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#this is something that makes me so happy for humanity
escelia · 1 day
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New Sibling Just Dropped
Or Danny gets willingly isekai'd into the DCU and gets a twin out of it.
I know I disappeared from the face of the earth for a bit there, and there's stuff I should probably be updating, but I come baring different stuff this time :D
Just started this for fun, and I have at least one other chapter of it done, but idk how long this bout of inspiration will last, so I'm just rolling with it for now.
@flamingpudding look! i pulled a jason todd and rose from the grave!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danny was tired. The kind of tired you felt behind your eyes and in your bones, and weighed heavy with achievement. He was perched on the edge of a building in his ghost form looking over Amity Park with a soft smile as he watched Youngblood run through the park with human children, Cujo playfully on their heels. His galaxy cloak (which had been a coronation gift) billowed around his lap like a gas with stars twinkling inside. 
It had been a few years now since he took up the Crown of Fire and became High King of the Infinite Realms, and while he had accomplished many things since then, graduating from high school wasn't something on that list. It sucked that he wouldn't get to walk across the stage with Sam and Tucker, but in the face of all he'd been able to do for both Amity and the Infinite Realms, it was worth it. They coexisted now. There was still trouble every now and then, but Danny had helped the ghosts who insisted on staying in Amity Park find a place in their city where they could thrive.
Youngblood watched over the children of the city, Box Ghost started a box recycling center, Lunch Lady started a program to get food to families that couldn't afford it, and Pointdexter started reporting bullying at the school since he was already there. 
On the Realms' side, Danny shut down Walker's prison. Since it was his lair, he couldn't take it away from him completely, but it no longer housed the many ghosts the warden had considered "rule breakers." He'd given Walker a new set of rules to enforce and essentially took him under his wing as a royal soldier, kept under the close watch of Fight Knight, who'd defected from Pariah Dark so fast after his defeat that it was laughable. 
He'd done something similar with Skulker, though he was a harder case to crack. Unlike Walker, who was happy as long as he had a set of rules to enforce, Skulker wanted to keep hunting. He'd been recruited forcefully by Walker and Fright Knight after they caught him on his way to fight Danny again.
All in all, everything had begun to run smoothly now. The fatigue weighing on him reminded him that it had been hard to accomplish, and continuing to lead his double life hadn't made it any less exhausting. A cold breath rushed through his chest as he felt a familiar presence slide up next to him. 
"You didn't time out," Danny pointed out without looking to face the ghost beside him. Clockwork hummed in acknowledgment.
"Sometimes it's pleasant to watch time flow in person." It was Danny's turn to hum at him. 
"How are you feeling?" The Ancient asked thoughtfully. The younger ghost tilted his head pensively. 
"It's hard to say. I'm tired, but I'm happy. And also sad..." he paused to gather his thoughts. "I feel like I've done everything I needed to."
But not everything he wanted to do. 
"Go on," Clockwork pressed. The teenager did turn his head now to make a face at his mentor. If the guy knew how he felt and what he was going to say, why would he say it out loud? But the other just arched a brow at him and waited.
"Fine," he pouted. "I've spent so much time and energy finding places for everyone here. The GIW are gone, my parents stopped hunting ghosts, Jazz got into the psychology program at Stanford, Sam and Tucker are graduating today... I helped make that happen, I know I did! But they're moving on without me. They're growing up and I don't feel like I am."  
'I don't feel like I'm ready.'
Danny stopped to take a breath and wipe away the icy tears gathering in his eyes. He felt stupid for crying over it. He was 17 for Ancients' sake! Jazz would have told him he grew up too fast, but he still felt like a child. He had no idea what he was doing! And yet! And yet... he felt...
"But you also feel ancient, right? Like you've been around too long and seen too much?" Clockwork said as though he were reading from a script. Danny sulked. Stupid time ghost with his dumb Time Stream TV or whatever. 
"Yeah..."
"All Ancients feel that way. Though you may be feeling unbalanced in more ways than one because of how young you died and the fact you are half human."
"What do you mean?" Danny turned his whole body to face him now, tucking his knees under his chin and circling his arms around them. His cloak moved with him in inky black wisps and settled around him again like clouds of galaxies. 
Clockworks form shifted to that of a child.
"You feel young because you died young. However, it is the nature of humans to grow and change. While you may have died at 14, your childhood died before that. You yearn to grow and learn, while also being an incredibly powerful Ancient."
He supposed that made sense. He recalled all the years cleaning the lab before the portal had even been built, and the fighting and neglect (Jazz's words, not his) that spawned his disdain of Christmas even longer before. He wanted to go back to school. He wanted a reason to love Christmas. He wanted pets and family dinners that didn't come alive. He wanted to grow up properly.
"But you still want to help people," the ghost said as though Danny had been talking out loud or having his mind read. 
"I hate it when you do that," Danny complained. Clockwork just smiled smugly.
"I know." He laughed at the glare Danny threw him. 
"I have a proposition for you," the older ghost began. Danny perked up in intrigue. "I know of another earth dimension with some problems that need to be addressed. Your role as High King puts you in a position to be helpful."
"Their problem has to do with the Realms?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. Ectoplasm from the Realms is pooling into what are referred to on their planet as Lazarus Pits. They are both helpful and harmful as they do not dissipate into the air so they continually collect and concentrate emotion, but they do sometimes revive the dead."
Danny grimaced in disgust at the thought of dunking a person into a stagnant pool of contaminated ectoplasm. "That sounds disgusting."
"Quite," Clockwork agreed. 
"So what's your proposition?"
"Well, if it is agreeable to you, I would like to de-age your physical form and place you with a family that's had dealings with the Pits firsthand. I've found them to be quite charming." 
"Ah, so you want me to go in undercover?" Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes a little. It wasn't a half bad idea. He could try his hand at childhood again and still get to handle his duties as King Phantom. Leading a double life again would be easy enough, it was just stepping from one role into another. 
"Not at all." Clockwork smiled knowingly. Danny was officially suspicious of his ghost guardian. "This planet has had all kinds of dealings with the occult, and even humans with superpowers isn't that unusual. While I would advise against telling anyone you are a king right away, you are in fact just that: a king. You may do what you wish." 
For an ancient and wise time ghost, Danny thought Clockwork was really shit at hiding his expressions. Though he tried to keep the grin off his face, Danny could clearly see the twitching of his lips and gleam in his eyes that promised the old man was scheming. 
But to get his childhood back. Or, at least a semblance of one... it deserved consideration. Danny looked back out at the cityscape again. Sam and Tucker... they were down there graduating from high school without him. He'd been the one to encourage them to pull away from Team Phantom activities to zero in on their studies, but he didn't regret it. Sam wanted to major in environmental science and Tucker wanted to go to MIT and he just didn't fit into those plans. After Jazz left for Stanford, his parents often forgot he was still there. He'd managed to convince them to study ghosts properly instead of hunting them, and with a little help from the "friendly ghost King Phantom" they were given a place to start. They dove into their research with the same excitement and fervor they'd had all their lives. Which of course meant he went days, sometimes weeks, without seeing them emerge from the lab. It was easy enough to slip past them to the portal while they were distracted. 
The point was that he'd started to feel his anchor to this city, to this realm, start to dissipate as the people who kept him there started to break away from him. He still loved them, wanted to protect them, but they were safe and happy now. He felt fulfilled in his task of protecting them, but there was a buzzing beneath his skin to do more. 
Danny took a deep and controlled breath. He didn't need it in his ghost form, but it felt good to feel his lungs stretch to fullness. 
"When would I start?" He asked finally. The straight face Clockwork had been trying to keep, and he really was so bad at it, finally broke into a wide grin. 
"Right now. Everything is already in place and your duties in the Realms will be taken care of in your absence." 
Danny smiled softly at his guardian. Clockwork sure had a funny way of showing it, but he cared so deeply for the boy next to him that when Danny responded with a bad pun, he couldn't even be annoyed. 
"Well, no time like the present!" He winked.
Clockwork chuckled, and with a flash of light, he sent Danny on his way. 
The more time the older ghost spent with his young ward, the more he appreciated him. The Danny he’d come to know was nothing like the Danny’s from other worlds he’d encountered while trying to prevent Dan from existing. His Danny was now truly one of a kind. None of the others, not even the ones that eventually turned into Dan, had been Ancients. There would never be another Danny like him, and every universe was adjusting to include him should he ever decide to visit them. He had a place in any world, should he choose, but Clockwork knew he was needed most in the one he’d sent him to. It would be truly entertaining to watch the young Ancient settle into his role there, and Clockwork was actually finding himself looking forward to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was dark and quiet a long while before Danny opened his eyes. And when he did open them it got really loud and really bright really fast. It belatedly occurred to him that he should have asked like a billion more questions before agreeing to be iseaki’d into a different dimension to join a family he knew literally nothing about. 
There was shouting before someone in what looked like a ninja cult uniform shoved a knife into his hand and pushed him in the path of a person in a different uniform. The man in front of him was dressed in blue and black and wearing a mask that covered his eyes, but Danny could see the surprised shape of his mouth before it morphed into something like anger. And then he was being lunged at.
He shrieked as he dodged out of the way. Not his most graceful save, but whatever. His voice was a bit shrill and his center of gravity felt way off. He must have actually been de-aged! He wondered how old he was now. He still felt light on his feet thanks to his ghost half which felt blessedly intact. But the other guy was fast and he ducked into a roll just in time to dodge whatever weapon he was holding. This guy meant business, but he had no idea why he was trying to kill him. 
‘Great, thanks Grandfather Clock for throwing me right back into the good ol’ days,’ he thought sarcastically. Nobody had attacked him for no good reason like that since Walker and Fright caught Skulker mid hunt for the very last time. 
What he now saw was a baton swung down from overhead and Danny knew he wouldn't dodge it in time, so he caught it with the flat of the blade that had been shoved into his hands.
“Wait! Why are we fighting?” Danny yelled, panicked as the guy pushed more force into it. The man's face twisted into something like confusion for a moment and he backed off just the tiniest bit before the scuffing of shoes to his right had him looking over just in time to see another guy in a mask, this time in red, rushing at him. He threw his hands up in surrender. 
“Wait!” He shrieked before he was absolutely bodied sideways into the ground. 
Why was he doing this? He was half ghost, he could have just gone intangible and disappeared. He didn't have to be body slammed into the ground. Wasn't he a child now? Did that guy in red actually just slam a whole child into the ground? 
“Red, hold on! This one's different!” 
“What do you mean?” The guy Red asked. He was still pinning Danny to the ground.
“Yeah, what do you mean?” Danny asked breathlessly, then whimpered, “Someone please tell me what's going on!” 
The one hovering over him must have seen something on his face that convinced him to not try and kill him anymore, because he grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him along. 
“We'll take him in for questioning. Don't let Robin see him.”
“Who's Robin?!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a long, arduous, and confusing journey from wherever they were to… well, wherever they were now. They'd blindfolded him for the transport so he still had no idea what was going on. He had learned that the guy with batons was Nightwing, and Red was actually Red Robin. The one they called Robin was a feral looking thing with swords, he was very small and stabby. Then there was Batman, and he totally threw off the whole bird theme but was easily the most intimidating. And that was all he knew so far. He'd been restrained at an interrogation table. 
Danny groaned and knocked his forehead onto the table. He really, really wished he'd asked Clockwork more questions. He'd at least been able to catch a glimpse of himself in the glass behind Batman. He looked like he was eleven or twelve again, which was not as young as he'd been expecting, but much more preferable than being a literal toddler. The group of people he’d been brought in by seemed to be heroes. They were all incredibly weary of him, but hadn’t gone out of their way to harm him since his capture. Though it was hard to call it a capture when there wasn’t a chase involved. 
“How old are you?” Batman asked suddenly. His voice was low and rough and somehow Danny could tell it didn't sound like that naturally. 
“Um, maybe eleven or twelve?” Danny replied carefully, picking up his head from the table and having the decency to look a little embarrassed. 
“And what's your name?” He looked like he was expecting something.
“My name is Danny, sir.” 
“Hmm…” 
It was quiet and awkward for a long moment.
“Why are you different from the other clones?” 
“Yeeeaaah, I'm not a clone.” Danny absolutely did not jump when the brute slammed the file folder shut in front of him. 
“We'll see what your DNA results have to say about that,” he said confidently before turning to leave, his cape dramatically flaring out behind him.
Sheesh, and he thought he’d had a flair for the dramatics.
‘Okay, time for some assessment,’ Danny thought to himself as he looked around the small closed room. It was soundproofed incredibly well. While he didn’t have super crazy hearing, it was enhanced by his ghost half, and combined with his other sharp senses, it tended to help him gather more information than others could. The most he could hear outside the room was a quiet hum of activity and nothing discernible. Still, he needed to decide how much he would say to these people. How much truth did he want to weave into his tale? These people clearly already had their own assumptions about him in mind, and while there was absolutely nothing wrong with being a clone, he knew he didn’t have what it took to keep up an act like that for long, which would just end up being awkward for everyone. 
He also would not be telling them about his status as Ghost King, per Clockwork’s suggestion. His captors seemed like the uptight sort, and revealing that he was a big, scary ghost monarch didn’t seem like it’d go over well. Telling them he was a halfa would probably get them off his back over the clone thing, at least. He went over the list in his head.
He was a halfa from another dimension, so he couldn’t be a clone.
He had no plans of fighting with anyone unless absolutely necessary. 
He did not have a way back to his other dimension. 
His name was Danny, and he didn’t have a family anymore.
He did not know why he was in the middle of whatever fight he woke up in. 
No, he didn’t know those people.
Danny must’ve been lost in thought for quite a while because his thoughts were interrupted by Batman bursting back through the door. The man’s demeanor had changed completely and he whipped off his cowl to reveal disheveled dark hair, blue eyes, and an expression of absolute heartbreak that accompanied his shuddering breaths. With the mask off, he reminded Danny a lot of his father. 
Batman searched his face and, much like Red Robin had before, seemed to notice something there. 
“She did it twice,” he muttered to himself. “Two of them this whole time and she didn’t tell me about either of them,” he said through gritted teeth. His frown deepened. Danny copied his frown. 
“Hey, are you okay?”
He still had no idea what was going on.
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rosescarlette · 3 days
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- Gentlemen. -
Zhongli is the type of person who's often described as a gentleman. Trust me this guy has a lot of fame but even he doesn't know how. He just uses his knowledge and skills and boom! He's famous.
Zhongli is the type of person to absolutely spoil you. He just wants you to be happy. Of course grandpa sometimes goes overboard. You see something? You complement it? Congrats! It's yours now.
Zhongli is also the type to be very reserved during the first time of the relationship. Not like the people who just ask him something completely about, "Hey have you-" where he just goes.. "Sorry I have a girlfriend." No. He isn't. He would completely let the person finish their question and then answer them appropriately. If some one were to indeed ask him out. He'd politely decline and just return to his work what he was doing before.
Zhongli also would be quite strict with himself. But hey.. can you really blame him?.. he has no experience during the first moments. But however do expect him to be completely perfect at the dinning matters and etc. He has learned these habits himself when he used to disguise himself as a human to mingle among his people.
He also has immense strength. Trust me no human could ever compare to his strength because he's the archon who dominates over the element geo. So he obviously has no trouble carrying your bags even yourself. No matter how heavy you are.. you're just a feather to him. There would always be arguments like: "Zhongli let me carry my bags myself!!" "Pardon but I will carry these." Yep. Expect him to be formal even when arguing. You raised yourself as an independent woman and he's the gentleman. So.. yep arguments on who's gonna pay for the dinner. Of course he ends up winning. He pays the bill regarding the price. Heck does he even look at it? No. Because his wallet (childe) will always pay for it regardless of the price.
If zhongli sees you overworking yourself to the point where you sleep on the desk itself. He will not hesitate at all to pick you up and place you in bed and tuck you in. He has no problems doing that.
You and zhongli would RARELY get into arguments. Trust me, the only times you'd argue is who is going to pay the bills and all. He always wins somehow.
He is also the type to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday or happy anniversary to you. Because he wakes up quite early and you? Nah you're gonna sleep almost to the point where people would mistakenly arrange a funeral for you thinking you died... /j . This guy has photographic memory so.. he captured every emotion on your face with immense detail. He never gets bored looking at those eyes.
He is also the type of person who'd comfort you very well. If your day is bad you can always go chat to him. He will always and ALWAYS try to make you smile. Your smile is something he would pay anything to see.
You overthink? He's the one to comfort you. You have social anxiety? He's the one to do the talking. You're short to reach? He helps you with it. Any problem you bring up he brings up the solution.
Zhongli wants everything to be perfect. My guy's a rich person. (But somehow broke) He wants everything to be absolutely perfect and no detail should be missed. So expect your birthdays and special occasions and all to be amazingly perfect. Including his proposal is something that has so many hidden meanings that many people have forgotten. Yet it's perfect. In a way where everything is according to you. Which represents you and him.
In the end.. your relationship was perfect with him. It was only date to marry. Trust me. He will only choose you.
Zhongli knows eventually one day he will outlive you. He always had. So he tries his best to always stay near you and capture every emotion of yours. And eventually when you aren't there anymore.. he will forever be lonely. He wouldn't want another person. He himself had set a contract to himself. It's either you or no one. And he follows it. Until it's the end of him.
Your grave is something that can't be found easily. I mean.. he wouldn't let it be known so easily to people. He would try to hide it as much as possible. The area would be secluded. And your grave will the one that has your favorite flowers. However to him. He visits to be with you. Only to be reminded of the fact.. you're gone too.
Despite living so long. He'd always learn talents so who knows if he learns art. Not for anything but other than painting you so you wouldn't be forgotten in his memory so easily. Even with his photographic memory he fears that he would forget. The tea cups on the table will always be the pair where one is empty and the other has cold tea. A remainder again you're gone. He heavily uses muscle memory so it's hard for him to get accustomed easily.
Despite the bittersweet ending. He always loved and always will continue to love you. And if it's his end. He would want to be next to you. And after always hold you in his arms. No matter where he would always find you. Even without his memory. His soul knows you and will continue to find you. So expect many lives of yours to be with him.
In the end he has no regrets. He always wanted to be with you. So it's always you no matter what.
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starlit-typewriter · 2 days
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Genshin SAGAU, Creator of Teyvat, but not Humanity Part 4
So fun fact, I got Lyney on 12 pity, with no guaranteed after posting that previous section, so uh. He doesn’t need to be jealous of his siblings anymore I guess.
Warning for Spoilers up to 4.6
Masterlist | Prev Part
~~~
Cold
It was very cold,
Freezing actually, numbingly cold and frigid. The icy hands of hypothermia creeping up your legs to encase your body into an icy coffi-
Ok, well maybe that’s a step too far.
But it’s cold.
Why is it cold?
Oh it’s snowing that’s why.
You look down at your feet.
Yep, there’s snow.
You wiggle your toes, and see the snow on top if them shift. 
You giggle to yourself at the amusing sight. You look up to see if there’s anyone else.
It’s empty, just a vast expanse of snow and wind.
Wait, no it’s not. There’s a building right over there, it’s massive, tall and imposing with gigantic walls and windows.
Oh there’s a person in one of those windows, hopefully you’re not trespassing.
You can’t really make out who it is, their black and white figure is blurred by the heavy snow and wind, but you try waving to them anyway.
If there’s so much snow and wind shouldn’t you be colder than this?
You blink,
“- gnoring me, I swear,”
You turn your head, and your friend is there.
“Hellooo, why do you keep spacing out?” she complains, taking a sip of her drink.
The two of you are at a cafe. 
She proposed that the two of you meet up now that the weather is nice and take a walk together and get some exercise. Somehow that exercise ended with the two of you sitting in a heavily air conditioned cafe.
You blink, weren’t you just cold.
Oh right, you look over to your side where the AC is blasting on full volume.
“Why don’t we move to different seats,” you offer, “The AC is giving me a headache.”
~~~
“Another successful day of adventuring completed!” Paimon cheered, spinning around as the Traveler handed in the receipts for all their completed commissions. 
The Traveler smiled at her enthusiasm as they accepted their reward from Katheryn, before heading over to where Paimon was floating.
“Hungry for dinner?” They asked, knowing the answer already.
“Of course!” Paimon exclaimed, “As if that’s even a question.” She paused, bobbing slightly as she stared the Traveler down. 
“Hmm, Paimon can’t help but feel you’re up to something, but she can’t figure out what.”
The Traveler takes their time, hemming and hawing as they stroll down the streets of Fountaine with Paimon floating closely behind, riling her up with frustration.
“Grrr, c’mon just tell Paimon, or I’m gonna burst,”
The Traveler laughed at their companion’s frustrated face, before turning to face them with a cheeky smile on their face. “Well, I’ve got a bit more energy than usual, so why don’t you choose a restaurant for us to visit,” they proposed cheekily.
Paimon’s eyes opened wide with anticipation, “really!” She exclaimed, shooting up with anticipation, “you better not be messing with Paimon,” she threatened, eyes sparking.
“Nope,” the Traveler drawled, as they made their way over to the nearby waypoint. They placed their hand on it meaningfully, and extended the other to Paimon. “Where are we going tonight?”
Paimon squealed with happiness, shooting into the Traveler’s arms. “ Komore Teahouse please,” she begged, “We haven’t had hotpot in so long,”
“As you wish,” and in a burst of energy the two disappeared from the streets of Fountaine.
The smell of sweet Sakura blossoms greeted Paimon's nose as the two appeared in Inazuma. 
Thankfully there weren’t too many gawking standerbys, many of them having gotten used to the Traveler's unique ability of traveling through waypoints.
She quickly darted out from their arms and turned to check on them. While it may look effortless, she knew that teleporting took a lot of energy out of the Traveler, and as their traveling companion it’s her responsibility to make sure that they don’t overwork themselves. 
Their breathing was fine, but their head rested on the waypoint, eyes closed. Paimon gave them a moment to collect themselves, hovering anxiously. Within a few seconds their eyelids opened, sending Paimon a reassuring smile.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Paimon asked, feelings slightly guilty at how enthusiastic she was at coming to visit Inazuma, even though she knew how much energy it would take.
“Of course, I did offer after all,” the Traveler replied easily.
The two made their way to Komore teahouse, Paimon made sure to float a bit slower than usual, just in case the Traveler was still tired.
She’s sure they noticed, since they bumped her playfully before whispering “race you,” into her ear and darted off. 
“HEY NO FAIR,”
The two adventurers raced each other down the streets of Inazuma before skidding to a stop outside Komore Teahouse, the Traveler slapping their hand on the sign triumphantly as Paimon panted behind them.
“No, huff huff, fair,” Paimon complained, pointing their finger at the Traveler accusatorially. 
Before the Traveler could gloat about their victory, a familiar voice interrupted the duo.
“Woah woah what happened here,”
“Thoma!” Paimon exclaimed, perking back up. 
The Traveler exchanged warm greetings with the Kamisato housekeeper, as the three headed into the teahouse to catch up.
“-lace flooded and then!” Paimon paused mid story, mouth hanging open.
“And then what?” Thoma asked eagerly engrossed in the story.
The expectant silence was interrupted by a loud stomach gurgle.
There was a moment before all three of them burst into laughter.
“I think Paimon got so engrossed in story telling that we forgot to order food,” the Traveler commented between giggles.
“Hey!”
Thoma took the initiative to stand up and order food for the group. The Traveler tried to get up as well, but was ushered back into their seat. 
“C’mon, it’s already bad enough manners that I made guests wait this long without food, at least let me order it for you,” Thoma pleaded playfully, 
 “I think we’re more friends than guests at this point, ” Paimon chimed in, floating up from her seat.
“You know that’s not what I mean. C’mon, you guys save me some face here.”
After some light heckling and teasing, Thoma darted off to grab some dinner for them.
The Traveler leaned forward in their seat, face still a little pale. 
Paimon floated beside them anxiously. “Are you feeling ok?” She asked quietly, the Traveler doesn’t usually take this long to recover from a teleport trip.
The Traveler hummed lightly in agreement, now fully leaning on the table, “just a bit drowsy.”
Paimon bit her lip nervously, she floated around the Traveler’s head anxiously.
It seemed as if her hovering was annoying them since they soon tilted their head up to gaze at her with slight annoyance. “I’m okay, Paimon, honest.”
Paimon didn’t believe them.
“Are you sure, because -”
“I’m fine,” they cut her off, “I’m more worried about you.”
Paimon blinked, “Me?”
“Do you think I haven’t noticed how much hovering and how anxious you’ve been? I just wanted to- ” they cut themselves off in frustration.
Paimon sagged a little, she didn’t like making the Traveler worry about them.
The Traveler sighed, “If this is about the Kn-”
“No,” Paimon interrupted, “It’s not.”
A disbelieving face was her only answer.
She bit her lip. Maybe she wasn’t as good of an actor as she thought, or it was just the Traveler being able to see through her.
She didn't really want to explain, but considering that they were willing to push themselves in order to try to cheer her up, well. Paimon felt guilty for keeping it from them.
“It’s just not fair!” She burst out, a scowl painting itself on her normally cheerful face. 
“Her being blessed you mean?” The Traveler confirmed, sitting up properly to face Paimon.
“I don’t trust her,” Paimon admitted, her hands twisting together. “She’s so scary and we never know what she’s going to do next, or who she’s going to hurt. Not to mention she’s Fatui Harbinger!”
“So are Childe and the Wanderer,” 
“That’s different and you know it! Wanderer’s working for Nahida now and Childe might be a Harbinger but he won’t hurt us, you can beat him up any day!”
The Traveler sighed, “this is because I lost isn’t it.”
“That’s -” Paimon couldn’t refute that.
The two fell into a bit of an uneasy silence. 
“I’m not the strongest person in Teyvat Paimon. I never have been,” they explained gently.
“I know,” Paimon mumbled, “I just, don’t like the fact that she’s now going to get stronger because of us.”
“You don’t know that- ”
“Yes I do!” She shot back, “So many people we meet just get inexplicably stronger and they all think it’s thanks to us but we haven’t done anything and it’s been fine so far because they’ve all been our friends and have been really nice to us but-”
She gets cut off when the Traveler pulls her into a hug. 
“I’m sorry,” they apologized, “I didn’t know you’ve been struggling with this.”
Paimon relaxed in their hold, “It never really bothered me until now,”
“Me neither,” they admitted, leaning into their hug more.
“Food her-” Thoma paused in the doorway at the sight of the two hugging. “Uh, did I barge in at a bad moment, because I can- ”
“It’s fine,” Paimon exclaimed, flying out of the hug. “We were just uh-”
She looked over to the Traveler for an excuse, but they just shook their head and shrugged.
“Practicing what we’d do if there was an earthquake,” she finished lamely.
Thoma blinked at that admittedly pretty bad excuse, but thankfully knew not to push.
“Alrighty then, well who’s ready for- ”
“HOTPOT,” Paimon’s eyes widened to the size of Dinner plates as the smell of the tray in Thoma’s hands finally reached her nose.
The rest of the meal proceeded merrily as Paimon got to fill her stomach, Thoma got caught up with all their recent adventures, and the Traveler got to bask in good company.
They were pretty quiet, as is the norm, since they prefer to let Paimons speak for them.
Until, well.
“Thoma, what did it feel like when you got blessed.”
The other two fall into silence at the Traveler’s question. Thoma swiveled his head to see the Traveler staring at him with an uncharacteristically serious look. 
Their golden eyes bored into his face, it was easy to forget when they were chatting over a meal or talking walks together, but the Traveler was famous for more than just their adventures. 
Despite their young appearance, they’d always held themselves with an innate grace and authority Thoma had rarely ever seen. A kind of aura that made you wonder whether they were secretly an ancient powerful Yokai in disguise. 
“Uh, well,” Thoma stammered.Even though he could confidently say they were friends, and that they would never lay a hand on him, the fact that the Traveler was so much more powerful than him was hard to ignore at this very moment. “Haven’t you gone through it yourself?”
The Traveler shakes their head, “I don’t remember being blessed,” they responded shortly.
“Well,” Thome scratched his head, mulling over his words, “I can’t really compare it to getting a vision-” he trailed off, deep in thought.
He looked around before his gaze settled on their empty hotpot bowl. 
“I think I'd compare it to drinking a warm bowl of soup on a freezing cold day.” 
The Traveler quirks a brow, surprised.
“I thought it’d be more dramatic than that,” Paimon added, looking slightly disheartened as well.
“Sorry,” Thoma scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. “That’s just the best way I could think of to describe it.” 
He paused, before angling himself towards the pair to better explain his train of thought, “You know there are some days where it all feels a little overwhelming and exhausting,”
The two nodded in response.
“Think of it like that, its been a super long day, the weather’s a mess, you’re cold and tired and you just want to crawl to bed.” he gestured, trying to convey what a busy day would look like. 
“Then you go inside, and there’s this warm bowl of soup waiting just for you, it’s the perfect temperature so you don’t don’t need to worry about burning you mouth and it just warms you from the inside out and give you more energy to keep going.”
By the end of his story the two were nodding in unison. 
“Does that make sense to you,” he finishes weakly.
“Better,” the Traveler commented, looking over at Paimon who was nodding enthusiastically. 
“Sorry, it’s just that no one’s ever really asked me about that before.” He laughs sheepishly. Internally grateful that the Traveler’s gaze had directed itself elsewhere.
“Really?” Paimon exclaimed, “I’d have thought um-” she trailed off awkwardly.
Thoma knew where they were going, “Lord and Lady Kamisato never mentioned such things to me, they know about my blessing of course, but they never tried to pry into the specifics.”
“Ahh, gotcha,” 
The table lapses into an awkward silence.
“Is there a particular reason why?” Thoma asks eventually.
The two look at each other for a bit before turning back to him.
“Just a bit of investigating,” the Traveler responds vaguely. “It just seems weird to us that this has been happening for years now and now one is really sure why.”
“Well, most of us assumed that you were the one doing the blessing,” he responded, stacking some of the empty plates together. 
“WHAT!” Paimon exclaimed, flying backwards in shock.
“You didn’t know?” Thoma looked surprised.
The Traveler shook their head alongside Paimon’s vehement denial.
“Oh, well that’s a bit awkward,” he laughs, “But don’t worry, we soon realized that you had no control over it,”
“Good,” Paimon nodded, “The last thing we need is people thinking we’re intentionally withholding a blessing from them, or worse people trying to get close to us for the blessing.” She shuddered.
The Traveler nodded in agreement, yawning slightly.
Thoma, perceptive as always, offered to get them a room at the Kamisato estate, only to be met with polite refusal.
“Thanks for the offer Thoma, but we’re probably gonna head out first thing tomorrow morning,” Paimon said, “Plus it’s not like we’re camping outside with our teapot and all,”
“That’s true,” Thoma noted, “then pass on my regards to you Teapot butler for me.”
“Will do, and pass on ours to Ayaka and Ayato.” The Traveler responded kindly.
~~~ 
Later that night, Paimon and the Traveler were getting ready to sleep.
“Ooof, Paimon is stuffed,” she stretched, floating down towards the bed.
“Satisfying meal?” the Traveler commented wryly, tucking their legs under their chin from where they were seated on their bed.
“Mmhmm,” Paimon agreed, curling up under the blankets. 
“Thank you,” she said, after a short pause.
She didn’t need to elaborate, the two had traveled together for far too long for that. Despite how it may look to outsiders, and how the Traveler might joke about her being emergency food, she knew how much the Traveler treasured their relationship and vice versa.
She remembered the darker days at the beginning of their partnership, when the Traveler would wake up in the middle of the night screaming for their sibling, or days when they could barely talk, overstimulated by the world around them. Whilst Paimon was no expert doctor, she knew how to bring the traveler out of their shell and what they were comfortable with.
She knew that the Traveler still had a difficult time meeting new people, and that even though that had a near total mastery of Teyvat’s language, its not one that they enjoyed using.
There were still bad days of course, and bad nights, but Paimon knew how to deal with them better now.
A soft snore interrupted her train of thought.
She looked over to see the Traveler comfortably asleep.
Yeah, things are good the way they are.
She curled up in her own blankets and let darkness overtake her.
~~~
Poke,
Poke, Poke
A soft giggle.
Paimon scrunched her nose and turned to her other side to avoid the poking, to no avail.
The soft pokes to her squishy cheeks continued.
Paimon became fed up before long and shot out of bed, ready to yell at the Traveler for waking her up like that, only to be faced with, not the Traveler.
A stranger stood in front of her with a confused look on their face.
“You weren’t supposed to wake up,” they muttered in confusion.
Paimon stared at them for a brief second before bursting into a scream.
~~~
Masterlist | Prev Part
~~~
Taglist: @bunniotomia,@lucid-stories, @ymechi, @chocogi,  @ra404, @ash1, @esthelily, @tottybear, @mmeatt, @quacking-simp, @reemthetheme, @universallyenthusiastsage,@resident-cryptid, @fantasyhopperhea
If you'd like the join the taglist, please send me an ask, it's a lot easier to keep track and I'd hate to miss anyone.
Or if you just have any questions or comments, my ask box is open!
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aetherdoesthings · 15 hours
Text
a proposition... (MINORS DNI!!!)
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forethoughts: as a thank you for 200, here's a little thing i wrote to my beloved arlecchino :> also due to circumstances in life right now, i'm gonna be offline for a while, but i promise y'all i will return 😤
notes: fem!reader, dom!arlecchino, sub!reader, reader calling arlecchino mistress
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“Just a minute, beloved. Then you can have me for the rest of the night.” You let out a frustrated grunt at your girlfriend’s sentence, pouting your lips and glaring at her with your best puppy eyes. Arlecchino continued to work at her desk, filling out various paperwork without sparing you a look. Your girlfriend was cruel, even to you, her favorite person in the whole world. She knew how whiny you would get when you didn’t get what you wanted, and right now, you wanted nothing but for her to turn your legs into jelly and leave you breathless as the sun woke up. While she still wore her Harbinger outfit, you had already stripped down to your silk robe that was Pandora’s box to the Harbinger.
Arlecchino didn’t even need to look at you to see those puppy eyes and pout you always gave her, letting out a little chuckle, a thin smile breaking her stoic expression. “You should know by now, beloved, that face, while turning you into the most adorable doll in the world, does not work on me. I promise I will be done in a minute.”
You genuinely frowned at her statement. You hopped off her desk, moving her hands as you straddled her lap, her legs in between yours. You wrapped your hands around her neck, looking at Arlecchino in her eyes. Arlecchino returned your look, raising an eyebrow and letting out a scoff before continuing to work over your shoulders. She was already used to your attempts to pull her away from her desk and into your shared bed; this was no different from your hundreds of other attempts.
Ideas of how to charm your girlfriend flooded your head, but unfortunately you had already tried them all. Some of them flooded your stomach with warmth, that cord in your lower regions starting to curl up as you gave in to your carnal thoughts, a smile on your face.
“My, my, my love.” Arlecchino’s words pulled you back to reality. You could no longer hear her quill scribble onto paper, but just the sound of you humping the Harbinger’s leg absentmindedly. You immediately stopped your actions when you heard the sound, your cheeks flushed red when you saw the damage done to the Harbinger’s thigh. Arlecchino let out a low chuckle as a response, her fingers brushing your hair back and behind your ear. Her other hand held onto your chin, forcing you to look at her in the eyes. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you? Never learnt how to control those carnal desires of yours, hmn?”
You blushed at your girlfriend’s words, feigning an innocent smile as you bore into those crimson crosses with round eyes. “Arle makes me really really happy.” “Do I now?” Arlecchino mused, her claw-like fingers running across your jaw as she cupped your face. “I thought I taught you how to control those desires of yours, my little slut. But you just can’t control it, can’t you? Of course, I did not expect much from someone so needy for my touch to listen to my words.” 
Arlecchino feigned disappointment, scoffing at you and shaking her head, but you knew she wasn’t really disappointed or disgusted by you by that sinister glimmer in her eyes that promised you the keys to unlocking all those fantasies in your head. Arlecchino stood up, placing you in her chair as she walked away, grabbing something from that cabinet that had a lock in it. She procured your favorite strap on, with the clear eight inch phallic object in her hand. Arlecchino swiftly secured it onto her body, spreading a generous amount of lube on the dildo before making her way back to you. She lifted your body up with strength no human would have, positioning your body right above the dildo, your face facing hers. Arlecchino gave you a nod of approval as you let out a breathy ‘thank you’, sinking yourself onto the phallic object as it entered your cunt, filling your un-stretched walls with an unspeakable euphoric feeling with that one movement. You didn’t even notice your robe was undone when you felt Arlecchino’s fingers grab your waist, curling in ever so gently into your flesh as you let out a whine. Her hands stopped you from enacting on your wants, keeping you frustrated and terribly horny.
“I have a proposition for you, dear.” Arlecchino hummed, planting a soft kiss on your forehead.
Your ears pricked up at her words. 
“I have a very important phone call I must make in a few seconds. While I am on that call, you are to continue fucking yourself on my cock. No cumming either.” “Arle! That’s not fair! I’m gonna cum!” You protested, only to be met with a slap on your face, her hand pulling your chin back to face her. She bunched up your hair and swooped it over to one side, leaning closer to your neck as she bit onto your skin, sucking onto the blood that poured out like a vampire. You squealed at her sudden bite, but your screams were blocked by the hand that snaked around your mouth.
“Then you better hold it in, darling, otherwise the punishment will not be ideal for you at all. So are you going to behave for me, darling?” Arlecchino released her other hand from your waist, as you started to rock yourself against the dildo, letting yourself succumb to the pleasure you craved for. 
“Y-Yes..” You stammered, holding back a moan as Arlecchino began to rock her hips as well, matching your rhythm, making the intensity even higher and harder to resist.
“Yes what?”
“Yes M-Mistress…”
Arlecchino grinned. “Good girl.” 
She picked up the phone, dialing a number you didn’t recognize. A satisfactory and devilish grin crept onto her face when her intended recipient picked up.
“Good evening, Tartaglia. Do you have twenty or so minutes to discuss various things?”
Oh, fuck.
Of course she chose the chatterbox.
Ten minutes in and you were already quivering, your body numb and overridden with euphoria that you had to let go, but couldn’t. Arlecchino didn’t make this any easier for you either. Everytime you slow down just a fraction of your rocking against her cock, she’d press her fingers into your waist, prompting you to speed up before you’d start to bleed out. If you let out a squeal or a moan, she’d grab onto your waist and use her own strength to thrust you down and make you stay still until she’d give you the go-ahead to continue fucking yourself. It became a cycle of trying not to cum and moan at the same time, until you were so frustrated tears began to fall from your face. 
Arlecchino noticed the teardrops falling onto her shoulder, and through your teary and pleasure filled eyes you swore you saw worry flicker in those crosses.
“I have no more questions, Tartaglia. Farewell.” Arlecchino dropped the telephone, hanging up on the other Harbinger as she cupped your cheek, using her thumb to wipe your tears away.
“Shhh…. Shhh., we’re done, now, babygirl.” Arlecchino cooed, kissing the area she bit. “You did so well for me. I’m so proud of you.”
The words alone could’ve made you come undone right then and there. But good girls always ask for permission first.
“M-Mistress… w-wanna…” You sobbed, your rocking starting to get weaker and weaker, the rope inside of you just a few strands away from breaking and unleashing all the frustration inside of you.
“Shhh… go ahead, babygirl. Come for me.” Arlecchino grabbed your waist, lifting your fragile body up as she thrusted into your pussy, howls and cries erupting from your mouth. Your cunt was already hollowed out by the time Arlecchino had finished her call, but once she began thrusting upwards and pushing you down, turned you into liquid putty for Arlecchino to mold everytime your skin hit her pants.  The rope in your core finally snapped when Arlecchino placed a single finger on that hardened, ignored and needy clit of yours. You threw your head back, arching your back until it formed a semi circle as the floodgates burst open. Arlecchino wrapped her hand around your mouth to silence your scream as your body spasms over hers, coming undone, flooding and ruining her pants, but she could care less. Arlecchino fucks you through your high, the aftershock, and until you came down from your high. She pulled the dildo out from your sensitive cunt, whispering praise into your ear as she wrapped her arms around you, coddling you like a baby.
“You did so good for me, babygirl. I’m so, so, so very proud of you.” Arlecchino whispered, planting tiny kisses all over your skin. She let out a chuckle as she surveyed the damage done. “It appears I will need to buy new pants.”
You look down at the mess you made, as your cheeks flushed red. “I’m sorry…”
“Nonsense.” Arlecchino tapped your nose with her index finger, smiling at you. It was a smile that held no ulterior motives, a smile that only reminded you of the warmth of a fire and reassured you that everything was going to be okay. “Come. Let’s get you and me all cleaned up and ready for bed, hmn? The Iudex is a patient man; he can wait until next morning for his paperwork to be filled out.”
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hazelfoureyes · 20 hours
Note
Sending in anon because I'm a coward... 😩
I'm a new reader, and I just have to say-- your "a doe in fall" series is just... AMAZING!!
I could go on, and on and on about how much I love it. But what gets me the most is always Alastor's dialogue, because as someone who is also on the aro/ace spectrum, I just get it so much. Especially the subtle hoping that reader can like... Read his mind about how he feels for her, and the weird sort of stockholm syndrome we sometimes develop with ourselves after being alone with only our own company for so long, and it really is, lol, like you just get so used to being alone for so long because you know the idea people have of you, you can't truly live up to, so you don't want to "disappoint" them that you actually aren't like they are, so you just sorta... Keep them occupied at arms length-- Therefore you're forced to adapt to your company being the only love you have for a long time. it's like an obligation.
And when or if the special somebody who understands you comes along, you realize... "Wow, I've been living like this for so long, is this what it feels like to be loved and appreciated, in spite of my oddities, or maybe even in favor of them? Strange..."
Emphasis on the "strange" part because, when you're so deeply entrenched in your own soul, sharing your space for another almost feels more like learning how to swim rather than an instant "click", sparks, fireworks and whatnot. The excitement of the magical "other" has been long since drowned and snuffed out of you.
So, when this somebody who is similar to you, or just simply understands, doesn't try to change you or ignore you, but instead envelopes you and adores you, the appreciation is deep and overflowing. But there's a part of you always pinching your heart, a sort of awareness of something that isn't the case, wondering "Is this a dream? what if it is and I'll wake up and this is not at all what I was thinking?".
Haha... ANYWAY, sorry for the slightly morose and LONG read 😂 But I always think of how similar I am to how you write alastor and it's scary in a way, but comforting (especially since he's my first and biggest fictional crush) except in this case my profession would actually be burlesque. Especially since I work in the exotic dance world. It's fascinating being aro/ace in the SW world, I could go on forever- But yeah, I absolutely love your writing!! Makes me feel less alone in this world. Annnd surprisingly I always feel so sensual after reading, I love love love it!! Reading before work always gets me in the mood to dance and pretend I'm Y/N, lol!!
Much blessings ❤️❤️
*cracks knuckles* listen here babycakes, I eat this shit UP. Exploring Human Ace Alastor is my BREAD AND BUTTER. I go into ESSAYS in the AO3 comments in this 😂
you really understand, which makes me so happy and is confirmation I’m conveying him the way I want to.
Now I’m gonna ramble and echo you basically 😂
I really think Alastor (atleast in this story) feels that excitement and strangeness of how open he can be around Autumn (since she doesn’t have a proper name cuz she’s reader 😂). He’s a fish out of water despite the fact he’s actually being his most authentic self. Like you said, it’s new to him just to be … Alastor. To be honest and upfront. His normal operating mode has been so restricted for so long he’s struggling with how to be himself. And then that fear—- well what if I’m too much? What if I ruin this, when I finally have something worth keeping? He’s never gotten this far and the fear of losing that comfort is terrifying but so is the actual comfort itself. It’s new and foreign.
A deep uneasiness that’s if he fully embraces this he’s gonna just fuck it up and it’ll be his fault this time. Not a misunderstanding or misalignment of needs but a confirmation he wasn’t good enough anyway.
“it is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all” he would say that’s bullshit
and because of the situations he’s been in before, he’s never gotten to actually explore physical intimacy in a “safe” environment. He was always going into interactions because he had to if he wanted to keep people around. It was a necessity, not something he actually sincerely wanted to participate. So he tried to keep them happy with other means of affection and intimacy to maintain some safe distance but eventually, always, things would fall apart. At a distance or up close.
that’s why that most recent part was called Learning. Alastor is trying new things to learn more about what he’s okay with or doesn’t care for even offering in the future. Autumn is learning (that night, tho she doesn’t understand it yet) that he’s still figuring out how to meet her halfway (even tho she’s not even asking for that) when he’s used to being forced to meet people where they are. And Detective Brady, of course, is learning he may have found motive for Tommy’s disappearance.
I’m really glad you’re enjoying his portrayal and that you’re resonating with parts of him! That makes my soul hum! 💖 your line of work mixed with your Aro/Ace-ness sounds like such an interesting conversation if we’re honest! That’s a small aspect I love about Autumn. She’s in this field that’s (wrongly) considered to be hyper sexual and full of air headed wanton whores, but she’s the first person to be like “oh! You aren't into this stuff. Let me adjust my expectations. I’ll ask for clear verbal consent, not initiate, and I’m totally okay with never fucking again if it’s for your love and company.”
I work in the SW industry in a sense (Personal Assistant) and one of my biggest pet peeves is all of the shit people project on SWers.
sorry for the essay I could talk about this for ETERNITY
omg and THANK YOU! 🥺💖💖💖💖
Referencing:
A Doe in Fall (Human Alastor x Burlesquer Fem Reader)
Part 1 - Pretty in Red smut💦 Part 2 - Liar smut💦 Part 3 - A Tragedy smut💦 Part 4 - Enough Part 5 - Too Much Part 6 - Learning smut💦
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shayyprasad · 3 days
Note
helloo this is my first time in a while requesting so if this doesn't make much sense then that's whyy
could I please request peter parker with an s/o who does competitive cheer as a sport, and gets hurt a lot because they have a lot of main parts in routines (like tumbling nd holding girls up nd stuff), peter is always concerned for them cuz they r always hurting something but he also loves seeing them perform at comps and stuff
if you want a better understanding of the sport u could research! but thanks in advance <3
pom-poms and bruises | peter parker
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a/n: your request was great, no worries! i did do my fair share of research, but lemme tell you, my knowledge on cheer (or, like, any sport) is mad limited. if i got some information incorrect, i apologize in advance! i took... creative liberties (?) and changed some minor details - instead of competitive cheer, it's high school cheer. enjoy the fic, and i hope i did this request it's justice. sorry this took so long!!
summary: peter can't help but worry seeing you all bruised up, but no matter what, he's your biggest fan.
warnings: the ouchies, innuendos to sex
pairing: fem!cheerleader!reader x peter parker
word count: 1.8k+ words
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"oh jeez," peter sighs, rubbing his thumb over the bruise on your cheek. it was a blue-purple, indicating that it was fresh. "what happened?"
you wave him off, grinning, "you know how it goes, battle scars and all."
"scar?" he cocks a brow.
sighing, "battle bruise isn't half as badass."
"right, i forgot the most important thing is proclaiming our dominance in the social hiearchy of the big ol' globe. and obviously not our physical health."
"you wouldn't understand, baby. it's a full time job."
gently, peter pushes you up against your locker. leaning in to whisper, he says, "i wouldn't, angel? best believe i've got battle scars of my own."
"ugh. so not the same. not everyone has the luck of getting to be a human-spider."
"yeah, okay, luck."
"you seriously cannot complain," you deadpan. "that bite did you favors! like, down there, you grew at least- mmph-!"
peter covers your mouth with his hand, "we are not having this conversation."
"it was a compliment! i mean, it's not like you sucked before or anything. i'm just saying it... improved... you."
"somehow, this isn't going the direction you think it is."
"oops. i didn't mean to hurt your over-inflating ego."
"first off, if anyone has an ego that needs to be kept in check, it's you."
"don't blame me," you tell him, "blame the girls," you're referring to your cheer team, pinching his cheeks. "but... maybe i can compensate with a kiss?"
he feigns annoyance, "i suppose." in response, you lean in for a kiss, melting at his touch.
peter kisses your bruise as well, letting it linger for a moment longer. "does it hurt?" he asks.
"barely," you shrug, leaning in for more, but he isn't quite focused on that at the moment. giving you a look, he softly pokes your cheek, to which you wince.
"right. barely."
"don't be a worry-wart, worry-wart."
"i'm not! 'm just concerned!"
"puh-lease," you scoff. "you come back worse! remember that time you broke and entered into my bedroom, then proceed to bleed out onto that cute new rug?"
he looks down, epitome of cute puppy. "yes," peter says, guilty, "i do."
you pat his stomach, nuzzling your nose against his. "see? so you have nothing to worry about. me, on the other hand," you trail off.
"nah. you don't have anything to worry about either, angel."
"watch me worry anyways," you snort.
he pinches your cheeks, and you swat his hands away. "watch it!"
"you're my intellectual property."
"oh, so you're objectifying me now?"
"wait- no! no, of course not!"
"lemme me just say right now, may would not be happy."
peter groans, shoving you away.
"no!" you giggle, "i'm sorry! i won't snitch!"
he peeks an eye open, turning his head just barely to look at you. "fine, i guess," peter pulls you back.
"hey, petey?"
"hm?" he asks, nuzzled in your neck. there's just a few minutes before class starts, and he wants to make the most of it.
"are you coming to the game? it's my first year of being captain, and, well, it'd be cool if you came." suddenly you're more bashful than giggly, and he's quick to assure you.
"are you kidding me? of course i'm coming. i'm not missing the chance to see my girl shine.
"you sure? because i know you don't care for foot-"
"shhh," he presses his palm to your mouth. "yeah, i hate football, but i just to happen to love y- god!" he exclaims as you lick his hand, but in your defense, what did peter expect?"
"you put in on my mouth!"
peter narrows his eyes at you, "vermin."
"see you tonight?"
"see you tonight," peter replies as the bell rings. with one last kiss, you part ways.
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your hair was done, two yellow and blue bows to tie the look together. midtown theme eyeshadow was painted on your eyelids, with stars dotted on your cheekbones. you have your cheer uniform on, and you're basically jumping with how giddy you are.
part of you is nervous, because you don't want to mess this up. every year, a senior is picked to be captain, with a junior as a mentee. not only do you have to set a good example for the junior this year, but you have to wow everyone.
checking your makeup one more time, you grab your purse, heading out to the car.
by the time you get there, your teammates are already stretching. on the other side of the field, football players are warming up. last year, liz was captain, well, before she moved. then she got replaced by gwen.
you knew liz and peter... okay, so you weren't completely sure, but they had something. some part of you wanted to be better than liz, entirely for peter. you know it was silly, but you felt like you had something to prove. some families are already in, which is funny, because there's an hour to the game.
it's normally parents and friends of the cheerleaders/players that get here before most people, but there are some occasions.
peter's here, you know that. you haven't looked for him yet, but as you get up, you scan the bleacher. finally, you spot a curly, brown-haired boy (it helps that he's waving like crazy) and his aunt. you blow a kiss to them, grin present of your face.
tasha, one your girls, taps your shoulder, "we're gonna run our routine a couple times, okay? just before the game starts." you pull your eyes away from may and peter, nodding at her.
the familiar music of your routine starts playing. the first part's easy, synchronized movements, shoulder-to-shoulder.
as the routine progresses, you feel the familiar rush of adrenaline. you spot the base of the pyramid, their arms outstretched, and with a deep breath, you allow yourself to be pulled upwards.
their grip is firm and reassuring as you climb, hand over hand, until you reach the apex. a split second later, you're soaring through the air, launching into a full backflip.
as you launch yourself into the backflip, you feel your body twist off-axis. the ground rushes up to meet you, and with a sickening thud, you land flat on your face. a gasp escapes your lips, the sting of impact radiating through your jaw.
the cheers falter for a moment, but your teammates are quick to react. they rush to your side, concern etched on their faces. you sit up, momentarily stunned, but the pain quickly makes itself known.
just as soon as it's there, it's gone, leaving you slightly sore. "i'm okay!" you call out, lopsided smile on your face. the first person you look for is peter, who's already heading towards you.
gently, he moves everyone away. "jesus, are you okay? what'd you fall onto? your head? wait, are you dizzy? lightheaded? nauseated?" peter grabs your by the chin, hurry to inspect everything on your face.
"baby, baby," you say, cradling his hand. "i'm okay, i swear. i might've bruised something... like my ego," you joke, smile on your face, but he is not amused.
"no? okay. well, honestly my jaw is too, or will be," you point to the left side. "'s red?"
"yeah," he winces, "it's gonna leave a nasty bruise." you're sure it's not as bad with makeup on, but you can't be sure.
"does anyone have concealer?" you call out.
jenny, a girl that's your shade nods, "yeah! i'll grab it!" she tosses it to you, and you catch it perfectly.
peter presses his lips together, "so no concussion?"
"because i caught it? to be fair, that was mostly luck."
his eyes widen. "but no! i don't have any concussions!"
peter tilts his head, "icepack?"
"nah. i'm good, really."
he hesitates, "okay. be careful though, seriously." you don't feel like hearing a lecture right now, so you nod quickly.
"i will, i will!"
"because i swear-"
"you won't have to! i'm all good. now leave," you joke, "you're embarrassing me. if i wanted to be smothered, i would've asked for my mom."
he blows a raspberry at you, and gives you a quick kiss. "be careful," he repeats, "and good luck!" he jogs back over to may, and you watch him leave.
jenny giggles as you brush yourself off, "you guys are so cute."
blushing, you murmur a thanks. quickly, you grab your phone to cover up the forming bruise. and there's not really time for another run-through.
all you can do is hope it won't happen again.
there's a small dance at the start of the game and some other here and there, but it's not anything crazy. what is crazy is halftime.
as you get into your position, you fidget. "you'll be great," one of the girls tell you.
"thank you," you smile.
"yeah, no, you will," says another.
you don't feel super ready, not after that fall, but there's not much you can do about it.
the song, louder than before, echoes through your eardrums, a roll of excitement passes through you. no matter how anxious you are, you'll always love cheer.
it's your safe place.
the music swells, and you launch into a series of cheers with your teammates, your voice ringing out in perfect unison. as the routine progresses, you feel the familiar rush of adrenaline. you spot the base of the pyramid, their arms outstretched, and with a deep breath, you allow yourself to be pulled upwards.
their grip is firm and reassuring as you climb, hand over hand, until you reach the apex. a split second later, you're soaring through the air, launching into a full backflip.
you twist perfectly, landing with a confident thud back in the waiting arms of your base. the crowd erupts in cheers, and you beam, the thrill of the successful stunt coursing through you.
you did it, and everyone's squealing. peter's not that far from where you are, and you can hear him shrieking; "that's my girlfriend!"
you grin at him, and he whoops again.
the rest of the game flies by, and you finish the last routine. midtown ends up winning 20-17.
peter scooping you up in his arms, spinning you around. "that was awesome! seriously, like, mind-blown! and you didn't fall this time!"
may comes up beside him, hugging you, "you did fantastic, sweetheart. freaked me out with that fall, though," she chuckles, and you kiss her cheek. "my bad," you tell her, rubbing the back of your neck.
"hey, pete, hun, i'm gonna head out, okay? hospital shift was crazy."
you frown, "was it late?"
may sighs, "two a.m. to five p.m."
"oh, may, you should've gone home to get rest!"
"and miss my lovely girl's big night? you're crazy."
"aww," you coo, hugging her again. "sleep well, okay?"
"oh, please, i'll be knocked out like a baby." you laugh as she leaves.
"we should totally get ice cream," peter says.
"ooh, yes!"
"wait, don't you have an after party?"
"i'd rather spend it with you," peter pecks your lips. "and, we can have extra dessert," he winks.
you frown in confusion, "like cupcakes too? can we get cho- oh. oh! i really, really like that idea."
"good. i'm gonna let you know how badass of a girlfriend you are."
"why don't we skip straight to the second dessert? switch things up?"
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taglist: @whatsupstark @ell0ra-br3kk3r @idli-dosa @susvale @kdbsr-h @littlemsbumblebee @sflame15-blog @twinsunkithies @chocolateshepherddreamclod @one-piece-frvr7 @477strberry
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alfredosauce50 · 3 days
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Parent headcanons: Alfred, Allen, Matt, & Mathias
When it comes to the trials of adulthood, they have their own ways of getting on top. But parenting is what really puts them to the test. Starting a family and being one of the sole carers for another person will shine a light on the best and worst parts of them.
The big news
Alfred
He has the most normal reaction out of the four. Panic, acceptance, then excitement, he’s finally moving onto the final stages of adulthood and achieving his lifelong dream. Being a suburban dad and getting that white picket fence. It’s not just about liking kids, Alfred is rather traditional when it comes to his values; he has always romanticized the American dream. He already has a good job, all he needs is to make it happen.
“Fuuuuuck,” He whispers, eyes wide as he rakes his hands through his hair. He stands there for a few minutes, staring into space as you watch him tensely for his reaction. “We’re ready to be parents, right?”
Allen
He will freak out. Planned or unplanned, he’s not mentally prepared to be a father. He doesn’t think he’s good enough, but knows deep down he has to be. That’s what really scares him. If he needs to improve himself, it’s now or never. So after a week of panicking and catastrophizing, he’s ready to give himself a second chance — even if it’s for someone else. But his selflessness is key to his perseverance, and eventual success.
“I fucked up,” He squeezes you like a lifeline. It was the only conclusion he could come to after hours of talking about it, the only thing he could ever truly understand. “I fucked up. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Mathias
He’ll be over the moon. He’s gonna be even more excited than you, but that’s kinda given when he doesn’t have to carry the baby and deliver it. Point is, Mathias is very family-oriented, so don’t expect anything less. He’s the most self-affirmed a person can be too, so he’s always ready to move onto the next stage in life. His nurturing character and openness to change will help you immensely in periods of stress and uncertainty.
“I’m so happy that I could cry,” He whispers with his head on your tummy. He’s half-awake after burning out from his own excitement, but his spirit is still in the right place. “We’re finally gonna have a family.”
Matt
Letting you into his life was already a miracle, and now he’s gonna be a dad? This is a human being that he’ll have to be responsible for, not something he can simply tap out of and run away from. Matt is driven by his interests, solitude, and above all else, his freedom. A baby would take away all of those things, and he’s so troubled by it that he disappears for a few weeks. He comes home to a slap, but it’s well-deserved.
“Are you gonna keep hitting me, or are you gonna let me go to my shed?” He sighs, closing his eyes as you keep wailing on him. And he just takes it, absorbing every strike that was your burning love for him.
“Why, so you can keep—” You shove him harshly so that he actually stumbles back. “—hiding from me?”
“No, I’m gonna build a crib and make some toys.”
Parenting style
Alfred
He’s everything you’d expect from a new parent. Freaking out over the little things, screaming when they do something new, burning out after weeks of sleep deprivation, etc. He isn’t perfect, and you’re gonna have to work with him like any other partner, but before you know it, the house is filled with photo frames. He’s your best friend, and sometimes before your partner, so he has a hard time giving and taking. But it’s also why you two will stick together through thick and thin.
Alfred eventually evolves into the archetype of fathers. He takes the backseat and tells his kids, ‘I don’t know, go ask your mother,’ or even gets in trouble for doing stupid things like leaving the toilet seat up. When you just finished yelling at the kids, he comes to them later and goes, ‘someone’s in a bad mood today,’ when he’s just glad it wasn’t him. But when it’s something really serious, he flips like a switch and takes the lead. When that happens, there’s no talking him down.
“Alright gang, ready to get the show on the road?” Alfred rubs his hands together excitedly before he starts the car. “When we get there, I want everyone to be on their best behavior. I’m already on thin ice.”
He has high expectations for his kids. Ever since they popped out, he’s been giving them the best of the best, like nice clothes, family trips, sports leagues, and dance. He also wants them to go to a prestigious university in the future and to do all the things he might have missed out on. Cue the ‘that’s your dream, not mine, dad!’ Alfred can be hard on his children when it comes to success, so you need to remind him they’ve got minds of their own and are not carbon copies of him.
He says he prefers sons until he gets a daughter. Alfred is an absolute sweetheart to his girls, and is way more lenient with them than his boys. He doesn’t mean to play favorites, but it’s just how he’s wired. However, it also means being quite strict and protective when they get to that age. No drinking and no sleepovers with boys present. Men are all animals according to him. But dad, aren’t you a man? Exactly! He’s the pioneer of ‘anything you do to my daughter, I do to you.’
Allen
He tried his absolute best to prepare, but it starts off a disaster. What can go wrong will go wrong. The baby gets sick, you’re away on urgent family business, so he needs to do it all without you. Allen stays in hospital with the baby overnight, and slowly, but surely, they get better. He ends up neglecting himself to put his child’s needs first, and by the time you get back, he’s burning up with a fever. But the baby is perfectly content and sleeping soundly in the crib because of him.
He wants the best for his family, even if it means sacrificing everything he has. He understands his limits, but there’s nothing he won’t do to make sure his kid gets every opportunity he never had. Sports, college, you name it. If everybody in class has branded sneakers, he’ll buy a pair just so they don’t feel left out. He’s always proud of his baby, and if anybody tried to bully them, they’ll have to answer to him. Allen sees the best of him in his child, but usually fails to see it in himself.
“You can have my egg. I’m not hungry, baby.” Allen says, sliding his plate to his little girl. He knows that you won’t be back with the groceries for an hour or so, and no kids are going hungry on his watch.
Allen doesn’t think there’s a particular way of parenting because no one child is the same. So long as they do their homework, get out under the sun, and have a good attitude, the rest is to be decided. If his child needs extra support, he’ll give it to them, and if they need a reality check, he’ll give that to them too. He reminds them how hard life can be without stability, so they should take their future seriously, but at the same time, he’s always gonna be there to give them a home.
Nobody would mess with his kids after one look at him. He’s an ex-marine without the ‘ex.’ His daughter will have trouble finding a boyfriend to begin with because of him, and when she finally does, they’re gonna have to gain his respect to be trusted with looking after his little girl. If his son ever gets into a fight, he’ll ask if he won then whoop his ass later. And in the principle’s office, he’s giving the other kid the worst stink-eye ever. He’s the dad that could beat up the other dads.
Mathias
He’s a total natural; all is well when the baby is in his care. He may be all over the place, but when he really cares about something, he’s in a constant state of hyper focus. The baby will always be clean, well-fed, and happy, so don’t worry about a thing. There’s also no such thing as 50/50 with Mathias. He knows that there will be times when one person has to take the lead. It’s not in his nature to keep track of who’s giving and taking the most. He’s too mature for that.
It’s like experiencing a second childhood for him. Reading picture books, fairytales, playing with legos, or going to places he went to as a kid, he treats parenthood as a chance to relive his best memories and love every second of it. He will never miss a parent event, performance, and appointment. His dedication makes him very perceptive of his child, so he always knows what to do or say to cheer them up. As they grow up, they maintain a very close relationship to him.
“We wanna go to Legoland!”
“You mean, you wanna go to Legoland,” You laugh at him, “I heard you talking to Bjorn about it last night.”
“That’s so he can make an informed decision, of course,” Mathias grins, not showing a hint of shame as he shuffles over with his phone on the home page of the Legoland site. “So I take that it’s decided?”
He’s a great parent, but he’s by no means strict. All he wants is for them to have a fighting chance in the world, like doing a job that they enjoy. He’s great at communicating with his kids and has a lot of compassion, which takes them a long way. He’s never had to discipline them besides setting boundaries and occasionally grounding them. You rule the home with a firmer hand, and maybe that’s why your kids respect you more but treat him more like a friend than a parent sometimes.
Mathias doesn’t bat an eye when his kids first start dating. He’s always been quite liberal, so he just tells them to be careful about the birds and the bees, then to talk to him if things get testy. The one thing he’ll do is to ensure they have high standards. Love is life’s reward, not something to cry yourself to sleep about. Eventually, he’ll invite their date over for dinner, and as it turns out, he’d be a great father in law. He’s very welcoming and treats any future Densens like one of his own.
Matt
He’s a trial-by-error, improvise as you go along kinda dad. He hasn’t put much thought into the trials of childcare, but he always works things out in his own way. If the bub keeps crying because they don’t want to be bottle-fed by him, he will cover his face with a picture of you. Easy-peasy. If they’re crawling around the bed, he will use them as a mousepad as he scrolls on his laptop. That way, he gets some leisure time while making sure they don’t actually go anywhere.
Matt is the opposite to a helicopter parent. When his kid trips and face plants into the ground, he doesn’t react. The trick is to not acknowledge it, because only then will they cry. He isn’t afraid to let them explore the world and gain their own agency. It’s good for them, he says. Some part of you thinks he just wants them to grow up quicker so he doesn’t have to take care of them anymore, but there’s always those special little moments.
“How about I teach you how to drive the truck?” Matt asks, walking back home with the family.
“He’s eleven.” You remark.
“Is that a problem?”
He’s all about the family business. If his children don’t want to go fishing and logging with him, fine, but if they show even the slightest bit of interest, he’s bought. Matt will be more than eager to show them the ropes. He takes them on camping trips to show them the beauty of the great outdoors, and the humility it takes to be apart of it. The art of it all is there’s no problem can’t be solved, and even a rugged man like him can be domesticated by the right person.
If his daughter got a boyfriend, he’d be waiting at home with a shotgun. Matt will then play it off like he just got back from a hunting trip. He’s the type to use silent intimidation, and it works like a charm. If not, he’ll tell jerks to get off his lawn even though he doesn’t have one, and when they ask what lawn, he’ll just say “all of it.” What he means is to get out of his sight and the woods, which is the lawn he’s talking about. (Ha!) On the flip side, he’s nice to girls his son brings home.
Losing the spark
Alfred
He has a tendency to let himself go when he gets comfortable. This usually happens when his first kid reaches their teenage years and he can afford to sit back now that they can do their own thing. He’s established a stable family unit, but he takes that for granted and gets a little lazy. As a result, he packs on a few pounds and tries less in the relationship. He’s not as attractive as he used to be, and you’re having more petty arguments.
“Why do I feel like you hate me?” He watches you mop the kitchen after you told him to do it. Only he delayed it to sit around on his phone and eat crisps. Even then, he still has the nerve to be upset about it.
“I don’t hate you, I’m just annoyed at you.”
“But you’re annoyed with me everyday.”
Allen
Losing the spark? Not on his watch! He never stops trying, ever, and keeps chasing you like when he first started dating you. His stability doesn’t come from money, it comes from you. You’re his rock, and nothing else matters so long as you’re here. He’s the epitome of ‘you know how daddy is about mommy,’ and he’s proud of it. He also takes great care of his body, and with his good genes, he practically ages backwards.
“You better wear that button-down shirt tonight, Al. A tank top isn’t gonna cut it,” You tell him.
“You callin’ me a deadbeat?” He questions.
“No, but you dress like one.”
“I thought you liked my clothes, babe.”
“I do, but the teachers won’t.”
“True that.” He fixes his collar in front of a mirror. He peers at his reflection, marveling at how well he cleaned up. A dress shirt and belt? He’s practically unrecognizable — until he grins, that is. “Still got it.”
Mathias
He’s always gonna be young at heart, so his spirit never dies. His love for you is as constant as a river, and he’s not afraid of putting on a show for the kids to the point they get a little disgusted. (Ew!) He doesn’t think he’d ever be too old for romance, and his good faith shows up in how gracefully he ages. He might occasionally grow out a thick beard, and when he shaves it off, he looks devastating close to when he was younger.
“Are we ever gonna be alone again?” He mumbles, pouting. His thirtieth birthday is coming up, but he hasn’t changed a bit, save for the more pronounced smile lines around his mouth. “I need some love too.”
“We will, Mat. I just don’t feel comfortable leaving the baby alone right now,” You shake your head.
“We could call Amy and have a date night.”
“I don’t know, Mat.”
“I’ll shave off my beard.”
“Huh?”
“You wouldn’t say no to me without a beard.”
Matt
The longer he’s with you, the harder he loves. His feelings don’t change when things get hard, or as time passes. They just get stronger. In that same breath, he also ages like wine. In the end, he ends up being the bigger romantic. He used to be a lone wolf, and he thought he was okay with it, but now that he has you, he can’t imagine his life without you. To think you actually stuck around and gave him a chance, he’ll never forget that.
“Wanna go back inside and do it?” He mutters.
“You’re disgusting, Matt.” You walk inside without sparing him a single glance. No matter how old he gets, he’ll always have a mouth on him. No matter how old you get, you’ll always forgive him for it.
“Is that a no?”
“Make me dinner and let me think about it.”
“Deal.”
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viciousvortexx · 2 days
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Devil's flu
a stubborn devil gets sick and learns how to appreciate his sensitive side.
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ps: i just reviewed this once so pardon me if there's anything wrong <3
pss: i'm cheesy
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You take a moment to just stare at Vergil sleeping peacefully on your lap, wrapped around a fluffy duvet to keep him warm, his cheeks and nose slightly red, shallow breathing and messy hair that painted his sick state. Slowly, his ocean eyes open, taking a look at the TV screen and then up at you, his voice was more husky than usual and a bit weak. “You're still watching this channel?”
After so many hours watching Discovery H&H, you were already entertained with the granny style TV shows, losing count of how many programs about cakes and house renovation you watched just this evening. Here and there, Vergil starts to spasm softly on his slumber, catching your attention from the strawberry cake recipe on the screen, placing a hand on his forehead to check his temperature. “Great, he's not so cold anymore.”
To your surprise, Vergil caught some sort of flu that only infects demons, even if he was half human, his half demon part didn't get out of this. He tried to deny telling you everything was alright, but who he thinks will get fooled? Vergil was coughing and sneezing all the time, having headaches and sore throat, runny and stuffy nose and of course, a fever. Actually, you're not certain if this should be called a fever. With devils, instead of their body temperature rise, it decreases. It was so strange to touch him and not feel the usual inhuman yet comforting warmth.
Chuckling, a warm smile spreads across your face as you pet his head. “Oh, but you were the one who wanted to watch this, remember? Hey, how are you feeling?”
"I'm fine, just a little sore...” Sighs, a whispered honest admission, running a hand through the messy silver locks of hair. His honesty makes a sweet feeling of relief wash over you, making Vergil understand that he needs to be open to you was a hard task, and the process was still ongoing. To make him admit he was sick, god... What a headache, it just took Vergil to almost faint and a pinch of stubbornness. To make him take the medicines then? Even worse. You took thousands of deep breaths to steady yourself, it's not like he's doing this to be a pain in the ass, this man haves so many scars on that heart, and you're happy that Vergil is managing to heal them, even if slowly, very slowly...
“Do you want to take another hot bath, perhaps?” Places a hand on his forehead to check his temperature again, indeed more warm than before.
“By that you mean give me another hot bath, right? You're spoiling me, little one, I still know how to clean myself.” He chuckles a bit, oh, that soft wrinkles on his face when Vergil smiles... To see that the devil doesn't show anymore that bittersweet expression when you offer him help or care, the one of annoyance and insecurity, scrunching up his eyebrows, that was replaced by a shy yet sincere smile, it fills a clenched heart with joy.
“I feel like a burden like this, you've been doing things for me...” Before he could finish, you interrupt him, cupping Vergil's face, playfully (and nervously) squeezing his cheeks to make him pay attention.
“Hey, hey! what we talked about?” You keep looking at him like waiting for Vergil to say something very specific.
“I... you really will make me repeat this again? It's embarrassing...” His cheeks are flush as you release them, a slight frown on his temple, you only raise an eyebrow and grins, Vergil sighs while closing his eyes and repeating “I'm loved and cherished and it's okay to not be ok— oh, please, that's ridiculous!”
That causes you to laugh a little, messing up his hair white hair. “Alright, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...” your hands hover in the air as a sign of surrender, “ I just want you to remember that it didn't bother me at all to groom your hedgehog hair every morning the last three days and that I love you.”
“Groom what?” Seeing him making that challenging face makes you burst out laughing, but it immediately stops when hearing him speak again with a low voice, “I love you too, thank you for everything.” Vergil reaches one of his lukewarm hands to your cheeks, brushing his thumb back and forth.
Just for a moment, you both remain silent, just looking into each other's eyes, your pupils must be dilated like the full moon right now, because that's what love does, it makes us feel like fools, our bodies betray us with uncontrollable reactions, and it feels good to be a fool for this devil with the flu. Ah, but love is not supposed to be hard, loving him was never like that, we all are a little damaged inside, what changes everything is learning how to deal with that damage without harming the others, when you love, you're up to sit down with that person under the rain, let it pour, let it wash away. Blue always was the hottest color, maybe so hot that's why not everyone wants to touch it, but you did.
“Come on, I'll bake a cake for us, I know tons of recipes after this evening, I bet I'm an expert now.”
After hearing you, Vergil starts to free himself from the barrier of duvets you built over him, and you have to hold another laugh when your lover stands up wearing the "Girls ♥ my autism swag" you gifted him as a joke, that damn fucking shirt, the fact that he really wears it to stay at home...
“Good, I can't stand eating soup anymore.” Vergil runs a hand on his hair to fix it, roll your eyes, even when this guy is sick he's still the same as always, the one that you fell in love to. You have no idea of how long this flu will last, of how many days you'll spend the evening watching Discovery H&H shows with Vergil, all you know is that you couldn't be more glad than to take care of that grumpy blue devil.
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ramblingoak · 11 hours
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Getting Home Safe
Mushy May In Lucifer's Hollow: Day 4 - First Aid
Secondo x Dewdrop
This fic is set in an alternate universe in a town called Lucifer's Hollow. For Mushy May I'll be using the prompts to post little snippets of life for the humans and ghouls that live there 💙 Thank you to @forlorn-crows for putting Mushy May together!
~ In Lucifer's Hollow Secondo is the Fire Chief and Dewdrop teaches art at the high school. ~
Warnings: angst regarding someone getting hurt but otherwise just fluff, a little suggestive so nsfw, 18+ mdni, 670 words, thank you to @ghuleh-recs for the dividers and @foxybouquet for helping with Dewdrop's nickname (fuocolino means "little flame")
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“You should��ve gone to the hospital.”
Secondo hummed, tilting his head back when Dewdrop’s light fingers continued to clean the cut on his head.  He could feel the irritation coming off the fire ghoul in waves.  As soon as Secondo had gotten home and Dewdrop had seen the bandage he hadn’t stopped grumbling. 
“I wasn’t going to drive all the way to the hospital, fuocolino.”  He snaked an arm around the ghoul’s slender waist, trying to bring him closer but the ghoul wouldn’t allow it.  “Aether took care of it just fine.”
“It needs stitches.”  Dewdrop slipped away from Secondo’s grasp to search through the first aid kit.  “We could call Omega I’m sure he wouldn’t mind doing it.”
“Omega is a veterinarian and in case you haven’t noticed I am a man.”
“Trust me I’ve noticed.”  A spark of something flitted between them.  Secondo debated on getting up and hauling his fire ghoul to their bed but he stayed still, knowing Dewdrop wouldn’t be happy until he’d said his piece.  “I just wish you’d be more careful.  You’re the Fire Chief aren’t you supposed to stay behind a desk all day?”
There was an edge to his tone that Secondo didn’t like so he stood up, pleased when Dewdrop finally allowed himself to be tugged close.  
“My job is to keep this town safe, sÌ?”  He raised an eyebrow when Dewdrop stayed silent, only continuing when the ghoul gave a small nod.  “Sometimes that means I have to go out there myself.”
“Yeah, yeah I know.”  Dewdrop relaxed slightly, leaning against Secondo more.  “I don’t need the lecture grandpa.”
“Nonno?”  Secondo said the word with a playful growl, sliding his hands just below Dewdrop’s ass and lifting him to set him on the table behind him.  “Che monello sei.”
“Did you just call me a brat?”  The amber eyes of his ghoul seemed to light up from within and his tail started tapping against the tabletop in agitation.  “You better watch it, I've been doing Duolingo an-mmph!”
Dewdrop’s lips were warm, just shy of being hot.  The inside of his mouth even more so when Secondo swept his tongue in.  His fuocolino channeled his irritation into returning the kiss, the claws on the tips of his fingers digging into Secondo’s shoulders as he held on.  After what happened today Secondo just wanted to lose himself in his lover, all he wanted to do was carry him to bed and bury himself inside of him.  But he understood Dewdrop’s worry, it was something the ghoul had brought up when they first began dating.  
His fuocolino didn’t want to lose another loved one. 
Eventually they had to pull away for air, both of them taking deep breaths as their foreheads rested against each other.  Secondo carded the fingers of one hand through Dewdrop’s hair, marveling like he always did at the soft, golden strands.  
“The only thing I want to do at the end of the day is come home to you.”  Dewdrop smiled at Secondo’s words, his tail wrapping around Secondo’s waist.  “Even if it’s to you being cross with me.”
“Well sometimes you deserve it.”  
Secondo just smiled softly but that was enough for Dewdrop to see he agreed with him.  After one last kiss the older man pulled away with a sigh. 
“Go ahead and call Omega if that will make you feel better.”  He rolled his eyes at the ghoul’s triumphant grin but in truth he was willing to do whatever it took at that moment to make him happy.  “But I think he’s on a date with Terzo so prepare to be bitched at in Italian.”  
Dewdrop gave him a feral grin before hopping off the table and going for his phone.  
“There’s something you should have figured out by now, nonno.”  Secondo just raised an eyebrow when Dewdrop moved close again, his phone ringing in his hand and his eyes gleaming with mischief.  “The Emeritus brothers don’t scare me.”
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If you'd like to be added/removed from the tag list (or if I accidentally left your name off) of this fic or any of my others please leave a comment or send me a dm! Thank you 💙
My Masterlist ~ My Archive of our Own ~ My Ko-Fi Tip Jar
More snippets from this verse are on my masterlist under "Ongoing Series"!
Previous Mushy May days: 1 / 2 / 3
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rocksibblingsau · 2 days
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Hey so since everyone is throwing adopt branch ideas I'm going to to throw this out there, Bergen adopted branch. Here me out ok. Since he's grey he can't make bergans happy so they give him to prince gristle as a pet till he regains colors to make him happy. Eventually tho they bond being grey and unhappy. Poppy even mentioned the similarities in the first movie. When the prince becomes king he makes branch a person of royal status because he has no friends. He can tell Bridget likes gristle cuz he's actually a smooth romantic (he got it from Bruce) he probably does is so gristle would leave him alone. They realize they don't need trolls to be happy! Branch has just been like: this sucks but at least I'm not dead and some Bergen don't 100% suck. I'm not sure how he'd react to them being happy… but just throwing this out here.
I'm a sucker for Bergen AUs (Bergen Branch a concept I love toying with), and Branch being 'adopted' by the Gristles is a very interesting one! I actually believe I saw one here on tumblr, though I can't recall who made the AU.
I could absolutely see Gristle Jr as a child being a bit more open to actually talking with trolls, and with Branch talking back to him he'd likely quickly see Branch as a person.
This is the one AU where I don't know if Branch could regain his colors early. He has a lot of Bergen trauma and unlike the rest, no one is actually invested in his mental well being from the get go. Here's the kicker though, he's also not been exposed to as much as the Pop Trolls nonsense, so he might not be as jaded and openly hateful to music itself.
I like the idea of Bridget cleaning Gristle's room and talking to Branch, or rather talking at Branch. I don't think she'd ever have gotten to eat a Troll either (Chef clearly doesn't consider her a 'person' much so she wouldn't have given her one during Trollstice) so I don't think she's aware they can really talk. They sing, yeah, but to her and most Bergens it's probably more in a parrot type way (mimicking language but no human levels of sentience/sapience).
She sorta uses Branch to vent to and talk about how in love with Gristle she is and how he'll never notice her and after enough times of this Branch gets tired of the silent treatment not working and says something and nearly gives her a heart attack.
Branch ends up playing therapist to two Bergens.
"Out of the three of us, two of us being creatures of pure misery incapable of feeling even the faintest joy on their on and one of us being a creature of pure joy made to sing and dance nonstop... how am I the most miserable person in the room?"
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artist-issues · 3 days
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I saw the steven universe post of yours and I am wondering about something.
Are you actually, honestly happy?
You seem very sure that happiness can only come from perfectly following your religion's teaching about what your god wants people to do. If that truly makes you happy every day I don't think anyone can convince you that it doesn't hold true for everyone else.
I’m joyful. Happiness is fleeting. It’s a good thing but it’s dependent on your circumstances. Joy isn’t. Joy is a posture of the heart that comes from knowing who I am and where I’m going, in Jesus Christ.
Joy doesn’t come from “perfectly following my religion’s teaching about what my god wants people to do.” It’s really important that you understand that.
It just comes from having a relationship with the One who made me and saved me. I fail to follow the Bible’s (not “my religion’s,” because when you say “your religion” you’re implying one man-made set of rules out of many I could’ve chosen from, and that’s not what the Bible is) teaching all the time. I fail to do what He wants every single day.
If I were just focused on following rules and making sure everyone else toes the line, too, I’d be miserable. There are worldviews like that. But the Biblical worldview isn’t one of them.
Ephesians says “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Not by works. I can’t measure up or follow all the rules or obey God perfectly; nobody can—except Jesus! That’s the point. When God looks at me and loves me, He does it because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. So anything I do that falls short? It’s covered. And I’m loved perfectly; God never loves me less, or bases His affection toward me on how good or bad I do day-to-day.
And in the meantime, He changes what I want, but by bit, so that I get back to who I was always meant to be; His creation, made for love. I love Him, and His people, more and more every day. I stop thinking so much about me. There’s all this freedom, because I don’t have to do any of it alone. And, I’m forgiven, and loved, and adopted, and no circumstance or person in the world can take that from me, ever.
That’s where joy comes from. Real joy, that is not dependent on anything that changes. Sometimes I still get unhappy. Sometimes I get trapped in a cycle of overthinking and anxiety and even depression—but it has not lasted, and it never can. Because the moment I reach out for help, He’s there, reminding me of who I am in Him, lifting my eyes up off of my circumstances or out of my dark thoughts, by helping me focus on Him.
A lot of people find this kind of “higher than my circumstances” emotion in “something bigger than themselves.” The difference is, mine is eternal, and it lasts, and it never gets corrupted. I’m talking about the God of the Bible and a relationship with Him, not the religious imperfect humans of religion. Human movements get corrupted, religious or secular. Human nations fall. Human families or lovers change and die. All those “something bigger than myself” sources for happiness eventually go away. Not a relationship with God.
So hopefully I’ve answered the spirit of your question. It might help you to know that in my reblogs to that post, I’ve mentioned that God let’s you choose. You can either choose to be His, and be what He made you to be, or you can insist that something else will make you happy and keep chasing that. He lets you do that. But in the end, nothing else except Him lasts. And by end, I mean, “THE end.” Life goes on past this. And if you end this life choosing to chase temporary things for happiness in sources outside of the God that invented Good and Happy, you’ll spend eternity outside of Good and Happy, because you chose to spend it without their Source.
So when I made that post, I made it because I believe that Rebecca Sugar made Steven Universe and infused what she thinks the God of the Bible is like into the character of White Diamond. But she has Him all wrong. I know Him, and He’s not like that, but I can see how someone who doesn’t know Him would come to those conclusions.
So it’s like if someone who barely knew your best friend made a vital skit on Instagram about your best friend…and it was all wrong. They slandered your best friend—and what’s worse, they did it because they never really understood your best friend, and don’t have a relationship with your best friend, and you know that if they did they not only wouldn’t have made the skit, but they would get the blessing of having a friend like your bestie.
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I hope some of this has answered your question. Thank you for taking the time to send it, and maybe to read this long response.
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jjkamochoso · 1 day
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The Perfect Fit
Overview: Levi Ackerman begrudgingly finds himself falling in love with the Survey Corps’ seamstress. Will they be able to own up to their feelings for each other? Or is their love doomed to fail before they discover the truths of each other’s hearts? This slow burn reader insert story will be filled with angst, yearning, and a bit of mystery as we slowly unravel the truths behind Y/N’s past… and explore her and Levi’s future!
Chapter 11
Chapter 10 linked here
Chapter 12 coming soon!
Levi Ackerman x female reader
Warnings: cussing
You looked at Levi expectantly. "What do you say, Captain? Ready to run away with me?"
Levi couldn't deny that he was craving a change of scenery as well. With his injuries, he couldn't participate in training and the four bland walls of his office combined with never ending paperwork was enough to make even the most sane man mad. He also really liked the way those words sounded coming from your mouth. He knew he had a duty to humanity and could never drop his responsibilities to run away from it all and live a more peaceful life, but boy, he'd enjoy playing pretend with you for a little while, focusing on humanitarian duties rather than fighting for once.
"I'm ready to leave right now if you are."
You broke out in a smile, relieved that he still wanted to help you give away blankets and clothes to people in the unfortunate areas of the interior.
"Good. I am too, but the paperwork that allows us to take leave and horses isn't. I have to talk to Erwin and see when we can go. I'm thinking as long as you're cleared by the doctor, we can head out in 3 days' time. Is that alright?"
Levi nodded yes and you told him to get some rest before leaving to find your oldest friend, the commander. When you knocked on the door, he granted you entry and you closed the door behind you.
"How's my dearest friend been holding up lately?" Erwin asked you as you two shared a hug before taking a seat.
"Oh, I've been alright, nothing too crazy," you answered. "How about yourself? You've got a lot more going on than I ever have or hope to."
He took a sip of the drink on his desk and you wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of alcohol.
"It's as much to be expected for the man in charge." His blue eyes danced around the room, not meeting your own. "It's nothing I can't handle. It's... a lot sometimes, though. I become afraid that no matter how much I try to do, it's all futile. I have so many goals that I can't-" He cut himself off as he swallowed another drink and you took notice of the deep eye bags he was sporting. You knew he had a lot riding on him, but he usually handled (or hid) it so well. You reached out to grip his hand as a sign of affection.
"I know you're in charge, but you're not the only one who should be held accountable for any failings, so stop blaming yourself. What you guys do is a thankless job but you're not without so many accomplishments. It seems like it's always one step forward, three steps back working here, but if there's anything I learned from you, it's that you have to keep walking. So Erwin." He looked up at you. "You have to keep moving forward. You're the heart of the Scouts. You're the only one who's faith has never wavered. We all believe in you."
Erwin let out a deep sigh and squeezed your hand back. "Thank you. I needed that. This is why I keep you around."
You chuckled, happy that you were able to lift his spirits a little bit.
"I know you didn't come here to see me wallow in pity, so what is it I can do to help?" he inquired.
"I'm planning on leaving for Wall Sina to do my charity work in a few days and I was wondering if I could borrow a cart and horse. I'd be gone about 10 days, 4 days traveling each way, 1 day passing everything out, and an extra in case something goes wrong. I was also coming to put in my request for leave, as well as Captain Levi's since he'll be accompanying me."
Erwin's eyebrows raised at the sound of his close friend's name. "Levi, huh? I've noticed that you two have gotten pretty close but he wouldn't leave work with just anybody, you know. He must think you're pretty special."
You felt embarrassment worm its way up your body as Erwin tried to contain his teasing smile. The commander's two closest friends couldn't fool him--Levi hadn't been this outwardly affectionate since he had shown up with Isabelle and Furlan all those years ago and you hadn't been this smiley with anyone, ever-- but he found the whole thing endearing.
"I'm not trying to embarrass you, y/n. I think it's nice that he's found something with you, whatever it is. I haven't seen either of you this happy in many years, or ever. This trip of yours will be good for the both of you to get out and do something for the betterment of humanity. It would bring some much needed positivity to you and the captain, I'm sure. I'll process the papers and send you on your way in no time."
You thanked him as you heard a knock at the door. Another soldier had told Erwin it was time for a meeting so you thanked him for his help and waved goodbye. You were held up at the door by the sound of his voice once more.
"Hey, y/n. Where exactly in Wall Sina are you going?"
You tilted your head in confusion. "There's the shelters in the capital that house citizens from the Underground until they can safely leave for Wall Rose. They're the same ones you and I usually go to. Why?"
He halted for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Well, with Levi there, I don't want... Just try to avoid the Underground. I don't want you two getting hurt."
You didn't understand what he was trying to get at, but you figured it wasn't the time for you to probe him. If the chance arrived, you would have to ask Levi exactly what Erwin meant. You thanked him for his warning and left, wracking your brain on what that enigma of a man was going on about.
Several days after your meeting with Erwin, he had told you everything got approved and Levi told you of his clearance from the doctor. You were to leave in a few hours so you began packing, your stomach fluttering with anxiety. You always got nervous before a trip but this one was stressful because of its unknowns. You had never traveled between walls without Erwin and his words hadn't left your mind. Why did he mention you getting hurt? You'd been there plenty of times prior with the blonde man, none of which had gone wrong, so why was he being cryptic about Levi? You tried to shake it from your head. Erwin had been under tons of stress lately so you chalked it up to him still reeling from the losses of the expedition. You had just thrown the last of your shirts in a bag when you heard a knock at your door. Levi was there, a duffel on his arm and a surprisingly pleasant look on his face.
"I'm ready if you are."
You were. You had already brought outside the bags of donation items so all that was left was your personal bag. You went to pick it up from the bed but Levi beat you to it.
"Aren't you still nursing broken ribs?" you asked, watching him in amusement as he shuffled down the hallway with both of your belongings.
"The doctor cleared me for all activity. I would be training shitty cadets to be less shitty right now if it weren't for you."
"Should I be saying you're welcome that you're not?"
Levi pondered for a second. "Four eyes is always saying I need a vacation."
"Their wish is now granted. So you're welcome," you replied, giggling a bit. When you stepped outside, you were expecting to be greeted by an open air cart, but instead, you were face to face with a fancy contained carriage. You thought maybe it was for someone else, but when Levi started loading your things inside, you knew it was for you.
"Did you know about this?" you asked him, flabbergasted. He put away the last of the bags as he answered you.
"The weather's supposed to be bad in a few days. I didn't want you catching a cold on our trip so I made Erwin reserve this instead."
Levi never failed to surprise you. He was so kind the way he thought about you and made your life so much easier. You nearly kissed him on the spot but didn't want him to keel over and die before you could get anywhere. The raven haired man wouldn't look you in the eye as you climbed inside the carriage, presumably shy about his caring so much about your wellbeing. The carriage driver took off and you two left the castle walls. You kept your eyes pointed out the window, not wanting to miss the opportunity to watch the foliage pass you by. It was your favorite part about riding in a cart or on a horse while holding onto someone else. Seeing the trees fly by you in this area almost reminded you of Levi taking you home that one day all those months ago. This carriage should have brought up that same feeling of freedom, but this time you were heading toward a place that had held you in its wretched confines for far too long. As you rode further and further away from your home and closer to your family in Mitras, you felt like you were starting to drown in a deep ocean of melancholy and stress. As you were lost in your own world, you didn't notice Levi staring at you from his bench across from yours. He was thankful that you were day dreaming because it meant he could observe you without hesitation. You normally looked very beautiful to him, but today, in your civilian clothes and more relaxed hairstyle than usual, you looked absolutely stunning. Even though this trip certainly wasn't just for pleasure, he was looking forward to a short break from the woes of every day life. He was hoping you were, too, but he saw your eyebrows furrow and you had a sad glint in your eye.
"Wanna talk about it?"
Levi's voice brought you out of your daze.
"Hmm? Oh. No, I just-- I get nervous on trips, that's all," you said. If Levi could tell you weren't giving him the whole truth, he didn't say anything.
You sighed, opting to speak your mind a bit more. "When I leave my home and head into the city, I get hit with this indescribable sadness. I think it's because I see people who have literally nothing and I can't help but think I'm not doing enough for them when I have so much."
"Don't be stupid. The fact that you're going out of your way to show kindness when others don't is a testament to your character. What you're doing will be appreciated by those who need it most. Trust me."
He spoke with such conviction that you wondered if he was ever one of those people who needed help. You didn't give it much thought since it was rude to make assumptions about someone's past.
"You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better, Levi. Thank you."
He scoffed. "I think you're the only person that's ever said that."
"That makes it all the more special then, doesn't it?" you asked, making him roll his eyes but you knew he agreed.
The carriage continued on its fast pace while you two sat in silence, both reading books. You kept peeking your eyes over the pages, taking the time to appreciate how Levi looked today. He never looked anything less than handsome to you, but him out of a uniform made your heart beat faster. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt with black pants and both items highlighted his frame perfectly. You loved the way he looked with the cravat but you were mesmerized with the graceful way his neck craned without something covering it up. He shifted in his seat and you quickly averted your eyes, hoping he hadn't seen you checking him out.
"Is your book that boring you'd rather look at me?" he asked, his gaze staying on his own unturned pages.
"Boring, no. Rather look at you, definitely," you said, taking the fact that you got caught in stride.
"Tch. Have some shame, brat," he chided, a faint blush showing up on his cheeks. You found it fun to tease Levi here and there. You wanted to keep showing him that you found him desirable so he wasn't left wondering if you still liked him romantically or not. Not that physical looks mattered to you two anyway, but you figured it didn't hurt to flirt with him every once in awhile to keep him on his toes. Afternoon turned to night and it got too dark to read, opting to leave the gas lamp off for now to conserve it in case of emergencies. The carriage slowed to a halt and the driver let you know that you were stopping for the night at a local inn. You and Levi exited the carriage, Levi taking your bag once again, and made a plan with the driver to meet up in the morning to set off. A room wasn't ready yet when you checked in so you and Levi went to the restaurant to partake in a nice warm meal. Conversation flowed easily between you two as you tore into the bread and meat you were served. When you finally got a key to your room, you opened the door and immediately frowned. You were supposed to get a room with two beds, but there was only one. You looked at Levi who didn't even seem to notice as he was already inside and discarded the bags in the corner of the room. You followed him in, confusion taking over you.
"There's only one bed," you said, stating the obvious.
"It's fine. I'll sleep on the floor," he replied, grabbing the extra blanket from the bed and laying it out. You stomped over to him, grabbing the soft textile.
"No way, especially not when you're still healing. I can go downstairs and talk to the owner, there has to be another room."
There wasn't. You and Levi had booked the last available room and the one with two beds that you had requested when you had gotten there was previously reserved. When you got back to your room, Levi had already laid down on the floor in an attempt to rest for a little while. You stood over him, your arms crossed.
"Get up, idiot. You're not sleeping on the floor."
"I don't sleep much anyway, idiot. Go to bed."
"If you don't get up, I'm sleeping on the ground, too."
That got Levi's attention, prompting him to sit up. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard and I'm around teenagers all day."
"Look," you said, defeated, "the bed is more than big enough for the two of us. You'll have your personal space and I promise I won't invade it on purpose."
Levi took his sweet time thinking about what he was going to do while you were loving life on the plush mattress, your pajamas on, and cozy under the covers. You heard the mattress creak as his body took up the spot next to yours.
"Finally decided to join me, loverboy?" You were joking with him to cover up the fact that you were nervous about sharing an entire sleeping space with the love of your life. Normally, sharing a bed with someone wouldn't be a huge deal, especially when that someone was a person who you trusted with your life, but Levi was a special case. You never wanted to push him into doing anything too fast or make him uncomfortable and you knew that relationship things like this could easily freak him out.
"I will not hesitate to snuff out your life with this pillow."
Well, at least he was acting like his normal self. He was, up until you heard shuffling under the sheets and felt the mattress dip down closer to you. It was nearly pitch black in the room so you couldn't see anything, but you felt your breath hitch in your throat as Levi scooted close enough to your face where you caught a glimpse of the faintest reflection of moonlight in his eyes. His breath was barely fanning over your arm that was lying next to your cheek on your pillow. All of a sudden you felt his hand on yours as he interlaced your fingers. It was a good thing that the room had no light because you were both flustered messes.
"Is this okay?" he whispered.
"Very," you whispered back, brushing your lips over the back of his hand like a kiss from a fleeting ghost. Even though Levi barely slept that night because of his ever present insomnia rearing its ugly head, lying next to you, with your bodies eventually intertwining, he found himself more rested than he ever knew could be possible.
Chapter 12 coming soon!
Taglist: @blueeclipsepaperstudent @raginginferno267 @come-away-with-me87
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fengxun · 3 days
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Vient la douleur
Neuvillette lives in the aftermath.
Pairing: Neuvillette x GN!Reader
Content: Major character death, suicide, implied/referenced self-harm, grief/mourning, past relationship. More narration than dialogue. (~3.2k words)
Note: Just working through some things :') I gave this my all, so please be kind and let me know what you think!!
Read on AO3
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There are a lot of things Neuvillette could liken you to.
You were the sun, shining bright on the gloomiest of days with your joyful disposition and beautiful smile. You were his favourite melody, someone he could listen to for hours and hours on end. You were his rainbow roses and windwheel asters, the flowers of love and freedom. You were everything a romantic could ever dream of, even if you never saw it in yourself. You were the missing piece he needed all along.
Most important of all: you are his beloved, the one who held his heart in their hands.
Solitude was far from a stranger. Though Fontaine is hardly a place with a scarce population, he was more used to being by himself. He didn’t join in the hustle and bustle of the city, and he didn’t play house like the children did. Instead, he found a hobby in watching the vibrance of human life alone from the sidelines, learning in trial and error what it meant to live. Emotions didn’t come as easy to him as it would to the average person. He could feel a raging inferno in his chest or a chill trickling down his spine, but he’d never have the words for it. All he could do was watch the skies change with his thoughts in the form of a downpour or a tempest.
But in solitude, he also met you.
You came into his life like a whirlwind, as only the best kind. You met him without fear but with eagerness and excitement that he couldn’t help being mesmerised by. Your smile was the first thing he noticed about you. He remembers how it reached your eyes and how it showed the dimples in your cheeks. He didn’t know it at the time, but those would become one of his favourite sights in his life.
“Monsieur Neuvillette!”
You called him with a sense of familiarity that, oddly, he was comforted by. He understood then what the poets meant when they said it felt like the world had stopped for them. In a matter of a few seconds, he felt like he’d known you for years, just because of how warm you felt. Whether it was by chance or by fate matters little to him; regardless of what it had been, it brought you into his life.
Every love song he’d heard from the opera’s chanteuses began to make sense. ‘Love at first sight’ is truly a curious phenomenon. Exploring the depths that are human emotions then was a journey that led to more questions than answers. How do humans know when they’re in love? How do humans know when they’ve met ‘the one?’ He supposes he’ll never get a solid answer to these questions, but he’ll take one in the form of you. Perhaps he never needed to ask. Perhaps all he had to do was wait for the day your souls intertwined.
One chit-chat led to a conversation, and those conversations led to a routine. He’d see you at the park in the evenings and then walk you home when he felt it was getting late. Some days, he’d sit with you in a gazebo away from the crowd and just watch many lives pass by. Though your conversations mostly consisted of you talking and him listening, he liked it. He liked how expressive you were, how he always wanted to see more. The wonder in your eyes was something he’d grown fond of very quickly, but that wasn’t the only thing about you that he’d fallen in love with.
Just seeing you interact with your surroundings alone made it clear that you loved everything. From the city to its people, from the flora to the fauna, there wasn’t a single thing you weren’t happy to see. You brought colours into his life, showed him the vibrant side of the world he hadn’t seen yet. He was almost envious of how carefree and outgoing you were. A friendly smile, a gentle wave, some small talk about the weather; socialising came naturally to you. It fascinated him and warmth would blossom in his chest every time he saw how animated you could get. But there was no room for envy, nor was there a need to be. You were a breath of fresh air and you felt like home.
You liked to tell him that there’s always something good waiting for him the next day. That daybreak is a sign that you’ve lived for another day even when you don’t feel like you did anything valuable. I just look forward to every day! you had said, giving him a grin that always left him stumbling for words. It didn’t answer his inquiry, but it was enough. It appeared to him that you loved life, and getting to be happy with others is only a part of what makes it so special for you.
He didn’t have much to do outside of the Court. His free time was mostly spent reading or water tasting. Sometimes he’d bring work home just to ensure he recorded everything correctly. It was quite an average routine that changed when he met you. The moment you met, his days became livelier. It must’ve been quite the sight for Fontainians indeed, to see their Chief Justice taking afternoon strolls with a dessert in hand. He didn’t care for the hearsay that inevitably circulated from his new activities. What mattered was that you were becoming an integral part of what used to be mundane and changing it for the better.
It was not often that he had the time for leisure. Still, he found it difficult to deny you anything, and so he’d always find a way to make time for you. That time would be spent in the gardens or restaurants, occasionally in the front seats of the Opera Epiclese if there was a show you wanted to see. When it got dark, it would be spent in the comfort of his home with you on his lap as he read to you. Sometimes you’d fall asleep in his arms and your lips would curl into a small smile when you felt his lips touching the crown of your head. Affection wasn’t something he was used to as it wasn’t exactly a necessity, but he found himself craving yours.
The puzzle pieces fell into place on their own as if there was a telepathic bond between you and him. There was never a label for what you two were. The papers would call you lovers or companions, depending on what they caught on camera. It didn’t matter much to him, either. What he knew was that there was a bond, something that intrinsically linked your hearts to one another, and it made every day feel like summer.
Before long, he realised that you were right. Something good awaits after every daybreak, something that will brighten up his day and light up his heart with joy, and for him, it was you.
Time flows like water, unending and always in motion. The world turns and the days go by, turning into months and years that pass in a blink of an eye. Time is a witness to every step one takes and it remembers every story that unfolds. Time is what Neuvillette has plenty of and it is kind to him. He learns and adapts to the world as it changes around him without haste, letting years of knowledge build him into the person he is today.
Time, however, treats people like you differently.
Where he never aged, you did. Where it didn’t wear him out, it did to you. The glimmer in your eyes grew more dull over the years. Your smiles became rarer, and you no longer talked to those you considered your friends. You never told him why you were changing. It was as if your heart had betrayed you, making what used to shine bright grow dimmer and dimmer until it was completely extinguished.
In the face of it all, you still had plenty of love to give. You still held him every night as he sought for solace in your arms. You still listened to his curiosities and indulged in everything he had to ask. At the same time, it felt as though you were too far for him to reach you. As though you were fading deeper into the darkness until the only echoes he could hear were his own. His heart ached to see you this way, and for someone as meticulous as he is, he was at a total loss.
Even then, he refused to leave you. He will always love you no matter what you become. He’d love you in every way and he’d love you through thick and thin, through the calm and the tumultuous.
Six hundred and ten days have passed, and it continues to hold.
You left with everything he was and behind a letter in your wake. In it was an apology that etched its words into his bloodstream and a memory that appears every time you cross his mind. In it also came a promise that you’d find him in your next life no matter how long it takes, for your soul has found a home in him. And finally, in it was a wish: that you wanted him to live without regret, just like how you never regretted your time with him.
‘You can find happiness again without me,’ you wrote. Your tears stained the paper where ink seeped and blurred some of the words. His heart aches to think of the guilt you carried with you even after death. Of how afraid you must’ve felt as the poison flowed into your system, and how alone you must’ve been.
The sight is still engraved into his very vision: your limp, lifeless body with both old and fresh scars across your skin, the vial of poison on the floor and the sealed letter in your hand. Composure was second nature to Neuvillette, but none of it was to be seen when he found you. His hands were shaking as he took you into his arms and held you close. His heart felt heavy as if it was coming to a stop. Emotions brewed within him like a storm, volatile and disorderly, but not a word left his lips.
By the time Sigewinne arrived, reality had sunk in, and every prayer he had shattered like glass. The rainstorm lasted for weeks after that. Only by the fourth did the rain finally stop and even then, the skies seemed to be in a permanent state of gloom with the clouds shrouding the sun and stars. Fontaine eventually got back its clarity much later, and people seemed to already move on from the strange natural phenomenon that had occurred.
Six hundred and ten days have passed, and he still misses you as much as he did that spring.
Life without you felt more like dusk than daybreak. The splash of colour had melted away and days felt longer without someone waiting for his return. His home is eerily quieter and more hollow. Your favourite trinkets were never moved from where they were placed on the shelves. The book he’d been reading to you every night stays open and unturned on the table. His own home had turned into a paradox—you were here, but you also weren’t.
How strange, he thinks, how he still feels so acutely alone even with everything you left behind. He’s been through grief time and time again, but it never gets easier. If anything, this is perhaps the most harrowed he has ever felt.
The cemetery had begun to feel more familiar than it should. He hears everything that people say there. He hears them talk about how they wish they could see their loved one welcoming them back home. He hears them talk about how they wish they could just hear their loved one’s laughter one last time. How they wish they had professed their love before it was too late, how they wish they could say all the things they never dared to say. In this, he is not alone. His thoughts flow in that very same direction.
Neuvillette is not a selfish man. There is nothing he heavily desired that he’d do anything to obtain. And yet, he wonders if he should and could be just this once. Everything he wants is you. Every face in the crowd he sees is you, and every song he hears is in your voice. If he had just been more selfish and demanded you to stay, would he have been able to stop you? Would you still make the same decision?
He wakes up every morning to a cold and empty bedside. He leaves without a kiss goodbye. He comes home with no one to welcome him back. Suddenly he has returned to where he once was, alone and closed off from the world around him. Being by himself isn’t as daunting as it used to be, but nothing could ever replace you. With you, loneliness hardly existed. Without you, he has returned back to where he started.
Tick, tick, tick. The clock is the only sound he can hear on this dreary night as he watches it strike twelve. His eyes stay trained on his reflection in the glass, hoping that he’ll see you coming up to embrace him from behind like you used to.
You never do.
Yet another date on the calendar is crossed out. The ring glimmers in the moonlight from where it lays in its velvet box. He’d imagined it playing out in his mind, from the proposal to the look on your face as you told him yes. It was a gift that he spent a long time preparing and waiting for. A surprise that would always make you smile whenever you thought about it.
It was meant to be a promise, one that he would keep for as long as you’d let him.
But you never got to celebrate your birthday, and so he lets the candle’s flames die out on their own. With a heavy heart, he puts the ring back where it was on the shelf. Some plans go awry, but he can’t give up yet. There will come a day when he meets you again, and only then can he finally tell you everything he wanted to say.
For now, they remain unspoken. The promise is never made, and he alone is the witness.
Neuvillette wakes up to a world without colour.
Everything around him is painted in different shades of grey, from the trees swaying in the wind to the crystal-clear water in the fountain. Faceless passers-by are scattered across the plaza, talking amongst each other in hushed and intelligible words. As he walks down the stone path, he becomes acutely aware that this is merely a dream. And yet, he is completely lucid; he can feel the breeze against his skin and hear the birds chirping in the distance. His body moves at its command, continuing down the path to the destination only it could know.
He finds himself atop a grassy hill that overlooks the horizon where he can see a person standing on the edge. Your back is turned, but there’s no mistaking it—he’d recognise you from anywhere. It goes far deeper than memory. It's his instinct, his life, and he’d always choose you no matter what decision he has to make. He comes to a halt just as you finally look at him, and what was only a vignette bursts into vivid colours.
The world is no longer grey as vibrance returns to where it belongs. Neuvillette’s breath gets stuck in his throat the closer you approach him. You aren’t in the clothes he’d last seen you in. You’re dressed in white and you hold a bouquet of rainbow roses in your hands, every piece of it in full bloom.
“You’re here!”
This is a dream. He knows he is. But it sounds exactly like you, looks exactly like you, and he’s missed you so deeply that he’ll happily stay in this trance a while longer. He parts his lips to speak, but no words come out. There’s a light burn in his nose and behind his eyes the longer he looks at your joyful self. Without realising it, a tear rolls down his cheek, and he finds that he can finally breathe.
His hands shake as he reaches for you. Before he can revel in feeling you beneath his touch after so long, your skin turns cold and you melt into his hands until nothing is left behind but water. Only remnants of the mirage he’d just seen are left behind. And as if they never returned, the world turns grey once more before it completely fades into the dark.
Now, Neuvillette finds himself in his bed.
Rain pitter-patters against the window beside him and behind the shower is the sunrise, coming up ever so slowly. He casts a glance at your side of the bed and it is still empty, devoid of your warmth. It constantly reminds him of how cold and empty this place is, a stark difference from what it was when you were around. The sun has not yet risen. Hues of dark blue spread across the sky and obscure the stars, casting a dreariness upon the entirety of Fontaine.
The chill nips at his cheeks as he leaves his abode and makes his way to the cemetery in silence. He remembers the path to your grave like the back of his hand, a bitter fact he lives with, but he reigns himself in. The bouquet of Lumidouce bells in his hands suddenly feels much heavier as he gazes down at your picture. It’s already beginning to lose its colour thanks to the time and weather, so he reminds himself to replace it as soon as he can.
He gingerly puts the bouquet down on your altar. He imagines how you’d chide him seeing him in this state, how you’d wrap your arms around his waist and pull him close. He wonders if you have returned to the cosmos or the seas and if you’d be able to feel how much he yearns to be with you again. If there is an afterlife, is it a place where you are happy and free of every burden you carried? If he listened to the waters, would he be able to hear you calling his name?
(Six hundred and eleven days have passed, and his questions remain unchanged.)
Deep in his heart, Neuvillette fears that there will come a day when he forgets the way you looked or the way you sounded. Your voice has already become distant in his mind; it won’t be long before the years take you away from him again. Perhaps time isn’t as kind to him as it used to be.
But for you, he must continue to live, as much as he wishes he could turn back time and spend more of it with you. For you, he must fulfil your wish and honour you the best way he can. For you, he will hold on and wait for the next time you’ll grace him with yourself and your love.
Not once have I regretted my time with you, you had written.
He wonders if you’ll ever know that he feels the same way.
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voidandabyssal · 3 days
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Heya, I'm having one of those headache days again so I'm wondering how you think some of the skellies would react to a friend and/or their s/o suffering from a migraine.
How about Siren Sans from your fic Below the Ice?
Can I also get Fell Paps and the Swapfell brothers too?
THANKKKK YOUUU FOR LETTING ME TAKE ABOUT SIREN SANS!!!!
Sorry, any chance i get to talk about my fic and i just go feral (some minor spoilers for below the ice down below)
Siren sans (below the ice):
At first, he doesn’t really understand what a migraine is. Sirens don’t get sick very often so he doesn’t necessarily ‘get’ it
He thinks the scientists have done something to you. He doesn’t know what, but he knows they’ve done something
Naturally, SS becomes a lot more protective and defensive than normal around you. (If thats even possible)
He’s trying to drag you into his tank with him, hissing and scratching at any researchers that try and get close
He’s very clearly agitated, even taking to clawing at the glass in his tank.
You do end up having to explain to him what a migraine is, just to stop him from dragging you into the freezing cold water
Once he gets it, he gets it.
He’ll be sad about not getting to cuddle you, but he’ll be happy to do anything else,
Even if its just you and him in the same room together in silence,
He’s happy just in your company
Edge (uf paps):
Once Edge comes home from a long day and spots you just lazing on the couch, he’s pretty annoyed
He first tries to drag you off the couch and get you to do something.
Though once he realises your actually in quite a bit of pain he stops
Then he gets concerned, like, he actually goes quiet kind of concerned
He drags you over to his bed, a place he knows is safe and clean and of course very quiet
He makes sure you’re comfortable. Edge isn’t the most familiar on human medicines but he knows the basics
Though he does press a palm to your head and casts some green magic over you
Then Edge leaves to cook you some food, his best dish, lasagna!
Mutt (sf paps):
You both probably wake up with a migraine from drinking all night lol
Maybe there is such a thing as partying too hard
Regardless, not much gets done between the two of you
Mutt and you spend most of the day intertwined with one another, just sleeping away the pain
You both even ignore Blacks chores list 😨
Mutt wakes up before you and realises that, crap, neither of you have done anything that Black has asked
Mutt jumps out of bed and rushes down the stairs and just rushes through all his chores
Once he realises your still to unwell to complete yours, he freaks a little but relents and does your tasks
Luckily, he finishes before Black gets back home
He does promptly crash on top of you and pass out
Black (sf sans):
He leaves way to early in the morning to catch you waking up, so he doesn’t realise how in pain you are
When Black gets home and he realises you haven’t moved since he left the house, he gets worried
Thats very unlike you
Once you complain about your migraines, Black feels terrible
He feels as though he should’ve done more for you, instead of just leaving you to fend for yourself for the day
He quickly rushes to get you something to eat and drink
Black also tries to use some green magic on you, luckily he’s very experienced so it works well on you
Blacks pretty much mother hening you. Its very sweet
Mutt complains that he never gets treated like that and Black snaps back that its because you don’t purposely over drink
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hazelfoureyes · 2 days
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On anon, because I'm shy lol
I'm AroAce and normally I avoid reading smut. I usually skip over it, not because I think it's gross but because I really couldn't care less about two (or more) people having sex.
I kinda read your stuff on accident (I think it wqs part 3 of The Radio Demon fucks a Human sacrifice, A Valentino Production) and I was surprised to find that I enjoyed reading it. It didn't arouse me, but I felt it, if you get what I mean?
Your smut is the first that makes me feel that sex isn't just sex, but a connection between people, that they're not having sex just because, but because they actually feel something for each other.
So, please keep up the good work! Don't burn yourself out and have as much fun writing as we do reading!
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「because I really couldn't care less about two (or more) people having sex」
*sweats, glances at The Safeword is RadioApple*
listen listen listen
multiple AroAces have said they feel that way about my smut now and it’s sending my soul into the fucking stratosphere
anyone saying it does though, to an extent, if I’m honest
come ere come ere come ere
Ive never had sex with someone because I had a connection in my life. I’m confident I am very Aro 💦 And I’ve had a lot of lovely sex with strangers, friends, and with loved partners of many years. Never felt a damn thing beyond the physical, never wanted to have sex for any reason beyond giving and receiving physical pleasure. Perfectly happy with that! Just—- I’m trying to say I haven’t ever had sex because I felt something for someone.
but I AM TRYING to write that intimacy, trying desperately to convey those things I see others have. That’s the fantasy to me. So when people tell me they can see that in the writing, it makes me feel like I’m really doing a good job!
and when the aro(/)ace babies tell me they don’t feel a need to skip the sex in my stories and they enjoy it in any aspect it makes me feel like I’m rolling a Nat 20 in life
thank you for fighting the shyness and tell me that! 💖
Referenced
⟢Alastor x Reader - The Radio Demon fucks a Human Sacrifice (A Valentino Production)
Valentino has acquired a living, breathing human in hell. But at the begging of Angel, Alastor makes a deal in exchange for her soul.
⟢ part1♡̶sidestory♡̶part2♡̶part3♡̶part4 ⟣
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Isn't it SO fun to be harassed and bullied at school? /sarc
People call me a "FUCKING WEIRDO!" (Yes, that's word for word.)
They make faces at me like I'm sort of disgusting slob. (And they SHOW it and they WANT me to know they think that!)
Along with that, one kid pretended to gag and throw up at the sight of me, and used solar eclipse glasses to not look at me.
One kid called me ugly today! (YAY! /sarc)
They poke and prod at me like I'm a science experiment.
They fear the fact I smile all the time, that I tend to keep an emotionless expression in my eyes. (I'm only following Alastor's advice!)
They love to annoy me... But it's getting tiring.
Only a select few enjoy my presence, they keep me in and go along with my antics. My friend group likes having me around. And other kids I don't know much and we're neutral with each other.
I know I'm "weird" by their standards. But what's the fun in the world without differences?
I know I took on the persona of "weirdo" in my class. I want to go up to a teacher and cry. Because I didn't deserve to be treated like this?
I didn't deserve to be told "You know you should kill yourself" when I'm already suicidal. Did I?
Get told I'm retarded like 10 times already? Maybe more? (I'm not even exaggerating...)
And considering I might have mental illnesses such as possible autism, that's even meaner. At this point I'm not living, I'm surviving.
There's a reason why I've given up. My best friends are on the internet. I don't think without them I would be able to live today. Why do the people who care about me, share my interests, accept me for who I am, respect me, and TREAT me like I'm a human being, so far away?
I know I may be Xenogender, but that's no excuse for treating me no better than some sort of inferior species.
I see no one else getting treated like this, I'm the subject, no, the OBJECT of their bullying.
What the fuck am I supposed to do??? What do you fucking EXPECT me to do??? "Be yourself"??? I AM being myself, and you're fucking BULLYING me!? AM I SUPPOSED TO PUT ON SOME SORT OF MASK? I AM SMILING, MOTHERFUCKER, YET YOU STILL BULLY ME WHEN I DO HAVE A MASK!? /not you, to them
Like, please. Let me rest. Let me have a normal day where I don't have to face discrimination. Where I get treated with love.
I get treated so awfully so much, that I don't even know who I am anymore.
I lost myself.
My catchphrase has to be "I'm so done-" because I said that more than I needed to.
I feel like the next time someone does anything to me, I'm just going to burst out crying.
🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
I hope you're doing alright right now, first things first, i need to let you know that you do matter, and you certainly don't deserve to be treated as subhuman as they treat you, I only wish the worst upon them <3 They are bitches who are a waste of oxegyn, they need to put you down to feel something or feel like they matter, and for that they are the weakest most disgusting subhuman people, genuinely hope they get more fucked up than they ever made you feel 🧡
It's pretty obvious that they're trying to make you feel shit, and i wish i was there to fight them off or comfort you when it happened, i said it before and i'll say it again, you don't deserve any of this. You deserve to be happy, and to feel like you are loved and cared for, the way they treat you is uncalled for and it's disgusting [them, not you, your cool] And agreed, your gender or your neurodivergence shouldn't be the reason you get bullied, they aren't things you can control, or things you have to change, they are litterally a part of your being/existence, I can't believe all of the shitty things they're doing, you don't deserve it. Have you tried to tell anyone? [although that doesn't work often, it's worth a try]. It seems like it's really affecting you, whether you admit it or not /nbr /npa I'd reccomend telling a teacher/principle [the meaner the teacher the better], if that doesn't work fight back, physically i wouldnt reccomend but if you have to, do it. Theres not much we can do about bullying, which is fucking shitty, but please hang in there at least and take care of yourself, i care about you and love you /p
I hope it gets better and they stop, they're pieces of shit who shouldn't be making you feel like this, they're insensitive cunts who should have their face cut up, hope they get bullied those fucking assholes
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