#because... well... technically she's invisible when using it... so... yeah...

[the-half-blood-nerd]

We actually never know what Annabeth looks like with a Yankee Cap, so idk how you guys could draw those fanarts

[sistertotheknowitall]

Some guy finds Red Hood annoying.

Masterpost

All Danny wanted was one peaceful day. That was all. What does he get instead? A 6’ foot, jacked, vigilante crime lord. (Anti-hero, is that what he is? Danny wasn’t sure.) Now Danny’s not gonna say that a tall, built, hot as hell morally gray bad guy isn’t always unwelcome. It was just this one. (Unless, apparently, you’re Jazz. “Seriously?” “Look I don’t need saving but if he wants to come to my rescue, who am I to complain.”) They have gotten into many fights since Danny first moved to Gotham. ( He had chosen to live in a crime alley despite being able to afford slightly better. The money from his college fund was dumped entirely into said school and the money he earned went to bills and groceries.) Said screaming matches weren't even really fights; they were closer to the squabbles he’d get into with Jazz as an annoying way to express concern for each other. (A habit they, unfortunately, learned from their parents.) So having these types of arguments with said morally gray crime lord had Danny wondering if it was too late to cancel Jazz’s flight. (She boarded an hour ago.) He didn’t want them meeting, actually he’d like to keep her as far away as possible.

That’s why it was really inconvenient for these guys to kidnap him today. He had to get his sister from the airport and now he had to deal with Red Hood? Really? Other than Dickwing, Red Hood was the last person Danny wanted to see in a kidnapping situation. At least the others didn't make him feel like he was disappointing them. Only Jazz was allowed to make him feel the sting of disappointment at being reckless (and occasionally Sam and Tucker). Now, Danny thought he had decent common sense (“Shut up, Jazz.”), but he would gladly admit that he didn’t have Gotham common sense. He wasn’t afraid to go out at night just because the Riddler got out of Arkham. Honestly, he didn't see why he had to be afraid given any time of day. Danny was pretty sure he was basically immortal. (“Immortality is not dying and coming back as a full ghost.” “Then what would you call it, Jazz!?”) This seemed to frustrate Red Hood to no end as Danny lived in his part of the city and Danny was prone to finding trouble. (It actually seems to find him, Danny’s not actively going out and looking for it. He’s just trying to get on with his life.)

Anyway, yeah, Jazz was flying in for the weekend and somebody had kidnapped him. A perfectly normal Thursday. So, in perfectly normal Thursday fashion, Spoiler and Red Hood had swooped in while Danny was in the midst of a really intense staring contest with the kidnapper across from him. (“You know the staring is flattering when Tim does it but you make me feel icky.” The man didn't move and his hard stare barely wavered. “Alright, but I warn you I’m really good at this game.”) A flash of purple and the goon was no longer standing. Red Hood had come in guns blazing and made quick work of the other two kidnappers as Danny waited patiently to be untied. He could have phased through the chains he was hanging by but he didn't see a reason to. Just because they knew he could turn invisible didn’t mean they needed to know about everything else. (“That’s gaslighting, Danny.” “Technically, Sam, I think it’s lying by omission.” “Tucker.” “Right, not helping.”)

“Sooo,” Spoiler sang once Danny was free. “Who’s Tim?” You know what? Maybe it was Spoiler he should have been dreading. Red Hood made his way over, “yeah, kid, you got a boyfriend you didn’t tell us about?” Mm no, he regrets being in both their presence. Danny waved their questions away as he turned in a slow circle looking for the door. He wasn't quite sure of the time, but he was positive he was late to pick up Jazz. He answered as he made his way to the unconscious body of the guy who lost the staring contest, “a friend, well, a customer - a regular really. Nice guy, cute, has a staring problem.” Danny stooped down and started digging through the guys pockets, “do either of you know where the exit is?” Thankfully the guy was the one with his phone, he didn't want to search all the kidnappers. Turning it on, Danny saw that he was late and Jazz had already caught a taxi back to his place. The text had got increasingly more panicked the longer he hadn’t responded along with an alarming number of missed calls. 

Danny shot her a quick text as he followed Spoiler out of the building. Sorry, got kidnapped, am fine now. Please don't call. Will explain later. Love ya <3 He quickly added a selfie that Spoiler photo bombed over his shoulder holding up a peace sign. 

The screen immediately lit up with a facetime call. Danny turned it off and stuffed it in his pocket. He really didn't want Jazz meeting Red Hood.

He turned to face his “saviors.” “Okay, this has been fun. Thanks for the rescue, sorry I can’t stay and talk but I am needed elsewhere.” Throwing a quick salute he started down the street. After a block and a half he stopped at the opening of an ally. “You know I hate it when you all just stalk me from the shadows, it's very Babadook of you.” Hood appeared first behind Danny, “what's Babadook?” “A gay icon,” Spoiler drops in front of Danny. “Very true,” Danny high fives her as he hears Red Hood sigh, seeming to mutter to himself, “this is going in the folder.” “Okay,” Danny says, addressing both of them, “you don't need to walk me home.” Red Hood crossed his arms, “you’d rather your ‘Tom’ walk you?” Danny really really didn't want Jazz to meet Red Hood. Danny sighed, “His name is Tim and he’s just a friend and I’d rather nobody walked me home, I’m a fully capable adult.” “Capable huh? That’s what you call last week’s fiasco?” Last week’s fiasco being an incident that may or may not have involved a cult trying to sacrifice him. (He was insulted that they were trying to sacrifice him to a low level demon. He was the king of the infinite realms and they were using him to summon Craig? Really? Not that they knew any of this but still. Rude.) Spoiler placed her forearm on Danny’s shoulder to lean, as if he wasn't a few inches taller then her. “Not to mention tonight's kidnapping.” Danny shrugged her off. “And you two saved me,” he started slowly backing away into the alley behind him, “so, danger avoided.” Red Hood's hand shot out and grabbed Danny by the back of his shirt collar, “uh-uh, you're not pulling the disappearing act tonight.” Danny had indeed been intending to disappear and fly home, now he was being scuffed like a kitten. In hindsight he had pulled that move fairly often with Hood. Crossing his legs Danny refused to be set down on his feet so Red Hood dropped him. “Ow!”One peaceful day, was that too much? (Luckly, they didnt follow him into his building and just watched him enter. Unluckily, he had a worried and very annoyed older sister to face.) (“A selfie, Danny?! Really!?” “I wanted to assure you it was really me!”)

Part 7

[meteor752]

My ideas for the superhero names for the wild life people

Some are better than others

Ren-Roleplay: Very self explanatory. He’s a theatre kid and borderline a larper, and his powers are that he pretends to be someone else, it works very well, and it’s a fun superhero name

Martyn-Spyglass: There’s the obvious connection to the last life spyglasses, but it’s also a reference to how he’s, you know, a spy. He listens in on peoples conversations. Also, spyglasses are traditionally used to watch people, but he listens to them. I think it’s a bit clever

Gem-Projectile: Obviously it’s a play on astral projection, but also on Gem as a person. A projectile is a thing in motion, and is commonly used to refer to things like bullets and arrows that are being launched. Gem is a killer, I think it sorta works

Joel-Triple Threat: Extremely self explanatory. He can triple jump, and like that’s about it. He’s a threat. Not all of them are bangers. I just like the sound of it lol

Jimmy-No-Show: I just love the idea of a superhero with invisibility powers’ name being No-Show. I think it sounds really cool. Not particularly personal to Jimmy, but I like it

Lizzie-Voidable: Play on the word Avoidable, since she sometimes used her powers to disappear. Also a reference to her death in Secret Life. (Also I just looked it up to double check and apparently it is a word, for when for example a contract is able to be made void. She made the canary curse void, in a way, so I think it still works)

Scar-Giddy Up: Simple, he rides people. Couldn’t work in the knockback/“Scar Smash” aspect of it, but you know make that a surprise.

Etho-Air Borne: He launches himself into the sky, specifically by using wind charges, aka air. He also has an infinite supply of the charges, that I think he can use to attack people? So yeah, possessor of air.

Bdubs-Clock Out: I really like this one. Because yes, it’s clock like how he can slow time (and also his obsession with them) but then there’s also, you know, clocking out like from work, probably to go home and rest, working in his bed ability. Also it sounds like Knock Out, which is a thing you can say about someone who’s fallen asleep when very tired.

Tango-Slip N’ Slide: A very fun superhero name. Slip, of course referring to the ice, and then slide technically referring to it as well but also his speed. Also, rolls straight off the tongue.

Grian-Mastermind: Copycat and Mimic are such obvious names for someone with the mimicry ability, I didn’t wanna go for it. Instead, mastermind referring both to his status as the creator of the games and the one who came up with everyone else’s powers, but also how he’s the master of his own fate, constantly changing up his powers. It’s fun, and it sounds a little villainy which we love

Bigb-Cracking: Of course a play on the word creaking, but also referring to the sound that both the mob and the surrounding trees make when defeated, showing that he has the control to both create and destroy them at will.

Cleo-Necrosis: Didn’t wanna just go with Necromancer, that’s boring. Necrosis is the death of cells in body tissue, essentially creating dead skin. They’re a necromancer that literally summon zombies, and those bad boys have plenty of dead skin.

Impulse-Flicker: He can teleport, just zapping here and there with no problem. You blink and he’s gone, as if he’s flickered out of existence. Also an homage to flickering lightbulbs, and he does have a history of light sources. I think it’s fun

Pearl-Gravity: She can launch herself into the sky, ignoring gravity completely. It’s also a play on her moon motif, a little bit.

Scott-Shifty: Yes, he can shift into animals, but it’s also related to his sly and cunning nature, and how because of his power everyone became insanely paranoid over every mob

I like superhero names a lot 👍

[busyheadkeepbreathing]

💕 ~

STRANGER THINGS S5 SPOILERS!

“so how are your parents doing?” Steve asked as Nancy dropped into a seat in the studio with a sigh, Jonathan leaning against the doorframe. “I mean. They’re alive, that’s more than I can ask for.” She answered honestly, all four of their attention being pulled away to the sound of the kids downstairs. It sounded like good screaming, but still the sound of them yelling automatically made the older four stand on edge. “well what’s going on? Side effects and things?” Robin asked as she flipped around in her book, trying to decide what to play next.

Nancy huffed a humorless laugh, letting her head fall back on the wall, “You could say that. Mom’s still not allowed to speak, so we are communicating mostly through a whiteboard which works fine for us, but Dad… he’s kinda isolated.” Robin and Steve looked at each other in confusion before looking back at her, their expression beckoning her to continue. She sighed, rubbing her face with both her hands, “it’s from the… throw, fall, hit- whatever you want to blame it on. He’s got a fuckin slew of shit that is altered. He can’t really hear past loud sounds, can’t see much except blurry shadows, and jury’s still out on if he can talk because he hasn’t said a word since he woke up.” “Oh. So typical concussion things, but like to the max- Has anyone considered hearing aids?”

Nancy looked up at Steve with a raised eyebrow, and the former jock shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, “I mean if not I have a brand I can recommend. They work fine for me, I can hear for the most part now, you still gotta talk loud though. And as far as eyesight goes, he already had glasses before this, right? So his vision wasn’t great to start with this probably made it worse so he’s gonna need a stronger prescription. Might not be able to see everything but it’ll help for the most part.” He popped out a tape, putting in another one with a chuckle, turning to Robin, “oh, you’re gonna love my next pick.” “Steven Daniel Harrington if it is Phil Collins I’m going to kill yo-“ the sound of Invisible Touch echoed in the station and Robin launched out of her seat, smacking Steve left and right with her book, “I AM SICK OF THIS SONG! STOP PLAYING IT!” Steve laughed, barely fending off her hits as Nancy watched the two, still not caught up from what he’d just unloaded on them.

“Wait wait- Steve stop how do you know all that?” the two radio hosts stopped their fight, looking at Nancy with a raised eyebrow that looked nearly identical, before Steve tucked his hair behind his ear, showing off his hearing aids, “how the hell else would I be able to hear you guys if I didn’t? also those are mine,” he pointed to a pair of glasses on the countertop next to his coffee mug. “speaking of those- put them on Dingus! I keep telling you, you need to wear them all the time not just when you’re out of sight.” “yeah yeah yeah- Ow! OK! I’m putting them on Jesus,” Nancy sat up, feeling like her whole world had been turned around- again. For the thousandth time. “wait since when did you need those? Either of those?” Jonathan asked, clearly just as confused at Nancy was. Steve hummed in question as he took a sip from his coffee, turning around to look at the two in confusion before he processed what he’d been asked, “oh yeah. Um technically I’ve needed the glasses for a while, didn’t know it… since… Billy? I think since Billy um- yeah that night. I’ve needed these bad boys since ’85.”

Nance and Jon looked at each other before back at the duo in front of them, clearly not knowing them as well as they assumed they did. “do you think it’ll help?” Nancy asked as the sound of Peter Gabriel’s voice spilled into the room, Steve scratched his neck, shrugging, “I mean, for one he’ll feel less isolated, so yeah? Pretty sure if it’s anything like me it’s disorienting to lose two senses in one go- he’s probably been trying to communicate but can’t because he can’t… you know… see or hear? Both kinda key in communication.” She felt stupid.

Of course.

She looked up at them, pushing her frustration at herself aside, “can you guys swing by the hospital and see if it helps?” Steve and Robin looked at each other, another silent conversation between them before nodding in unison, “our show ends in like, 30 minutes. We can go back with you if you want.” Robin answered, and Nancy nodded with a smile. “That would be great. Thanks.” Steve gave her a goofy smile and a thumbs up before turning back around, putting his headphones back on, as Robin signaled to him that they were going live, “and that was Peter Gabriel with his new song “In Your Eyes.” To my beautiful muse, if you are listening, I love getting lost in your eyes. And my co-host is now glaring at me- sorry we can’t all win in the love game Steve-o. well that’s about it for us today folks. Stevie and I have some things to do today, so today we are throwing on one of our favorite mixtapes. I don’t know if you remember the summer of ’85, but I sure do. My whole life changed that summer, so in honor of that in this cold November, please enjoy my favorite picks from that time of my life. Starting off strong with Mr. Don himself.”

Robin signaled Steve and he popped in her mixtape, the sound of Don Henley’s hit coming through the speakers, showing it had started. Robin spun around in her seat, taking her headphones off with a goofy grin of her own, “ok! Lets pay your old man a visit.”

~

I love the babysitter crew sm and for those reading my fic on Ao3 DON'T TELL ANYONE STEVE AND ROB ARE BACK thehehehehehehe

[the-lonelybarricade]

Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans - Chapter 4

Summary: Fresh after her third, and final, breakup with Tamlin, Feyre decides a one night stand is exactly what she needs to get him out of her system. Except, her one night stand with a violet-eyed stranger ends up being far more than she bargained for.

Or; the one where Feysand gets pregnant from a one night stand

Read on AO3 ・Masterlist・Previous Chapter

-

"I feel like we should establish some ground rules."

Feyre blurted the words, using them as if they were a shield she could mount across the center console to keep Rhys firmly on his side of the car.

She supposed, technically, every side was his side, and the arm he pushed through the invisible barrier was testimony. Feyre restrained the urge to flinch as his palm settled at the back of her headrest.

"Ground rules for what?"

"This car ride."

"Oh yeah?" Rhys asked absently, pivoting his attention to the rear window as he began reversing out of the space.

"Yes," Feyre said, but she cringed at the way the s slid through her teeth. Like a hiss. Like the sound of a whirring spindle, unwinding her composure until it was a tangle of loose thread in her lap.

Rhys paid no mind to her urgency. He acted like someone who had all the time in the world, methodical as he smoothly brought the car to a stop, switched gears, and turned out of the gallery parking lot.

It was only then that he turned to her. When it was too late to get out. Like he knew that finding his eyes in the dark, twinkling in and out from the passing streetlights, would be too reminiscent of that night.

For the first time in weeks it was just the two of them, in such a small space, and it felt like an electric storm collecting overhead. Feyre could feel all the warning signs: the rising hair, the thrumming pulse, the static crackling in her ear.

"What are the ground rules, then?" He asked, clearly unaffected.

Feyre reasoned it was the quiet making things worse. Tension couldn't build if there was no room for it, right?

She held up two fingers, ignoring the electric charge burning on her tongue as she said, "No talking about Tamlin." She waited until he nodded. "And no talking about the baby."

Rhys glanced towards her. A long glance. The kind that was full of meaning she couldn't hope to decipher, and also made her antsy about how long he was taking his eyes off the road.

He swivelled his head back before she could snap at him for it. Then he said, far too casually, "And has that been going well for you? Not talking about the baby?"

"If you're going to be a dick, I can walk home."

She watched his grip tighten on the wheel. Tighten, then relax.

He said, softly, "We'll have to talk about the baby eventually."

Feyre wrapped her arms around herself, hoping it could be another shield, knowing it would be just as useless as the first.

"I know," she whispered, slumping her shoulders. "It's why I invited you in the first place. I just… not tonight, okay?"

"Okay," he said, after giving her another one of those long stares. "Fine. No Tamlin, no baby. What about your art? Can we talk about that?"

Feyre, admittedly, didn't want to. It only made her think of the disaster of an art show they just fled and the carnage that would be waiting for her when she got home. Barring another topic of conversation felt like overkill, though. And it was safe enough.

"What about my art?"

"You're very talented."

Feyre was grateful his eyes were on the road and it was too dark to see her expression. She'd never been very good at reacting to compliments, and Rhys somehow managed to make them sound so much more… personal.

"Careful," she said, trying for lightness but finding the shape of it was too sharp. Less a feather, more a blade. "If you keep saying that to me, I'm going to think you're being insincere."

Rhys flashed her a sideways smile. Everything was coming out wrong tonight, but he hardly seemed phased by her sour mood.

"I keep saying it because I mean it."

Sure he did. The same way Tamlin's colleagues meant their compliments—because they wanted something out of it. A business deal or a pay bump or, in Rhysand's case, a baby mama who didn't try to ignore his existence.

Maybe his motivation wasn't such an awful thing, by comparison. Maybe it was… sweet that he was trying.

Maybe she should let him try.

Feyre sighed. "Thank you. I'm sorry for—"

"May I establish a ground rule?"

She blinked, surprised and a little annoyed at being interrupted.

"Sure."

"No apologizing. For anything."

Feyre assessed him out of the corner of her eye, measuring his intent. "Even if I puked in your car?"

Rhys looked alarmed. "Is that a possibility? I can pull over."

"No." Feyre shook her head. "No, it's just that this car is so meticulously clean, I figured that'd be a big deal to you."

It'd be a big deal to Tamlin. He still refused to pick her up from her studio after the time she accidentally got paint on one of his seats. It was only water-based, and they'd been able to get it out with a wet cloth as soon as she got home, but sometimes anger left a stronger stain than paint.

Rhys shrugged. "It's just a car, Feyre. I can get it cleaned. And honestly, you wouldn't be the first. Cassian and Mor have puked in my back seat at least a handful of times."

"Cassian?"

The name sounded familiar, but she was having trouble putting a face to it.

"My brother," Rhys said, affection plain in his voice. "Not by blood, though. He was a foster kid my parents took in. Along with Azriel."

"I didn't know you had brothers." But then again, how could she? It's not like they exchanged much small talk when she had her tongue down his throat. "I have two sisters."

Rhys smiled. "Older?"

"How did you know?"

"The light in your eyes is too bright for an eldest child," he joked. "And your art—you had one piece that was titled as a family portrait."

Feyre knew the one he meant. She'd recreated her mother's old wardrobe and attributed each of the drawers to one of her daughters.

"But I didn't paint my sisters," Feyre said, dumbfounded he could have guessed she was the youngest from that piece, of all things.

"I know. I was trying to make sense of it for a while. But each drawer represents one of you, right? Fire, flowers, and stars. I assumed it was by birth order."

"How on earth did you know I was the stars?"

"They're everywhere in your art, Feyre. Like a signature. How could you be anything else on that dresser?"

He did that thing again. He turned his head and looked at her. Like he was seeing her for all she was.

It was a frightening thing to be looked at by a stranger and feel seen.

"The fire is my oldest sister, Nesta," she said, swallowing past a building lump in her throat. "The flowers are Elain. She's gentle and kind in ways I don't think I'll ever be able to emulate."

"You're bright and guarded," Rhys said thoughtfully. "Like the stars."

"Lonely, too."

She didn't know why she said that.

She absolutely shouldn't have said that.

Feyre cleared her throat, rushing into the silence before Rhys could think too carefully about that horrifying admission.

"Do you think we could stop for ice cream?"

He must be an athlete, accustomed to changing direction at neck-breaking speeds, because he only huffed a laugh and asked, "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Anywhere that has vanilla soft serve."

He shot her a cursory glance. "And that won't make you feel sick?"

"Recently, it's one of the only things I know I can keep down."

Without another word, Rhys switched on the indicator light. Its soft click filled the silence as they rolled to a stop and waited for the opportunity to turn.

"Is that normal?"

"I think so?" Feyre shrugged. "I keep googling everything, but the amount of information gets pretty overwhelming. I was going to bring it up at the appointment tomorrow."

"You have an appointment tomorrow?"

She didn't point out he was breaking the no baby talk rule. Mostly because she found herself wanting to tell him.

"It's my first one. I'm a little nervous. I… don't like doctors very much."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

The offer sounded so earnest it nearly subdued her knee-jerk rejection. Nearly.

"No, I'll be fine. My friend Alis is coming with. She's my roommate."

"Yes," Rhys said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. "I remember."

She remembered it, too. Unfortunately. Even when she told herself she should stop remembering it, that husky voice came back to her, urging her to be quiet, to be a good girl.

Feyre bit her lip. Time to steamroll straight through that train of thought. "She did remind me of something earlier, though. She said the doctors will probably want to know about your medical history."

"Sounds like I should be there, then."

"Or you can just tell me now."

Rhys flipped the indicator again, filling the car with that soft click, click, click as he waited for the opportunity to turn into a McDonalds. She couldn't tell if he was silent because he was focused, or because she refused to let him go to the appointment. Tamlin always gave her the silent treatment when he didn't get his way.

"I'll tell you what," Rhys said as he slid into a parking spot. The car jolted forward as he put it into park. She felt her stomach jolt with it. "I'll run inside and get ice cream while you think about some of the questions they might ask you tomorrow. You can interview me once I'm back."

"Okay," she said, hardly believing it was that easy for him to let it go.

Rhys leaned closer, fiddling with the center console. "Warm enough?" He asked, holding his hand in front of the vents. "Or, too warm?"

"Too warm."

He nodded, lowering the temperature. "Better?"

She snorted at the unexpected coddling and nudged his shoulder. "Go get the ice cream. I know how to work the AC."

With a laugh, he retreated back to the driver's side. She watched, curious, as he unbuckled his seat belt and slid a hand into his front pocket, keys jingling as he withdrew them.

"Here." He held them out to her. "In case you need to lock the doors. Or sound the alarm."

Feyre raised a brow. "You're only going to be a second, aren't you?"

"Just take the keys, Feyre."

"Can't promise I won't drive off with them," she teased, taking them from his hand. She ignored the way their fingers brushed, how her skin tingled from just that brief, accidental touch.

"And miss out on ice cream? I think you're bluffing."

Feyre poked her tongue at him as he pushed open the car door. He laughed—the kind where he tilted his head back.

She thought of her sisters, how they used to spend hot summer days playing with the garden hose. Sometimes it would get stuck, lodged beneath car tires and fences, and the water would dissipate into a languid drip until the kink was smoothed out. Feyre thought that must have happened to her at some point, a dozen sharp twists and light pinches slowly building up until her happiness was just a suffocated trickle.

It wasn't new, the realization that she was unhappy.

But it may have been the first time she realized how far she'd deviated from the girl she used to be. Rhysand laughed like it was easy. She wanted to feel that way again—so badly it was like a craving.

"I'll be right back," he said.

She nodded, digging her fingers into the armrest as she waited for this unexpected longing to fizzle out. It only felt worse once she was alone. The solitary silence threatened to bury her alive.

Her hand fell, unconsciously, to her stomach. The baby was still barely bigger than a pea. Would she feel less lonely once the baby was here, or would it feel like losing more of herself? It terrified her that she didn't know.

Rhys returned minutes later, ice cream cones procured in each hand. He nudged his elbow against the passenger door as a form of knocking. She debated locking the doors just to fuck with him, but ultimately her desire for ice cream won over and she leaned over to unlatch the door.

"Vanilla soft serve, as requested," he said, proudly presenting one of the cones to her. Once he was certain she had hold of it, he gracefully slid into the driver seat, pulling the door after him. "So," he said, turning to her. "Hit me—what's the first question?"

"Hmm." Feyre stalled for time by running her tongue along the rim of the cone. It wasn't lost on her, the way Rhysand's eyes darkened. "Any hereditary illnesses I should know about?"

Rhys grinned. "Nope. Clean bill of health. Well, besides my right knee, but that was a sports injury so I think we're in the clear."

"Oh? What sport?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that was a personal question," Rhys said lightly. "I thought this was strictly clinical."

"I thought you wanted to get to know each other," she countered.

"Any question relevant to the appointment you get for free. But if you want to ask something personal, I get to ask something, too. No grounds rules."

Feyre gaped. "Yes, ground rules!"

"Then no personal questions."

"Are you always like this?"

Rhys clicked his tongue. "Ah, now that sounds like another personal question."

"Unbelievable," she grumbled. "Okay, fine. Do you have any allergies?"

"Cats make me a little sniffly, but otherwise, no."

"I'm more of a dog person, anyway," she said, as if that mattered. "What about… medicines? Were you taking anything at the time of, erm, conception?"

Feyre felt like she was burning as she met his stare. She'd flipped the AC unit to its lowest temperature, but the cold air blowing on her face still wasn't enough. Not when she could practically see the memories dancing behind his eyes.

Holding her gaze, he took a long lick of the ice cream. She realized she couldn't be angry with him for doing it—it would melt if he didn't eat quickly enough—but the slow flick of his tongue felt suggestive of those memories.

They both knew he had taken something that night. Thoroughly. Passionately.

"No," he said, a glimpse of the ice cream still visible in the cradle of his tongue. "Needed a few pain killers for the day after, though."

"Hangover?"

There was that infuriating smirk. "Claw marks."

"Moving on," Feyre said quickly, clearing her throat. "What about your mom and dad? Grandparents? Did they have any health issues?"

Rhys considered. "My grandfather died of lung cancer, but he was a smoker. Not sure if we need to be too concerned there. My grandmother lived a long life, though—one hundred and two. Survived him nearly forty years."

"That's so sad," Feyre whispered, thinking of her father, and the way he deteriorated after her mother died.

Grief was supposed to get better with time, but sometimes she thought it was just like burying a capsule in dirt. It didn't matter how many layers were added, it was still there. And when it opened, it was as fresh and raw as the day it was buried. Like an abscess that never healed.

"She wouldn't think so," Rhys said. "Used to say it's what helped her live longer."

His eyes were creased like he was telling a joke, so Feyre forced a laugh. Inside, something in her withered.

She always thought love was so tragic. Every person she loved, she would one day lose, either through circumstance or death. Neither outcome seemed particularly happy. And in the chance where she was the one who died first, there was still the burden of knowing she would leave that wound festering in someone else.

And that was assuming the love wouldn't sour before that point. There were plenty of stories like Rhysand's grandmother's, where the promise of being with someone until the end of your life felt like more of a burden than a gift.

Lingering on those thoughts too long was painful, like pressing fingers to a bruise.

"What about your parents?" She asked, changing the subject.

The humor in Rhysand's expression dampened. "No health issues that I was aware of. I can't ask them, though. They died in a car crash a few years ago."

"Oh." Feyre's mouth popped open. "Rhys, I'm so sorry."

He waved it away and teased, "You forgot my ground rule, Feyre."

"I'm—" She pressed her lips together before she could apologize for apologizing. Like an idiot.

Rhys grinned. "I think I should get to break one of your rules. In the interest of fairness."

"How is that fair?" She sputtered. "What am I supposed to say when you tell me your parents are dead? Good riddance?"

He was shaking his head, grid spread wide. "I don't make the rules, Feyre."

"Yes. You literally do."

"Come on, humor me. One question, no ground rules."

She glared at him. "Fine. What is it that you want to know so badly?"

When Rhysand's expression shifted, assuming a gravity that sucked the air from car, she knew to brace for a question she absolutely did not want to answer.

"Does Tamlin make you happy?"

Her eyes darted to the button that controlled the passenger window, reaching for it because she needed the fresh air to feel like she could breathe, and also because it bought her a moment to compose her thoughts.

It was damning, she considered, that her answer was not an immediate yes. If she was going to lie, then her chances of sounding credible plummeted in the time it took to roll down the window, suffocating her with every second she waited for the glass panel to disappear into the hollow of the door.

Night air rushed in, greeting her like an old friend with a kiss on her cheeks. She gulped it down greedily, hoping that Rhys would drop the question if she simply pretended he hadn't asked.

"I'm not trying to interfere," he added, gratingly gentle. "And it's not a judgment. I just assume that if he's around, he'll be playing a role in our baby's life, and I want to understand what that role will be." There was something about those words—our baby. It implied an intimacy that sent her chest thumping. "And… I just want to make sure you're happy. Because honestly, Feyre—"

"Don't," she warned, trying her best to tamp down on a flare of anger. She hated that the question made her feel defensive. It wasn't as if she owed anyone an explanation, even him.

"You're right," he said. "It's not my place."

Feyre swallowed. Not really sure what to say to him. Whether to be honest or spiteful or find some way to articulate the maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and emotions that had been plaguing her for the last eight weeks. They all felt too personal—too tightly wrapped in the fist she kept clenched around her heart.

"Tamlin is all I know," she said, finally. "We met in college when everything else in my life was falling apart, and he was the one who collected all my broken pieces and helped me fit them back together. He's… familiar."

Like an old hoodie, she almost wanted to say.

"But you broke up?" Rhys asked. "Mor told me that when we, uh—met, let's say—that you weren't with Tamlin anymore."

"We were broken up," she admitted, feeling a bit pathetic for it. "I found messages on his phone. There's this woman at his work… he promised it was nothing, but the messages didn't seem that way."

She bit her lip and snuck a glance towards Rhys to gauge his reaction, but his face was so hard to read. It felt dangerous to let the silence sit. It was too easy to probe, to ask a question that would be just as damning as the last.

In a rush, she explained, "He showed up at my door a few days after… you know. I didn't know I was pregnant, obviously, and he was so adamant that everything was going to change. He's told me that before, and I didn't really believe him, it's just…"

Rhys leaned forward. "It's just what?"

How did she even begin to put words behind the numbness she'd felt, standing on her doorstep, listening to Tamlin explain why they should get back together again? Words were too precise, too clean. Nothing Feyre felt was easy to draw distinct lines around, it was too blurred, too muddied, like watercolors that had run together.

"Sometimes…" Feyre chewed at her lip. She knew how it sounded, and she knew it wasn't right, but the closest she could articulate was, "Sometimes I feel like I'm too scared of living."

Those violet eyes, near black in the dim light, darted over her face again and again, as if trying to convince himself he'd heard her wrong.

His voice was hoarse as he whispered, "What?"

He sounded devastated.

"Not like that!" She insisted, squeezing her eyes in frustration because she just wanted to make him understand, but she didn't know how. "It's like… when I used to take swim lessons as a kid. We always had a break in the middle where all of the girls would rush into the hot tub, but I would stay in the pool. Because I knew that once I felt the hot water, the pool would feel twice as cold. Once your body's acclimated, it's just easier not to get out at all."

"And Tamlin…" Rhys puzzled out. "He's the pool water?"

"Life is the pool water," she said, feeling her eyes begin to sting. "Everyone talks about love like it should be this deep, all-consuming feeling, but then what happens when you lose something like that?" She thought of the ever-present grief in her father's eyes and shook her head. "I don't think I could survive it. Tamlin is…" Her bottom lip wobbled. "He's safe."

She could feel Rhys watching her. Maybe it was finally occurring to him that she was a mess, that something in her was broken, and that he didn't want anything to do with it. Did he regret driving her home?

"If Tamlin is safe," he said quietly, "then why haven't you told him about the baby yet?"

It was the question she dreaded more than anything else. She liked to think she could handle it like an adult—tell him it was none of his business, or make some evasive comment. She was going to be a mom. It was important to be able to handle these things.

Instead, Feyre burst into tears.

She wished that the breeze lapping against her cheek would take mercy and swallow her whole. It would be so much easier if she broke down in a pit of darkness that only she was witness to—at least then she wouldn't feel so mortified, wouldn't be trying to cover her face with a neglected ice cream cone that was already dripping down her wrist.

Warm fingers brush against hers, gently prying the ice cream out of her fist. Through blurry vision and soft, hitching breath, she watched Rhys place the melted cone in the cup holder of the center console. That in itself was almost enough to still her tears—his utter disregard for the mess it would cause.

Then he was pressing a napkin into her palm, gentle as he gripped her wrist, maneuvering it this way and that so he could wipe the sticky residue from her fingers.

Feyre didn't think she'd ever been so pliant in her life. She reasoned it was from the shock of his reaction. She was sobbing in his car and he wasn't asking her why, or telling her to stop, or insisting that it would be okay. He wasn't saying anything.

Once he was satisfied that her hands were clean, Rhys set down the wipes and opened out his arms in offering. It was wrong, wasn't it? To accept. She should have curled her knees into her chest and cried there like any other self-respecting woman.

Self-respecting women had resolve. The last of hers had been spent holding back her tears, and now that it had collapsed entirely, there was nothing to prevent Feyre from burying her face in his collar. It smelled like him, the scent she'd been trying to push out of her head for weeks. Just when she thought she was on the cusp of success, here she was, inhaling deeply with each ragged sob. She feared it would settle inside her lungs and never escape, tinting every breath with his presence.

This was what the soil must feel like, she thought. When it could feel the roots taking hold, binding and shaping it to the will of another. Rhys had the kind of touch that would need to be uprooted from her soul.

And she felt, as his hands smoothed down her hair and back, that it was already too late for her. She was already in the hot tub, feeling the slosh of warm water as he rocked her in a slow, gentle motion.

He didn't shush her, not once. He just held her until the tears quieted. And kept holding her, still.

"Let me know when you're ready for me to take you back," he murmured.

It would be a while until she was ready to feel that cold again.

-

Tamlin was waiting for her.

She'd been expecting it. But seeing Tamlin's car parked in the drive, it felt like a clawed hand rising out of an abyss and grabbing hold of her legs to drag her down into a cold, foreboding dark.

The car came to a slow, rolling stop.

Rhys turned to her. His expression was guarded, difficult to read. "Want me to walk you inside?"

There was something hidden in that offer, she was sure. Want me to make sure he doesn't bother you?

Feyre shook her head. "No," she said, rubbing at her cheeks to make sure the tear tracks were gone. "I'll be fine. Thank you for driving me home."

His gaze landed on the pickup truck parked in her driveway. His mouth tightened. "You sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped.

With a sigh, Rhys shifted his car into park and unlocked the doors. "You'll call me if you need anything?"

Feyre knew he was only being kind. But she could sense that beneath the offer, he was worried, and that grated her. She hated that everyone treated Tamlin like he was some volatile explosive. It felt just as much a judgment on her as it was on him.

The smile she offered Rhys was tight. "Thanks for the ride."

Rhys returned her tight smile, giving a small wave as she slid out of the passenger seat and shut the door behind her.

It was likely her imagination, her anxiety spiking from the anticipation, but she felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck once the door was closed.

She knew Tamlin was watching her. Either from the truck, or from inside the house. He'd probably been monitoring her location the entire time. Feyre chewed the inside of her cheek, careful not to look back at Rhysand's car as she crossed the road.

Passing Tamlin's truck, she saw there was no one in the front seat. Alis must have let him in, then. She dreaded to think how long he'd been waiting. It couldn't have been that long, right?

At the front door, she paused to check if Rhys was still there. She could see him, watching from the driver's side for her to get into the house safely. Her heart swelled with gratitude for that small gesture, and the inexplicable courage it gave her to know that he was watching.

With a deep breath, Feyre stepped into the house.

"Where have you been?"

Tamlin stood on the other side of the door, blocking the hallway. His expression made her stomach tighten. He was furious. And drunk. A bad combination for anyone, but especially Tamlin.

Staying as calm as she could manage, Feyre began slowly unravelling her scarf. "Rhys drove me home."

"I didn't see Mor in the car."

An accusation, more than a question.

"We dropped her off along the way," Feyre said.

"Oh?" Tamlin shoved his phone inches from her face. The screen was open to a picture of her location. "Mor lives at McDonalds, does she?"

Feyre gave him an incredulous look. "You're angry we stopped for food?"

"I thought you had food poisoning. Isn't that why you rushed out of your own art show?"

"We stopped for ice cream," she said. "It's the only thing I thought I could keep down."

"Bullshit."

After hanging up her coat, Feyre turned to him and crossed her arms. "So what don't you believe exactly, Tam? That I was sick? Could you not hear me puking in that bathroom?"

That stumped him for a moment, which confirmed Feyre's suspicion that he and Rhys had been able to hear her retching through the bathroom door. Her cheeks heated, somehow far more embarrassed about Rhys overhearing than anything else.

"I believe you were sick, Fey," he said, eventually, "but you told me you were heading straight home."

She shrugged. "I was starting to feel better and wanted ice cream. Is that such a big deal?"

It was starting to work. She could see Tamlin mulling over the explanation, his irritation still plain but with increasingly less justification. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh.

"Something feels off here, Feyre."

Feyre made the mistake of hesitating. They both knew that the real reason he was angry was that she went home with Rhys. That she spent time alone with him.

But he was also right. Something was off. And Tamlin wasn't an idiot; he could sense it, even if he couldn't figure out what was off. And if his suspicions involved Rhys, they likely weren't too far from the truth.

Tamlin's eyes narrowed. "What aren't you telling me?"

In her mind, she tried to play out how this would go if she just told him the truth. He would be angry, and that would be a justified reaction. But he was also drunk, and already jealous of Rhys, and the way he was leaning over her… she worried that anger would escalate.

"I'm tired," she said in a soft voice. Once she found herself frequently using when he'd had too much to drink. "Can we talk in the morning?"

"Talk?" He was getting worked up now. "What do we need to talk about, Feyre?"

When Feyre tried to step past him, he grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to say, we're done when I say we're done.

Her hand absently found her stomach, cradling the invisible bump.

I just assume that if he's around, he'll be playing a role in our baby's life, and I want to understand what that role will be

When she was seven, she'd been sent to the principal's office for biting a boy who tried to corner Elain at recess. She'd always been fiercely protective of her sisters, but she'd never felt a protectiveness as intense as the one that surged through her in that moment.

At just that small act of acknowledgement that her child was beneath her palm, and that she would be damned if anyone threatened their safety. Tamlin may not have been an immediate threat, but he certainly didn't have the temperament of someone she'd want around her baby.

Feyre tilted her chin up. "I think we should break up."

"What?"

"You heard me, Tam. I don't think we should be together. And I mean it this time. We're not good for each other."

"Is this because of Mor?" Tamlin demanded. "Did she say something to you?"

"This has nothing to do with Mor." Feyre met his eyes levelly, begging him to stay calm. "This is about us, Tam. The fighting, the distrust, the secrets. I can't deal with it anymore."

"You can't deal with it?" He demanded. "Funny, you seemed happy to deal with it a few hours ago when I was bankrolling your art show."

Feyre clenched her teeth, her temper getting the better of her. "Don't go there with me. You and I know damn well you only booked the art show because you felt guilty about what happened with Ianthe."

"God dammit!"

Feyre barely had enough time to stumble out of the way as Tamlin whirled and crashed his fist through the wall. Plaster crumbled to the floor, covering his fist in ivory dust.

"Tamlin!" Feyre screeched. "Holy shit!"

A door slammed down the hall, and seconds later Alis came racing towards them, her eyes wide as she took in the scene before her.

Even Tamlin looked shocked by what he'd done. He straightened slowly, withdrawing his hand from the wall with what looked like shame. He looked at her, the anger gone from his eyes. "Feyre…"

She didn't need to hear it. This apology would be just like the hundreds of others, all delivered with the same sad eyes. Please don't hold me accountable, they begged.

But she was a mom now. That outweighed everything, even her empathy.

"Get out," she said.

When he didn't move, Alis warned, "You have ten seconds before I call police."

Tamlin kept his gaze pinned on Feyre, and she realized he wasn't just begging to be rescued. He was expecting it. Somewhere along the line, she'd taught him that he could behave however he wanted so long as he pretended he was sorry for it.

Well, not anymore. Not ever again.

Feyre met his eyes, making sure he could see every ounce of her resolve as she told him, "Get the fuck out of my house, Tamlin."

His jaw clenched so tightly she could see the muscle sticking out. He said nothing else as he shouldered his way past Feyre, yanked open the door, and slammed it shut.

Alis came to her side immediately, putting one hand on Feyre's back and the other on the deadbolt, pulling it across. They held their breaths until they heard the engine start up and the oversized tires kick up gravel as he pulled out of the drive.

"Oh my god," Feyre whispered once he was gone. Her eyes and throat were beginning to sting, her only warning before a sob wracked up her throat.

"Oh honey." Alis pulled her close, cradling Feyre's head against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. That must have been terrifying."

"It's over," Feyre said, uncertain who she was trying to console—Alis, herself, or the baby.

So she said it for each of them.

"It's over."

"It's over."

"It's over."

[boydepartment]

weird cat guy- nishimura riki x reader

a/n: THIS WAS REQUESTED BY @angrybananapolice I HOPE ITS OKAY <3

request: can i req a comfort kinda fluff with Riki? reader is that kind of friend who's like a side character in her own life. Like, she isn't known by her name, she's known as her best friend's friend. You get me? so basically, reader isn't recognised a lot but then Riki somehow waltzes into her life blah blah thats all on you and then they kiss at the end because :)

warnings: cursing, insecurity, angst, comfort, fluff, kinda romcom

wc- 600-800 words

MASTERLIST

in school you were pretty invisible, you didn’t talk much and when you did your friend would accidentally overshadow you. you don’t think she meant to, it just happened.

it was really frustrating you inside but you never were going to say anything. at the end of the day school wasn’t forever and you could move on with your life in a couple years max. there was no reason to make a scene or beg for attention.

that’s how your life was, blending into the background. who were you to change it?

when you walked to school with your friend you listened to her go on and on about some annoying guy in her dms. you thought she didn’t realize how lucky she was for people to actually have a romantic interest in her. you had a feeling something like this would never happen to you. a guy making a fool of himself to gain your attention? funny.

“he was so annoying all he did was yap!” you felt her hand on your shoulder. you couldn’t help but laugh along, no matter how you were feeling- she had a point.

“he really did sound like a yapper.” you started to joke with her as she continued.

“and his instagram was a little odd too! wait look!”

you watched as she pulled up his instagram, you both spent time poking fun and giggling. it was almost like middle school again.

until you got to the school building, then you faded in the background. you loved your best friend just not at school. she talked to way more people and left you by yourself socially. she would drag you around and then not truly include you.

and that’s how you’d spend your days, doodling on your math notes, messing with your shoes under the desk, and trying not to fall asleep. rinse and repeat…

however one thing did happen, on your walk home you were alone because your friend got invited to a study hall.

“i’m sorry y/n… will you be okay on your way home?”

you nodded and smiled at her, forced, “yeah of course! don’t worry about it!”

you started your journey home by yourself, at this point you should’ve gotten used to it. being alone. it was almost tranquil and you felt like nothing could ruin this moment for you. no school, no stress anymore, no-

“PLEASE STOP THAT CAT!”

when you looked up you saw a cat and a lanky figure sprinting towards you, the cat jumped on you and scared you so bad you fell over. the guy toppling down with you.

“what the hell!?” you yelled grabbing your head.

the boy looked at you, “i was trying to get that cat! i wanted him!”

you tried to stop the dizziness, “go to a shelter then, you psycho!”

the guy stood up and grabbed your hands to help you up, “that’s too easy!”

you finally looked at him and he was astonishingly attractive, “you’re crazy!” you looked away from him, now embarrassed. you barely talked to people, let alone attractive people. this was so embarrassing! and it was the hot guy’s fault!

“i’m sorry for knocking you over!” he exclaimed, “listen how can i make it up to you!” he stood there tapping his foot.

you grabbed your bag off the floor, “by leaving me alone.”

“come on! i totally knocked you over! well technically the cat did then i tripped over you but that’s not the point!”

you looked at him again, “you can leave me alone and stop being weird towards stray cats.”

at that, you walked away quickly passed him. god knows what that weirdo does on his free time. chasing cats? what a dork.

the next day was like clockwork, you enjoyed your bestfriends company until school, then you lost her. school and your studies were boring- it was a review week.

you sat down at your desk for lunch, your best friend sitting by you but not with you.

“oh y/n what do-“ everytime she tried to talk to you, someone else took her attention. if you tried to talk, someone talked over you.

you learned your lesson quickly.

“i heard that cute guy has been peeking into the classrooms today!” one of her friends exclaimed. one thing you learned was that listening and noting things was key to at least trying to enjoy the social aspect of school. you didn’t have to be involved.

“which one?” your best friend asked. everyone looked at your friend.

“that cat boy! he always chases cats and birds!”

you found yourself giggling slightly, that was ironic. what are the odds?

your best friend gasped, “oh him! he is so cute!”

they started talking amongst themselves until you heard giggling and gasping. probably some arm smacking too. which was typical in the gossip circle.

“oh my gosh it’s him! (b/f/n) he’s probably going to go over to you! what if he asks you out!”

yeah probably. you knew how this was going to play out. she’d go out with him, probably get the ick, then he’d have a bad rep because he fumbled with the school’s flower.

it was then more silent than usual and you had a box of chocolates thrown on your desk.

you looked up and it was cat boy, the psycho that ran into you.

“what’s- what’s this?!” your eyes widened, the boy started to snicker.

“for running into you. my mom told me to get it.” he pulled up his chair in front of you, all eyes were on you both.

“i didn’t even know you went to my school!” you whisper yelled, panicking that the attention was on you. the boy started to unpack his lunch in front of you and you hid your face from everyone.

“likewise!” he spoke and started unpacking his lunch, “do you like cucumbers? my mom always packs them but i don’t really enjoy them.”

he started speaking like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“ummmm…. what are you doing?”

the boy looked up at you, “actually talking to you.” he whispered, “and having lunch. duh.”

your eyes scanned the room, your best friend’s friends still looking at you, including her. you felt nauseous.

“this isn’t a funny joke if you’re pranking me.” you said firmly, the boy looked a little shocked.

“why would i be pranking you? i don’t have friends either.” he said simply and took a sip of his milk, he put the cucumbers on your plate.

you eyed the cucumbers, “is that why you chase cats and birds?”

he looked up at you, giggled, then nodded, “i’m riki by the way..”

“y/n.”

you honestly expected him to hang out with you once and then drop it. but that didn’t happen… he actually continued to hang out with you. be around you, and actually talk to you. riki would remember the little things too.

he started to walk you home and you got so used to his company that it scared you. in your mind you were boring, he was probably just using you to get to your friend. you’d take whatever riki said with a grain of salt, no matter how sweet. why would you risk having feelings for someone who could just be using you?

the weather was starting to warm up and your allergies were not helping you. your head was in pain and school just wasn’t it for you today. the idea of looking at the green chalkboard sounded nauseating.

you stayed home and took pain meds, around 10 am you were trying to make tea when there was a knocking at your door.

that was terrifying, it was only you home. if someone decided to break it you would probably die.

you rushed over and peeked through the window. and there was riki.

you opened the door, “what are you doing here.”

“you weren’t at school, can i come in?”

“can you stop pretending you actually care?” you wrapped your arms around yourself and looked down at his feet. you were getting tired of riki being overly nice to you, especially because to you it was fake. it was a facade.

you heard a surprise noise and then a scoff.

“i’m not pretending! what do you take me for!?”

you finally got the courage to look up at him, “someone who’s way out of my league and probably only using me to get to my friend, it’s happened since middle school, and she likes you too! so go to her! stop wasting my time.” you went to shut the door but riki stopped it.

“what the fuck are you talking about? have i ever mentioned your stupid- no offense- your stupid friend?” riki readjusted the bag on his shoulder, “i got your schoolwork too dumbass, since she said she forgot it. that’s the one and only time i’ve ever spoken to her.”

you looked at him, still in disbelief. riki looked at you, somewhat annoyed.

“y/n i’ve hung out with you everyday for a month, i have no other friends because people either make fun of me for being cat boy or they’re just trying to date me. it’s a weird 50/50.” he said simply, his stare softened.

“riki-“

“what’s that burning smell?”

“FUCK!” you rushed back to see the water boiling over the stove and went to fix it. you were already upset because you couldn’t find the kettle, now you were upset you fucked up.

“god! i can’t do anything right!”

unbeknownst to you riki let himself in, “go lay down. i’ll make tea.”

you flipped around and looked at him, at this point you didn’t feel well, you were overwhelmed, and you just wanted to lay down, “fine… whatever…”

you laid down on the couch and tried to check your notifications, your best friend hadn’t even checked if you were okay. hell, she didn’t even read your text asking to get your work.

sighing you zoned out until you felt a weight next to you, “sit up and drink up.” you listened, mumbling a thank you.

“i like you.”

you choked on your tea, “you what? riki that’s not funny, that’s mean. you’re being mean.” you spoke quickly and waved your hand brushing him off.

“i’m not lying to you, i’ve been hitting on you this entire time!” riki exclaimed and sat back astonished.

you set the tea down, “it’s hard for me to believe you.”

“i know.” he took a deep breath and leaned his head back, “i know. clearly it is.”

you felt bad now, if he was telling the truth you were the one being mean now…

“i’m sorry, im not used to all of this.” you felt your eyes water and riki sprung into action. he softly grabbed your hands, they were freezing.

“i know you aren’t, listen… i lied when i said i didn’t know we went to the same school-“ he blurted out. you looked up at him.

“what.”

“i’ve had a crush on you since the beginning of school but i didn’t know how to tell you and you were always around that stupid group that never talked to you and i felt really bad but i couldn’t say anything because im known as weird cat boy and i just i was trying to catch that cat to try and impress you but i failed-“

around the middle of his speech it was like time stopped, it was now or never.

if it was a joke and your school social life was over then you could transfer online or something.

you sat up on your knees and made the boy face you, before you leaned in and kissed him.

he tensed up before easing into the kiss, when he pulled away softly he chuckled, “i’m sorry for lying about that, it’s the one thing i lied about and i felt embarrassed for liking you for so long.”

you pecked his lips again, “is it embarrassing to like me?”

“NO!” riki said quickly, “absolutely not! i just felt like a loser, NOT BECAUSE-“

you started to laugh, “i’m just teasing you!” when you calmed down you looked at him, riki’s ears were pink and he was just staring at you.

“thank you for being a real friend to me…” you smiled at him, tearing up again.

“can i be your real boyfriend? or am i about to get friendzoned…?”

you laughed again and hugged him, well tackling him, “you can be my real boyfriend!”

[tarisilmarwen]

RobStar Week 2025, Day 6 - Other Titan's POV

(The TT universe ships RobStar and I was delighted to explore that a little bit in this one.

Enjoy!)

---

People's emotions weren't hidden to her. She was an empath. It was "her thing". It was how she'd known Starfire wasn't mindlessly furious when they'd first met her, but terrified out of her mind.

It was also why the exuberant alien could be exhausting to be around, with how much and how intensely she projected her emotions outward.

So she knew something was going on between Starfire and Robin pretty quickly.

It wasn't just the unbearably loud happiness that Starfire felt whenever she was around Robin, no, it was that all of the alien princess's emotions were more blaring around their leader. She was always more worried, more sad, more angry, more frustrated, more everything when Robin was involved.

Eventually, within about a month or two after settling in to the Tower with everyone else (and boy was that an adjustment story of its own), she learned how to filter out Starfire's intense Tamaranian emotions like background white noise, got used to them.

Meanwhile, Robin had decent enough mental shields that he didn't really leak out much, so his awkward feelings for Starfire—and she knew he had them, because of course empath—didn't really bother her.

Well, up until she accidentally formed a mind bond with him.

If she'd thought her mental clarity was agitated by Starfire's outward feelings, Robin's were even more aggravating, because they slipped straight through Raven's mental shields through their bond to project inside her head and rattle around in there.

At first she had tried to ignore it but when it became clear that Robin had no idea he was projecting (or picking up things from her), she had to take him aside and have a very long conversation about mental boundaries and privacy and keeping things inside his head as much as he could.

That had been awkward. In several fashions.

Raven did not care to repeat the experience.

****

Despite Raven's many complaints about his observation skills (and general level of intelligence) Beast Boy was not stupid. He knew there was a thing going on between Robin and Starfire that they didn't want to acknowledge, but that was plainly obvious to anyone who had working eyes and ears.

You see, when you had basically the entire animal kingdom at your disposal inside your DNA, it came with certain sensory perks. Not just sharper and better vision and hearing, but smell for example, infrared signals, or that cool thing sharks had where they could sense the electric fields of their prey. Beast Boy couldn't always control when they partially activated, so he'd just kind of learned to be used to hearing, seeing, smelling, and sensing things that were technically invisible to the human sensory experience.

Turned out a lot of freaky things happened in a human body when it was attracted to another member of the species.

So yeah, he could smell the pheromones and hormones they gave off sometimes. Which was really gross and felt super personal and like he was some kind of creepy voyeur for being able to tell exactly when they were horny for each other.

...Having roommates as a superpowered shape-shifter sucked sometimes.

****

Cyborg didn't need any fancy superpowers or extrasensory perception to know exactly what was going on between Robin and Starfire. (Though admittedly his biometric sensors did help with picking up the clues—slightly dilated eyes, faster heartbeat, adrenal gland activation, things like that.)

He'd called it day one, within minutes of meeting them.

The moment Starfire had kissed him, Robin was a goner. Cyborg had been surprised he hadn't seen literal hearts floating up above the kid's head, because the dazed confusion Robin'd had sitting there on the ground staring after her after she'd pushed him said everything.

And the, "I have to find out if she's a threat," sounded fake as hell even without his cybernetic brain reading the distracted notes in his tone.

He'd seen enough fledgling high school crushes in his day to recognize the tell-tale signs.

So yeah. He'd known they liked each other forever.

Boy was it aggravating watching them dance around it though.

The blushing, the hidden whispers, the averted eyes, the cheerful banter that was flirting without knowing they were flirting, playing "I'm not looking at you", it was the whole package. Cyborg sometimes felt like he was on one of those teen drama shows just waiting in the wings for the leads to finally kiss.

If he still had hair, he'd want to rip it out.

****

"So I'll... see you later then, I guess," Robin coughed awkwardly, rubbing a hand behind his head.

"Indeed," Starfire said, seemingly unable to make eye contact with him.

She departed first, and he spent a very long time staring at the closed door after she left before heading out as well.

There was a lingering something in the air that all three of the others at the Titans' kitchen table felt as the two exited the room.

"So..." Beast Boy said, the first to pipe up and break the awkward silence. "They're a thing, right? Like, they got something going on there."

"Oh, they are down so bad," Cyborg agreed, taking a miserable sip of his coffee.

"Totally," Raven added in her flat monotone.

"Oh good!" Beast Boy said, shoulders deflating in relief. "I thought it was just me that had noticed."

Cyborg shook his head. "Nope," he said. "They're like the world's worst kept open secret."

"I can tell what love feels like by proxy just being around them," Raven moaned.

"When do you think they'll actually confess?" Beast Boy wondered.

"Ugh, who knows?" Raven grumbled, rubbing her temples. "Can't come soon enough if you ask me."

"I'd say five seasons and a movie, if we're going by television rules," Cyborg quipped, taking a large gulp of his coffee.

Beast Boy buried his face flat on the table with outstretched arms. "This is agony," he complained.

"Tell me about it," the other two muttered.

[shunin-gumis]

Nagi Hachinoya Novel

Essence of a Bouquet

Track 01 - Secret Energy that can attract Happiness

Please note that the novel contains some major spoilers in regards to Nagi's past that is revealed in L4mps main story before you read!

The dialogues do not actually state who is speaking, but I noted it anyways to make it easier to understand.

"Now, let us dive deep into the sea of memories…"

As if guided by the voice I hear from the podium, I close my eyes, and dive deep into the depths of my memories.

The earliest memory I have is that of my mother, the two of us having fun at a park.

The fresh and vibrant four-leaf clover.

The happy times, immediately followed by our separation at the laundromat.

The moment I learned that the scent of partings was the smell of fresh laundry.

'……'

I open my eyes.

'Why did you have to leave me behind…'

'I want to go back to that day, a day that should have been filled with happiness.'

In the corner of a special venue in mahorova, I look around and see the avatars all around me were in tears. I had already come to terms with what happened with my mother, so I didn't join them in their tears. But I could still understand their feelings very well.

If it were truly possible for me to return to that day, I would be willing to make any sacrifice. That's what it means to be 'sad'.

This was the orientation for beginners who want to join the "Society of Secret Energy to Attract Happiness". The gathering had around 30 members, and since everyone was in their anonymous avatars, there was no way to tell anyone's age nor gender.

The person talking at the podium was known as the Flower Princess, Master Hideko. She was the one responsible for leading this gathering. She had the avatar of an old woman in her sixties… but I had a feeling that's how she looks in real life as well.

Master Hideko looked around as everyone was crying, and with a solemn yet gentle expression on her face, she started speaking.

Hideko "Please, dry your tears. I am certain that you will all be able to return to those happy days once again. "Good fortune" is simply an energy that attracts happiness based on the principle of attunement wave function, in other words if you can access your "Secret Energy", you can-"

She was using a lot of technical terms, but it was very informative. I'm glad I attended.

After joining HAMA Tours, although I was late to the party, I started browsing videos on dazzle. Strangely enough, after a bit of searching, I found that my feed was full of videos that were related to luck.

One day, I asked Buchi-san about it while I was in the living room with him.

Nagi "Seeing all these videos on the topic of luck, I wonder if it's all the rage these days…"

He responded with-

Daniel "That's just the target algorithm doing it's job."

Nagi "Algo-huh?"

Daniel "I mean, it's because you keep watching those kinds of videos all the time- ah forget it. It's too much of a pain to explain."

Nagi "So what does it mean?"

Daniel "Yeah it's all the rage, but only in your phone."

-Is what he said.

I thought it was popular because it was effective, so I'd immediately applied to join the gathering.

I myself had a predisposition that made me attract bad luck proportional to the happiness that I receive. But rather than simply wanting to be happy for the sake of being happy, I wanted to be able to spread happiness through my flowers, which meant I had to be happy first.

Hideko "Say it together now, Secret Energy!!"

Master Hideko's voice grew louder. As if everyone was pulled by an invisible force, they all stood up together. I got up in a hurry as well.

"Secret Energy!"

"Secret Energy!!"

Before I knew it, everyone was chanting "Secret Energy" over and over while hugging the person next to them.

I see, this is the power of "Secret Energy".

Everyone was hugging the person next to them as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

In which case, the person next to me…

"Secret Energy!"

When I looked over, a person with a black cat avatar was already waiting with their arms wide open.

"Secret Energy!"

That's why I returned the hug as well.

I don't think I've ever hugged anyone before, but now that I have, I could feel my heart being filled even in this virtual space.

I don't even know this person, and even if it's just through virtual avatars, this is not something that I'd experience normally. Is this one of the secrets to happiness?

As a matter of fact, the avatar in front of me seemed quite happy. There was something about it that made you feel a connection, beyond age, gender or even words.

Once again, Master Hideko's voice full of love washed over us.

Hideko "The next gathering will be for the intermediate level, so make sure you all do your assignments before you attend!"

Nagi "Phew… that was quite the passionate session."

I got a glimpse into ways of increasing happiness from a perspective that's different from mine. As I thought, it was good thing that I participated today.

Just as I was about to log out, I felt a tap on my shoulder-

Black cat avatar "Hello again! I just wanted to say, it was a really fulfilling time despite being a beginner's session."

It was the person with the black cat avatar.

Nagi "I agree. I'm looking forward to the next session."

Black cat avatar "Right!"

Since I felt like I shared in some happiness with this person, I couldn't help talk with them at that moment.

Apparently, he was a 35 year old male. Although I was one generation younger than him, he didn't mind at all and was very frank, all smiles.

Black cat avatar "I'm glad I got to meet someone I can get along with! Feel free to talk to me the next time you see me!"

Nagi "Yes, I will."

Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 /Part 5