Molded

STRANGERS / NO ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP ( crushes, rivals, acquaintances, mutual pining, people who technically have no claim over each other )

“it's none of my business... so why does it bother me?”

“who was that you left with?”

“i don't know why i expected you to wait for me.”

“they're clearly interested in you.”

“you looked happy talking to them.”

“i don't get a say in who you spend time with.”

“i keep telling myself i don't care.”

“i shouldn't be jealous. we aren't anything.”

“why am i disappointed?”

“you don't even know i like you.”

“you smiled at them the way i wish you'd smile at me.”

“forget i asked.”

“you probably don't even remember my name.”

“they're better for you than i could ever be.”

“i was going to ask you out... until i saw that.”

“do you always flirt like that?”

“guess i was too late.”

“i hate that i noticed.”

“you're impossible to ignore.”

"maybe i made this all up in my head."

FRIENDS TO SOMETHING ELSE ( close friends, mutual feelings, unresolved tension )

“since when do you keep secrets from me?”

“you've been spending a lot of time with them.”

“i miss when it was just us.”

“you don't laugh with me like that anymore.”

“did they replace me?”

“i'm not asking you to choose.”

“...would you choose them?”

“i didn't realize i could lose you before i even had you.”

“you forgot our plans.”

“you always make time for them.”

“i know we're just friends.”

“so why does this hurt?”

“you don't need me anymore.”

“i hate seeing someone else become your favorite person.”

“i wish you'd notice me first.”

“am i imagining the distance between us?”

“you've changed.”

“or maybe i just finally noticed.”

“i don't want things between us to change.”

"i think they already have."

NEW RELATIONSHIP ( still learning each other, insecurity, uncertainty )

“i know we're together, but...”

“who keeps texting you?”

“you still talk to them?”

“you never mentioned them before.”

“should i be worried?”

“i don't know where i fit into your life yet.”

“i hate feeling this insecure.”

“tell me i'm enough.”

“i don't want to be the jealous partner.”

“i just don't want to lose you.”

“you said they were just a friend.”

“can you understand why that looked bad?”

“i'm trying to trust you.”

“please don't give me a reason not to.”

“why didn't you tell me?”

“i would've understood.”

“you don't have to hide people from me.”

“just don't hide the truth.”

“talk to me.”

"don't shut me out."

ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP ( dating, married, long-term partners )

“look at me, not them.”

“i saw the way they looked at you.”

“and you let them.”

“tell me i'm overthinking.”

“you always defend them.”

“you forgot about me tonight.”

“i shouldn't have to compete with anyone.”

“have i become predictable?”

“do i still make your heart race?”

“you're pulling away.”

“don't tell me nothing's wrong.”

“something changed.”

“you used to reach for my hand.”

“now you don't even notice when i'm gone.”

“am i still the person you come home to?”

“you didn't even notice i was upset.”

“tell me we're okay.”

“i need to hear you say it.”

“choose me.”

"please."

EXES ( old feelings, unfinished business, messy reunions )

“so... you're seeing someone.”

“they seem nice.”

“i hate that they're not me.”

“i shouldn't care anymore.”

“apparently i still do.”

“did you ever love me the way you love them?”

“do they know your favorite song?”

“do you tell them the same things you told me?”

“was i really that easy to replace?”

“you moved on faster than i expected.”

“i keep comparing them to myself.”

“i always lose.”

“you look happier now.”

“i'm glad... i think.”

“do you ever miss us?”

“be honest.”

“have you forgotten me already?”

“i haven't figured out how to.”

"i wish i didn't still love you."

ONE-SIDED / UNREQUITED ( loving someone who doesn't love you back )

“you don't even know.”

“you keep talking to me about them.”

“every word feels like another knife.”

“i hope they make you happy.”

“i wish i could be happy for you.”

“i almost told you.”

“now i never will.”

“you're looking at the wrong person.”

“i've been here the whole time.”

“you just never looked.”

“they don't love you like i could.”

“it's pathetic, isn't it?”

“i'm rooting for your happiness.”

“even when it breaks mine.”

“you'll never know how much this hurts.”

“i don't want to resent them.”

“but i do.”

“i hate myself for that.”

“maybe one day i'll stop loving you.”

"today isn't that day."

POSSESSIVE / TOXIC ( intentionally unhealthy dynamics for fictional purposes )

“where were you?”

“answer me.”

“who gave you permission to leave with them?”

“you're avoiding me.”

“don't lie.”

“i know you're hiding something.”

“you're mine.”

“say i'm wrong.”

“why were they touching you?”

“don't make me ask twice.”

“you knew this would upset me.”

“maybe that was the point.”

“i don't like sharing what's mine.”

“look at me when i'm talking to you.”

“tell them to leave.”

“now.”

“you're choosing them over me.”

“remember that.”

“don't test my patience.”

"you're playing a dangerous game."

AFTER THE FIGHT ( regret, reconciliation, vulnerability )

“i'm sorry.”

“i let my jealousy speak for me.”

“i know i crossed a line.”

“can we start over?”

“i was scared.”

“not angry.”

“scared of losing you.”

“i should've trusted you.”

“instead, i pushed you away.”

“do you think we can fix this?”

“i don't want jealousy to be the thing that ruins us.”

“i should've talked to you.”

“instead, i assumed the worst.”

“tell me what you need from me.”

“i'm listening this time.”

“i never wanted to hurt you.”

“i just didn't know how to tell you i was afraid.”

“please don't give up on us.”

“can you forgive me?”

(note: these are meant for giving muses a chance to flirt for fun or allowing muses to react to unreciprocated flirting. please do not send them in with the intent to start a ship or get upset when your muse is rejected or the receiver's muse misinterprets their meaning or doesn't take it seriously)

How about we head back to my place?

That outfit looks great on you, I bet it would look even better on my floor.

So, is this a date?

What would you do if I kissed you?

Can I hold your hand?

Care to dance?

We can share the bed.

Are you always so oblivious?

Just one date, that's all I'm asking.

Just give me a chance.

I love you.

My friends bet me that I couldn't get your number. Want to help me win?

It's so distracting to be around you.

You can admit you find me charming, you know?

I can think of a few ways we could pass the time, if you're bored.

You're completely out of my league, aren't you?

You know a lot of people think we're a couple.

You don't have to pretend you're not staring you know, you can look openly.

Come on, I know you like me.

Is it hot in here, or is it just you?

Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?

Just say the word and I'm yours.

You know, you're really cute when you smile like that.

Can I buy you dinner?

You can get closer if you'd like.

Do you have plans later?

I'd love to get to know you better.

I'm trying really hard to impress you here.

I was hoping I'd run into you today.

I think we'd make a pretty good team.

Well… that sounded smoother in my head.

I've got patience. I can wait.

Can't you see we'd be perfect together?

I think you might be my soulmate.

I've tried moving on, okay? But I can't.

The two of us would make beautiful babies.

Keep looking at me like that and I might get the wrong idea.

I could get used to seeing your face every day.

Kiss me.

If you're this feisty in public, I wonder what you're like behind closed doors?

Let me spoil you.

You look cold, how about I help warm you up?

I'd treat you right if you'd just let me.

Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

You really expect me to believe you've never thought about us together?

I swear all the love songs I've heard were about you.

I'm sorry, what did you say? I was distracted by your beauty.

Do you want to help me test out my new mattress?

You have no idea the kind of thoughts I’ve been having about you lately.

You have no idea what you do to me.

Your hand looks heavy, can I hold it for you?

I don't bite...unless you want me to.

I'll go anywhere you want to take me.

Let me buy you a drink.

Is that a blush I see?

Are you trying to drive me crazy?

Mind if I keep you company?

What's someone as pretty as you doing all alone?

Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

Baker's Basement

Concept art for Resident Evil VII

Leon didn't whisk Ethan to a DSO safehouse with nefarious intentions. Honestly, he wants to make his likely transfer into quarantine as seamless as possible. The BSAA and Chris' personalised unit are out of the equation. That isn't to say he intends to keep the man splintered from the life that he truly wants, but trust is thin, and Leon decides he will personally manage Ethan's case.

That was the plan on the drive to the safehouse, anyway. Leon hadn't been seeking Ethan in particular, it was a happy accident to locate him. But there's something... very different.

But this? This is completely new and was never disclosed to him by his handlers. The fact that something- a strong emotional connection, some innate recognition of favorable compatibility, some other prerequisite Ethan doesn't know- could trigger such intense need. That his body could release spores, not to invade and infect and control the same way Eveline's did, but to encourage his partner. To attract them, to get them as desperate for Ethan as he is for them.

The silence of the Megamycete was unlike any other. It had no wind, no heartbeat, no passage of time ; only memory stretched into eternity. Miranda regarded Ethan as though he were another echo among countless others. There was no hatred in her expression now, nor triumph. Death had stripped both of them of the luxury of unfinished battles.

“And yet…” she said quietly, “…here you are.”

Her gaze drifted beyond him, into the endless lattice of memories woven through the fungal network.

“You destroyed my vessel.You denied me Eva.”

“And still… neither of us truly disappeared.”

For the first time in a century, her voice carried something almost resembling fatigue.

“The Megamycete remembers everything. So unless you intend to destroy memory itself, I suspect we shall have to tolerate one another.”

A faint, humorless smile crossed her lips.

Then again. Ethan annihilated the Baker family. That cop wouldn't've died if Ethan hadn't asked him for help. Everyone in Luiza's house wouldn't've died if he didn't try to help that injured old man. And that's not even counting Eveline or the four Lord or Miranda herself. Maybe this is Hell and they do both deserve to be there. Ethan doesn't want to think about that. He'd rather just be angry at Miranda.

"Give me enough time, and I might." It's the kind of huffy response that's unbecoming of a full-grown adult, but Ethan doesn't care. Maybe Rose gets her pre-nap moodiness from him. "Depends on who else is remembered." Eveline and Miranda are two points towards finding a way to destroy memories. The Bakers- innocent and uninfected in death- are several counts against it.

He crosses his arms and frowns at the goddess. Or whatever she is. He still isn't completely sure. "Your first choice was to invasion of the body-snatchers my daughter." Speaking of...

Its actually quite endearing.

He was nervous, she thought. Which wasn't as off putting as he seemed worried about. To Grace, it meant that he cared about how this went. She watches him run a hand through his hair and her smile dimples.

"Thanks for understanding. I'll try not to make a habit of it though if we wanna keep seeing eachother. I haven't been called a hero since the pandemic though so thanks for that."

Grace shrugs off her denim jacket, draping it across the back of the chair. "If I let you pay, you're not allowed to judge me for my ridiculous coffee order okay?" Her voice lilts in a playful tease.

Poor Ethan was convinced he was bad at this, but Grace had been on enough first dates by this point to know how to ease a bit of tension. They could have a nice evening hopefully even if it didn’t turn into anything.

Triple shot espresso with two shots vanilla, four caramel. It's a little more complicated than Mia's go-to: upside-down caramel macchiato. He'll try to remember it for next time, if there's going to actually be a next time. Sometimes he would stop for coffee on the way home from work and surprise Mia with it. He wonders if Grace would like that, too. Maybe, if things work out, he'll find out some day. Maybe he shouldn't be thinking about that on the first date.

ethan you are so dear to me

The careful inspection of hazelnut hues dropped down toward the finished cartridge, watching as the remnants were crushed beneath a shoe. It was a short watch, as his eyes trailed back up almost immediately upon the sudden, faux gruff of Ethan’s voice filtered between them. 

“That what I sound like to you?” Chris laughed— not a chuckle, not a quiet stifle that he opted to bury away, he laughed. It was almost foreign to his own ears; to be laughing at a time like this? There wasn’t shit to joke about, but Ethan’s rebuke, whether spiteful or not, was enough to pull at least one of the captain’s walls down. “Military types normally don’t go against the rulings of a government sponsored facility. Whether by luck or whatever you wanna call it, you got me, someone who was discharged from the military.”

But that was irrelevant here. Actually, Chris didn’t know why he was opening himself up like that. Maybe it was a root of pity; an attempt to give Ethan something that felt normal amidst the entropic flux of his prior happenstance. A piece of humanity, even. 

Upon his suggestion that leaned itself more as a joke, Chris lifted his eyes to track Ethan’s movement. It’d been less of a curious nature and more of a hesitant trail of his eyes, though the caution waned itself as Ethan lowered to the ground. After everything they’d just gone through, Chris should’ve instead suggested sleep if Ethan was actually going to listen to him. 

With a raise to his brows, the captain took in the sight of the man… doing what looked like yoga rather than a basic exercise move; his back had too much of a dip with his spine, the placement of his hands was not near his shoulders, nor were they even facing the correct way, 

It was as if everything that could be done wrong in the maneuver had been easily obtainable by Ethan. 

“Christ,” Chris muttered, as though the attempt had been more insulting than endearing. “Have you— have you ever done a push-up before? Or was yoga more your thing?”

He's totally having those thoughts.

Ethan readjusts, giving up on his attempts to blow Chris away with how many push-ups he can do absolutely flawlessly. He ends up sitting on the ground, face scrunched up in an embarrassed frown. Partially because of the mental image thing and mostly from the reaction to his show of strength. His poor attempt at a show of strength, apparently.

"Not since, I don't know, middle school? High school?" He may or may not have aligned his electives specifically to avoid gym class in his high school career. "And I don't know if it's yoga. I don't really do that, either." Up until Dulvey, he was more of a 'maybe go for a job if Mia wanted them to, but mostly sedentary' kinda guy. Unless he got to swim somewhere, but swimming is very far from push ups.

He almost wants to ask Chris to teach him. But what if Chris touches him and Ethan does something stupid or embarrassing? It would be unforgivable. But. No, it's just push-ups. It's nothing crazy. It's definitely nothing even remotely attractive. He can handle it without, well. Anything. He's not that terrible of a person and he's not that pent up. He's just frustrated and bored and-

And he's overthinking. He runs his hand through his hair, tugging slightly. He's safe. He doesn't need to be on high alert about everything all the time. He just needs something to take his mind off thinking. About anything, apparently. He can do that without being fucking weird. Fuck it.

Beau only blinked, blue eyes levying the human-shaped thing curiously. Truthfully, he didn't know how to proceed. How he wanted to handle him was in question. There was an argument for a firm hand because the other had an indisputable fire-- no, a candle flame, an annoying gnat or nuisance. But he could see reason to be delicate too. But it turns out, Ethan unknowingly makes the choice himself.

"That won't do," Beau's head shakes, and he smiles, chastising almost. Pitiful, pitiful thing. He would be lucky to have anything Beau bestowed on him. Ethan's inconsequential flicker of a lifespan, a brief inconvenience to him. Ethan was lucky for his life. That Beau was being this tolerant. No sense in fighting an inevitable conclusion. No matter how many times he killed him, he would stubbornly glue himself back together piece by piece.

"Really, what a great fucking guy you are." The words are a low hiss through Ethan's teeth. Bitter.

He needs to get the fuck out. Figure something out to do with his life as a dead man. Maybe he can get odd jobs or be some kind of train hobo. Are there even trains still? There has to be; he's been caught at railroad crossings watching long-ass ones go by more times than he'd like. Or maybe he could get a job as a stunt double for some indie film maker that wants hyper realism. The kind that involve actually hurting him.

Maybe not that last one. But Ethan is sure he'll figure something out after he gets away. He just needs to figure out how to do that, first. When he looks away from Beau it's to give the room a quick once-over, keeping an eye out for anything promising. Nothing much stands out. Maybe the window if he can get there and jump out. Maybe he'll luck out and his legs won't break from the drop. He really hopes Beau is sleeps at some point; that's when he'll make a break for it.

"So, that's it? You go do to other unlucky people the kinda shit you did to me and I just sit around waiting for you to come home?" Sounds like a house pet to Ethan. Or a housewife, but the Texan refuses to cook for Beau. Fuck him. Might chew up his shit while he's gone, though. He'd deserve it if Ethan did that. And pissed on his floor out of spite. If Ethan could ever actually bring himself to do it. He probably can't.