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the-writer-arrived · 5 months

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Wedding Bells Underwater

Synopsis: after things have finally settled down in fontaine, wriothesley can finally fulfill the promise he made to avice and faissolle. watching their dream come true makes the duke think about his own future, one with you, he hopes.

Character: wriothesley.

Warnings: gn!reader; established relationship; spoilers for wriothesley's story quest.

A/N: i got so happy that they were included as a nice easter egg on wrio's birthday art 🥺

"...I'm sorry, you want me to do WHAT?"

"Help me organize Avice and Faissolle's wedding."

You stare dumbly at Wriothesley, the faint music coming from the gramophone the only sound in his office while you try to gather your thoughts. Has the workload finally taking its toll on him? Surely he knows that you have zero experience in organizing a wedding???

"It's nothing too complex like you're thinking. I just want you to act as a 'bridge' between the couple and me, since I have other matters regarding the Fortress and can't focus solely on them."

You make a 'ohhhh' expression, now understanding what is expected of you.

"Why didn't you say so from the very beggining?"

"Because I wanted to see what kind of face you'd make. And I must say, you never disappoint sweetheart."

Like the mature adult that you are, you decide to not say the snarky remark you thought and simply leave his office to look for the said couple.

(It's a lie, you stick out your tongue childishly and rushed out of the room before your lover considers cuffing you for disrespecting authority. Not that you would mind it that much).

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For someone who knew basically nothing about planning a wedding, you got into it pretty quickly... Maybe a bit too into it, if you were being honest.

The decorations, the location, the order of the events, the dress! Blame it on your perfectionist side, but really, after everything Avice and Faissolle went through in the Beret Society incident, they deserved a perfect wedding.

Even if it wasn't going to be a large scale event, due to all the limitations that comes with choosing the Fortress of Meropide as the venue and the couple's own wish for keeping it simple, there still was a lot of work to do. Knowing that, Wriothesley announced that those who help with the preparations would be awarded with double Credit Cupons. Suffice to say that you got all the workforce needed pretty quickly for the preparations to go smoothly.

After many meetings, headaches and shipment delays, you can now admire the results of yours, Wriothesley's and all the volunteers' hard work.

"Didn't know you had a secret talent for this. Ever considered changing careers?" The man beside you asks quietly while the bride and groom are giving their speech.

"Archons forbid! Do you have any idea how stressful that was? I have a newfound respect for professional wedding planners." You whisper back, remembering the way you basically passed out in bed the day before, all the stress and sleepless nights knocking you out.

Before he could say anything else, the spotlight shines above him and all the guests turn to look at your table.

"Your Grace, words are not enough to properly thank you for everything you've done for us. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here and be able to call Avice my wife." Faissolle's words falter, him and his bride trying hard to control the tears. Wriothesley smiles at them, raising his glass in appreciation for their words.

"Of course, we can't forget the one responsable for turning our ideas into reality." The spotlight is now shining on you as well and you feel your face warming at the sudden attention. "Thank you so much for creating such an incredible wedding for us, we'll never forget this day."

Everyone raises their glasses in a toast for the newlyweds, cheers running through the crowd of guests when the couple finishes their speech.

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"...A penny for your thoughts, Your Grace? Or does it require Credit Cupons as well?"

You nudge your lover's arm to get his attention, seeing his faraway look.

"Oh yes, at least 500 Credit Cupons for such information." He chuckles when you roll your eyes. A beat of silence falls and you wait patiently for him to continue, if he wishes to do so. "I was just thinking that, in all the years I've been in the Fortress, I've never imagined I'd one day have it decorated for a wedding, of all things."

Wriothesley's eyes run along the tables of guests, the other former members of the Beret Society and others who became friends with Faissolle and Avice, all smiling happily and having a good time. A peculiar sight to see when you remember this merry ceremony is taking place inside a prison.

His attention returns to you at the feeling of your hand slipping into his, fingers entwining themselves with his easily like two puzzle pieces.

"That means all of your hard work is bearing fruit. The Fortress of Meropide can also be a place of good memories and new beginnings. The proof of that is right in front of you."

The Duke knows you must have meant the event, but, to him, his good memories and new beginning are you, always have and hopefully always will be.

Throughout the process of organizing the wedding, Wriothesley had wondered what kind of ceremony you would wish for. A big and impressive one? Or maybe a more low-key one, with just your close friends and family? What kind of attire would you like to wear? From Chioriya Boutique, of course, nothing but the best for his darling in their special day.

"Everyone! I'm going to throw the bouquet now!" The bride announces, causing a buzz among the excited guests.

"So? Should we go too?" Your boyfriend asks with a smirk and a playful glint in his eyes.

"Why not? Since we're here, we might as well have the full experience!"

There's already a crowd gathered in front of Avice when you and Wriothesley decide to join them. You both don't really mind though, choosing to stay at the back and observe the enthusiasm of others.

One could think it's funny how excited someone could be at the chance of getting the bride's bouquet, a chance of getting married in the future. Or maybe, it's not about marriage at all, but actually for the idea of having a better future after their sentence time is fulfilled.

Or maybe it's all just a projection of the Duke's own feelings about this.

...Who knew a celebration like this would make him think about things he's never considered before?

He shakes his head to clear his mind. You both weren't there to try and catch the bouquet for real, so there's no need to think too deeply about it.

Unbeknownst to him, fate had other plans.

It all happens too fast. At one moment, you watch Avice throw the flowers high into the air; at the next, you feel someone bump into you from behind, causing you to stumble forward. Thanks to Wriothesley's quick reflexes, he manages to prevent your fall by wrapping a strong arm around your waist. And then, you find yourself staring at the bouquet that had landed right into your arms.

What in the world?!

"Ohhhh they caught it!"

"Man, I wanted that bouquet..."

"Does that mean we're going to hear news about the Duke's wedding soon?!"

"It's about time for His Grace to tie the knot!"

The comments, cheers and the sheer craziness of this unexpected twist makes you laugh, both in embarrasment and disbelief.

In amidst of all the excitement around you both, Wriothesley can't help but think that that must have been Celestia's sign for him to stop wasting time and go after the bright future that awaits him.

Now, what would be the best ring to buy for his future spouse?

thanks for reading <3 likes, reblogs and comments are very appreciated <3

heart divider made by @/cafekitsune

pink wriothesley banner (fluff) made by @/the-writer-arrived aka yours truly ;)

#blue.writes: genshin impact #blue.writes: wriothesley #blue.writes: fluff #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #wriothesley x reader

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reidslovely · 1 year

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being academic “rivals” with peter

rivals in quotes because you two obviously like each other but are choosing to hide behind witty banter till one of you builds up the courage to ask the other out

maybe you’re a total perfectionist and never really take breaks so you become really stressed out and finally reach a breaking point and peter is just like ‘baby :(’ and he just holds you + maybe takes somewhere to help you relax

I love this trope..because I am a perfectionist in my work. And though I have never really had an academic rival I do heavily relate to mirrorball by Taylor Swift. Anywho..I think this trope is so perfect for Pete! So picture this...

Riding the subway home from your last lecture of the day was the most exhausting experience. Your earbuds were shoved uncomfortably in your ears as you stared blankly out of the window watching the tiled walls of the subway speed by. Your professors voice grating against your ear drums, it was almost enough to make you cry.

It actually brought you to tears.

Finals were coming up, and not only were you competing with yourself and your need to be greater you were competing with Peter Parker.

Biochem genius, your academic rival, and your..boyfriend. It's a funny story, a long story but a fun story. Long story short, too many long nights in the lab working against each other turned into long nights working with each other and helping one another gain points against one another.

No matter how much you loved him, and his dumb little face you had to do better on your finals than he would. A very nice vacation was riding on it: if you got the better grade you two would break open your savings and head up to a cute little cabin you'd been wanting to stay at. If Peter got the better grade you were going to spend a week in Vegas..both were a great option but one was more peaceful and less overstimulating than the other. Your head dropped onto your hand for a moment staring at the dunks in front of you. Your eyes looked up at the lanky figure in front of you and Peter stared down, he was obviously picking up on something you weren't. The subway cart came to a jolting holt you scrambled to your feet, grabbing Peters hand as he led you both out of the cart and up the steps. He reached down slowly pulling the earbuds out of your ears.

"Enough of this, relax." Peter says kissing your head softly. He tucked the earphones into your pockets as you neared his apartment. You felt your gut sink, you knew that he had good intentions but it also felt like he wanted you to fail. Once in the apartment you sat on the couch cracking your book open finishing up rewriting your notes the lecture now playing outlaid from your phone. Everything sounded jumbled and like one big sentence, why was this not sticking what was wrong with you? Why couldn't you get your brain to work? "Baby, c'mere." Peter's body weight drops down over the back of the couch, kissing your cheek softly. "Enough you've prepared enough, no more of this. You're burning out." "I'm not.." You deny the tears already building up in your eyes. He climbs over the back of the couch pulling you between his legs. Pushing books off to the table, and turning the lecture off. "I'm backing out of the bet." He says. "It was stupid. I thought it would be fun but it's put to much on you, so here's what we are gonna do." He speaks softly rubbing patterns on your back. You look up at him, tears finally falling. "We are gonna take our final on Friday and on Saturday morning we are driving up to that cabin and you are not gonna lift a finger okay? No studying, no research work, no spider-man things. Just us. Okay? You just have to promise me one thing?"

"Mhm?" You ask wiping your tears away. "You just do your best and show up. Can we do that?" You nod your head slowly resting your head against his chest, he lowered his head kissing your forehead softly. "Besides, I was gonna let you win either way." He laughs, the vibration off his chest bouncing joy into yours causing you to smile.

#tasm peter parker x reader #tasm andrew garfield #tasm peter parker #tasm peter #tasm peter x reader #tasm peter smut #tasm!peter imagine #tasm!peter x reader #tasm!peter x y/n #tasm peter fluff #andrew garfield #andrew garfield x female reader #andrew garfield peter parker #andrew garfield x reader

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cattamouche · 9 months

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> my own interpretation of modern scara. ☄. *. ⋆

a/n: hello! I'm brand new here. writing on here has been something I've been wanting to do for a really long time so I finally created an account and put some thoughts together for my first post. it's not anything big, but it's something to get me started on here. hope u enjoy :')

✧ I know everyone likes him with an emo/goth style, but I think the elegant/pretty type of clothes he wears in game would translate over to real life quite well. Obviously he wouldn't wear the same exact clothes, but he would stick with a more elegant style rather than an emo one.

✧ He would definitely be the type of guy that has an extremely small amount of friends. I imagine him being very picky with the people he hangs out with, and despite him presenting himself as nicely as possible, his dismissive and uninterested attitude and personality would push most people away. It would be a miracle if anyone was willing to befriend him after that horrid first impression, but as long as he still has those close friends, he doesn't care about making new ones. He has a quality over quantity type of mindset for pretty much all things.

✧ Would take a while to get him to open up to you, but once you do break down those walls he's very sweet and caring. Loves his friends but is not good at showing it at all, gets embarrassed at the thought of outwardly showing his affection or appreciation for someone without the addition of a stupid remark. It's just not something he's used to, so serious affection would only be reserved for a potential partner- if he ever even managed to get to that point with someone anyway. It's hard for him, cut him some slack.

✧ As a student, I think he would take uni/college very seriously. He acts dismissive and uninterested in academics but he does put in a lot of work. You'll be miserable working with him in group projects because he'd be overly critical of your work and tell you to change things constantly, he's a perfectionist so putting up with him would be exhausting. He can be insufferable but by god will you get an A on your project. There's no way he's handing in a pile of shit with his name on it.

✧ In terms of hobbies and talents, I honestly think anything would suit him. I can imagine Ei being the type of parent to sign him up for any instrument lesson from an early age, piano, violin, chello, you name it, he has experience with a lot. Likes to play video games in his free time as well. I can't see him as the type of guy that's glued to his screen 24/7 but he's definitely spent a decent amount of his time on games. And his perfectionism doesn't just end at his studies, it applies to his hobbies too. He's the type of person that puts in a lot of effort to get all the achievements for his favorite games. Had various different consoles growing up. Has a preference for handhelds because he can take them anywhere and play a little something whenever he's bored.

✧ He's organized to a T. Of course, he does have those occasional days where his mental health is exceptionally bad, so that's the only time you'll see him a mess, and he gets extremely embarrassed about it. He cares a lot about his image, so anyone seeing him at his lowest would have to take the state they saw him in to the grave.

✧ He's a cat person. No one's surprised. He wouldn't have his own pets past those 2 goldfish he won at a fair when he was young, but when he sees strays on the street he will go out of his way to go to the nearest store and buy them some canned food. If he sees them often enough on his route, he will start carrying around little treats for them knowing he'll see them out and about. What do you mean going that specific direction is only slowing him down. No he's not going out of his way to see his little friends, it's a shortcut. You don't know what you're talking about.

Overall, in my eyes, he would just be a guy with a bit of spice. Someone that just has trouble making friends and keeping his attitude in check.

#english isnt my first language hey #the ending is kinda abrupt but idc #i love him #scaramouche x reader #modern scaramouche #modern scara #wanderer x reader #idrk what im supposed to be tagging this as tbh #scaramouche x you #scaramouche x y/n #? how do i get to my target audience bc this isnt even an x reader but like. this is the type of stuff u guys read right

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jebewonmorelike · 1 year

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Don’t Take Him For Granted

wc: 1.3k pronouns: none used; n/a-- reader is a boys planet trainee, but like... it's just pretend, ya know? you can pretend there aren't just boys there or whatever you like! warnings: maybe some swears; fluffy; ft. comedic stylings of kam, yedam, zihao and yujin summary: park hanbin's favorite trainee distracts him from overworking a very grateful LAW team ~bp masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ this was a request and i was so happy to make it! park hanbin was one of my top picks from the very beginning! what a talent. so much willpower in one boy-- it was amazing to watch. he will do incredible things; i have no doubt the star masters offered to take very good care of him!

"Ah-ah-ah-ah, 고개를 들어라," you hear as you crack the door open slightly to the LAW team's practice room. You watch as Yedam makes his way to the front of the formation, fumbling the choreography slightly as a nervous grin spreads across his face.

As the song finishes, you creak the door open a bit more-- Hanbin starting to address Yedam and the rest of his team sternly.

"Yedam, we've practiced this twenty-seven and a half times," the notorious perfectionist scolds. "So we'll practice it twenty-eight more until you get it right."

As the rest of the LAW team groans, you suddenly lose your grip on the door handle and watch in horror as it flies open unceremoniously to reveal you eavesdropping.

The whole team's eyes are on you immediately, including Park Hanbin's. The leader's demeanor completely shifts when he sees you, his lips pressing together in a sheepish smile at your presence.

"Hi, (Y/N)!" Hanbin greets, waving at you cutely. "Everybody take a nice break. You've all earned it!"

"Oh, thank god," Kamden mutters, collapsing to the ground as he attempts to catch his breath. "I love visits from (Y/N)."

"He's gonna kill us," Zihao whines, joining Kamden on the floor as he lays down like a starfish on his back. "I wish I hadn't knocked (Y/N) off our team. Worst mistake of my life."

You laugh awkwardly, stepping into the practice room fully and shutting the door behind you. “Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Yedam picks up his water bottle. “Please interrupt us at literally every hour of the day.”

Hanbin clasps his hands in front of his chin and bouncing up and down happily. “You weren’t interrupting! What’s up? What do you need?”

You walk towards him, his arm wrapping around you affectionately as you hand him the diagrams you’ve made of the formations of your mission song this week. “Can you tell me what you think of these transitions?”

“You want my opinion?” Hanbin asks, eyes wide with pleasant surprise. “Really?”

You laugh, nodding quickly. "Of course! Who else is more qualified than Park Hanbin?"

A grin spreads across his face slowly as he reluctantly turns his attention from your face to your formation papers. He sits down on the floor, tracing your directional arrows carefully with his fingers.

"How does Woongki get from this spot to this one?" He asks suddenly, pointing out the two very different positions on the stage.

"Okay, yeah, this one was one of the ones I was worried about. We had a pretty interesting transition, but it might still be too convoluted," you explain, standing up from where you've crouched beside him and demonstrating the move you'd choreographed.

Hanbin nods, brows furrowed in thought as you finish. "I like it, but I think it's just too far for him to travel-- especially on a bigger stage, you'll naturally be more spread out than you practiced."

You look over at the other members of the team, who are all sprawled out on the floor. You're pretty sure Yujin has fallen asleep. "I'm sorry for taking away from your practice time, guys."

Zihao sits up suddenly, waving his arms back and forth wildly. "PLEASE, KEEP TAKING AWAY FROM OUR PRACTICE TIME!"

"Seriously," Kamden agrees. "I can't feel my right leg."

Hanbin glares at the other boys before waving you back over and patting the floor beside him so you'll sit back down. He untucks the pencil from behind his ear and draws a new diagram underneath yours. Marking a couple directional arrows on the new formations, he taps the pencil lightly on the Woongki placemarker.

"If you have Woongki move up one more place in the previous formation, he'll be able to make his way up in a more stepladder-like fashion," Hanbin explains. "And it'll also look more pleasing to the audience's eye for it to fold out like this."

You nod thoughtfully, playing out the motions in your head before smiling up at him. "I get why people keep calling you a genius now."

Hanbin giggles, hands flying to cover his face in embarrassment.

"Ew," Yujin mutters with disgust, causing the other boys to glare at him in a warning.

"Do you want him to make us keep practicing!?" Yedam exclaims, before lowing his voice slightly. "He only ever lets us lie down like this when his favorite trainee is here. We need to keep (Y/N) in this room for as long as possible."

"We can hear everything you're saying, Yedam," Hanbin hisses before smiling at you, cheeks tinted crimson. "Everything else looks great to me! Thanks for trusting me to help you... Please come ask me for help any time you want."

You smile back shyly. "I will."

"WAIT!" Kamden exclaims desperately. "You're already here, I mean, don't you... don't you want to see what we've got so far?"

Your eyebrows raise in surprise. "Oh, uh--."

"Guys, don't be greedy. (Y/N) probably needs to get back to the Feel Special practice room," Hanbin answers, attempting to give you an out if you need one.

But the thought of returning to the Feel Special practice room makes you a bit sick to your stomach. You'd already told Woongki to go get lunch by himself for an hour so he didn't have a literal conniption.

"Um," you respond, "I can spare a few more minutes."

Hanbin's head tilts to the side, as he raises an eyebrow curiously. You had bonded with him over being very dedicated team leaders, so his concern is not misplaced. "How's it going in there?"

You sigh in defeat. "Don't ask."

He grimaces, reaching his hand out and hesitating momentarily before placing it comfortingly on your knee. "I believe in you."

"You guys are so cute," Zihao coos, nodding encouragingly at the other boys until they also join in the approving murmurings. "Really, just adorable."

"I think, and just hear me out here for a second," Yedam says, hands rubbing together like a cartoon villain, "(Y/N) should just switch to our team!"

"You're right, Yedam!" Hanbin agrees suddenly, grinning at him much too enthusiastically. "I assume you're willing to give up your spot then? Go on. Get your ass over to Feel Special!"

Yedam sighs sadly. "Why do you have to be like that?"

You can't help but laugh as you take note of the absolute exhaustion all over the boys' faces. You're well aware that Hanbin's been working them into their early graves, but they'll be glad he did when they make it to MCountdown. Not to mention, they get to look at Hanbin all day. Maybe you should take Yedam's spot...

You stand up now, dusting yourself off. "I guess I should probably stop running from my problems. If Woongki and I can't fix this as quickly as possible, I don't know what's gonna happen."

Hanbin stands up, too, pulling you into a hug and cradling the back of your head. "It's gonna be okay. If anyone can pull it off, it's you," he reassures. "And Woongki's okay sometimes, too."

You snort at his joke, pulling back and looking at the other boys. "You'll be grateful Hanbin worked you liked dogs at the end of the week. Don't take him for granted."

"Of course the one that's in love with him would say that," Kamden mumbles, rolling his eyes.

Hanbin clears his throat very loudly. "Okay, thanks for visiting!"

You laugh awkwardly, walking towards the door and pulling it open. "You should visit me next time!"

"He would love to!" Yujin calls as you shut the door behind you.

Pressing your ear to the door, you strain to hear the aftermath of your visit to the LAW practice room:

"So..." Kamden starts. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Chorus. Fifty times," you can hear Hanbin order, hitting play on the music as the room is filled with groans of exasperation and exhaustion. "Go."

"He's sooo cool," you gush as you walk back to your practice room, daydreaming about the next time you might see your favorite dance tyrant, Park Hanbin.

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skzdreamz · 1 year

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Need help?

MDNI! pairing: Jisung x fem!reader warnings: cursing, penetration, unprotected sex, creampie, word count: 1.8k+

Check out my other stories here!

Jisung was the topic of the school. he had this interesting attitude. he was always so nice to everyone. everyone knew who he was, but at the same time no one really knew him. you had always found him interesting and you hated yourself for it. you, the regular y/n, has a crush on the Jisung? well who didn't?

you are both majoring in music, which makes it even harder to push away the feelings you have for him. every time he sees you struggle, he immediately comes your way to help you out. you know it's just an act of kindness, but it still makes your heart flutter.

today was no different from other days. you're sitting in class, listening to music for inspiration. your whole class has to produce and write a song as an exam and you've never been more stressed in your life. and being the perfectionist that you are, doesn't make things easier for you. the deadline is in a couple of days and you just can't seem to figure out what's missing in your song.

you just know Jisung isn't having a hard time, since he's been producing for a long time. you really admire him for doing so. writing music? that's fine. producing music? not so much. your daily mental breakdowns over a song just weren't worth it. but of course your school assigned you the project to create a whole song, including producing your own beat.

"are you okay?" you are startled by the sudden voice breaking through your thoughts. you look up and see Jisung at your desk. your heart immediately starts beating faster just by seeing him. damn he's attractive. "y-yeah..." you shake your head "why? do I look that terrible?" you joke. "no you look really pretty actually, but you look kinda.. mad?" he chuckles. did THE Jisung just call me pretty?? you shake your head and manage to put on a fake smile, trying to assure him you're doing good.

"you can tell me you know? it looks like you're stressed?" he says now kneeling beside you and leaning his arms on your desk. your eyes fall down to his muscular arms and you have to stop yourself from staring too much. "it's just.. the assignment.." you sigh "I can't figure out what's missing.. how do you do that every time?" you say while face palming yourself. he gently grabs your wrist and pulls your hands away from your face. "do you need help?" he smiles assuringly.

you meet up at his house. you're pretty nervous since this is the first time you actually see him after school, but you keep in mind that he just wants to help you. he suggested helping you at his house since he has his own little set up and he can help you better that way. you're amazed by all the equipment he has and you can't wait to work on your song.

"well show me what you got already" he says as he takes a seat. you unpack your stuff from your bag and look for the file. he connects your laptop to his speakers and presses play. you didn't think much of it before, but being besides him and letting him listen to your song suddenly makes you really shy.

the song ends and you anxiously wait for his reaction. you're too scared to look him in the eyes, too afraid for his opinion. after a while he finally speaks. "I love it, but you do need to add something yes.. I just can't put my finger on it"

after trying all kinds of different instruments and him helping you with sound effects you finally finish your product. you clap excitedly and without thinking twice you jump into his arms, thanking him over and over again. he laughs whole heartedly and holds you tight. "no problem, just tell me when you need help next time okay? I'm right here" he hums into your hair.

you realize you've been hugging him for a bit too long and quickly remove yourself from his body. "now... I only need to record the lyrics and I'm good to go" you say. he smiles and nods. "I'm glad I could help, thank you for trusting me. you return the smile and sigh "yes I don't know what I would have done without you really"

he gives you a confused look before saying "you're almost done, why do you still seem upset?". he's right, you're almost done with your assignment, but your head still feels full. "it's just that I have a lot of things to do right now, but I can't seem to relieve the stress you know what I mean?" you sigh. "I can help you with that, you know?" he winks at you. you look at him confused before registering a smirk on his face. you don't know if it's just your mind wanting you to believe he's actually smirking at you, or if he really has in mind what you think he does.

"what do you mean by that?" you say. "I think you already know what I'm talking about honey" he says, his tone suddenly a lot deeper than before. you straighten your back in the chair and clear your throat, trying to look clueless, but at the same time wanting to relieve the ache that has started to form in between your legs. your little ministration doesn't go unnoticed by Jisung and he decides to take the first step by prying open your legs and kneeling in between them.

the urge to kiss him suddenly hitting you so hard you can't think straight anymore. he smiles innocently at you making it harder for you to look him in the eyes. you suddenly feel like a pervert for thinking he actually wants to do anything with you, but before you can finish that thought he starts rubbing his hands on your thighs.

"what are you thinking about pretty girl?" he says as his hands travel higher up your thighs, getting dangerously close to your core. "you, I'm thinking about you" your eyes going wide. did I just say that out loud? you feel your cheeks heating up from embarrassment and you try to hide your face with your hands, but he grabs your wrists before you can do so. "good to know baby"

you tilt your head in confusion. "come with me, let me relieve your stress for you" he says as he leads you away from his studio and into his bedroom. he turns on the light and leads you to his bed, laying you down. he hovers over you, face inches away form yours. he stops just before reaching your lips. "can I kiss you?" he whispers. you wonder how you got in this position, but you decide not to overthink too much and just let it happen.

"yes.. please" you say as you grab his face. he grins and places his soft lips on yours. the kiss is soft and loving, but soon turns into a passionate kiss. he pulls away and looks at you, lust evident in his eyes. you squirm under him tryingto buck your hips into his to relieve the ache. "patience baby, we have all night" he says as he stills your hips.

he begins kissing your neck, nudging your jaw with his nose to give himself more access. the contrast of his soft lips on your neck and the harsh bites he gives you now and then makes you a whimpering mess. you tangle your fingers in his hair and tug at the roots earning a low growl from him.

he discards your shirt, your bra, then your pants, and your panties, leaving kisses at every newly exposed patch of skin. you grow wetter and more impatient with each kiss. you grab his face and pull him up to your face again. "please, stop teasing.. I need you" you beg.

he doesn't say a word but immediately plunges two fingers into your cunt. "damn you're so wet already baby girl" he groans. he keeps up a steady pace with his fingers as he circles your clit with his thumb. the pleasure is so overwhelming you grab onto the sheets beneath you messing them up completely. moans and curses slipping past your lips occasionally.

"fuck I can't take this anymore I need to feel you" he says as he starts to undo his pants. you stop him abruptly and you see the concern in his eyes. "I'm sorry, am I going to fast?" he says as he strokes your cheek softly. you lean your face into his hand more and smile. "no that's not it, I want to do it for you" you say as you grab his belt.

you push his pants down his legs as well as his underwear. you tug on his shirt telling him to take his shirt off and he does so. you can't help but run the tips of your fingers along his chest and over his arms. you see goosebumps forming on his skin from your touch. he pushes you gently to lay you down on your back again and hovers over you.

he kisses you passionately as he guides his tip to your entrance. he guides his hips into yours and bottoms out completely. your eyes roll to the back of your head as he hits the gummy spot inside you. he gives you a little time to adjust before starting to thrust into you. his grithy cock is sliding through your velvet walls. the feeling of his length thrusting in and out of you, combined with his low moans in your ear makes you see stars. you feel your high creeping up on you as he keeps hitting your sensitive spot.

"Jisung.. fuck.. I'm close" you moan. "I know baby, I know.. be a good girl for me and hold on a bit longer yeah?" he says. sweat trickling down his temples and his perfectly styled hair now damp and clamped to his forehead. the pleasure taking over him and his face contorts as he keeps feeling you clench around his cock.

he sneaks a hand between your bodies and plays with you clit. "come on baby, cum for me, milk my cock" you're clenching uncontrollably around him by now and his words send you over the edge immediately. your eyes roll to the back of your head and your legs shake because of the intensity of your orgasm. hearing you moan and scream his name tips him over the edge as well. he comes with a string of curses leaving his mouth and shooting his warm load deep inside of you.

with a few more thrusts he pulls out and looks at your abused hole. you feel his cum dripping out of your cunt and he quickly collects it with his fingers, shoving it deep inside you again. you whince because of the overstimulation, but you're too tired to even care right now. he rubs your thighs, helping you calm down from the orgasm.

"well.. I think I should help you out more often"

taglist: @softyoogi @felixs-voice-makes-me-wanna @sillyrabbit76

#skz #stray kids #han jisung #han smut #jisung smut #han jisung smut #han imagines #jisung imagines #han jisung imagines #han fluff #stray kids fluff #stray kids smut #skz smut

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collegetennisoriginstory · 7 months

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I wanted to throw in my opinion on the Trans MC if you want it! Option 3 would be a lot of extra writing and coding, so I get that it wouldn't be a decision made lightly and it would be added pressure to get it right and it's a sensitive topic for sure. I will say that if you chose to go this route tho, it would make a huge difference and mean a lot to us. I'm a trans athlete, and the lack of representation can be really discouraging. It's time like these where we are receiving so much hate, especially when it comes to sports, that allies could really step up and make a difference. Reading can really open people's minds! It may be difficult and uncomfortable, and take extra work, but that's our everyday tbh. We out here living on hard mode 😂 that's just my thoughts on the matter but I will respect you and read your story either way. Much love 🏳️‍⚧️♥️

Hey! Thank you so much for sending this! This gets long, forgive my wordiness.

First off, I really feel your statement to the bone, the part about how allies could step up and make a difference, and how positive rep in media, games etc. is insanely important.

So many stories, TV shows, movies have shaped my experience of being queer and POC, and while some of them have been nice just so I could see someone like myself being represented, the ones that really made an impact are of course the ones where these identities were explored in a sensitive, thoughtful way. (When I watched Saving Face for the first time at 17, about a queer Chinese American doctor, I bawled my eyes out and dont think I've been the same since).

I would absolutely love if CT:OS/my IFs could do this for trans athletes too.

I've seen/heard so many worrying statements about trans athletes (both in real life and in the media)—and it makes me so sad.

Some that really get me really riled up are: The idea that a trans athlete's accomplishments mean nothing because they "have an unfair advantage" (or putting it down to "just hormones" or whatever instead of recognizing the hardwork, skill, and dedication behind EVERY successul athlete, trans or not). Or the idea that trans athletes shouldn't get to choose to be trans if they want to be athletes. Or the idea of policing trans athletes' bodies or forcing them to undergo surgery in order for them to be "valid"...

Well, FUCK THAT. FUCK those people.

If my IF can help celebrate trans athletes, and combat/shut down the really harmful (and ignorant) rhetoric out there? I'd love to do that.

But since I am not trans myself, it feels doubly, triply important that I wade really carefully here. I'd really need to spend time making sure I like and can stand behind what I'm putting out. I don't think it'd be responsible representation, otherwise!

I'm not really a perfectionist about my writing and that's how I make progress on my IFs while working a full time job. I'm more the... "slap shit tgt, get it out there, get feedback and edit if I feel like it" kind of writer. And I don't think I'd be able to finish CT:OS / Merry Crisis any other way. But when it comes to race, gender, and sexual identity? I really. Really. Wanna get things right.

(I rewrote that Rayyan convo about being a POC athlete with Deepal so many times haha and it was already marginally less scary, since I am a POC athlete.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I agree it's so goddamn important to have trans stories, and rep, especially in sports, where views are often so toxic and polarized.

But I don't think I know yet whether I see my IF being more a simple "yay, trans rep" kind of space or an actual deeper exploration of what it means to be a trans athlete. I was quite prepared to add the option to be trans (+ any accompanying scenes etc.) when I have the complete CT:OS 1st draft, but I was also toying with the idea of just putting something imperfect into the game earlier.

Faced with indecision, I've opted for: procrastination. I am still waffling, but it was helpful to hear what you guys think. Thank you so much for your message.

Lots of love, keep being awesome ❤️

#ct:os #college tennis: origin story #if #interactive fiction #asks

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sleepyconfusedpotato · 8 months

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Hi hi my friend, we don't know each other, but I saw you doing sketches of your followers' OCs here and it was... such a sweet act idk?? that I wanted to do something nice for you, too, so let me just gently put this Jade in your hands, it ain't much but it's honest work 🤲❤

In general I want to say that I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't fight with Ghost for her, I mean have you seen this sweet kind beautiful woman? I've seen too, she's wonderful

I also want to say thank you for the boys' tattoos?? And for tutorials on how to draw them?? You sure do a lot for this fandom, thank you

WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH????

The style, the warm colours, the textures???? I have never said nor typee this in my life, but I do want to eat this art, I am NOT Kidding!! Love this love this so so much!! Thank you aaaaaa ♡⁠(⁠˃͈⁠ ⁠દ⁠ ⁠˂͈⁠ ⁠༶⁠ ⁠)

The whole OC drawing thing is literally me just spending my weekend doing the things I love for the part of the fandom that I'm a part of, plus challenging myself. It's really fun and the results turned out great!

For the tattoos, I'm literally just obsessed, no other words to describe it 😭 My perfectionist ass needs to have an accurate depiction of the characters' tattoos so every one of my drawing can be legit and consistent, I think that's why I started to trace em.

I just share them here because I thought it'd help artists who has the same problem as me, and suprise surprise, almost every Ghost art with his sleeves exposed got my work of tracing there, and I'm the happiest clam in the world! ╰⁠(⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠´⁠꒳⁠`⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠⸝⁠)⁠╯

Again, thank you so much for this lovely art! ＼⁠(⁠^⁠o⁠^⁠)⁠／

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #call of duty oc #charlotte jade le jardin #sleepy answers #gifts from friends 🥔

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the-lady-with-horns · 9 months

Note

HIHIHI HEYYY LOVE UR WORKKK EEELKKKK DO U THINK U CAN DO HANTENGU CLONES X MERMAID READER(P.S. SHE SWITCH BACK TO HUMAN)

HANTENGU CLONES X MERMAID!READER

Warnings: Reader's gender is unknown, As the term ‘Mer-person’ exists..I was a bit too tired to due karaku's and Urogi's scenario, Sorry😭

Notes: damn, I'm getting a lot of Hantengu clones asks.. 😭❓BTW...TSYM!!

SEKIDO

He's absolutely enchanted by you, He loves your Merman/Mermaid/Mer-person tail and will spend hours cleaning your scales, As He is quite the perfectionist.

He wishes you Could get out of the water, But you forgot to tell him that you could..

“Y'know, I wish you could go on land..Tch, What am I talking about.. It's making me angry to even have these thoughts..” Sekido's eyebrows furrowed as you swam up to him, Placing your Hands on the sand as you lifted yourself up, Weren't you going to dry? Wouldnt that be bad? Your tail turned into legs. “ See? I have legs now. ” You pointed out the obvious as you swung them as you stumbled to get up as Sekido helped you stand better.

AIZETSU

Didn't realize at first that you were a Mermaid/Merman, and you Didn't exactly tell him..

Once he did find out, He went ‘ It must be so sorrowful to not go anywhere else ’ it wasn't bad at all, As there's interesting fishes.

You sat on a rock, Colored Mermaid/merman tail picking up water, You saw aizestu, Your love, Come to the beach excitedly, you jumped into the water, making a big splash, as you poked your head out the water. “ Aize, look what I can do! ” You exclaimed Happily, Your Fish tail turned into a pair of legs. “ You're... beautiful. ” Aizestu said, Memorized by your angelic Appearance.

KARAKU

He loves taking swims with you! It's very fun as your faster in the water!

Hugs you Everytime you poke your head out the water.

He's just really Affectionate towards you, He also loves helping you with your scales and tail.

He finds your Tail to be so Nice-looking..

UROGI

Kakaka, How fun, A Mer-person!

Urogi loves you a lot!! He doesn't want to get into the water, It'll mess up his fur..

I highly doubt the guy even bathes, But you like his Scent and every part about him as your kind of a fish So, You prolly smell bad too 💀

Stinky fish, Stinky bird guy, Best couple, Bad for the others Noses though...

The other clones are going to shove you in a tub and bathe you Becuase you smell like dead fish 💀

Other than that, He Also, Much like the others, Loves to take care of your tail as he sees it just as important as grooming his wings.

#aizetsu x you #hantengu clones #hantengu x reader #karaku x reader #karaku x you #sekido x reader #sekido x you #urogi x reader #urogi x you

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softie-rain · 2 months

Text

Like or Like Like

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow/Sejanus Plinth

Tags: possibly ooc - takes place two years before canon - coryo is weirdly nice - idk guys this is so lovesick and fluffy I'm not used to it

Summary: Having a crush on the handsome boy you share classes with has got to be the most embarrassing thing to happen to someone. Like, seriously: how do you hide it without failing? Or, Sejanus Plinth is caught staring at Coriolanus Snow during class.

Notes: inspired by the headcanon @incorrect-pipravi sent, which you can find here. Was supposed to be a small drabble and instead ended up 2k words (which is shorter than what I usually write anyway.)

Also damn I haven't posted my writing on tumblr since FOREVER it's been ages fr. So this is your reminder that other than bitching about coryo and sej I also write

you can read it on ao3 here

Sejanus kept staring at his reflection in the mirror, fixing his hair. He wasn’t one to usually care about his looks, as long as he looked decent enough to go out in public. But lately he felt like had to be at his best, even going as far as thinking of wearing his favorite sweatshirt (the blue one Coriolanus gave him for his fourteen birthday, he had been the only one to show up at the party he had organized), but the weather was definitely too hot for that one. Besides, the uniform was mandatory at the Academy.

“Sejanus, why are you still here? You have to hurry if you don’t want to be late!” His mother entered the room, looking at him with worry. Sejanus turned with an apologetic look.

“Don’t worry ma’. I’ll be fine.” He said. Mrs. Plinth nodded and walked over to him, patting him on his back.

“You look perfect, darling. I’m sure this secret girl you seem to like so much will adore you!”

“Ma’!” Sejanus heavily blushed, gently pushing his mother away in embarrassment. The old woman chuckled, smiling at her son.

“There’s no need to be ashamed of it. Everyone has their first crush at some point.” She said, trying to reassure her son. Sejanus wanted to laugh. Of course his mother didn’t know. There was no way she could have found out on her own, and he never said anything. She was convinced Sejanus was in love with a girl from the Academy, and he surely wasn’t going to be the one to break the news to her that said girl was actually Coriolanus Snow.

He wasn’t sure his ma’ would have minded actually. She thought Coriolanus was a good boy, and even his father appreciated him. Yet Sejanus had never told them the truth, and he wasn’t going to. Whether out of shame, or fear, it didn’t matter.

Sejanus shook his head, ignoring his mother’s comment. “I better get going now or, as you said, I’m going to be late. See you later ma’.” He said, waving at her as he walked out of the apartment.

After the short drive to the Academy he ran up the stairs rushing to get to class, even if there was no need to. They had assigned seats, he knew he'd end up sitting next to Coriolanus either way. But he also wanted to chat before class started, and Coryo always seemed to arrive awfully early, for some unknown reason.

When he finally got in the room he smiled upon noticing the curly haired boy with his head down in the textbook, probably revising for the lecture of the day. Coriolanus was a perfectionist like that, always studying, making sure everything he did was excellent, especially when it came to the Academy and his studies. Sejanus was pretty sure he had never failed one single class.

Clemensia Dovecote hadn't either, but she didn't put in half the effort Coriolanus did. Coriolanus Snow always worked much more than what was required, sometimes Sejanus wondered if it was because he wanted to be better than everyone else. Or maybe he just craved academic validation.

Either way, Sejanus thought it was extremely attractive. When he was always so carefully focused in class, and Sejanus so carefully focused on him. The way he'd bite his lip when he tried to get a particularly difficult subject, his small frown when he didn't understand something. A barely perceptible one, that he tried to hide to not show that he was confused but that Sejanus could see anyway. If he paid as much attention to the lesson as he did to Coriolanus he'd probably ace every class he took.

But Coriolanus was much more interesting than whatever Mrs. Click could ever blather about, right?

“Morning Coryo.” He greeted him, sitting next to him.

“Morning.” Coriolanus replied, without looking up from his book.

Sejanus bit his lip, trying to think of something to say to keep the conversation going. “What are you reading?”

“History of Panem.”

“You don't need to revise, I'm sure you'll do great as always.” Sejanus told him, smiling, thinking he'd complimented him. But Coriolanus sighed.

“That doesn't mean I'll stop studying for the exam.” He replied coldly, probably annoyed Sejanus interrupted him. So he nodded and left him to read, at least until Professor Demigloss arrived and started his lesson.

Sejanus tried to pay attention, he really did, but his eyes were drawn in as if by magnets to Coriolanus’ beautiful blonde curls that so gracefully fell on his face. Sejanus observed as he moved them away, his blue eyes focused on the board in front of him. He also noticed as Coriolanus started chewing on his pen while listening to Demigloss’ - rather boring - explanation.

Sejanus found himself wondering what it would have been like to kiss him, to have those lips on his. Would he have bit down on Sejanus’ lips the same way he was biting down the pen? Would he have been rough, or sweet and soft?

He always assumed Coriolanus was a rough lover, but he couldn't know for sure, maybe he would-

“Mr. Plinth, I believe the board is here and not where Mr. Snow is sitting.”

The professor's voice made him snap out of his lovefool trance, and Sejanus’ head immediately turned to face Professor Demigloss, who looked rather annoyed. He felt his cheeks grow warm, and he knew he was probably the same color as his Ma’ tomatoes when they were mature. He muttered an apology and looked down at his notes-less book, too embarrassed to meet anyone's eyes.

He could hear his classmates snicker, and he knew they wouldn't easily make him forget this. But, gosh, the worst were Coriolanus’ eyes on him.

Sejanus could basically feel his gaze, burning like his stare alone was setting him on fire, and he wanted nothing more than to get up and leave the room.

The rest of the class went on painfully slowly, Sejanus could have sworn it lasted hours. As soon as Demigloss dismissed them he instantly got up, packed his bag and left, ignoring Festus calling for him and rushing out before anyone else could make fun of him. Especially Coriolanus.

Truthfully he didn't think Coriolanus would. He never joined in with the others - especially Festus and Arachne - when they talked about him behind his back or made fun of him, ever since they were kids, so he didn't see why he'd start now. Either way, Sejanus couldn't stand the confrontation to test his assumption.

He tried to ignore Coriolanus the best he could the rest of the day, and he thought he managed. But then Coryo stopped him at the Academy entrance, right when he was about to leave once all of his classes were over.

“Sejanus? Can we talk?”

Sejanus shrugged, trying to play it dumb. Maybe if he pretended nothing happened Coriolanus would forget about it. “S-sure. About what?” He said, praying his voice didn't sound as high pitched to Coriolanus as it did to him.

“Uh, the history project we have to do? I thought maybe we could work on it together.”

Sejanus sighed in relief, covering it with a cough. He cleared his throat before raising his eyebrow. “History project?”

Coriolanus nodded. “Yes. Professor Demigloss talked about it today in class. Or were you too busy staring at me to pay attention to him?” He asked, grinning.

Sejanus started blushing, his eyes widening as his mind tried to come up with some excuse or at least a way to get out of that situation. His palms were getting sweaty and he could feel the panic rising up in his chest. “Oh, uhm, no. Obviously, I was listening. I was-”

“Sej relax. I'm just teasing.” Coriolanus interrupted him, his grin only growing wider. “So? What do you say about the project?”

Sejanus thought it was weird how Coriolanus didn't seem to mind it, but definitely didn't complain. If his friend was cool about it, then he was going to be as well. He nodded, avoiding eye contact. “Of course.”

“Great. It's due tomorrow so the sooner we start working on it the better.” Sejanus gave him a short smile, agreeing with him.

“I'd suggest going over at my place, but the cleaners are around today. They’re usually very invasive, I don’t want them scooping around while we study.” He explained, sounding annoyed. Sejanus nodded, understanding his problem. He had the same struggles with his own cleaners, though usually they left him alone when he asked.

“It’s okay, I get that. Maybe we could study at my place then?” He suggested, trying not to blush again at the thought of him and Coriolanus alone in his bedroom. Coriolanus didn’t seem to notice his struggles at keeping his cool and nodded, mumbling a ‘sure’ before following Sejanus outside where his driver was waiting for him.

Sejanus spent the drive to his house in silence, hoping his mother had gone through with her plan for the day and was out shopping. He wanted to avoid any awkward meeting between her and Coryo. But of course, when they got into his apartment, there she stood in the kitchen waiting for her beloved son. “Sejanus? Is that you?” She asked, walking over to them. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise when she noticed Coriolanus with him. “Oh! I didn’t know you were going to have friends over. Hi, Coriolanus.”

Coriolanus smiled at the woman. “Hello Mrs. Plinth. Sorry for intruding.” He said, giving Sejanus’ mother an apologetic look.

“Oh nonsense. I was about to leave anyway, I need to buy some new clothes for little Sej here.” She said smiling. Sejanus felt as if his skin was on fire at his ma’ words, and he could see in the corner of his eyes Coriolanus trying not to laugh.

“Okay well me and Coryo will be studying in my bedroom, see you later ma’.” He said quickly, wanting to get out of that situation as soon as possible. Once they got to his room they immediately started working on the project, neither of them wanting to waste any more time. Coriolanus shared his notes with Sejanus since he had taken none during class, too busy staring at Coryo.

The evening went on uneventfully, they spent most of it on the books with one snack break where Sejanus offered Coriolanus the cookies he had baked the day before, which the blonde boy seemed to most definitely appreciate considering the eager way he was eating them.

Sejanus was sitting on his bed while Coriolanus was at his desk, leaning on the chair. They were almost done with the school work when Coriolanus spoke. “Why were you staring at me?” Sejanus blushed and dropped his pen on the floor, immediately picking it up as if the falling object could have been a new source of embarrassment for him. “Earlier, in class.” He added, as if he needed a reminder of what Coriolanus was talking about.

“Uhm…” Sejanus didn't know what to say. He avoided the subject all day. He knew it was impossible for Coryo to forget about it so quickly but he wasn't expecting him to bring it up now either. Especially since he had sounded fine with the situation that morning.

Coriolanus must have noticed Sejanus was rather uncomfortable, because he immediately specified, “I'm not making fun of you for it. I'm just curious. Did I have something on my face?”

He was smiling, but Sejanus wasn’t sure it was meant to be a joke. More of a light comment to put him at ease. Though he didn't work he appreciated the effort, so much he thought Coriolanus deserved the truth, or at least half of it. Sejanus had never been good at lying anyway.

“No, nothing like that. Honestly? I was looking at your hair. And your eyes.” He confessed, avoiding the other's gaze.

Coriolanus frowned. “My eyes?”

“Yeah. They're very… blue. And pretty. It's like staring at the ocean, or the clear sky. Sorry, I know it's dumb. Just got caught up in my thoughts I guess.” Sejanus mumbled, drawing doodles on his hands as he tried to fight the urge to ramble out dumb excuses that would have led Coriolanus to realize he had a crush on him.

He had just admitted he thought his eyes were pretty, could it get worse than that?

Fortunately he didn't have to find out because Coriolanus simply nodded and dropped the subject. Sejanus didn't say anything either, but when he raised his eyes again and saw Coriolanus bouncing his leg nervously under the desk he could have sworn he saw his cheeks growing red, though he was clearly trying to hide it.

Sejanus smiled and looked down, going back to check his notes, when Coriolanus spoke again. “I like your eyes too.” He said, catching Sejanus by surprise.

“They're this dark brown color that gets lighter if you observe them under the sunlight. They look like milk chocolate chips.” Coriolanus commented, never once switching his position or raising his head to look at Sejanus as she talked. “I love chocolate.” He said, and it was clearly the end of their conversation on the matter.

He loves chocolate. He loves my eyes.

The thought kept playing loud in Sejanus’ head as he tried hard to stop his blushing, failing miserably. Maybe that day hadn't been so terrible after all.

#snowjanus #snowplinth #sejanus x coriolanus #coriolanus x sejanus #sejanus plinth #coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games

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pinchofhoney · 1 year

Note

Hi!! How are you doing? I wanted to send in a request for your celebration, please!! But first, congratulations for this milestone!! Ot's amazing!! 🥳 I would like to make a fluffy request for Ben Barnes with prompt n°2 in the fluff list (the one with the playlist). I don't have a plot or anything of the kind, but as we know how important music is for Ben, and that he often makes playlists (for his roles for example), I thought it would suit him. I hope you feel inspired by this idea. I hope you have a nice day, and congratulations again!!! 💕

if only my heart had a voice # 200 follower special event

» prompt event » special events masterlist

fluff prompt two: “make me a playlist sometime, will you?”

credits to ben barnes and his 2021 instagram story

ben barnes x reader

word count: 1.5k

warning: none, just another fluff, no use of y/n

summary: Music has the power to tap into our memories and stir up deep-seated emotions. And the beauty of it is that each time we hear a song, it can bring back those same memories and feelings as vividly as the first time we experienced them.

a/n: hello<33 i'm great, thank you! i hope you're doing great too and the upcoming weekend will be the good one!! thank you for your request, i hope you will be satisfied enough with what i have prepared and that the level of sweetness is just right for a fluff queen<3 and if not, i hope the video i found will melt your heart so much that what i wrote will no longer matter

pages that may interest you: masterlist ♡ taglist ♡ who i write for

taglist: @wolfmoonmusic @myladydarkling @alexxavicry

The chilly evening had settled in, with the frosty breath of winter creeping in through every nook and cranny of the cozy house. You sat perched on the soft leather stool at your boyfriend's grand piano, your fingers tentatively hovering over the ivory keys. You were wrapped in a fluffy, knitted blanket that had been lovingly crafted by your mother, with its comforting weight enveloping you with warmth.

The fire in the nearby hearth crackled and sputtered, throwing sparks and shadows onto the walls of the room. The flickering flames illuminated the piano in a warm and inviting glow, casting dancing shadows across the polished wood of the instrument.

The room was filled with a plenty of comforting details. Starting with soft and cozy throw rug, which was spread out in front of the fireplace, inviting you to curl up on it and bask in the warmth of the fire, a nearby shelf stacked with an assortment of books and ending with a collection of photographs from your travels with Ben, adorning the walls with captured cherishing memories and moments frozen in time.

But your attention was focused on the piano, and the notes that Ben had taught you the previous night. With a deep breath, you began to play, trying not to make any mistakes and the sound of the piano filled the room and bring a sense of comfort and peace.

The keys felt cool and smooth beneath your fingertips, the weight of each note echoing through the room. Unfortunately, you weren't as skilled at playing the piano as you had hoped to be. Every now and then, your fingers would stumble over the keys, causing you to furrow your brow in frustration. Your perfectionist nature demanded immediate success, but the intricacies of the music proved to be a challenge, especially for a person like you who had never really been in touch with the piano.

You let out a defeated sigh, feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. But just as you were about to give up, you heard the sound of Ben's footsteps approaching. He entered the living room, carrying two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, the rich aroma of cocoa and marshmallows filling the air.

“Hey there,” he said with a warm smile, placing the mugs on a small table nearby. He sat down next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pulling you close. “How's the practicing going?”

You couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, shaking your head in mild embarrassment. “Don't act as if you haven't heard that sound of failure,” you said, feeling a sense of comfort as you leaned into his embrace.

Ben responded with a soft laughter, his arms tightening around you. “Don't be so hard on yourself, love,” he reassured you. “Learning to play an instrument takes time and practice. You're doing great, and you'll get there.”

You let out a deep sigh, feeling a sense of impatience with your progress. “But I want to be there now,” you muttered, poking out your lower lip in frustration.

“Has anyone ever told you before that you're impatient?” he laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “You've only been playing for a week, my dear. Give yourself some time.”

You couldn't help but smile at his teasing tone, feeling a sense of warmth spread through your body. Ben always had a way of making you feel better, even when you were feeling frustrated or down.

“Maybe I would have been better at it if my teacher wasn't so distracting,” you teased playfully, poking his side.

“Excuse me?” Ben's eyes widened in mock surprise. “Now it's my fault?” he asked in a playful tone, his lips curling up into a smile.

A sense of warmth enveloped you as you lifted your head to kiss Ben's jawbone, which was easily within reach from the way you were seated. There was something about being with him that made even the simplest of moments feel special. It was as if the world around you melted away, leaving just the two of you in a warm, cozy bubble.

After a peaceful moment of silence, with only the sounds of the fireplace crackling in the background, Ben asked with a smile, “Would you like to hear me play something?”

“Anything you like,” you replied, feeling the tender weight of his kiss on your head before he moved his hand away to make him more comfortable to play.

You scooted back a bit, tucking the blanket more tightly around you as though the room had suddenly grown colder without his closeness.

“Well?” Ben prompted, fingers poised above the keys.

You shrugged, unable to hide the grin on your face. You knew that anything he played would sound beautiful to you, and you savored each and every note that he brought to life on the piano. “Maybe something that reminds you of?”

Ben's eyes crinkled at the corners as he considered your request, his fingers dancing over the keys. Slowly, a familiar melody filled the room, and you couldn't help but close your eyes and let the music wash over you. It was the same song that had been playing on the radio during your first date, and the memories it brought back made you smile.

The notes seemed to transport you to another world, easing your worries and soothing your soul. The warmth of the room, the soft embrace of the blanket, and the gentle light from the flickering hearth cocooned you in a peaceful bubble.

After a moment, you opened your eyes and looked over at Ben. His eyes were closed, and he was completely lost in the music. The way his fingers moved effortlessly over the keys created a beautiful symphony, and you couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration and love for him. You noticed the way the firelight danced across his face, highlighting the features that you loved so much, and you felt grateful to be sharing this moment with him. There was no place you wanted to be more than here. With Ben.

As the melody came to an end, you let out a soft sigh, feeling as if you had just woken up from a beautiful dream. You looked back at Ben and saw that he was looking at you, his eyes filled with love and tenderness. “I love you,” you said what the first thing that popped into your head.

A small smile formed on Ben's lips as he heard your words. He reached out and took your hand in his, squeezing it gently. “I love you too, more than anything in this world,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving yours. You leaned in to give him a soft kiss, feeling more in love with him than ever before. As you snuggled up to him again, you felt a deep sense of joy, knowing that you were the luckiest woman in the world to have him in your life.

As you settled back into the cozy atmosphere, you thought of something that had been on your mind for a while. “Hey, make me a playlist sometime, will you?” you asked, looking up at Ben.

He looked a bit confused, as if he didn't understand why you were asking this all of a sudden. “A playlist?” he repeated.

You nodded, a small smile playing on your lips. “Yeah, I don't know why you haven't done it yet. I’d love to have the songs that you associate with me. With us. I think it would be nice to always have them with me.”

A smile spread across Ben's face as he understood your request. “Of course, love,” he said, leaning in to give you a loving kiss on the forehead. “I'll make you the most special playlist you've ever heard.”

You snuggled into him even more, feeling his warmth enveloping you. “You know, there are some songs that always remind me of you,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “Like the one we danced to in my trailer when you visited me on the set,” he chuckled as he recollected the moment. “Or that one we listened to on our picnic date while watching the sunset.”

You smiled at the memories that flooded your mind. “Yes, I remember,” you replied, feeling a sense of nostalgia mixed with happiness.

Ben reached for his phone and began scrolling through his music library. “Let's start with this one,” he said, pressing play on a song that you had never heard before. The music that filled the room stirred up emotions within you, and though you didn't recognize the song, it felt as if it was crafted for you and Ben alone. As you listened, you couldn't help but wonder about the other songs that Ben associated with your relationship, those that held a special place in his heart and reminded him of you every time he heard them.

As the night went on, Ben played song after song, each one more beautiful and meaningful than the last. And as you listened, you knew that this playlist would always hold a special place in your heart, a reminder of the love and happiness that you shared with the most important person in your life.

#pinchofhoney's special events #200 followers #200 follower special #200 follower celebration #ben barnes #ben barnes fanfic #ben barnes fanfiction #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes x you #no use of y/n #ben barnes imagine #ben barnes one shot #ben barnes prompt #ben barnes fluff #fluff #fluff prompt #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #shadow and bone fanfiction

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ssentimentals · 2 years

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dating jun feels like...

making your favorite tea at the end of the long day. junhui is your comfort person, the one whose arms feel like home, the one you want to run to when world comes crashing down, the one with who you feel safe. he reminds you that the real strength is in kindness and that being gentle does not equal to being weak; it takes a very strong person to continue being kind in this world.

('sometimes i wish i could be mean or evil,' you mutter, cradled on his lap with his arms wrapped securely around you. 'why do i care so much about not hurting others?'

junhui kisses your forehead and mumbles a sleepy: 'cause you are you. and i love this about you.' you turn your head a little to him and he kisses tip of your nose too. 'kindness is a superpower, remember?')

jun's love is gentle, very much like he is; his love feels like a warm hug that you don't want to break, like a nice walk in the park on a sunny day when you can hear the birds chirping. his love envelops you in an affection that you haven't know before, the one where all attention and care is given freely without you having to ask for it. he looks at you like you hold stars in your eyes, he holds you like you are the finest china, he treats you like you a princess - all because you truly are all that for him.

('what on earth..' you mumble, staring at the list. jun is standing next to you, nervous and excited at the same time. you look at him, baffled. 'jun, what is this?'

'you must simply pick a number from the list,' he answers, hugging you. he then points on many envelops, scattered around the table: 'and then you pick the envelope with the same number, open it and you'll receive your present!' he excitedly moves around you, clapping like a little kid. 'it's ten days before your birthday, so ten envelopes. you'll open one each day!'

you take a deep breath, trying your hardest not to cry. the amount of thought jun puts into things like that, the amount of effort he shows to make you happy - it's all overwhelming. he hugs you again, somehow understanding your emotions. 'you deserve only the best,' he whispers, caressing your back. 'i wish i could give you more, but for now that's all. i love you. so much.')

he is a perfectionist, so dates with him are planned meticulously, everything single activity is picked after a thorough check if it'll suit you both and if it'll make you happy. ironically enough junhui doesn't have to try to woo you: he does it unintentionally, all comes out naturally because he's a true romantic at heart ('hundred roses for you all hundred days you made me happy, my dear').

he's the type to write down his feelings and tuck that letter under your pillow, because words come easier to him when he doesn't have to say them out loud. his affection runs deep and he is selfless; naturally, he puts your needs above his own.

('don't do that ever again,' you say sternly, frowning. jun doesn't reply, head hung low in shame. 'it's not just about me, jun. if you don't feel up for something, if you don't feel good you should say it. you shouldn't do something just because i want it! i care for you as much as you do for me!'

he nods, sighing in frustration. 'i just saw your excitement and didn't want to disappoint you by rejecting.' he looks up and takes your hand in his, serious. 'i'm sorry. i won't do that again.'

'i want you to be happy too,' you mumble and he nods, pulling you closer. 'your happiness matters to me, just like mine to you.')

he is gentle in his kisses, in his touches, in his words - the last thing he wants is to offend you in some sort of way. he is quiet 'you look wonderful tonight' spoken to your ear, he is a butterfly kiss left on your cheek, he is a longing look sent to you across the room, he is a steady hand in yours, always.

dating junhui is like wearing your favorite well-worn clothes, the ones that are super soft and have many fond memories. he makes you feel comfortable in any situation, takes care of you in the best way possible and opens your heart up to him with his kindness, showing you what love can and should feel like.

a/n: last one of these series!! guys, i did it, i finished for all the members wheeew! here is the link to all others, let me know what you think! - nini

tag list: @pearlygraysky @woozionascooter @smalliechelle @jaetaimjadore @yeow6n (let me know if you want to be added!)

#junhui imagines #wen junhui #seventeen au #seventeen fluff #seventeen jun #moon junhui #svt junhui #junhui fluff #svt jun #jun x reader #seventeen imagine #seventeen reaction #my gentlest! kindest! boy!#finally wrote one for him as well #hope i did him justice

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cottonraincoat · 4 months

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making of monday: the stressed student's guide to binge writing a one-shot

(not that I'm a very good writer, but I loved seeing these on the dash, and decided to join. all this is only a little tongue-in-cheek.)

step one: try to work on an irl assignment*

(* not fandom related at all. preferably an intellectually challenging task that is also time-sensitive and reasonably important.)

There's nothing like the looming dread of deadline that stimulates the mind! Combine the perfectionist's fear of beginning, the procrastinator's tendency to distraction, and the pressure on the brain to produce something— for the most bizarre results. Namely, mildly unhinged fic ideas. Just sit down (curl up into a ball in the corner of the room), relax (stress), and wait for inspiration to come!

step two: "just, uh, just to note this down for later"

You never know when the idea would come, but it does. Now, you've got a seed, that your brain has instantly latched onto. It's growing and blooming and taking over every thought. "damn it," you think, "this is a fun idea. I can't write it before I finish the assignment though!" But the idea doesn't let you go, it's like a haunting, which is in all honesty very rude. Well, what can you do.

You open a doc.

Within half an hour, you realize that you should have known better than believing the idea (tm) would leave you alone.

step three: give in. you're writing the fic instead.

Congratulations! Your brain has once again chosen the path of least resistance instead of what you should be doing. But there's no time for guilt when you have to finish the fic (and finish the assignment after that). So you're writing the fic like your life depends on it, and the words come surprisingly easy because given the baseline stress, you aren't overthinking every single word or ridiculously lines of narrative. It's been hours, your mind's afloat, and you (unfortunately) forget approximately every duty to your body. But it's fun and you swear you've never written like this in your life.

From time to time you swap back to the page where your assignment stares helplessly back at you. You blink. You drop it back under the metaphorical rock.

step four: "fuck, the deadline is in [x] hours. I can't do this anymore"

By now, the first draft is probably sitting there in a messy, wonderful glop. And depending on the circumstance, it's either [start editing now, future rain can deal with this shit] or [despite all evidence to the contrary I actually do not want to fail this degree. time to pull myself by the hair into doing the Thing]. Either way, you've maybe slept for 6 of the last 40 hours, and you're contemplating the strange quality of your vision and why you can hear the inside of a conch at the back of your head, etc etc.

step five: sleep, and spare a moment to pause and wonder what the fuck is your life

when the assignment is done, it's like someone's poked a hole in your sand balloon and your entire being sags. it's a nice feeling, kind of. the fic stops you from spending too much time wondering why the hell are you doing the degree at all.

time to turn the glop into coherence! this is the most time consuming part, and could take up to days after the initial burst of [stuff].

step six: edit until your eyeballs fall out

what it says ^

step seven: when you finally cannot stand another minute of re-reading and editing, throw it onto ao3, and hopefully never think about the fic ever again.

that's a lie. you'll be checking the ao3 stats approximately every two hours for the next two days at least.

fics that actually happened like this:

Infinite Joy (the one that started it all)

Designation (in which I forgot Plo Koon had a mask)

on not sleeping with your students

(the first chapter of) the prophecies spoke of you and I

family line

#making of monday #shitposting

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nyxiannas · 24 days

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Hello! Here’s my writing request:

Camp Camp Max x gn!reader who is a perfectionist + extroverted + fluff

Prompt: This could be aged up or not, if you’re uncomfortable with the idea, but imagine if Max was trying to ask out reader after being friends/having a crush on them for a while originally trying to be low-key about it cus. It’s Max. But because the camp full of nosy people everyone finds out and wants to “help” him get the girl/guy! (Their words) Unfortunately it ends with the Mess Hall caught on fire, Wolves all around the area, Robots butlers attacking the camp and everyone screamed and running for cover. With Max now being more done/embarrassed than ever about to call it quits trying to forget this day even happened before the reader having now just figuring out what the whole plan blurts out the question ”Do you want to go out with me?!” Leaving Max speechless, happy, momentarily confused, flustered, and only slightly pissed cause he wanted to say ask first

I wanted to say it first. || Max (CC) [♡]

Genre, writing style; fluff, perfectionist/extroverted! Reader

Reader pronouns; gender neutral

Tws; none

Overall thoughts; if the camp camp fandom won't revive itself, I WILL!!🔥

Might be a little ooc cuz I haven't watched camp camp in quite a bit and the series isn't free on YouTube anymore so I'm just going by how they all acted in the first episode and the specials....💔💔

You came to Camp Campbell later than all the others, but David still welcomed you in open arms.

Hot outside, and figuring out where to sit in the mess hall with slop on your tray. You went to the table where Nikki, Neil, and Max sat.

Nikki and Neil took quite a liking to you. Although Neil isn't too fond of new places and people, he thought you'd be fine to hang out around. Nikki likes almost anyone who's nice to her, despite acting like a wild animal at times.

Max, not so much. It took quite a while for him to get used to you, having a sudden new member of the camp and not even having a real introduction or a way to make a position for yourself.

But, after a while of hanging out, Max realized that even though he acted like he wasn't fond of you, his thoughts were different.

-and slowly, he accepted that he liked you, and wasn't in denial about it anymore.

Fighting the need to tell you how he felt whenever you two hung out without the other two, he really had no idea what to do or how to tell you.

But, his behavior around you was noticed by the other kids' people at camp, how he was relatively nicer to you than the rest, that wasn't normal.

Slowly, they connected the peices together, and most of them realized that he had taken a liking to you in a different approach, and they really wanted to play a part in helping him.

"WHAT!"

Max thought he was being subtle about his 'slight' crush on [name], or he thought he was being subtle about it.

"You do!!" Nikki gasped. She didn't think it was all that true, considering that it was Max, and he hated anything and everything.

Sitting on the Camp Dock, with Neil and Preston nearby, trying to work on a new sciency thing and Preston was the test subject.

"You like [name]?" Neil asked. He had a feeling that it was true after observing how Max acted around [name], noticing that his demeanor was quite different from how he acted around the camps counselors and everyone else who attended.

"Oh, is it true? THE Max doesn't find someone a nuisance?" Preston dramatically accompanied Neil, astonished that Max could even learn how to love.

"I DO NOT." Max retorted. He didn't want anyone to actually know about his feelings, but it was a good chance to establish a way to finally tell [name] how he really felt.

"It is alright, Max, we shall help you on your quest to get the person of your dreams!" Preston said, supporting the idea of trying to help Max with his crush. Maybe it would make him a decent-enough person.

"Alright, operation 'Help Max try to get a partner and maybe he'll be a better person to everyone' is a go!" Nikki said enthusiastically.

After Nikki tried to gather everyone who would help with it, besides the counselors. She got Dolph, Harrison, Nerris, and Ered to play a part in the 'operation'.

"Could've had a shorter name, but.." Neil trailed, sitting in the Mess Hall, before lunch started. Trying to figure out an approving plan and scenario to have Max confess.

"Whatever, we need a plan first, then we can work on the stupid name." Max said bluntly, wanting to get it over with and have the future plan go smoothly, and hopefully, by the end of it, he would have a partner.

"Oh! We could have Ered try to help the Quartermaster with the food in the kitchen!" Nikki practically set her idea on the table. Everyone went with it.

"I can make a picnic area on top of my tower, so you both can have a good view!" Nerris added, wanting a part.

"No, they'll eat while watching my amazing magic show!" Harrison argued, starting a debate where Max and [Name] would bring their food to.

"Nobody cares about your dumb magic show, Harrison!" Nerris argued back

"My towers way better, and more magical than your magic show ever could!"

"How about they watch me paint, my paintings are quite exquisite." Dolph interrupted.

"NO!" Nerris and Harrison yelled at the same time.

"How about the two get their food from Ered, then go to Nerris's tower to eat, then watch or try to help Dolph with a painting, and then watch Harrisons magic show." Neil stopped the three of them from arguing about something stupid. Elaborating in a way the three of them would understand.

"Fine." The three of them said in usion, agreeing on the idea.

Soon after the plan was set, lunch started, and everyone was set into place, Ered ran to the kitchen, trying to figure out what to help the Quartermaster with. Nerris quickly drew a little picnic blanket on the top of her tower, where [Name] and Max would sit, watching everything from above. Dolph, with his little legs, went to his painting set up and got everything into place, and Harrison set up his magic tricks he would show off.

Nobody knows what went wrong with the mess hall besides Ered and the Quartermaster, Ered got permission from the Quartermaster. Originally, the food was going to be the signature slop that they got almost every single day.

Until Ered wanted to 'make it cool' and added something she found in the back of the kitchen pantry, added it into the food without the Quartermaster looking, and after a bit, mixed into the food, and blew up the kitchen, setting the Mess Hall ablaze.

Everyone evacuated, the explosion was so loud, it led wolves to the camp, feeding on the extra food that flew out from the explosion. Some were eating the slop, and one was biting on Space Kid's weird helmet, dragging him around.

Max quickly grabbed [name] and ran from the camp, trying to take cover from everything happening back at the Mess Hall.

Embarrassed from how the plan failed miserably, dragging [name] into the forest to try and confess at the last minute.

"Max- I think we should get back. We're going too far away!" [Name] suggested, stopping in their tracks and almost making Max fall backward from the sudden stop.

Wiping off the dirt from their outfit, quickly piecing everything together. Suddenly, everyone wanted to help in everything, Ered never wanted to participate unless she had to, Nerris wanting them and Max to quickly come into her tower to do something, Max's behavior from the passed few weeks.

They had a slight crush on Max, too, after around a month of being friends, the feelings developed, and putting the peices together only made the crush grow.

Catching their breath from the running and stopping behind a tree, they had to get their feelings out now that they were sure that Max felt the same way.

"Max!- wait-" They panted, leaning against the tree,

"Was everyone acting strange, and being productive around the camp.. all for me?-"

"A setup, I mean.." They had to make sure, whenever they came into the Mess Hall or tried to go near almost anyone's main place to hang out, they were quickly escorted out.

"And- you were acting strange.. too," confronting Max of everything that happened, noticing the slight redness on his cheeks.

"Well, I-" Max was soon interrupted.

"No! Wait- what I'm trying to ask is- do you like me?" They asked, impatiently, not waiting to hear whatever excuse Max had in store.

"Uhm- yeah?-" Max muttered, slightly pissed off that he wasn't able to start it off like he wanted.

"Do you want to go out with me?!-" They blurted out, cutting him off. Very happy that now they knew it was for real, heart racing.

Silence, Max was thinking about it, confused, flustered, and angry.

"..."

".. Yes." He agreed, he wanted to ask it first, but they beat him to it.

"But, I wanted to ask fir-"

"YIPPIE!!"

After thoughts; Hi

I took like 2 hours writing this and half of it was trying to figure out what font it would be in

and I found all the rest of the camp camp episodes while writing this so I had more to go off of

I didn't add in the robots part even tho it was a good idea I just couldn't figure out how to add them in😭😭

Thank you for requesting, and hopefully, this was good enough (this work will go into editing later cuz I left out some ideas I had but realized that this was long as BALLS but the more the merrier right🤫🤫)

#writing #x reader #camp camp #camp camp max #camp camp nikki #camp camp neil #camp campbell #max x reader #yes #this is kinda bad #request #requested

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onequeertorulethemall · 6 months

Text

Listening to The Way of Kings for the first time and it's really good and I like it a lot

One of the downsides is that I can't flip through and go reread a part when I feel like I've connected foreshadowing, so I'm probably going to end up buying it eventually.

Please if you respond to this post, no spoilers.

Thoughts at about 2/3 of the way through (very possible I'm spelling names wrong since I'm listening to the audiobook and not reading):

- loving the parallel experiences between Dalinar and Caladen and Caladen and Shalahn (protect your people, ethics of murder vs self defense vs seeking someone out to kill in self defense, etc).

- Why would Cabsall try and kill Yasna? He knew stealing her Soulcaster would start a war, what did he think would happen when they put it together that she had been assassinated?

- Shalahn, Dalinar and Caladen are the Radiants like.... Reincarnated, right? Or their descendents? Who are the other seven? I doubt it's Seth (Zeth? The narrator's pronunciation changes every time), but maybe? And Syl is... What, their mascot?

- I like the reimagining and enforcement of dumb gender roles, but how has it never occurred to someone like Dalinar that life would be so much fucking easier if he could read and write? He wouldn't have needed a scribe for the spanread with Yasna and could have spoken freely. He wouldn't need someone to read the book to him.

- Sometimes the combat scenes make me feel like I'm listening to Mistborn again because that was the first Sanderson book I listened to and he has such a distinctive style writing combat.

- I saw someone make a joke once that Patrick Rothfuss should give all his notes and drafts for Doors of Stone to Sanderson and he'd have it done in a few weeks and it'd be indistinguishable from Rothfuss's writing. I took it as a joke then because I'd never read anything from Brandon but they're right.

- This isn't going to end with a relatively nice bow of a resolution the way the first Mistborn did, is it?

- I literally gasped out loud when it was announced that Roshone was drafting Tian. I should have expected it but I didn't.

- Is Caladen really cursed to watch everyone he tries to help die, or is it just that he's a perfectionist and takes any loss as proof of a curse, even in situations where people dying was inevitable? Like that little girl he tried to save after she fell off a cliff, even his dad said there was nothing else he could have done, but he took it as his fault. He took Sen dying as proof, but it was said that his squad was like half kids who were too young/small to fight, so clearly some of them had been there for awhile without dying.

- Also I really like BS's commitment to writing about things like how nobility and common people interact, power structures, and God did I mention how much I love his combat narration

- Teft used to be a soldier. How does he recognize what Caladen is and how was it his fault that there's nobody left to inform (Heralds? Was that it?) Did he kill a Herald?

#the way of kings #stormlight archive

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inafieldofdaisies · 8 months

Text

WIP Wednesday | Tagged by @direwombat ❤️

This week's snippet is on the longer side and full of misadventures, but I promise the ending is so freaking worth it, I have never laughed so much while writing a scene and it was at 2 am... All I'm going to say is: John and a bat.❤️ENJOYYY.

John stared at his phone as the car neared Portland, the unmistakable rumbling of his stomach quickly convincing him to grab lunch first before moving onto solving his flight and hotel issues. He knew it was the perfect excuse to text Sabrina, a foolproof way to continue their earlier conversation. Deep down he had hoped she'd recommend a place to eat, maybe offer to join him considering the fact he was all alone. Detectives have to eat, too, after all… Instead she had given him the most emotionless answer possible, like he was asking Google for a good lunch spot and not the woman that had captured his interest. The last part of one of her texts had taken an infuriating hold over his thoughts. "I won't be your girl." He hated the wording, even though she hadn't meant it that way. And since his 'thank you' she hadn't replied anything else, letting him to wonder if she had even gotten the hint. His fingers began typing out a new message, deciding to throw away all caution and subtlety to the wind. Fuck it. What if she refuses?

John: Feeling like grabbing lunch? I'm almost back in town.

There. Spelled it out for you, Detective. All you need to do is say 'yes'.

"Where are we headed, Mr. Duncan?", his driver pulled him back to reality and away from overthinking why she wasn't responding to his invite. He explained away the restaurant's general location to the man, leaving him to figure out how to get there. His phone finally chirped and he tried to not think about how fast he had unlocked the screen, expecting Sabrina would have texted him back, instead it was a message from Penny's work number.

Ms. Hastings: How did the meeting go, Mr. Duncan?

John looked down at the question that would be innocent enough coming from another person, but after the photo incident he just knew he had to keep her at even greater distance than before.

John: Good.

He kept his reply as short and reserved as possible, deciding against asking her to switch his flight back, telling himself that for once he would do it on his own and save on more interactions with her that day.

Minutes later, after finally caving in and asking his driver about his name (Ryan) and him agreeing to be on call for the day, he found himself in front of the small Italian restaurant. The bell above the door drew the attention of some of the customers seated towards the entrance while he made his way to an empty table near one of the windows overlooking the street. He couldn't deny the place had a homey charm with its red brick walls and old wooden furniture, and was different from the spots he usually ended up having lunches or dinners at. The moment he sat down, an older graying woman, wearing a red apron and a small metal tag spelling "Sofia" sent a smile his way as she grabbed a menu and headed in his direction. "Welcome. Always nice to see new faces stopping by.", she began in a friendly tone, a rarity for him in the last couple of days, "A menu, I will give you some time to choose what you'd like." "Thank you." She set a leather bound menu in front of him, making a move to retreat when an idea occured to him.

"Excuse me.", he mumbled quietly before he could change his mind while his fingers ran over the restaurant's name on the front cover. Gentle dark eyes settled back on him, "Yes, honey?" She had uttered the word out so naturally, like she was addressing her own grandson, not a stranger. "I was… I was told about this place by a detective and was wondering if she stopped by a lot." Instead of telling him his question was strange, Sofia just let out a small laugh before saying, "We get a lot of detectives as customers with the precinct being so close by. You'd have to be more precise." "It's hard to miss her.", he ignored the look she gave him at the simple observation, "Brunette, gray bangs-" "Beautiful?" He nodded, "Yes." "I know exactly who you mean. What did you want to ask?" "It might be a strange request… but I was going to order whatever she would usually get." It was a way for him to figure out what Sabrina was like and feel like a part of her was present at the lunch, that he wasn't sitting alone in the middle of a city that hated him. Pathetic? No. Simple curiosity. Sofia accepted the menu back when he handed it over, "Coming right up, honey. And what would you like to drink?" "Water. Thank you."

As he waited for whatever dish he was going to be surprised with to arrive, John occupied his time with trying to get in touch with the airline over the phone and spare a trip back to the wretched airport. Distorted generic hold music sounded in his ear, playing on repeat for the third time when Sofia reappeared and set a plate of bow-tie pasta, covered in sauce and mixed with other vegetables and meat. "Enjoy.", she whispered, noticing he was on the phone and left with that. He sighed, when the song looped again and reluctantly picked up his fork, deciding he wasn't going to let his lunch get cold and he knew he had made the right choice the moment his lips closed around the cutlery, the food melting on his tongue. You have good taste, Detective. He had finished half of his plate by the time a male voice interrupted the melody he feared would be stuck in his head for far too long. "Hello,", he cleared his throat, "I need to change the date of my return flight." "Alright, sir. What name is the reservation under?" "John. John Duncan." "Thank you. And you will be flying to?" "Atlanta." "From?" The question gave him a pause, "Portland."

"Date?" "Anything available after this coming Monday." "I will need your credit card details, sir. And then I will take care of each and everything." That did it, "What company do you work for?" "Uh-", the man on the other line started, taking way too long to respond and when he did it was the wrong airline. "You, scammer.", John gritted out, hanging up and cutting off the man insistence he had it all wrong. He bit back the string of curses that threatened to escape, knowing the other patrons wouldn't appreciate him losing his composure while they were having lunch. Hell. This must be hell. He was glad he had caught up with what was actually happening before getting his bank account drained as a grandiose finale to the week. After paying for his meal, and Sofia asking him to promise he'd be coming by for a meal again, he called Ryan to drive him to the airport.

[...]

"Friday.", the woman at the ticket counter announced matter-of-factly as she stared at the monitor in front of her. "As in two days?", John asked slowly, hoping somehow she had misunderstood his request and was offering him a seat on his originally planned flight. Reality was he was in complete denial about what it would actually mean - staying a whole week in Portland. "As in next Friday, sir.", the clicking of her mouse and whispering somewhere behind him on the line of customers was starting to get on his nerves, "The current booking you have is for this Friday." "Nothing else? Just Friday.", he repeated, then drummed his hand the counter, "Please check again." The woman sighed, "Sir, I said-" "Check again. Could be in first class, for all I care, the price isn't an issue." She shook her head, "Either way, all flights before Friday are sold out." Like hell they are. He tuned out her explanation about him choosing to fly in the month where multiple conferences, expos and galas are taking place. "Fuck.", he blinked as the word slipped out, a frown appearing on her face before she recovered. "If you're in a rush,", her voice lowered as she leaned forward, "you can check with other airlines. But chances are the answer would be the same. They might have openings in economy-" "No.", he basically hissed out, "I'm not flying economy ever again." Her lips pursed, "Would you like me to book the Friday flight for you then?" "Fine."

With his new ticket secured, John left the airport, dialing Penny before he could focus too much on the ever-growing list of reasons why avoiding phonecalls with her was a must. It took one dial ring and she picked up, her sultry voice filling his ears and making him pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, "John, baby." "Ms. Hastings.", he gritted out in warning, and Ryan's gaze shifted to him in the rearview mirror. "Sorry. Sorry. How can I help you, Mr. Duncan?" "I need you to clear my schedule for next week and get me a ticket out of Portland before the end of it. Find anyone willing to sell their seat, I don't care what you have to do and how much they ask for. Anything that's earlier than Friday would do." "John,", her next words were but a hushed whisper, he could imagine her cupping a hand over mouth as she sat behind her desk, "Are you in such a rush to see me? Did you like the picture?" "Get me a ticket, Penny. Goddamn it. I'm in no mood for whatever game you're trying to play. I warned you about this.", his voice rose as his hand formed a fist against his knee. He was very close to punching Ryan's headrest and doubted the man would like that, especially after having done nothing to warrant his anger. "I-I will see what I can do.", her tone grew serious, "Did something happen with Mooney? Is this why you don't want to talk about my text? I was certain you would like the picture." "Focus on your job and get me the ticket, Ms. Hastings. And I... will pretend you sent me nothing.", he hung up with that before she had a chance to go on a dangerous tangent that would most likely result in another argument.

John: Feeling like grabbing lunch? I'm almost back in town.

"So, I was right, after all.", Leslie mumbled behind her completely dressed to head out, almost making Sabrina jump as she finally opened John's texts she had successfully avoided throughout the day, thanks to the family members interviews and additional questioning they had to conduct for their latest case. At his height, he could easily glance over her shoulder while she read the replies, making her wish she had waited until she was home to check them. She quickly shoved her phone back in her bag and put her jacket on, feeling glad it was just the two of them in the room, that Oliver wasn't live texting details about her personal life once more, "Don't start." "You're not even going to respond?", he asked in amusement. "No." "It must sting. Poor fucker has been waiting the whole day."

She was the first in the hallway with Leslie hot on her heels as she set for the elevator, then at the last moment she took the stairs, prompting him to pick up his pace so he could keep up, "I was just joking. No need to try to ghost me, too." Sabrina forced a laugh, "I'm not ghosting him." "How long have we known each other, Rina?" She finally slowed down when they reached the lobby, and he fell into step beside her, "Way too long." "Exactly. Which means you can talk to me." "I know." Leslie held the door open for her as usual, allowing her to exit the building first, and when she turned to face him and wish him goodbye, he pulled her in for a quick hug instead. "Don't ignore him if you like him.", he said when she moved out of his embrace. "I thought you were suspicious of him. Now you're my wingman?" He gave her a shrug, "I saw how you smiled at his messages at lunch. All I want is for you to be happy. Who cares if it's because of some schmuck attorney." "Goodnight, Leslie.", she ignored his insinuations and took a step backward, then another as she sent him a smile before she turned and headed for her car. The whole time, she kept her hands in her pockets, telling herself it was because of the cold when in truth it mostly so she wouldn't reach for her cellphone. His laugh paired with a "Goodnight" echoed behind her, and she had no doubt if she was to turn she'd find him still standing where she had left him, that he was waiting to make sure she got into her car safely, just like he did every time they left work together.

John unlocked his hotel room and hung up the garment bag, containing one of the replacement suits he had bought after his stop at the airport, the rest of the clothes were supposed to be delivered directly to the hotel in the morning. Another shopping bag held a second pair of shoes, underwear, sleep pants, his favorite fragrance, and other little things he'd need if he were to actually end up staying for an extra week in Portland. A part of him believed that Penny would find a way to get him on an earlier flight, always being someone to go above and beyond for his approval. He settled for ordering room service for dinner, already feeling too drained and on edge to attempt eating out. The TV across him was on, filling the silence in the room as he ate an average tasting steak with butter–grilled vegetables on the side, yet his eyes remained on his phone that he had sworn to stop checking regularly by then yet still hoped would light up eventually. Just making sure I don't miss any news about my travel arrangements. I don't care that she didn't text me back. His conversation with Clive had turned out to be uneventful, with him affirming the fact that set-backs were to be anticipated with a client like Mooney. As he was washing up in the bathroom after finishing his dinner, he heard his phone ringing and picked up the call in a rush, anticipation of good news and disappointment at the name displayed on his screen mixing simultaneously.

"Yes?" "John.", Penny began in a strange tone, then corrected herself, "Mr. Duncan. You-you,", a hiccup turned into a muffled sob and swallowed her words. Jesus. "Ms. Hastings, are you drunk?", he snarled. "You think I'm-", she took a deep breath, "lesser than you- that you can just treat me like garbage because I-I like you. Well, you know what?" He sighed in exasperation, wondering what had possessed her to call him and if he should just hang up. "Fuck you, John Duncan. I'm better than this.", her voice rose and something clattered on the other side of the line, "And you-" "Ms. Hastings, last chance-", but she was on a roll, set on finishing her piece, her anger bubbling over before his. "You can fire me, it's not going to change anything or who you are as a person. You're heartless. And you're happy to be that way. You enjoy talking down to people and then you'd just smile at them like nothing had happened…" His hand rubbed at his forehead, regret at picking up her call swooping in. "Well, you can get yourself a ticket, Mr. Duncan.", Penny gritted out his name, "Have fun in Portland." Before he could reply anything the line went dead.

John blinked, staring at his homescreen and wondering if he had imagined the last couple of minutes. For her time as his assistant, Penelope Hastings had never drunk called him, no matter how many passes she would make at him at work, or how many times she'd be turned down. "She's unstable on top of being obsessed.", he noted with a frown, dreading the idea his first task upon returning in Atlanta would be to find a new PA when the last time had been nothing but torturous.

Minutes later, John found himself in the bathroom, sentenced to another freezing shower despite the hotel's claims everything had been fixed. He couldn't deny that he felt not only cold but also miserable and absolutely restless as he quickly soaped his body, rinsed, and stepped out with a towel around his waist. He made his way back to the bed without a glance at his reflection and put on a pair of sleep pants, sprawling on top of the sheets while he unlocked his phone, praying that Penny's drunken state hadn't given her the courage to cross the line again.

Sabrina: Sorry about today.

He didn't bother typing up a reply, instead directly dialing her as he rose to a sitting position and leaned against the headboard, his bad mood seeming like a distant past at her smile. "Hey, stranger." "Hi." "How's Portland been threatening you?" He shook his head as his gaze strayed to the window and the darkness outside before returning to hers, "I had a long, long day." "Long as in… you want to talk about it or is it a case of 'don't make me reminisce'?." A chuckle ripped out, despite the sore subject, "Where do I start… my client stabbed another inmate with a fork.", her eyebrows rose in surprise at the last part, "so now not only do I have to rearrange my whole schedule for him, but I will be stuck here for another week." "Good God. A fork, like for real, you're not pulling my leg?" "Yeah." Her eyes narrowed in consideration, "Did he use a spork? Because it's what they're allowed to have for meals, John…", a giggle left her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth, "Sorry, I shouldn't be laughing. But that visual…" He couldn't help his smile, "Fuck it, if I know. The deputies wouldn't tell me anything. But at least my misery is amusing someone." "I'm sorry." "The wonders of being the defense."

She nodded, eyes still shining with mischief, "On the bright side…at least he didn't stab you." "Were you worried about me?" The way she bit her lip made the cold shower forced upon him completely useless, "Maybe." His smile was a full-blown smirk by then, "Careful, this might be just what my bruised ego needed." "Worrying about civilians is part of the job, Mr. Duncan. Especially considering the luck you've been having quite consistently." Good try, Detective. Sure, a "civilian". "How was lunch?" "Lonely.", he ran a hand through his hair, "But I have to admit, you do have a taste." "Sorry for going dark on you. I was already at lunch and then got stuck in hour-long interviews… What did you get?" The question took him aback, seeing how he had no idea what the dish Sofia had served him was named, "This delicious bow-tie pasta with meat and-" "Veggies?" "Yes." "John?" "Mhm?", he swore he could fall asleep just listening to her voice, the last couple of minutes making him feel more at ease despite how unsure he was about where the call would go. "You ordered it?" "Yes. It was hard to pick from everything they had listed…"

There was a long pause, then she muttered, "It's not on the menu." His eyes widened, "I-", he coughed while she quietly chucked on the other side, "It's not? I'm pretty sure it was." I'm sure she bought it. He couldn't understand why, but anytime it got to having a conversatiion with Sabrina, he ended up turning into a teenager navigating his first crush rather than one of the most sought after attorneys in Georgia. "It used to be, back when the restaurant first opened doors, and now… it's like a "secret" menu item for old customers." John chose the strategy of keeping his silence, hoping she'd change the subject on her own, suspecting otherwise she would see through whatever excuse he'd make up. "Well?" "Yes?" Her eyes narrowed playfully, "How did you know about it?" "I'd rather not explain that one away, Sabrina." "Why not?" "Because I like my current odds more. Plus,", he announced matter-of-factly, "I can always invoke my right to remain silent, Detective." He felt like the last part was a complete mistake simply for the images it concocted in his mind, especially after her mention of interviews. He hadn't exactly missed the handcuffs hanging onto her belt when she finally stripped off the wretched coat as she took his incident report, either. He swore her voice dipped, "That so, Mr. Duncan? Look at me, forgetting who I'm dealing with."

"Any news from the elusive Detective Stockton? Because I'm yet to hear back from him." "Maxwell is one of the best, John. They're just drowning in cases, but I know for a fact he's taking your case seriously, not only to catch whoever that guy is, but to recover your things." "I appreciate that.", he shifted on the bed, "Speaking of which… you don't have to worry about me being cold anymore." "Oh?", she quirked an eyebrow, then made a circular motion with her hand as she scrunched up her face, "I was getting a different impression from your lack of shirt." "By choice, mind you." "Lucky me. So… what does this attorney wear to bed?" His lips twisted into a smirk at her question, "Are you asking what I think you're asking?" Sabrina shrugged, "Quid pro quo, John. You saw my unimpressive nightwear, it's only fair you show me yours." "Quite the opposite, your nightware left an impression." The shirt was making a return that night, though if he was there like she had joked during their previous call, it wouldn't have stayed on her body for long.

"Are you stalling?", she challenged. "No." He absolutely was, knowing his sleep pants were absolutely going to leave an impression as well. A part of him was wishing he had put on underwear, an extra layer that would attempt to conceal his hard-on. Like that would help. Her melodic laugh wasn't doing him any favors, too, "I'm waiting." He doubted that trying to buy more time would have any positive effect, especially with the twinkle in her eyes as she regarded him. What would she do? Hang up? After asking for a look? He sighed dramatically, "So impatient." Before he could talk himself out of it, he switched to the back camera of his phone, strategically cropping out as much as he could. Still not enough, judging by her silence. "I'm dealing with a… situation." Her expression was unreadable, "I can see that." "Roughly estimated, how much did my chances sunk with?", he asked, flipping back to the view of his face. "Who says they did?" She rested her head against her hand, drawing his gaze to the side of her neck that he couldn't help but imagine running his lips all over. "It's a good thing my shower is completely broken and only has one option for temperature: freezing." A small laugh left her, "Now I'm truly worried about you catching a cold. I'm shocked you haven't made them fix it, had the lawyer in you come out to play." "I'm being told they've fixed it." "Hell." "Yes. Portland hates me. Can you imagine me surviving a whole week here?" "You will be fine.", she waved him off. "I doubt you'd say the same if I list you all the things I've been through already."

"You know where to find me if you end up getting yourself in anything but legal trouble. That, I'm sure you can handle on your own." John smiled, "Noted. I will make sure to mention you as an emergency contact. So, about tomorrow…" She gave him a confused look, "Tomorrow?" Here goes nothing. "Go out with me.", the words left him in a rush and he rubbed a hand over his chest, wondering why his heart was suddenly racing. The last thing I need is a hospital visit. Sabrina was back to chewing on her lip, shifting against her pillows, her hesitation putting him on edge. He was used to women quickly making their intentions known upon meeting them, rarely having to work hard on convincing them to agree to a dinner, taking them to bed after always felt like the natural outcome, inevitably becoming a monotonous routine he'd turn to when he would find himself unable to push down his urges any longer. "I'm not sure what you're asking-" Come on, Detective, we both know that's not true. "I'm asking you out on a date, Sabrina. What else do you think my lunch message meant?", his fingers gripped his phone while his heart kept up the same dreadful pace. She tucked a stray piece of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear, "And here I thought you just didn't know how to use Google and then felt obligated to invite me along." "Go out with me.", he repeated, "I'm asking you out as a woman I'm interested in, no obligation in sight, only the fact you're the first good thing to happen to me in this wretched city and no matter how much I try, I can't get you out of my head."

More than he intended had spilled out in the confession, but it wasn't like he could take it back, and a part of him… didn't want to. "I-", she shut her mouth, stopping whatever answer was about to escape. "Say 'yes'. One date.", his tone was bordering on pleading. Desperation. Never a good look. "I guess I just want to know one thing first…", there was a somber look in her eyes as she considered asking whatever was holding her back from agreeing to a simple meal. "What is it?" "The text. The one you sent on accident… what's the story there?" Are you jealous? Wondering about potential competition like I was the second you handed me your phone? "My assistant. She's,", he knew he had to choose his next words carefully as he held Sabrina's gaze, "been showing interest in me for a while. It's one-sided, I assure you. And when she saw the usual passive remarks didn't do the job, her strategy became bolder." Her nod urged him on, "She sent me a picture today. I had to remind her she's crossing the line. Are you worried about her?" "No.", she pursed her lips, "I guess all I wanted to know was what you see me as, if I would be one among many women in line." "I meant what I said- you're the only one I'm interested in, no matter how many unsolicited pictures Penelope decides to harass me with. Not to mention, you saw exhibit A of that attraction.", his last words cracked at her serious facade, making her let out a laugh, "Help a man out here, I think I've had enough embarrassing moments to last me a while."

"Okay.", she matched the grin that took over his face, "Yes, John. What else do I say after that, really?" His heart did another crazy flip the second she actually said 'yes', giving him a straight answer, "When?" Her fingers rubbed at her mouth absently, not at all helping with his situation below the belt, "I'm not sure where the cases I'm working on would take me, my time is mainly divided between work and well, my sister." The child she was raising on her own. He had read enough on her thanks to the file that one of the firm's investigators had provided for him, and yet he couldn't help but want more. "Wherever you can fit me in.", by then, he had given up on trying to sound even remotely like he wasn't desperate, "Lunch?" "Sounds good." "Tomorrow?" Sabrina smiled, "Depends on how my morning goes… I could perhaps text you?" "Okay, Detective." "I probably should leave you to it, turn in for the night." John didn't let his expression fall despite the disappointment he was experiencing even after his small win, "Goodnight." "Goodnight.", she paused, index finger running over her lips again when she said, "John?" "Hmm?" "I hope you know there are other ways to address matters than a cold shower, especially at this time of the year. Sleep well and try not to sleepwalk into trouble."

She hung up with that, not giving him any time to reply as he slumped against the pillow behind him. Reluctantly, he turned off the lights and crawled beneath the covers. As he lay in the darkness, the air around him felt electrified by her words, too heavy for him to breathe freely. The sheets stuck to his skin, eventually forcing him to crack open one of the room windows to let the cool night air in. He tossed and turned for a good hour, and no matter how much he willed himself to sleep, his body felt high-strung, craving her instead of rest. Her parting words inevitably pushed him to leave the bed and head back to the bathroom, discarding the constricting pants on the floor in front of it. It seems, this "matter" won't be going anywhere, Sabrina. No cold showers, you say? The idea that she was suggesting a "solution" and had a perfect understanding of what he would be doing the moment the call would end teased his senses when the door shut behind him and he grasped himself. His breathing grew labored, bouncing around him while he leaned his head back against the wall, imagining her being the one behind each stroke, because in a way she was. His legs buckled the second his release hit him, his free hand that was braced on the counter providing much needed support. Who would I be to go against your advice, Detective… He cleaned up, then swug the door open, ready to go back to bed, sleepiness creeping in now that he had finally caved in.

As he navigated the darkened room, he swore he registered a strange noise somewhere towards the far end of it, but he told himself his imagination was running wild. Then he heard it again. Flapping of…wings? A crash. Both made him dive for the bed as he blindly searched for his phone and the switch of the lamp on the nightstand beside it. The second light illuminated the space, his eyes anxiously scanned around him for the source of the previous sounds. I'm imagining things thanks to exhaustion. Yes. There's nothing. It was what wholeheartedly wanted to believe until he saw it. A bat. Big one at that. His nude form felt exposed and in imminent danger as the wretched creatures flew at him. In his panic, John slid off the bed, hands still clutching his phone like a lifeline as he crawled under like he was a goddamned commando it in attempts to avoid the attack.

What met him next was dust. A 5-star hotel? 5 stars. When did they clean this fucking room last? He tried to take a couple of calming breaths, feeling a sneeze building up as he unlocked his phone with shaky hands. He was dialing Sabrina before he could think better of the late hour, the idea of having to go back out undoing all the process he had made through controlled breathing. Something about the animal that had chosen to make his room its new home put him on edge more than usual, and he had faced criminals, ruthless attorneys, and awful prosecutors. The dial tones sounded in his ear, each new one convincing him he'd be put through voicemail soon enough and would be on his own. "John?", her sleepy voice called out in confusion at the exact moment a sneeze racked his body, "Did you actually catch a cold?" A sniffle was followed by a quiet, "Fuck." "John? Are you there?", she spoke out again, sounding more alert, "What is it?" "There's a bat.", he whispered like the creature would hear him and put an end to his game of hiding. "A rat?", she echoed incorrectly. "Sure, Detective,", he hated how his voice shook even as he spoke quietly, "but the type with fucking wings." "John? I can barely hear you." "A bat.", the word was loud enough this time, making her exclaim a small 'oh'.

"Where?" "I-I don't know. Fuck.", he screamed out the curse. "John?" "I'm underneath the bed, Sabrina. Hiding away like a goddamned child while it's flying around." His free hand slapped at the wooden underside of the bed, pain shooting across his wrist and doing nothing to dissipate his anger or bubbling panic it mixed with. "I-" "The floor is so filthy, just what you need when you're butt naked. Portland hates me. I can't go home and-" "John, listen to me,", her soothing tone interrupted his frenzied speech, "it got in somehow, and you can help it to get out, too." "No.", he gritted out. "Yes." "Did you not hear the 'I'm as naked as the day I was born' part?" A laugh ripped out of her despite the situation, "Good God, you sure know how to keep a woman entertained." "Sabrina.", her name was a warning. "Sorry. If it's any consolation, the poor thing is probably more scared of you than you're of it." A groan left him, "I'm not scared. But I'm sure glad to hear you're worried about my attacker." "John.", she sighed, "Did it actually attack you?" "Not yet." "You're going to be fine, I promise." "I-, he took another deep breath and inhaled god knows how much collected dust, "I have no idea how to make it leave."

"Are any of the lights on?" "Yeah. I heard a noise and couldn't see a damn thing without them." "You will have to dim them." She proceeded to list off instructions, slipping into resolution mode, her calm voice keeping his panic from rising. "Have you done this before, because it sure sounds like you have…" Sabrina chucked quietly, "You mean, have I talked a nude man into taking on a bat he's definitely not afraid of?" "Very funny." "Sorry. And to answer your question… I have. Dealing with critters is inevitable when you live alone." "I haven't.", and he wished it had stayed that way. "Soo..", she began slowly, "why are you without pants? Don't tell me they got stolen while you slept… was it the bat? Should I call Stockton? Though, I think crimes committed by animals are out of his jurisdiction, you can probably vouch for that." He held back a laugh at her playful remarks, reminding himself he was angry. "Seriously?" "Just trying to take your mind off things." "A challenging task with my doom looming on the horizon." "So why were you?" "Why do you think?", his voice dipped despite his predicament, desire slowly stirring up. "Did you at least manage to finish?" "Really?" "Hey, I'm just making sure I have the whole picture in case another report is needed."

To his dismay, her words were working, making him feel less alone. "Now, come on, Mr. Duncan, time to crawl out of there. Remember the steps?" He huffed, "Dim the lights. Make sure there's only one exit route. Is killing it an option?" "John." "Kidding." Not if decides to attack any sensitive spots. Especially before our date. "Open any curtains in its way and just keep an eye on it. Okay?" "You're going to stay on the line, right?" And what about that date? Still finding it appealing as an idea? "Of course. For moral support, to keep your fear at bay and all that." "I'm not afraid.", he insisted with a frown, "I was just making sure there would be someone present. You know, in case it kills me… at least there would be a witness to tell the story." "I will do you justice with the report, promise.", her laughter teased his ear as he shuffled out from underneath the bed and dimmed the light spilling out from the lamp he had previously turned on in his panic. "Will you avenge me?" "Does opening a bat sanctuary count?" "Absolutely not.", his eyes zeroed in on the bat. "I will think of something else then." "I'm out. I see it. Bad news is, I've left the bathroom door open." "Okay, so close it. Stick near the walls." "Copy that." John moved slowly, every U-shape round the bat made around the room, putting him on edge despite Sabrina's presence on the other line. He was becoming very aware of how exposed he was anytime it dipped lower towards the middle of the room while it sought a way out.

"Closed.", he whispered as he shut the door to the bathroom. "Excellent.", she crooned, and in another scenario he had no doubts about the effect the sound would have on his body. He gingerly went around the bat's flight path, aiming for the open window and pulling the curtain away the second he reached it. He plastered his body to the nearest wall as he watched the animal continue circling. "It's not leaving, Sabrina.", he complained in a hushed voice, knowing any loud noise could spook it further and make his situation worse. "Have patience." "Hard to, when every part of me is on display and within its range." His hand covered his lower regions on instinct as he watched it near the window, but he didn't dare speak his hopes out loud in fear of his usual luck kicking in. "I think it's working, Sabrina." She hummed in response. And then it finally happened - the bat zoomed out of the room, the sight making John rush forward and slam the window shut with a battle cry that most likely woke up his neighbors. "John?", Sabrina asked in amusement, "It's out, I pressume?" "Yes.", the breath he was holding left him as he fell back onto the bed, his body relaxing into the sheets when the adrenaline began to leave it. "Amazing! See, I knew you would manage it." John threw a hand over his eyes, the last couple of minutes replaying in his mind, "Thank you. For the help, I mean." "Of course. A civilian was in danger… it was my duty to assist." A smile finally broke free, "Just because of that?" "Well, you also promised me lunch, so… just making sure you don't die on me before that." "I'm sorry for waking you up." "It wasn't like I was asleep for that long either way.", with the issue resolved successfully, her voice was back to sounding nonchalant. The revelation gave him a pause, a smirk forming slowly as he pushed for more, "What were you doing up so late?" "A girl has to have some secrets, John."

I also finally got around to making an AU themed edit for them, if you have missed it:

Tagging, @socially-awkward-skeleton @thesingularityseries @corvosattano @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @g0dspeeed @fourlittleseedlings @voidika @madparadoxum @poisonedtruth @nightbloodbix @stacispratt @jillvalentinesday @cassietrn @chazz-anova @simplegenius042 @purplehairsecretlair @adelaidedrubman @dumbassdep @theelderhazelnut @strangefable @trench-rot @aceghosts @wrathfulrook and anyone else with something to share this week ❤️

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