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#he gets the thing he guiltily wanted and he gets it without actually doing the guilty thing and so no one will blame him
lurking-latinist · 26 days
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#after uh. not enjoying hornblower: loyalty all that much I finally watched hornblower: duty#and enjoyed it a lot more. I think there's meta there with mutiny/retribution#I gather they were sort of not allowed to mention kennedy but you know that makes sense in-universe.#horatio isn't allowed to mention him either. not really. and I do think he'd clam up about him. that's horatio all over#but you can't convince me that survivor's guilt of his is only over bracegirdle#(bracegirdle makes it worse obviously)#also his letting doughty off really makes me want it to have been him that pushed sawyer#I always want it to have been him just because so much of his later career either makes more sense or has additional dramatic irony#if he knows himself to be an unhanged mutineer#BUT he doesn't have to have actually done it. he just has to THINK he is guilty#for instance - recently aubreysmaturin made a pretty good case for it having been Wellard in the books#but if it's Wellard--then Horatio's gone down a path of 'I was his senior officer I was responsible to have stopped him I wanted Sawyer dea#so basically I am guilty' - because again that is what it is to be a Horatio Hornblower.#(in fact another clue pointing to Wellard is that the universe always seems to bend to keep Hornblower's hands clean#like that time he lied that the war was over only to later find out that in fact unbeknownst to him it was over.#he gets the thing he guiltily wanted and he gets it without actually doing the guilty thing and so no one will blame him#except his own conscience)#anyway that's the books. I don't think it was Wellard in the show#I'm not sure what I think happened in the show#but whatever it was Horatio *feels* responsible#I'm not saying that's *why* he let Doughty off but I think there's a kind of secret symmetry there#hornblower
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princessbrunette · 4 months
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i was thinking this more for rafe than jj but I feel like it could work for both...
I can't stop thinking about frat!rafe/jj forcing you to give him the notes from class everyday and then one day you tell him no unless he gives you smth 😵‍💫
-` ♡ ´-ಇ.₊˚⊹♡
oh this is hot because you can literally never tell if he’s bullying you or flirting with you? and the way he teeters on the edge of both is sadly just too addictive for you to shut him down fully.
he leans over to you in your seminar, backwards cap, colourful polo— the works. it was sickening really, you had no idea why you were attracted to him. okay, you had some idea. he was gorgeous, facially — and tall, strong, probably packing like crazy. he wasn’t the most obscure character in your life to be interested in, just out of your usual tastes.
“hey… you got the notes? i uh, didn’t have time to study.” he gapes at you fairly innocently, gum tucked beneath his back teeth. by didn’t have time, it’s obvious he meant didn’t even attempt to study.
you say nothing, sliding your pink notebook over with no arguments. maybe it was the natural submissive in you.
“shiiiiiit,” his lip quirks up in a smirk as he eyes the neat and tidy organisation of your pages. “you’re really locked into this shit, huh?” he whispers, and your eyes flicker to the professor, hoping he didn’t notice you slacking off.
“well i know you usually need notes so… i just make it presentable so you can actually read it.” you shrug, and it only hits you how pathetic it was until it’s left your mouth. his brows jump up, eyes meeting yours again and his mouth opens, still smiling.
“really?” he asks but it’s more of a statement. “well that’s uh, that’s real sweet of you. thank you. shit, what’s your name again?”
the moments gone.
he continues his usual routine of begging notes off you after that, and you do so without any complaint. it’s starting to get on your nerves though, not quite clicking in your brain that rafe cameron is actually, annoyingly very academically gifted. he could store knowledge like it was nothing, and never flunked a test. he asked you for your notes each seminar because he didn’t know how to talk to shy girls, but he wanted to talk to you.
you lose your patience with his carelessness towards the module you’re studying, and totally ignore him for once. it was hard, and you could feel his slightly irritated confusion from beside you— following you quickly out of the class at the end of it.
“hey, wait up. did i— did i do something i thought we had a thing goin’ with the notes? can you stop and talk to me?” he emphasises, stopping in his tracks when you turn around right in front of him.
“you know it’s not that fun being used.” you accuse, more firey than you intended.
“wh— used?” he lets free an infuriating chuckle, itching his nose, a nervous tick unbeknownst to you.
“yeah. you come to the seminar each week unprepared and i have to do all of the work for the both of us for nothing in return.” you huff petulantly and unexpectedly his heart skips a beat, actually liking this riled up side to you. poor thing just wanted attention.
“well,” he scoffs wordlessly, looking around with his arms up. “i’m sorry, okay? what— here, what do you want from me? i got you.” he steps up seriously, and god— you’re clearly thinking with your pussy because without a second thought your eyes briefly drop down. not just downward, but specifically on his crotch before guiltily up to his gaze once more. he smirks, eyes widening a touch. “oh, shit? alright then.” he chuckles and you feel yourself heat up.
“w—well, well wait i—”
“n’here i am, like an idiot, thinking you’re shy.” he steps closer, lowering his voice in the now mostly empty hallway outside of your seminar hall. “you know, i— i think i can work something out for you.”
it’s not the arrangement he was expecting with a shy girl like you. he had it planned in his head, just charm you enough until he runs into you outside of class and find his way into your panties, telling you that it was okay, and that he just wanted to thank you for helpin’ him out so much.
instead, he had you knocking on his dorm door, clearly having had a long day, which occurred around two to three times a week in these occurrences — telling him that you’re stressed, and if he’s gonna use you, you really — really needed to use him.
which is how you’d end up sucking him inside you, whining and practically crying as you fuck on him like a personalised dildo, letting him work the stress out of your body with large and coarse hands. he supposed it was true what they said in all those corny college movies, the nerds really are freakier.
-` ♡ ´-ಇ.₊˚⊹♡
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luveline · 9 months
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so! we were talking about hockey!sirius a couple days ago soooooooo
i would love to request hockey!sirius flirting with a reader who is not yet his girlfriend. (bonus points if he does the lighting her cigarettes for her like i would die actually)
thank you for requesting! —hockey player!sirius asks you on a date. 1k
"Hey, you." 
You squeeze your box of cigarettes but manage to keep your flinch to yourself. "Sirius, you're like a ghost," you complain, letting your bag fall back behind you. 
"A fit one, at least?" he asks. "I've caught you, haven't I?" 
You fish your box of cigarettes from your bag guiltily. "Don't tell my coach and I'll give you one." 
"Give me two and I'll let you borrow my clipper."
"A clipper," you drawl, drawing two cigarettes from the box to pass him. "I didn't think you were rich." 
"You know, my parents are loaded." 
You put a cigarette between your lips and shove the box down the depths of your bag, your dirty little secret hidden once again. Sirius knows because he's the only other idiot sportsman at your rink stupid enough to smoke at practice. "Weird brag." 
"Well," —he bobs his head from left to right gently, inhaling sharply as he lights the end of his cigarette, breathing through it, "it would be if I spoke to them." 
"Oh, shit. Sorry." 
"Don't be sorry," he says, his cigarette held carelessly between his lips as he ushers you forward. He's much more careful about you, holding your arm in a gentle hand as he lights the end of your cigarette, and nodding encouragingly when you inhale, his eyes a stony grey where they meet yours. "I brought it up." His hand coasts briefly up to your shoulder before he takes a step back. "I like telling you things." 
You lean against the wall and Sirius leans beside you. The outside of the rink is boring, a huge parking lot full of cars going in and out. Sirius' car, a dark cherry red oldsmobile with more scratches than paint, is parked not too far from where you're standing, a dent the size of a sledgehammer head in the driver's side that wasn't there before. "What happened to the vampmobile?" you ask. 
"James. I bet you never would've guessed," he says sarcastically.  
"I wouldn't have. He's a sweetheart. I'd be much more tempted to think you did it doing doughnuts on the industrial–" 
Sirius cuts you off, flicking the tip of his cigarette with a put upon attitude, "I don't do doughnuts. You think so little of me, sweetpea." 
He says sweetpea like you're the cutest thing on earth. You nudge him mildly and stub your cigarette out on top of the square black bin, half-smoked. "I better go home."
"Working tonight?" 
"No, I finally have a night off. Got a ton of stuff I need to do, but it shouldn't take long." You lift your arms into the air and stretch your sore shoulders, angled away from him to avoid giving him a show of the world's ugliest yawn.  
"Wanna get something to eat?" 
You hurt your jaw trying to stop your yawn midway through, arms falling flat to your thighs. Sirius isn't looking at you, gaze on the vamp mobile, smoke curling like a ribbon between his fingers. He has nicely shaped hands, very boney in the sharp way but still rather inviting, when you think about it. 
"Now?" you ask. 
"Tonight. If you want to, I'll take you out." He takes another drag, eyes flaring in time with the ash. "Don't act like you don't know," he says through the exhale. 
"Know what, Black?" you ask. 
"That I'm mad for you." 
You're suddenly and deeply aware of how you look, a mess after practice, hair straggled from its styling, face without any make up. There's nothing wrong with the way you look, but when you picture someone on Sirius' arm, it's never you. You fiddle with your jacket zipper, voice low, "I didn't know that." 
"I don't believe you." He's not accusatory, simply stating a fact. Sirius stubs his cigarette out next to yours, black hair ruffled in the wind, the scent of him adrift. He smells like smoke, of course, but there's a nicer woodiness beneath it. "I'll take the way you're looking at me as a solid maybe. You can text me." 
"No, I mean. Yeah. I mean–" You stammer as Sirius laughs warmly. "I'll text you. If you really are mad for me." 
"Want me to prove it?" he asks. 
Your lips part of their own accord. You look like a deer-in-the-headlights for sure, completely stopped by the implication. Even the thought of a kiss from his has your pulse capering hard. His hands cold from the rink pressed gently to the warmer stretch of your collar, slipping into the hemline, curling behind your neck as he steps close. You can't summon the kiss itself, too close to bursting, because what would you do? Where would you put your hands? Is there a specific place? 
"Don't look so nervous," he murmurs, his eyebrows pinching ever so slightly together. "I'm not gonna jump you." 
"It's not like that, I just don't know…" 
"About us?" he asks. "That's why I'm trying to ask you on a date. You can make your mind up about us and I'll help you bulk for sectionals."
"I don't need bulking," you say. 
He laughs. "No, you're perfect. Beside your bad habit, that is. We have that in common." Sirius steps forward, pauses. "Can I kiss your cheek?" 
His asking is the last straw. You're melted like a slush curl. 
"Yeah," you say weakly. 
Sirius kisses your cheek gently, and then he tucks his face against the side of your head and gives you a hug. "Text me, yeah? If you want." He peels back to grin at you. "I have to go back in. Elite league won't win itself. Talk to you later, doll."
You watch him retreat back into the centre, not sure what you want to do first; text him, or smoke another cigarette. In the end, you decide against the cigarette. If he's really going to prove how mad he is for you, you don't want to taste like smoke. 
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nunalastor · 2 months
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What if Alastor got a pet cat
The cat died and (because we don't know what actually sends people to hell or heaven) it got send to hell without a known reason.
It's just some cat and legit terrified so Charlie adopts it immediately and tried to comfort it
Despite cleaning it, getting it toys, petting it, singing to it, letting it allow touch at its own pace, it favours Alastor
It still stays around the others but once Alastor enters the room it runs towards him trying to get his attention, so much so over its 8 months in the hotel that it's grown a sense that detects when Alastor is nearby or about to pop in
Charlie is happy (and jealous) the cat found someone it were comfortable with, Vaggie is concerned for its wellbeing around Alastor, Husker guiltily is invested in how Alastor reacts to the cat, Angel is glad his own pet (idk name soz T-T) has a friend now (and they do play alot they get along so well), Nifty keeps thinking it's a rodent but leaves it alone cus it's much nicer to her than all the other rodents, Sir Pentious gets worries the cat will scratch his hood/hair thing but after the first time it's learnt not to touch that and just rubs him
Alastor is trying to ignore the cat but he was human once. He cannot deny the healing powers of cat purrs
Meanwhile Lucifer is SEETHING that the cat likes Alastor the most and keeps trying to make elaborate cat toys to make it favour him or Charlie or ANYONE else in the hotel instead
On the other side Vox wants to recruit the cat to mess with Alastor but lo and behold Al trained it to hate Vox so the cat actively attacks and harasses Vox and will piss on him if possible and Vox knows if he even damaged a hair on it every member of the hotel will make quicker work of him than the extermination ever could, his status and power as a Vee and Overlord be fucked
I hope you enjoyed this fanfiction I wrote for you lol
👀
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lotus-pear · 2 months
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Can we stop acting like dazai was the devil. Like yes he did bad things but he was a child. He was 15 alone and in the mafia where althe was told to do was bad things. ALL dazai knew how to do is lie and deceive because it what he's always had to do.it's self preservation. Like??? When will people realize dazai wasn't a monster and was justa child brought up in an Unsafe and abusive environment. Behaviors are learned your aren't born with them. Dazai was a suicidal child just trying to survive all'he knew was manipulation and Iying because that's all he was taught. He abused akutagawa because that's all he was taught. And as he got older it's all he knows how to do. Obviously he's gotten better but he's still morally grey. And that's ok but it's not enough to call him a monster. hes trying so so hard to change, and even if he may not realise it or cling guiltily to his past, the entire prison arc shows how much effort hes put in to become a better person it isnt easy, growing up exposed to death/violence resulting in empathy and apathy issues, all while battling an emptiness inside thats slowly eating up ones will to live. hes genuinely trying to recover from that period of his life, and i cannot express how proud i am solely because of that. hes finally found a healthy environment, a family, and he deserves it along with so much more. he may be deemed as a “monster“ in the past, that cannot be erased, but he hates that part about himself too. being in the good or bad used to make no difference to him, but i strongly believe it does hate that part of him.  Dazai slander are fún and everything - BUT people seem to not get his character right. No, he's not an edgy boy. He genuinely wants to change for the best to make Oda proud, 'BUT HE ABUSED AKUTAGAWA’ , yeah, Akutagawa abused Kyoka and nobody is talking about how its litterally GENERATIONAL TRAUMA. Dazal was never raised correctly, he got raised by Mori and used by him to make him his right hand, maybe because of his ability, or he saw potential in him. He never fell parental Love nor being special to Someone except for Oda. "He LEFT Chuuya!!!“ ok and? Chuuya doesn't need him to live: Dazai LITTERALLY SAW PEOPLE GETTING KILLED/KILLING THEM ON THE DAILEY (AND HE WITNISSED ODAS DEATH - THE ONLY PERSON THAT MADE HIM WANT TO CHANGE.) his eyes at the age of 14, and Mori made him live in a shipping container. Obviously he is not gonna feel human after all this.
And about him and chuuya - the thing is they DO CARE ABOUT EACHOTHER. but nobody seems to care about chuuya other than the fact hes hot asf anf the fact that he is ’super mega gay for dazai 🥺🥺🥺’ because are we reading/watching the same series???? There’s SO MUCH to his character too!!!! But all everyone talks about with him is with dazai, chuuyas character is CRAZY WELL WRITTEN and everyone dumbs it down to ‘he’s an angry short boy with a god inside him and he’s mega gay for dazai and he’s also really hot’ like no - stfu he’s not actually super hot headed and it’s CANNON he’s usually pretty calm and collected. On the other side of the coin is that dazai DOES care about him - in Stormbringer ; Dazai literally willing gave Chuuya an option to either use corruption on Verlaine when he used his true form or to retreat and not do it, which gave a sense of Dazai giving Chuuya the choice to do what he wants without forcing him to, and the fact that when Chuuya used corruption, he was being injured badly to the point where Abahabaki was going to destroy Chuuya which FREAKED DAZAI OUT , and the fact that Dazai certainly believes that Chuuya is human shows that Dazai does care about Chuuya in certain ways without showing due to afraid of losing someone he cares about. and In age 15 Dazai, was willing to help Chuuya to find Abahabaki and defeat Rimbaud, along with stormbringer with him helping Chuuya to find out if he's human or not and to defeat Verlaine.
Ty for reading my rant 💞💞💞💞
i can't tell if this is attacking me or just a rant in general but anyway YESSSSS I 100% AGREE YOU ATE W THAT ANALYSIS BRIAR‼️‼️
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jadeee · 6 months
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Christmas with Dad!Nanami
was gonna wait to post this but i said 'ah, wth, why not 🤷🏾‍♀️'
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Had never hated Christmas or particularly favorited it... until you have your kid. Something about seeing their little face sparkle at the lights and sight of snow, whether real or fake, really gets to him.
Kento's not the biggest fan of the traditional family Christmas cards. He prefers to keep sentimental, off guard photos you captured to yourselves and maybe share with close family/friends. He has a picture he secretly took of you and your little one decorating the house. You were entertaining your child's theory about how the elves make sure pets behave too.
Definitely, lets your kid sit on his shoulders so they can put the star at the top of the tree. One year, your little one abandons all the previous steps and tugs on Kento's shirt begging him to let them go ahead and put the star up. Kento tries to explain that it's for last but he can't tell them no. When you come back to a tree with a star and three ornaments, he looks at you guiltily.
For someone who preaches about not spoiling your child, he does it every single year without fail. But it's in the most wholesome of ways. He'll stay up with them to wait for Santa, only to end up falling asleep right after they do. Of course, he bites the cookie first to leave proof Santa was there. One day he actually forgets and you manage to catch it as your kid walks into the kitchen so you take the biggest chomp and try to look innocent.
"SANTA CAME!" your little one bounced up and down then pointed at the plate. Kento's eyes went wide at the realization. He glanced up at you and you gave him a small nod as you chewed quietly.
His favorite part isn't the gifts sicne he picked those out months ago, but it's baking with your little one. He loves to break out the aprons along with the step stool so they can help him out.
In terms of gifts, he makes sure to buy practical things that'll last and won't end up stuffed in the closet somewhere. Your kid is appreciative nonetheless and always says "thank you" and gives you two the biggest hug.
"I got you something too." they hand you both an oddly shaped bundle of wrapping paper. You exchange a quick glance with your husband before unwrapping it.
"What is it, lovey?"
A giggle filled the room "Just open it, silly!"
Kento's eyes went wide as he held a seashell in his hand. You chuckled as you looked at buttons on a string.
"Is it a bracelet?"
Your child nodded and rambled about how they found the buttons under the couch then pieced it together with some string. "Lemme do it," little fingers tied the yarn around your wrist.
Kento watched with joy then turned the seashell over in his hand. "Little one, where did you find this?"
"It's from Santa!"
He wished he didn't entertain the childhood myth then but he simply he listened to them explain the odd gift.
"I got it so when you," they wiped their face which was flushed with excitement " when you're working and sad, you go like this" they pretended to hold something up to their ear then made a relaxed facial expression.
Kento smiled softly as tears stung the corners of his eyes. Your child noticed his face and frowned slightly "Do you like it?"
He hugged them "I love it, thank you." he could've burst when he felt those little arms clasp around his neck and the small "You're welcome, papa" that followed after.
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Author's Note: This would truly become his favorite holiday. I can see your kid getting excited for Christmas right after Thanksgiving and Kento being a bit restless from all the festivites but also excited. I think having a child would remind him of all the youth he experienced that was buried underneath the ugliness of his adulthood. It would soften. Domesticity would remind him of who he wanted to be, even if you two don't have children.
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kingluffy5 · 5 months
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GRRRRR IMAGINE TAILUNG ( from kungfu panda ) WITH a leopard reader who has a smaller body than him, LIKE IMAGINE WITH THE SIZE DIFFERENCE HOW NICE CUDDLING WOULD BEEEE
All right so obviously I have to change some things around in terms of story. In this Tai Lung when finding out he is not the Dragon Warrior decides to continue training at the Jade Palace as a master, he is considerably less violent but will still be sassy, and in this au he is actually good friends with Po. This one will be small do to a lack of specificity on what you want and nothing to really base off of.
Tai Lung x Leopard Reader (GN)
Tai Lung has been training for a while and Y/N just wants to cuddle
3rd Person P.O.V.
Sounds of kung fu could be heard from the pool of sacred tears as Master Tai Lung was training with the Dragon Warrior, Po.
“If that is all you can do Panda I just might claim the title of Dragon Warrior yet,” Tai Lung jokingly mocked as the two dueled.
“Don’t start thinking this fight is over just yet Tai Lung, KICK OF AWESOMENESS!!!!” Po yelled as he kicked at Tai Lung’s stomach.
“Po you know I can easily block that right?” Tai Lung said as he flips Po over him.
“Yeah but it gives me the chance to do this,” Po revealed as he stepped on Tai Lungs tail.
“AHH! Mother of - ”
“Tai Lung are you still training!” A voice yelled, one that is able to strike fear into the hearts of legendary warriors such as Tai Lung, Po, and even Master Shifu himself.
1st Person P.O.V.
Here I am walking all the way up to the pool of sacred tears when Tai Lung said he would be done training hours ago, after the recent attack on the Valley by Kai he started training more and more and it is like I barely see him any more. I get he wants to train to protect the people of the Valley but I still want him to come home before I go to sleep.
Once I get to the top of the mountain I see Po and Tai Lung shivering which is weird because even if we are this high up it is still pretty warm out.
“You promised to be home hours ago,” I angrily reminded my partner.
“I’m sorry dear you see we just lost track of time,” He said honestly and guiltily.
“Heroes of the Valley my butt you two would lose your heads without me and Shifu here to make sure you don’t overwork yourselves come,” The statement came from a place of care as me and Tai Lung were partners in every way, romantically, as well as in Kung Fu. While I do not train in the ancient art and am smaller than the likes of him and Po, and would likely easily lose most fights, I make sure Tai Lung takes care of himself.
“You’re right dear, let’s go home and rest,” He suggested.
— — —
We ate dinner in silence and were now in bed, also in silence.
“Are you still made at me Y/N?” He asked.
I growled in response, confirming his question.
“I’m sorry that we were training for so long, and I know it probably does not make up for it but we did genuinely lose track of time,” He apologized.
“But why do you have to train so much? I want you to be home more,” I asked.
“When Kai attacked I was almost powerless to stop him, I didn’t want to have that feeling of you not being safe anymore, I want to always be able to protect you,” He said.
I suddenly curl up into him and bury my face into his chest, “Just shut it you big lug,”
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love-toxin · 1 year
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“Don’t even look at me, I’m already thinking about Leon getting in on the process-“ BITCH SPILL
NOW
ok but......hear me out <33
(cws: fem!reader, established marriage + friendship, m/m/f threeway, friends to lovers, cuckholdry(?), pregnancy sex, breeding kink, teasing, facesitting, spit + cum = lube, leon's a boob guy, this is just filth trust me)
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So maybe Leon doesn't realize it until after Luis spills the beans that you're expecting. It's not until he sees you with that little curve of a bump in your belly that he thinks "How cute.....I kind of want that, too." and starts guiltily fantasizing about your baby being his. About you having a bump that he can fawn over and coo at, instead of having to watch Luis kiss your belly and touch it and manhandle you into his arms as he praises your newfound motherhood. It gets him so hard and he feels so ashamed of it he starts to distance himself from you, because far be it from him to ruin two friendships with people who actually like him.
And maybe you two notice this. You realize Leon's a lot clingier but he's also stepping away more often, and you clue in to what might be happening when Luis playfully teases bits of information out of him, like "So how do you feel about babies now, Leon? You gonna hurry it up so our kid has someone to play with?" spoken just sweetly enough that it has Leon struggling for an answer.
So you do the only rational thing in that situation: you invite him for an evening of board games and drinks (non-alcoholic for you of course) and when he sleeps over in your guest room as per usual, you and your sweetheart make things just a touch louder than usual when you fuck each other to sleep. The pillow gets taken out from behind the headboard so Leon can hear it squeak, can feel it thudding against the wall as Luis rails you like he hasn't already knocked you up good. You honestly get so lost in making a big show of it all that you genuinely lose your sense a little, and Luis gets a few deliciously sore scratches down his back as you grip him tight and beg him not to stop.
Leon's so observant, you knew he'd show up soon--just not so quietly, he would've scared the pants off Luis if he had any when he glanced over his shoulder and saw your friend standing in the room. Arms crossed over his buff chest, stare cold and stoic like you're in trouble, he's kind of scary....but that obvious bulge straining at his sleep pants proves that it's not annoyance but jealousy.
It's all kind of a blur when Luis acknowledges his presence, but doesn't even stop thrusting into you slowly--Leon's climbing into your bed in one moment and in the next he's been stripped bare, Luis' hand guiding his to rub your bump and an endless string of teasing spilling off his lips at how hot in the face he is. His palms are so warm and sweaty when he finally graces your belly, his touch almost possessive as he gets used to the feeling and sucks in a breath when he grazes the spot just below your breast.
"Maybe you can get the next one, eh?" Luis whispers into his ear, and Leon shudders both at the implication and the sight of you easing his hand higher to grope your tits properly. And he obeys like the good boy he is, using both hands to massage your chest and kneading the soft flesh like dough in a way that he doesn't even realize is so relaxing--having your boobs gain mass even so early in your pregnancy is pretty painful, and he seems to rub the right spots without even trying that makes that aching soreness a thing of the past.
And while he's distracted, Luis pulls himself away from that deliciously wet heat, and slides his fingers through your folds like a professional to get them as slick as he can--just so he can reach over and grab Leon's cock in his hand, your American hero grunting in response but not daring to let go of your tits once he's got them in his grasp. In fact, he latches his mouth on to one of them and gets in a taste while he can, all while your darling strokes him off with your own arousal and coats him from shaft to tip...with a little extra fondling involved, because c'mon, you can't blame him for getting in his licks where he can. Leon is gorgeous, and he's big enough that Luis feels the need to spit into his palm and add a little extra elbow grease to really make sure he's lubed up. All that twitching he gets out of it too definitely makes the kiss they share even hotter when Leon finally breaks his spit-slick mouth off of your boobs.
It's so cute when he finally shifts around to enter you, his thighs trembling the second Luis guides the tip towards your folds and pushes on him to part you around his swollen cock. Only now is he babbling those questions of "I-Is this okay?" and "I don't want to hurt you-" but they all get kissed off his mouth or straight up ignored, because both you and Luis moan much too loudly when Leon's sliding deeper and deeper into your guts. Earlier today you and your closest friend were exchanging jokes over a deck of cards, and mere hours later he's sweating and panting over your body as he fucks you with your husband watching. Not at all where you thought your friendship would go, but you're happy to see that you're not the only one satisfied with it.
"Luis," Leon moans in such a gentle way, yet grabs for your lover hard while he's sitting back to watch the show. Clearly he's not intent on letting him be a voyeur--he pulls the Spaniard close until he's practically pressed up against his back, and drags you down further on his cock until you're bucking and whining and leaking Luis' cum all over his thick shaft. "Watch me. Stop me if it hurts her."
He says as much, and Luis chuckles at his over-enthusiastic concern, but you can see from here that it's not the only reason he wanted him closer. With every tight thrust of his own hips, Leon rocks back to meet Luis'--and you can feel him getting even harder with your husband prodding him from behind, knocking up his pace even faster right up until Luis shifts forward with a groan and Leon halts, suddenly frozen and trembling with his eyes screwed shut.
"Oops," He chuckles into your friends ear, blowing on it softly to ease that tightness in his chest as he heaves for breath, slowly trying to relax himself enough to take it. "Just slipped in. You're a little too wet for me to resist, amor." He croons so mockingly, yet it only seems to turn Leon on more as he grinds those shaky hips into short, sharp thrusts inside you, each one propelled forward harder when Luis deigns to give him a buck that drags a pathetically high moan out of the agent's throat.
"Imagine a baby with his eyes, mija. Wouldn't that just be so cute?" He murmurs over Leon's shoulder, hands sliding up from their place on his hips to grope at his chest, darkly-coloured nipples lazily tweaked between his callused fingers like it's something he does every day. Neither man can take his eyes off your bump for too long though, Leon's literally drooling over it as saliva dribbles down his chin and splatters all over your soft, cute little belly.
"P-Promise me you'll give me a baby, Lee? After this one?" You mewl, holding up your pinky finger as an offering despite his hands being occupied with fondling your tits once again. "Hafta promise me. Say 'I wanna give you my baby', say it for me."
"I'm gonna breed you," He groans, eyes dark and lustful as he squeezes you hard enough for you to squeal. "You're gonna be a mom for me the second you pop."
"You're wild, Leon." Luis purrs over his shoulder, pecking a kiss to his neck that swiftly turns into a love bite suckled into the skin. "You can fuck my wife anytime. Right, sweetheart?"
"And my husband. Anytime." You giggle, though your adorable jubilance is soon cut off by a deeper moan as you start to hit your stride, fingers digging into the sheets below you before moving to brace against Leon's forearms. This time, when he spits, he dips his head to dribble it right on your clit and spares the thumb from his left hand to rub it right in, watching for the way your hips swivel in response so he knows just how to work his fingers into it.
"Princess likes her pussy eaten, too. Loves it. Let's try it when we're done, hm?" Luis' encouraging tone smoothes the thoughts away from your head, his voice blanketing your mind in nothing but a fuzzy haze that has you mindlessly humping every pair of hands and hips in your vicinity--you're just barely on the cusp of cumming, and a loopy grin splits your lips at the idea that Leon still doesn't know how hard you're gonna do it.
"Get on top of me, and I'll do it all damn night. Both of you."
"I-I'm heavy, Lee-"
"Don't care. I'll do it when you're full-term. You're never too heavy to sit this gorgeous pussy on my fucking face."
At that low, lusty growl of a compliment, Luis has finally met his match--you look on in awe as your husband cries out and frantically speeds up his pace, locks of dark hair sticking to his face with sweat as he pumps his last few ounces of energy into several deep, hard thrusts against Leon's backside that rock him into you and have you both crying out his name in a fit of pleasure that completely dominates your senses. Your hips jerk suddenly and he moans from his chest at how hard you're clamping down on him, but it doesn't stop his own thrusts until you're leaking and splashing him with jets of liquidy cum that totally soak him right down to his thighs. And from behind, Luis has his waist in a death grip as he spurts ropes upon ropes inside your friend, making him so slick he slides out with ease yet whines softly as his thoughts fizzle out and he mindlessly tries to push his sloppy cock back inside.
Stuck firmly in the middle, Leon's got nowhere else to go--when he cums, he drags you all the way down by the hips and forces his cock deep, pushing it snug and warm against your womb so he can spill into you relentlessly. It's as if Luis is cumming through him to add to the thick, creamy mess he leaves dripping out of your pussy, but pulling back and seeing that it's all him switches something in his brain that he had been desperate to keep locked away. Now that you've invited him into your marriage bed, however, it seems there's no better time to exercise it.
Before you can leak too much, Leon's sliding his hands under your hips and lifting you off the bed, shuffling back to lay down and incidentally splattering himself from thigh to chest with the cum he's left spilling out of you. But once he's lowered you quickly and comfortably on his face, mouth instantly sealed around the puffy lips of your cunt, there's no hurry at all and Leon blindly sucks away at the mess you three have made. And having been nudged aside, Luis clambers over Leon's body to reach his lap, eyes gentle and adoring as he watches your pretty, pregnant body writhe on the tip of his closest friend's skilled tongue.
"Oye--I don't think you can fit, caballero." He grins, reaching back to swipe up the cum between Leon's own thighs and rubbing his soaked fingers carefully inside himself. And just when he's managed to stretch himself open the smallest bit, one of those massive hands comes blindly groping down his chest, and upon reaching his hip Leon yanks it down and bucks his hips at the same time, spearing your husband so swiftly and suddenly that he braces himself against his chest in a fit of hot, stuttered gasps.
"A-And you thought it would be easy," You tease, taking hold of your husband's hands to lift him back up and kiss that dazed expression off his face.
"I think he's in my guts, mi amor--is he part horse? Dios mio-" Leon responds with another buck, this one harder and punctuated with a deep jab of his tongue into your spongy, gummy walls, and both of you are left whinging and moaning at his teasing but never quit riding him on either end. It's a different experience to rub your husband's sticky, half-soft cock while he grinds that impossibly tight ass against someone else--but with it being Leon, it feels as normal and safe as when you're doing it together. It feels right.
And as you clutch at your bump with one hand while the other clings tightly to your husband's, you let the rest of your weight sink down slowly to finally, completely relax, and both he and Leon look and feel so grateful for the gift. They both look at you like it's a blessing just to be in your presence, and to have that from two of your closest friends is just an indescribable feeling--maybe it's part of what makes this kind of intimacy feel so damn good, even while you're going through the early stages of what will certainly be a long pregnancy.
"You're going to be such a good papi," You whisper with a smile, nuzzling your nose into your husband's. "Both of you will, I know it." And from below, Leon pauses his fervent assault to lift you up and lave his tongue slowly over your clit--just enough that the warm, wet kiss he places on it lets you feel the curve of his grin against your skin before he goes right back to urging you into another hot, deep, spine-tingling orgasm.
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porcelainseashore · 5 months
Text
Teenage Headache Dreams (2)
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Series Masterlist
Pairing: High School! College! Leon Kennedy x Dancer! Fem! Reader
Summary: You’re a bored, but ambitious high school student who can’t wait to escape small town life and make it in the big city. You thought you had it all figured out, until you unwittingly befriend the resident golden boy, Leon. A series of events beginning from junior year to college until Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Warnings: 18+ Swearing, Recreational Drug Use, Eventual Smut, No (Y/N), Ambiguous/Open Ending
Content: High School AU, College AU, Pre-Resident Evil 2, Fluff, Romance, Cliche, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Lack of Communication
Author's Note: Cliché alert and mostly fluff in this chapter! There’s been a mini time skip, but I wanted to show that Reader x Leon became fast friends in the meantime and are relatively comfortable with each other. I made Leon a lot cheekier this round, but I feel like he uses mischief to mask his true feelings.
AO3 Link
Chapter 2: More Than Meets the Eye
The first couple of weeks of the new term had already flown by and managing your tight schedule of school work, actual work, dance and cheer practice left you with literally no time for anything else. Sighing as you yanked open your locker to retrieve your school books, a familiar figure popped up at your side, slouching against the metallic compartments with a loud thud.
Without even turning your head in its direction, you already knew who it was. “Hey, loser,” you called out, smiling inside.
“Hey, yourself,” came his gruff reply.
As you finally faced the culprit, you and Leon laughed at each other’s greetings.
“So, since it’s a Friday, wanna hang out and watch something tonight?”
Both of you had been almost inseparable until school started, and that’s when you guiltily kept postponing your regular meetups in favor of working on your future goals.
“Uh… I don’t think I can.” You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly. “I seriously need to get some studying time in and I have cheer practice after school.”
“What was that again?” He put a hand to his ear, listening for something non-existent and pausing for dramatic effect. “All I heard were excuses.”
“Hey-”
“Come on, relax.” Placing his hand on your shoulder, he gave it a tiny squeeze. “School’s only just started. You’re gonna burn out if you keep going like this.”
“Leon…” It came out a lot whinier than you intended.
His eyes widened as you caught a brief glimpse of something devilish in them. You knew it was too late to stop the bullshit that would come out of that filthy mouth any second now. 
“Mm, say it like that again.” Ah, there it is.
Groaning internally, you smacked his hand off your shoulder playfully. “Ugh, you know there’s no way-” 
You turned your head around, checking behind you before lowering your voice. “-I’ll ever get outta here, if I don’t push myself from the start.”
He straightened up a little as he considered your words. “You hate this place that much, huh?”
“You think?” It came out almost as a whisper.
“Shame,” he muttered. “Well, tell you what,” he glanced quickly to the side before looking back at you. “Since you’re so damn keen on this study session, we could do that and then grab some burgers after. Maybe even a movie. How’s that sound?” He puffed his chest and looked almost victorious, as though he knew it was an offer you couldn’t back out of.
Fuck Leon and his persistence. “Yeah, fine,” you grumbled as you shut your locker in defeat.
Once again, that smug grin flashed across his face. “Great, so uh, see you at 5?”
“Mm hm, library,” you nodded reluctantly.
“By the way, your girl gang is here,” he motioned with his head in the direction behind you. “Guess that’s my cue to leave.” Before you could respond, he had already walked ten paces away.
Nobody likes gossip. Ever since you had started hanging out with Leon, people talked and they assumed many things. How far the rumors reached, you didn’t know, but you didn’t want to ruin things between the two of you. You cursed small town gossip under your breath. This was probably one of the few genuine friendships you had, so you tried to keep things as lowkey as possible. Thankfully, Leon agreed to play along. For now.
You tightened your grip on your books as you spun around, plastering a bright smile across your face as you greeted your teammates, who were still sporting tans from their holidays and bubbly chatting with each other.
“Hey, babe,” Kayla, the cheer captain, moved in to give you a quick hug. You caught a whiff of her tropical-scented, coconut vanilla perfume. “So where did your boy run off to?” She winked, giving you a side smile. The other girls around her immediately broke out in hushed whispers.
There wasn’t anything malicious about her question. In fact, your teammates were nice enough, but they could be rather superficial and nosey. You tried to downplay it with a look of confusion in your eyes, shaking your head as you remarked, “He’s just a study partner, Kayla.”
Some giggles broke out and your ears burned. Great, they didn’t buy that a single bit. Defending yourself would just raise more suspicion, so you unhappily resigned yourself to the fact that you were probably doomed for the rest of the term.
“Yeah, whatever.” Kayla waved her hand dismissively. “Was about time anyway, and he’s quite the catch.” She licked her lips suggestively, but quickly added, “Not as good as mine though.” Of course, her obnoxious football boyfriend. You tried to hide your grimace. 
Flipping her shiny, raven-colored locks, she continued, “Still, very cute. I approve.”
Your mouth ran dry. Why couldn’t they just mind their own business? You swallowed your anger as you tried to change the subject. “Um, cheer practice at 3, right?”
She snickered, seeing right through your act. “Yeah, same as always.” She turned to leave, wiggling her fingers as a form of goodbye. “Oh, and you’re leading warm-ups today. Ciao, babe.”
You could hear audible groans coming from the rest of the team as they trudged off with Kayla. They definitely weren’t looking forward to your intense warm-up session, but to you, warmer bodies meant lesser injury risk and better preparation for stunts and routines. Pursing your lips at the less-than-ideal conversation you just had, you tried to shove it to the back of your mind as you hurried off to class.
━━━━━━━━━━━
As you flung open the double doors leading to the school’s indoor gym, you were greeted by the unfamiliar sight of another group you didn’t exactly recognize next to your cheer team. It seemed like Kayla was speaking to their coach, as she nodded a bit too enthusiastically - a nervous habit she displayed when she was irritated but didn’t want to show it. Slowly, you inched closer to listen in on their conversation.
“There must have been a double booking-”
“I’ll sort this out with the admin right now,” Kayla offered.
“It’s just going to eat into practice time. Anyway, this lot won’t need much space today. Functional training.” He sucked his teeth and gestured towards the group. That’s when you spotted Leon, sitting at the side with his arms across his lap, chatting merrily with another girl on his team.
Just my luck, you sighed, folding your arms as the coach continued, “I’m sure you girls won’t mind sharing?”
You saw Kayla clenching and unclenching her fists as she hesitantly agreed to the proposal. With that, she spun around and called out shrilly, “Ladies! We’ve gotta share the space. We’re taking this half.” She drew an imaginary line with her arms as if to stake her claim, before brushing past you seething, “They always think they can sideline us, like we’re not important.”
At this point, Leon made eye contact and waved over. The girl beside him suppressed a laugh and you weren’t sure whether she was embarrassed or making fun of you. Furrowing your brows, you gave a hasty, lopsided smile before heading over to your side of the gym, making a mental note to question Leon about that exchange later.
Wasting no time for further pleasantries, you proceeded to blast your high-energy mixtape on the cassette player as loudly as possible, secretly smirking as you heard the coach swear under his breath at the intrusion.
“Ok, everyone! Let’s get those heart rates up!” You hollered, running through the exercises as they copied you dutifully, breaking out in a sweat and panting furiously. 
Your eyes filtered through the crowd, checking for anything they could improve on, as you continued calling out prompts. “You can lift your legs higher than that!” Hm, that sounded rather… You ignored that prickly feeling at the back of your throat and continued, “Face up, not to the floor!”
When it came to the stretching section and the music toned down, you suddenly heard the unmistakable yell of a reprimand being given from the other end of the room. “Kennedy! You can stare at girls after training!”
Wait, what? Your head darted in the direction of the bellowing. Sure enough, you saw the coach glaring at Leon, who seemed pretty flustered as he denied the accusations with a feeble “I wasn’t!”, which was met with roars of laughter.
Really, Leon? Getting distracted by a bunch of cheerleaders? You were oblivious to what actually happened there and decided to pay no more attention to it. Instead, it was time to go through the routine and fortunately you were relatively decent at compartmentalizing.
“Alright, a few things I wanted to point out,” you began. “This part’s looking good, but it would start off even more amazing, if you frame your body like this.” Adjusting your shoulders with your arms slightly back, profile tilted a smidge upwards, you angled yourself in a semi-diagonal position, shifting your weight towards one leg as you lengthened the other for the prep stance. The other cheerleaders shuffled around, attempting to imitate what you showed.
Kayla motioned for you to demonstrate the full sequence before she took over and you obliged. “Ok, watch me.” You danced through the routine dynamically, hitting all the accents and flowing through the softer parts more sensually. Whipping your hair around as you transitioned from a body wave into a hip roll, you swung the pom poms above your head at the same time and trailed them across your body.
It all seemed to happen in a haze, but after coming out of the next spin, you somehow ended up holding a gaze with those same piercing blue eyes that had caused you so much trouble today. They widened and flickered, but didn’t break away for what felt like an eternity, until-
“Leon Scott Kennedy! I swear to god!”
Uh oh.
“You either train, or you can leave!”
Leon’s cheeks flushed bright red as he bit his lip, stammering, “Sorry coach, won’t happen again.”
You’d never seen Leon get this unnerved, which concerned you. He emanated a natural sense of confidence and was usually laid-back to the point where nothing could ruffle him. In any case, you were also sure as hell everyone heard and saw that commotion, especially since a number of students were now looking between him and you, mumbling to each other.
Nothing could beat the relief you felt when Kayla took over your position, as you stepped away from the center to join the rest of your team. Just when you thought you were in the clear, one of your teammates scooted over to you, whispering seductively in your ear, “Ooh he definitely enjoyed the show you put on.”
━━━━━━━━━━━
The minute practice ended, you bolted straight for the restroom, just so you didn’t have to deal with anyone else for the time being. Hiding in one of the cubicles for a good 10 minutes until you could hear the last footsteps trickle out of the hallway, you unlocked the door and stumbled over to the wash basin, splashing cold water on your face. Checking yourself one last time in the mirror to make sure you looked presentable, you inhaled a deep breath before exiting and making your way towards the library.
From afar, you could see Leon waiting patiently outside of it, as though he fully trusted that you would still show up after that little stunt he pulled earlier. Walking gingerly towards him, you cleared your throat.
“Oh, hey. So… what’re we studying today?” He asked casually, while browsing through his pile of books, as if nothing had happened.
“Math. Definitely Math,” you concluded, also pretending to ignore the white elephant in the room. “If that’s ok with you?”
“Sure, I suck at it. So why not?”
The study session went by rather sluggishly and uneventfully, with both of you going through equations after equations and figuring out the logic together. It was a wonder you could concentrate at all with the events of the day playing back in your mind like a broken record. 
You were thankful for Leon’s earlier suggestion of burgers when it was time to pack up to leave. He gave you a knowing smile when your stomach growled and you placed a hand over your belly instinctively, as you cast back a self-conscious glance. It seemed like he had thought of everything again, where you often had trouble remembering your own basic needs when you were lost in your schoolwork.
Both of you plopped down on the cushy, retro red seats opposite each other in a booth at the only diner in town, getting in your orders as quickly as possible. You suspected that he was just as famished as you, but trying his best not to show it. During the waiting time, the two of you caught up with and exchanged news on all the goings-on of the past weeks.
When your orders finally arrived, you snatched up your burger, devouring large chunks of it, while Leon looked on amused as he bit into his.
“Wuhhff?” You managed to cough out with your mouth stuffed with food.
Almost instantly, he mimicked your reaction, resulting in a fry being thrown in his direction, as he ducked to avoid it while snickering.
“Here, you got some sauce on your chin.” He reached out with a paper napkin, gently wiping it away, as his bright blue eyes bore into yours. That prickly sensation you felt earlier in the school gym started to bloom again, as you squeezed your eyes shut and cleared your throat. “Is it gone now?”
“Uh… y-yeah.” 
Fluttering your eyes open, you caught sight of him looking down at his plate, suddenly completely engrossed with his meal, as he chucked the used napkin to the side. You were quite certain you spotted a pink tinge dusting his cheeks while he slowly chewed his food.
The table grew silent as you muttered a quick, “Thanks.”
Giving it a few minutes before you attempted any form of conversation, you casually decided to bring up the topic you had both been avoiding till now.
“So…” you breathed, testing the waters.
“So…?” Leon questioned, raising an eyebrow, still munching the last bits of his burger.
“At the gym. What was that all about?” You picked at your fries nervously, as you felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through your body in anticipation of an answer.
“What do you mean?”
Ugh. He’s deflecting again. But you weren’t about to let this go so easily. “Don’t play dumb, Kennedy.”
Leon paused, and you could see the wheels turning in his head as he considered his words carefully. It only took a moment for his face to light up as if he hit the jackpot. “I got distracted, that’s all.” His signature smirk broke out across his lips, before adding, “By you.”
The boldness of his answer caught you by surprise, as you choked on your food. Patting your chest, you gulped down some water before sputtering, “Excuse me?”
All at once, he was back to his usual, composed self, as he remarked, “You dance really well. Can’t I admire that?”
“Um… y-yeah, I guess.” You weren’t sure how to respond. Coming from a background where dance teachers often gave you tough love and criticisms in an effort to spur you on, you never really learnt how to accept compliments.
“A ‘thanks’ would be nice.” 
Clenching your jaw, you wished you could wipe that stupid smirk off his face. Trying to approach it from a different angle, you blurted out, “But, people talk.”
Leaning back against his seat and placing his hands behind his head, Leon seemed unfazed. “So let them talk.” Noticing your frown, he continued, “What’s wrong if they think we’re dating? Am I really that bad to be with?” He mentioned it as if it was the most normal thing to say in conversation between two friends, and the worst thing was that you didn’t know how to counter that.
“No, you’re gre-,” you quickly corrected yourself. “I mean, you’re fine.” Sighing, you explained, “I just don’t want things to be awkward between us.”
His gaze softened as he reassured you, “It won’t, trust me.”
Since he was that calm about it, you decided not to pursue it any further. Maybe you were thinking too much into things. However, another question popped up in your mind. “Who was the girl you were speaking with back there?”
He propped himself up again, a little taken aback by the quick change of topic. “Oh, you mean Val? Yeah, we sometimes participate in relays together. She can be a real handful though.”
“She seemed to find me amusing,” you pointed out.
“Really? I didn’t notice,” he shrugged and scoffed down the remainder of his fries. You searched his eyes to detect if he was messing with you, but couldn’t find anything of the sort. “I told her about you.”
Well, that explains it. Crossing your arms, you prepared to release an earful until you were interrupted by the grinning idiot in front of you. “Do I even want to know-”
“I said…” He drifted off, taking his time to sip his soda, leaving you hanging on purpose. You subconsciously leaned in closer as your patience started to wear thin. He lowered his voice, presumably to utter something serious. “You’re the coolest kid I met over summer.”
“You’re such a dork!” You exclaimed, as you punched his arm lightly from across where you sat.
“Ouch! And here I am baring my soul to you.” He rubbed his arm melodramatically and feigned a hurt expression on his face, which only served to encourage you to taunt and play fight with him further.
Sometimes he could be so infuriating. But funnily enough, that was part of what drew you to him in the first place. 
━━━━━━━━━━━
It turned out that Leon had rented some VHS tapes from Blockbuster, so you had the choice of either heading to the local cinema for a late night screening or watching a movie from the comfort of his home. Naturally, you picked the latter. Going to the cinema together would seem too “date night”-like and you had endured more than enough gossip that day to last a lifetime.
You greeted his parents as they kindly let you and Leon hog the living room TV. Before heading upstairs to their bedroom, they gave a half-hearted reminder not to stay up too late, that they knew would go unheeded. They were friendly and way more relaxed than your parents, so much so you preferred hanging out at Leon’s place over yours.
After making some hot chocolate, you settled onto the couch as Leon popped the tape into the video player. Relaxing into the cozy atmosphere, you hugged the warm blanket he offered you and savored the steaming drink between your hands.
Unfortunately, the day’s events probably caught up to you, as your eyelids grew heavier as time went by and you were fighting a losing battle to keep them open. At some point, you must have drifted off to sleep and then accidentally used Leon as a makeshift pillow. He swallowed thickly, as you curled up beside him, resting your head against his shoulder and nuzzling his neck, completely unaware. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he was afraid he would wake you. Something made him instinctively wrap his arm around you, even though his mind was screaming to do the exact opposite. This is just gonna make things worse, he sighed, but he didn’t feel the urge to remove it and maybe he could get away without you knowing. So he let you sleep soundly until the credits ran.
“Hey.” He called out softly, as you stirred. “The movie’s over now.”
Blinking groggily, your vision was still blurry as you tried to make out where you were. You weren’t sure if you felt an arm around you or just the back of the couch, as you rubbed your eyes.
“You fell asleep,” he explained, as he let you go and tried to shift away from you as stealthily as possible, hoping you wouldn’t recall the previous position you were in.
“Hm?” You stretched your arms out, yawning lazily as you scratched your head. “Uh, what time is it?”
“Just past midnight.”
You jerked upwards, startled. “Shit, so late?” Your face swung in his direction. “You didn’t wake me?”
He bit his bottom lip, eyeing you apologetically. “You looked like you needed the rest. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
You buried your face into the bunched up blanket on top of your knees, groaning, “Ugh, my parents are going to kill me.”
That drew a faint laugh from him. “Don’t worry, I took care of it.”
You turned towards him with a puzzled look.
“I called them before-” he stopped himself abruptly, as you noticed him tense up.
“Before what?” You questioned out of confusion.
“Nothing.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and refused to meet your gaze.
You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to figure out if something out of the ordinary had happened. It started off as a vague recollection of falling asleep, maybe leaning against something and the smell of fresh citrus and musk… which smells exactly like- Oh god, no. Your stomach dropped. The realization that you had snuggled with Leon in your sleep dawned on you and your head was whirling.
At this point, Leon knew you had worked out what happened, so he did the only thing he could do in such a situation. “Man, you were heavy.” 
That snapped you out of it and earned him a slap to his chest. “It was a joke, jeez!” He raised both hands up in defense and quickly moved to a different topic, “Anyway, as I was saying, your parents told me to walk you home when you woke up.”
“Oh… thanks,” you shook your head and sighed. “Sorry to put you through the trouble.”
He waved it off. “It’s really no big deal. I’m just glad I finally got to hang out with you again.”
“Yeah, me too,” you admitted. “This was nice.”
As you got up from the couch to prepare to leave, it seemed like Leon had another idea. Grabbing your wrist, he coaxed, “And?”
You knew what he meant and nodded in agreement. “And… I promise I’ll make time for this in the future.” A random thought flashed across your mind as you grinned cheekily. You had to get him back after all his teasing. “How about…”
“I’m listening,” he mentioned with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
“...we meet for more study sessions?”
It was his turn to groan, as you giggled uncontrollably. “That’s such a cop-out!” He responded accusingly. 
Placing your hands on his shoulders and bending down to meet him at eye level, you pleaded, “Come on, we could do something fun after too?”
Rolling his eyes, he rebutted, “You’re kinda driving a hard bargain here.”
You weren’t ashamed to play dirty though, so you turned on the best doe eyes you could muster, and insisted, “Please?” You knew he was a lost cause now.
“Damn it, that’s not fair,” he grumbled, though he eventually gave in. “Ok fine, but only if fun’s a guarantee.”
“Deal.” With that, you took his hand in yours, giving it a firm handshake.
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leviathans-watching · 11 months
Text
what assumptions make
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day 1: fluff, misunderastandings
includes: lucifer & mammon
wc: .7k | rated g | m.list
a/n: monday's post for @ombrotherlylove2023!!
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Lucifer sighs in exhaustion, pulling his coat off. The meeting had gone way longer than he had expected, and after an already busy day, it had utterly wiped him out. At least now he’s home. And at least Diavolo recognized the toll he was placing upon him, giving him the next morning off, much to Lucifer’s relief. He really should still attend the meeting that’s scheduled, as it is his duty, but that’s something to think about tomorrow.
It’s quiet, which is unsurprising for the late hour. It’s late enough that his brothers are all probably settled into bed, and he wonders if they left him any leftovers. It was Mammon’s turn to cook so he at least knows the food will be edible, which, while good in terms of having to eat what was made, decreases the chances of there being any left for him to actually eat. He’ll look after he’s changed out of his day clothes, and maybe even showered. He should shower, but he’s just so tired. 
No, he needs to get the day’s grime off of him.
Moving quietly through the house and down the hall, Lucifer heads toward his room. Pausing outside the cracked door, Lucifer frowns. Hadn’t he left that closed? The sound of shuffling then grabs his attention and he strains his ears. Someone’s taken it upon themselves to invade his privacy and he has a good idea of the culprit. Normally, anger would swell up inside of him, but he’s just too tired…
Pushing open the door, Lucifer crosses his arms. It looks as if his suspicions are correct. “Mammon,” he says, and his brother jumps guiltily, pausing his apparent search of Lucifer’s dresser.
“Oh,” Mammon laughs nervously, “hey, Lucifer. How’s it goin’?” He’s in his pajamas, and Lucifer notes, almost absently, that the shirt he’s wearing is an old one of Beel’s. 
“Why are you in my room?” Lucifer asks, then holds up a hand. “Nevermind, I don’t want to hear your excuses. Just… put back whatever it is that you’ve taken and get out.” 
Mammon swallows. “I haven’t taken anything.” 
Yet, probably. It’s a good thing Lucifer got back when he did. 
“Right,” Lucifer snorts. Normally, he’d push harder than this, but he’s just too exhausted. He’ll do a thorough search of his belongings the next day. “But fine. Now, remove yourself from my space.” 
Mammon takes his cue and departs quickly, giving him one last look over his shoulder as he leaves. His eyes are filled with something unusual but Lucifer really can’t put in the effort to dissect it, instead readying himself for a shower. He’s got a building headache and hopes the warmth of the water will help keep it at bay. 
After mustering up the energy to wash himself after several minutes of just standing there, Lucifer turns the water off. He exits his bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, and flicks on the light in his room. His headache is worsening, and all he wants is to eat and then to fall into bed. But going to the kitchen sounds like a real pain, and he wishes he had something in his room. Maybe he should get a minifridge like some of his brothers had; that would certainly make things easier. 
But also give his brothers more chances to take things from him, unfortunately. 
Something on his dresser, where Mammon was, catches his attention. Lucifer moves closer. It seems to be a bottle of painkillers and a wrapped plate. Lucifer inspects it and finds three clumsily-shaped onigiris. If these were here and nothing obvious was missing…
Lucifer sighs as his chest fills with warmth. How wrongly he had pegged Mammon. 
In this one instance. 
Even though he was acting upon rightfully held suspicions, Lucifer feels bad. Mammon did this, acted with surprisingly good and kind intentions every once in a while, at the most unexpected of times. He had a way of knowing what Lucifer needed without him even having to say anything, something that served Lucifer well.
He’ll have to apologize properly in the morning. But for now, there’s no harm in indulging in Mammon’s care–taking the medication, eating the food, and then falling right into bed, falling asleep before his head even hits the pillow. 
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gintrinsic-writing · 3 months
Note
For the Unusual Fic-Specific Asks for Authors ask game – would you be interested in doing Perspective Flip for This World (is only gonna break your heart), chapter 1’s head trauma fic?? If you want a specific character I think Legend would be interesting, but honestly I’d love to see any character’s POV! (I love this fic so much I need to put in an actual decent comment for it asdfgh)
I'm notoriously slow at writing fiuhshsdfush sorry, but it's incomplete. I probably didn't get to the part you most wanted, but I work the rest of the week, then have to host family for 5 days, so I'm not going to have a chance to write again for a good bit. Hopefully this is still fun to read! I might be able to get to the rest when life slows down.
Based on this short fic.
--
“Four?” Legend questioned, wariness coloring his tone. “You good?”
“Yeah,” Four rasped. His fingers flexed around the hilt of the Four Sword over and over again. Even from across the field, it was easy to see that his breaths were too shallow. He licked his lips. “Wild, could I have more of that herbal water?” 
Wild’s ears drooped guiltily. “I’m sorry, but there’s not much left, and Warriors still hasn’t had any.”
Legend sent a sharp look to Warriors, cutting off the self-sacrificial bullshit before it could even begin with a well-timed frown. Warriors acted like he didn’t notice, but he pressed his lips together as he tied off the last of Time’s bandages. Drama queen.
“Right,” Four murmured. He handed his empty cup back, then tugged on his hair. His hand visibly trembled. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” 
Sky questioned Four about an injury, and several others joined in. Legend tuned them out, thumbing one of the heart rings as he watched Hyrule. The traveler swayed a little as he approached, and he sat down without an iota of grace. Sweat dampened both their arms as he leaned against Legend. It was uncomfortable; Legend didn’t consider moving.
“Don’t volunteer for watch tonight,” he murmured, rolling his eyes when Hyrule stuck out his tongue. 
"Don't tell me what to do, Leg."
“Bitch.”
“Worrywort.”
Before Legend could think of a comeback, he noticed Four beginning to pace. The grass nearly reached the smithy’s knees. 
“I’m not… me. I mean I am, but…” Four frowned. “I’m not just me. That’s the problem.” 
Hyrule crossed his legs where he sat. “You can tell us. We’ll do whatever we can to help.”  
Four’s eyes darted along the length of the Four Sword as if searching for something. “For you to understand, there’s something I need to…” He trailed off a sharp exhale. “I named myself for the Four Sword because—because drawing it gives me the ability to split into four separate versions of myself. Only… it’s not working now.”
“Like cloning?” Legend asked, thinking back on some of the oddities he’d come across on his quests. 
“No. They represent different parts of me. They’re my colors.” Four’s sudden smile was a fragile thing. “My sense of reason, my sentiment, my temper, my bravery. Obviously, it’s more complicated than that, but that’s the gist. And right now…” Once more, he touched the dried blood along his hairline. “I can’t hear them at all. I can’t split.”
“Split?” Legend mouthed, just as Sky asked, “Hear them? You normally hear voices?”
Well, that was concerning. Legend thumbed his heart ring again, glancing around at the others. Warriors was still in that eerie way of his, and Wild looked strangely mournful. At least the Old Man seemed to be resting well.
 “It’s not like that. I get… impressions. Influences,” Four answered timidly. 
“The voices influence you?” Warriors asked, and ah—there it was. That tone he used when he was truly worried and trying not to show it. Legend wondered if any of the others recognized it for what it was yet. “How often does that happen?”
Four twitched, then smiled again. “I’m probably explaining this poorly. The voices are me. They’re normal.”
Wariness returned to Legend’s gut, and he could feel Hyrule slowly tensing. He had a feeling things were about to get worse.
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gtzel · 5 days
Text
Without the Sun- a Nico Di Angelo GT Fanfiction
I. Undead Mice Bring Me Kit-Kats
First/previous/next
It's just a crush, how bad could it be? This was my mindset before everything went wrong. If you think this book will be some kind of sweet sappy romance novel, then by all means close it and go back to whatever you were doing before you decided to read it. Mine is a story that you probably don't want to read. Honestly I wouldn't even be writing it if it wasn't that i felt it was absolutely necessary to inform the young of my kind of the woes they will endure. You may be thinking "Oh please, you cant have it all that bad, your just a kid" and only the ladder would be correct. You see, I'm not just any kid, oh no, I'm worse, and I've gone through things I can guarantee that you've never even imagined. So turn back, look away, unless you want to go through the rollercoaster of emotions that is my life.
    My name is Nico Di Angelo, and this is the story of how I lived, when everyone I loved died. It all started about two weeks ago. The people previously living in my house decided to move out suddenly for no apparent reason.
    My mom later found out that they had been evicted which, basically means that they weren't paying to stay there anymore and had to be kicked out. I had asked my mom why we weren't evicted. You see, we don't technically pay to live in this house. In fact, the owners don't even know we exist. No, we aren't ghosts, though those also live here, we are Borrowers.
    Let me explain, we Borrowers are tiny people about as tall as your finger, we live in the walls and borrow things you won't miss. And yes, I already asked my mom if it was counted as stealing. The answer is no because its so small you won't even notice, so don't get petty.
    Anyway, I had been out playing with my sister Bianca while my mom was out gathering supplies. We were playing that we had seen the human kids playing when we heard the sound of a car rolling up the driveway.
    "Nico, we have to go" my sister whispered as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the nearby brush.
    "Wait Bianca, I want to see what it is." I said breaking from her grasp as I ran to see what was happening.
    I ran over to the corner of the massive house and peeked over the side to try and catch a glimpse of who was coming. A red '78 Camaro was parked in the driveway. There was an awful stench emitting from the car, like gasoline and burnt cigars. A fat man who honestly looked- and smelled- like someone who hadn't bathed in years, he had maybe three hairs on his head that were slicked to the side with globs of hair gel. I already didn't like him.
    "hey sally, you and the kid unpack while I get the guys over to play poker, and don't be loud!" The ugly man snarled as he lumbered into the house.
    after seeing the man, I dreaded what the others looked like, but to my surprise, the woman who emerged from the passengers side was actually really pretty. She had golden brown hair and eyes that sparkled with kindness. She reminded me a lot of my own mom, but bigger. For a human she actually seemed decent. Sally- I recall that was her name- walked to the trunk of the car and began to open it.
    Then the third began to emerge from the car, I had only caught a glimpse of his jet black hair when I was suddenly. Tugged back by my arm.
    "Nico, you cant just run for like that, what if someone saw you?" My big sisters panicked but stern expression made me drop my gaze.
    "Sorry, I was just curious" I muttered guiltily.
    "it's okay, but you have to be more careful next time." She looked back to where I had been "common, we need to get home before mom gets too worried" she said gesturing to the entrance near the sewage drain.
    We walked to the entrance and bianca went in first, but before I entered I looked back and gasped. There all the way on the other side of the house, peeking out from behind the corner wall, was a little boy. The human child had the most piercing sea green eyes, he looked about thirteen and his skin was a beautiful hue of olive. He was staring right at me, his eyes wide as saucers, and mouth agape in shock.
    Startled, I broke the gaze and quickly darted into the entrance. Bianca was not too far away from me and walking with her back to me. I shook my head and tried to act normal as I ran up to meet her, but I couldn't get that boys face out of my head.
    "What took you so long?" She inquired as I caught up with her out of breath.
    "Thought I-" I huffed "saw something" I took in a sharp breath "gods, why are you so fast?"
    My sister laughed "its only because your so little, don't worry, when your big like me you'll be the fastest borrower ever" she patted my head lightly ruffling my hair in the process.
    "even faster then you?" I asked eagerly, filled with a new desire to run.
    "maybe~" she said before yelling "tag!" And racing off.
    "hey that not fair" but all she did was keep running and giggling.
    Once I finally got home Bianca was sitting at our dinner table happily slurping up soup my mom had made. My mom was working in the kitchen and she smiled when she saw me.
    "Nico darling, could you pass me the Basel leave please?" She said, and her eyes crinkled in a warm comforting way when she smiled. I reached over to our pantry box and sorted through it until I found the Basel, then i handed it to my mom "Thank you dear, why don't you go join your sister at the table, your dinner will be ready soon"
    I walked over and sat down next to my sister "why'd you ditch elite that?" I scowled at her.
    "it was just a joke" she giggled "but I'm sorry or ditching you, I just wanted to show you that you're not faster then me yet" she smiled sweetly and I sighed in defeat.
    "it's okay,just don't do it again k?"
    "okay," she said.
    My mom brought the food to the table and sat down, we all ate together. And for that moment everything was perfect. After I went to bed though I just couldn't get those eyes out of my head, something about them. They were striking like they knew things, so many things, yet still so innocent.
    I tossed and turned for a few hours but just couldn't get to sleep. It had always been something I struggled with. Finally I gave up on sleep and walked out to get some fresh air. If I couldn't sleep i could at least practice.
    The night air was risk and chilly, but not uncomfortably so. I stood on the space between thee entrance of our house and the grass of the side yard. I exhaled a focused breath and held out my hand palm down and focused on the dark aura coming from the ground.
    Then it began to happen, a light rumbling coming from the ground. Small bones began to emerge and collect themselves together until they finally created a complete skeletal mouse, with glowing orbs where the eye sockets were.
    "Welcome Prince of Darkness, how can we serve your highness?" They both spoke in complete unison which, yeah I get it, a little creepy, but thats just my life.
    "I need you take me inside the house, I trust you know a way" I spoke with complete confidence. Now that I think about it, I was a freaky eleven year old, raising the dead and all. The mice nodded then let me mount one of their skeletal backs.
    We set off, the mice were quite happy to be able to run again. That's one thing I've found about the dead, they are usually pretty cool with helping you out as long as they get to be sort-of-alive again. Though there was this one guy who kept talking about getting revenge on some Di-noi-ssi-us guy, I didn't really understand him all that much so I just. Buried him again.
    We hadn't been going very far when I spotted my target, a Kit-Kat bar that had been dropped beneath the counter. I ordered the other undead mouse to carry it and they obliged, then we continued on. I really wanted to see that boy again when he couldn't see me. We searched around the whole house and finally found him in the room to the far right of the front door.
    The mice helped me get unto a nearby empty bookshelf that had been recently moved. I looked down to the corner of the rom where the boy's cot lay, with him sleeping in it. It's not stalking if it's for research right? I watched his relaxed breaths as he dreamed peacefully. I opened the kit-kat bar as quietly as i could and began munching on it as I observed the boy.
    In the moonlight his lips looked soft and his hair lightly brushed across his face. I sighed longingly, I wondered what it would be like to be his size, or even better, his friend. I began to zone out but snapped back to reality when I heard a sharp intake of breath from the human boy. I looked to see what he was looking at. Crap.
    One of the mice was skittering around not a foot away from his face. I observed as he carefully snatched up the undead mouse, and examined it as it crawled around his hand. He giggled quietly as he tiny mouse touched noses with him. The sound was like the freshness o a morning breeze. A quiet sigh escape my lips, he was perfect. I wished that I could be in the mouses place.
    "Hey there little guy" he spoke softly, and his voice was so beautiful. "Where'd you come from, and how are you moving?" The mouse didn't reply, simply sniffing his hands instead.
    I rested my hand behind me but froze when I heard a crinkle behind me.
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courtonfire · 2 years
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Wangxian friends to lovers 🥰 (this my first time posting here, sorry if the formatting turns out weird!)
Wei Ying has a habit of kissing his best friend, Lan Zhan’s, cheek all the time. Lan Zhan, who has been in love with him for years, is steadily dying inside, but has absolutely no intentions of stopping it.
And apparently he doesn’t have to, because Wei Ying has suddenly stopped on his own.
It’s been a couple days since they’ve seen each other, which usually means Lan Zhan gets double cheek kisses. But this time, he gets none.
Lan Zhan is at a loss. Wei Ying is acting normal otherwise. He doesn’t seem angry or upset or out of it - nothing to suggest a cause for this change. Lan Zhan, on the other hand, can barely focus on the conversation. He wants to ask, but he’s not sure how to do so without sounding desperate or giving his true feelings away.
Wei Ying, of course, notices.
“Lan Zhan, you’re so out of it today!” He cries with a pout.
Lan Zhan wants to deny it, but he has no clue what Wei Ying may have been talking about the past several minutes.
“Mn,” he admits guiltily. “My apologies, I have a lot on my mind today.”
Wei Ying gives him a complicated look, but quickly covers it with a smile. “Ah, that’s alright! I’m being selfish, talking so much about myself! Especially when I know you have some big news to share with me, right?” He wiggles his eyebrows and nudges Lan Zhan with his elbow. Lan Zhan is, once again, at a complete loss. He wracks his brain for any ‘big news’ he should share with Wei Ying, but the only things that come to mind are:
1. Confessing his love
2. Confessing his despair at having not received a cheek kiss
3. Both. None of which are things he would actually like to share right now. Or things Wei Ying would know and ask about so casually.
“I am not sure what you are referring to,” he says instead. His heart drops at the hurt that flashes across Wei Yings face. “Ah, really? Are you keeping so many things from me you don’t even know which one I might be talking about?”
“Wei Ying, I am sorry, I’m not -“
Wei Ying cuts him off with a loud, obviously fake, laugh.
“Haha, I’m just kidding! It’s fine, Lan zhan! No big deal!”
Lan Zhan opens his mouth to express that it is, in fact, a big deal if Wei Ying thinks he’s keeping so many secrets he can’t keep track, but Wei Ying doesn’t give him the chance. “I just don’t really get it, you know? I mean, it’s not like you two are keeping it a secret - he’s telling anyone with two ears that you are together - but it’s fine!!” He hurries to add, like anything he’s said makes any sense at all. “Wei Ying, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Who am I not keeping a secret with?”
Wei Ying’s raises his brows.
“Uh, your boyfriend? Who you’ve been seeing at least a week now?”
Lan Zhan blinks at him, dumbfounded. “My what?”
“Your boyfriend!” He repeats with an exaggerated eye roll. “Su she? Come on, Lan Zhan, how do you forget that?!”
Lan Zhan fights down a wave of nausea at the thought of dating Su She of all people. Where could Wei Ying have gotten that horrible idea? He holds eye contact with Wei Ying, determined to resolve the hurt he still sees there.
“Wei Ying, I have no idea how you got that idea, but I do not have a boyfriend. And if I did, it would absolutely not be Su She and you would be the first to know.”
“Oh,” Wei Ying says dumbly, irritation visibly draining from him.
“Mn.”
“But… I heard him! Su Sh’s been telling everyone you two are together!”
Lan Zhan narrows his eyes in distaste. “He is lying. I will have a word with him tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Wei Ying says again. Lan Zhan nods and leans back, giving him some space to process things.
After a couple more minutes of stunned silence, Lan Zhan decides to be brave.
“Wei Ying,” he calls, then stops. Wei Ying watches him expectantly. Lan Zhan takes a Deep breath and continues. “Does this, perhaps, have anything to do with why you have not kissed my cheek today?”
Wei Ying quickly looks away, but Lan Zhan can still make out the flush spreading across his cheeks. “W-well duh! Obviously i cant kiss your cheek if you’re dating someone! I didn’t want to ruin your relationship!”
“I see,” Lan Zhan says. “And now that you know I am not in a relationship…?”
Wei Ying squeaks and whirls to face him. “Lan Zhan! What are you suggesting, huh?”
“That I am owed a kiss on the cheek.”
Wei Ying does his best impression of a fire truck, color and wailing siren included. At a velocity close to the speed of light, he leans over to peck Lan Zhan’s cheek and returns to his spot on the couch, pointedly facing away. Ears feeling understandably warm, Lan Zhan reaches up to brush a finger along the spot Wei Ying kissed. A soft smile stretches across his face. He decides to push his luck.
“Is that all?”
Wei Ying jerks around, face twisted in disbelief. “You want more?!”
“You did accuse me of lying,” Lan Zhan points out. Wei Ying barks a laugh.
“Oh so that means you get two?”
“Mn.”
Wei Ying rolls his eyes, but he’s obviously fighting back a smile. “Aren’t you greedy today, Lan Zhan. Fine, two kisses! Only because I feel bad for believing you would keep something from me.”
“Don’t feel bad,” Lan Zhan rushes to say. “It was an understandable confusion.”
Wei Ying scoots closer, until their thighs are touching.
“Hm,” he disagrees. “I should not have doubted you. After all, my Lan zhan would never keep something from me, would he?”
Just his undying love, Lan Zhan thinks.
“Mn,” he says. Wei Ying sways closer, nosing along Lan Zhans jawline, effectively vanquishing every brain cell he had left.
“Of course he wouldn’t. My Lan Zhan is so good to me, isn’t he?”
Lan Zhan can only nod, wondering where all of Wei Yings shyness and embarrassment from earlier disappeared to. Wei Ying chuckles, his warm breath brushing along the ridges of his throat. Lan Zhan shivers.
“My Lan Zhan would never make promises he can’t keep, right?“
“Mn,” he tries to agree, but it comes out an embarrassing croak. Wei Ying chuckles again and mercilessly brushes his lips up to Lan Zhan’s ear. The touch is feather light, but it burns through Lan Zhan like a wildfire.
“So tell me, Lan Zhan, how you can promise I’ll be the first to know when you get in a relationship, hm? Wouldnt the other person know first?“
Lan Zhan freezes. No. No way Wei Ying picked up on that little subtlety. He’s probably just teasing him, but all Lan Zhan can think is that he knows, he knows, he knows -
“They would be the first,” he admits. He feels Wei Ying grin against him.
“Oh? Do you admit to making false promises then?”
Lan Zhan shakes his head lightly. He should say yes, tell Wei Ying to get on with it, tease him, something, anything, but apparently his heart is tired of hiding. It pounds against his ribs so hard its cries echo out through his mouth.
“I did not,” he denies. Wei Ying pulls back a touch, not enough for Lan Zhan to see his face, but enough to clear some of the fog from his brain.
“Are you playing with me? If they know first, then how can I know first?”
Lan Zhan tries to swallow down the words, but it’s no use.
“It’s possible because that person and you would be the same.”
Wei Ying jolts back as though he’s been physically shocked.
“I - what?”
Lan Zhan forces himself to face him head on. The words are already out there, he only needs to be brave enough to own them.
As he takes in Wei Yings face, he’s relieved to see he looks shocked and confused, but not disgusted. It’s a good start, at least. He draws on all his courage and discipline and forces himself to elaborate.
“If I were to enter a relationship, it could only be with you, Wei Ying.”
Wei Ying shakes his head - not a promising action, but it could mean anything.
“Lan Zhan, what are you saying?”
Lan Zhan takes a deep breath.
“I am in love with you, Wei Ying. I have been for some time now.”
The words hang in the sudden silence between them. His entire world narrows down to the complicated series of emotions flitting across Wei Yings face, desperately trying to catch and interpret each one. His heart races in his chest, simultaneously trying to run to and away from its fate. Wei Ying’s face settles into something Lan Zhan can’t read, then he looks away. Anxiety twists his insides. He narrowly holds himself back from prodding for a response of some kind, anything to relieve the suspense. His internal chaos comes to an abrupt stop when a quiet sob slices through the silence in the room.
Wei Ying is… crying?
Lan Zhan reaches a shaky hand towards his shoulder, but hesitates before touching him. He has no idea what kind of sobs these are, it would be better to proceed with caution, lest he make things worse. He lets his hand fall.
“Wei Ying?”
Wei Ying startles, like he forgot Lan Zhan was there, then rounds on him.
“Lan Zhan, you absolute fuddy-duddy!” He cries. “Do you have any idea how upset I’ve been the past few days?”
That is… not what Lan Zhan was expecting him to say. Bewildered, he shakes his head stiltedly. Wei Ying scoffs. “Of course you don’t! Listen, there I was, enjoying a pleasant walk between classes, thinking how i can’t wait to see my favorite person, my darling best friend, love of my life, when all of the sudden some guy I’ve never met - never even heard of -
Starts talking about his amazing, incredible, sexy ass boyfriend, LAN FUCKING ZHAN, right there in front of me!! Do you have any idea how upsetting that was?!”
Lan Zhan, who is only about 20% certain he is both awake and alive, shakes his head like an idiot. “I was distraught! Devastated! Shattered! Overcome with despair! Not only is my best friend and the man I love seeing someone else, but he didn’t even bother to TELL me about it!!”
“Wei Ying-“ Lan Zhan tries to cut in.
“I AM NOT FINISHED YET!”
Lan Zhan wisely shuts up. “After that, I had to avoid you for TWO days to pull myself back together - which you didn’t even notice! And now, here you are, telling me you’re still single, demanding cheek kisses and confessing your love?! That you’ve apparently felt for ‘a long time”? Just like that?!”
"Unbelievable," he huffs. Lan Zhan waits a few seconds to make sure he's done. When only the sound of Wei Ying's heavy breathing fills the room, he risks reaching for his hand. The second he makes contact, Wei Ying grabs onto him like it's a lifeline. Lan Zhan softens and gives it a comforting squeeze. There are many things to unpack from Wei Ying's rant but are two things from it that require immediate attention.
"Wei Ying, I am sorry for upsetting you. I should have told you sooner, but I was a coward. I thought you would not return my feelings and I would lose you completely."
Wei Ying slumps against his shoulder, still clutching his hand tightly.
"Of course I do, silly," he mumbles. "Why do you think I kiss your cheek all the time?"
Lan Zhan shrugs helplessly. "I thought they were friendship kisses."
Wei Ying sits up to give him a look. "'friendship kisses' Lan Zhan, really? I don't kiss my other friend's cheeks!"
"... best friendship kisses?" Lan Zhan tries, half-joking. It works. Wei Ying laughs lightly and returns to his shoulder.
They sit in comfortable quiet for a moment. "I love you too, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying says eventually. Lan Zhan's heart swoops. Wei Ying has confirmed his feelings multiple times now, but hearing him say it so directly is different.
"I kind of said it before," Wei Ying echoes his thoughts. "but I want to be clear on that."
Lan Zhan's feelings are too big to put into proper words, so he only hums and pulls him closer.
Wei Ying curls into his side, his warmth comforting and grounding.
"So what now?" he asks. "Are you my boyfriend?"
Lan Zhan smiles. "If you want to be."
Wei Ying tilts his head back to grin at him.
"Of course I do silly!"
Lan Zhan chuckles. "Then we are boyfriends. And you are the first to know."
Wei Ying throws his head back in a laugh. "As it should be!" His grin turns mischievous. "You know, being boyfriends comes with a lot more cheek kisses."
"Oh?"
"Mhm, and not only that," he leans closer until their breaths mingle, lips separated by a maddening couple inches. "It comes with mouth kisses too, if you want."
"I want," Lan Zhan growls and closes the distance to seal their lips together. It's a long time before they pull away again.
"I love you, boyfriend" Wei Ying whispers against his lips. Lan Zhan moves in for another peck.
"I love you too, boyfriend."
End 🥰
Epilogue:
Su She is informed of his non-existent relationship with Lan Zhan via stumbling on Wangxian making out in the very same place Wei Ying heard him lie
It is an effective tactic, especially when coupled with Wei Ying's possessive glare as Lan Zhan mauls his throat.
Thank you so much for reading!! I had fun writing this and I hope you all enjoyed it! I originally posted this on Twitter and I wanted to move it here as my first written post! Will probably clean it up for AO3 soon as well 🥰
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gingiekittycat · 7 months
Text
Stede wants to be a pirate. Ed never did.
OK I have been thinking about the end of season 2, and after the initial shock and grief of losing Izzy (*sniff, sniff*) I was thinking about the choice to end on Ed and Stede's supposed "happy ending" when there is going to be a season 3....
Conclusion: It's not a happy ending.
There is, I think, a fundamental disconnect between what Ed wants and what Stede wants. S2 ep 7 really drives this home, when Stede is enjoying his pirate notoriety and Ed is watching him from afar in his kitchen rags in the background. Stede wanted to be a pirate, and is finally living his best life; Ed never did, and he's finally fully realizing it.
I love that Ed left at the end of that episode. I love that he finally accepted that about himself, for himself, and not for anyone else. He didn't need Stede to run away with him. He didn't need anybody to run away with him, he needed no other excuse.
The fact that they're at the inn now, living out Ed's dream in the wake of Stede's budding infamy, does not bode well. It means, imo, that Stede put aside his dream to give Ed his. But I don't think pirating is out of Stede's system. I think it's going to call to him, the way it called to him in his domestic life with his wife. I think it's always going to keep calling to him. And I think that's going to rear it's ugly head in season 3. I think one of the things that made Stede fall in love with Ed was that Ed was his twin soul but ALSO a pirate; the pirate part is important. It's the reason he got spooked at the end of season 1; Ed shaved his beard. Ed wanted to run away and quit pirating forever. And Stede went back to his wife, and why? Because he thinks, guiltily, well hell, if I'm going to live a domestic life, I might as well do it with my wife and kids!
In this way, I think Stede and Izzy actually aren't all that different. They were both horrified by the change in Ed; the non-pirate Ed does not make sense to them. I would have loved for season 3 to play with this; I would have loved Stede continuing to pirate without Ed, and with Izzy as his first mate. I think that could have been so interesting, watching Izzy advise Stede, with the arc his character as gone through, with the traumatic history of his relationship with Blackbeard. I think we could have had a stronger arc for both of those characters, Izzy finally becoming a "good" advisor, and eventually, somehow, advising Stede right out of piracy.
And then Stede growing and changing and realizing that he doesn't want to actually be a pirate either. And THEN he goes back to Ed.
Anyway. I am so excited to see how David Jenkins plays with the storyline of the inn and these characters in S3. I still think we'll get some flavor of this conflict and dynamic. We shall see...
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xxrainshadowsxx · 1 month
Text
New Elite Chapter 7
“Alice, keep your voice down!” you growl at her, while glancing at your mother to see if she heard anything. She hasn’t exploded, so it was unlikely. One small miracle. You turn back to Alice to face the matter at hand.
“How did you find out?” you ask in a low whisper, causing Alice’s eyes to widen.
“So you are courting him,” she breathes. Damn her. You should’ve known better than to fall into one of her traps like that. “I knew there was something between the two of you,” she continues. “He had neither the eyes nor the patience for anyone else when you fainted. And when you were speaking to him outside, your body language was far too relaxed for being very nearly alone with a man you had only claimed to have met once before.”
You’re speechless when she pauses to draw breath. Her perception must have only sharpened while she was away. You yourself hadn’t even noticed some of the things she pointed out. Were you really that relaxed around him? You certainly didn’t feel that way.
“Oh, why did you not tell me?” Alice wails, causing you to wince and attempt to shush her again, but to very little avail. “A fine joke you’ve made of me! You let me go on and on about how I fancied him, while you were having a laugh behind my back.”
“Alice, it wasn’t like that at all,” you try to assure. “Please, quiet down. The only reason I said nothing is because I’ve told no one. It’s not a very public courtship, and we’d very much like to keep it that way. I had no intention of teasing you, I promise.”
Alice furrows her brow. “Oh, alright. If I can believe that of anyone, it would be you. You’ve never been malicious. But how in heaven’s name did you get your mother to agree to the courtship in the first place?”
You shift, guiltily, which is enough of an answer for Alice; she gasps and covers her mouth. “She doesn’t know?” she realizes. “You entered into a courtship without telling your mother? Your mother?! What on earth possessed you to do that?”
“We both knew she wouldn’t agree,” you start, but you’re once again interrupted by Alice. She puts her hand up to pause you, then calls for another drink. You stay silent until you’re relatively alone again. “If you want me to explain, you’ll have to actually let me talk,” you point out with a roll of your eyes.
“If I’m going to hear all the details about your salacious love affair, I need a drink,” Alice states boldly.
“There’s no love affair,” you groan. “I’m not in love with him. He chose me because he needs to marry into an established family, and I accepted simply because I do not need to be a perfect little housewife with no voice of her own to please him. He lets me speak my mind without holding my tongue, and I’ve found it refreshing. That is all.”
“That’s so boring!” Alice pouts, but before long she narrows her eyes at you. “You wouldn’t risk ruining your relationship with your mother just for someone who lets you speak however you want. There’s more to it. You absolutely fancy him, whether you realize it or not yet.”
“I most certainly do not,” you insist stubbornly. “But I can get along with him well enough, and I believe he’ll give me a good life. That’s all I could ask for.”
Alice just scoffs at you. “I don’t believe you for a minute,” she declares before glancing towards Mr. Onceler. He’s back into a corner of the room, and has resumed staring at you. She sighs in defeat. “Well, I concede to you. I doubt anything will sway his affections for you. I shan’t waste my time by pursuing him further.”
You let out a deep breath of relief. “Thank you Alice. Truly. But you mustn't tell anyone. This must stay quiet and away from my mother’s ears until we’re engaged,” you stress.
“Oh, you have nothing to worry about on that front. I can keep a secret,” she insists, but you’re still skeptical, and for good reason. Despite her assurances to the contrary, Alice was horrible at keeping secrets. If a thought entered her mind, it was almost certainly going to come out of her mouth.
“It looks as if we’re starting dinner,” Alice points out. “I guess that’s our cue to rejoin everyone else. And I shall see if I can’t find another handsome, rich man for myself.”
“Mr. Hunte is free,” you tell her under your breath as you thread your arm through hers and make your way over to the table where her parents and your mother have already taken seats. “It would be wonderful to not have to worry about him approaching my mother, and I’m sure your charms will be enough to endear him to you.”
“Sorry to make things more difficult for you, but he’s not my type,” Alice shrugs as you take your seats. “Call me vain, but I’d like to look at my husband. Sorry dear.”
“It’s alright,” you sigh. “It’s not your job to make my life easier, or to fix the consequences of my actions.” You keep your voice down since you’re now around others. Your table soon fills, with Mrs. Ryan and Thomas Hunte joining you, your mother, and the Eaton’s. You were hoping Mr. Onceler would join you as well, but he’s across the room from you, once again making powerful friends and associating with powerful men. That’s clearly where he thrives, and things probably won’t change once you’re married. You sigh briefly, then do your best to focus on the situation at hand.
Predictably, if not a bit disappointingly, your mother is doing her best to speak with Thomas Hunte as much as possible. You knew she wanted you to marry him, but it would never happen. And if you were being totally honest with yourself, the longer you thought about it, the more lucky you considered yourself. You’d always have to watch yourself with Thomas Hunte. With Mr. Onceler, not only were you given the gift of choice, you were also given the freedom to be true to yourself. He’d already seen you at your rudest and most uncouth, and he’d still chosen to be with you.
And yet, the hindrance of Thomas Hunte’s preference for you lingered. You didn’t know how to stop it without being rude to him, which would only be as a last resort. Despite not wanting to marry into the family, you absolutely did not want to make enemies of them either.
And yet, that might be inevitable. Even though Mrs. Ryan was doing her best to help you and keep his attention otherwise occupied, he made a considerable effort to engage you in conversation. You tried to end these conversations as quickly as you could, but there was only so much you could do with your mother sitting right there.
And when the music playing began to shift to something more lively, and as people got up to dance, you knew you were going to have to do something. You could see Mr. Onceler from the other side of the room begin to stand and make his way over to you. Mrs. Ryan could distract either Mr. Hunte or your mother. She couldn’t do both.
That left one option. “Alice!” you hiss in her ear, praying with everything in you that no one else would hear you. “I need you to distract my mother for a moment, please?”
“Why–” Alice looks up and sees Mr. Onceler heading in your direction. “Oh fine. But you owe me.”
You nod a hasty acceptance of her terms as Alice calls your mother and launches into a discussion about the latest fashions in Europe and how she and yourself could start the fashion in the States. It gives you just enough time to surreptitiously leave the table and meet Mr. Onceler halfway.
He doesn’t even bother to ask you the question. He simply takes your hand and escorts you out with the other couples dancing. Even as you get into hold and he starts waltzing with you, he stays silent, simply staring down into your eyes.
“Are you planning on keeping me to yourself for the rest of the night?” you tease. “I would think that would send a bit of a message if you do.”
“I’m fully aware of that,” he says. “Though if I had it my way, I would steal your full attention for this evening and all the rest that follow. As you might have surmised by now, I’m afraid I’m not fond of sharing. Jealousy may be a sin, but it’s one I haven’t yet been able to conquer.”
“Jealous of what, pray tell?” you question, enjoying the banter between you two for once. “My time? My attention? You cannot possibly claim to want all of either of those things of mine.”
“I can claim it, and I will,” he declares. “When I see you with other people, especially other men, I find I burn inside. I don’t quite understand it, but I do suppose I’ve never liked it when other people put their hands on my things.”
That statement makes you raise your eyebrow at him. “I’ll have you know that I’m not your property,” you sniff.
He curls his lip down at you, making you feel a lurch in your stomach that you don’t have a name for. “No, you aren’t my property. Not yet, anyway. Once you become my wife, you’ll find the whole world will view you as belonging to me.”
Your mouth twists at his words. You were very much aware of how the world still viewed women, despite the fact that women were starting to fight back. However, once you get over your initial ire, you notice something about the way he worded his statement. “The world may only ever see me as belonging to you,” you start cautiously, then continue when he doesn’t stop you. “But is that how you shall see me sir? Just another possession in your collection?”
“I tend to think living beings have a bit more autonomy than objects,” he replies, his eyes sparking. “And I would certainly never think of caging a pretty thing like you.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” you say immediately, not backing down. “You’ll have to do better than just calling me pretty to distract me from seeking the answer I want.”
He actually laughs out loud at that. “Ah, this is why I picked you,” he muses before looking directly at you. “Well, let me be clear then. No, I don’t see you as my possession, and that will not change upon our marriage.”
“Now, was that so hard?” you ask, flashing him a deceptively sweet smile. “For someone who claims to dislike mind games, you seem to me to be a liar in that regard.”
“I’m not,” he denies. “I don’t like the mind games society often plays on each other. You, on the other hand, are simply amusing to tease, and you can give it right back to me. This particular ‘game,’ as you call it, I get great enjoyment from.”
“And why is it that you delight in vexing me so?” you continue your barrage against him. “I would think, considering that we are going to be spending a great deal of time together, that you would want to find yourself with my good opinion of you.”
He raises his eyebrow at you. “‘A great deal of time?’ We’re going to be married. You can call it what it is. Unless of course, you’re afraid to acknowledge the truth.”
His words stun you; you hadn’t anticipated him coming back at you with that at all. But as you give it a little bit of thought, you’re forced to admit to yourself that he’s not entirely wrong. You wouldn’t say you were scared, but you definitely hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet. In your mind, of course, it was very simple; you had all but actually said yes to marrying him at this point. But knowing that, and absorbing the enormity of that decision, were two different things entirely.
“I’m not afraid of it,” you say softly. “I just don’t think it’s completely… sunk in. Understand, I have been told my whole life that my entire purpose is to find a husband and have a family. And now that it’s actually happening, the change is almost overwhelming.” You do your best to explain, but you aren’t happy with your own words. Your feelings about the situation seemed impossible to accurately describe.
“You and I are coming from opposite ideals imposed on us in our upbringing,” he notes, almost making you start. Other than getting annoyed when you brought up Atlanta, he had never said anything about his childhood. You pay close attention now, not wanting to miss a word.
“What were you taught?” you ask carefully. “I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with what education gentlemen receive.”
He lets out a short, barking laugh. “I don’t know what that’s like either,” he snorts. “You’ve pointed out several times that I am New Money, and that is more true than you could have imagined. Most families who make their money the way I have are part of the middle-class. My family is thoroughly lower than that, having to work since young childhood to even get food on the table.” His face darkens for a moment. “At least, most of us are working. My mother has never worked a day in her life, no matter how destitute we were, and I don’t think she ever intends to.”
“Does your father do all the work then?” you ask. But as soon as you mention the word ‘father,’ Mr. Onceler suddenly can’t meet your gaze, and the tips of his ears redden.
“No. My father died when I was young,” he mumbles, still unable to look you in the eye. You don’t understand why that comment would trigger an almost embarrassed response from him. Your own father had died when you were young as well, and you suspected early death was even more common in the working class.
“That’s something we have in common,” you murmur. “My father also died when I was small… leaving us with a mountain of debt and nothing but an old name that my mother pretends has more value than it actually does.”
“You’d be surprised at the importance of names,” he says, and interestingly enough, he still seems perfectly genuine, not a hint of sarcasm bleeding into his tone. “Of course, in this company names can open doors and create opportunities, but they’re more than that. They’re the first bit of identity we have to carve ourselves from.” As he’s speaking, you notice he has a faraway look in his eye, almost like he’s talking more to himself than to you. Intentional or not, he was revealing something huge about himself: who he was, and how he fit into this world, was of vital importance to him.
You allow him to stay lost in thought as long as he needs, and it’s not long before he snaps back to the here and now with a slight shake of his head. “Enough about that,” he mutters. “I think you were asking me what I was taught as a child? What education I had as a poor boy from Atlanta?” The smirk is back on his face now. He clearly wants you to think he’s debonair, without a care in the world. You’d play along for now, but you knew better. There was depth beneath the surface, and you fully intended to get him to open up to you, but only when the time was right. If you pushed too hard now, he might close himself off forever.
“Oh stop,” you tell him with a good-natured roll of your eyes. “I’m not attempting to look down on you for not being raised in the same society that I was. I’m simply trying to learn more about the man I am to marry. Do you not agree that our lives would be easier if we become, at the very least, friends?”
His eyes narrow ever so slightly, though he can’t stop a small curl of his lips, and you think you might have just impressed him with your wit. It certainly was nice to play with him at his own game. “I can’t fault you for wanting to know me better,” he starts slowly. “However, I must warn you, if you continue to insist on digging, you might not like what you find.” He leans closer to you, making your breath hitch for a moment. “I’m a difficult man to like.”
You take the smallest breath in order to steel yourself. You wanted to prove to him that you weren’t going to run. What was more, his words only inflamed your curiosity. The desire to know more about him was addictive. He was an enigma, one that you desperately wanted to solve, and you’d given up trying to understand why at this point.
You pull away from him so you can look him in the eyes. “And I’m a difficult woman to scare,” you say, your voice low. He meets your gaze and you hold steady, determined to not even blink. You will not break before he does.
A minute passes, and for that minute, even though you can vaguely hear the music and feel yourself moving along the floor, your world has been narrowed to the ocean of his eyes. Is he moving his face closer to you? You can count every one of the faint freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks…
But the minute passes, and he closes his eyes with a soft chuckle. “What’s so funny?” you ask him, a bit annoyed that the moment was over, and also annoyed at yourself for liking it so much.
“Nothing,” he murmurs. “I'm going to have to let other people enjoy the pleasure of your company soon though. I'm not looking forward to that.” As if on cue, the music comes to a slow stop, and you must go. It's too risky to spend any more time with him, although you don't relish the thought of finding a new partner either.
You carefully curtsey while he bows to you, before raising his head as you prepare to walk away. But before you can make it two paces, he grabs your hand and pulls you back.
“I can't pretend much longer,” he whispers, and you're shocked by the sudden desperation in his tone. “I don't even know if I can make it through this infernal evening. I know you agreed to a short courtship, but would you be terribly scandalized if we sped it up even further than we originally planned?”
You feel your eyes widen. He can't seriously be thinking… he couldn't possibly be about to propose now? In front of the entire peerage?
Your terror must be clear on your face, for he hastens to explain himself. “Not right now,” he clarifies. “But the next time I see you. I don't know if I have the capability to wait much longer than that.”
Your heart rate slows when you realize that the moment isn't quite upon you, then races again when you figure out how quickly it will come. You could ask him to wait, you're sure he would honor that decision, but do you really want that? Waiting only gave others the opportunity to figure you out for themselves. This way, at least you would have a small semblance of control over the storm that was surely coming.
Besides, what was the point in dragging this out further? You were already prepared to give your answer. Might as well do it as soon as possible and get it over with.
“Alright,” you whisper. All of the tension visibly leaves Mr. Onceler's body at that one word, and for once he doesn't even attempt to hide his delight and relief.
“Good,” he murmurs. “Good.” He glances around the room, specifically over your shoulder where you both knew your mother and Thomas Hunte sat. “Well, I suppose I have no more reason to take up more of your time tonight.” He bends to kiss the back of your hand. “Until I see you again,” he whispers.
“Until then,” you whisper back, and then finally he lets you go. And the second he does, you find yourself craving his presence yet again.
But you can't indulge in what you want. At least for the rest of the night, you must play the part of a girl who was unattached. Your only solace came from knowing that this would be the last time you'd be forced into this role you were coming to despise.
You don't know how you make it through the rest of the evening. It's a blurry haze to you. You vaguely recall more dancing, and definitely with Thomas Hunte at one point, but you couldn't remember any conversation or anything else. All you knew for sure was that, whenever you could risk it, you would sneak glances at Mr. Onceler. And every single one of those times, you found him looking back at you as well.
And as much as the change of fully moving on from your youth into an adult life, and all the responsibilities that came with it, terrified you, you couldn't help but yearn for the next time you would see him. It wasn't exactly the thought of getting engaged that you were so looking forward to, it was more of the fact that you just wanted to see him again. Despite everything, you were quickly growing to enjoy his company.
It was unnerving. You'd gone from a total indifference of him to ready to say yes to his impending proposal in just a couple months. And what was more, you'd been in complete control of the whole affair. The situation was as much your making as it was his.
But as the evening draws to a close, you can't find it in you to regret anything you'd done, even with your mother's wrath looming over you, getting progressively closer, you knew you could deal with it.
You glance at him one more time before you leave, a strange sense of calm coming over you. Next time you see him, he'll become your fiancé. And you could handle the storm with him at your side.
Next chapter's going to be a big one. I'll see you then.
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ckret2 · 10 months
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Looking at all the stuff you said in that recent reblog of yours and just nodding my head in so much agreement. Like, the Gravity Falls canon is so fun but if you (the royal you) poke at some of the more conspiratorial elements of it...it can SO very easily veer into 'Not Okay' territory, depending on how one approaches it in their fanworks.
Especially the fact that Bill is literally based off the triangle symbol that is often used to represent the Illuminati, and...well, there's a lot of Not Okay stuff tied to them that we don't have time to unpack.
It's just good to be VERY careful and find a balance between the borderline Not Okay stuff canon gives us and finding an approach that is...let's say CLOSER to okay. This is a long winded way of saying I agree with the stuff you said 👍
Yeah, especially with Mr. Illuminati-Face here, so many of the ideas that are very lightly brushed over duck so close to some really awful real-world ideas—but in most cases, what's actually presented in canon is so quickly passed by that like... it only really works because you don't think about it too hard. Wading any deeper into it is like walking into a minefield. (Here's the part where I guiltily confess that one of the lines that always gets a wheeze out of me is the super fleeting mention of "Ronald Reagan's masters," and I think the reason it always gets me is because it's SO blink-and-you'll-miss-it, combined with a heap of dark comedy "OH NOOO PLEASE DON'T HAVE HIM SAY THAT". But do I want to engage with that idea? God no.)
If you give serious credence to half the claims Bill makes or that are made about him (much less the things without him that get peppered in), then you're essentially saying that Gravity Falls is the kind of world with secret globe-spanning history-controlling government-running overlords that's being espoused by, most prominently, right wing q-anony antisemitic racists... and like, that's not the kind of world I want to celebrate and play around in. I don't want stories about the kind of world the worst conservative politician believes is real.
And all those more serious issues aside—just from a sheer characterization perspective, Bill is a goddamn liar. Mr. Illuminati-Face Overstuffed-Resume Dress-For-The-Job-You-Want. If all his big claims are treated like unadulterated truth, that ignores a lot of opportunities to say he was lying or distorting the truth in a way that makes him more interesting.
Read up on the actual real Illuminati that actually existed before their name got hamfistedly shoved into every gross conspiracy theory you can imagine, and they're just... such a not a big deal. It was like two dudes that used the mystique of LARPing as an ancient secret organization to dazzle a handful of people into reading a few mildly politically spicy pamphlets, and then got shut down. They didn't do anything but talk to each other about how important they were (they weren't) and wank off to their own sense of intellectual superiority.
I feel like that's a good metaphor for how to treat Bill Cipher's position in human history. The conspiracy theory talk has to be treated like self-congratulatory hot air. Yeah, he's like the Illuminati—in that, like the Illuminati, he wildly oversold his importance to the people he was trying to recruit, and his actual influence has been consequently overblown compared to the underwhelming truth. His face is everywhere, signifying nothing of any real importance. The echo of his historical bark is much worse than his historical bite.
If we're leaning into Bill's conspiracy theory vibes, then let's really lean into them: and the truth is most conspiracy theories, like Bill Cipher himself, are full of bullshit. He's a gold-foiled nothingburger.
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