tone, probably due to the injury Yuji had on his throat. Not that it was important, because any words that were about to come out were interrupted by Fushiguro, who approached quickly and stealthily like a wolf, taking the first aid kit from Yuji's hands and wandering into the bathroom in a determined manner, without any space. for conversation.

Yuji followed the hurried and firm movements, long fingers gripping a towel as he wet it in the dubious-looking sink. Fushiguro's eyebrows were furrowed tighter than usual, which certainly indicated that he was in another level of stress, almost bordering on fury. Yuji also noticed that Fushiguro had his lips pressed tightly together, but he didn't have much time to be sure when his friend looked away.

In the space of a minute, Fushiguro was back in front of Yuji, sitting so close that their knees bumped together. The damp towel was spread out expectantly.

“Want me to write you an invitation?” Fushiguro growls, pushing the damp fabric closer to Yuji's face. “Cooperate, Itadori.”

Yuji arched his eyebrow, his mouth open uselessly.

What... What's going on?

He had gotten Hakari to listen to them. A small victory in the war. The reason why the two traveled together, facing curses, and entered this place of clandestine fights.

So why does Fushiguro seem one step away from blowing him up?

“Fushiguro, what are you doing?”

The other boy smacked his lips in derision.

“Trying to clean up your bleeding, obviously. Hakari blasted your brain too?”

Before Yuji could respond, Fushiguro pushed the towel on his nose. The tightness that should have been painful was softened by the softness of the fabric, eliciting a relieved sigh from Yuji. The cold water softened his burning face, slightly dampening the fire of adrenaline that still existed.

By focusing on the cold, he didn't need to see the fire burning in Fushiguro's green eyes.

The two remained silent for a few minutes, just the sound of their breathing and the dripping of the tap between them. Fushiguro does a silent – and almost gentle – job of cleaning all the blood from Yuji's face, carefully touching the still tender wounds and cuts. It's nice, peaceful. It reminds him of when they arrived from missions, sitting in Shoko-sensei 's office , cleaning off the dried blood so that the jujutsu doctor wouldn't waste time looking for them. If this was one of those moments, Yuji would laugh at what a great nurse Fushiguro would be, which would definitely make his friend blush and kick him in the shin in retaliation.

But that time has passed.

Now, in this reality where they are no longer at jujutsu school just pretending to be normal teenagers, Yuji lets the silence devour them and forces himself not to think about how someone is missing there.

The stillness is interrupted when Fushiguro lets out an irritated and even – if Yuji was really playing psychoanalyst – hurt sigh.

“Why do you always have to do this?”

"Do what?"

“Don’t play dumb with me, Itadori.” He snaps, looking increasingly furious. Yuji doesn't know if the way Fushiguro throws the used towel away, without seeming to care where it lands, is intentional, and he doesn't want to know what it could mean. Working on a cotton pad, dipped in saline, Fushiguro continues in the same scathing tone: “You could have defended yourself from that first attack. Hell, you could have even counterattacked. Why did you accept the punches?”

“It was the only way Hakari-san could hear us.” Yuji responds, grabbing Fushiguro's hand before he shoves those tampons into his sensitive nose. He feels the sorcerer's pulse quicken beneath his fingers. It's the only sign of emotion Yuji receives. “I didn’t care, really. And neither should you.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but it’s too late!” Fushiguro exclaimed, pulling his hand away from Yuji, almost as if he had burned him. It hurts, but no more than the words that follow: “Because I care and I won’t let you die again because of me, Itadori!”

Fushiguro turns his face away, staring at the ground beneath his feet, as if he can hide the way his lips tighten more and more, trying not to tremble. Sweat drips from his face, elegant hands tightly gripping the useless fabric of the white jacket, his throat swallowing words that Yuji would like to hear, but doesn't have the courage to ask.

He looks so helpless, lost.

Desperate.

Yuji blinks, shock escaping in the form of a sharp breath.

Hakari's words mid-fight then come back to Yuji, a small whisper of the memory in his mind.

“When a sorcerer asks another for help, it's basically asking 'please risk your life with me'.”

Silence lingers between them.

A drop falls, hitting the metal of the sink.

Then two, three, four, five...

Yuji tentatively extends a hand to Fushiguro, not knowing exactly what to do or what to say.

It's so painful not to be able to say everything he feels, everything he's been ignoring since that day at the conservatory, where the rain never seemed to wash the blood from his heart or erase the fear on Fushiguro's face, too many words and regrets on the edge of his mouth. language, however unable to verbalize them.

It was always easier to leave everything underground.

After all, everything always had an expiration date for him.

One day it will all end for him. Maybe in ten years or less than ten days.

Yuji is nothing more than a cog that will be discarded as soon as his function is fulfilled.

So why does Fushiguro look at him like there's something more?

Yuji takes a deep breath and his heart hurts with the weight of feelings he can't get out.

"I'm very sorry." He speaks, genuinely, lifting his eyes just enough to find Fushiguro's already looking at him. “I didn't want to... I just want...”

He doesn't know what he wants.

This matters?

A gear does not need to want anything, as its only function is to serve a purpose. However, Yuji can't help but selfishly want something and keep it close to him.

Because of these selfish desires to not be alone, no more, he gave in to Fushiguro even though he knew the dangers of keeping him around. Because of that little selfish part that loves when Fushiguro looks at him with affection and trust, that shines when he sees his best friend alive by his side, that wishes he could live a life that was denied to him when Sukuna's damn finger went down his throat, Yuji can't move away.

God, he's so filthy and stupid and cruel.

Yuji's head falls into the space between them, finally feeling the weight of all that fighting, all the stress, all the rush. Your hands squeeze your face to stop the tears from falling, even though you've known for a long time that there isn't a drop left to fall. They all stayed in Shibuya.

“I just want to be able to help you.” He gasps, feeling unable to breathe. “I want to save someone at least once.”

It's not exactly what Yuji wants to say, but it's the most he can manage.

He will not drag Fushiguro into a current in which he, and only he, is doomed to sink.

This would be the moment when Fushiguro leaves. Let Yuji deal with his own demons and nightmares, spare him the memory of all those he has lost and is about to lose when the higher-ups find him. Yuji almost wants to beg his friend to do it. Stay away before he stains Fushiguro's pale skin with blood like he stained his jacket.

Leave before you are destroyed.

However, Fushiguro was never the type to back down.

Instead of going far away, he gets even closer. Instead of moving away so as not to stain himself, Fushiguro extends his arms to offer an attempt at a hug, one hand resting on Yuji's hair with a comforting squeeze, a silent promise that he won't leave – he will stay until the end. . Yuji wonders if he can feel that promise on his lips if he kisses Fushiguro's hands, but he pushes that thought away. For the moment, being selfish and stupid, he accepts the hug and holds Fushiguro as close as he can to himself.

“I’m not going to lie and say everything will be fine, because it probably won’t.” The words come out of Fushiguro, low and soft, a true, broken whisper. Yuji feels when Fushiguro settles down on the bench, holding him back, as if he's afraid he's going to disappear. “But I know we will get through this. You and I. Together. Just… Don’t scare me like that again, please.”

Yuji shakes his head, taking a deep breath of Fushiguro's vanilla shampoo.

"I am going to try..."

Try to be better. Try to overcome the past. Trying to be someone worth saving.

Fushiguro pulls back just enough so that Yuji can see the small smile that appears on his face, and for a moment, it's like being back in Yuji's high school dorm, the darkness swallowing them both as their breaths mingle and the heat Summertime does things to your teenage hormones. Rewind the tape until they have all the time in the world to memorize eyes and smiles instead of scars.

The memories make Yuji's heart beat in different rhythms.

He won't think about them now.

Now, he will simply enjoy Fushiguro's rare, gentle touch, memorize the way his eyelashes are long, his eyes burn with a fervor and purpose, how the smile on his face is broken but still beautiful and the only thing that reminds Yuji of his own humanity.

In the flickering light, he clings to Fushiguro's voice like a shipwreck clings to a piece of wood.

"Thanks. That's all I can ask for.”

#How many insinuations can I make per chapter?#Now it's up to you to imagine what happened in Yuji's room #I have nothing to say about that #just that I would like to write more kiss scenes #but the script hinders me #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jjk spoilers #megumi fushiguro #fushiguro megumi #itafushi #itadori yuji #fushiita #yuji itadori #yuji x megumi #itadori x fushiguro #yuji jjk #megumi jjk

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ratasum · 1 year

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The Dragonwatch Krewe Recordings

Presenting - FINALLY - in full, the edited for the Dragonwatch Krewe Gorrik recordings.

Qirri's having such a bad time...

Recording 1

Gorrik: Testing… Gorrik, recording on behalf of Friends' Detective Agency- a-and on behalf of the Dragonwatch Krewe, of course. On-site at the Brotherhood's Jade excavation. Gorrik: After the recent demon run-in, our efforts to curtail Cantha's energy crisis are… postponed. Me and my team of experts— Qirri: "Your" team, huh? Gorrik: Our teams are strategizing a plan to remove said demon from its power source: a ley line housed within the mine— Yao: You're recording? Can I get some airtime? Yao: Engineering Grandmaster Yao here. Reporting from the trenches of an illicit jade mining mega-operation— Gorrik: Yao, there are case notes, not a holo-news broadcast! (clears throat) I'll continue logging updates as they occur. Gorrik out. Yao: Just trying to lighten the mood—

Recording 2

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Two. Today I ran further analysis on the unknown element present in the haze samples provided from the commander and the krewe chief’s excursion. Gorrik: Though still indeterminate, I suspect it's byproduct of the demon, likely agitated by its confined ley-line proximity. Gorrik: For now, I've set up a makeshift lab for experimentation here at the mine. It's humble, but rather quaint, if I do say… even if the krewe chief does disagree with my chosen location. Gorrik: Though in all honesty, she is also very hesitant on this plan at all. I do understand, of course I do; she and the commander have been friends for a very long time! Gorrik: Anyway. I’ve assured her we’ll leave the final decision to the commander, and as for the lab, it will serve our needs for the time being. Just need to keep out a few nosy kappa trespassers… hopefully that will assuage her unease. Gorrik: As usual, I'll continue logging my research as it proves pertinent. Gorrik out.

Recording 3

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Three. An unexpected visitor dropped by: Chul-Moo! I thought maybe he'd come to shut down my lab… Yao: He was over here? Yeah… he does hate things built without his approval… Qirri: He was a lot nicer than our first impression led me to think. Gorrik: But he seemed to take interest in our work. Particularly the previously mentioned haze samples. Gorrik: Of course, I was thrilled to recount our current hypotheses! But he seemed more concerned about potential health effects. Which made Qirri very uneasy. Gorrik: And that, in turn, made Chul-Moo strangely more anxious. Yao: Shouldn’t you be too? After all, the chief’s not been— Qirri: We don't- we don't need to talk about that. Gorrik: Anyway. I'll continue updates once confidentiality can be maintained. Qirri: Gorrik, I'm your krewe chief! Yao: And I’m a part of this krewe too, you know— Gorrik: Gorrik out!

Recording 4

Gorrik: While I usually record notes as soon as possible, the events that transpired recently… required a moment to process… Gorrik: It began when one of those kappa pests got into my equipment! I was just trying to get some… minor work done while Rama took the chief to a doctor in Seitung, but it started wreaking senseless havoc! In its fit, it smashed a haze sample. Gorrik: The sample was small. However, inhaling its contents in an enclosed area made me lightheaded. Gorrik: I knew it was unlikely to cause damage. Still, I went to recuperate on a cot at the medical tent. Gorrik: Once rested, I felt well enough to return to work. But when I opened my eyes, what I saw made my nausea return full force— Gorrik: Oh, Qirri, I—! And Detective! Rama, I mean— Qirri: We just got back. Is everything okay? Detective Rama: Or are we interrupting? Gorrik: No, no! Just recording some research notes. I-I can get back to them later—

Recording 5

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Five. Qirri and Rama sat with me for a long time to check in after my kappa incident. Which I suppose still needs explanation… Gorrik: Picking up where I left off: when I opened my eyes, I saw something I don't think I'll ever be able to forget… Gorrik: Blish was sitting across from me. Not in his golem body, but exactly how I remembered him from before his illness took over. Gorrik: He stared at me in a menacing way he never had before. Then his body…disintegrated… into a mass of writhing beetles… Gorrik: They swarmed me. I can still feel the prickle of their claws across my skin. At the point I I might suffocate… Gorrik: They vanished. Gorrik: Next thing I remember, I was clinging tightly to Yao, sobbing. They comforted me until I could pull myself together. Gorrik: Once I found the words, I told them everything. They stayed with me for a long time, then they returned later with some tea. Gorrik: I'm still shaken up and rather embarrassed about what happened. But I'm so grateful Yao was there to help me through it. Gorrik: Qirri’s insisting I go see Taimi soon, and I plan to tell her everything that happened. She plans to go with me… said she has some things she hasn’t been entirely honest about either…

Recording 6

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Six. We paid Taimi and Blish a much-needed visit and told them everything. She has a way of making both of us feel better. Blish was horrified, insisting he'd never hurt me like that. Though what Qirri had to say is worrying, to say the least. I think I speak for the whole krewe when I say we're just glad she finally told us everything. Gorrik: I do wish she would reconsider Taimi’s offer to stay in Seitung with her and Blish, however. I’m growing increasingly concerned about her health. Gorrik: R-regardless—! We also spoke about the implications. We think the unknown element I've been studying is causing these effects. Gorrik: What's most troubling is that this incident confirms our earlier hypothesis: these hallucinations aren't random. Gorrik: Based on the commander's experiences— and now my own and Qirri’s full vision as well— the delusions appear to target prime emotional vulnerabilities. Gorrik: The "how" of it all remains a mystery. But it does explain the demon's manipulation of one's senses. Gorrik: Now that we’re back, I plan to tell Rama and Yao about this development. Though it seems they stopped by in our absence… Gorrik: They installed a few kappa-repellent gadgets outside the lab and left a kind note with a plate of tea cookies. Gorrik: Picturing those two working together makes me smile. They seem on better terms lately. I hope the trend continues.

Recording 7

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Seven. Today was…unusual. Rama visited. That wasn't unusual. Thought his demeanor was rather…tender? Gorrik: Of course, he’s always been very paternal towards Qirri… though not so much towards me. Gorrik: However! Yao and Chul-Moo also visited. Yao did most of the talking—odd, as Chul-Moo's keen on speaking for himself. Gorrik: Yao explained that Chul-Moo experienced hallucinations. I asked him to elaborate: frequency, locations, etc. Gorrik: Rama made to leave, perhaps out of politeness, but Chul-Moo told him to stay. He said its better we're all made aware. Gorrik: He didn't go into much detail—his visions were of a deceased friend. And they only occurred in the lower mines. Gorrik: Rama pressed him about the other crew members, but Chul-Moo claimed that none had voiced similar experiences. Gorrik: He originally chalked any behavioral discrepancies up to stress, but he realized too late that it may be something more. Gorrik: Chul-Moo's accounts seems credible, if not a bit slow. And they're another data point supporting the krewe’s current theory.

Recording 8

Gorrik: Something unbelievable just happened! Chul-Moo visited again. Once certain we were alone - he didn’t even want the krewe chief in here with us - he began frantically rambling. Qirri: I was gone for like five minutes to get water, Gorrik, what in the name of the Eternal Alchemy— Gorrik: He admitted that he'd left out details about his hallucinations because Yao was present. Gorrik: Early on, Chul-Moo had worked on the forefront of the excavation. Alone one night, he heard someone run up behind him… Gorrik: Before he knew it, he was facedown. He could hear the attacker hissing while bashing his head into the ground. Gorrik: Nearly unconscious, Chul-Moo felt the attacker start chewing his leg. He suspects it may have been trying to eat him. Gorrik: With the strength he had left, he cast off the attacker. He sat up to see one of his captains, blood staining her mouth. Qirri: By the pinion gears—! Gorrik: Their struggle continued, edging closer to a mine shaft. To keep them from falling, Chul-Moo tried to ram her backward. Gorrik: But in that moment, she lunged. Instead of hitting him, she flew over his back, free-falling to the bottom of the mine. Gorrik: He was so shocked, he couldn't process it. His crew assumed the captain quit, as she'd recently been acting agitated. Gorrik: That's when his delusions began. He made me swear not to tell Yao, who'd known the captain… or Rama, who’d want to investigate. O-or Qirri because he didn’t want to upset her. But I had to tell someone… Qirri: We’re going to tell Garrus is what we’re going to do—

Recording 9

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Nine. I have a confession: despite Chul-Moo swearing me to secrecy, I couldn't keep this story to just myself and the krewe chief. Gorrik: So we paid Taimi and Blish another visit and I… spilled everything to them as well. They were shocked to say the least, but they were glad I confided in them. Gorrik: They agreed with Qirri, and echoed Chul-Moo's request to not tell Yao. There's no use upsetting them. I couldn't bring myself to do so anyway. Gorrik: Still, I feel better getting it off my chest. And as Blish pointed out: if I was stressed, imagine how Chul-Moo feels. Gorrik: Between the guilt and the…cruelty inherent in these delusions, it puts his behavior into perspective. Gorrik: While we were there, Taimi showed me something exciting: a prototype for a device that she, Blish, Joon, and Yao have been working on with Qirri during her visits to Seitung! Gorrik: And here I thought she was just traveling to see that new doctor of hers. Gorrik: It's designed to control the stress responses the demon seems to feast on, then channel that power back at it! Gorrik: It's based on the research findings Qirri and I have been working on. Gorrik: Qirri is still incredibly hesitant, but I think she recognizes that this is likely our best chance to win this thing. Gorrik: And that said, paired with Yao and Joon's jade tech knowledge, Blish's technical knowledge, and Taimi and Qirri's… everything knowledge… Gorrik: We just might have a solution to our demon problem!

Recording 10

Gorrik: Case Notes, Entry Ten! This is it! We've done it! Thank the Alchemy! Gorrik: Taimi asked me to stop by as soon as possible. When I arrived, she, Blish, Qirri, Yao, and Joon were putting the final touches on… Gorrik: Their newest invention! It boasts several features, not to mention a sleek design. Gorrik: I can't wait 'til the commander sees! Though, Qirri was extremely quick to remind me that I need to treat this with sensitivity… Gorrik: The commander's role in this plan will likely be the toughest and most psychologically draining. Gorrik: I still think she should have stayed in Seitung. I’m very worried about her health. Joon and I even talked, and I tried to leave without her! Unfortunately, she’s a surprisingly light sleeper. And she was very very displeased with my attempt to run off. Gorrik: I’m— I’m sure it’ll be fine, though! And we have a much bigger issue at hand, besides! Gorrik: I remain on pins and needles for the invention's debut. Demon, here we come! Gorrik out.

#wlb spoilers #post eod spoilers #post eod #what lies beneath #what lies beneath spoilers #I've been updating these weekly and just decided to compile all ten into one post

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thefaiao · 1 year

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Went to a funeral today. It was my mom’s aunt. I didn’t really know her before she died, which was yesterday. Actually, I did meet her once before. At another funeral, my grandmother’s, four months ago. My grandma passed away at 96, after struggling a lot with health condition and the overall fragility of old age. You trip the wrong way, and you are out of commission for a year, which might as well be half if not all of your remaining time in this world. It’s depressing, and she didn’t try to hide that at times she was tired of living, but held on out of a type of duty. It’s not easy to understand what goes on in the mind of someone that old. We struggle to understand how brains of people our age can be wired differently, as we are our only true control group. And even then, wen can trick ourselves, foggy memories, regrets, and so on, will warp our vision. At the end of the day I still feel depressed could better summarize it. She looked peaceful in death, like she was younger. She was buried in a vertical cemetery, many rows and columns in each floor, extending up thirteen or so floors. The tombs had their names written on them in ready-made metal letters, which had a gold tint to them. I was sad to see her go, as much as I expected it, but I truly get overwhelmed when I go into a cemetery. All the death we hide from our daily lives is concentrated here, the definitive end of so many lives. People who die at twenty five, or thirty years of age. It’s easy to think about how these people could easily have been my friends, or me, but they didn’t get the chance. They died to something unpredictable, or maybe everyone could see it coming but no-one could do anything about it. Or maybe they could, but just didn’t have the energy to, or the forethought. The end is the same anyway. They died, so now they aren’t present anymore, all they can do is be dead. Today I went with a different mood, since I didn’t know my great-aunt properly. I noticed how the room was really small, and despite there being a wooden board covering the door, a camera hung onto that same board. I noticed that even though there was food and drink, the water jug was made of plastic, and the jar with cheap store brand cookies, had a crack on it, and was hard to open. Everyone was sad, as her death was sudden. A heart attack as she woke up, even though she was previously healthy. I noticed that whenever this is the case, of sudden death, the person is usually a very hard-line principled person, for better or worse. Usually they sustain the family in some way, or give them guidance with a firm hand. Maybe at random they relax, and all the emotion they hold back come at once, and take them with them. Most of the time, it’s someone who is deeply loved and appreciate for that, especially if they are old. Many people showed up to her funeral to say goodbye. Her husband was crying, as they had been together almost seventy years. And they loved each other. It is easy to imagine myself in his place, but hard to imagine how much sorrow he must feel. While I was there I noticed more things. I noticed that the casket was veneered particle-board, with cut-and-paste patterns on the rims. When there was a bend in the geometry of the casket, the pattern was broken. The metal details were golden plastic, and all the parts of the casket were mass-produced. The flowers were real, as were the people who brought them. I also noticed we had to pay for parking in the place of ceremony, and it was just as expensive as places in the city. I noticed they asked the same price restaurants ask to buy drinks, or a coffee, if we wanted those. While everyone were coming to terms with what had happened, I feel I could only stare. I didn’t want to touch her because I don’t think I earned that, as I was only accompanying my mom. Her coffin looked plastic, and in turn she looked like a toy. Whenever we die, we become an object. And when we enter a casket, we become an altar. We are pressured to cut corners, because we have no money, because we have no time, and we are so small, and we only get smaller. So in death, we look like toys that couldn’t keep going, we exchanged all the parts of the ceremony that we could, so it could even happen. A door opened in the back of the room, and the employees quickly cut everything short, and took her to the car. When we got to her cemetery, I was again overcome with the emotion of all the lives of strangers that were registered there. Just a date, sometimes a face, and a phrase form loved ones. Sometimes flowers, but there were also flowers that were dry, they looked so small. In this horizontal cemetery, the rows and columns were also present, but with no pre-made lettering. The names were written on cement by hand, usually by a worker, before a cover was later built into the graves. So many names, from 2018-2022, had no covers. Sometimes a message accompanied the names, written by a relative. Some people could afford more unique graves, which were usually for the whole family. I can’t help but think if this is all we can be now. We can live beautiful lives, and help so many people, only to die and be buried in mass-produced coffins, have respects paid to us in an affordable place, because money dictates our lives. That the death of someone we love is bundled with a mountain of expenses. It’s easy to say we should be happy we lived at all, and think about all the moments we treasured between our struggles. But maybe we only get used to this because we can’t imagine a better option. Funerals are not only sad. In the middle of sobs I could see smiles, even from my great-aunt’s husband. They are complex, as are the places we are buried. Mass-production and repetition isn’t bad on its own. But when it’s there to cut corners, I can’t help but feel we are being robbed of something higher, and rare, which we don’t always experience. I get home and my dog is having a seizure, and my brother is drunk. Shortly after my dog has two other seizures. Life and death are both unrelenting.

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technicolor-rhapsody · 2 years

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Hey there!

I’d love to see your take on John Constantine and a fem presenting (nonbinary) reader who’s also a magic user, if you’re up for it!

(I love any and all things Constantine, so like, whatever you think you can do, I’ll take!)

Hey! Thank you so much for the request! I'm sorry it took so long. I re-wrote this piece like 4 times. 🥴

I wasn't sure how to write a nonbinary yet fem presenting reader, so I tried to keep it gender neutral for the most part. I hope that's okay and that you enjoy this anyways! 💕

You watch his movements with a critical eye. It takes a lot of energy to keep your expression neutral and to bite your tongue as to not nag. However, Constantine is perceptive enough to take notice.

"If you have somethin' to say, just say it."

His tone of exasperation and annoyance matches his expression. The scratching of the chalk against the stone floor has halted. He waits for you to speak.

If he insists. "You're writing is like chicken scratch." Brutal honesty it is. You carefully move closer towards the magic circle he's drawn. "The lines of your runes seem just a tad wobbly. Some of them are off by a couple of degrees. If you don't-"

"I bloody well have been copying yours stroke by stroke." He replies, pointing towards your own magic circle.

A hand is held out to him. You nod towards the chalk. "May I?"

It's placed in your hand as he grumbles. He moves back to observe the corrections you're about to make. That's fine. It'll settle your nerves knowing that you've done so. Magic is one fo the few things you're a perfectionist with. Really one must be. Make a wrong move, say an incorrect word or use an inaccurate ingredient and the consequences could be deadly.

With care you take the time to make your corrections. Lines are straightened out. Strokes are made crisper. You do this in silence as he stares on. Once finished you beckon him to step back into the circle, giving him the warning not to smear or erase any of the chalk.

"You're a real bossy bird, you know that?"

When he steps in you step out. Hastily you make your way over to several densely packed plastic bags. From them you start pulling out enough candles to light a small village. However there's two that not like the others. These two you made. They're imperfect compared to the store bought ones. The wax is blacker than any ink; a contrast to the sea of garish colors.

Around each magic circle the candles are set ---all except the special two. You set one inside your circle and the other in his.

"Is all this really necessary? It's a bit theatrical for me tastes." He lights up a ciggie, taking several drags.

"Inconvenient is the word you should have used. You don't mind theatrics. It's the act of having to have patience you despise." You dig a pocket knife out from your back jeans pocket. "You ready?"

He gives you a nod, expression softening. "Aye. Ta for the help." He offers the cigarette to you, to which you accept a few puffs from. You grab his hand and flip it over to press a kiss to the palm. His skin is warm yet his hand feels rough; not calloused but like a person who frequently works with their hands. You've had the pleasure of knowing just how skilled he is with said hands.

You murmur an apology before slicing his palm. Blood bubbles to the surface. He let's a few drops drop onto the black candle. A flame bursts forth, burning a bright purple. You make your way into your own circle and complete the same process. Once both candles are lit with the violet flame, you and Constantine began reciting the spell. When the runes start glowing you know the ritual has started.

Even if it might be the wrong time for such a thing, you can't help but shoot him a smug grin.

#john constantine x reader #constantine x reader

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the-gateway-to-madness · 3 months

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Anyway cara x krel childhood friends to lovers things

and also just some Cara things

childhood:

Cara's house has a blood oath that all members are born into that goes as follows: "By the light of my core and the right of my birth, I am bound to the protection and upholding of the righteous and rightful rulers of Akiridion-5, to set aside personal attachments for the sake of the throne, and to give myself entirely, in life, in sickness, in injury, and in death, to my Royals. I will live, walk, and breathe as a sacrifice upon the altar of the Royals' future. Let my bones be broken, my coreslick spilled, and my core splintered for the sake of their call; let my body, my mind, and my soul be torn from me in service to the upholding of Akiridion. Such is my vow and such shall I be."

(if that sounds unhealthy or toxic, that's because it is. Cara's arc involves overcoming the warped sense of honor her House established, since that honor code is the last thing she can still remember that makes her feel connected to her Akiridion heritage, and becoming the first Okhrana to ever be released from the oath)

Anyway

Cara was the only noble kid with the patience to sit with Krel while he learned engineering and robotics and all that. She didn't have his gift, by any means- she was always more of an artist, though she tried to hide it back then -but she was still intrigued by his intelligence and passion for tech

She's a Summoner- a member of House Okhrana with the ability to summon small tools, weapons, and even art pieces or sculptures out of energy, always attached at the wrist (though artistic pursuits were discouraged by her house in favor of finding combative or scientific ways to protect the Royals). They take a lot of a Summoner's strength to create. Because of this, Summoners' hair doesn't stick together in clumps like other Akiridions', and they give off lower-energy green light rather than blue light, with the energy being diverted instead to their Summoning

Because of her differing appearance, other Akiridion noble kids often shunned her, but Krel was smart enough to actually figure out why she looked different, and didn't turn her away

Cara and Krel often spent hours talking about his little projects, or just with her watching him work in silence. She would draw or practice combat forms in the background. Since Krel was the member of the Royal family Cara was assigned to protect, her family allowed the friendship, and over the course of a couple years they became deeply, mostly quietly attached to each other

They made little dark blue beaded bracelets for each other, each with the crest of the other's House engraved on the largest bead in that signature Akiridion aqua.

present day:

Cara always has the bracelet Krel gave her on her person; she avoids him once she finds out he's in Arcadia, believing he could never forgive her for failing to return to Akiridion-5.

Cara believes she hasn't upheld the Okhrana oath by being unable to return to Akiridion, despite the fact there was no technology available to her to make that possible. She believes she exists purely to protect the Royals and die for them. She won't allow any friendships to get too close anymore and believes she doesn't deserve to be loved in any capacity, by anyone, despite being desperately lonely. (She taught her older sister the Akiridion language young though, so she's still able to speak it somewhat fluently in the present day, thanks to that and books written in Akiridion obtained from Stuart)

Krel finds her eventually, and is at first hurt she didn't reach out until he realizes how guarded she's become. He then begins carefully, gently trying to dismantle her misunderstandings about Akiridion culture, trying not to scare her off even as he tries to persuade her to let go of the way her family trained her to think in her formative years.

Cara's adoptive family, the Halls (her father is a sorcerer and her mother is a siren, and her two siblings are an older sister and a younger brother who lean towards their sorcerer and siren parent, respectively), are instrumental in that they're her emotional rescue family figures, working to undo the trauma left by House Okhrana and softening her; however, it's not until Krel, a fellow Akiridion, tries to correct her ideas about how Akiridion works that she really lets in that the way she was raised was wrong.

Her arc culminates in her asking Krel to release her from the oath that got her family killed and accepting her place as Matriarch of House Okhrana, working to build a healthier ideology for her family to live by someday.

As for Cara and Krel's relationship-

Their friendship is built on deep emotional intimacy that only grows stronger as she grows in confidence in herself as a person, beyond her oath's limitations- the confidence that drives her to be free of the oath. She's a naturally fierce, clever, intuitive, selfless person, and as she steps into that and accepts herself, she complements Krel better and better. He softens and grows more self-aware as he realizes he can trust her with the depths of his feelings; they grow into the sides of themselves they wouldn't embrace as naturally apart when they're together.

Cara still adores watching Krel work and working alongside him. She tries harder to help him with tech stuff nowadays, and they share an eclectic love of music. She introduces him to a bunch of music, from ABBA to k-pop to country to Lindsey Stirling depending on her mood, and sending songs to each other becomes another language to the two of them.

Cara is a classically trained violinist and a decent mezzosoprano, and eventually manages to get Krel to sing duets with her while he plays guitar. She loves playing with harmonies and can write lyrics but not tunes so much, so she and Krel start writing songs in tandem since he does tunes but not lyrics.

I genuinely despised romance as a kid and in my young teen years; I didn't understand it when I solely saw it in other people, and only began to like the idea when I began wanting romance for myself- and even then, I still to this day hate the idea of traditional dating and want to cultivate platonic bonds of trust before shifting to work on the romantic interest part of the relationship. What I see in Krel is much of the same attitude; romance seems unnecessary to him when he sees it in others, but I believe that if he were to ever shift towards having an interest in romance, he'd do it the way I did

Point is, it's not until Cara and Krel are quite close and the oath is already gone that Krel acknowledges the kind of closeness he wants with her, and even then they're less dating and more hanging out and kissing or holding hands or whatever they feel like when they want to (because rott isn't canon)

they're very casual about physical closeness already as friends. not much really changes tbh lol. Mainly they verbally express love more

So yeah. Carel

here they are again