#AND HOW SHES USUALLY a my lord SPECIFICALLY when addressed by the girl so down bad for her???? gay as fuck

[catboyfurina]

Idk what precisely to call it since honorifics aren't Pronouns but vertin using she/her while routinely being addressed as Lord, sir, etc is soooooooo 🥰 it's like mixed pronouns but not.

#beeep #i love reverse 1999 #like shes not a he him lesbian but like yknow !!! #theres not a quick and easy shortcut for it but shes definitely sapphic and im leaning more lesbian hc than bi tbh !!!! #(which btw bi women can also be gnc and use he him in a wlw way) #(i just think vertin lesbian) #(but i KNOW shes sapphic) #AND HOW SHES USUALLY a my lord SPECIFICALLY when addressed by the girl so down bad for her???? gay as fuck #<- this isnt spoilers bc all the women wont her #well okay thats not precisely true. but a great deal of them do #anyway. i just hope that it isnt a translation error bc goes crazy ahhhh #shes a gentleman..... #and also i think vertin needs to meet a guy who isnt evil bc (possibly nb) lesbian and trans guy bestie duo is one of my favorite tropes #but so far she only interacts with evil people and or girls that wont her 😔😔😔 #which is so valid but also 😔😔😔 vertin u need platonic friends too. friends that arent desperately hoping you will push them out of danger #and land on top of them and gaze into their eyes #(or just hoping to make out) #(there are both types of wonts her in this game) #(along with a secret third kind) #anyway #rhvjvdjgdjvbjdbkrbkdjb vertin #i have to. be a person. i have to be a person but instead my brain is just full of WOW GAME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #anyway vertin has like. fancy oldtimey gentleman gnc going on #not so gnc by modern standards that it would make Certain People mad but enough that it is making Me very happy #and i just !!!!! cannot get over how genius it is to combine sheher pronouns with traditionally masculine terms of address!!!!!!! #shes so gender. not my gender but she has so much gender #i love vertin and i love regulus and i love druvis and i love the fool and i love tooth fairy who isnt out yet but i saw her in that one vid #eo #i was expecting to play this so casually like stick it on my phone and then i can do it while waiting for class when im there a few minutes #early but i do Not feel casual about this at all!!!!!!!!!!!! <- i think i got hyperfixated lads

[kinktae]

bitchin’ || pt. 9 (M)

↳ PART OF MY REWIND SERIES

The 80s were a time of choices. Which perm was right for you? What color neon would you wear next? None of these choices, however, were more questionable than a certain deal you made with Jeon Jungkook.

pairing: fratboy!jungkook x reader

word count: 4.7k

genre: 1980s au, eventual smut, e2l

warnings: fanservice. that's it. that’s the tweet.

A/N: This fic was inspired by To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Thank you to @junqkook for letting me use her likeness!

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10

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PART NINE

"Okay, just sign your name here, and she'll come to get you when she's ready." The cheery girl at the front desk told you.

You offered her a polite smile, walking over to the sit in the waiting room.

You always disliked these chairs. We were willing to bet money that these chairs have sat in this very room since your university first opened, worn out, uncomfortable, and outdated. Sure, maybe you had been in a bit of a sour mood lately – what with your fake ex-boyfriend dirty dicking you and all – but as you sat there, metal rod poking your spin, you couldn't help but frown.

As you sat there contemplating your school's renovation budget, you hardly noticed the sound of another student walking in and over to the front desk, your stomach churning as you put a face to those loose curls.

"Hey, stranger! What are you doing here?" Kiri's white teeth blinded you, walking over to you once her business with the receptionist was done.

You could feel one of your eyebrows twitch in irritation, swallowing down your scoff as she sat next to you.

"Trying to schedule my class next semester." You responded uninterestedly, contemplating whether or not the suspension from decking Kiri in the face would be worth it.

"Oh, just picking up a termination form. One of our newbies wants to pull out of Kappa Alpha Tau."

Shocker...

"Hey, so sorry to hear things with Jungkook and you didn't work out, by the way." Kiri flashed you a sympathetic look.

An audible breath left your lips, disbelief no doubt visible on your every feature. Did Kiri seriously think you didn't know it was her who home wrecked? Or was she just that much of a raging bitch?

"If you ever need someone to, like, talk to, just know that I'm here. I totally know what you're going through."

Your hands found themselves curling into tight balls in an attempt to keep your hands from shaking. Kiri looked as cool as a cucumber in front of you, perfectly composed, not a single hair out of place.

Then it hit you.

Of course. It all made perfect sense now.

From the moment she came up to you at your event offering her condolences, she had been trying to drive you off from Jungkook. She was planting seeds of doubt about their break up and his character. Manipulation and intimidation were her cards, and she played them well.

Fine. If the rules were being bent, you might as well disregard them altogether. You relaxed your hands.

"Oh, no worries. It's all good, I mean, it's not like we were actually dating." You shrugged.

Rule #2: No one can know the truth.

"What?" Kiri blinked, her smile faltering for just a moment.

You edged closer to her, cocking your head in mock surprise.

"Oh... did you not know that? That our entire relationship was contractual?"

"What are you talking about?" Her full brows furrowing.

You let out a sigh, "Yeah, so, basically, Jungkook would get his frat to fund my event if I helped make you jealous so that you'd come crawling back to him."

The polite mask that Kiri had plastered on finally cracked, her next words clipped and curt.

"What the hell is your damage, Y/N? Do you think I'm some sort of idiot how'd fall for that?"

"Good grief, did Jungkook not tell you? Weird, I feel like that's something he'd need to tell his girlfriend." You puffed out your bottom lip in mock sympathy.

Whatever resolve Kiri had built up crumbled at the way you held her stare, a note of honesty in your voice that she couldn't shake.

"I'm..." She cleared her throat, turning her nose up. "We're not actually back together yet."

"No? Really? Hmm..."

The call of your name crossed the room, and the two of you turned to look at the receptionist, ushering you over with the news that your counselor was ready for you.

You turned to Kiri with a smile, "Guess he didn't want you back as so much as he just wanted back in your pants."

Kiri looked utterly stunned, eyes wide as you stood from your seat, for once, without a clue as to what to say.

"See ya around, Kiri. Let's do lunch sometime. Oh and, happy holidays!" You fluttered your fingers at her, slipping away from her with a smugness you couldn't be assed to hide.

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"Wait... he called you?!" Taehyung laughed, eyes wide.

Yara nodded, scouring through the shelves, a specific book in mind. Belinda Carlisle was playing softly overhead and Yara found herself humming along.

As the holidays rolled around and everyone found themselves back in their hometowns, Yara was surprised to find Jungkook's frat brother browsing through the jam aisle in her local supermarket. As luck would have it, Jungkook's genetically blessed frat brother was from her hometown, the two somehow never crossing paths until now.

What started as a polite catchup over coffee, quickly turned into an everyday thing, the two of them realizing they had more in common than friend drama.

"He did!" Yara enthused. "He left a voicemail apologizing and rambled about how he wanted Y/N's address so he could go apologize, blah, blah, blah."

"That idiot." Taehyung rolled his eyes. He watched as she let out a noise of excitement, looking over her shoulder to announce that she had found the book she was in search of. He grinned in response.

"Anyway, I didn't call back. Because that's exactly how she wants to spend Christmas morning, with that jockstrap knocking at her door, right?"

Taehyung snorted, bringing the straw of his drink to his mouth.

"Miriam is gonna have your head on a stick Lord of the Flies style if she catches you with that drink in her library." Yara warned, to which Taehyung dismissed with a wave of a hand.

Yara was a funny girl; he was pleasantly surprised to bump into her during winter break. He could tell something was off when they first ran into each other, so he invited her out to grab some coffee. It was over a warm cup of coffee – with the most absurd amount of sugar he had ever seen – that she finally shared with him all that had been weighing on her mind lately.

Sure there was the Jungkook and Y/N stuff. Yara was beyond homicidal. Taehyung was grateful for winter break as he was positive she would have rung out Jungkook's neck had she seen him after what had happened. Taehyung himself was astounded to find out what exactly was true nature of the two's relationship, curtesy of Yara, of course. Even if it was fake, however, he knew Jungkook enough to know that the happiness he gave off once Y/N entered his life wasn't.

But more than that, the petite girl was worried about a boy, an irritating one who Taehyung happened to be frat brothers with. Eunwoo had approached her immediately after Kiri left him, spewing some excuse about only dating Kiri because he couldn't get Yara out of his mind.

It was bullshit if you asked Taehyung. But he hadn't the heart to tell Yara that, especially with the way she looked so torn up about it – unsure of how to respond to Eunwoo. He wasn't entirely sure what their relationship was like, but he figured it must have meant enough to her to have her feeling this conflicted.

So he did his best to cheer her up, inviting her for lunch and driving her to their local library, which he had come to find out was her favorite place growing up. They spent many afternoons sprawled out on the couches in the now abandoned children's section of the library... or at least until the crabby librarian yelled at them to leave.

If Taehyung was honest, he didn't care much for literature – he was a math guy – but the way Yara would shove a book into his chest with wide eyes and an 'if you don't read this and tell me your thoughts on it, I'll literally die,' seemed reason enough to keep showing up day after day.

"Have you talked to her about Eunwoo, yet?"

Yara flinched at the blond man's words.

"Why don't we ever talk about normal people stuff? Like the weather, or what sports team played last night."

"Yara..."

"Oooh!" She exclaimed suddenly, "I know, let's talk about President Reagan. Did you hear his speech about tearing down the wall in Germany? Crazy stuff–"

"Dude, why are you so scared to tell her about Eunwoo? You told me." Taehyung interrupted, quirking up a brow. Yara held his eyes for a moment before sighing.

"I just don't want to bring it up to Y/N, you know? She has enough going on..."

"So? She's your best friend. She'll want to help."

"Exactly! She's going to want to comfort me and make me feel better – which will just make me feel worse." Yara groaned, leaning back against the bookshelf.

"I'm... not following." The frat boy admitted.

Surely girls aren't usually this hard to understand.

"Look, I know you'd only known me for a little while, but let me pencil you in. I have a reputation, okay? Yara doesn't get hung up on some dumb boy." Yara wagged her finger at him.

"Does Yara usually talk about herself in the third person?" Taehyung chuckled.

"Yara," she continued, paying the boy no mind, "is an independent woman who likes one night stands and sex without strings. She doesn't like clingy boys getting into her head and confusing her."

Taehyung nodded, "So basically, Yara is scared of catching feelings."

"Shh! Don't tell Yara about what Yara doesn't want to hear." She turned her nose up at him, pushing herself back off the stand to march away from him. Taehyung reached for her arm without hesitation, stopping her departure with a sigh.

"Look, I don't mean to be on your ass about this, but clearly, you feel something for this kid. Otherwise, you wouldn't be spending all your time pining over him."

Taehyung immediately wished he could take back those words as an offended look fell across the petite girl's face, her hands falling onto her hips, clearly displeased.

"Pining? You think I'm pining over Eunwoo?"

Taehyung shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to navigate this situation. As much as he liked Yara, she did spark a healthy dose of fear into him.

"Well... I mean... you're spending your whole break with me just because I can give you a ride to the library so you can read sad romance novels and cry."

"First of all," Yara began, "I happen to enjoy your company. You're a good listener and, frankly, very nice to look at."

Surprise fell over Taehyung, "Nice to look at?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know." She waved him off, "Secondly, I've never cried. I've let out a sniffle at most."

"Fine, so you're not pining over him. Just get back together with him." He responded.

"I can't."

Taehyung frowned, "Then turn him down."

"I can't do that either." She frowned right back.

"Dude."

"I'm scared, okay!" She whined, thumping a foot against the library's carpeted floor.

"Of what? What's holding you back from going back to Eunwoo?"

"...He told me he loves me."

"And?"

"And I don't even know what that means!" Yara threw her hands up in exasperation, the sleeve of her swear falling down her forearms. "I don't know how to love him back or be a good girlfriend – which I know is what he wants from me."

"Yara, I hope you don't feel like you don't owe Eunwoo anything. Because you don't." Taehyung grew serious, which only caused the torn girl to pout.

"I know, I just... I mean, I don't hate him. But it's scary. Whenever I'm dating someone, I get all up in my head like... Am I supposed to be this someone's person? Possibly forever? What the fuck!"

"No, I get it. It's a lot of pressure." He shrugged powerlessly.

"Exactly! I don't want to have to try and love someone. I want to do it. Like... not to sound like a sappy idiot but sometimes I think about all those stories I read," she gestured towards the books beside her, "about feeling a spark when you kiss your person and just... I dunno. Would be fucking nice, instead of this complicated bullshit."

Yara was far from a hopeless romantic. As much as she loved to read about romance, she had an innate urge to flee the moment the word love came around. Still, she could appreciate the idea of it.

"So then forget about that stuff. Forget about labels and expectations. Just be with whoever you want to be with. Have fun, worry about the heavy shit later."

Taehyung had a very soothing effect whenever he spoke. His tone was low and lovely, and despite the way Yara's head was still running a mile a minute, she appreciated the boy's docile nature. Certainly made her feel a whole lot less anxious.

"I want to. That's how this whole thing with Eunwoo started, ya know?" She admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "But all men are the same. They say they're fine with keeping it casual, but they always end up falling for me, which, duh, understandable..."

The blond boy let out an airy snicker, a direct challenge to Yara's words.

"Something funny, Tae?" She pressed.

"C'mon, that's not true." He rolled his eyes breezily.

"Oh, yeah? Tell that to my four ex-partners who are all still in love with me."

"Maybe you just haven't met the one. You know... your knight-in-no-strings-attached-armor."

"I'm telling you, no such guy exists." Yara emphasized with a poke into Taehyung chest.

He grabbed the jabby finger reflexively, his long fingers wrapping around the small digit, setting his drink on the nearest shelf.

"Yara."

"Seriously, I've done my research! You're looking at a hot commodity, buddy. I may be a raging homebody, but I am very efficient—"

Suddenly, the petite was trapped against the bookshelf with Taehyung hovering over her, a large hand on either side of her head.

"Please stop talking."

Yara's cheeks flushed in surprise as she met the handsome boy's warm eyes, growing even hotter as he leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers.

He smelled distinctly of vanilla, and it sent her stomach fluttering, reeling in the way he gripped her waist, pulling him into her. She would've lost herself in the feeling of his soft lips moving against hers if it weren't for a cough ringing out from somewhere in the library.

Yara broke the kiss short, ears red as she brought her hands to wrap around her torso defensively, trying her hardest to ignore the way her heart was pounding against her chest as if trying to escape.

"You kissed me!" She scoffed, trying her hardest to seem unaffected. Taehyung shrugged.

"You kissed me back."

Oh god, this was bad. She felt all light and giddy tucked away in this corner of the library, the gorgeous tall man still close in proximity, looking at her through a smirk.

"Yes, well... I'm a very go with the flow kind of gal." She defended, brows furrowed adorably.

"Relax, Yara."

"Well, what the hell was that precisely?! Do you just make out with all your library buddies? Is there some sort of library buddy étiquette I'm not aware of?"

"I kissed you because I wanted to. Kissing is fun." He shrugged. "Some guys just want that, you know."

Son of a bitch.

"You got balls, Goldilocks. Understood. Message received, loud and clear." Yara acknowledged through narrowed eyes.

"Happy I could help, bookworm."

A corner of her mouth turned upwards, admittedly amused.

"Just so we're on the same page... you're not in love with me? You just smooched me for fun?" She looked at him skeptically.

"Sorry you had to find out this way." Taehyung joked, earning him an eye roll.

"And you don't have some ex-lover you need to make jealous?"

At those words, the frat boy laughed heartily, head shaking a firm no.

"Wicked."

Yara hopped onto the balls of her feet, hoping to catch the blond's kiss once more when her mouth met the hardcover of a book instead. She sank back down with an annoyed huff; Taehyung had pulled a book from the nearest self in reach, holding it up between them to pause the eager girl's ministrations.

Poking his head out from behind the book cheekily, he flashed her a lopsided grin.

"Easy there, tiger. What about Eunwoo?"

Yara held his eyes for a moment, wondering how she hadn't noticed what a pretty brown they were until now. She let out an appreciative hum.

"What about him?" She raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk on her lips that had Taehyung leaning back over to meet it with one of his own.

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"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me." You greeted him with a cautious smile as he slipped into the chair across from you.

You were nervous, to say the least, watching the tall man shift in his seat, trying to grow comfortable despite the uncomfortable circumstances.

"This place is disorienting." Erik scanned the mall cafeteria before flashing you a charming smile. "Thought you'd get tired of waiting and head back home. I apologize for my tardiness."

"No worries. I still don't know my way around at the mall, and I've been home for weeks." You grinned back.

A pleasant beat of silence passed between the two ex-lovers, each taking a moment to consider the other. Erik looked a lot older than he did in high school; he had on a brand new pair of glasses that suited him far better than the ones you remembered did. His hair was combed and styled smartly so that they would stay out of his eyes. A stark contrast from the long-haired boy you had come to know these past few months.

Dammit. Your eyes fell onto the red table between you two, cheeks growing warm as you realized your thoughts had drifted back to Jungkook, even with your ex-fiance sitting across from you.

Erik's voice rang out, "I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting you to call me."

"I wasn't expecting me to either." You confessed, your hands intertwining on the tabletop.

Really, you didn't have much reason to be nervous. I mean, it was Erik. Despite the end of your relationship, there was no bad blood between you two. It wasn't the first time seeing him since the breakup either... maybe it was why you had called him that had you so on edge.

You weren't sure exactly what you wanted from Erik. Company? A distraction? Maybe what you were asking of him was unfair, but as he placed a hand over yours reassuringly, you found the wall you had set up crumbling down.

"I can help you, but you need to talk to me, Y/N. If I could read minds, I would be a much richer man." His brown eyes rolled dramatically.

You chuckled. Same dry wit you remembered.

"I met someone."

"Is that what you wanted to tell me? Y/N, you're allowed to date other people. I understand your hesitation, but really, it is time you moved on–"

You let out a scoff, yanking your hand away from the now laughing man. You flashed him a feigned look of irritation, silently grateful for the change of pace in conversation, finding it much easier to talk when things weren't so tense.

"God, you are still just as full of yourself as I remembered." You teased.

Erik shrugged, "Not to sound like a cocky asshole, but is it not warranted?"

You let that question run through your mind. You suppose if anyone had reason to have a big head, it would be Erik. Intelligent, handsome, hard-working– everything a mother would want their daughter to have.

"It is. You've always been perfect..." You mused, a hint of sadness in your tone that Erik picked up quickly.

And all at once, his entire demeanor changed, a serious expression settling behind those frames of his.

"Tell me about him." He instructed calmly.

And so you did— the beginning, the end, and all the beautiful bits in between. You told him about a boy that challenged you in ways you never imagined– a boy who made you feel like the sun. You spoke of every stupid conversation you once thought of as meaningless but now weighed heavily on your heart and mind.

You were mad at him, of course. There was a reason you had been ignoring his calls and ordered Yara to keep him in the dark of your whereabouts, after all. But the more you talked about him, the more you lit up. Erik noticed it too. How could he not? It was that very way you spoke with an uncontainable passion that made him fall in love with you in the first place.

He watched with utmost concentration for the vocal inflections of your words, the slight movement of your brows that always seemed to speak your mind before you did.

It was clear to him that this boy wasn't just a boy. He could hear in the choice of words you used, words that were static and void of variables. But there were certain words you seemed to dance around he realized as you came to the end of the story... words that were evident to all but you.

"So... Analysis?" You breathed out, chest deflating as you took in Erik's frown.

"Above all... did you find out if he used protection? I don't want to presume anything about... was her name Kiri?" Erik paused, continuing once you nodded back at him, "but your health should be your number one concern."

"I had a friend of his ask him on my behalf. He says he used protection... I went ahead and got tested anyway, though, and I'm all good thankfully." You told him.

Whether or not Jungkook had passed along some sort of STI was heavy on your mind the next morning after you kicked him out. Thankfully, Taehyung was more than happy to get the answer you need but were still too damn pissed off to seek out yourself.

"Good." Erik sunk back into his seat, a hand coming up to run through his hair as he considered his next words. You suppose you were grateful to be able to talk to Erik like this still. Sure, he was blunt and sometimes stared at you like you were some case-study, but he didn't bat an eye of judgment at the news of the contract, for which you were grateful. He had known you for too long to find it peculiar that you'd pretend to be someone's girlfriend in exchange for furthering and fulfilling your passion project.

If anything, that was precisely in line with your character. He liked to think he instilled some of those traits into you.

"Well, frankly, I am sorry to hear this happened to you. You're a great girl; you deserve better than that."

Your neck warmed at Erik's words, slightly taken aback.

"Oh, um... thanks, that means a lot coming from you." You expressed your gratitude shyly.

Erik nodded back at you, "Seriously. It was very shitty of him to string you along for so long and for sleeping with Kiri despite knowing how you felt."

"Oh."

"Oh?" He frowned, not expecting your response.

You shifted in your seat uncomfortably, pausing to watch a woman with a stroller walk past your table.

"Well..." you cleared your throat, "I'm not actually sure that he knows that I, um, like him... like that."

God, this was mortifying. The first time you had admitted you liked Jungkook and it was to your ex-fiancé? Sometimes you swear you were the protagonist in a mediocre rom-com film and no one was telling you.

Erik paused, "I see. And does he know now?"

"...No."

"I see." He sat up, fingers tapping against the table in interest. He quirked up a brow at you. "Perhaps it wasn't just him who was dishonest."

You scrunched your nose at him, not liking what you were hearing. It wasn't anything that hadn't already kept you up, tossing and turning in bed at 2 AM, of course. You had a feeling this was where this conversation would lead to. Erik, as genius as he was, was fairly predictable in this sense. Rational, dependable... nothing like the spontaneous boy you had fallen for.

"So? Even if he knew, what would that change? He slept with her..." You grumbled stubbornly.

"And maybe he wouldn't have if he had known."

You crossed your arms, "You don't know that."

"You're right. I don't. I don't even know the guy. But you do." He continued, offering you a suggestive look.

Huh. Did you think that would have stopped Jungkook? And even so, would that fact alone be enough to get you to forgive him?

"I... I don't know." Was your conclusion, pulling a hum from Erik.

"Guess the only way to know would be to discuss it with the meathead himself."

"I just... I don't want to get my heart broken again. I, quite literally, didn't sign up for this." You placed your face into your hands, hating how rational Erik had to be.

"My guess? He didn't either. It seems as if you both got more than you bargained for." He shrugged.

"He's definitely not at all what I was expecting..." You trailed off glumly.

When you first met Jungkook, he was obnoxious, cocksure, and grotesquely unbothered. You swore you had never hated anyone more on the first meet. But as you came to know him, you found in him a lot of what you wished you found in yourself. Approachable, flexible, spontaneous...

You just wished it all didn't have to hurt so bad.

"You and I are a lot alike, you know." Erik spoke up once he noticed you fall silent. " And I only realized this recently, but I think that was our downfall. When I asked you to marry me, what I was asking of you... Well, it was unfair. Because I know I would never accept that if I were in your shoes."

Your head shot up at his words, hands quick to wave at him dismissively. Asking him to meet you here was not to discuss what had gone wrong in your relationship, and you didn't want him to think that it was.

"Erik, that's okay you don't have to—"

"No, no, what I mean is... we made perfect sense together and it didn't work out in the end. This meathead of yours is nothing like you and maybe it's for the better. You said it yourself that he makes you feel important and formidable." He pressed on.

"Are you trying to imply the notion of opposites attract? Because I personally believe that's a myth and that we're drawn to those similar to us—"

"Puzzle pieces."

"Wha— Huh?" You blinked, blind-sighted by the calm man's sudden words.

Suddenly, Erik readjusted in his seat, leaning in close as he nodded his head.

"Think of life as one big puzzle, and everyone you meet is shaped differently, right? Yet somehow... they fit. We find those that complete us. And they're not necessarily opposites but—"

"But different pieces in the puzzle." You sighed, understanding the metaphor.

You raised a brow at the intellectual man, "That was uncharacteristically poetic of you. I thought you were a man of science... since when do you rely on literary devices to get your point across?"

Erik let out a dramatic sigh, fingertips pressed to the rip of his glasses, leaning back into his seat as if showing his greatness.

"I'm a growing man, Y/N. Science helps you understand the mind and the body, but as far as the heart goes... there's only so much it can tell us." He tutted wisely with a wag of his pointer finger.

"Wow. I dig this character development. I quite like this new you."

"Wanna get married now?" He deadpanned suddenly, a laugh ripping out of you at his unexpected words.

Erik grinned at the familiar sound, also finding the humor within his joke. He was pleased to see that if anything, he could at least momentarily take your mind off of your heart's turmoil.

"Ask me again in another three years." You rolled your eyes, grinning wide, to which Erik threatened that if Jungkook didn't by then, then he just might.

#bts smut #jungkook smut #bts #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook #bangtan smut #bangtan #bts scenarios #bts preferences #bts imagines #Taehyung smut #yoongi smut #jungkook x reader #jeongguk x reader #jungkook fanfic #bts fan fic #jimin smut #hoseok smut #Seokjin smut #namjoon smut

[jarofstyles]

Fan Club III

A/N: We are glad people are enjoying this story so far, it is a bit of a slow burn but I promise things will be moving along in the next part. This part shows some increased sexual tension 😈Harry does love when girls speak different languages 😉 - n + d

send feedback and requests here

masterlist

pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

warnings: none tbh, maybe angst?

word count: 4.2k

Y/N had gotten a little giddy feeling in her stomach again when Harry had asked her to go for a coffee date. Not at her shop, but somewhere where they could talk and also be seen together. Just a nice little coffee date prompted by Jeff. This would be their first time actually hanging out on their own, it made her nervous in a good way. She’d actually get to talk to him and get to know him if he wasn’t so damn closed off. Y/N knew he’d probably be asking more questions about her, but whatever made him more comfortable. 

She showed up to the address he had given her right on time, having spotted him sitting in the corner of the coffee shop with a book. Y/N made sure to ask him about that later. He looked really cute and comfortable, casual Harry. It made her smile. 

“Hey, you.” Y/N smiled widely, genuinely excited to see him.

Harry had been nervous. Harry made the decision to try and be nicer to Y/N. So far, she hadn’t bitten at any money grabbing or fame opportunities. And while that made him scared about what the real motive was? He felt that it could be safe to be on a casual friend basis with her. She couldn’t get too close though. Not when he still dreamed about grabbing her throat and forcing her to her knees so she could suck him. Yeah. He had tried to work on that until he realized that he had to just accept it and try not to think about it too much. Thankfully today she wore a cute outfit that didn’t have her tits out. He couldn’t speak properly when they were. He respected women— of course he did. But Y/N really, really got inside his head. 

“Hi.” He closed the book and stood up, knowing it would be polite to hug her. Not that he was excited about it. He wasn’t... nope.

Y/N wrapped her arms around him and was bold enough to kiss his cheek, thinking that was appropriate. “How are you? How’s your week been?” She asked genuinely curious about how he was doing since the dinner. Of course she couldn’t find out any specifics, Harry wouldn’t let her. She had grown accustomed to him shutting her out so she sort of just expected it now. She waited for him to answer before she went to order herself a coffee and a cheese and tomato panini for lunch because she was a tad bit hungry. Y/N refused to let him pay, giving him her example of a stern look. “You paid for dinner, let me.” She pouted, just wanting to be self sufficient. 

Once they had gotten all their food bits sorted and sat down, Y/N felt the giddiness kick in. He was just so fucking handsome. She had trouble wrapping her mind around it still. To the whole world he was the most desirable bachelor and he picked her. She felt her ego inflate a little at that idea of power.

“Well.. I’ve been recording. I’m excited about the new album.” Harry said shyly. He didn’t know if she would care about it or not but so far she hadn’t given him reason to think otherwise. She had asked about it before. However, it was weird. She again insisted on paying for her own food. Wasn’t taking handouts. And it made him feel a bit more comfortable with her. Y/N was just very genuine seeming and he was confused as to what he should be thinking and feeling all the time. His mind was still split, but letting himself talk to her. “Want people to like it, but I want to like it most of all. But how is the bakery? Harry prompted, taking a bite of his own lunch. “I know that you probably have to get up early.”

Y/N’s eyes lit up, “you have?” She asked even though he had just said so. She was screaming internally because she’s been waiting for him to just do something. All the fans had no idea where he was whenever he wasn’t touring, and now suddenly they were getting content because— it made sense now. “I think people will love whatever you do, and I’m not just saying that.” She said honestly, “you’re very good at catering to large audiences and well, people love that you just do what you do.” Y/N let herself open up as a fan a little bit, show him that she actually did care about his music. 

Y/N took a bite of her panini and nodded her head, finishing chewing before speaking. “Oh yeah... 3:30 every work day.” She chuckled, “gotta make sure everything’s prepped and ready. We are thinking of getting more staff, but it’s not in the budget yet so we are hustling.”

Harry was surprised she seemed to know anything about his work. It was a pleasant surprise though. Her compliment was sitting nice even if she was just acting about it. However it seemed pretty genuine if you’d asked him. He winced at her answer for the time she woke up, though. That was rough. 

“Christ. 3:30 is early.” He hissed. “Thought I was an early bird at 6:30, 7.” Obviously a joke, but also a seedling of truth. Harry was up very often with his sleep problems, usually only getting 3 hours at a time. It’s why he had naps. Sleeping all night long didn’t work well. “I think you’ll get there.” He encouraged. If only he could trust her enough to be like this in private. He was just so terrified of being hurt and led on again and again. The past trauma of Camille and Kendall weighed heavily on him and he knew not many others in the world would understand his heartache.

“It is super early. I hate it, but I’m committed to the quality of our baked goods. Might think of some better methods for preparing. Maybe get up at 5 instead. That would be much better.” Y/N chuckled, taking a sip of her coffee. “Thanks babe.” She responded without thinking, genuinely feeling like she could say that. They happened to be sitting in a corner which was probably something Jeff didn’t want, but if Harry felt more comfortable in a corner that’s fine. The place seemed relatively busy, not too much that they couldn’t talk, but not too little and there were people who didn’t notice. 

“But besides being a baker, I do enjoy music and movies and traveling. And you’ve done all three of those things, well, four I should say.” Y/N teased, hoping that the little bits of information that she knew didn’t seem too creepy. She didn’t want to give away just how big of a fan she was, but wanted to be relatable.

She knew? That impressed Harry too. So she did research. At least she wouldn’t be thrown in blind if people or fans asked her stuff one day. It is a little reassuring. 

“Yeah? That’s cool. Uh— I like those things too. Sometimes traveling is a lot though.” He admitted. “S’a lot when you’re super tired and have shows every night. But I mean, it’s nice. I get to see more places than I got to beforehand, it’s definitely far calmer.” Y/N seemed to understand, nodding at his words. “Where do you want to travel to?” This was going okay right? It wasn’t too personal. Just enough that it was okay if someone else heard it. He wasn’t disinterested. In fact he craved more answers from her but had to calm him the hell down. Y/N was the type that seemed to be an open book but he was sure that there was more to her than that. Things she was hiding.

For sure.

“I’m sure... but you travel for fun sometimes no?” Y/N said with a small hum, she knew he went to Jamaica for the album but also to relax. He went to Italy and to Japan. All places she loved dearly. Y/N of course would let him speak about the places he’s been himself. Maybe he would tell her something she didn’t already know.

“Greece. I’m a big history nerd and I geeked out when I went to Italy. But yeah, Greece, Egypt, and Japan.” Y/N told him, giving him a little insight on her interests. She thought it was going relatively well, still to small talk for her liking but they couldn’t really get deep over coffee could they? “I love going to Russia. My family is from there, so we go back to visit family friends every couple of years.” She told him, knowing he had never been and she had always wanted him to. “If you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it.”

Lord... if she could speak Russian Harry may cream his damn pants. He had a thing for different languages and accents. He wasn’t sure how it had started or when but he had a thing for them and they turned him on so of course she could probably speak another one. 

“That’s cool.’I’ve been to Japan a lot. S’my favorite place.” Harry loved London too, but Japan was just relaxing. No paparazzi up his ass. People far more respectful of him and his privacy. “I like Jamaica to. America can be cool. You’ll probably end up coming with me to America sooner or later. New York or LA. I prefer LA. New York is kind of chaotic and it can be really cold and bitter in the winters and it’s all concrete so the summers are brutal. But LA is cool. I have a place there.” He was giving her that little bit of information. 

“I agree, New York is a bit shit. Visited some friends there and it was just… not what I expected? London is perfect to me, I’m biased.” Y/N shrugged, pausing for a moment when he mentioned bringing her with him to America. She had to remind herself it was part of the contract. “That would be fun. I haven’t been back to America in a while.” Y/N said and took another bite of her sandwich. 

“Can you speak Russian?” Harry had to ask, he shouldn’t have even done it because if she said yes he was going to have to think about that every time he was jerking off— which was a lot lately.

Y/N was waiting for him to ask. She knew he had a thing for accents and different languages, she had a feeling he would thoroughly enjoy this bit of information and she would run with it. He had a massive fan base in Russia that had been neglected and she was excited that she’d get to represent for them too. 

“Да я говорю по—русски” Yes I speak Russian.Y/N answered fluently. “Ты наверно не думал, да?” You didn’t think, yes?

It took every bit of self control Harry had to not drag her into the bathroom and bend her over the sink. Make her speak it while he fucked her deep and had her come apart on him. That was one thing she could do to wreck him. His eyes darkened at the little smile at her sentence's end. She spoke it perfectly accented too. And Harry would be thinking all about that tonight. Half of him wanted to keep her on speed dial and have her talk as he got off. It was that much of a thing for him. 

“Oh.. that’s cool. I try and uh... I try to learn languages with every place I go to. Just a little.” He was annoyed in his head. She hadn’t even showed her tits and his cock was twitching in his pants and wanting out. Harry swore that he hadn’t jerked off this much in his whole life, but Y/N has gotten him to the point of no return.

Y/N could tell by the look in his eyes that he really liked it, smirking at him because she had found the one thing she could use against him anytime she wanted. He would never actually fuck her, but she could at least get him turned on. That was already a win in Y/N’s book. 

“That’s cute.” Y/N giggled, “I can teach you some Russian if you’d like?” She was asking more for herself. She desperately wanted him to try and speak it. For years she’d been wanting one direction to tour in Russia just so Harry could try and speak Russian. “And then, you can book a tour date in Russia and be prepared. Wow them with your skills.” She smiled, genuinely wanting him to say yes to it. There was always something really sexy about how good Harry was at accents and languages. He was a smart and talented man and she would do anything to have him balls deep in her. Too bad he wanted nothing to do with her when they were in private and he was only talking to her now because he had to.

“I would love to learn a little bit.” Harry admitted. “I like languages a lot. It’s always been intriguing to me.” He still couldn’t get over the damn woman sitting there and talking to him in Russian with the smirk on her face. Did she know it aroused him thoroughly? Because it absolutely did. More than anything. “We have been looking into tour dates for Russia, actually. It’s been difficult to plan out and timing is difficult but I’d really like to go.” He knew Y/N found it good that he did because she absolutely lit up at the confirmation that he was indeed trying for it. “I know that you’d be a good tutor. I like hearing you speak it.” Harry let that little thing slip when he hadn’t meant to but, oh well. She would know that he was into the way it sounded and maybe use it to her advantage. However... if it was whispered into his ear at the right setting, he’d lose his whole cool.

“Oh my god! That’s great wow.” Y/N smiled brightly, “okay, I’ll teach you something new every week.” She said, deciding they could work on it as their relationship progressed. Plus, Harry would actually want to talk to her if she spoke Russian to him. She found the loophole. Y/N blushed, the smirk returning to her face for a bread moment before she thought about what she wanted to teach him. “What would you like to learn how to say?” She asked curiously, “something that would come in handy on stage? Or just general conversation things?” This would be fun for the both of them and to anyone listening in, it was a casual chat between people that were dating. From the corner of her eyes Y/N could see a few people had noticed Harry was there, but they seemed to respect the fact that he was with her which was strange. They didn’t want to interrupt because it was clear they were on a date.

“Uh... basic, I think.” Harry gave her a quirked little smile. Y/N looked so excited about it too. He was honestly happy to learn but wanted to hear her talk more first. So he sat there and let her speak it to him while he got honest to god hard in his pants. His cock ached when she went over basic phrases with him and he thanked god above that he had his jacket, otherwise he would be giving the world a show. It was a weird thing to be aroused by and he knew it but... there was the way Y/N sounded saying Russian words and how she had her voice a bit huskier and spoke quiet when she did that would have him thinking about it at intimate hours. Would it be so bad to take her to his car and fuck her? Yes. Yes— that would be very bad, Harry's brain. He knew that. Still, he wanted to. Y/N was having fun giving him the phrases to repeat back, and she flushed a little when he gave them a shot.

“Okay so, if you want to say ‘hi my name is Harry’ you’d say ‘previet menya zahvoot Harry’” Y/N started, chuckling a bit at his amused face. “I think that one is pretty simple.” She was getting far too excited about this, she had been waiting to hear him speak Russian for years. “‘How are you’ is also easy it’s, ‘kak di—la’ and to say ‘I’m good’ you’d say, ‘oo menya f’suwa harasho’” Y/N smiled, knowing it was a lot to take in but she slowed it down for him and guided him through it. He was a really quick learner and it made her horny as well hell  just listening to him. 

The hot part about this was that she was correcting him and he was saying things and just giving her these looks. There was a tension building up that Y/N was positive other people could see. Y/N could truly spend all her time sitting here talking to Harry, too bad they’d have to go back to barely speaking. Y/N was hopeful that maybe he would be okay with talking to her now that they had hung out on their own and had a bit of their own fun? Maybe this would be the start of something new and exciting.

“This is hard. I love it though.” Russian was definitely harder than Italian or Spanish which Harry knew bits of. But it was hot. Watching her mouth round over the sounds and her talk quieter and giggle at his mispronunciations.. it was incredibly arousing and he knew that he had to stop. He may mess his damn pants. “Thank you.” He smiled at her, taking her smaller hand and holding it in his. He would tell himself that it was so people could see and take photos but he knew that deep down, he just wanted to hold her soft little hand. Feel how warm it was. “Hm. You’re very warm.” He commented. Where else was she warm? Harry bet there were tons of places that he could find that would be even warmer than this. “I can’t wait to impress the Russian crowd with ‘previet menya zahvoot Harry’” He teased. “Honestly though... helps me connect with them that much more. Some don’t speak much English. And it’s cool to be able to make them feel good.”

Y/N felt like she was on fire, genuinely building tension with Harry that she knew no one could deny. Not even Harry if he protested. There was something about her speaking a different language that just opened up a new avenue they hadn’t been down before. If they weren’t careful they’d never come back. 

“I think it’s really sweet. You definitely do make their lives when you try and connect with them. It’s a step farther than most.” She reminded him. Harry was really good to his fans and really did love them. It made her heart swell because she was technically one of them, but he didn’t really know that. She wished she could tell him but part of her thought he wouldn’t be cool with it as even Jeff hasn’t told him yet. Y/N moved her other hand to play with his rings, tracing over them slowly whilst they spoke. Maybe she was desperate for touch, but god did it feel nice to just hold his hand and have him look at her the way he was looking at her.

Harry had to stop— really, he knew that much. But he couldn’t. Not when Y/N really had him by the balls when she spoke like that. Her hand felt good and he couldn’t deny that physically? There were tons of things he should be doing, but he was thinking about laying her over the table and licking from between her thighs all the way up to her tits. That would be lovely. 

“I hate to cut this, love. I’ve got to go to the studio.” He said quietly. He really did hate to cut this. He wanted to talk more and listen to her and watch her eyes roll over him. Harry didn’t think Y/N was faking her attraction to him. “I’ll get to see you tomorrow morning at the bakery, yeah?” He squeezed over her hand reassuringly. If only he could truly trust her. It hasn’t been that long yet, though. He couldn’t do that. Harry needed to keep his guard up. This heavy flirting was okay right now but he couldn’t let it get that bad alone. He was going to be okay alone but when she aroused him he was going to have to back off.

Y/N frowned a bit when he said he had to go but understood. He was busy and well, she’d just go back home and relax the rest of the day. Maybe she would go online and see what people were saying? She’d been MIA on her fan account and people probably connected the dots by now.

“Alright, I’ll walk out with you.” She spoke, getting up and slipping on her jacket. London was quite chilly this time of year but not too cold. You could wear what you wanted as long as you have a bit of a jacket to wear just in case. Y/N led the way out of the coffee shop and he followed, she could sense eyes on her already. There weren’t any paps outside but there were a few fans that took pictures on their phones. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Y/N hummed as she turned to look at him, waiting for him to respond before going in for a hug as usual. Y/N was giddy after their little date today, she wasn’t sure how he felt about her. She was convinced today was genuine but for all she knows it could be a lie.

Harry hugged her back, kissing the top of her head for extra measure. Mainly because that deep part of him wanted his lips on her anywhere he could get and that was a safe spot. It made him feel so off because she fit right in his arms. Perfectly nestled there, her face in his chest, it was perfect for him. She would have to go up on her tiptoes to kiss him or he would have to bend down but he likes that. Harry felt weird going to leave. One last squeeze, he gave her a parting smile. 

“Course. Please put extra lemon bars in there for me, sweetheart.” 

Y/N hummed at the kiss on the forehead, pulling back with a wide smile. “Of course I can babe, have a good day. Can’t wait to hear all about it.” She spoke to him, desperately wanting to lean in and kiss him but she couldn’t. Not yet anyway. She made her way back to her flat, feeling really smiley and giddy. She took precaution to make sure people didn’t really notice her. Y/N was just thankful her building had multiple entrances. 

------

Online, fans were freaking the fuck out. A video a fan took was circulating as well as photos of them inside the cafe. 

‘Oh my god look at him. He NEVER does this. He’s holding her hand, and he’s looking so deeply at her I can’t—’

‘The way he’s holding her. My god I want to die.’

‘THE KISS ON THE FOREHEAD... PLEASE WHO IS THIS GIRL I WANT WHAT SHE HAS!!’

‘Wait.. who is this girl? She isn’t famous right?’

Y/N logged on to see all the photos and it made her gooey. Harry was looking at her with those loved up eyes and they just looked so happy together. These poor fans were lapping it all up. Y/N desperately wanted to comment, but she chose not to. She’d wait for Jeff’s directions. If the fans knew she had a fan account it would only cause them to look back and see the years worth of Harry obsessed tweets she had. Y/N wished she could share the feeling of hugging Harry with every single fan on her timeline. They deserved it.

Harry logged in to look too. They were taking a break at the studio and he was genuinely shocked at how he looked at her. He played the part well. Almost too well. She did too, to be fair. They both looked so loved up and happy and Harry's smile was devilish in the way that people probably could tell he was incredibly attracted to her. He could tell, anyways. But he hadn’t seen photos of himself like this before— never allowed himself to be open with someone. 

The pictures of their hug are what got him though. It looked natural. Very natural. Like it was meant to happen. If he had seen them on the street as an outsider he would probably coo internally. Holy fuck. He sat back on the couch and threw his hand over his eyes. What the hell was he going to do now? He needed to be nice to her, but he didn’t know how to do that and also not being her back to his place and fuck her for a good 3 days straight.

------------------------------------------------------

[part 4]

A/N: Harry’s character in this is a bit of a dog but... he means well? buckle up for the next part hehe 😈- n + d

let us know what you think!

masterlist

#writing #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles smut #harry writing #jarofstyles

[azaisya]

no art for this week bc its been crazy so have 1.7k of alternate ending/sequel to Sleeping Awake (my de-aged shen jiu fic). This was where I was going with the original before I decided I wanted to focus more on the qijiu, so some of the stuff in the beginning is repeated. If I was writing a sequel (which I probably won’t), then this would probably be how it started.

“Take one of my robes?” Yue Qingyuan asked, voice small. 

Shen Qingqiu hesitated, his awareness of how underdressed he was going to war with the instinct to refuse anything from Yue Qingyuan. He’d spent the last however-many-decades violently exploding every time Yue Qingyuan gave him a gift. He’d assumed they’d been given out of pity or obligation, expensive baubles to cover up the dirt of Shen Jiu’s past. 

But—

He really was very underdressed. This robe was one of the outfits he’d worn to sneak out to the Warm Red Pavilion, back when he’d been a lesser disciple and in need of subterfuge to get off his Peak. 

Wordlessly, Shen Qingqiu picked up Yue Qingyuan’s outer robe from where they’d carelessly dumped it the night before and slid it over his arms. It was a little too big and he chafed at wearing another person’s colors, but the look on Yue Qingyuan’s face was worth it. 

With a sarcastic wave, Shen Qingqiu turned on his heel and strode from his room.

The robe was a little less worth it when Yue Qingyuan’s head disciple dropped a teapot in shock when she saw him. 

He ignored her. She was the overly candid girl who’d intercepted him and Luo Binghe yesterday, but that didn’t surprise him. Yue Qingyuan was too soft with his disciples, and she was clever. Of course she would be outspoken. 

At the thought of Luo Binghe, Shen Qingqiu grimaced. He’d specifically ordered that the beast wasn’t to be fed all weekend. Ning Yingying had probably ignored that and brought him food anyways, charmed as she was by Luo Binghe’s pretty, pitiable face. 

He should lock him in the woodshed for another week, just for that. 

The thought made him falter, and he spared a moment to be intensely grateful that nobody was around to see him trip on nothing. 

He’d always told himself that he was nothing like Qiu Jianluo. That he’d only ever beaten boys who deserved it, that they should be grateful that he hadn’t done worse. 

He’d never touched any of them, after all, no matter what the rumors said about him. 

But his younger self hadn’t even needed to think before equating Luo Binghe’s shizun with Qiu Jianluo. 

That was another revelation, Shen Qingqiu supposed, to add on to all the others he was having. He didn’t like that one very much. It wasn’t earth-shatteringly surprising in the way that Yue Qingyuan’s apparently unconditional devotion was. 

Perhaps that said something about him. 

He didn’t like that very much either. 

He was still turning the matter over in his mind when he arrived at Qing Jing Peak’s familiar landscape. It was late enough in the day that his disciples should already be at their lessons, and they would survive a few more hours without him. 

The bamboo house was almost exactly as he’d left it, but somebody had made his bed and moved the black and silver fan—Yue Qingyuan’s latest gift—onto a table. It was a deceptively plain thing, despite the value of its skeleton. Shen Qingqiu suspected that the painting—bamboo and distant birds—had been done by Yue Qingyuan himself. It had the hesitant, detailed brushwork of somebody unused to painting but had tried their best anyways. 

It was the most sentimental gift that Yue Qingyuan had ever given him. His other gifts were impersonal things worth exorbitant amounts of money that suit Shen Qingqiu’s carefully cultivated image. 

Shen Qingqiu would’ve thrown them away, if there wasn’t some part of him that balked at wasting that much money. Mostly, they just languished in the backs of drawers or vanished into boxes. He’d thrown some of the more egregious pieces into Yue Qingyuan’s face. 

The fan was different, though. He could see the time that Yue Qingyuan had spent on it, could see the care and emotion poured into every brush stroke. 

It’d broken him. 

With a sigh, Shen Qingqiu shrugged off the borrowed robe and, after a beat, laid it out on his bed. His own clothes were more complex. His younger self would have despaired at all the finicky ties and complicated layers, but Shen Qingqiu managed with ease. 

With each layer he pulled on, the more that strange, nervous energy in his chest settled. It was as if something inside of him had been knocked off-kilter by his qi deviation and then shoved even further askew by the discovery that Yue Qingyuan had returned for him and the sudden realization that he’d come far too close to the line that Qiu Jianluo had drawn. 

The clothes made him feel more like himself. A doubtful boon, given the scum that he was. 

He turned to leave again but then hesitated, eyes lingering on his bed. Yue Qingyuan’s robes were a streak of shadow across the green sheets. 

He’d been so afraid, when he’d woken up the morning before. 

He wondered if Qiu Haitang was still alive. He hoped she was. He hoped she was happy. 

Was that fucked up?

Maybe.

Setting his jaw, Shen Qingqiu snatched the closest fan—Yue Qingyuan’s fan, the one that had started this all—and swept from the room. He made his way towards the woodshed with a calm, steady stride, the black and silver fan held loosely in his hand. 

He could see the distant shapes of his disciples running around the mountain, tiny blobs of white and green. A sudden anxiety struck him, so sharply that the fan creaked as his grip tightened around it. 

What if Luo Binghe had told them?

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t imagine how his disciples—the children of wealthy lords and poor farmers alike—would look at him if they learned that he was nothing more than a worthless slave. 

A couple of his disciples—the quicker ones, talking cheerfully while their peers tried to finish their laps around the peak—noticed him and ran over. Shen Qingqiu panicked and opened his fan with a flick of his wrist, raising it over his face. 

“Shizun!” the short-haired girl—Lin Xieran—called, as uncomplicatedly delighted to see him as ever. Neither of them looked alarmed or disgusted. If anything, they seemed a little more cheerful than usual to see him, although they were well trained enough to bow instead of run up him and cling. 

Shen Qingqiu rewarded them both with gentle pats on the head. If his hand trembled, none of them mentioned it. 

Luo Binghe, he thought, that off-kilter uncertainty creeping back into his chest, What game are you playing?

Well. He would find out soon enough. Voice as smooth as ever, Shen Qingqiu asked, “Where is your Ming-shixiong?”

The shorter one—a round-faced boy named Sun Tiandou who looked younger than he was—wrinkled his nose. “Ming-shixiong is still running with everybody else.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded imperiously. That was good. Ming Fan had been raised by respectable parents on a comfortable estate, and so he was prone to panicking over even the most minor of injuries. If he’d gone out to run willingly without his shizun’s prompting, then he couldn’t be terribly injured. “Good. And—” The beast died in his tongue. 

Had Qiu Jianluo called him a beast? He couldn’t remember. 

“—and Luo Binghe?”

Sun Tiandou’s expression tilted uncomfortably, but Lin Xieran’s lip curled at the name. “Oh,” she said, waving a hand flippantly, “He’s still in the woodshed.”

Shen Qingqiu idly poked at his newfound disgust with himself and discovered that it didn’t extend far enough to compel him to scold Xieran for her coldness. “Very good,” he said instead, “You’ve both done well today.” 

Their expressions turned instantly starstruck, and Shen Qingqiu continued down the path towards the woodshed. 

To his displeasure, there was a figure sitting against the woodshed’s door. He would’ve thought it was Luo Binghe if it weren’t for the bright orange of Ning Yingying’s favorite hair ribbons. She spotted him and leaped to her feet, waving her arm with the enthusiasm of a child who’d never been punished before. 

Shen Qingqiu flicked his fan open and waved it gently at his face. “What are you do—” All his breath left him in a rush as Ning Yingying threw herself at him, hands flying around his waist. 

Shen Qingqiu sighed and waited for her to let go. She did quickly enough, dancing back a couple steps and grinning up at him. “Shizun!” 

He examined her over the edge of his fan, tracing the shape of her bright brown eyes and her round face. He wondered if she really did look like Qiu Haitang, or if his mind had just seen a bright girl with gentle smiles and made the connection for him. “What is Yingying doing here?”

Ning Yingying’s expressions turned as sly as it ever went. Mostly she just ducked her head and scuffed her feet. “Yingying is, um—” She looked around, spotted the dirty dishes lying where she’d been sitting earlier, and hastily said, “Cleaning! Yingying is cleaning.”

Shen Qingqiu raised one eyebrow and didn’t bother replying. 

Ning Yingying fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. “And, um, waiting for Shizun!” She looked up, lips curling into a hopeful smile. “This one is glad that Shizun is feeling better!”

Fear beat another staccato rhythm against Shen Qingqiu’s spine, a desperate rattling of what did Luo Binghe say. He revealed none of it on his face. “Did Yingying bring food to Luo Binghe during his punishment?”

Ning Yingying visibly drooped. “He’s so small, Shizun—”

Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth and then shut it, feeling suddenly tired. The rebuke on the tip of his tongue faded, and he just sighed. “Take the plates back to the kitchens.” 

Ning Yingying peeked up at him, hope lighting her eyes. “Yes, Shizun!” She ran to grab the plates and then scuttled back, eyes wide. “Shizun isn’t going to punish A-Luo, right? He didn’t ask me to bring the food.”

Any other day, and Shen Qingqiu’s temper would have flared at the familiar address. Instead, he just said sharply, “I’ve warned you to keep your distance from him, Yingying. Do as I say.” 

Ning Yingying nodded. “Yes, Shizun.” 

Liar. He didn’t call her on it, though. “Go.” 

She sketched a bow, shallower than she should’ve, and dashed off. But that was alright, because she was his favorite and she knew it.

#hhh should i put this in the character tags?? #im just gonna do #shen jiu #svsss fanfiction #scumbagged villains #candleswriting #ok good enough #dw im v aware that this cuts off right when its about to get interesting #i too would like to know how the confrontation between sj and lbh would go #pity that my past self didnt write it #sleeping awake

[newobsessionweekly]

Full of surprises🌿 -part 2

Part 1

anon said:  Could you write something with Aron where you guys are newly engaged and going to dinner with the cast mates from elite and they see the ring and you and Aron are all cute and shy at dinner? xx a/n: thank you for your idea, it inspired me for this part!! Guys, part 2 is here and I am really excited!! I hope you like it. Stay safe and lots of love! 🌿❤️

warnings: none, i guess. word count: 1.470

Arón Piper x reader 🌿

Arón’s car slowed down in front of a big white fence and a wooden gate; the unrecognisable sound of cars passing by cannot be heard, and comparing to the crazy part of Madrid your apartment is located, this one is maybe too quiet. The sun is gently caressing your skin as you accepted the cold, reassuring air coming out from the car’s air conditioning system before Arón turned it off. This year, spring is warmer than usual and this warmth plus the morning sickness equals a disaster.

Not much time passed since you have told Arón about the positive pregnancy test and it’s been almost a week since you’ve been proudly wearing that beautiful engagement ring. Arón is the happiest you’ve ever seen in the last three years together, he’s proud and also too worried. Despite the fact that you are living in the same apartment, he calls every time he arrives somewhere, just to check on you. He texts you whenever he have some break, no matter how small and he calls again when he is about to leave some place and come back home to you. You continued going to work, though Arón insisted it’s good for you and the baby to stay home and rest.

Though you started to develop a very serious phobia about mornings based on the sickness you still feel every day, this one is different. He wasn’t sleeping so peacefully, with a hand under his pillow and the other one between the two of you, like every morning. He was the first to wake up, made you a glass full of fresh orange juice and bring it to you in bed. He caressed your skin and surrounded your body with small kisses, while one of his hands rested on your stomach. Every night, after a long talk about everything and nothing specific, he liked to caress your belly and talk to his daughter, eventually falling asleep with a hand on your womb. You are convinced that is a boy, but it’s far too early to determine the gender. At your first ultrasound, you could see it; a little spot painted on a strange picture. He stopped the engine and surrounded the car to help you get out. You tried explaining him a million times you have no disability, you are perfectly capable to do things by yourself, but he is so stubborn, he will ignore you and continue only to tease you. “What are we doing here?” you asked as he opened the gate and let you inside the courtyard. There is a stone path leading to a white house, surrounded by a big, green yard, with many trees and flowers enchanting your eyes.   “I saw an announcement a few days ago and when I came over here, I literally saw your name on it. It’s perfect for us, now that we are expecting a little you to come around and mess up with our nerves. Do you like it?” Arón laughed a little and faced you.

Arón is a big tornado filled with so much love and kindness for everything and everyone, despite the grave expression he is showing off. You understood that to remain this way in a world full of suffering and misery, sadness and wickedness, he had to put on a mask to protect himself. From the first time he opened up to you, you knew he is the sunshine that the world needs the most. He is the only one that could light up this world with his smile, his laugh or even with his presence. He emanates this amazing vibe that everyone loves.

“It’s beautiful, Arón. But how much is it?” You love this house, it has everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s a white and simple storey house, with balconies, outdoor terrace and large windows for more natural light. But it’s a traditional Spanish house, it’s old with so many great stories from the past embedded into its walls and it means it’s expensive as hell. Arón waved his hand at you and turned, so he could admire the house, “Come on, don’t worry about the price, I already bought it anyway.”  

“You did what?” your anger instantly popped and you started feeling some strange warmth covering your entire body. “Why would you make such an important step all by yourself? I’ve always wanted to go house hunting.” You whimpered like a little kid.    “You are mad that I went house hunting without you?” he laughed at you and came closer to hug you. “Yes. This house is almost perfect...” you again searched the yard and tried to find the thing that is missing, but it is fucking perfect. “But it doesn’t have a pool!” you sticked it out at him just to not look a fool for being upset for no reason. “You are crazy!” he laughed, joking, and led you to the back yard through the bushes. There were a beautiful and small pool, and another terrace with a table and some chairs, perfectly to drink coffee in the morning or for a dinner with friends at night. “I’m not crazy, I am just pregnant.” You faced him and paired your hand behind his neck, sticking your head on his chest. “I pray the lord to give me patience if the hysteria of a pregnant woman starts from now. But I still love you so much.” He kissed the top of your head and rubbed your back as the both of you admired the beautiful house.

------- The sun is slowly going down, gently kissing the ground, getting lost behind the tall buildings from the Centre of Madrid as you went to the toilet for the fourth time since you arrived. Your clothes are getting tighter around the waist, and you barely find some loose dress to wear tonight. The subject changed again since you’ve been gone and you just stayed quiet and enjoyed some natural mix of fruits. Dinner with the cast members from Élite is interesting and funny under other circumstances, but this time you are too tired to pay much attention. You've been having trouble lifting your head off the pillow in the morning and dragging your feet all day made you excited to arrive home as soon as possible and crawl into bed. You rested your head on Arón’s shoulder and yawned as you caught Danna smiling at the picture in front of her eyes. You haven’t talked much and definitely haven’t told anyone but your parents about the pregnancy and the engagement. You are undoubtedly wearing the ring Arón gave to you, you are neither trying to hide nor to praise around about it. “It’s hard indeed to move into a new house.” Arón agreed to Jorge on the new subject someone randomly picked. “It’s even harder when are two people.” He rubbed your palm that was resting the handle of your chair with his finger and smiled. You showed him a lazy smile and when the waiter came with your dessert, you reached out after it. “So you finally proposed!” Miguel spoke up, smiling brightly at you glancing at your left hand. That made you froze with your hand clenched on the plate with pancakes. “He did what?” Danna and Ester both jumped from their sits and over the table, the blonde girl reached for your left hand to admire the ring. “Why haven’t you told me? Oh my god, congratulations!” “Congratulations, man!” Omar addressed to your fiancé and came closer for a handshake. Everyone approached to congratulate you and your cheeks were so red, they could be confounded with the cherries from your plate. “Wait, hold your congratulations!” you frowned as Arón reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. You immediately recognised it was your most recent scan and the only one you have at the moment. At nine weeks. He gets out the printed photo that was safely tucked into one side of the leather casing and lended it farther so that everyone could see it. Álvaro looks at it in awe and mentions something about how tiny all of its features are as Itzan leans over to look too. You instead turn to Arón and see how proud he looks. “She is as big as that green olive from that cocktail.” Arón pointed Mina’s drink. He still has a small smile on his lips and he’s leaning over the table to admire it one more time and to explain everyone what your doctor explained. He looks brighter,his eyes warm.

“You wanted to say <<he>>, he is exactly 2.54 cm now.” You corrected him with Danna’s hand hanging around your neck as she tried to hug you. He leaned over to kiss your forehead before he went back to the conversation, “This time I won’t contradict the pregnant woman.” 

———————

Tell me what do you think 🥺🥺

#aron #aron piper #aron x reader #aron piper x reader #aron imagine #aron piper imagine #aron piper fanfic #aron piper imagines #elite netflix #elite #elite imagines #elite fan #elite imagine #netflix #series #full of surprises #part 2 #miguel bernardeau #danna paola #alvaro rico #mina el hammani #omar ayuso #itzan escamilla #ester exposito #pregnancy

[exauhstedsunflower]

How about a scene of Anne messing with Catalina in front of others but without them realizing? She keeps whispering things to Catalina to scare her (playing with her fear that Anne will literally kill her), and when the queens notice Lina is very pale they ask what's wrong and she can't say it because Anne is giving her The Look.

Oh yes. You’re evil, I like that.

-

Her heart is pounding, surely the others must hear it. Though she’s honestly glad that they can’t, she’s not sure how she’d react if they did.

The restaurant is kind of quiet. There’s some chatter around the room, people speaking to their waiters, people speaking to each other. The queens are among that chatter. Well, at least, the others are. Catalina hasn’t said a word the entire time. Mainly because Anne is sitting next to her in their booth, and the woman is making damn sure Catalina doesn’t.

Every time she opens her mouth, Anne looks at her with a certain look. As if she’s doing something wrong, it’s extremely unnerving. Again, she’s not sure how the others haven’t noticed. But here they are, Catalina in distress again and no one to help.

She feels a foot hit her shin as she reaches for her drink, and she knocks it over instead. Thank god it’s water. Still though, she jumps up to clean it.

“Jeez, Lina. Way to go.”

“Sorry!” She squeaks out, attempting to flag down their waitress.

“Isn’t that your phone?”

Her eyes shoot to the table, where the water has almost reached her phone. She grabs it quickly, then takes some napkins from their arriving waitress. When she finally sits, she puts her phone face up in front of her, determined not to move a muscle.

Her phone lights up a moment later, as all the queens settle back into their usual conversation. She reads the message on her lock screen.

ANNE: you’re an idiot. 😂

Catalina just looks at it, and watches her screen go dark. The waitress comes back and gives her a new drink. She won’t drink it at all.

Her phone lights up again.

ANNE: It’s rude not to answer your texts.

She feels Anne looking at her, so she decides to look up. Bad idea, the glare coming her way is awful. She shrinks into her seat and focuses back on the phone, picking it up.

LINA: Sorry.

Catalina can feel the eye roll, she doesn’t even have to see it happen. Why her? What did she do to deserve this tonight? It’s the only day she’s been able to spend with the others in weeks. Anne has been moving dates around and making it so that every time the queens do something fun, Catalina is busy. And Catalina always tells them to just go without her. Who is she to ruin their fun? The one night she gets to spend with the queens, and Anne ends up next to her.

ANNE: I wish Kit was sitting where you are

ANNE: she’s better than you. Guess this works though, I can keep an eye on you.

The last thing she wants is Anne watching her. But that's what's going to happen because she can’t exactly say otherwise.

ANNE: we can have some fun too.

Catalina’s mind goes into overdrive with that one. Fun? What does she mean, fun?

She needs to get out. She needs to not be next to Anne anymore. Whatever Anne has planned, it won’t be very fun for Catalina. So she stands very abruptly, muttering something about needing to pee, and speeds in the direction of the restroom.

When she gets there she just leans against the counter in an attempt to calm her breathing. Attempt being the key word there, because she is very close to hyperventilating at the notion of Anne doing this to her for the rest of the night. She can hardly handle being near the woman on a good day. She’s been stressed all week, and had been looking forward to tonight, only for the night to be a disaster.

The door opens behind her, and of course it’s Anne. She turns to look her in the eye, and just about brings herself to look at the wall behind Anne.

Anne cuts right to the chase, “I thought I told you to stop leaving whenever I’m around.”

Catalina’s eyes widen. She did say that, but she didn’t leave because Anne was there! Well, she did, but it wasn’t like last time! When she tries to say this the words get caught in her throat. Her chest is starting to hurt with how much speed her heart has picked up.

She presses herself further into the counter behind her. Noticing this, Anne takes three steps forward and stands right in front of her.

“Are you scared?”

Oh lord. Oh no.

She starts mentally praying. Praying for Anne to leave her alone, praying for this fear to leave her.

“N-no.”

Anne hums. Then she replies, slow and quiet, “Maybe you should be.”

Catalina doesn’t respond. Honestly, her mind just goes completely blank. Her first instinct is to run, but she can’t run because Anne just said to stop leaving when she’s there. But staying wasn’t an option her mind was ready for. Wasn’t an option her body was ready for either, judging the amount of tremors running through it.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to! I promise I didn’t mean to I-“ she stumbles over her words, much to the clear amusement of Anne.

“Are you Angry?” Anne laughs at the question.

“Angry?” She questions, like what Catalina is asking makes no sense. Like her concern is completely invalid. “No. You haven’t seen me angry, yet.”

The yet in that sentence is troubling. And she says it as if it’s foreshadowing, like Catalina will see Anne mad very soon. Catalina is torn between asking about it and staying quiet. But then Anne speaks again.

“Listen, I’m going to say this once.” She’s addressing Catalina as if she’s giving a stern lecture to a child, and Catalina finds that she can’t breathe.

“If you ever try that again, you will not like what follows. Do I make myself clear?”

She looks at Catalina for an answer, and all the woman can do is nod minutely. God, why won’t Anne just leave her alone? It’s what everyone else does!

“Good girl.”

Anne brings her hand up to Catalina’s cheek, giving it a little pat. Catalina flinches back a bit but otherwise stays put. Wouldn’t want to upset her anymore. Not when she seems to be placated by the agreement.

Anne pulls away abruptly, “I’m gonna head back to the table. Be careful on your way back.” And with that she leaves Catalina reeling.

Careful? Careful of what? What could possibly happen in the distance from the restroom to the table? Does Anne know something she doesn’t?

She shakes herself, there’s no use spiraling like that. There is no immediate danger here. Making her way through the door, back into the bustling restaurant, she nearly knocks over a waitress carrying three plates. After being sure the woman is steady and apologizing profusely, she walks more carefully toward the queens.

And cant help but look around warily as she does so. Damn, Anne got to her.

Finally she gets to the table, only to see that their food has already been served. Now, Catalina wouldn’t say she is high maintenanced, or picky. But she definitely likes keeping an eye on her food at all times. It’s not that she doesn’t trust the people in the restaurant, no, if she had any trouble with eating out she wouldn’t have come. She is afraid to leave her food unattended in Anne’s presence though.

Catalina knows that she died of cancer. She knows this, truly. But back when she was dying, slow and agonizingly painful, she’d thought it was poison. Not just her, the doctors had confirmed it to be poison. And everyone thought it was the work of Anne Boleyn. She thought it was Anne, proving once and for all that she had won. Anne came out on top. Anne took her crown away, took her family away, and took her life away. So while now with modern medicine she knows she died of cancer, she can’t help but not be over the terror of being killed; even if she wasn’t truly killed. And the person who had ‘done it’ is sitting right next to Catalina’s food.

She sits in silence as the others eat, only barely touching her own plate. What doesn’t help is that Anne is infodumping her latest interest. The latest interest just so happens to be poisons, specifically one’s that go after the heart.

“Arsenic, mercury, thallium poisoning, so many ways to mimic cancer or general sickness. Thallium poisoning kinda looks like a heart attack!”

Picking at her plate and feeling vaguely nauseous, she tries her best to tune out Anne.

“It takes a real psycho to want to kill someone like that though. I can’t imagine how awful that must be, dying slowly and painfully. Not knowing what it was or who did it. I’m just glad my end was quick.”

“Anne!”

“What? I’m serious!”

Meanwhile Catalina is freaking out. This is not her ideal topic of conversation. The thought of her death is enough to send her into a spiral. But this? This is enough to give her an aneurysm.

“-Lina? You okay?”

Her eyes shoot up, seeing everyone’s eyes are now on her. Her heart races even faster, she grips the edge of the table tightly when Anne slightly leans into her. One glance at Anne says she can’t tell the truth. The look on the woman's face is enough to keep her mouth shut.

“M’fine.” She manages. Jane looks a little bit doubtful.

“You sure? You look a little pale.”

Catalina swallows down the knot in her throat. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

The table hesitantly goes back to normal conversation. You’ve managed to kill the mood for everyone. Great job. She should have just stayed home. This isn’t worth the stress. It’s not worth the terror and mental consequence. And all she’s done in her endeavor to keep the queen's company is make them concerned. How are they meant to have fun if they’re keeping an eye on her to make sure she’s okay?

All she wanted to do was have fun with her friends.

“Should I be scared you have this much knowledge of poisons?”

Anna sounds joking, like that's not a legitimate concern right now. For her it’s not. Anne doesn’t have any reason to want to kill Anna. Anne hates Catalina though, so this is horrible. It feels like foreshadowing. It feels like Catalina is losing her mind.

She keeps trying to convince herself that Anne wouldn’t actually kill her, but she has no reason to believe she wouldn’t. What’s stopping her?

“No! Don’t you trust me?”

No.

“Of course I do Bo!”

They’d never believe Catalina, they’d never take her seriously if she brought this up. She must be crazy, of course this isn’t supposed to be as stressful as she finds it. This fear is stupid, and as if to prove that to her, Anne gives her a look after that response. A look that says. ‘See, they trust me. They’d think you’re ridiculous if they knew what you thought.’

And that’s the truth. Catalina knows that’s the truth. It’s exactly why she hasn’t mentioned her feelings towards Anne to the others. It’s nothing, it’s not like Anne would ever really hurt her. Sure, sometimes she pushes her, or sometimes kicks Catalina’s shin under the table. But to kill her? While it’s something Catalina is afraid of, she hates being afraid of it. It makes her feel stupid. Surely the others would also think it’s stupid.

So she’ll keep it to herself. She counts the minutes until they can finally go home, and tries not to break down in the middle of this restaurant. And she keeps her unsafe feelings to herself.

-

I DID IT! That was unexpectedly hard. Credit to that one anon, @cynicalrainbows and @kiarcheo, for being super helpful with their examples on what Anne could do or say to be cruel to Lina. You guys are the best! 

Thanks for the request though!!! It was really fun. 

#six #six the musical #six headcanons #six the musical headcanons #Six the musical Fanfiction #Scared!aragon au

[carrottuan93]

Haven't met you yet | Mark

Masterlist (2/4) | part1 - part3 - part4

Starring: MK x You

Tags: Mark Tuan, Fluff, Destiny, Waiting, Christmas, Bookworm, Nerd, Love, Fate

Total WC: 1420

You felt an agonizing level of pain hitting your head the moment you open your eyes to the sound of some lowkey hip-hop playlist in the background that you know nothing about. You don’t remember setting up your spotify on loop for the rest of the night but still you find the music suit for your taste despite hearing it for the first time. You shuffled on your bed, uneasy with the throbbing sensation of your cranium being drilled in the process. You sat down on your spot and were greeted by a glass of water and aspirin purposely located on a nearby table to tend on your painful hangover. Your eyebrows creased in confusion as you roam your eyes around the unfamiliar black and white interior of the room. Eyes squinting, you placed the partially emptied glass on the table after drinking the medicine and still you’re in no better means of explaining as to why you’re feeling weird today. You give your head a slight massage and a few taps on your cheek as you gather your composure. You noticed that you slept on your black above the knee dress and must have forgotten to switch into your pajamas last night, which explains you still have your coat intact when you went home but it is missing already by the time you woke up. Where could it be? You shuffled at the edge of the bed and slumped on the ground looking for your stilettos when you came across the sight of a shoe cabinet filled with converse sneakers aligned in pairs as well as an open dresser filled with different varieties of hoodies and men clothing that are too foreign to be included in your own cabinet.

 “Shit!" reality hit you like a thunderbolt in a desert void of air, cutting all possible passageways for blood to flow freely on your circulation as if you became anemic at one point in your life. The lucid interval took effect when sobriety woke your being upon hearing the sound of someone using the shower and the smell of fresh shave accumulating on the slightly opened bathroom door. You gulped as you start to look for your sanity being thrown away on the windowsill and you're mentally preparing to jump outside as well because you still have no clue on how you ended up in a different room. What have you done for Good lord's sake?

 ----

 You glanced on your phone whilst taking your 3rd cup of coffee for the day. 10 minutes before 5pm, you read as it flashed on your screen. You haven't eaten any decent meal ever since you left the stranger's room in a hurry this morning. Fearing that you'll be seen by the guy in the shower, you escaped in the flash of a lightning. To make your day even worse, you cannot find your stilettos underneath his bed and you even grabbed the wrong coat on your way out. Worry haunted you like a madman after discovering that you accidentally went to room 1207 across your unit 1212. You're mentally skinning yourself alive by breaking into the lion's den without even knowing whom did you spend the night with. Your best friend sent you tons of messages asking for specific details because you’ve been sending her cryptic texts about your situation. You weren’t thinking straight and the bile in your stomach is rising up like it’s about to explode any minute now. But you can’t escape your work with your current dilemma that’s why you need to stay sane until you meet with Eunhee tonight.

 "Ms. Y/n, thank you for submitting the report on time even on a holiday. I know it must be troublesome for you to go here while you're in the middle of your Christmas spirit but we’d like to fully adhere to our schedule on time before new year. Mr. Raymond is an important client, so we need to make sure that we're being transparent at all costs.” After a meaty discussion with your senior, you gladly took a breather when your meeting adjourned. You’re an accountant and being part of an accounting firm surely entails hours and hours of long work leaving you with no time at all for yourself. It’s a busy season as usual but you won’t miss out the holidays for your busy roll. You’d like to check your schedule on your planner but to no avail, you misplaced it last night. Since you’re carrying it wherever you go, you’re 101% sure that you left it on the unit across your place along with your other stuff. You haven’t had the opportunity to claim your things this morning due to the embarrassment crisis that is weighing down on your shoulder. Your current work engagement with this particular client is a big deal for you, so you chose to save your ass from being reprimanded by your boss and being late to work. Maybe your best friend can think clearly than your wasted self. ‘Just kill me already’ is all you can tell your poor being. You heard your phone rang all of a sudden and Eunhee’s name flashed on the screen.

 “Girl, where the hell are you?” You must be zoning out. You reached the brink of your anxiety when the clock’s hand struck to eight, wondering how come 3 hrs has already passed with you just sitting on your cubicle.

 “Eunhee, I’ve been through a tough day and I don’t know how to explain my current situation but I’ll be there in a second I promise.” And the Amazing Race Christmas edition has begun. Dressed on your black turtleneck blouse tucked in your skinny jeans, you complete your party outfit with a stylish beanie to match with your caramel trench coat so as not to look underprepared for the occasion. You then rushed through the nearest macaron store to grab your order and have decided that you just finish doing your makeup inside the uber to maximize your time. Geez, it’s freezing cold outside and the streets are filled with lovebirds which only made your stomach turn into a sour milk. You’re famished by the time you arrived at the address Eunhee sent you and you were welcomed with her bright smile and her expression demanding for an explanation.

 “I know that look on your eyes Eunhee but feed me first before I prepare for my death bed.” You hugged her so tight like your world depended on her. She dragged you inside the house which you believe to be Jackson’s place. You didn’t think of Jackson as some kind of a party jock but sure this guy knows how to throw a proper party for a group. His house is warm and inviting, you gotta commend his taste for classical music filling the air but he’s nowhere to be found. You’re slowly getting into the holiday mood, with a few acquaintances that you meet along the hallways and a feast filled with nothing but sweet treats, you began to think if you went to a gingerbread house instead of an adult’s party.

 “Before everything else, where are the drinks?” You need a booze so you can open up easily to Eunhee but she ordered you to pick a paper inside the bowl in return.

“Calm down, Jackson’s little cousins from the US are coming as well so you won’t be expecting to see liquor at this early hour. We serve the kiddie treats first and we move on to a full-grown up party in the midnight but you gotta choose your secret Santa first.” You gave her an inquisitive look and wonder what secret Santa is she talking about? You picked a random green paper.

 “Wait, what’s with the secret Santa thing?”

“Everyone is required to bring a gift for someone else”

“I wasn’t informed? You didn’t tell me!” Maybe today’s series of panic attacks aren’t enough for your breakdown but here’s the cherry to the cake.

 “Oh my god, Y/n.” Eunhee gasped in shock just in time when Jackson entered the living room in his bright holiday spirit.

“Hey Y/n. Looking good tonight, huh? You like my place?” He went over to Eunhee and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

“My first time going to your place feels like home, Jackson.” You smiled at him and you could tell he came with a company.

“That’s nice to hear. But girls, I want you to meet my cousin from LA, Mark.”

#mark #marktuan #mark tuan #got7 #got7 mark #got7 fluff #got7 imagines #got7 fanfic #fluff #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop fluff #ahgase #jackson #got7jackson #got7 jackson

[avaticancameo]

MEETING THE PARENTS | WILL & LEO FOR @theasteriae

LEO

“You didn’t tell me he was going to be here,” Leo said out of the side of his mouth. 

“Because I didn’t know.” He could see the tension in Bash’s neck and shoulders as he tried to avoid looking in their father’s direction. He’d have to speak to him eventually, of course—Sebastian was the whole reason everyone was here tonight—but the longer either of them could put that off, the better. 

It didn’t help that Leo was already anxious. Not restless like his brother, who’d always had too much energy, absent, but rather the opposite. Hyperfocused on his phone. 

Will was in London, filming. He’d be getting a taxi, then a train, and would be home well after this evening was over, and Leo knew his phone had to be turned off on set, but even the knowledge that Will would be travelling sometime that evening made him nervous. He needed to know when he was leaving, when he was onboard, what time he was due in. Not keeping tabs, but so he knew he was safe. 

Leo had been in the back of an armoured truck when it was attacked. Even the thought of small journeys made him sweat, sometimes. 

He glanced up from his screen ( no new messages ) to see Augustus shaking hands with the party member who’d waylaid him and moving across the room towards them. 

“Shit, is that—? Better go before Percy destroys the entire drinks table,” Bash said, dashing off. Leo looked around. His nephew was nowhere near the table of delicate champagne glasses. Fucking traitor. 

Still, he fixed a smile on his face and prayed this conversation would be quickly over. Surely, Bash was worthy of more attention than him tonight?

WILL

Will still had his suit on. Very luckily, wardrobe said he could messenger it back once they found out he was planning to surprise Leo. It didn’t take much convincing, chatting to a couple of the girls about how incredible his fiancé was had done wonders. It fit like a glove, slim and a beautiful blue colour that stood out from the black ones drifting around in the already crowded room. 

As soon as he spotted Leo, he awkwardly sped over to him, grabbing him by the waist with the intention to show him just how much Will had missed him. It hadn’t been so long this time, three days in London versus the weeks to months they were used to. But it never got easier. “Hey Baby-“ 

He wanted to hold him, shower him in love to cover up for the fact he would get a small telling off for show. But something was off...

LEO

Leo was in the middle of a sentence, answering Augustus's question about work--Why did you give up an active role in the army for a desk job in Manchester of all places? Sounding more accusative than concerned, even though Leo's injuries might have made touring legitimately too much for him, as time went on--when arms around his waist cut him off. 

He knew that touch, knew that voice in his ear, and for a second, he felt all the things he should have felt ( joy, exasperation, love, desire ), but then all those emotions were overtaken by a heavy feeling in his stomach. Fear. His father's blue eyes were boring into him, and Leo felt that familiar wave of panic and nausea come over him. 

He scrambled to push Will's hands off, turning over his shoulder with wide eyes and a minute shake of his head. He wanted to say, Hey, baby, back. What are you doing here, you bastard? Give me a kiss. But all that actually came out was, "Will, this is--This is my father. Can you--?" Not. Thanks.

WILL

His chest was swollen with pride, but his brows knotted together as Leo shoved his hands away. This wasn’t right. The full sense of fear on his face was easy to read but didn’t make any sense. Will didn’t see the small shake, instead going for a kiss on the cheek once he had his fiancé in front of him. He pressed his body against Leo’s, trying to set a hand on the back of his neck and totally missing these cues.

At the start it had been Will who was the one to dictate what they acted like in public, so even now he set the pace. He had missed Leo more than anything. Only then did the words sink in, Will glancing back over Leo’s shoulder at the older man. “W-what? Wait, this is who?”

LEO

"My father," Leo repeated, taking a step back to avoid the kiss and the reach of Will's hand. He so badly wanted to lean into them, into him, and let all of this go, but he froze up as soon as he thought about it. "Dad, this is Will. He's a--friend--of mine, from--" 

"--Yes. Very friendly, by the looks of things," Augustus said, cutting across him disapprovingly. "A handshake will suffice for me, thank you." His eyes were glacial as he held out his right hand towards Will. "You served together in Afghanistan, did you?"

WILL

Will’s eyes moved from Leo, to Augustus, and back again. Right. That father. The father who pushed him too far and had him feeling so small. Now he really looked at his boyfriend, Leo wasn’t carrying himself right. His shoulders weren’t so broad, and his eyes... 

His jaw tightened visibly at Augustus’s remark. But he blinked, and smiled all the same. “Not together, no.” He didn’t extend a hand to Augustus, preferring instead to try and thread his fingers through Leo’s. He looked like he needed it. And Will didn’t need the disapproving look of shock the sight of his hand would earn.

“I was with a different branch, also got blown up. Turns out it’s way more common than you’d think.”

He turned back to Leo, more focused on him. “You alright? You want a drink or something? I can-“

LEO

Leo wasn't as tall as his father or his brothers ( even Bella had two inches on him ), but the way he held himself usually made him look taller. Head up, shoulders back, back straight. But in front of Augustus he seemed to have shrunk. Hunched in on himself, like he was ashamed to be standing there. And no wonder.

"Stand up straight. I can't believe you'd get away with that on the parade square." Augustus let his hand linger for another couple of seconds before dropping it with an unimpressed hum. "So you met where?" 

"In the rehab centre," Leo explained. "Yeah--yes--a drink would be--" He managed a small smile. "--Great." He put a hand on Will's arm and gave it a quick squeeze. "Why don't I catch up with you in a bit?" 

But Augustus wasn't going to let him go so easily. "No," he said. "Stay. I'd be very interested to hear more." Specifically about his relationship with his youngest son.

WILL

It was hard not to cover his neck in kisses, anything to give be Leo his pride back. But Will tried to read his other half better, pick up on the cues. Augustus was only interested in taking a chunk out of him. “It’s Major now, if you want to address him properly.”

Normally the story of how they met was accompanied with awkward laughter. Nervous and a little hesitant but Leo told it so well. But Will stood fully confused, the ring he had given Leo still visible on his finger. The friend comment he could understand, but the fact Leo’s parents seemed totally clueless? That stung.

He placed his undamaged hand on Leo’s, giving it a small squeeze too. “What do you want me to do?” He was fully ignoring Augustus until he turned back to the old man.

“What do you want to know?”

LEO

"And it's Lord," Augustus countered, "If you wish to address me properly." His cold stare moved from Will to Leo and back again. "I want to know why you're here. This is event is for party and family members only, as I understood it." 

Leo's fingers curled around Will's, not letting him go. He didn't want to do this, not here, not now--not ever, if he was honest--but he also didn't want to be left alone with Augustus. He looked around for Bash again, but he'd made himself very scarce, the bastard. "Stay," he said. "Please. Will's here because I invited him, Dad." 

"Why?" A sandy eyebrow was raised towards his whitening hairline. 

"Because like you said, this thing is for family. And Will is my family now."

WILL

It took a second for him to bite back the retort of I don’t. as he felt Leo hold his hand too. It was a start. He was stood on Leo’s right, fighting the urge to lean against him for support like he always did. It had been a long day and he had expected a nice evening with the person he loved most in the world, not this.

Will have his hand a small squeeze with his two good fingers. “You sure?” His voice was so low it was only designed for Leo to hear. “We can go, you don’t have to be here.”

LEO

Leo bit down on the inside of his lip ( best not to show any outward signs of weakness in front of Augustus ) as he watched Will lean his weight more on his right foot. He was tired, off balance, and all Leo wanted to do was wrap an arm around his middle, kiss his cheek, and hold him close. 

But he had to settle for keeping hold of his hand. 

“Yeah. I promised Sebastian I’d stay to see his speech and—“ 

“—Where is your brother, Leopold? We’re all here for him, and he’s not even shown his face yet.” 

Good question, Leo thought. “I think he had to take a phone call. Do you want me to go and—?” 

“—No.” Apparently Augustus was incapable of letting his son finish a sentence. “I’ll go. Thank you. Make sure you stop and say hello to your mother, she worries about you. But don’t go too far. I’m not finished with you yet.”

WILL

Again, Will ignored Augustus completely. “I’ll make excuses. Blame me if you want, we can get out of here and-“

Augustus was hitting every last nerve he had. At once. He was gripping Leo’s hand just a little too tight. 

“Do you want to see your mum?”

LEO

“No,” Leo said, letting go of a long breath as Augustus turned and walked away from them. His shoulders dropped a little way, but his chest seemed to be caving in in the centre. “I mean—Not yet. I just need a minute.” 

He slipped an arm around Will’s middle, selfishly looking for support as much as he was now supporting his fiancé. “We should sit down, you must be exhausted. Have you come straight from the studio? I thought you weren’t going to be done in time.”

WILL

The very second Augustus was out of earshot, Will felt Leo change. “What the fuck was his problem?” He muttered, half under his breath and half through gritted teeth. But Leo pulled him close, propped him up so it was easier to take some weight off. He leaned into him, but nothing more to show any real affection.

“You said friend, to your dad. You said we were friends.” 

That had been playing over and over in his mind, a little eased by the fact Leo had also called him family.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. I’m sorry I couldn’t text on the road, my phone was dead.”

LEO

“What?” Leo’s mind was elsewhere, in work mode, looking for exits; it took him a minute to catch up with what Will was saying. “Oh, yeah, look … Can we go outside a second? It’s a bit hot in here. Crowded.” He still felt like Augustus’s eyes were boring into his back. 

They started moving towards the door. There were gardens out the back of the hotel, places for them to sit, for Will to take the weight off his leg. Leo didn’t speak again till he’d dropped down onto a bench, face hidden in his hands. “The thing is, my dad doesn’t exactly—know that I’m out? And I didn’t know how to tell him here. I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to be here. Didn’t know you were going to be here. But I’m so glad to see you, baby, please …” 

And finally, Leo leaned in for a kiss.

WILL

Will nodded, following behind Leo with his usual awkward gait. He was a little more stiff than he was letting on, a downside from being on his feet all day. It would be fine when he had a chance to settle. Will say down next to Leo, an arm immediately draping back over where his shoulders should be, an invitation to lean on him now.

But the words caught him off guard. Will pulled back, dodging the kiss himself this time. “What? What do you mean he didn’t know?”

He was a bit in shock at that. They had been talking marriage and babies, a real future together. And somehow this felt like the kind of important thing he should have known. “Does he know anything about us?”

LEO

Leo loved the spot where Will’s shoulder met his neck; it was the perfect place for him to lay his head, with plenty of access to Will’s throat, which was often as bruised as his own. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to do just that, get in nice and close, but Will pulled away from him, looking at him like he’d suddenly grown a second head or something. 

“I mean,” Leo said heavily, slumping further into his seat. Augustus wasn’t even here now, and he was still making Leo look small. “He doesn’t know. Well, he probably does now, but—I’ve never talked to him about it. Mum knew. She knows all about you. She doesn’t mention it. But she knows I’m in love with and engaged to the most amazing man I have ever met and will ever meet, and I hope she can find it in herself to come to the wedding. But Dad—“ He winced. 

“—I knew he wouldn’t like it. There were so many times I went to tell him, but he has this way of looking at you and just—making you freeze up. So, I haven’t yet, and I’m sorry. But I meant what I said in there. You’re my family, and I love you, I’m just—I’m a fucking coward is what I am.”

WILL

His hand slipped slowly from the back of the bench up Leo’s spine, drifting softly over the back of his blazer. This was a lot to take in, especially here and now. They had been together almost a decade, and seeing how Leo seized up when it came to talking about his parents they just... didn’t come up. But Will assumed they knew about him in the very least. 

“Right. So you’ve not done that conversation. Does he know you’re getting married? What does he think is going on?”

Maybe ignorance was bliss. But Will was wound tight now, and frustrated at this whole situation. He swallowed the worst of his hurt at being kept in the dark to try and make the best of a bad batch.

“No, you’re not a coward. Don’t say that. Just... you see how this looks to me, right? We’ve been together almost a bloody decade.”

LEO

“No.” Leo’s left hand suddenly felt very heavy, the ring Will had given him weighing it down like it never had done before. “He doesn’t know anything.” He started fiddling with it, twisting it round and round on his finger. “We don’t talk about this kind of thing. Feelings. He doesn’t care how we feel, just as long as we’re doing something that makes him look good.” 

He was breathing heavily, but the hand on his back helped a bit. It would have been more grounding if Will had been less tense, but, Leo reasoned, he had every right to be standoffish with him. “I know, I get it, I do. If our positions were reversed …” He shook his head. “… But just because I didn’t tell one person, Will, that doesn’t change the way I feel about you. I’m not ashamed of you, I was trying to protect you.”

WILL

“What about your brothers? Your aunt and uncle? Did you ask them not to say anything?” His thumb moved in small circles, trying to encourage Leo to take deep breaths. But he was too focused right now to be loving, this was almost the version of him that had been in the army. Information gathering, listening intently, listing off everything he could to help.

It was the same with racing now. In a way. Yet it was so different from the calm and switched off person he usually was.

“It’s not one person Leo, it’s you dad. And you know that. I’m a grown man, you don’t need to protect me.”

LEO

He gave another shake of his head. “Of course not. I didn’t lie, and I didn’t ask any of them to lie for me either. Bash and August don’t talk to him if they can avoid it, and Uncle Thomas, well, him and Dad work together, but they’re on opposite sides of the fence, and they’re about as friendly as cats and dogs, you know?” Leo’s eyes fluttered closed. He rested his forehead against Will’s cheek. 

“Maybe I was trying to protect myself too.”

WILL

Leo leaned into him and Will melted just a little. He couldn’t stay angry, it didn’t feel fair. And whatever he tried to say now wasn’t going to help at all. He moved his arm to hold Leo against his chest, pressing a kiss to his forehead as he settled. “Does he know about August and Bucky?” The last thing Will wanted to do was cause more problems.

He sighed, thinking for just a moment and enjoying the feeling of Leo in his arms. “Do you want me to go?”

LEO

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” The kiss made him smile. At last, something felt normal between them. The gap Leo had felt opening up got just a little bit smaller. 

But when Will asked if he wanted him to go … Leo sat up again, eyes blown wide. “No, please.” His hands fumbled to find Will’s in the dark. “I mean, if you want to go, I understand, but—if I can still ask you to stay? Otherwise, I’ll come with you, we’ll go home. If you’ll still have me, partner.”

WILL

“If you want me here, then I’m not going anywhere.” Will lent forwards, hands cupping Leo’s face as their lips finally met for the first time this evening. Maybe he should have asked, maybe he should have checked if anyone was coming to make Leo feel better but it had been on his mind even throughout the rollercoaster of meeting Augustus. It was slow and soft, gentle when compared to the usual level of desperate kisses they shared. It always felt like it was going to be too long till they could kiss again.

He paused only to murmur against Leo’s lips, his voice practically a purr. “Forever and beyond, baby. I missed you.”

But there was the very real question of what to do next. Making out with the love of his life was sure to get Augustus asking more questions, it had just been so long since he hadn’t felt comfortable in a room with Leo. His whole life had changed in the last ten years.

“He’s going to know. You’re wearing your ring, and I tried to practically tackle you in there. What do you want to do?”

LEO

Leo felt lost without Will’s hands wrapped around his, but he didn’t have to wait long until they were holding either side of his face, drawing him closer, and Leo gave into the kiss gratefully. It was slow and soft, reassuring, but after a couple of seconds, Leo needed more. He opened his mouth, sliding his tongue up against Will’s. 

He’d missed him too. 

He wanted to stay in this little outside bubble, under the umbrella, and not think about what came next, but Will was right. Even if Augustus couldn’t see them right now, he was going to find out. He had probably already figured that there was more to their relationship than ‘friends’, which was why he’d started needling them. 

“I want to tell him,” Leo said in a small voice. “I hate that he doesn’t know. But here’s not exactly the place, not exactly the time. It’s so public. But maybe that will make him behave a bit better?” It was a long shot, but it might work, he supposed.

WILL

Without thinking, without even really registering, Will let a small moan escape from his mouth as Leo deepened the kiss. He wanted another one, and another one, and to not think about the rest of the evening at all. This was his happy place, right here. His hands moved to Leo’s waist, pulling him as close as the awkward bench would allow. He stopped thinking about appearances entirely. Just one more kiss and maybe it would fade away completely.

“I love you.” He wanted to say it. He wanted Leo to know that no matter what he felt was right, it didn’t change anything. Will was going to be there to support him, to bolster him, to hold him tight. “I love you, I mean it.”

He let his forehead press against Leo’s, not moving away further away than he had to in order to catch his breath.

LEO

"I love you too." Leo's hands had found their way up to Will's face, thumbs brushing over jawbones. His movements were clumsy, desperate, he thought for a moment about climbing into Will's lap. Then he remembered Will was in pain with his leg and thought better of it. 

He was as close to him as he could get, though, knees touching, hands touching, mouths touching, until Will pulled away. Even then, he didn't go far. Leo breathed out, tightened his fingers on Will's cheeks. "I love you so much, I--" 

Footsteps on the path, frost crunching underfoot. A woman's footsteps, judging by the click of her heels, but still Leo shuffled back slightly. 

"Mum," he said. 

"Darling." Vivienne was a tall woman with dark hair, like Leo's. She had a fur wrap around her shoulders, pulling it tighter as the wind blew past them again. "Someone said they saw you coming out here, and I was worried; the weather's not very nice. Why don't you come in?" Her smile was vague as she looked from her favourite son to his companion, but there was something sharp about the eyes. "Is this your--Is this him? It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Morrissey, but you must stop monopolising Leo. None of us have seen him for months, and his father's looking for him, you know."

WILL

Will was about to kiss him again, hands ready to pull Leo onto his lap and forget where they were altogether. There was the hotel room upstairs too, with rose petals on the bed and champagne in the fridge. He had really gone all out, because they hadn’t really had a chance to take a breather since getting engaged. Sure, they’d both furiously proposed in what was a hilarious mix up at the airport and then proceeded to celebrate in the car, in the flat, in the hallway... but it wasn’t the same. He wanted it to be a treat, and had really thought this one through. He wanted Leo to know he cared, and that he was here for the long haul. 

The grip on his cheeks had Will reaching forwards again in search of his lips before the sound of someone approaching cut him off. Leo loved away, and Wills hands did too. He was going to do better at following cues this time.

Will swallowed and nodded. “Yes.” He didn’t want to say it was nice to meet her. He didn’t really want to lie. He looked from her to Leo to check in. “Do you need some more air? We’re not in a rush.”

LEO

Leo put a hand on Will's knee and gave it a squeeze. He wasn't ready--really, he didn't care if he froze to death if he and Will could just stay out here, uninterrupted--but he knew if he didn't go in now, he wouldn't go back in at all, and he'd feel worse about that in the morning. A coward, even if Will said he wasn't one. 

"I'm all right. Could do with a drink, actually, so shall we go back in, make the most of the free bar?" He grinned and got up, offering Will his hand. This time, he was determined not to let go of it. "Mum, here ..." He offered Vivienne his other arm, so she did not slip on the ice as they made their way back inside the hotel. "How was your trip down?"

WILL

Will took the hand, awkwardly shifting his weight as he got up. As always, he was on Leo’s right. But he nodded, staying quiet to listen to Leo speak to his mother. He didn’t really have anything to add, and he wanted to get a good reads on the woman.

LEO

"Hey, all right?" Leo stopped to make sure Will had his balance once, then again going down the stone steps, and across the threshold of the room. There was a blast of warm air, some smalltalk between mother and son that gave nothing away. Like Leo said, Vivienne did not even entertain topics she considered to be 'problematic'. 

She promised to save seats at the big table by the window, but before Leo could make good on that drink, they were all being ushered to sit down, as food was being brought out. They had to get an extra chair and place setting made up for Will, who hadn't been expected. 

Leo sat between him and his mother. Will had Augustus on his other side.

"Sorry to lean over you," Leo said with a small smile. He was still holding Will's hand underneath the table. "I wanted to make the proper introductions. Dad, this is Will Morrissey, and he's my fiancé." 

On Leo's other side, Vivienne's lips grew thin. "Leopold," she hissed. "This is not appropriate here."

WILL

Will nodded again, but he shuffled awkwardly on the step and had to hang onto the rail. He was so much more graceful on wheels than on his feet. He moved into his seat awkwardly too, wondering if he should have spoken to Bash about showing up. He had just assumed it would work itself out, he wasn’t close with Leo’s oldest brother but they seemed to get on well enough.

Will squeezed the hand in his, rubbing his thumb over Leo’s knuckles. He could read was was going to happen, lowering his voice again to put his boyfriend at ease. “It’s okay, you-“ he didn’t want to force it, he didn’t want Leo to feel like he had no choice. It was fine, he’d be fine. But there it was. 

The first time Will had heard him use the word Fiancé. 

He should have been ready, but it caught him off guard. He smiled wide, his grin beaming back at Leo. Who he wanted to kiss then and there. Another hand squeeze would have to suffice. “Yeah- thats me. Hi.”

LEO

Leo's answering smile was wobbly as he waited for his father's response. That word, fiancé, was like a hot air balloon; it made his chest swell and filled his belly with warmth. The problem was, Augustus's attitude was likely to bring all that crashing to the ground. His words could make Leo feel deflated at the best of times, and while he was happy with Will, this situation wasn't ideal. 

He did have to see it through, though. He owed Will that much. And he owed it to himself to be honest. 

Augustus did not say anything for a long time, and when he finally did, it was to his wife. "You knew about this?" That was his first concern. "And what about the people at your work, Leopold--do they know too? Because I'm telling you, if anyone gets a whiff of this, you can kiss any further promotions goodbye." 

He didn't look at Will once.

WILL

“Your son has been promoted in the last year, remember?” Will could take insults. He’d heard them before, muttered under people’s breath when they saw him and Leo together from time to time. It was a feeling, like hair up on the back of his neck that just told him he was unwanted. And he was okay with it. 

What he couldn’t take was being ignored. “Leo is a brilliant leader, and he’s so patient. With recruits. With me. He’s a real credit to the army and his family.”

He wanted to carry on singing Leo’s praises, or maybe just kiss him instead. But instead he raised his good hand to lean across and put on Leo’s knee beneath the table, turning to face him more.

“You amaze me every day.” Baby. He was careful not to say it, but Leo would know it was there.

LEO

“My son can speak for himself,” Augustus said coldly. Never mind the way he’d interrupted Leo earlier. “Do they know, Leopold?” 

“Yes, and they don’t care.” He said this a little more sharply than he’d intended to. How many times had he had to defend his relationship to people, family and strangers alike? He was tired of it. “Because I’m damn good at my job.” 

Vivienne made a little noise of protest, but he ignored her, Will’s words making him smile. He put his hand over Will’s on his knee and looked up at him, blue eyes under dark lashes. “I’m not as amazing as you.” 

He turned back to his family with renewed courage and conviction. “Will is an incredible man, and I’m so lucky to be his.” 

At the top table, Sebastian stood up, lying a hand on Cee’s arm and bending back down to say something to her, smiling, before he took the microphone that was offered to him. “If I could just have a couple of minutes of your attention before we all eat, thank you …” 

Augustus turned over his shoulder to look at his eldest son before facing forwards again, eyeballing Leo unpleasantly. “This is not the man I raised you to be. I don’t think disappointment is a strong enough word.”

WILL

“Your right, he can. So why don’t you let him?” Will couldn’t let that one go. It very much ground in his gears that Augustus was so selective. And he was so willing to argue back that Leo was the better of the two of them until his boyfriend found his words. He just needed confidence. 

He let Leo speak, his soft smile spreading as he did. He completely missed the fuss at the top table, lost in the earnest blue eyes. But Augustus once again tried to put Leo down.

“Disappointed in what?” Will’s grip tightened, the loving look lost as he seemed to switch in an instant. “Disappointed at the fact he was willing to risk his life for his country? Disappointed he managed to work through recovery and chose to put himself in harms way over and over again? I meant what I said, he’s a credit to his family. But none of that is thanks to you. If anything, it’s in spite of you.”

His mouth was running away with him, and he needed to stop. He had said he would behave after all. Will turned back to Leo, leaning in to make it clear he wasn’t interested in what Augustus had to say in return. “We don’t have to stay, you shouldn’t have to put yourself through this. We can go, if you want. I’m sorry I made such a big deal baby, it’s really not important to me-“

LEO

Leo was quiet for a moment, one half of his face red with shame and rage. When he spoke, his voice started off low, but it grew louder and more passionate as he got into his stride. "You're right." Barely audible. "No, you're both right. This isn't the man you raised. The way you brought me up--or had me brought up, might be more accurate--taught me to be strong, to stand up for myself and for what I thought was right. That last bit definitely came more from Uncle Thomas. But while I sit here and let you go on at me without talking back, I'm just giving you more ammunition. I'm gay--gay as in I like to sleep with men--just one man these days--and gay as in happy because of that one man--and the only thing that's disappointing about that is that you can't accept it." 

He didn't realise he had stood up until he was on his feet and his chair had crashed to the floor behind him. Bash paused and looked at him, aghast, but Leo didn't even notice. "I'm changing my name, I'm making a new family with Will, and you can be a part of that, if you want, but it's got to come from you now. I'm done trying to please you, when nothing I do will ever be good enough. Bash is going to be the next Prime Minister, for God's sake, and you still pick faults with him." 

Finally, a glance up at the top table. Leo and Bash looked at each other--Bash white in the face--and Leo cringed apologetically. "So, yeah--" Voice loud enough for the whole room to here. "--To summarise, vote for Sebastian, and--call me, Dad, if you can find it in yourself to change your mind. Mum," he turned to look at her and gave half a shrug. "Call me, please." 

Then he turned on his heel, a perfect military manoeuvre, and marched out of the room.

WILL

Will watched the whole thing rather than really living it. He was seeing it unfold with nothing but concern and care. He knew Leo was incredibly brave, and that he would choose his moment to find his voice. And Will wanted nothing more than to pick up the glass of champagne in front of him, down it and cheers to the room in celebration. Because it had been incredible. 

Yet the look between Bash and Leo set him back down to reality. Will stood awkwardly, hurriedly following Leo as fast as he could and not caring at the eyes on him. He bolted through the double doors, only stopping when he had hold of Leo’s cheeks in his hands. He was standing between Leo and the exit, and he wanted to pull him close then and there. And he put Leo first.

“Hey— hey look at me. What do you want to do? You said you wanted to hear Bash speak? I’ll go back in there with you, I’ll get the train home. I have a hotel room upstairs I don’t care just...” he could hear confused talking from inside, as voices raised a little. But his own eyes never left Leo for a second. “How can I help you right now? Tell me what you need.”

LEO

“You.” It was that simple: Will was everyone and everything Leo would ever want or need again. Fuck his father’s prejudice, his mother’s subservient nature, even Bash’s anger at him stealing the spotlight on tonight of all nights, Leo. If none of them spoke to him again, what did he care? He had Will. And they were all as bad as each other. 

His hands sprang up hold Will’s face, pulling him into a rough kiss. “Bash won’t miss me,” he insisted raggedly when he moved on to mouthing at Will’s neck. “A room? I might make it to the lift. This is a fancy place, might even have mirrors, what do you say? Think we can hold it up for a little while, baby?”

WILL

He returns the kiss without thinking, all passion and desire. All the things Augustus would curse them for. It didn’t matter, because his heart swelled in his chest. And then there was Leo’s lips on his neck, hands and his back, instantly irresistible. But Will pushed him back, putting space between them so that he could get a full look at the man he loved. God he wanted to give in now be pressed up against the glass.

“Leo, Leo look at me. I need you to be sure, alright? We can have a conversation if you want, I’m sure Sebastian will understand...” he wasn’t going to let Leo live to regret this. He was so justified, so in the right but family... family wasn’t so easy to settle. “I will do whatever you want but I’m here. I promise.”

LEO

Leo didn’t want to stop, didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to think, but Will’s strong hands forced him to, just for a minute. He stood, held at arm’s length, breathing heavily, but the command helped. Look at me. After what felt like a lifetime in the army, he was quick to do as he was told. 

Blue eyes raised, hands gripping Will’s wrists. “I’m sure,” he said, almost pleadingly. “I’m sure. I just want to pretend tonight went exactly as you planned, and then we can deal with anything else tomorrow. Please, Will, you asked me what I needed, I need you. I need you.”

WILL

That was all the confirmation Will needed. His hands slipped from Leo’s face to his collar, pulling him in again. Drinking him in, pressing messy kiss after messy kiss against him. Every few heavy breaths he found enough space to whisper I love you so softly only Leo would hear him. Someone pushed aside the door to the ballroom, and the stir inside pulled his attention for just a moment. 

“Upstairs. Come on.” His grin was back firmly in place, knowing in his heart this was too good to be true. The illusion would shatter at some point, be in minutes or hours from now. But if Leo wanted to live in this moment, Will wasn’t going to be the one to break the spell. He wrapped his arm around Leo’s, leading him towards the lifts. “If you rip this suit the girls from wardrobe are going to kill me.”

LEO

"I love you. I love you. I love you." Leo's voice was low and yearning as he repeated it back to him, hands splayed across Will's cheeks, nails and the edge of his ring digging into skin. 

He was still trying to kiss Will as he steered them towards the lifts. "Better wait till we get upstairs then," he muttered against his mouth. He didn't have the patience for buttons or zips right now. Would very happily have just torn it off him. 

It ended up crumpled on a chair, Will having as little time for finesse as Leo, it seemed. Leo could see it when he opened his eyes. His head was pillowed on Will’s chest, somewhere between asleep and awake. “You’ve worn me out, Moz.” But the complaint was half-hearted at best. “How was that? One for the highlights reel?”

#homophobia tw #this si very much a coming out story just so you know what you're getting in for #i don't have any will tags but tada #lou made him a thing now

[dungeons-bat]

Actress (2nd Chap)

Warnings: None.

The complete fic

---------------------------------------------

“So, when do you live the firm?” - Tom and I had been talking for some months now, I could say that we were really friends, but we had not even trade phone numbers, we just talk via Instagram. I’ve been to his house twice, one after a party because I had lost my keys, and the other one he needed to change, and I was with him. “Today I leave at seven, why?” - But he was an amazing company. “I was just wondering if you’d be interested in going to have dinner with me…” - Wait, what? Tom Hiddleston asking me if I want to have dinner with him? It’s a huge yes, colleague. “OH, yeah, sure, what time?” - I need at least half an hour to get presentable. “Are you comfortable with eight? Or maybe eight thirty?” - He knows the getting ready rules, good. “Eight sounds perfect.” - And when I confirmed the time, panic hit me. I don’t have many expensive clothes, but I have a great amount of fancy ones. I don’t wear make up, but should I wear some to dinner. I mean, is just dinner, it is not a date. “It’s settled then. I’ll pick you up. Do you have any restaurant preference?” - How can someone be so gentile. “Oh, no, I do not. But do not bother in picking me up, I can get an Uber.” - I mean, I don't want him to lose his time driving me. “Oh, if you’re not uncomfortable about me doing so, I do insist in picking you up, Isa.” - He is definitely a gentleman, is he not? “Fine, you won! I’ll send you the address later then.” - It was a bit strange to be going out with someone like him. I mean, I saw him actin the first time when I was eighteen. Since then, he became so famous. It was already strange talking to him, becoming his friend was even stranger., but having dinner with him? It was panicking. None of that is bad, but who would predict that me, a nobody, would have contact with such guy? Because I did not. “Oh, I’m so sorry Tom, but I need to go to work, see you at night.” - I was actually five minutes late, but my boss would understand. No, she would not, but I said it was the traffic. I spent the whole day thinking about what I should dress, what makeup to put on, what shoes, but then I remembered, where am I going? I decided to send Tom a message. ‘Hey Tom, how you doing? I would like to know if you already know where are we going tonight. If you do not, please give me a hint when you do.’ and he quickly answered, ‘Hi Isa, I was thinking about The Gaston, what do you think? Do you have other suggestions?’ - The Gaston? That was probably the most expensive restaurant in the city. ‘The Gaston? You sure? The place is so expensive.’ - I think the glass of water there costs my kidney. ‘If you have a better place… But I’m paying.’ - I can’t let him do that, can I. ‘Tom, come on, I’m not letting you pay the bill alone.’ - I said. ‘Well, then you have two options, you can either cancel, or let me pay. Your choice’ - I can’t believe he’s doing that. ‘Fine, it’s on you, but next time I’m not even letting you bring your wallet.’ - Is there going to be a next time? ‘That’s fine, I can transfer money, Isa’

“You look gorgeous.” - Thomas was at my door, and I was a bit ashamed because he was perfect, and the watch he was wearing could probably pay my flat. But he did not seem to be bored at all, at least I knew how to dress. I was wearing a black dress, my hair was done, but I let it the most natural way possible, and I had some jewellery, of course, can’t get out of my house without them, but these I did not use them that much, just special occasions. Tom looked breathtaking, he was wearing a grey suit, a black shirt and grey tie also. This man is going to be the death of me. “Wow, you’re magnificent Tom, you look amazing in suits.” - I hope my face did not give away the fact that I was amazed and probably in love. “Noted, wearing those more then.” - So he was interested in looking good for me, then? Interesting and also noted. “Well, shaw we?” - He asked. “Sure.”

“Do you drink wine?” - No, Thomas, I don’t drink. Usually… “Not all times, but today, yes, I do drink wine.” - So he handed me the wine list. “Oh no, you better do it. I don’t know how to choose it, Thomas.” - So he looked at me strangely. “Thomas, it sounds strange.” - I kinda forgot that they call him Tom. “Oh, sorry.” - I got a bit embarrassed. “Oh don't, I like the way it sounds. Specially when you say it.” - So I blushed. “Someone got shy, hahaha. Hey don’t worry, I just meant that your voice it's pretty, and I like the way you say my name, no big deal, miss.” - And I could feel my face just getting hotter. “OK, let's choose the wine, will you help me?” - It was pretty clear that he saw that I was dying inside. “Sure, I think red suits the occasion better, am I wrong?” - I tried to act normally. “And you said you don't know how to choose. What do you think about ‘Vega Sicilia Único’?” - That’s actually the one I was interested in. “I believe that’s the best option.” - And saying so, I just kept looking at my shoes. Tom had seen that I was oddly quiet and pretty shy. He tried to act normally as well, so he just asked the waiter for the wine and the food, which we were sharing both, by the way. “So, why’d asked me to have dinner with you? Not that I’m complaining, just wondering.” - He is Thomas Hiddleston, he could be having dinner with any pretty lady in the country. Why had he asked me? ‘Why would I not ask my newest friend to spend some time with me?” - Smart answer. That’s kinda obvious, I don’t know why I’m I so freaked out about it. “Any news about acting?” - He asked. “Not actually. It’s not like I seek job, Tom, I dropped the acting idea because it's not a safe choice. But if someone offered me something, I would accept it for sure. Although I don’t know if I would have time, I work all day, you know…” - I explained to him. “And what if someone got you a job, a year and a half or something.” - Suspicious. “Why?” - I mean what? “I mean, you could be financially stable for more than a year, you would not need to work anywhere else. It's just a speculation, not asking for any specific reason.” - Fair enough. “I would say bye to the firm and start the work at the same time, hahahaha. Thomas, acting is something that I love. Not that I cont like law, I love it so badly, but one single job would not ruin my law career. As long as we don’t have any nude scenes.” - I explained. “Fair enough Isabela. But I can tell you, once you do your first scene, you won't be able to stop.” - Hearing my name is kinda strange, but I kinda like it as well. “I would be able because anyone would ask me to work for them, mister Thomas.” - So he did that same look, when he disagrees with something. “Well, I’ve seen that I won't be able to convince you that you’re great, so I have a proposal for you.” - What proposal? “First, you’ve only seen me acting once, at your house, and we were both too happy for any judgement, and second, what is the proposal.” - I was interested. “We were happy? We were drunk. We were very drunk, you had lost your keys at a party for god’s sake. But I was incredibly capable of judging, miss.” - And he started to laugh, I could not help but laugh too. “So, what’s the proposal, Tom?” - Man, I was curious, he would not drop that in the air if it was nothing. “So, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say everything I’m about to say, but let's go. One of the companies I work for need an actress who’s going to act like a seventeen-year-old girl, I thought you’d be up for the challenge.” - He said. “And what company would that be?” - I can’t just say ‘yes’ without knowing what it is. “It may or may not be Marvel.” - I gasped, Marvel? Like Marvel Studios? “Just please don’t tell anyone, I could get in trouble, because there’s only a few female characters that should be that age, so it is a huge spoiler.” - What characters? “I have no idea of who soul be seventeen, but Thomas, Marvel is huge, they would never accept someone like me, who is not even an actress…” - I mean, why would they even. “Isa, think about it, you’d be

doing a great role, Marvel would not have to pay you a huge salary, since you’re not known, which is good for them.” - He has a point. “Tom, how could I even get an audition? It’s Marvel!” - It makes no sense. “Well, if you were interested in coming to the studio with me three weeks from now, you could do the audition, and we could see if you’re the newest Marvel actress. I’ll send you the lines you need to memorize and that’s it.” - Oh my, that easy? “Lord, yes, I would love to. Really, Thomas, I don’t know how to thank you.” - This is amazing. “You don't have to. We don’t even know if they will give you the job. Calm down hahaha. The food arrived, let's eat, shaw we?” - He asked. “Yeah, sure.” - I was so excited. “But hey, think about it, if you get the role, your life will change completely. Paparazzi everywhere, people saying good and bad things about you, every single post you wanna share in any social media has to be thought one million times, revised and re-revised, because peoplepeople may end up misinterpreting you.. The acting world it’s amazing, especially when you’re making films like these. But it has its flaws.”

‘Hi Tom, I’m sorry to be sending you this right now, I know it’s late, but I’m a bit nervous. What should I wear for the audition?’ - I tried to hold myself until the next morning, but I had to let everything ready for the next day, so about one hour Thomas dropped me at home, I sent him that message. ‘Hi, don’t worry, I just got out of my bath, so not sleeping. Feel free to message me any time, by the way. I think you should wear something that will complicate your performance, so no jeans. I also recommend you not to go with shorts. As for the top, any shirt will do, just think about your performance, if it can make it hard for you to move, don't wear it. If you need anything else, just ask.’ - He did not even take a minute to answer. ‘Thanks you Thomas, have a great night’ - I started blushing when I started to think about him, and the idea of him getting out of the shower was both embarrassing and hot. Isabela, put yourself together, respect the man. ‘Have a nice night, Isa. See you.’

#tom hiddleston #hiddlestoners #hiddlestan #thomas william hiddleston #fanfic #fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston imagine #tom hiddleston series #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston x ofc #hiddlesfic

[johannstutt413]

(requested by anonymous)

Bison watched the clock tick down, a little impatience slipping under his skin. “Is it just Exusiai we’re waiting on?” He asked Texas, their driver for the evening.

“Just Exusiai,” she confirmed. “She takes longer to get ready than we do.”

“Okay...Why is that?”

The Lupo shrugged. “Never asked.”

“Really?” He looked to Croissant and Sora. “What about you? Do you know what she’s doing?”

“Darlin’, ya never ask a lady why she takes so long to get ready.” She tapped him on the shoulder, which sent him sliding a little on the floor.

Sora nodded. “We’ve all got a beauty regimen to get through; maybe hers takes longer because of her wings or something.”

“I guess.” Bison’s eyes wandered to the garage door. Maybe the others were used to this, but being the new kid meant bringing a new perspective to what they might’ve taken for granted...and his curiosity was getting the better of him with every passing moment.

“Alright, let’s roll!” The Sankta “sniper” dashed through the door leading back into the main building and hopped through the open sunroof into her usual spot. “Sora, you mind putting on some tunes?”

As the idol did just that, Bison waited for her to settle in before addressing his concern. “Hey, Exusiai, can I ask you something?”

“Ya really gonna do it now...” Croissant shook her head, sitting on the other side of his target.

“Sure, Bison.” Exu gave the more tenured defender a curious look before turning to face Bison. “What’s up?”

He could feel the atmosphere shift, but there was no turning this ship around. “I’ve noticed that you take longer than the rest of us to get ready for missions. Is there a specific reason for that?”

“Oh! Yeah, I do my last rites before every mission, just in case.”

“Your last rites?” Sora asked her, her own curiosity piqued. “Like for a funeral?”

Exusia smiled. “Kind of, I guess. Just a last thank-you to the man upstairs, asking to keep you all safe even if today’s my last day, that sort of stuff.”

“I didn’t know you were religious,” Bison muttered, almost to himself.

“I’m from Laterano, ain’t I?” She shook her head. “Least, that’s what you might hear someone else tell you.”

Croissant added, “Yer so happy, we kinda forget ‘bout where yer from.”

“I don’t talk with many people from Laterano, so I don’t know a lot about your culture beyond what I’ve read.”

“You wanna know more about God?” Exusiai laughed. “I hope you’re ready for me to talk your ear off, Bison.”

He smiled. “I mean it, Exu. You pray before every mission, and it seems like these prayers take awhile, so it must be really important to you, which means it ought to be important to all of us. Right, girls?”

“Maybe after the mission,” Texas replied from the driver’s seat.

“I’m gonna hafta agree with ‘er, darlin’,” Croissant agreed. “Gotta get mah head on straight for the fight.”

Bison sighed. “Alright, alright...don’t let me forget, Exu, okay?”

“Alright, I won’t.” While her face was beaming her usual smile, there was something about the way she said it that told him she was absolutely serious about it, and that put him at ease.

-

After they were back at base, Bison was giving their office one last look-over when Exusiai knocked on the door. “Hey, are you busy right now?”

“Not really; just making sure everything’s straightened out.” He pulled a chair away from their meeting table and sat down. “Are you here to talk about what I asked earlier.?”

“If Croissant isn’t waiting for you.”

He smirked. “I told her I might be late coming home tonight. So, these last rites you were talking about, they sound rather formal. Are you reciting something when you do them?”

“Most folks do, but...well, I can’t say I’m most folks.” She took a seat on the opposite side of the table. “Like a lot of things in Laterano, there’s a lot of formula to the religious side - say these words, attend these services, pay your tithes at these times, that sort of thing. And for some of it, I agree with, like the tithes, but other stuff...Alright, let’s start from the beginning. Do you know why we’re here on Terra, Bison?”

“You mean the purpose of life? I’ve always hoped there’s one, but I never really found a good answer.”

Exusiai nodded. “What I believe is that we’re here because God wants us here. There’s a plan, and we’ve all got a part in that plan. My part is working with Penguin Logistics as a courier and a messenger.”

“Neat.” He watched her expression fall slightly. “Sorry, that sounded dismissive. So God put you here, and you want to do your best because that’s their plan for you?”

“Pretty much. I don’t put a lot of stock in the formulas, the way some folks think that if they say a prayer just right, they’ll get everything they ever wanted out of life super easy. They made us, so They know how we talk, right? No reason to dress it up all fancy.”

Bison could appreciate that. “When I asked the others, it seemed they’d never asked you about any of this. Does it disappoint you that they aren’t more curious about you and God?”

“I...” She didn’t reply for a while. “I guess I just assumed they knew? Did they really have no idea?”

“They had no idea you prayed so earnestly - or even at all - before every mission. What does a prayer sound like when you do it, if I can ask that?”

Her energy bounced right back up. “You really want to know?”

“I want to understand you better,” he nodded, “and I know that means learning more about God, so of course I want to know.”

“Bison...you really are a smooth talker, aren’t you?”

He blushed. “Is it so strange for a person to care about their coworkers? You do, after all.”

“Heh.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Alright, well, I don’t really need to do a rite, but I do wanna thank Them for making you so curious, so...close your eyes for me.”

“Alright.” He did.

Exusiai took a deep breath. “Lord, thank you for giving Bison the courage to ask me about you and the compassion to follow through on it. It...I’d never realized how much I missed that part of being back home, so having someone to talk to about you is really nice. Um...I don’t want to say that part out loud, but I know you heard it. Thanks. Amen.”

“...What didn’t you want to say out loud?” Bison eyed her curiously. “Or can you not say?”

“...I’ve been trying to untangle myself from Mostima’s effect on me for a while, and I was going to say that if I’d met you earlier, before you and Croissant got together, I would have asked you out on a date.”

He processed that. “I get why you wouldn’t want to tell me that. You’ve already been honest with me enough for one night, I think, but next time you want to talk about God, or you, or anything, just let me know. I can make time for my coworkers whenever they need it.”

“Sounds good.” She sighed. “Sorry for making it awkward.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. And, um, I would’ve said yes. Definitely.”

Exusiai sank a little further. “Good to know.”

“And if she and I don’t work out the way we intended to,” he continued, “well-”

“Good night, Bison.”

He realized he’d gone too far. “Sorry. Good night.”

“...Lord, is he one we’ve gotta save, too?” She glanced to the sky, through the building and the clouds to Heaven itself. “Or is he supposed to save me?...Your timing sometimes, I swear.”

#arknights #exusiai (arknights) #bison (arknights) #because when in doubt #use bison for plot and things #arknights fic

[zi-i-think]

3 | Yu Dao

Pairing: Zuko x Ama (OC)

Word Count: 3300+

.☽☼☾.

          Ama waited in the gardens for what seemed like hours. When I'm reality, it's only been sometime over thirty minutes. She tried to pass the time by reading, but after a while she gave up. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked around the garden. There was the pond, the pavilion, the trees. But no Zuko.

         He was usually there in the morning to talk and be with each other until he had to get to his Fire Lord duties. He was never late. In fact, the only times that he wasn't in the gardens in the morning was when Ama wasn't there either.

         With a huff, Ama closed her book and walked back inside where the closest guard would be. "Good morning, Officer Chasu. How is are you?" She greeted the officer with a chirpy tone and a warm smile.

         "I am doing well, Lady Ama. Thank you for asking." The tall soldier responded. He didn't break his stance for a moment, but he gave the waterbender a smile. She was always friendly and kind to the people working at the palace, and everyone appreciated it.

         "Have you by any chance seen the Fire Lord?" It felt weird to address Zuko that way, but Ama knew that when address people in power and other people formally she had to use proper etiquette.

         "I- you haven't heard?" He asked in confusion.

         Ama's head tilted and her eyebrows furrowed. "Heard what?"

         "Fire Lord Zuko left his morning to Yu Dao." He told her.

         "He left?!" She couldn't help the frustrated tone that left her mouth. "Without telling me? Goodness, I swear..." She held her tough. The waterbender couldn't really speak freely in the middle of the palace after all. Turning back to the guard, Ama gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Officer Chasu. Have a great rest of your day."

         "Likewise, Lady Ama." He replied.

         Ama walked away, into the long, silent hallway. How can he leave like that? No warning. No note. Nothing. A long breath escaped through her mouth and she fiddled with her nails. It was like a needle in the heart.

         She knew he was stressed. He refused to talk about work with her no matter how much she insisted to help. But that didn't mean he could leave without a word. An idea popped into Ama's head. A way to help out.

         Her pace quickened, hurrying back to her room to write a letter.

.☽☼☾.

         A whole week passed when Zuko returned back to the Royal Palace. His feet hit the floor with heavy steps. He was tired and overwhelmed.

         Ama found him in the throne room. "So the Fire Lord has returned." She spoke up by the door.

         Zuko turned around, seeing the Water Tribe girl approach him with a frown. "Ama." He started, walking towards her as well. "The mob outside Yu Dao is gone. For now, at least, the Fire Nation citizens are safe."

         The girl furrowed her eyebrows, she didn't even know what he was talking about. And as much as she wanted to ask about what was happening in Yu Dao, there was a different thought on her mind.

         "You left without saying anything to me!" She growled. "I had to figure out where you were by one of the guards!" Zuko looked at the ground and stayed silent. "Zuko, I've told you. If you're having problems you're suppose to talk to me. I'm you girlfriend for crying out loud."

         "You're right." He sighed and Ama stepped closer to him. "It won't happen again."

         Ama put her hand on his cheek her eyes observing his face. More specifically, the dark bags under his eyes. "You're still having trouble sleeping." She noted out loud.

         "Yeah." He admitted.

         Ama took his hand leading him out the throne room. "You're bodyguards are fine, but I mean, you're Fire Lord now. You need the best of the best." She moved the red curtain to the side, revealing five Kyoshi warriors. Two of which were her good friends Suki and Ty Lee. "So I asked some friend to come help."

.☽☼☾.

         Ama enjoyed reading. She didn't get to do it often during the war, but after, she found herself engrossed in a good fantasy or mystery. But reading the laws and the history of the Fire Nation left her bored. She found herself zoning out and then having to re-read certain passages.

         The sound of footsteps caught her attention. Looking over, Ama saw Suki walking through the library. "Oh, thank goodness." Ama grinned. "I need a distraction." Closing the scroll, Ama leaned her head in the palm of her hand.

         "Ama there's something you should know." Suki's serious and hesitant tone make Ama sit upright and her grin disappeared. "Zuko has been visiting Ozai."

         "What? Why?" Ama wondered. That didn't make sense. At least, she didn't want it to make sense. She wondered if what she feared was actually happening. If Zuko was starting to turn into his father.

         "I don't know. He didn't tell anyone about it." Suki answered. "I was hoping that you could talk to him about it. Just to make sure that-"

         "I know." Ama interrupted Suki. She quiet for a minute before she stood up from her seat. "I'm going to talk to him." The Kyoshi Warrior watched as Ama walked out of the library.

         The waterbender found Zuko in the throne room, yet again. This time he stood on the stage for the throne. The fire in front of the throne was lit with a thick flame. She learn him mutter "this isn't me." before he got rid of the fire.

         Walking forward, Ama revealed herself on the lower floor. "I know you've been meeting with Ozai secretly." She said up front.

         "Ama! Who did you hear that from?" He looked surprised to see her.

         "Not from you, that's who." She snapped with a light scoff.

         Zuko sighed, shutting his eyes tightly. "I know I've been distant, Ama. I'm sorry. I- I love you."

         The way he begged, the way he stumbled in his words, he sounded distressed. "Zuko. I just need you to talk to me." Ama told him. Her voice was soft, caring, soothing. Zuko felt safe when hearing her speak.

         "I'm been getting advice from him father." He started. Surprisingly, Ama didn't react badly. She looked at the ground in thought, but allowed for him to continue. "I just, I need to protect my people. The people of Yu Dao, they have lives, families. I can't break that up. I went to him for guidance."

         "He want's me to be fierce. Show no mercy. But, I know I need to wait." He said firmly. "Listen to Earth King Kuei first. But I worry that thing might go into a different direction."

         "You know I'm just worried about you." Ama told him. "I just want to know what's going on. You never let me in." Zuko was quiet. He opened his mouth to say something, but a new voice came into the room.

         "Fire Lord Zuko." A general spoke respectfully and bowed on one knee.

         "General Mak!" Zuko was expecting for the general to visit and anxious to hear what he had to say.

         "A message has arrived from the spies you sent to the Earth Kingdom." He reported.

         "You sent spies?" Ama sounded surprised, but at this point, she didn't know if she should be.

         "Your suspicions are confirmed." The general continued. "The Earth King's army now marches towards Yu Dao."

         "Father, you were right." Zuko mumbled to himself. Ama gasped. Another war? Over a city? King Kuei wasn't willing to talk. He believed that Zuko was completely turning back on his promise That he wasn't honoring the end of the war.

         Zuko immediately started barking orders, setting up a meeting for that day. The intent was to prepare to meet the Earth Kingdom's troops. To protect his people.

         "Zuko..." Ama started as the general started to walk away.

         "I understand that you may not want violence, Ama, but I have to do this. For my people." Zuko interrupted her.

         Ama shook her head. "You're not going alone." She spoke firmly. Zuko was surprised at her position. After all, the Harmony Restoration Movement was an idea that she agreed with strongly before. But now, it seemed she had a change of heart.

         And she did change her mind. Hearing about the families that would be broken up. The entire cities society could collapse. She could stand by and let that happen. She'd stand by Zuko. She didn't always understand his methods, like the part where he kept secrets. But she trusted him enough.

.☽☼☾.

         Ama rode on a Komodo rhino beside, but a few feet behind, Zuko. He wore his traditional Fire Lord robes and armor, helmet and all, to meet the battle. Ama wore black clothing with blue accents on the hems. She didn't want to represent the Fire Nation Army, despite that being exactly what was happening.

         "We don't look like ourselves." Ama muttered to herself. It felt so wrong to be going into battle again, especially with a Nation that wasn't hers. But she believed in what Zuko was saying. If the people in Yu Dao can't keep their families, can't keep their homes, their lives. What did that mean for her and Zuko?

         Besides, it was King Kuei who sent the troop. He refused to hear the Fire Lord out. To understand why he was turning his back on the Harmony Restoration Movement.

         So caught up in her conflicted mind, Ama didn't realize that they were at Yu Dao's gate until her rhino stopped. Taking in the scene, she was overwhelmed. The Earth King's army stood proudly on their ostrich-horses or in their tanks and King Kuei in an air balloon. In the middle was General How, along with Aang, Katara, some teenage girls in orange and protestors of Yu Dao from both sides of the argument. Then there was the Fire Nation army on the other side.

         One of the Fire Nation tanks rolled up further than the others and stopped in the middle, by Aang and Katara. And the people who came out weren't Fire Nation soldiers, they were Toph and Sokka.

         "Fire Lord?! What's going on?!" A general asked at the commotion.

         "I'm not sure...!" Zuko answered, having to shout so that the general would hear him.

         Katara and Ama caught each others eyes. The sisters shared a terrified and sympathetic look for each other. Ama saw that Katara wasn't angry at her, or betrayed. She looked understanding.

         Something Toph must have said, made Katara turn away and argue with the little earthbender. Until Toph jumped down from her tank and the ground cracked towards the Fire Nation tanks. The bolts flew out form the wheels, making the tanks fall apart.

         "Quickly, Earth Kingdom Troops, while the Fire Nation of in disarray! By Royal Decree, enter Yu Dao and arrest the colonials!" General How of the Earth Kingdom ordered.

         "Fire Lord, our tanks-!" General Mak started, but there was no time.

         "Soldiers of the Fire nation, defend our people in the city of Yu Dao! Your Fire Lord commands you!" Zuko commanded loudly. Ama took a deep breath in and out, keeping her place by Zuko.

         "No!" Aang shouted, flying above the Fire Nation soldiers and landed in front of Zuko. But he flew up again, this time in the Avatar state. His eyes glowed it's blue-white and the air around him spun. "The Harmony Restoration Movement was such a simple plan! Why couldn't you just follow it through?"

         Ama couldn't express how much gratitude she felt for Katara when she slid on ice over Ama's head and grabbing Aang out of the air. "Snap out of it Aang!" Ama let out a sight of relief that Aang didn't go through with his drastic promise.

         But she couldn't just stand by anymore. Throwing her leg over the rhino, Ama spilled off the animal and onto the ground. But she bent water into ice to catch her and moved it forward with her on top. It created a slide-like structure with her at the front.

         She landed on top of the city's wall where Katara and Aang were just talking. But the Avatar took his glider, leaving the situation to contemplate the issue. Katara turned, seeing her sister step off her ice-slide. "Ama." She sighed and embraced her sister. "This is all-"

         "A mess." Ama finished. "I know."

         "Let me see if I got this." Sokka's voice appeared. He, Suki and Toph took a rock elevator, so to speak, in order to meet the sisters on top of the wall. "The protestors and the Earth Kingdom army want the colonials to go, the Fire Nation Army wants the colonials to stay, and the Yu Dao Resistance just want their city to be left alone?"

         "Yes!" Katara basically shouted in frustration.

         "So where's Aang flying off to then?" He asked.

         "He needs a place to be calm, to figure things out." Katara answered.

         "What is there to figure out?!" Toph interjected, her tone was annoyed and angry. "If he wants harmony-" Ama rolled her eyes. Of course Toph would side with the Earth Kingdom army. She was an all or nothing kind of girl, and to her the Harmony Restoration Movement was only option.

         "Look, I trust him!" Katara snapped to defend her boyfriend. "And after all we've been through, you ought to, too! So for now, we need to keep all those people down there from killing each other. Kind of like what Aang's fan club is trying to do."

         "Aang has a fan club?" Ama asked in confusion, looking down at the battle and seeing girls in yellow Air Nomad clothing and red bandanas covering their foreheads and were half-bald.

         "Yes, Ama. That's old news. Living in the Fire Nation has really got you out of the loop." Sokka shook his head in fake disappointment.

         "Tell me about it." The oldest sibling grumbled.

         "We need to split up!" Katara got them back on track. "Toph and Suki, you disarm as many Fire Nation troops as you can. Ama and I'll work on the Earth Kingdom soldiers."

         "And I'll take care of the protestors!" Sokka early claimed the task for himself. "But how am I supposed to get down there?"

         Toph bent the earth, creating a steep slide down the wall. "Here you go, Sokka." She crossed her arms smugly.

         "Aw, not another one!" Sokka groaned and Ama could assume that Sokka has had unpleasant experiences with Toph's earth slides.

         Ama and Katara gave each other a determined nod and both created slides of ice to get to the ground. They both stuck to using water whips in order to knock out and push back the Earth Kingdom soldiers.

         Ama practiced regularly in order to maintain her chi. Her body flowed like water and her fighting looked so natural. Her water followed the flow of her hand, smacking the soldiers to the floor with it.

         Katara looked up, seeing King Kuei's hot air balloon flying above their heads. "I'm going to try talking to the Earth King." Katara told her sister urgently. Without waiting for a response, the youngest sibling took off on a slide of ice.

         With a grumble about how Katara was leaving her to deal with all the soldiers, Ama kept up her pace, focusing on keeping the Earth Kingdom soldiers back. Until minutes later, she, along with everyone else, was interrupted by a boom and a bright, blue light in the mountains.

         Everyone in the battle looked at the light in awe. Aang in his Avatar state, with all the elements surrounding him in the form of a sphere. He flew between General How and Fire Lord Zuko, staring down at Zuko emotionlessly.

         "Aang, I know how this looks!" Zuko pleaded with him, believed that Aang had the intent to fulfill his promise. "But I swear to you, in my heart...!" He stopped, sighing as he removed his helmet. "None of that matters, does it? I'm doing exactly what my father would have none."

         The earth underneath Aang, between the two armies cracked and broke, creating a deep cavern. Zuko was too close to it, the earth under him fell, and so did he. "Zuko!" Ama shouted, running to the cavern.

         Aang flew down, grabbing the Fire Lord by the wrist and flying him back up. As Aang sat him onto the ground gently, the Avatar state left him. Ama slid on the ground beside the shocked and confused Zuko. Her arms wrapped around him and she tightly hugged him.

         "You gave me a heart attack. What the fuck, Zuko." She worried and pulled away. Zuko was too much in a state of shock to respond. He sat there, staring at absolutely nothing.

         Ama looked over to her friends. King Kuei stood alone as Aang and Katara stood together in front of him. Along with Yee-Li, the daughter of the firebending mayor and an earthbender, her boyfriend, Sneers, and the rest of the Yu Dao resisters.

         "Earth King Kuei, look at who you're fighting!" Aang demand for the king to look at the people around him. "Fire Nation, yes. But also Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, and now, Air Nomad. This is who stands against your army."

         "And against the Fire Nation army, too!" Sneers added.

         "It took me a while but I finally understand, but I finally understand." Aang continued. "You're fighting a whole new kind of world."

         King Kuei's eyebrows arched up, realizing that he may have been wrong. That he overreacted. The chants and shouts of the protestors interrupted his thoughts. "Don't listen to that ash-maker propaganda, Earth King Kuei! Harmony now!"

         The Earth King held up his hand to silence them. "Quiet! Quiet! I need to see that I.. what I..." He turned to the resistance, seeing them stand strong together. From both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. "I just need to see."

         While he looked around, Zuko was standing up slowly with Ama's assistance. "Zuko...?" Aang looked over at the Fire Lord.

         Zuko was taking deep breaths in and out, trying to steady himself. "So I was right, then?" He was almost shocked that he made the correct decision. "All along... my decision... was right?"

         His body was too overwhelmed and he passed out. Ama had her arm on his shoulder before, but as he fell, she moved her body in front of him so that he'd lean on her instead on being collapsed on the dirt floor.

         "Zuko!" Aang exclaimed and ran over to the Fire Lord.

         Ama looked from Aang to Zuko, her soft hand running through his hair. "He's okay, Aang." She assured him. "Our favorite Fire Lord has just exhausted himself."

         "Let's take him to Iroh's." He suggested, which was likely the best option. "He can get some rest there." Ama nodded in agreement. They got Zuko onto Appa, took him to Ba Sing Se, and where Iroh eagerly allowed for Zuko to rest.

         Standing outside and looking over the vast city, Ama felt the wind on her face. Only a year after the war ended, another one almost started. The world was changing. The nations couldn't just go back to being separate again. Yu Dao showed that.

         Now, it was only a matter of time until something else came along. Until something else was hurled at them and their lives took another turn.

.☽☼☾.

This might be the shortest chapter in the entire book, so that’s fun. lmao.

Hang loose, amigos 🤙

#fire lord zuko #zuko #zuko fanfic #zuko x oc #atla fanfic #aang #her sun his moon #atla

[lilibetts]

for Tricks and Treats of Riverdale Theme # whichever freaking one involves spooky shit like possession or whatever.

“So, what are you going to be for Halloween, Jughead?”

It was the question Jughead dreaded the most, especially coming from Betty. 

He had just gotten an afterschool job at the Twilight Drive-In and he’d been working as many hours as he possibly could on top of school and babysitting Jellybean to afford costumes for both of them. But then it turned out they were behind on the phone bill, so he spent most of his money to make sure it was paid up through the next month.

“Uh, it’s a surprise. What about you, Betty? Are you going as Nancy Drew again this year?”

She bit her lip and looked down at her shoes. “No, I decided to change things up now that we’re in high school. So I’m going as a medieval princess, kind of like Game of Thrones but not character-specific.”

Jughead was sure her choice had absolutely nothing to do with how last month Archie had announced he was going as a medieval knight. Then their indecisive friend had changed his mind and picked Spider-Man after Veronica Lodge wouldn’t stop waxing poetic about how yummy Tom Holland was.

“Cool. I guess I’ll see you later tonight?”

“You’d better!” Betty chirped, pontytail swishing violently as she skipped away. She didn’t mean that as anything more than her usual staunch commitment to kindness and friendship. And Betty was friendly with virtually everyone. Jughead sighed miserably as he watched her turn off towards her home.

Ah, the pangs of unrequited love.

He had been living with his crush on Betty Cooper for the better part of four months, which was an eternity in the timespan of a fourteen-slash-fifteen year old boy. And he’d keep living with his crush until it granted him mercy and faded. Or he died of old age. 

Whichever came first.

******************************

Betty stood before her bed, staring down at the costume she’d bought when she thought she would complement Archie’s own, and felt monumentally stupid. What if Archie hadn’t changed his mind and she showed up in this medieval princess gown? She’d look obvious. Everyone would be snickering behind her back about Betty Cooper and her pathetic crush on Archie Andrews.

There was no way she could do this.

Pulling down the ladder, Betty headed up into the attic and started going through the boxes, looking for something radically different that she could pull together at the last minute. It was in an old trunk of her mom’s that she found it: a black leather jacket. It was the last thing she expected her mom to have ever owned but her curiosity was dashed by the figurative lightbulb going off above her head. 

“Yes!” 

Back there, on the clothes rack, there’d been...yes, Polly’s Homecoming dress from last year! It was long, just a shade off-white, and perfect.

Crushes made teenage girls do stupid things, that was true, but that only made moments of determined defiance like this all the more sweeter.

**********************************

“That...is not a medieval princess.”

Jughead took in her outfit with raised eyebrows.

“Well spotted, Jughead.” She smiled even as she rolled her eyes at him. “For your information I am Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s actually perfect because her name is Buffy Anne and Buffy is a variation of Elizabeth and—”

“—and your middle name is Ann.”

“I didn’t think you remembered my middle name, Juggie.”

“Well I do. Not much escapes this steel trap here.” He rapped his knuckles against his forehead. “Interesting prop you have there, Buffy Cooper.”

She held the wooden stake aloft. “I didn’t have a crossbow lying around, but I did find enough in the garage to fashion myself a stake.” Then she looked him up and down. “You do look rather dashing, Sir Juggie.”

She didn’t mention that his costume had been Archie’s first, one of the many acts of charity from the Andrews family. He was mostly grateful that Betty had changed hers, so that he didn’t seem obviously, pathetically in love with her by matching. 

They were two years too young for couples costumes.

And y’know...not actually together.

************************************

Betty wasn’t entirely aware of it happening. One moment, she was laughing and crossing the street with Jughead, Archie, and Veronica, surrounded by dozens of other trick-or-treaters, the next she was holding her stake at the ready and keeping a careful eye on the four year-old vampire hissing as he ran at a shrieking fairy. 

She managed to fly away and the baby vamp’s mother grabbed ahold of him. “I VANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD! I VANT! I VANT!” He screeched as he kicked and struggled in vain to free himself.

A woman stood in the middle of the street, hysterically crying as she cradled a giant halved avocado. 

Demons, small skeletons, and ghouls of all sorts were running after confused and terrified adults, only for their attacks to be thwarted by a legion of mini superheros. A tiny Captain America with a star-spangled tutu flung her shield at a troll and knocked it out cold.

A bear wearing a blue-and-gold letterman jacket charged down the street and the strange boy crouched next to her...who was apparently Spider-Man...leaped away, slinging webs at the houses as he went. The bear continued to chase him and so Buffy shrugged and turned her attention to the zombies lumbering at a group of scared parents.

No sooner had she slammed one down into the concrete than a dashing knight with a black and gold cape and a sword came to her rescue and dispatched the second zombie. The third found himself floating in the air helplessly while a raven-haired girl with glasses, some kind of private-school uniform, and a purple/black tie pointed a wand at it.

Buffy spun her stake with her fingers and addressed the dark-haired knight wearing, of all things, a gray crown beanie. “Thanks. I’m not usually the damsel type, even if I’m frequently distressed. But if knights in shining armor look like you, then feel free to rescue me anytime.”

“You wouldn’t need to ask, my lady.” The knight bowed low. “If I may ask, what are you called?”

“Me? I’m Buffy Summers.”

“I wouldn’t dare be so familiar. I shall call you Lady Elizabeth.”

Buffy shrugged. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me a lady, but sure, let’s go with that. And what do they call you, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Delicious?”

“Prince Forsythe Pendleton Jones, the third.”

She whistled. “Sounds like a mouthful.”

He sheathed his sword and gave her a wink and a charming smile. Butterflies erupted in Buffy’s stomach, and for once, it wasn’t monster-related cramps.

********************

Prince Forsythe could hardly tear his eyes away from the strange woman who looked like a princess and yet fought the droves of warped creatures at his side like a warrior. She was clever and very forward. 

“You know,” she said after sending a werewolf flying into some nearby bushes. “It’s kind of a thing around these parts for two warriors to share a kiss after emerging victorious in battle.”

Very forward.

After growing up around the palace and the constraints upon behavior between men and women, Forsythe found Buf- Lady Elizabeth refreshing. “That could be arranged, my lady.”

He tapped the pommel of his sword against the mangled gray skull of...hell, he didn’t have the faintest clue what that being was. But small as it was, it kept growling and trying to eat someone’s pet dog.

The witch with the indecent dress length stuck her finger in the air. “Merlin’s Beard, I’ve got it! I know who the Dark Lord is that’s casted a spell on all of us! You two, hold them off while I duel with Mr. Honey. You! Ginger girl with the candelabra? Keep on running across the lawns, lead the rest of them away!” 

Forsythe twisted around and spotted the lady with flowing red locks and an elaborate nightrail, rushing across the green holding a three-pronged candlestick aloft. 

Lady Elizabeth turned back to him. “FYI, I better be the only one you’re My Lady-ing, because I’m definitely a one-prince woman.” She executed a peculiar spinning kick that was all lethal grace and a sinister red-horned devil became entangled in an enormous spider’s web.

“Of course!” He shot back, insulted that she would think so low of him. “I’m no scoundrel!”

When Lady Elizabeth smiled at him then, it was as if the dark clouds that always followed him had parted, and there shone the sun.

They dispatched the last of the hostile creatures, with the assistance of other tiny, brightly colored warriors, and one very small princess with no qualms about using her scepter as a hammer.

The battle finished, Forsythe drove his sword into the ground and curled his arms around his Lady Buffy, dipping her backwards in a hard and exuberant kiss.

*****************************

Buffy curled her arms around her prince in gray beanie and kissed him back just as enthusiastically. Had she ever had a kiss like this before? Maybe it’d just been so long because of the pressures of being a Slayer. It was hard to have a normal dating life when you had to vanquish the forces of evil every other week, and then pass pop quizzes. 

His lips were so soft against hers, and she felt the tingling all the way down to her toes. Betty gasped against Jughead’s lips, her head feeling strangely fuzzy all of the sudden.

She froze.

Jughead’s lips?

Her eyes flew open, only to see equally startled blue ones staring back at her.

They sprang apart, gaping at each other as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Betty wasn’t sure how to feel about this development—maybe she was still half in love with Archie, but right now she didn’t exactly feel horrified that she’d kissed Jughead Jones and liked it. A lot.

Jughead didn’t look grossed out either.

They were still staring at each other when Veronica came storming out of a yellow craftsman house down the street, fuming. “Honestly, if you’re going to go around calling yourself ‘Mr. Honey’ that’s pretty much a giant advertisement that the one thing that’ll defeat you is summoning a spray of vinegar!”

Archie limped over to them, mask in hand and his costume torn in several spots. An embarrassed Moose Mason, shirtless save for his ripped jeans and letterman jacket, was a few paces behind.

**********************************

Jughead was doing his best to not be too hopeful about the shy smiles Betty was shooting his way even as they were joined by their friends. Even Cheryl, who glared at them as she stomped past.

“Oh, Bettykins,” Veronica murmured, hugging her best friend. “I’ll never make fun of you and your love of sleuthing ever again.”

“Vindication!” Betty playfully hissed out.

Archie groaned. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’ve had enough of tricks. Let’s go back to mine and treat ourselves to more greasy pizza and fizzy pop.”

Everyone else readily agreed and they started the trek back to the Andrewses. Jughead fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called his mom to check in on her and Jellybean. Both were fine, but his mom was exhausted from chasing ‘Jelly-cat’ all over the Southside.

One block away from Elm street, Betty dropped behind the other three and linked arms with him. Something fluttered in his chest when she grinned over at him.

“So, Prince Forsythe, any regrets about your choice of costume?”

“You know, all things considered, I have to say none at all, Lady Buffy. And you?”

“I don’t know, I have a feeling I’d still have kicked ass as Princess Elizabeth of House Cooper,” she mused.

“No question about it. Shall we, my badass lady? I’ll share a cheese pizza with you.”

“Have more romantic words ever been spoken?” Betty giggled, her arm tightening in his. “Lead on, my brave prince.” 

All in all, it wasn’t that bad of a Halloween. Everyone was mad at the Daeneryses who had ordered their tiny dragons to burn a bunch of the candy (and some houses). The mayor blamed the incident on hallucinogenic drugs being leaked into the water system. Veronica did not handle the lack of recognition for her efforts well. Archie and Moose winced whenever the word ‘bear’ were so much as mentioned. 

And Betty? Starting the following Monday at school, she started waiting at the corner of Dillon and Main for him, so they could walk the rest of the way together. 

Maybe hope wasn’t just for fools after all, even ones named Jughead Jones.

#bughead fanfiction #bughead #riverdaleevents #avarosier writes

[dragon-kazansky]

A rose in London - Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 8 - A truth comes to light

The ride was silent, excluding the sounds of the streets. Sherlock didn't let go of your hand once, and for that you were grateful. Not being able to see was scary. You could feel his thumb rubbing circles against your skin.

While Sherlock's fingers worked on keeping you calm, his senses focused on listening and smelling the outside world. He could work out what street they were by bumps in the road and the scent of the bakery, the only that uses a certain glaze on its rolls.

Sherlock hoped to impress you with all this information later.

The carriage eventually came to a stop. Sherlock made sure to give your hand a squeeze before he was pried from your side. Two rough hands grabbed at your arms as you were pulled out of the carriage quite unceremoniously.

"Sherlock?"

"I'm here." His voice came from just ahead.

You were both guided into a building. All you could hear were footsteps on the hard floor. You were guided up a long staircase and then into a room. The warmth of the room hit you quite suddenly, making you assume it was an office of some sort.

"Sherlock?" You called again.

"I'm here. You're fine, I'm here." His voice was soothing. Fear still struck your heart, but you were glad to know the detective was still with you. Who ever this was wasn't separating you.

You were both guided into chairs and, rather suddenly, the bags on your heads were pulled off. You had to blink to adjust to the sudden light, but as soon as you gathered yourself you turned to your left and found Sherlock doing the same.

His gaze met yours and you smiled at one another, he reached for your hand.

The man sitting across from you was an old gentleman. His expression was hard to read, but he didn't seem angry or upset.

"Mr. Holmes, apologies for summoning you like this. I'm sure it's quite a mystery to where you are and who I am."

"As to where I am, I was admittedly lost for a moment between Charring cross and Hoburne , but I was saved by the bread shop on Saffron Hill. The only baker to use a certain french glaze on their loaves, a Brittany sage. After that the carriage forked left, then right, and a telltale bump onto a fleet conduit. As for who you are that took every ounce of my not inconsiderable experience. The letters on your desk are addressed to Sir Thomas Rotheram. Lord Chief Justice, that would be your official title. Who you really are, is of course another matter entirely." Sherlock leaned forwards in his seat.

You looked at him incredibly impressed. You wondered at what point he had looked at the letters on the desk, never mind knew London so well he could tell where you both were. You had smelt the bakery as you passed it, but you would never have picked up such a specific detail of the glaze.

This man was impressive.

"Judging by the sacred Ox on your ring, You're a secret head at the temple of the four orders, of who's headquarters we now sit. Of the North West corner, Saint James square I think. As for the mystery, is the mystery of why you bothered to blindfold me at all."

"Yes, well, standard procedure, I suppose."

Sherlock leaned back in his chair and looked at you. You smiled at him with a shake of your head.

"Incredible." You muttered.

"Thank you." He smiled back.

A door opened. Two men walked in.

"I dare say we have the right man, gentleman." One of them said. Sherlock rose from his seat as they neared the table. Sir Rotheram introduced the men.

"Sherlock Holmes, Ambassador Standish from America and Lord Coward, the home secretary."

"I suppose you already have some notion as to the practises of our order." Lord Coward said.

"Yes, um, they're practically interesting." Sherlock began to walk away from the chair. You remained seated.

"Be as sceptical as you like, but our secret systems have steered the world for greater good for centuries. The danger is they can also be used for other purposes." Rotheram warned.

"What come call the dark arts." Coward stated. "Or practical magic."

"We know you don't believe in magic, Mr. Holmes, we don't expect you to share our faith. Merely our fears." Standish spoke up, his American accent clear.

"Fear is the more infectious condition. In this instance, fear of your own child."

You went from looking at Sherlock to the man in front of you. It didn't take a genius to understand what he was implying. Rotheram's expression said it all.

"Blackwood is your son." Sherlock came back over to the chairs, placing a hand on your shoulder when he close enough. His eyes, however, never left the man in front of you both. "You have the same irises, a rare dark green, diamond shape hazel flecks. Together with direct artery, you know, passed down only through bloodline, which makes by necessity either brothers or, in this case, more likely, father and son."

The three men looked at each other. Sherlock gave your shoulder a squeeze. He could see you thinking heavily about this information.

You couldn't help but wonder their part in Blackwood's death, or resurrection, was.

"Very few people a privy to that information, and we want to keep it that way." His voice was steady. Rotheram was clearly caught off guard, however. "He was conceived during one of our rituals. His mother wasn't my wife, but she shared our beliefs. She was a powerful practitioner, though not enough to survive giving birth to him. Death followed him wherever he went.Those five girls were not the first to be butchered, he killed many more using them to enhance his powers. Not that we could prove anything of course, but we all knew. The boy was a curse."

Sherlock walked over to the window, you got up and joined him, only keeping your eyes on him. The very idea that an order that believed in black magic existed was making you uncomfortable. Sherlock could tell and reached for your hand again.

Rotheram went to fetch something out of a drawer.

"We've done our best to stop him ourselves, but it's not enough."

"His power grows daily." Coward said. "His resurrection is evidence of that."

So, they weren't involved. They feared him. Of course they did. That fact they even believed this is making you question what you believe in life or death. The very idea was frightening.

"But what he does next will be far more dangerous."

"His secret lies in the book of spells. This is the source of his power." Rotheram handed Sherlock a book and opened it on a specific page. The words were of another language, one you couldn't read, and the images gave you a chill. "He's going to raise a force that will alter the very course of the world. I want you to find him and stop him before he does."

"We'll give you any assistance that we can." Cowered stated. "As home secretary, I have considerable influence over the police."

"Oh yes." Sherlock agreed quietly.

"So, name your price."

"Well, a great benefit of being a consulting detective is that I can choose my clients. So consider it done, I'll stop him." Sherlock smiled at them all. "But not for you, and certainly not for a price." Sherlock handed the book back and took your hand, taking you with him as he walked away from the three. "I do have a parting query, Sir Thomas."

"What is that?"

"If the rest of his family's dead, how long do you expect to survive? Food for thought."

Sherlock got you out of there.

Once outside he made you stop and turned you to face him. He looked you over.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." You looked at him. "Are you?"

"Quite." He held his fingers up to your cheek, touching you softly. The contact didn't last very long as he lowered his hand again almost instantly.

"You don't actually believe this black magic thing do you? I mean, it's just not possible."

"There is usually reason for everything. Magic is not a reason." He told you.

You smiled at him and once again found your hand in his.

"Come along, I'll take you home."

"Is that all for today?"

"I have somewhere to go, I need to go alone. You need rest."

You let him take you home, though you were extremely curious as to where he would have to go alone. You were learning so much from him and having a lot of fun, despite the aspects of it being a dangerous case. You wanted to stay by his side and go with him. You would be lying if you said you weren't worried about him.

When he reached your door he stayed until you opened it, kissing you on the cheek softly.

You stared at him in awe when he pulled back, looking at you with such a gentle gaze. Sherlock didn't sat anything as he turned around and headed off down the street.

You sighed as you went inside.

Tags:

@awyr @fandombeehive @charmed-asylum  @sigynbandraoi-blog @procrastinatingmurder @madshelily @phantomofhogwarts @photography-to-all

#a rose in london #sherlock holmes x reader #sherlock holmes #chapter 8 #robert downey jr

[tellywoodtrash]

Sanjivani - Weeks 7 + 8

Overall Plot

Sid and Ishani are about 10 minutes away from hardcore Love. And literally every single person knows and is rooting for it (including the security guards at Sanjivani/Ishani’s apartment complex!!!!!), except the two idiots themselves. Shashank is still dealing with the fallout of the thing with Juhi and the admin issues stemming from their unresolved issues, but small mercies, his relationship with Anjali seems to be looking up. Nurse Philo's daughter Jessica has been admitted mere days before her wedding and found to have a terminal illness and it's heartbreaking as fuck.

The Medical Stuff

Lol, does Ishani's "sickness" count? She's pretty convinced that she's dying of something serious, the way she was charting her symptoms and kept getting diagnostic test after diagnostic test, so I think it should. Glad she's finally gotten a diagnosis and the prognosis looks promising! Other than that, Nandini got operated on successfully by the Shashank-Juhi team, and the only active case we have is Jessica's Stage IV cancer. But I think that's going to focus more on the emotional side of things (getting her the dream wedding she wants), since it's at such an advanced stage that it wouldn't respond to treatment anyway.

The Acting

Thank the lord above, they have started giving Surbhi comedy to do, which is where she really shines as an actor. Namit is most excellent at heart eyes, and his crying has improved from the first few weeks; dialogue delivery still needs to be more polished though. Jason and Kunal are being used effectively by giving them hilarious, snarky scenes while they drill some sense into Ishani/Sid. Robin is still pretty much in the background other than to pop up and deliver the occasional wisecrack. Very sad to see Rashmi go, she'd really won my heart as Asha. The seniors got to ease up on the angsty scenes these weeks and I'm grateful for that; it's nice to see them loosen up a bit and smile and joke around. Special mention to Vedika Bhandari as Jessica, who's just ridiculously adorable and sooooooo likable, that I already am having trouble at the thought of letting her character go.

The Characters

Sid: MY DUDES, I DID NOT EXPECT TO FALL THIS HARD FOR SIDDHANT FUCKING MATHUR, BUT WELP, HERE WE ARE. I honestly cannot believe that this boy exists on Tellywood. Where to even start with him in these two weeks? How much younger than his years he seems when he was imploring his mom to stay to meet Shashank; his heart eyes when he wakes up to see Ishani first thing next morning (after waiting to see her the whole night!!!); his bashfulness at all the love he's getting from the whole hospital staff; his good-natured humoring of Ishani's weird behaviour... He's just so unassuming and Soft. I can't really recall seeing this lovable a male lead in tellywood in forever (all I can think of is Hussain K. characters in the early 2000s, in Krishna Arjun and Kumkum and all.) But by no means is Sid a pushover who tolerates any kind of BS. He rightfully rips Rishabh to shreds when he tries to discredit his relationship with Ishani, and understandably calls Ishani out on her nonsense when she's evading her duties, but in a decent way. There is some against-the-wall-caging (because Tellywood), but in a non-threatening manner; he maintains an appropriate distance, does not touch her, and while he does talk in a raised voice due to frustration, never does it veer into yelling that feels dangerous, and he repeatedly asks her if he said or did anything that's making her uncomfortable to be around him. I found it a little strange that he was so vehemently in denial of his feelings for Ishani in last week's episodes, because he seemed to readily accept after his conversation with Guddu Mama (“Halwa banaa ke leke jaaoon? Usko achcha lagega?" with the most hopeful smile; calling Ishani a "bohut hi pyaari si princess" to her face and specifying that he specifically made the halwa for her "pyaaaaar se", being open to the idea of marrying Ishani when Nurse Philo/Jessica jokingly suggest it....) but I guess it would be pretty incongruous for him to instantly fall hard for Ishani AND recognize it, with his past as a "player". So I like that they brought in one of his flings to contrast how different his feelings for Ishani are compared to the other girls he's dated; and subsequently how he's processing his many emotions about the situation. Most of all, I love that his feelings for Ishani don't hamper him from doing his job right; instead they just make him more sensitive to understanding her and making her feel good in any capacity that he can. He came all the way over to her house to apologize for making her cry, AND MADE HER PARATHAS!!!!!!! He slept over, but respectfully all scooched up on her tiny couch! What a goddamn Good Boi. Also, him crying over Jessica's diagnosis? Heart-fucking-breaking. We should all be so lucky to find a doctor who cares about his patients THIS much.

Ishani (or lol as Guddu Mama calls her, "Pareshaani"): I really was expecting the absolute worst with this "Ishani has Loveria" track. And it did not start out well; almost 3 whole episodes were just her puerile lovesick imagination waale music videos and that goddamn CGI titli and I was just like jfc whyyyyyyyyyy. BUT THEN!!!!!!! They finally started showing us the funny side of Ishani, and it's succeeded in making the character lovably kooky, instead of just unpleasant to be around. Her panic attack in the bathroom where she legit thinks she's having a stroke and tries to literally shake off the crush, making all the first year residents repeatedly do ECGs on her, her awkwardness around Sid, the rant where she bemoans falling in love with Sid of all people, her child-like crying to Asha when Sid finally gives her a dressing down for acting idiotic ("Mujhe ITNA daanta! ITNAAAA! Aur unprofessional bhi bola! *violently stabbing finger in the air* UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!"); all of it was just hilarious as fuck. We're finally seeing the endearing side of Ishani's addled personality. I'm also very glad she got the much-required wakeup call from Sid/Asha, that she's being very unprofessional by running away from her duties, and hopefully from here on, she'll be learn to focus on her job, even with Sid's distracting presence. She's also made quite a bit of progress when it comes to her germophobia; but realistically: it's only with Sid (and Asha) - the two people she's really close to; she's still seen being touch-averse with the rest, but slowly getting better; letting children touch her, offering to shake hands with Jessica and Jignesh, etc.

Asha & Aman: I'm super bummed that Rashmi is being replaced as Asha, because she was honestly so good in the role; cheerful and hilarious in most of her scenes, gentle and sensitive with Ishani, helping her out as much as she can with this inconvenient crush... It's not an easy role, with the accent and all. I hope this new actress is as competent as Rashmi, who always highlighted the humour but without making the accent the punchline; it was always the things she said and how she chooses to word it. It's an important distinction, to not make the regional background into a caricature.

Aman is Aman as usual, lol; vicariously getting kicks thanks to the shenanigans of everyone around. Also, to my surprise, Aman and Asha live together! They offer up their place for a party for Sid; when Ishani freaks out that the cake he ordered isn't Sid's favt. flavour, Aman just shrugs "Meri Asha ko butterscotch pasand hai." I still don't really know what his equation with Asha is, but whatever it is, I love it. Asha's a self-sufficient girl, but it's obvious that Aman feels really protective of her and wants to see her happy always. I really hope the new actress maintains this ambiguous chemistry with Robin too, till the writers decide what direction they wanna take this relationship in.

Dialogue of the Week: Asha [walking in on Ishani holding a sleeping Sid's hand]: Abbe! Humaare saamne toh badi "garma"phobic bani ghoomti hai, ab dekho Dr. Sid ke saath kaise touchy-wouchy ho rahi hai!!!!!!!!!!!

Rishabh: Fucking asshole. He Tried, but he's no match for the razor sharp wit of Sid, or Asha's jugaadu skills to relieve an overworked Ishani. Chal dafa ho, be! Manhoos kahinka.

Neil: He's really really enjoying Sid and Ishani's crushes on each other, taking the mick out of both of them at any given opportunity. I truly lmao-ed when he was seriously examining Ishani for an illness on her insistence and then eye-rollingly dismisses her with "Kuch nahi hua hai tumhe." Cutest snark bean.

Rahil: MY ACTUAL FAVE. Lmao, if Ishani’s got her little purple titli, then Rahil is Sid’s grownass plaid-shirt-wearing TITLA, who appears outta nowhere to serve up piping hot sass at his confused dumbassery. His acerbic, plain-speak snark seems to be the only language Sid understands (as opposed to the first years' gleeful teasing, or the good-natured ribbing of elders like Shashank and Philo and Guddu Mama), and him having to exasperatedly explain things to his boss-who-is-also-his-bff is just hilarious. I relish every single scene he appears in to the max! Also props to him for giving us the gem "same level ke ajeeb" as the OTP tag for SidIsha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shashank: A much better fortnight for Dr. Shashank! Two of his idiot babies are very obviously in love (that scene of Ishani showing him her reports and describing the butterfly through pantomime though, lmao) and now his relationship with Anjali is defrosting (the exchange about the surgeon she was interested in and how he wants grandkids from her??? The cutest!!!!) Things still remain frosty with Juhi though, and I don't understand why he won't just address the issue and clarify things in a straightforward manner, instead of dragging it out like this and making it awkward with his COS/mentee. Anyway, good on him for getting that win on Vardhan, but I feel like he needs to stop being so damn stubborn on his issues without giving reasons. It’s not helping matters around here, personally or professionally.

Juhi: Literally the classiest female professional on TV??????? She hasn't stopped holding Shashank accountable for how he sabotaged her career, but I love that she has sorted it out enough to work with him, but also engages in minor acts of pettiness like gleefully scraping his car with hers, cheekily grinning and apologizing saying she needed to get out some of the angst before they operated on a patient together. For what it's worth, I was fully on her side during the argument with Shashank about the machines for the hospital; it sounded like a good deal, but of course, she should have had the foresight to know Vardhan would try to do some kinda fuckery. She’s right in not really trusting Shashank anymore, but needs to be a little more prudent with how she proceeds while making decisions for Sanjivani. In a way, it’s really sad how she doesn’t really have any allies at her level. Shashank was the only one she could really rely on, and he went and blew that relationship up, and now she’s kinda adrift in the organization. I hope Shashank does good by her and repairs the relationship.

Anjali: Phew, finally a good break for Anjali. I'm ecstatic. She's realized that Vardhan's manipulating her and broken free of his gaslighting nonsense. She's much smarter than both Shashank and Vardhan thought she was and yes sis, play them both!!!!!!! She got her COS post, but also isn't playing by Vardhan's rules. Ultimate winner! But does she also have some romantic feelz for V? Coz that last scene between them had very intimate vibes, from the way she walked into his office and knew where the booze was, to her pouring him a glass and casually lounging against the wall like a wife/girlfriend would. She wasn't even really fazed when he grabbed her; either she's a hella strong woman who cannot be trifled with, or she's familiar with this side of him. I really hope it's the former coz she deserves someone who's a grown up version of Sid (*cough* Atul Joshi *cough*) who's super good and healthy for her, not this deceitful fuckwad.

Vardhan: What is his deal? No honestly, does he have some kinda personal stake in saving Sanjivani from financial ruin? It seems so, with how overwrought and devastated he seemed at Shashank exposing the machine waala scam. Also, the way he manhandled Anjali? Unforgivable. Die in a fire, scum.

Rahul: Still haven't seen him but apparently he's hiding in that secret room in the luxury ward? What the everloving experimental fuck is he doing with pregnant women who look to be unable to afford medical care? Nothing ethical, that's for sure. I have a feeling this will maybe tie up to Ishani's parents waala plot, but for the meanwhile, jfc, just reveal yourself man, coz this shit is getting scary as fuck the longer you go unseen.

Overall Rating: 5/5

#sanjivani #tt reviews #sanjivani (new)

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Enter the Kitsune - Chapter 2

Warnings: none really in this part. introduction to castle life.

Masterlist

—

Chapter 2

I raised my groggy head from what felt like a giant pillow only to discover it was the flat mattress they gave me to sleep on. It is called a futon, right? Argh… need coffee. Defused light was seeping into the room through the large screen in front of the window. It took a few moments for my brain to catch up with everything. I guess some part of me still thinks this is a weird dream.

– Clatter –

A loud noise from outside my room made me jump. Wrapping the blanket around my shoulders I moved to the door and slid it open just enough to see that one of the servants had dropped a tray. Small plates had fallen onto the floor. Miraculously they had somehow avoided braking, which was more than could be said for the food.

A young girl with dark chocolate brown hair was bent over scooping rice and other foodstuffs back onto the tray to try to clean up the mess.

“What do you think you are doing?” A slightly older woman scuttled out of a room with a wet rag in her hand. Her sharp tone made even me jump and I felt even worse for the young girl who was being glared at as if she had intended to sully the castle floor on purpose.

“I was taking breakfast to the Princess.” The girl paused in cleaning up the mess to bow her head to her elder.

“Princess? Don’t make me laugh. Takes more than a title to make you something like that. I have no idea where Lord Oda found that stray cat but it won’t take long for him to get bored with her.” The other woman was waving around her rag like a flag as she spoke. I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms or anything but you would have thought they would at least see me or get to know me before deciding they hate me.

“We still have to treat her…” The younger servant stood back up balancing the tray with its scattered contents in her hands.

“She won’t be getting special treatment from me. You do as you like.” The other servant scoffed.

“Has anyone seen her yet?” Another female appeared carrying what looked to be bolts of fabric with one more maid walking next to her carrying a woven basket that looked to be full of linen. “I caught a glimpse of her when she arrived. She was sitting proud as you like wrapped up in Lord Masamune’s arms.”

“Who does she think she is?” The older servant was practically spitting venom in her voice at this point.

“Lord Hideyoshi doesn’t seem to like her much.” The one carrying the linen spoke in a conspiratorial tone as she joined the conversation.

“Well, that says it all. The man has taste.”

“What was her name anyway?”

“I think Lord Mitsunari said she was called Aerion Foxx.” The young servant holding the dropped tray timidly spoke up. Clearly, she was uncomfortable with the conversation but was staying put probably from fear of being dubbed an outcast in some way. Honestly, the way they are gathering there just makes it look like a bunch of people gossiping around the water cooler in the office at work.

“Fox? As in Kitsune?” The one holding the fabric nearly dropped them as they practically jumped hearing my surname. It’s not that strange of a name you know?

“Haha, that’s perfect!” There was nothing pleasant in the laughter that erupted from the lips of that older servant.

“What is?”

“Well we already have one kitsune in the castle now Lord Oda has brought in another one.” The servant holding the linen basket nodded knowing what the older woman was getting at. Kitsune? I guess that’s what they call a fox here. Why do I get the feeling its meant as an insult?

“Shh, keep your voice down what if she should hear us?”

“What does it matter? Mark my words she is nothing but a fancy stray cat from some Nanban’s boat. I give it a week before Lord Oda is bored and tired of her and she is gone.” Everything about the older servant just seemed to scream that she was not going to accept me no matter what I did. It’s not like I was planning on trying to be everyone’s friend or anything. But the fact remains I have to stay here for at least 3 months. It would have been nice if we could all just be civil with each other. I gave a silent little sigh as I imagined the drama that was sure to be coming my way in the near future.

I slid the door closed not wishing to hear any more and noticed a bundle placed next to it. It was neatly tied and there was a small note placed on top. The black ink was smooth and delicate on the paper making it almost seem inviting in some way. There was no way I had of reading it, I had been right before I might be able to somehow hear and speak this language but I can’t read it. A soft knock on my door announced the arrival of the original maid that had dropped the tray in the corridor.

“Excuse me, Princess. I have your breakfast from the kitchen.” She had her head bent low in a formal bow and was shuffling her way into my room like a graceful constricted swan. Her dark brown hair was bundled to one side at the top of her head in a kind of messy bun, small ponytail style. Her bangs were falling over her face in three sections allowing me to see her eyes that looked so warm and inviting it was like looking into two cups of rich dark espresso. She couldn’t have been older than me if anything she appeared to be in her late teens.

“What is your name?” I was still holding the bundle one hand with the unreadable note in the other.

“My name is Akito, Princess.” She continued to politely address me and placed the tray down near a floor cushion for me. She was stealing small glances at me but not actually looking at me for very long at all. Nervous? Fear? Or is that some form of manners here? Either way, I can’t take it, it’s making me feel uncomfortable just watching her.

“Ok. Well, Akito. First of all, you don’t have to bow to me. And could you please not call me by that title?” I felt like I had been repeating the same conversation over and over again to everyone recently. It’s a shame I can’t just record the message and hit a play button every time I want to say it.

“It would be highly disrespectful to do such a thing, my lady.” Akito’s head shot up from her formal bow so she was looking at me directly now. He brown eyes were wide with curiosity but also appeared to have traces of fear in them. Oh, come on I’m not that scary. What do you think I’m going to do?

“Alright I realise there is a strong sense of maintaining things like that here but whilst you are in my room with no one else here you can drop the formalities. I am just a woman the same as you.” I gave her a warm smile and kept my tone soft in an attempt to calm her. Thankfully Akito seemed to relax a little at this.

“If that is what you have ordered me to do Prin-, I’m sorry if I am not to call you Princess what am I to call you my lady?” Akito inclined her head and it reminded me of a small animal discovering something new.

“My name is Aerion.”

“Lady Aerion.” Akito nodded happily a stunning smile spreading across her face as she addressed me.

“I suppose that will do for now.” I chuckled. “Will you be the main servant I see?”

“Yes, lady Aerion I was assigned to your care by lord Mitsunari. I am your personal maid.” Akito straightened up proudly after saying this. I wonder if Mitsunari chose Akio specifically because she seems to be so kind or if it was because no one else seems to want to have anything to do with me? I mentally shook that thought from my mind not wanting to dwell on things I can’t change.

“I see. Could I ask you to read this to me?” I handed over the note to a confused looking Akito. She took it carefully in her hands and began translating it for me.

“I thought you would be needed this. I hope you find it easier to move in. Akechi Mitsuhide.”

“Mitsuhide?” The name of the last man I thought would be leaving me surprise gifts made me look suspiciously at the bundle in my hands.

“Yes, My lady.”

“Do you have any idea what this is?” I held up the folded fabric glad to see that Akito apparently recognised it. She gently took it from my hand and unfolded it holding it up for me to see that it was definitely clothing.

“That is called a hakama my lady.”

“Is it different from a Kimono?” I took a step closer to it running my fingers over the soft fabric to what looked like a pair of unfinished trousers.

“Yes, my lady. If you like I can help you get dressed after you have eaten.”

“Thank you, Akito I’d appreciate it. I tried to put on this kimono myself and made a complete mess with the obi.”

“I understand. A lot of the foreign visitors have similar issues but with practice, it does become easier.”

Breakfast was simple but delicious on my empty stomach. I tried to remember the last time I really bothered to eat a proper breakfast and failed miserably. It was always a mad rush in the morning to get the train to work so typically I would grab a Danish pastry from the coffee shop along with my morning late and suffer the impending doom of my own hunger until lunchtime when I could go out and get something decent to eat somewhere else.

Akito had helped me get dressed and I was happily surprised with how comfortable the hakama was to move in. My legs didn’t feel like they were going to be restricted at any point. It was a far cry from my usual pair of jeans it was a better historical replacement than a standard kimono. I tried to pay attention to the different layers as Akito explained how to put together the outfit on me. Under kimono, kimono, obi nothing seemed different until I slipping into the Hakama and then the very specific way she was tying it around my waist.

It felt strange to put on effectively a pair of trousers like this. After attaching the front of the hakama Akito took what looked like a wooden fastener that was at the back of the hakama and attached it to the new ties she had made when she arranged the first half of the hakama. She pulled the back portion of the hakama a little higher so it covered my original obi and then moved to do the finishing ties around my waist turning the stiffen fabric into a beautiful flattened bow on my left side. Apparently, there was a right and wrong way of doing that so I tried to follow as best I could. There is no way I’ll be perfect at this straight off the bat but I can at least attempt to try and get better at it.

After what felt like an eternity of getting dressed Akito left to return the tray to the kitchen and had some other work to attend to. I felt bad for keeping her so long so I let her go and decided I would try to make my way around the castle to see if I could figure out what I was supposed to do in my new job. I had been right on my first impression of around here it’s so easy to get lost in this labyrinth of corridors.

“Ah! There you are, Lass.” That familiar voice instantly made me freeze as I remembered the steel against my throat. Turning around slowly in case of there being a repeat performance of last night I saw Masamune walking along happily with Ieyasu by his side looking less than impressed with the other man’s company.

“Masamune. Ieyasu.” I didn’t know what else to say and as I was usually told it was better to say nothing during those times than ramble like an idiot.

“You look lost.” Masamune chuckled looking a little like a mischievous child as he got close enough to try to reach out his hand for me and I instantly sidestepped to avoid him. His blue eye twinkled seeing this and I swear I saw him lick his lips. Little early in the day for that kind of thing… down boy.

“A little.” I admitted I was in fact lost it wasn’t as if pride was going to help me change the facts.

“Takes talent to get lost walking in a straight line. You’re as bad as Mitsunari.” Ieyasu spoke up critiquing my inability to decipher the castle layout. I plastered my best smile on my face that I usually saved for meetings with difficult clients at work.

“And it takes a special kind of talent to both help someone out and insult them at the same time. Congratulations Ieyasu you really nailed it.” Ieyasu stood there slack-jawed, emerald eyes wide just staring at me dumbfounded. Masamune had a similar expression but recovered much faster and burst out laughing so loud it echoed in the hallway.

“Isn’t that great Ieyasu you got yourself a new friend?” Masamune said slapping the other guy on the shoulder with an audible thump.

“As if I’d want to be friends with a weakling like her.” Ieyasu mumbled avoiding eye contact with either of us as he spoke. Something about that sight made me start giggling which earned me a glare from Ieyasu that only served to make my laughter worse.

“So where were you trying to get to?” Masamune asked after we had both gotten our laughter under control.

“Nowhere really I was just trying to work out what I should be doing as Chatelaine but I haven’t found anyone that’s willing to tell me yet.” I felt the weight of all the emotions that hit me earlier when I had overheard the staff gossiping earlier. I had found several maids but they had all been more interested in asking if I needed anything and insisting that I didn’t need to help them. When I tried to ask about my new job, they had either fallen silent or made excuses to leave. Nothing like that classic feeling of the new kid in school.

“You should just give up and go be a good girl and play in your room.” Ieyasu huffed. Clearly, he thought that Nobunaga’s original idea of me playing dress up was what I should be doing. Just the idea of that had my skin bristling all over.

“No. I said I would work and I intend to. I can’t sit around and just do nothing I really will go crazy and what’s more why are you talking to me like I’m a child?”

“Who goes wandering around and gets lost when they are an adult?” Ieyasu met my tone matching it perfectly with his own bringing us into a stalemate just glaring at each other.

“Ignore him, Lass. If you want to know what you should be doing you had best go and ask Mitsunari. I would say Hideyoshi but when I last saw him, he looked like you could boil water on his head.” Masamune expertly cut in front of Ieyasu and broke the tension.

“What a lovely image. And how do I find Mitsunari?”

---

[minas-writing]

Week 3 - Friends

For @yourocsbackstory ! I missed last week but I’m back! Late! Oh well!

I’m counting the assassin team as Slyn’s friends. They’re probably the best he’s got right now, and though they’re all just a little too okay with murder for him, they are his age and relatively fun to be around.

There’s GinHa, from a country called Marandala, which I picture as sort of like ancient Mongolia, though I still need to do tons of research. She’s the one who, if it needs to get personal, will get up close with the murder. It doesn’t bother her. She’s the fighter, if there’s a fight.

Farin is short, native to Rinthia where the story and capitol are, and he really likes mechanics. If there’s a lock to be picked, a gate to be lowered, a vehicle to be hijacked, he’s the guy. He also likes bludgeoning weapons, if he has to use them at all.

Rinter is of an unknown ethnicity, though he likely came from some kind of noble group, as he shows familiarity with and strong interest in the inner workings of the court. He likes the politics, and is the party’s face, as it were. He’s the one with the highest Charisma score and can bluff his way through almost anything.

Matta’s interesting. Chackalo (terrible country name I know :P) is kind of Eastern-Europe coded, and is like Rinthia’s younger cousin. It’s more where nobles go to vacation, if they like more forests and odd architecture. She’s actually a runaway daughter of a major noble family, but it’s not like anybody in Rinthia really pays enough attention to realize. She’s the only one in the group with magic, a kind of telekinesis. And she doesn’t talk. She could if she wanted to, but she just chooses not to, for various reasons, not all of them bad. GinHa is her very good friend, and Matta often just goes along with the stronger personality.

What follows is one of my favorite sequences that I wrote for Vacea’s first draft. There’s quite a bit of worldbuilding I was trying to figure out for it, so lots of proper nouns, but I think it’s readable if you have no idea what’s going on. It features most of the main characters, actually.

“Lord Tirra is your next target,” said Slyn, addressing the four in the large conference room that now belonged to him. It had previously been two empty houses, but they’d knocked down a few walls and made it the largest room in the cave of New Rithia.

“Makes sense,” said Farin, the smaller man. Well, he wasn’t much older than Slyn, but he was half a head shorter and had much darker hair. “I think.”

“He’s the one with all those soldiers that harass people, isn’t he?” asked GinHa. She retied the pale yellow ribbon in her black hair.

Slyn nodded once. Even though he’d never asked, it was obvious that GinHa was Marandese. It was the seventh Vacean state to join the united coalition, but it was only last because it was a collection of tribes rather than a proper country as many of the others had been. In that way, Marandala was a template that the New Vaceans wanted to copy - each town or clan ruling themselves with no input from the planet’s government, because no planet-wide government would exist at all. Slyn knew it would never work. He’d studied enough political theory and history to know that. The clans of Marandala were fading out and many were leaving their homes for the Galhaltran States and Perint. New Vaceans had good intentions, but they would ultimately fail. If not during the revolution, then after it. Why Raem persisted in it, even if they both knew it was destined for failure, confused Slyn. But he wanted his family back, so he built up the cause anyway.

((OOC - I wrote that a while ago and have no idea if it’s actually valid but this was just a first draft))

“His soldiers are Vacea’s army, though,” said Rinter, a scowl of confusion on his face.

“His soldiers,” argued Slyn, listening to Raem, “are the main force that would stop us. Besides, Vacea doesn’t even need an army. Nobody has attacked us for generations. Why would they start now?”

“But what if somebody does?” Rinter continued.

“Then our citizens can take care of it. We’re not entirely helpless.” Slyn was vaguely disturbed by the smirk that appeared on Matta’s face. She was from the nearby state of Chackalo, and had one of the strongest parent gifts in the world. Matta was a sundaughter, and her most prevalent talent was moving small things without touching them. As far as Slyn knew, only twenty sunchildren were alive, all from Chackalo or Attorya.

“Lord Tirra, then.” Rinter drew all eyes back to him, and reclaimed the conversation. “Any other instructions?”

Raem’s orange smoke swirled around Slyn’s head like a snake. He didn’t bother taking form much anymore, preferring to sit back and direct. “Ignore the servants in his house. If they wear the New Vacean knots and hide their weapons, then the servants will let them pass. But the soldiers they will have to sneak past.”

“Wear the knot and conceal all your weapons,” Slyn said out loud. “Lord Tirra’s staff will ignore you if you ignore them, with the exception of the soldiers.” He got a bit of a rebellious thrill from restructuring Raem’s instructions, though he did just say exactly the same thing. Raem usually didn’t mind.

The four nodded. Slyn looked them over - Farin, GinHa, Rinter, and Matta. Only Farin was older than Slyn. They were talented and obviously comfortable with what they were doing, even if none of them had ever been part of an assassin team before. Much less killed anyone.

It was early the next day when Slyn heard how it had all happened.

Emmelyn shivered in the chill of the smaller conference room in the palace. Her parents, the King and Queen, sat in front of her, listening to the warrior across the table give his report. Ganna stood behind her, the man who worked on cases such as these. It was early, but she’d been up much earlier before.

“The guard shifts were about to change,” the warrior was explaining. “It was maybe two or three in the morning, and we’d been on shift for a few hours already. Nights are always difficult, and I have to admit that my eyes wanted to close. But I’m a loyal soldier through and through, Your Majesties, and I never once dozed off.”

“There were lots of guards on the wall, but they were all sleeping,” GinHa said, her feet up on the table and a bowl of grapes in her hand. “We practically just waltzed right in.” A grape flew through the air and landed in her mouth.

“It only took a few moments for five strong men to pull us down and douse us with baha powder. That’s all I remember.”

“Thank you,” said King Hela. He dismissed the warrior and called in a large woman who worked in Lord Tirra’s large house.

She took a deep breath, evidently nervous. “I’m just a laundress, Your Majesties. I’m not sure what I can offer...”

“Any information at this point is good information,” said the investigator behind Emmelyn.

“Well,” began the woman. “I saw four people I didn’t recognize walking through the hallways. They seemed a bit suspicious. It would have been very early in the morning, close to three o’clock. My mind was a bit muddled, though, Your Majesties, and I didn’t see them well. I can tell you that two were female. But they were gone quickly and none of them spoke.”

Farin sat down next to GinHa, less celebratory but still smug. He stole a grape from her bowl, and she glared. “We sort of got lost inside, but there was this fat lady - ”

“Don’t say fat, she wasn’t that bad,” Rinter interrupted from his position leaning against a nearby wall. “Just... larger. She was strong, though, with a big basket of clothes. She saw our knots. She let us pass, just like you said.” He glanced up at Slyn, who nodded.

Another grape sailed through the air, wrenched from the perfect trajectory of GinHa’s throw, unsupported before finding Matta’s pale hand. She grinned at GinHa and raised her eyebrows at Farin, urging him to continue the story.

He did. “She told us where to find the wing where Lord Tirra usually stayed.”

“And you,” said King Hela, looking at a new witness, a young girl who looked terrified to be standing in the presence of the King, the Queen, the heir, and a royal investigator. “You said you saw something.”

“Yes, sir,” the girl said in a small voice. “I was about to go to bed, after beginning the next morning’s breakfast. Two girls were walking around. One of them asked me where Lord Tirra’s room was. I assumed they were new maids so I told her. They turned around and joined two boys and went the direction I had said.”

GinHa set the empty bowl on the table. “And another girl told me and Matta exactly where to find the guy. I thought she saw the knots, too, but she looked really suspicious. I’m not sure she ignored us like the other woman.”

Behind Emmelyn, Ganna leaned forward. “I know you’re nervous, but I must insist you tell us everything. What did these people look like? Was there anything specific you saw?”

“One of the girls was Marandese,” the girl said nervously. “The second one didn’t talk, and I don’t think she could at all. All four had...” She trailed off.

Ganna urged her on. “Had what?”

“New Vacean knots,” squeaked the girl, then she hid her face. Emmelyn’s parents both inhaled sharply.

“Hm.” Ganna leaned back. “Thank you for your time.”

“Dismissed,” repeated King Hela. The soldiers guided the girl out.

“Will the maid be a problem?” asked Slyn levelly. He looked at Matta, who just shrugged. Then she grimaced and rocked her hand.

“Maybe,” GinHa translated. “She seemed pretty conservative.”

Slyn sighed and changed the subject. “So you found Lord Tirra’s room without a problem?”

“Yes, sir,” nodded Farin. “And nobody stopped us.”

“New Vaceans,” sighed Ganna when the girl and soldiers left. “That explains why everybody but that maid lied to us, and how the assassins were able to just walk in. I had hoped they wouldn’t be a problem.”

Emmelyn stopped him. “New Vaceans? Who are they? Why does that explain things?”

“We did run into a bit of trouble...” Rinter objected.

“A corpse doesn’t talk,” GinHa grinned.

“It was just one, and we hid and rigged the body so nobody can blame us.” Farin reached to fill a cup with water. “They’ll think he committed suicide.”

Matta’s eyes gleamed with pride. She made the stream of water from the pitcher miss Farin’s goblet and splash on his shirt. GinHa laughed again.

“New Vacea is what a fairly organized group of revolutionaries call themselves,” King Hela said before Ganna had a chance.

“But most people like them. To many people, they’re the good guys,” Ganna said. “If somebody uses a specific New Vacean knot on their colored ribbon or scarf or such, one we haven’t been able to identify, then they’re granted passage to practically anywhere. It’s a breach of some unspoken rule to wear the knot if you’re not actually affiliated with New Vacea.”

“Anyway, we found the old geezer sitting in his chair, practically dead already,” Rinter continued, a smile still on his face from Matta’s antics.

“Matta stopped him from making noise by pressing his cape against his face.” Farin didn’t want to be left out, though he looked distinctly disgruntled at his damp shirt. “GinHa went up and stabbed him, then Rinter saw some guards coming and we jumped out the window. He was still twitching, but - “

“We waited until he died,” GinHa protested. “We were just out on the roof instead of in the room.”

Funny, thought Slyn. She was afraid of him disapproving of their methods. He didn’t care, but he was, honestly, a bit sick. None of the four looked like they were battling their consciences at all. They were joking and laughing, confident that any blame would be pinned on Slyn. That was what a leader was for, he supposed. He did wish one of them would show a bit of remorse or guilt.

“We followed your instructions and did everything you asked,” said Farin. “Now we’re done, right?”

“They’ve never made a move as bold as this before.” King Hela shook his head. “We never did anything about them because they never stirred up any trouble.”

“So you know where to find them?” asked Emmelyn. She fiddled uncomfortably with her long sleeves.

“No,” sighed King Hela after a moment. “I wish I could say otherwise and go there right now. Assassinating a lord is reason enough to make them disband.”

“No, there are still more adventures to be had,” Raem said, and Slyn repeated his words dispassionately out loud, not bothering to think of a different way of wording it. But “adventure”... what a horrible way to put it.

Matta grinned while GinHa chuckled and Farin’s eyes lit up. Rinter shrugged as if he didn’t care, but Slyn knew that his emotions were as high as the others’. He didn’t smile with them.

“You are dismissed for the rest of the day,” Slyn told them. His unamused expression and monotone voice shooed the team out faster than his words alone ever could. He sat heavily on the chair GinHa had vacated when the curtain behind her had settled.

“You’re doing well,” whispered Raem, pleased. “You may grow into this role better than I ever thought you could.”

“Shut up,” growled Slyn, quietly enough that nobody beyond the curtained doorways and covered windows could hear. “I don’t care what you think. I don’t care about any of this. I just want to go back home.”

“Better not let anybody hear you say that. My plans could be tossed out the window.”

Slyn sneered and clenched his hands. “I told you that I don’t care about your stupid plans. If they crashed and burned, I wouldn’t cry a single tear over it.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, Slyn wished he could pull them in. Raem had shown him unkindness in the past for talking back like that. But he didn’t apologize, just stood and left the room, going about the next diabolical task that would leave his soul scarred for good.

((Eh? Eh? Dramatic, innit?))

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