Tumgik
#also expect more behind the scenes rambles on side in a few minutes lol
roxiusagi · 7 months
Text
✨Cultivate: Slow Life on a Monster-Infested Mountain✨ by @neonghostcat - fan covers in the design style of seven seas danmei publishing ✿
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
sooo.. I know it would be more appropriate to post these once the fic is fully finished BUT i got too excited and was waiting too long already to post these hdjfhk and today is cultivate anniversary so appropriate excuse to post lets go!!! anyway theres only one chapter left to go so ppl who have been waiting to read it until its done the time is NOW! hahha
anyway fun fact this was originally going to be just 3 parter. but. at this point cultivate has surpassed svsss in word count if i am not mistaken......so ive decided that adding one more volume would be appropriate lol
oh well and here are the pieces by themselves
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
also... just to clarify im obviously in no way shape of form comparing myself to the quality of actual seven seas cover artist lmaoo hdjshf i hope thats obvious that this was just fun gimmick passion project
1K notes · View notes
Text
Unrequited pt. 2
azriel (acotar) x reader
*this is part 2! Sorry for the wait guys! I really struggled with this and low-key I don’t like it but I hope y'all do! I wanna write the scenes after this but idk how im gonna make it work lol. anyway, enjoy!
word count: 3193
---------------------------------
What you hadn’t realized was that Azriel left a few minutes later, walking to your apartment to make sure you had gotten home safe.
All of a sudden he heard whimpers and labored breathing coming from the alley.
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight of you laying on the ground and bleeding out. He felt a tug in his chest. A click. Panic instilled in him as he gently but swiftly picked you up and flew you to Madja.
“Hang on y/n, you’re so strong” he whispered
In those moments, he feared for you. Fear that was so strong. Something he had never felt before.
He rushed into the house laying you on the bed gently before he was shoved out by the Madja so she could try to save you.
Azriel alerted the others and then collapsed into a chair, sitting in silence. A tear slipped out of his eye at the thought he may have been too late to save you.
You. His mate.
Why, of all the times did the bond have to click while you were on the brink of death. In a situation where you may not make it out alive. It wasn’t fair.
He wondered if you had known. Could that be the reason why you had been distancing yourself from him? Because you didn’t expect or want him to be your mate? But if you had known you would’ve said something, right? You wouldn’t keep it a secret? So many thoughts kept racing through his head.
Could it have been because of Elain? He knew the inner circle wasn’t stupid, they all saw him drifting more and more to Elain. Could that have been why you had distanced yourself? He would be lying if he said he didn’t like Elain, but he would also be lying if he said he didn’t like you.
Your stubbornness. Your generosity. Your sense of adventure. The way you could get lost in the things you did.
Suddenly the door swung open and the others came into the room, worry written all over their faces.
Azriel could tell that Cassian and Mor had been crying on the way there.
“How bad is it?” Mor shook as she spoke. You could see the pain in her eyes. The worry she had for someone who was basically her sister.
Azriel’s expression was unreadable and he didn’t respond.
“Do you think she will make it?” Feyre asked, grief evident in her posture. “I- I don’t know” Azriel answered, “It was pretty bad,” he said quietly.
Just as he answered, Madja appeared from the other room. “She’s in rough shape, I don’t know if she’s gonna make it through the night. She lost a lot of blood.”
The room grew eerily quiet
“She’s stable for now, but I will stay here and notify you if any changes occur.”
---------------------------------
Rhys, Feyre, Amren, and Elain went back to the townhouse to try and get as much rest as they could. Mor, Cassian, and Azriel decided to stay in your room with you.
Tears started slipping from Cassian’s eyes once he saw your fraile body lying in bed, barely hanging on.
“Oh mother” Mor sobbed out, a hand slipping over her mouth. She went over to the bed you were on, gently sitting on it and grabbing to hold your hand. She leaned against the headboard and watched as your chest heaved.
The trio sat in silence for some time, watching your every move, your breathes, whimpers, and shifts.
Azriel broke the silence.
“She’s my mate. All this time and I never knew.”, the sentence coming out as a whisper.
Shock was painted on Mor’s face. “Y/n’s your mate? How di-? When?”
“It clicked when I saw her body lying there.” his voice started breaking “Why did it have to happen right now. Of all the times. Why couldn’t it have happened months ago. I could’ve had more time. This never would have happened. How do I move on from this?” his voice ending on a whisper.
“All you can do is hope to mother that she has the strength to pull through.” Cassian replied softly. “You know, this whole situation is so ironic.”, he said softly to himself, lightly shaking his head.
Azriel gave Cassian a look of confusion, wondering what he was talking about, but decided to drop it for now.
“Anyway, let’s try to get some sleep and pray the morning holds better news”
Mor had dozed off, back against the headboard and hand still holding yours. Cassian was sitting in the chair, head resting on the palm of his head, it still took him a few hours to fall asleep completely. Azriel, however, couldn’t sleep. The thought of sleeping while you laid like this. He felt guilty, the feeling that he may have been too late. For the rest of the night, Azriel sat in a chair next to your bed, shrouded in darkness, hoping you would be ok.
---------------------------------
Sunlight peeked through the sheer blinds over the balcony door. The faint sound of birds singing flowed through the air. Light shined onto your face, causing you to groan. Groggily, you opened your eyes, blinking to adjust to the light filling the room. Your head pounded and you winced as you shifted in bed.
“Y/n?” you heard a whisper. You mumbled in response. “Oh! Thank mother you’re alright! We were all so worried for you. Wait, let me call Madja now that you’re up.” Mor rambled on causing you to smile slightly. “CASSIAN!” she squealed “Wake up! Look! Y/n is awake!”
Cassian jumped to his feet at her shout. “Oh my god!” he ran over to your side “I was so worried, I’m so glad you’re alright” he said, taking your hand into his. “Let me go call the others, they’ve been waiting for an update.”
Soon after, the rest of the inner circle came over to your room to check in and Madja came to see how you were healing.
“That was quite the wound you had. Make sure to rest for the next two weeks. No buts, we don’t want this opening back up from stress or straining activity.”. You groaned at the thought.
“But I feel fine now, it’s not a big deal! I can go back to doing my duties in 2 days. I’ll be good as new.” you pleaded, trying to convince Madja and yourself. Before she could respond, Rhys cut in.
“You will do nothing of the sort. You just got stabbed for cauldrons sake, if i catch you trying to do anything remotely straining, i’ll lock you in your room and have Cassian stand guard in front of it”
“Fine” you grumbled out
“Now that everything is settled, i’ll be coming to check on you every few days.” Madja states before leaving
After a little more small talk was exchanged, the inner circle decided to leave you to rest a bit more, but promised they would visit you as frequently as they could.
Except, one person stayed behind.
Azriel.
“Can I talk to you?”
“Is something wrong?” you asked
After a hesitant pause his voice rang out. “We’re mates.”
You felt a blow to your chest. When did he find this out? As if Azriel had read your thoughts, he responded “Last night. After I found you.”
“Oh”
“But, Cassian said something, how it was ironic, and I can’t help but wonder how long you’ve known”
“I-, I told Cassian that we were mates yester-”
“But how long have you known y/n.” his voice quiet and sharp as a knife, as if tendrils of anger were waiting to escape
“Since the diplomatic mission Rhys sent us on”, you whispered. You could feel the tears threatening to fall from your eyes
“That was months ago and you didn’t think to tell me?” You could feel the anger in his voice
“I thought you would have figured it out sooner. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry” tears started falling from your eyes
“You knew and said nothing. Why didn’t you say anything? You should have said something” he seethed. His anger was unhinged, a drastic change for the usually calm and collected shadowsinger.
“If you didn’t want to be my mate just tell me. I’d be glad to be rid of the bond.”. As soon as he said it, he regretted it. His anger dissipated. He looked up and saw your face, tears streaming down.
“I see the way you look at Elain, Azriel. I’m not some stupid fucking female. How do you think it feels to see your mate all over someone else. I wanted to give you a chance to find your own happiness without me burdening you with this. And if we’re being honest, if you had to choose between me or her, you would choose her. I knew you would be disappointed by me. I knew you wouldn’t want to be my mate, that's why I didn’t tell you.” your anger started boiling up. “Do you think it feels good to be rejected, especially by someone you’ve loved for a long time? I didn’t want you to be disappointed that I was your mate, the person you’ve waited so long for.” your voice tapered off at the end. “Can you leave please” you said softly
“No, wait, I’m sorry I-“
“Azriel. Get out.” your voice boomed through the room.
He left reluctantly, softly shutting the door behind him. Just as the door shut, the sobs that you had been desperately trying to hold back broke free. Your body shuddered as you hugged yourself, crying yourself back to sleep.
---------------------------------
During the following weeks, you avoided Azriel at all costs. As soon as he walked into the room, you would walk out. Any required conversations were kept short. You did anything you could to keep your mind off of him, cleaning, errands, hell you did it all. It certainly didn’t help your recovery, but you did what you could to keep your mind busy and off of Azriel.
“Y/n stop please. You need to rest, how many times do we have to tell you. You’re only making the healing process longer” Mor ranted on.
“I’m fine, I doubt a wound, which is almost healed by the way, would be damaged by me doing chores” you emphasized as you rolled your eyes
“Maybe not by chores, but it is affected by your stress”
A moment of silence passed.
“He feels terrible, you know, he didn’t mean to say it. He just wants to talk to you.”. Mor didn’t risk saying his name because she knew it would only anger you more.
“Well I don’t want to talk to him, or deal with him, or see him, or think about him. At all.”. You grumbled. Your heart clenched, but you brushed it aside.
“Y/n, please. I love you two and it hurts to see our family like this right now.”
“Please, can we drop it, I-“ your voice cracked
“Yeah, of course. Just… keep an open mind, maybe?”
“Yeah, ok” you looked down.
“I’ll see you later tonight then, for Rhys and Feyre’s dinner party.”
“Sounds good.”. You pressed your lips into a tight smile as you watched Mor walk off. You had definitely contemplated not going today. All of the inner circle certainly knew what happened, maybe not all the details, but still enough, which made you feel exposed. You weren’t use to having your emotions splayed out to everyone like that, and it made you too vulnerable. However, Mor had threatened to pull you to the party herself if you refused to go, so being complicit seemed like the best option.
It was just one night. You would be fine… right?
---------------------------------
It was nearing 8 as you finished getting ready for the party, which started at 8:30. You were wearing an olive green silk midi dress. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but it was still very elegant. And comfortable. You were touching up as Mor arrived.
“Ah, there she is, beautiful as ever.”
“I could say the same about you, darling” you emphasized
“Are you ready to go, I heard the party is getting started, and you know I wouldn’t want to miss all the cocktails”
A laugh mused on your face. You grabbed your purse before the pair of you winnowed to the house.
You arrived at the front door, scanning the scene when you got there. It was a cozy ballroom with french doors which opened up to a huge balcony leading to the gardens. There was a huge dining table in the center with plenty of space to mingle in clusters.
You hadn’t spotted Azriel yet, a sigh of relief leaving your body. You strutted in, arms linked with Mor, grabbing a drink off the platter. You weren’t even sure who or what this party was for, but you realized you had downplayed it after spotting Helion and Tarquin. The high lords in Velaris. But that was the least of your concerns, the only thing you were focused on was avoiding Azriel.
Spotting Feyre near Helion, you breezed over to say hi.
“Ah! Y/n! Helion, i’m sure the two of you have met a few times before!” Feyre smiled out
“Yes, I do remember you! I heard about what happened, how are you feeling?” He asked
“Much better than the last few weeks, that’s for sure. Although I must say, this alcohol is certainly helping” you giggled. “Well I just wanted to pop over and say hi, but I think I’m gonna go find Cassian now. It was so nice to see you again Lord Helion, enjoy your evening.”
“You too Miss Y/L/N”
You dipped your head towards the both of them before making your way through the room to find Cassian. Where was he for caldrons sake. You hadn’t seen him in a week because he had to go up to the illyrian war camps again. Pushing your way through the crowd, you bumped into a hard chest, spilling your champagne. Cursing to yourself, you started to apologize.
“Oh mother, I’m so so sorry, clums-“. Looking up your y/e/c eyes met strong hazel ones, which were burning into your soul. You felt your throat close up, starting to feel trapped in the crowed room
No no no no. This couldn’t be happening. Not now.
You knew it was only a matter of time before you would have to talk to him, but you couldn’t do it now. Before he could say a word, you pushed past him and bolted out to the balcony to get some fresh air. You had run to the corner, near the steps to the garden, out of sight from others. Taking deep breaths, you calmed your nerves. You would be ok, everything was fine. It would be fine. At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself.
You decided to quickly go grab another drink before returning to the serenity outside. Leaning against the balcony, you stared out at the stars and the gardens. They were so beautiful, even in the winter, you thought to yourself. You basked in the silence, your thoughts drowning you.
Some time had passed before you heard footsteps approaching you on the balcony. You knew who it was without having to turn around, but you still couldn’t bear to be around him. You turned to leave but his hand caught your wrist, holding it firmly. You could feel the scars from his hands against your skin.
“Please. I just want to talk”
“What’s there to talk about Azriel, you made your feelings clear that day.”
“Just listen, please, and then i’ll leave you alone if that’s what you wish”
You sighed, nodding your head in defeat. You couldn’t keep balling up your emotions.
He led you back to the railing of the balcony before his grasp left your wrist. You tilted your head down looking at your feet and fiddling with your thumb.
“I spent 500 years pining after Mor because I was so afraid of maybe having a chance at love. I thought it was best to love someone who would never love me back so I wouldn’t get hurt. Then I met Elain. She helped me to open up more, and helped me to believe that happiness would be possible for me, with someone. I had given up on the idea of having a mate. I didn’t think I deserved one. I was ok with that and had accepted that.”
He let out a breath as he ran his hand through his hair, light curls falling onto his forehead. “When I saw you lying there and the bond clicked, I was so mad at myself. I shut out the possibility of having a mate for so long. You were my mate. My mate. I never thought I would be able to say those words.”
He paused.
“I was mad that you may not make it. I was mad that I didn’t find you soon enough. I was mad that we didn’t have more time. I didn’t know what to do or how to feel. I Just wanted you to be ok. And then when you told me that you had known for so long, I was angry. Angry that I hadn’t realized sooner, and angry that you kept it from me because you may not have wanted me or expected me to be your mate. And I snapped. Then you said the thing that I had least expected. You said you had loved me” He chuckled dryly. “I am so sorry, y/n, so very sorry.”.
His hand reached down to cup your face. He jerked your head up so you were looking at him. “What i’m trying to say is that I love you, but I understand if you don’t feel the same way anymore”.
The air had been knocked from your lungs. Your heart swelled and your eyes watered. Before you had realized what you were doing, your lips crashed into his. His mouth fit perfectly against yours. He was a breath of fresh air with a hint of mint. Azriel’s hands gripped your waist, pulling you into his body and he smiled against your lips. It felt so right. Everything about it. Your heart was pounding out of your chest as you both pulled away, breathless. Your forehead rested against his.
You whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
“I love you too”. As soon as the words left your mouth, he pulled you in for another kiss, his wings forming a cocoon around you. This one was more demanding. Passionate. A promise. You pulled away from his mouth and leaned against him, his arms wrapping around you.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Azriel said. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small black box. “It’s your Solstice gift, I was trying to find a good time to give it to you.”, he scratched the back of his head.
You gently took it from his hand. The box had a red ribbon wrapped around. Undoing the ribbon, You opened the box to find one of the beautiful necklaces you had been admiring with Mor. “Oh my Az. Its so beautiful. I love it. How did you know?”
“I may have had my shadows follow everyone around to find out what they wanted.” he laughed out.
You smiled. “Will you help me put it on?”. Handing the dainty chain to Azriel, you brushed you hair aside. Baring your neck to him. His fingers ghosted the soft skin, clasping the necklace together. He tenderly placed a kiss next to your ear, causing butterflies to erupt.
You cleared your throat. “I think we’ve been gone long enough. Would you like to get some food, Azriel?” you smiled.
“I would love to, my darling mate.” he paused before darkly saying “I am especially excited for the part that comes after I eat.”. You lightly smacked his shoulder before the two of you made your way inside, beaming.
taglist ---
@minnie-mitzel @itsbebeyyy @preciousbabymuffins @kexrtiz @vicisbookishblog @peneflop @millianec @agentsofsheilds 
680 notes · View notes
Text
Chapter 14 - A Different Point of View
Summary:  Things that happened that you weren't aware of.
Word count: 9,163 words
A/N: Thank you for being so patient with me. I struggled with this chapter due to its nature. I had to further dive into Bruce and Dick's character that I wasn't too familiar with.2020 was a very tough year for me. I lost lots, learned lots. And I thought that the quarantine would mean I would write more. But I was wrong. Life hit me hard, and I stopped doing a lot of things I used to enjoy.Despite being virtually absent last year, you guys stuck by me anyway. Thank you. I love you all for that.Special thanks to my two beta readers. You know who you are. Here it goes.
(i recommend you guys read previous chapters to refresh coz I had to lol)
Ao3
Masterlist
The roles that people played were false- a mere necessity for their career or survival. Everyone was playing a role, whether it was of their own accord or not.
Bruce Wayne was a role- superficial, fake, yet vital to Gotham. Batman, on the other hand, was a completely different role, born out of exigence and a sense of justice.
Dick Grayson, however, genuinely enjoyed playing his role.
Nightwing felt right to him. Being a police officer felt right to him. And especially, if not ultimately, being an older brother.
He listened to the dial tone of his phone, which rung for a few seconds before you finally picked up.
“Hey,” Dick heard your voice, the usual chirp absent that day.
Dick frowned to himself. Bruce was right about you being troubled after all.
“Hey, sis!” he forced the concern out of his voice. “You busy?”
“Nah, I’m just going over some old case files. What’s up?”
Dick leaned back into his sofa. Aside from the traffic blaring outside, the silence in his apartment made it easier for him to concentrate on analysing your speech patterns.
“Can’t I call just to ask how you’re doing?” he teased, easing into the conversation.
Everyone had always told him how he was natural at talking.
“You already called last week…”
Dick smiled to himself. He could already picture your narrowed eyes regarding him with suspicion.
It was good that you were always on your feet, but it was becoming borderline unhealthy. It reminded him of Jason and how he was always so guarded .
He pushed the memory away.
“I can’t call you again?” he rolled his eyes at no one.
“Bruce put you up to this,” you accused.
That’s because he’s worried about you, kid.
If only you knew how much Bruce had changed for you. Dick was glad that you were being loved by Bruce, yet he still couldn't help but feel slightly bitter that he never got that kind of treatment from his father- not the same treatment he gave you.
But he would rather die than admit his selfish thoughts to anyone.
“Yeah,” he conceded, “He was worried about you after last night.”
“I’m fine, Dick,” you insisted.
How many times has he heard those very same words from Jason?
“Well, if you’re not, then you can talk to me,” he offered.
A short pause.
Your response would be what differentiated you from his late brother.
“Actually, yeah,” you admitted.
There it was. No matter how stupid he knew it was for even comparing the two of you, he found that he always had to remind himself not to.
“How did you deal with it? Did it affect you?”
Dick told you his own experience with gore and dead bodies, how he overcame it, how he coped. There was silence after, and he just somehow knew what you were going to ask next.
“How did, uh, he deal with it?”
Your voice came in a whisper, hesitation evidently clear.
Dick was expecting it, but his heart still sank. He knew how everyone acted when Jason was brought up in conversation- he was guilty of reacting as well. He also knew how you were smart enough to avoid that topic.
It had been years. They should all have moved on, because Dick knew that they were also hurting you.
“He came to me as well.” Dick recalled Jason’s hesitant voice over the phone, never directly saying what was wrong, just rambling about things other than what was really going on in his head.
“Then he gradually called less and less when he learned how to deal with it himself.”
The day Dick noticed it, he was happy for Jason, but a small part of him was saddened that his little brother no longer needed him.
“I’ll have to look for that cognitive therapy, then. Thank you for calling, Dick. Talking to you helped.”
Did it really? He noticed your voice had changed again. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone on about Jason like that.
“No problem, kid. Call me if you need to talk, okay?”
The familiar beep left him isolated with his thoughts, wondering if you would trail in Jason's footsteps.
When will the day come when you eventually stop calling altogether?
***
He felt indebted to his city- the city he loved. The city he hated. The city that robbed him of his childhood.
He felt indebted to his family- the family he would give up everything for, the family he couldn’t stop hurting.
And he was sorry. God, he was sorry.
Sorry for everything he’s said and done- or didn’t do. But he still couldn’t stop. Because he didn’t know how.
Yet, no matter how much he claimed to love his family, the problem with Bruce Wayne was that he always expected them to be the people he wanted them to be.
Never like himself, though. No, he would never want them to turn out like him.
“That’s an order. Stay-”
The silence that followed the click in his ear represented the first time you had ever disobeyed a direct order.
It was a little late on your side. Dick and Jason had begun to disobey him within their first six months in uniform. But you had always been obedient- which made it easier for Bruce to trust you in the field.
This first time came as an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. And Bruce was…
Disappointed.
He grit his teeth when he saw you on the ground with the warehouse burning behind you. If he had just been a few seconds late, would you be in the fire, too?
“I almost had him.”
Bruce didn’t miss the wince of pain as you got up to your feet.
He had heard those exact words before countless times from J- no.
Bruce shoved that thought away.
“He would have gotten away, and we wouldn’t have known who it was that did this,” you argued, brows drawn together in a frown, mouth downturned. Your respiratory rate was high, and you were having trouble breathing.
When did you grow so tall? So confident?
Bruce silently pointed to the active security camera he noticed the minute he arrived and saw your expression fall- only for a second.
“I still think I made the right decision,” you insisted.
“You disobeyed a direct order.” He hated his own voice. The way he spoke sounded too militant.
“I acted how I saw fit,” you continued, “You always say to follow my instincts-”
“Not if your instincts contradict my orders.” He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. He thought he had changed. But no, Bruce was still a dictator.
“Wow. Just- wow.”
He could see the little twitches of annoyance within the disbelief on your face. He understood it completely.
You were walking away, clutching onto your side and weakly limping to your bike, adamant on not seeking his help.
He hated seeing you injured, in pain. It was his fault. If only he was faster, he could have stopped Red Hood from beating you up. If only he predicted it sooner, if only-
“I’ll be heading back now.”
He missed what you had said before that.
“Robin,” Bruce forced out, “Have Alfred check your injuries.”
He should have been there.
When you drove away, he lingered at the crime scene.
Bruce flipped a switch in his helmet, and his lense changed. Non-organic material lighted up bright white. He noticed a fractured piece of shrapnel lying on the ground, less than a centimeter long.
He picked it up and placed it into a test tube from his belt. Switching his view to normal, he saw that it was red, maybe made from fiberglass. He could only deduce that it was a piece of Red Hood’s helmet.
Despite Bruce’s frustrations at you for disobeying him, he felt a swell of pride. You probably landed a hit hard enough to crack the helmet just a little bit that you yourself probably didn’t even realise it.
He shone a UV light on it. A small portion of it glowed.
Bruce had always been numb when he played investigator so that he would remain impartial and objective. That was true justice.
But when he pocketed the evidence and sped to the Batmobile, he felt something he had never felt before.
Against all logic and rationality, he found himself dreading to uncover who the blood belonged to.
***
Bruce never drank his sorrows away. It was dangerous, too easy to develop an addiction to. He could have easily drowned in alcohol at any given chance, like when he thought of his parents, or when he thought-no, knew- he wasn’t enough.
But no, he only restricted his drinking for leisurely activities. He was disciplined. It was the reason why he was who he was.
However, in that moment, staring at the results of the DNA analysis after hours of anxious waiting, he wished he allowed himself a drink.
Not because he was distraught, not because he was in grief- but because he just didn’t know what to feel.
It wasn’t numbness. It was just plain confusion, an internal tornado of emotions whirling inside him all at once.
Footsteps.
He tapped on a button once, immediately closing the window of the test results displayed on the screen.
Composing himself, he clicked on another pending case to pretend he wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown. It’s just another role.
“Master Bruce.”
Why was he still up at this hour?
“Yes, Alfred,” he turned to meet the butler’s tired eyes- just as tired as his own.
Tired because of him.
Alfred was always up because of him. Because Bruce was a disease, constantly burdening others, dragging them down, keeping them up at night.
“I made some sandwiches. They’re light. Please do eat them,” he set the tray on the cluttered desk, simply pushing aside the numerous stacks of papers.
“Go to bed, Alfred,” he told him. Alfred was too old to be up at this hour. And whose fault is that?
“In due time,” he responded calmly, “What of the blood results, if I may ask?”
“Inconclusive,” Bruce lied.
“I see.”
Suspicion shrouded Alfred’s voice.
“How are her injuries?” Bruce asked, the pain finally creeping in, seeping into his bones.
“I commend you for asking about your daughter’s injuries after only four whole hours of staring at the screen, Master Bruce. You would definitely win father of the year.”
“I was occupied,” he sighed, “Please.”
“Her injuries are only superficial,” Alfred said, “Surface contusions at most.”
He still hurt her.
“Thank you, Alfred. Now go to bed.”
“It was only a little more than two decades ago when I was telling you the same,” he grumbled away.
Bruce made sure Alfred was gone before pulling up the results on the screen again, the glaring ‘MATCH’ sign staring angrily back at him as if it were shouting at Bruce, yelling in rage.
And Bruce understood completely. He had failed Jason Todd. He had betrayed him. And now he was back, vengeful, and full of resentment.
But that didn’t matter to Bruce.
Because despite it all, his son was alive.
In the end, that was all that mattered.
***
What did my son do to my daughter?
Bruce watched in horror as you lay unconscious on the hospital bed, hooked to the IV bag. He couldn’t stop staring at the bruises littering your neck.
Bruises that were far too small and evenly shaped to be the effect of a mere throttling.
He knew how the people close to him viewed him. He knew they thought he was strong, unforgiving, cold, emotionless. Especially when they put him side by side with Clark.
But he forced himself to be those things, because if he didn’t, he would have broken down years ago.
He was used to it. The pain. The darkness.
But this time, he felt like he was being crushed.
He felt like he was hanging on by a thread- no. A delicate strand of thin, brittle hair.
“It’s okay, doctor,” you had said, “I know what you’re going to ask me. No, my genitalia does not hurt. He didn’t do anything to me.”
He felt a wave of relief crash over him.
Jason wasn’t that far gone, then.
But as Bruce looked at your neck again, he still couldn’t help but feel nausea crawling into his core.
He still touched her.
Jim left after his questioning, and you drifted to sleep. He went over to you and looked down at your face, taking everything in.
Since when did you look so mature? When did you get so beautiful?
He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. Even in sleep you had your eyebrows tugged down, as if you were angry that you had to go to bed. He didn’t know why he never saw that small part of you that shouted rebellion despite you almost always following his orders.
He realised that when he watched you sleep, you looked a bit like- no. Don’t ever compare the two.
He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to your forehead, trying to convey all of his feelings to you.
He was sorry. So god damned sorry for dragging you into this, for hurting you, for pulling you down to the depths with him.
Hoping you didn’t feel the teardrop that fell to your forehead, he quickly wiped it away before leaving for his press statement.
***
“Master Bruce, please!”
Another crash.
Alfred’s plea snapped him out of his blinding fury, his crushing pain.
He was standing at the hallway near the Manor entrance, glass and broken wood shattered at his feet, feeling the walls closing in and narrowing as Alfred looked at him in alarm.
“I-I’m sorry, Alfred. I-” he stammered, feeling like the small, helpless boy who watched his parents die before him.
He remembered the time when he was little, only a couple of months after the tragedy. He had done the exact same thing, taking out his anger and anguish by destroying things, triggered by something he had long forgotten about.
At that time, Alfred had held him closely in his arms as he stained the butler’s suit with his snot and tears. Again, a burden to the man who raised him.
This time, he refused the old man’s offer of comfort, walking past to descend to the cold darkness of the cave he was so familiar with.
Bruce didn’t usually drink his sorrows away, but this time, he did.
***
Dick wasn’t a good person. He was far from it.
Case in example, it was the first time he saw you after your kidnapping.
He meant to come sooner, he really did. But he was just so busy in Bludhaven, he couldn’t spare any time to rush over the moment he heard his sister was hurt. He tried to justify it in his head by thinking that you were probably handling it fine.
But he was just trying to make himself feel better.
What a great brother he was.
“So, why are you obsessing over violent crimes?” he asked, trying to keep his voice from breaking.
Desensitization was one thing when you worked in that field, but obsession was a whole other problem. And he didn’t want to see his sister walk down that path.
“A lunatic just kidnapped me a couple weeks ago, Dick, maybe this is my coping mechanism,” you huffed, giving him your signature eye roll.
A lot of things start with just a coping mechanism, kid.
Dick knew it about it all too well. The people he brought in on an almost daily basis, high as kites. The accident last week on the highway at three in the morning, two innocent lives taken because of a drunk man who had started drinking three years ago to cope with his mother’s loss.
The man downstairs in the cold cave, who was just a little boy when his parents died, now living with the trauma while going out night after night to beat up criminals, sleeping only three hours a day at most.
“I don’t want your pity, Dick,” you huffed, “I’m fine.”
Yeah, you were. And that was what worried Dick the most.
“I know you are,” he tried to smile, “Which is why I don’t think this is your coping mechanism.”
You talked to Dick about Red Hood, sharing your concerns about him. This is what made you, you. Opening up to him, offering your thoughts and feelings. It was something he never had with Bruce or Jason. The both of them were similar in that sense.
“He won’t tell me either,” Dick huffed, “It’s always been like that with him. No matter how hard I try to get closer to him, sometimes it feels like he’s getting further away.”
It was the same with Jason as well. Did everyone he cared about just end up running away from him?
“I can relate to that,” you sighed.
“But I have a feeling that he will tell you eventually,” Dick tried to comfort you, “It seems too important not to.”
Dick knew better. Bruce had always excluded information from him, whether it was important or not.
“And,” Dick hurriedly tried to change the subject, “I heard from Alfred that you’re not talking to Bruce. May I ask why?”
“So that’s why you’re here,” you eyed him suspiciously. . “I came to check up on you,” he stated, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come here right after, but my little sister did just get kidnapped.”
When are you going to stop putting your guard up around me, kid?
“I told you, I’m fine,” you insisted.
“Then you’re fine enough to tell me why you haven’t been talking to Bruce,” Dick pushed, “I won’t judge. I’ve had my fair share of cold shoulders and fights with him too. I know first hand how frustrating he can be. So come on, tell.”
He saw you hesitate for just a moment, before conceding.
“We fought,” you began, “It was when I got back from the hospital. He wouldn’t tell me who Red Hood was. And he- he called me ‘Jason’.”
Ah, fucking hell, Bruce.
“Jesus,” he whispered, “What did he say exactly?”
“‘Back down, Jason’,” your voice cracked.
Dick saw the way Bruce spiraled after Jason’s death, and he would never tell you this, but deep down he was against Bruce adopting you so soon after. He thought that Bruce was using you to fill up the hole he too felt with Jason’s absence.
You were so like him, yet so different. Still, Bruce must have been really distracted if he could slip as badly as he did.
Dick would ask later.
“Now that’s something I haven’t heard in years,” Dick chuckled humorlessly.
Jason arguing with Bruce about using excessive force. Jason sneaking out to go for patrols whenever he was grounded. Hell, even Jason stealing whiskey from the cabinet at the age of fifteen.
He could still remember it so clearly. Jason with his dark hair poking into his eyes that were full of fury, cheeks puffed up and red as he pouted angrily at Bruce for making him stay at the Manor on nights Bruce insisted on going alone.
Dick tried to shove the past away. He knew he was making you even sadder.
“Has Bruce made any attempts to reconcile?” Dick remembered the conversation he was having with you.
“Yeah, but I’m still mad at him,” you pouted.
“And you have every right to be,” Dick nodded, “But Bruce, well, you know Bruce. He keeps these things to himself, but obviously he’s still hurting.”
You have know idea how much he’s hurting, Little Wing.
You avoided Dick’s eyes, looking down at your fumbling thumbs as the room became silent.
“I’m seeing someone,” you changed the subject.
“You are?”
Interesting.
“Yeah,” you blushed, “It’s still very new, and we’re not official yet or anything. But we’re definitely testing the waters.”
“That’s great,” Dick grinned, “Who is he? Tell me the deets. Spill the tea.”
He sort of loved gossip. It wasn’t a secret.
“I met him in the library a while back,” you excitedly said, “We exchanged numbers. Started texting, meeting up from time to time. He’s really cute.”
Ah, young love. What Dick would give to be at that age again.
“I bet he is,” Dick teased.
“What’s with that face?” you laughed, “He is! He’s slightly older, and he’s got this sexy bad boy look, you know?”
“I thought you liked the nerdy types?” Dick responded. He saw a picture of you and your classmates on your Instagram. Typical prep school kids.
“I never had a type, you ass!” . “You’re right. I thought you were completely uninterested in boys,” he wondered out loud, “Is he nice, at least?”
“Yeah he is,” you smiled to yourself, “He didn’t know I was Wayne until 2 weeks ago. Before that, we were mainly texting. Now we’re meeting up more. I feel like I can be myself with him. I don’t know, there’s just something about him that makes me trust him.”
So you still have some of your walls up with me, but you trust a stranger? Who is this guy?
“I’m not going to tell him anything!” you quickly added, “I’m not stupid. I know I shouldn’t trust someone I just met. It’s not about the confidential stuff. It’s the little things like how I feel, and my problems, and just- stuff, you know?”
The thought didn’t even cross his mind. Dick trusted you enough with their secret, just as how Bruce did.
“I get it,” Dick tried to rationalise, “You don’t know what it is about the person, but you feel like the two of you just click, am I right?”
It had been like that with Barbara. It had been like that with Kory.
Now Dick was alone, and deep down he knew that they saw him as how he truly was. Selfish.
“Exactly,” you smiled, “Been with anyone like that before?”
“One or two,” he brushed it off, “People like that- whom you just click with- they’re hard to come by. You should see where this leads. Who knows, maybe he’s one of those that would stick around, huh?”
What he would give to have at least one person who would stick with him.
After he met with Gordon, Dick went to the cave to see Bruce who was, of course, facing the computers.
“I know what you’re going to say,” his father’s voice echoed without even turning to look at him.
“Then you know how much you’ve hurt her?” he crossed his arms.
Bruce did turn around to face him, and Dick suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
He knew that Bruce hardly ever slept, but this was different. He looked disheveled, his complexion pale, his eyes more bloodshot and the dark circles even more prominent.
Alfred did say how badly Bruce took the kidnapping, finding him passed out on the cave floor with an empty bottle of scotch in his hand, but he thought that Bruce would have gotten himself together by now. It was surprising to see him that way, and Dick felt… Uncomfortable.
Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just the kidnapping, nor his fight with you.
“You found out something,” Dick narrowed his eyes, “Something important. What is it?”
He caught a flash of guilt in Bruce’s eyes. “I’ll tell you some other time.”
“Bruce,” Dick groaned, “This is why you keep on hurting her.”
Hurting us.
“I’m protecting everyone.”
“You can’t use that excuse with me anymore,” he sighed, “I don’t need your protection. So tell me.”
“No.”
That was his final word, and he knew that Bruce would never budge.
“Fine,” he let out a breath, “Did you know that she’s seeing someone?”
Bruce frowned.
Which made Dick frown. Since when did Bruce miss things? What the fuck was going on with him?
“Name?”
“Dunno. Didn’t ask. And no, don’t you dare,” Dick pointed an accusatory finger at him, “Do not do a background check on him. She deserves privacy. Hell, don’t even bring it up. You have no right to go poking into her relationships.”
Dick was being defensive, but that was because he was trying to convince himself as well, which was why he didn’t ask you for a name. He knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“I wasn’t going to,” Bruce reassured, “She… She deserves a life. A normal life. Not this- not-”
Dick knew then he had to leave, because Bruce’s voice breaking meant he was far from okay, and he knew that Bruce hated to show his vulnerability to anyone.
“Bruce,” Dick said, this time softly, “You’re not alone, you know. I’ve been with you since the beginning, and I’m still with you now.”
And with that, Bruce turned his back towards him again, silently going back to his goddamned computers.
“He’s been that way ever since the kidnapping,” Alfred informed him when he walked up to the manor.
“I don’t think it’s just the kidnapping, Alf,” he frowned at the butler, “There’s something more to it. Did he figure out who Red Hood is?”
“Perhaps,” Alfred pursed his lips, “But he refuses to tell me.”
“That means we know him personally,” Dick theorised, “Who the hell could it be that he’s so adamant on keeping it a secret?”
“I do not know Master Dick, but it can’t be anyone good if he’s got Master Bruce drinking during the day.”
***
Bruce knew that he was wrong to call you by his dead son’s name.
But his dead son was supposed to stay dead instead of haunting him with that glaring red bat across his chest, and having that thought in his head all the time, he slipped up.
He prided himself with his contingency plans and detective skills and preparations, but no amount of time could ever prepare him for when he found out his dead son had sexually assaulted his daughter.
You seemed to have dealt with it surprisingly well, exceeding his expectations. In fact, Bruce thought it was a bit odd that you weren’t as affected by it.
And then he saw it.
He saw what he thought was the internalized anger you felt finally bursting through the seams of your tightly lidded emotions.
And he wasn’t prepared for it.
Bruce didn’t think you had it in you, or else he would never have made you Robin.
But there you were on the ground, beating a man beyond recognition.
He couldn’t dread this moment because he never saw it coming. Not from you. Never from you.
He hurriedly ripped you off the man, flinging you away with force.
Pulse was present, but weak. Flail chest. It took him only a few seconds to observe the damage you did to the man’s face. It didn’t look good.
“Stay back,” he growled at you when you came close.
He couldn’t look at you. He didn’t want to.
“I-I didn’t mean to,” he heard you whisper.
“Call an ambulance,” he ordered.
There was no other choice. He had to take the fall for you.
“NOW!” he snarled at you again. In the background, you were on the phone, but Bruce’s thoughts were elsewhere, calculating what needs to be done.
You moved-
“Leave. I’ll deal with this.” You needed to go. You couldn’t be here when the ambulance and police arrived.
“Batman-”
“I said leave,” he snapped. He couldn’t even hear your voice.
He waited for the ambulance to come before leaving, making sure they saw him escape. Making sure he would be the one the media would attack.
And while he drove back to the Cave, he decided to give his son a call.
“Bruce?”
“Dick,” he sighed. He knew he had always been unfair to his eldest, giving him so much pressure to perform, pushing him to be his best- and ultimately away. He knew that he never showed it, but he was proud of Dick. He always had been from the very beginning.
“What’s wrong?”
It wasn’t a surprise that Dick picked up immediately that something was wrong. If it wasn’t for the fact that calling him out of the blue was what gave it away, Bruce himself trained Dick.
“She- she crossed the line tonight,” he tried to explain, “Jerome Miller. She attacked him. The damage she’s done to him is irreversible. I suspect he will be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.”
“Jesus,” Dick breathed from over the line, “Why didn’t you stop her?”
“I wasn’t there,” he grit. He thought he could trust you.
But deep down Bruce knew that it was all his fault after all. Who was he to act so righteous when he was the reason your parents died?
“I don’t know if she’ll talk to me, Bruce,” Dick sighed, “Not about something like this. She’s probably beating herself up over this already.”
“As she should.”
“Bruce.”
“Please,” Bruce asked, “I’m worried. She isn’t herself and I can’t blame her for it, but the chances of her talking to you are much higher than if I were to try.”
“I’ll try,” Dick agreed.
“Report to me after.”
“Bruce, we’ve talked about this,” Dick grumbled, “I am under no obligation to report to you. I’m doing this for her. Not you.”
He was trying not to go back to the man he was before, but sometimes he couldn’t help it.
They’re your children, not your soldiers.
He had to remind himself time and time again. It was easier to be just a father to you as compared to Dick and Jason, yet even then he made slips.
“I know,” he apologised. “Thank you.”
Click.
And then Bruce was alone again.
***
Bruce watched you from the corner of his eye when you came back. He noticed that you had put more effort into dressing up when you left the house that day.
There was a slight bounce to your step and a small smile that played on your lips.
Dick was right after all. There was someone you were seeing.
But no, he couldn’t look into it. In fact, it would be hypocritical of him if he did. Dick had many girlfriends and flings, and Bruce didn’t want to know about any of them. Mainly because Dick was his first, and the thought of a boy he raised maturing and having relationships made him feel confused about parenthood.
Not that many of them lasted too long anyway.
Jason was a little different. While Dick had girls lining up after him all the time, Jason was much more subtle about the girls he liked, and that made Bruce more curious- but not enough to investigate.
He thought about when Barbara had caught Jason looking at her, making him turn red. He wondered if Jason would like you.
A tight squeeze in his chest.
He didn’t let his mind linger there.
Bruce felt obligated to protect you, which tempted him to investigate the boy you were seeing. It could be a trap, it could be someone using you for fame and money, or something even more sinister. Hell, it could be Jason himself after that stunt he pulled off.
But there was no evidence, and Bruce wanted to be a father to you this time instead of Batman the mentor. So Bruce would have to trust you on this one.
***
There was something holding Bruce back from telling everyone the truth about Jason.
And because he is who he is, Bruce knew what it was.
Guilt. He blamed himself for what had happened, and telling others about it meant owning up to his mistakes. Bruce never ran away from his fears and feelings despite what others might think. On the contrary, he held to them very strongly, using them as a motivation to fight head on.
This time, though, he felt more self destructive- the worst he had ever felt since he carried Jason’s corpse from the rubble- and so he tried to delay the inevitable.
But time was running out. He had enough time to wallow in self pity. It was time to pull himself together, and the first step began with Alfred.
The Cave was colder than usual that night, air thin and darker despite the illumination he had provided. Bruce was slumped in his usual wheeled chair, cowl resting on the desk after patrol, the weight of his suit almost crushing him in his weakened mental state.
“Alfred,” Bruce sighed, “Please, take a seat. I have something to tell you.”
“I assume this is about the identity of one criminal who has been terrorizing your daughter?” Alfred retorted, sitting down anyway.
“Yes,” Bruce nodded, “This… This won’t be easy, Alfred. I suggest you prepare for the worst.”
“And the worst being..?”
Bruce wheeled himself closer to the butler, leaning forward. “It’s Jason.”
Alfred merely blinked. “I’m sorry, sir, but I’m afraid my ears have caught up to my age. I must have misheard you, because for a moment, I thought you said that Red Hood is Jason.”
“You didn’t mishear me, Alfred. It’s him.”
Bruce saw the confusion in Alfred’s eyes, the frantic search for reason. “Our Jason? Jason Todd?”
“Yes, Alfred.”
And then, Bruce felt it. The pain he had been suffering with for weeks spreading to the man who raised him. Alfred clutched his chest with one hand, the other clenching tightly over the armrest of his chair, his breathing quickened.
“Impossible,” he whispered, “Jason died. How?”
“There was an event regarding The League and Superboy punching reality. I won’t get into details, but I suspect that was what caused the initial resurrection. The restoration, however. We know of someone who has been continuously restored time and time again.”
“Ra’s Al Ghul,” Alfred concluded, “But why? Why on Earth would he restore Jason?”
“I don’t know,” Bruce frowned, “But it is an almost perfect revenge plan. I would like to entertain the idea that he has brainwashed Jason into thinking we are the enemy, but I can’t put it past him to develop a hatred for me. I… betrayed him.”
“Master Bruce, this is not your fault,” Alfred rose to his feet, “If it is indeed Jason, we can still help. I have faith in the boy.”
“Me too, Alfred. Me too.”
Bruce didn’t miss the sob that echoed faintly through the cave when Alfred ascended back up.
***
As if in slow motion, he saw every change of emotion on Dick’s face. The way he blinked once in confusion, the surprise approaching as he widened his eyes, and then his eyebrows stitching together in a deep frown, his lips downturning and nose flaring in anger.
Bruce saw the punch coming, but he did not do anything to counter it. Gladly, he took the right hook Dick gave him, appreciating the sting that radiated from his cheekbone to his jaw.
“How long have you known?” his son shook in anger.
“Dick-”
“HOW LONG, BRUCE?!” Dick roared, fists clenched, voice echoing in the cave.
“Since the night he blew up the warehouse,” Bruce replied.
“Jesus, fuck,” Dick ran his fingers through his hair, “Jesus, Bruce. That was over a month ago.”
“I know.”
“We-” he choked on his words, “We deserved to know.”
“I know.”
“So why the fuck didn’t you say anything?!” he slammed his fists on the desk. Bruce caught a few drops of tears that fell to the ground.
“I’m sorry,” Bruce apologised, and meant it. But he just couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
“You’re sorry?” Dick looked at him with eyes far too cold than he knew, “He was my brother, Bruce. He told me things he never told anyone else. We shared secrets and jokes. We went to the same diner once a week to catch up. He asked for my help and I asked for his. And then he died. Just like that, because you couldn’t keep him on a leash. And now he’s back, and you knew it was him, and you’re just sorry?”
Dick’s eyes were wet and red, and filled with contempt. Bruce couldn’t blame him. He hated himself, too.
“Does she know?” he whispered, “Does she know that the man who attacked her is your son, and is my brother?”
Like always, he pushed the pain away efficiently, logically, objectively.
“Yes,” he confirmed, “I told her this afternoon.”
“And she’s not angry?”
“If she was, she did not show it,” Bruce described, “In fact, she looked… Worried.”
“Of fucking course she would be worried,” he snarled, “She’s worried that she’s going to be irrelevant to you now the dead Robin is back.”
“She’s not,” Bruce growled at that, “She’s not his replacement. She never was.”
“Does she know that, Bruce?” Dick snickered, “Did you finally get over yourself and tell her that? Because the last fucking time I spoke to her, you called her Jason.”
Bruce didn’t know how to respond to that. He was good at smiling at the cameras and making speeches and charming an audience, but he was never good with words, real words that described his true feelings to the ones he cared for the most.
“I’m sorry,” he simply said, now numb to everything throughout years and years of practice. “I promise, I will bring him back. Will you help me?”
“What can I do that you can’t?” Dick scoffed.
“You knew him, Dick,” Bruce said, “You knew him in ways I never did. I can predict his movements, but to accurately guess what his motivations are- you knew him better than I did.”
“Fine,” Dick conceded, “But I’m not forgiving you for this, Bruce. I swear, you’re going to pay for all the secrets you’ve kept from us, be it by my hand or someone else’s.”
***
“Did you know that your daughter went out last night to see a boy while we were patrolling?” Dick brought up.
He was looking at Bruce’s back, as he always was.
Bruce was on the computers, going through hours upon hours of security footage and traffic cams for Red Hood- for Jason.
It was difficult for him to put the two together. Jason had always been his little brother. Young, naive, inexperienced. And now that same person was the leader of the underground.
It was definitely difficult.
“Alfred mentioned she went out, but I didn’t know it was to meet a boy,” Bruce replied without glancing his way.
“Well, she lied to me about it at first,” Dick sank in a chair, looking at his nails. “Got pretty defensive when I brought it up. Even tried to deflect by using Jason against me.”
Dick knew you meant to hurt him with your words, and it worked.
He was definitely surprised that you would stoop that low because he always saw you as a sweet, kind girl.
People change. That’s what happens when you stick with Batman.
But Dick didn’t expect you to change so fast.
“She… used Jason against you?”
Bruce finally turned towards him, the ever constant frown a little bit deeper that moment.
“Yeah,” Dick straightened, “It was the first time she’s ever spoken to me that way.”
“What did she say exactly?”
“That I was distracting myself by using humor as a coping mechanism, and that I should come to terms with the fact that it was my brother who kidnapped and sexually assaulted her,” he repeated bitterly.
“What did you say to her that she responded that way?” Bruce asked.
“I was just making fun of her boyfriend,” Dick shrugged, “Why? Do you think she’s hiding something?”
At first, Dick thought that you were genuinely angry at the both of them because you were right- Jason did kidnap you. Jason did do those things to you. And Jason was supposed to be under both Bruce and Dick’s responsibility.
Dick didn’t blame you for it, because he would have probably been angry if the situation was reversed.
It was one of the mistakes he always made as Robin when Bruce was teaching him how to accurately deduce by reading people. Never assume that someone’s motivations would be the same as your own.
“She hid that she has… someone from me. There must be a reason why.”
“Or she knows how you are and would rather not have your nose in her business, Bruce. She did find out about that tracker you put in her necklace. How did she even react to it?”
Bruce had done the same with both Dick and Jason while they were Robin, though it didn’t come disguised as a pretty, shiny piece of metal.
On the contrary, during Dick’s Robin days, Bruce had hid it behind his third molar while he was unconscious. He only found out after a year, when he was held hostage by a mercenary who wanted to use him to lure Batman. Said mercenary had detected the tracking device and pulled it out along with the tooth.
It made him increasingly more hostile towards Batman and his never ending need for control, but at least it saved him a trip to the dentist.
From what Dick knew, Jason died with his tracker on him.
Bruce had said that it was all done in the name of safety.
But would you tell Jason the same thing now?
“I apologised and never replaced the one Red Hood damaged. I thought that would have been sufficient for her to trust me again.”
Dick let out a bark of laughter at that, but it was void of any humor. “Only you would think that not replacing her damn tracker would make her trust you. No wonder she hasn’t told you anything.”
It was probably best not to mention that you were now also sexually active.
“Do you think she’s hiding something important?” Bruce asked.
“Are you actually asking for my opinion?” Dick smirked, “No, but it’s too soon to tell, anyway. Relax, Bruce. It’s like you forgot what it was like to be young and in love.”
That was obviously a joke. Bruce grew out of his childhood the moment he saw his parents getting killed in that alley.
As for being in love, did Bruce ever allow himself that?
***
“What did you say she called herself?” Nightwing asked softly.
The poor girl was scared out of her mind to the point where Dick found it difficult to extract important information from her ramblings.
Well, that’s what happens when someone makes you kill a person.
It was difficult, so difficult, to face the fact that it was Jason behind all of that.
“I t-think, V,” the witness- Elena- stuttered. “She with him. But try to stop him.”
Behind him, he felt Batman pause. He was walking around the club and analysing evidence while listening to the conversation.
“She tried to stop him? Him as in Red Hood?” Dick frowned.
“Yes,” Elena looked down and rubbed her arms.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but,” Dick tried, “You told me they were partners.”
“Yes, but she try to stop him,” she repeated, “I don’t know.”
“It’s okay,” Dick offered a smile, “Thank you very much. You’ve been a huge help.”
“Am I going to prison?” she looked at him with big, wet eyes.
“We’ll make sure you won’t,” Dick assured, “You’ll get the best defense team in Gotham.”
“You can do that?” she asked, hope in her voice.
“It’s the least we could do,” Dick answered, a sad smile playing on his lips.
He’s our responsibility.
“Thank you,” she gave a watery laugh, “Even prison better than with him, I want to be free.”
Dick heard footsteps approaching. As he turned around, Gordon entered the crime scene, followed by his team.
“Of course you’re here first,” he sighed at Batman.
“Gordon.”
“You might have to speak to the police again, okay?” Dick told Elena who was suddenly nervous again by the presence of so many people. “I’ll make sure they know you’re innocent. Gordon is the only one you can trust, okay?”
She nodded, her gaze turning downwards.
“Gordon,” he approached the aging man. He was used to talking with Gordon in Batman’s stead, even when he was Robin, and remembered feeling proud of himself whenever he finished speaking to Gordon regarding cases without Batman having to add anything.
“Nightwing,” he blinked, “It’s been a while.”
“Desperate times calls for desperate backups,” he grinned, “Anyway, the girl. She’s a victim of Victor Ibenescu’s human trafficking trade. Romanian, only thirteen when she was kidnapped. She was forced to shoot Victor by Red Hood.”
“This Red Hood likes his poetic justice,” Gordon snickered.
“It’s still first degree murder, or at least, that’s how the law would make it seem,” Dick reminded him, “But I assure you she’s innocent. Red Hood threatened to kill and rape her if she didn’t shoot.”
That was a lie, on both his part and Elena’s. Judging by the way she averted her eyes and touched her own arm, Dick could tell that she wasn’t telling the whole truth about being threatened by Red Hood- but he also knew that he couldn’t expose her and get into more trouble.
He wanted to let out a tired sigh, but that would give him away in front of Gordon and the other officers. He still needed to maintain his air of hopefulness, and he couldn’t seem like he was troubled by his thoughts.
Time to meet Bruce back at the cave and watch the surveillance footage.
***
“He’s got a partner now,” Dick voiced out his findings, “Since when did Red Hood partner up?”
Bruce’s frown was deep as he stared at the screen.
Dick pursed his lips. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Whether this is Red Hood or Jason?” Bruce hummed, “This definitely does not seem like anything Red Hood would do. He’s always tried to separate himself from others because it furthers his authoritarian agenda. He does not get friendly with people because people are disposable to him.”
“So you think this is Jason, then?” Dick concluded, “Well, Jason never had much of a problem working with others in the past, and he made some friends. He wasn’t the type to be hostile to people.”
“He did have trust issues,” Bruce pointed out, “At the very beginning.”
“Yes, and he kept a lot of things to himself,” Dick agreed, “But he did have friends.”
“Special friends,” Bruce added, “Friends who gained his respect and trust. So the question is- who is this girl and how did she manage to gain his trust?”
“Hey, play it back again,” Dick said, “Those moves.”
Bruce played the security tape, showing the mysterious girl and Red Hood taking down Victor’s men.
“Arnis,” Bruce pointed out.
“It’s a little different.”
“She has incorporated silat in as well. Low stance,” Bruce observed. “She’s skilled, but not polished. It could be anyone.”
There was something familiar about the girl that Dick couldn’t pinpoint. Dick usually had strong intuition- a gut feeling that enabled him to know which facts to focus on during an investigation, or a strong ability to see through people.
But the problem was that it wasn’t solid proof or evidence, something Batman heavily focused on. It was a gut feeling that told him he knew who the girl was.
“Do you think it’s-” he broke off without completing his sentence. There was nothing to back his claims.
“She has no reason or motive to work with Jason,” Bruce shot the idea down, “He’s hurt her. And… She wouldn’t betray me like that.”
“She’s been keeping secrets, Bruce,” Dick reminded, hating the fact that this time it was him who was suspicious.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
Because he never would have thought that Jason was capable of torture and murder, either.
Why didn’t he come to me?
“As you clearly pointed out prior to this,” Bruce grit, “She has her reasons as to why she’s keeping secrets. And it is most probably because of me. All of you kept secrets. But this time, I’d like to let her keep hers.”
It was sweet, seeing Bruce that way.
“Is it guilt?” Dick asked.
“It’s repentance.”
Dick hated playing the bad guy.
Because he wasn’t supposed to be. He was the one people looked up to for inspiration, he was the light to Batman’s darkness, he was the smiles and charms and laughter.
He wasn’t the one who would accuse his little sister of fraternizing with the- was Jason the enemy?
Shit. Jason had messed with his senses. Dick’s head was chaotic, his emotions causing him to tense up.
Was he wrong? Was he just like Bruce? Was he jumping to conclusions just because Alfred told him you were out? Should he investigate this Carter you said you were with?
No. I’m not Bruce.
And now, you were looking at him with angry eyes, betrayed and appalled by his accusation.
*** Large.
That was the first thing that came to Dick’s mind when he saw his little brother.
The last time Dick saw him, he was much shorter, and definitely not as bulky.
And the last time Dick saw Jason, he was giving him a hug goodbye, complaining that Dick had messed up his hair.
And now, Jason was aiming a gun at him.
The gunshot didn’t hurt nearly as much as the thought that Jason had indeed shot him. Did Jason hate him that much?
You’re almost as guilty as he is, Jason’s voice echoed in his head.
“Bruce,” he gasped in the comms, “I’m down. They got away.”
“I heard a gunshot,” the deep voice in his ear spoke.
“Yeah, Jason shot my leg,” Dick winced, “Didn’t hit bone but I think it nicked my artery.”
“There are children here,” Batman said, “I was right. He’s sabotaging the Powers’. Gordon should be here soon. You control your bleeding.”
Dick nodded to himself and took a deep breath before plunging his finger into the gunshot wound to keep himself from bleeding out.
***
“...suspects that the crime lord only known as Red Hood and an unidentified female were behind the home invasion. Maria and Joseph Powers were left in a gruesome state according to reports, but their only child Carrie Powers was unharmed. The authorities are not sure what Red Hood’s motive was, but more will be elaborated during Commissioner Gordon’s public address later this afternoon...”
Dick heard you close the door.
“You didn’t come home last night,” he lowered the volume of the television.
“Uh, yeah,” you answered.
Dick looked over at you. You seemed tired, eyes swollen and red from crying, wearing an oversized t-shirt that he didn’t recognize.
“I was at-”
“Carter’s?” he finished your sentence for you.
“Yeah,” you nodded, sitting down next to him on the sofa.
Dick frowned to himself. Your arms were crossed, you were avoiding eye contact, your body was angled away from him.
“You heard about the Powers’?” he turned his gaze towards the television.
“I saw the news on the way here,” you monotoned.
You smelled like a different shampoo. It was familiar, but Dick couldn’t remember where he had smelled it before.
“So you know that-”
“Yes, Jason did it,” you said rigidly.
“Along with-”
“His partner.”
Ah, now he remembered the smell. Jason’s favorite shampoo. He used to make fun of him for choosing one that was called what it was called. He didn’t really care about it, Dick kept his hair soft and fluffy with multiple women’s hair products. He just liked to rile Jason up because he was so defensive about it.
And with that, Dick let out a long, disappointed sigh.
“Bruce is in the cave. I suggest that you think long and hard about what to tell him,” Dick offered you a soft smile, “But no matter what you choose to say, you’ll always be my sister, and I’ll always love you no matter what, okay?”
You gave him a look of shock, and then realised that he had figured it out.
“I’m sorry, Dick,” you lips trembled, your eyes started brimming with tears.
“No, kid. I’m sorry,” he replied, “Go.”
You nodded and left.
Despite being right all along, he didn’t feel any sense of achievement. Dick couldn’t help but partly blame himself. For being so absent, for being neglectful, for being a bad brother.
Dick wasn’t perfect, but like hell would he stop trying to be.
***
For years Bruce had tried to stop feeling guilty for being relieved whenever someone else takes care of a problem he couldn’t solve- especially when it involved murder.
Bruce had tried to take down the Powers for almost a decade, and everytime he got close, there was always another obstacle in the way. It was difficult to expose the rich and powerful without resorting to violence, without resorting to breaking his principles.
So Bruce was ready to stop himself from internally celebrating their deaths. This time, however, he wasn’t as pleased. Because this time, it was Jason who brutally murdered two people. Jason, who was supposed to be under his care and responsibility.
“Bruce?” he heard your timid, small voice from behind him. “I have to tell you something.”
And there it was.
Bruce turned around and looked straight at you, piercing your eyes with his own as he waited on your confession.
A minute passed.
“I’m V,” you struggled to speak, “I’ve been meeting up with Jason for a few months now. I didn’t know he was Red Hood until you told me. But when you did tell me, I chose to confront him and team up with him anyway.”
Bruce didn’t say anything.
“He- he’s not a bad person, Bruce,” you justified, “He’s just really hurt. He needs help.”
You were telling Bruce things he already knew.
“I- I fell in love with him,” you continued, “And I let my feelings cloud my judgement and betrayed your trust. At first I thought that he was onto something, that his… methods were better than yours. And I was angry that you kept secrets from me. But after last night- after what I saw- I couldn’t- I couldn’t stay.”
Bruce clenched his jaw.
He suspected it. Dick suspected it. But for your sake, the both of them chose to put their trust in you. He had tried so hard to change from his old ways. He learned his lesson with both Dick and Jason.
He didn’t want you to go through the same thing they did.
So, he chose to blindly trust you anyway, hoping that he wasn’t right.
“I’m sorry, Bruce,” you were sobbing now, “I’m so sorry. Please, say something.”
After another minute of watching you break down in front of him, Bruce finally spoke up.
“Hang up your colors. You’re no longer my Robin.”
311 notes · View notes
fangroyal · 3 years
Note
#3 What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)
Fun Meta Asks for Writers
Adding the link to the ask game at the start this time, 'cause this is gonna be a long one, y'all. 😂
Where do I even begin? First of all, @angie-leena​, thank you so SO much for sending me this ask! It was the kick in the ass I needed to get me to actually write this scene, and for that I’m extremely grateful. I still don’t know if I’m entirely happy with the finished product, but it exists now, and that’s something.
So some of you may remember (if anyone actually follows my ramblings, haha!) that I’ve been simultaneously complaining about and obsessing over this gigantic WIP I’ve had since fucking March 2019. Nearly two and a half years have passed since I put the first word to paper, and oh how I’ve loved to cry out in frustration about how I have about 12k written on the stupid thing and yet not a single scene finished.
AT LEAST
NOT UNTIL TODAY
YES, I’VE DONE IT. I’ve finished a scene on this amazing, wonderful, and incredibly stupid WIP, and I could just cry.
FYI for anyone who doesn’t know what the fuck I’m talking about (which I’m sure is everyone, ‘cause I don’t expect anybody to remember this insane thing I’ve been shouting about all this time, LOL): this is the Slytherin My Gryffindor WIP. Yes, that is a working title. 😅 I will find a better one.....some day.......Ron/Draco is the main pair, but there will also be plenty of others sprinkled in the background.
Anyway, about this ask and that context I haven’t been arsed to write yet...
Context required in order to understand this scene 😂:
Fred Lives AU
The Muggle world and the Wixen world has kind of mixed in recent years, and it’s very common for magical people to be using Muggle technology
The Weasley twins have opened a second shop in Diagon Alley...selling sex toys (yes, really)
Their first original product line issssssss..........dildoes shaped like the Weasley brothers’ own dicks (and a fleshlight kind of thing for Ginny)
Yes this is crack!fic (but, like, also not???)
Ron has been made general manager of the shop and is there all the time, as they’re incredibly busy
Draco wants 👏 that 👏 D 👏, but is worried about Ron finding out, so keeps coming into the shop randomly hoping he won’t be there (and of course he always is)
Eventually there’s a day where Ron’s in the backroom, Charlie’s visiting and helping out at the register, and when Ron emerges, Charlie informs him that Draco Malfoy has just run in and bought Ron’s dildo
Cue Ron being incredibly turned on by this notion
So that pretty much brings us up-to-speed for this scene - it’s been a few days now, and Ron’s been trying to figure out a way to contact Draco to talk to him about the whole thing, since they never became friends or anything after the war and don’t regularly talk unless they’re just seeing each other around
The fic is meant to touch on, like...fame in the aftermath of the war (i.e. why anyone would be interested in sex toys modelled after the Weasley siblings in the first place)
Ron has evolved from his teenage self and grown to hate the fame - it prevents him from being able to date, because the press can never let him keep anything private
After this scene, the fic will focus on Ron and Draco developing a sexual - and eventually romantic - relationship (originally under the guise of “testing out” other products from the shop together)
They will try their best to keep their relationship a secret, but, like...everyone knows 😘😘😘
Also Draco is a model in this one (not important for this scene, but just thought you might want to know 😂)
In addition, some warnings/content to make note of before reading:
NC-17 (smut incoming!)
Technology circa 2005
Phone sex
Semi-public sex
Sex toys
Both Ron and Draco are a little drunk (but very consenting!)
Crack taken way too seriously
Of course, this hasn't been betaed or Britpicked, so I apologize for how very rough it is right now, lol. It will likely be a little (or a lot!) different if I ever actually finish this whole fucking fic and post it later on. I am treating this scene like a “sneak peek” of the fic, because I definitely do still want to try to finish it someday...
HOLY SHIT, I had a LOT more to say about it than I thought. 😅 So anyway. Scene under the cut.
Friday night at the Dragon's Head was packed. It took a bit of initiative, but Ron, Seamus, and Dean finally managed to snag them all a table in the back corner, hoarding the extra seats till Harry and Neville finally arrived, trailed closely by Ginny and Parkinson ― who were curiously short one blond wizard.
Ron tried not to think about it. He bought the first round with Harry, listening to him chat about the recent Puddlemere match against the Magpies. They ordered nibbles for the table. Ron munched on chips, his heart skipping every time the door opened across the room and another few patrons trickled in.
He was on his third pint of the evening when he started getting antsy. He sipped his Simison, using the light smoke curling around the rim of the glass to discreetly glance around the pub, hoping to spot a familiar head of blond hair in the crowd. His foot tapped impatiently on the floor.
"Is he coming, then?"
Ron's head snapped to attention. Ginny checked the door as well before turning back to Parkinson.
"Who?" Neville asked, snagging a vinegar-soaked chip from the bowl in the center of the table.
"Malfoy," Ginny said, craning her neck to see her girlfriend's screen.
Parkinson tapped away on her mobile, shaking her head. "No. Says he's already curled up with a bottle of wine and a good book, and doesn't fancy getting all done up."
Fucking hell. Ron drained the dregs at the bottom of his glass. It wasn't often Malfoy joined them on a mostly-Gryffindor outing ― not unless Parkinson could convince him. Somehow, Ron felt he should've known it wouldn't be in the cards tonight. Conversation pivoted again, and Ron ran his fingers up the sides of his empty pint, thinking.
At some point, Seamus and Harry set off to get another round, and Ginny hurried away with them after a quick peck to Parkinson's cheek. Neville and Dean had gotten into a chat about proper Mimbulus mimbletonia care, and Ron saw his chance. He could feel his heart start to thud in his chest as he cleared his throat, raising his voice to catch her attention.
"Parkinson?"
She turned back from watching Ginny leave, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yes?"
"Think you could give me Malfoy's number?"
The smirk she gave him in response made his hands shake a little as they drummed against the tabletop.
"Whatever for?"
Ron stared her down, knowing full well any excuse he told her would never be enough. Parkinson's expression was predatory ― as if she already knew the answer anyway. He waited for her to comment, bracing himself.
To his surprise, she instead dug her mobile back out of her handbag.
She turned the screen towards him, and he typed the number directly into the dialer on his phone. He waited a few minutes until everyone ― Parkinson included ― had moved on to other things and forgotten about him, and then slipped from the table.
Ron shouldered his way through the crowd to the loo, pushing inside and locking the door behind him. It was a small room, hardly bigger than a broom closet. There was a toilet and a sink, a grimy mirror hanging above it, and a dim ceiling lamp that barely lit the space.
Ron backed up to one side of the room and slumped against the wall. He gripped the phone in clammy hands. Those pints had picked a perfect moment to hit him all at once. Ron blinked away the creeping dizziness, staring down at the numbers glowing dauntingly on the tiny screen. He'd been unable to get it out of his mind for days ― the image of Malfoy riding his dildo ― and now that he had a way to contact him, he was frozen. The leaky faucet dripped, the sound maddening as it mingled with the rush of blood in his ears. This was stupid. This was so bloody stupid.
He hit call.
Ron held his breath, cupping the phone to his ear. The line rang and rang, until he started to realize he didn't have a plan B. What if Malfoy didn't answer? What if he had to leave a voicemail? What would he even say? He should've just texted him, damn it.
Then, suddenly, the ringing stopped. There was rustling and a mumbled, "Bloody useless thing." Then, louder, "Yes?"
"Malfoy?"
"Yes, this is ― Weasley?"
Malfoy sounded surprised. Ron breathed out gradually, his heartbeat slowing with it. Malfoy's voice was clear and present on the other end. No looking back. He tried to think of something to say, and only came up with one thing.
"Haven't seen you round the shop yet this week."
"Don't tell me that's really why you called." Malfoy sighed, trying to sound put-upon, but Ron could hear the hint of nerves underneath. "If you must know, that would be because I found what I'd been looking for."
"I know."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. For a moment, Ron thought Malfoy might hang up. But then he cursed quietly. "Damn that brother of yours. Incorrigible."
So it really was true. Charlie hadn't just been taking the piss. Ron felt a warmth flare up in his belly, spreading down to the tops of his thighs.
"Try growing up with him. And the twins? Now that's a real nightmare."
"I was trying for discreet, but you were always there."
Ron leaned further back against the wall, staring up at the dark ceiling above. He thought of all those times Malfoy had dropped in at the shop, only to hurry out again if Ron ever came too close. Malfoy had jumped at the chance when Ron had been called away to the back that day.
Malfoy cleared his throat. "Well. You know. So what, then? Looking to mock me for it?"
"You always assume the worst with me. Why is that?" Although Ron couldn't exactly blame him. He hadn't given Malfoy much else to go on in years past. Neither of them had. "No. No, I was calling because…" Why had he been calling? It had seemed such a natural thing when he'd asked Parkinson for Malfoy's number not five minutes ago. "I was curious. If there was, er." He waved his free hand, searching for the words. Nothing sounded right. "Any particular reason for it."
Malfoy laughed ― a short bark of a sound. "I mean, obviously yes. It's a sex toy, Weasley."
Ron snorted, taken aback. "That's not ―"
"Actually, I thought it'd make a nice statement in the middle of my dining table. It would be an excellent conversation piece for dinner parties."
"For fuck's sake, Malfoy, I didn't ―"
A chuckle rumbled through from the other end of the line. There was that snark again. Merlin, it made Ron hot, his skin blooming from his collar up to his ears. He chewed his lip, pulling back the grin that threatened to spread across his face.
"I only meant ― was there a reason? That you'd picked mine?"
The line suddenly went quiet. Ron had to check his phone just to make sure the call hadn't dropped.
When Malfoy finally replied, his voice was soft, uncertain. "What would possess you to call and ask me that?"
Ron breathed in slowly, his hand tapping an incoherent rhythm on his thigh. "Well, I'm a bit pissed, to be honest," he admitted, still feeling the slight burn the Simison had left in his throat.
Malfoy didn't say anything more at first. The lamp above buzzed as the faucet continued to drip. Ron could hear the noise from the pub pressing up against the other side of the door.
Then, Malfoy said, "Maybe there was."
Ron felt his heart jump into his throat. "Was what?"
"A reason why I bought it," Malfoy said slowly, deliberately. "Figure it out, Weasel."
Oh, bloody hell. Ron took a shaky breath. Every nerve felt like it was on fire.
"And...how was it?" Ron heard himself ask as if from very far away.
Even over the din of the music beyond the bathroom door, he could hear Malfoy swallow. "It was good."
"Oh, ta." Ron chuckled despite himself.
"No, I mean...Bugger." It was nice hearing Malfoy so flustered. A rare occurrence, and one that the little fluttering pixie in Ron's stomach very much wanted to repeat. "It was brilliant, alright? Happy?"
Brilliant. The word tingled down Ron's spine. For some reason, he couldn't wipe the smile from his face. Bloody hell, was this really happening? He thought of fleeting insults thrown in the school corridors all those years ago ― then he thought of a night just a few months ago, the look in Malfoy's eyes as Ron told him about the shop.
"You wrote a song about me once, if I remember correctly," Ron said, feeling deliriously happy.
"I suppose I did." Malfoy sighed.
Ron's eyes flicked to the door, to the noise of the crowd beyond. "Why didn't you want me to know?"
"Oh, please, Weasley," Malfoy said bitterly. "Pick a reason."
"I know, but ―" Ron tried to argue, but Malfoy cut him off.
"You don't owe me anything. It would be incredibly unfair for me to expect you to be interested in return."
Ron supposed that was fair enough. He'd had similar feelings towards Malfoy until very recently.
"I would be, though. I mean ― I am."
Saying the words out loud gave them a weight Ron hadn't felt before. He let them roll off his tongue, flattened the tip of it along his lips as he thought about flashes of icy blond hair, high cheekbones, and long fingers swirling around the rim of a glass. He thought of the moment he'd finally realized Malfoy had been looking back.
"Oh." Malfoy paused, seeming surprised by that revelation. "Good to know."
Malfoy fidgeted. Ron listened intently, hearing the breath he released and the scrape of his fingers against his mobile.
"You wouldn't ― ah." Malfoy caught himself, and Ron waited for him to continue, his ears ringing. "Would you want to…?" Malfoy trailed off, finishing his thought with a scoff.
"Would I want to what ― oh."
Oh.
Ron swallowed hard. He wanted to believe Malfoy was asking him what he thought he was asking him, but even after everything, it was almost too good to be true. The long stretch of awkward silence on the other end told him he was right, though, and that made him jittery, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck.
"I could be reading too much into this," Malfoy muttered.
"No, no, definitely not. I mean." Ron licked his lips, his mouth suddenly feeling far too dry. "I just don't want you to think I expect this."
Malfoy made a sound, and Ron could practically feel him rolling his eyes on the other end of the line.
"Oh, so you don't ring up every person who buys a model of your cock and ask them how they enjoyed it?"
"What? No, of course not!" Ron stopped, realizing, and laughed at himself. "You're joking. That was a joke."
"Terribly clever, this one."
A sudden jiggling of the door handle made Ron jump, almost dropping his mobile in the process.
"Occupied!"
He fumbled with the phone, his heart thudding wildly. When he put it back to his ear, Malfoy was laughing. The sound made Ron feel weak in the knees.
"Where are you?" Malfoy asked, still snickering.
"In the loo at the Dragon's Head."
"Oh, of course." Malfoy sucked his teeth contemplatively. "Hang on. Is there anyone in there with you?"
Another frustrated turn of the door handle.
"It's a single."
"Good." Malfoy lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Do you want me to use it?"
Ron pressed his hand flat against the door, waiting until he heard the bloke give a huff and storm off. "Use what?"
"Your dildo, Weasley."
The silken drawl of Malfoy's voice spread like gooseflesh across Ron's skin. "Right now?" he asked incredulously, although he was already half hard at the thought.
"I could give you an exclusive product review. Unless you don't want to."
"No, I do!" Ron replied quickly, and Malfoy laughed again, making him blush.
"Eager, are we?"
"Yes." Ron passed a hand over his face, trying to laugh as well, but it came out shaky. Merlin, it had been all he could think about for the past few days. Still, he'd never imagined Malfoy would offer it outright. "Just didn't take you for the phone sex type."
Malfoy hummed. "You caught me in a randy mood. Now how do I ― ah, right."
Ron assumed he'd been put on speakerphone, as there was now an echo. He dug out his wand for a moment and cast a quick Silencio on the bathroom. It was a wonder how he had the brain power to spare, when all the blood in his body was suddenly rushing to his cock. He could hear Malfoy fumbling for something on the other end.
"Where are you?" Ron asked in return, trying to distract himself from the heady thrum of anticipation.
"In bed. Naked," Malfoy added with a hint of a smirk in his voice. Ron groaned, shutting his eyes against the image of Malfoy stretched out on soft sheets, hard and waiting for him. Merlin, had he been naked the whole time they were talking? Ron pressed the heel of his palm to the crotch of his jeans.
Malfoy went silent for a moment, until there was a faint intake of breath. His bed creaked distantly in the background.
Ron licked his lips, cupping his hand around the solid, hot line of his cock under his trousers. "Are you prepping yourself?"
"Of course." Malfoy breathed out steadily, the bed creaking again. "You're bigger than I thought you'd be. Although I'd always wondered."
Fucking hell. Ron arched against his hand. Was he really going to get his cock out in a pub toilet? The last shred of his resolve melted away when he heard Malfoy moan, low and guttural, a sound that shot straight through Ron, all the way to his toes. He imagined Malfoy laying back, his knees bent up, and slick fingers down between his legs, pressing in and out of his puckered hole. Ron was switching the phone to his left hand before he could give it a second thought. He flicked open the button on his jeans and pushed his pants down to hook under his balls, taking himself in hand.
Ron rolled his hand down over his length. Malfoy's breath hitched, and he cursed, the bed shifting with him. Ron caught his lip between his teeth, wondering how many fingers he had in him. He imagined himself leaning over Malfoy on the bed, licking a hot stripe along his neck as his hand worked him open, his thighs falling open as he settled between them.
"Fuck, I needed this," Malfoy breathed. Ron moaned, pulling his foreskin back and rubbing over the weeping head of his cock.
Malfoy muttered a Cleansing charm, and then a drawer was pulled roughly open nearby. Ron heard Malfoy pick up the phone, moving and setting it down again as he bounced on the bed, adjusting himself.
"Are you ―?" Ron wanted to ask, but he couldn't finish the thought, left hand gripping the phone hard as he tried to steady himself.
"Yes, gods."
Ron paused, listening as Malfoy shifted and panted on the other end. He didn't have to ask when it was fully in. He knew the moment Malfoy's breath faltered, the gasp he gave sending shivers down Ron's spine.
Malfoy huffed, the sound so loud to Ron's ears as the whole world funneled down to a point, to this moment as he listened to Malfoy move the toy inside of himself. He moaned, and Ron thought he could hear the squelch of lube on the other end of the line as it entered him.
"Talk to me, Weasley."
Malfoy sounded wrecked. It was enough to make Ron's toes curl just to hear it. It was almost too much to handle ― the idea of Draco Malfoy being thoroughly fucked out by a dildo modelled after Ron's own cock. Ron's head thunked back against the wall. His hand trembled a little as he began stroking himself again.
"Get on your knees for me," he said softly.
Malfoy swore. Ron heard him flip over, his panting breaths suddenly closer to the receiver. In his mind, he could see Malfoy bent over the bed, arse in the air and cheek pressed against the mattress, lips rosy and parted. He imagined himself knelt behind Malfoy, hands gripping his slender hips.
"There's, uh." Ron swallowed. "There's a self-shagging feature. If you want. The spell's ―"
"Oh, we're well acquainted."
"Fuck," Ron moaned. No way he was going to last like this. He rocked his hips, thrusting into the tight circle of his fist. Malfoy sounded like he was trying to collect himself, even as his voice broke on the last word. Ron couldn't begin to explain why that aroused him so much, but he didn't care, already speeding up his hand as it flew over his cock.
Malfoy cast the spell, and Ron felt his cry as the toy began to move on its own. The bed gave a jolt under Malfoy's weight. He gasped again, and Ron heard his fingers scrambling across the sheets.
Ron could almost see it. He imagined Malfoy's bowed back, his knees slipping and spreading apart, his toes curling. The bed creaked with each movement. A dildo of Ron's own making, Malfoy arching back onto it as it fucked him down onto the mattress. Merlin, he should've known Malfoy would take it so well, his eyes rolling back as he listened to the sounds Malfoy made as it thrust into him.
Ron closed his eyes and felt like he was sitting in the room, watching the whole show, watching a copy of his cock pound into Malfoy again and again. The pub outside the bathroom door fell away from him, and all he could focus on was Malfoy's voice and his hand on his own cock.
"Tell me how it feels," Ron choked out, wanting to hear it, see it, touch it, to watch Malfoy unravel under Ron's hands and cock, to capture each cry with his tongue.
Malfoy groaned. "So ― good ―"
"Tell me," Ron rasped again, thrusting his hips forward into his hand. "Tell me ― ah ― how good it is."
"It's so ―" Malfoy cried out, his hands skittering over the sheets. "So good ― so big ― I ―"
"Fucking hell, Malfoy."
At that point, Ron didn't know if he wanted to be watching the toy fuck Malfoy or if he wanted to take over for it. Was he really getting jealous of a dildo? He wished he was there. He wanted to tell Malfoy as much, but he couldn't manage it, instead moaning loudly as he felt his balls begin to draw up against him.
"Fuck, Weasley, you're gonna make me come," Malfoy whined, his posh accent slipping. 
Holy shit, and that was what did it. Ron made a gut-punched sound, his wrist flicking over the head of his cock. He was coming almost before he'd even realized. He barely had the presence of mind to do anything about it before the first spurt had dribbled onto the floor. He pushed off the wall and lent forward, pumping the remainder into the sink. He heard Malfoy swear, and Ron slumped back against the wall again, listening as he came apart with a shuddering cry.
The line went quiet once more. Ron rested his head on the tiles behind him, closing his eyes, holding his softening cock. For a long time, all he could hear was Malfoy breathing on the other end, his own heartbeat equally loud in his ears.
"I liked that. A lot."
Eloquent as always. Ron half expected for Malfoy to say just that, but instead he heard a very soft chuckle ― and then, quietly, "So did I."
Now that his heart rate was gradually slowing, the noise of the club outside wormed its way back in, reminding Ron of where he was, and what he'd just done. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably, glancing at the door when he heard a chatty couple pass by. How long had he been in there? Were the others looking for him?
Another person suddenly banged on the door, and Ron started, pushing off from the wall and quickly withdrawing his wand, disabling his Silencio and spelling himself clean.
"Right." He wanted to say more. Merlin, he did. But instead all he said just then was, "Well, I should probably, er, get back to it. You know?"
"Of course." There was rustling on the line, and then Ron was off speakerphone, Malfoy's voice close and intimate again in a way that made him shiver. "Have a good night, Weasley."
"You too, Malfoy."
Ron exited the bathroom, ignoring the irritated look the other patron gave him as he slipped past.
The entire way back to their table, he felt like he was floating on a cloud. Harry gave him an odd look when he slid into his seat, pulling the fresh pint they'd bought him an indeterminable amount of time ago towards him. Ron couldn't even begin to catch up with what they were all talking about, his mind drifting to thoughts of Malfoy, his mobile a leaden weight in his pocket as the night wound on.
48 notes · View notes
lunarliza · 4 years
Text
JJ Maybank Must Die | Chapter 3: Fanny Packs
fuckboy!JJ x Reader
series masterlist | prev. chapter | chapter one
JJ Maybank is the island’s most infamous fuckboy- not that you ever cared. But when a group of tourist girls come to your surf shop crying to you about him, you agree to help them plot revenge. Sabotage is all fun and games, until you find that the playboy you were sworn to ruin happens to be falling head over heels for you.
Yes, this is based on John Tucker Must Die lol
Tumblr media
For once, you finally felt like everything in life was falling into place.
Sophia dropped off your Venus Panic ticket last night, you booked a ferry to the city for September, you just earned another ‘employee of the month’ title which basically meant you were a shoo-in for the scholarship, and you noticed in the mirror that your ass was looking just a tad bigger.
You were sorting out the application clipboards one afternoon when you heard the ding of the front door opening. In came a cocky head of blonde hair looking as smug as ever. You dropped the stack on sight. 
How did he know where you worked? Was he stalking you? Should you file a restraining order? 
“Uh, can I help you?” 
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding all this time, huh?” JJ crossed his large arms and surveyed the tiny shop.  
“Yeah... how the fuck did you find me?” You bent down to hastily pick up the mess. After the incident at the Boneyard on Saturday, you weren’t expecting to run into him again for the rest of the summer. You didn’t think he’d be this relentless. 
He casually shrugged. “Eh, I just asked around town for a y/n and they told me you worked here. Still amazes me how I haven’t seen you around.” 
You rolled your eyes. As if you and JJ didn’t have English together just this past semester. Nevermind living on the same island for how many years. 
“Anyways,” he continued, I came here to sign up for surfing lessons.” 
You flinched your nose. “You’re telling me you’ve lived here all your life and you don’t know how to surf?” 
This was coming from the boy that won ‘Most Likely to be a Famous Professional Surfer’ in your 5th grade yearbook. 
“Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve hit the water. Maybe I need a refresher.” He flashed you a shit-eating grin- the kind girls around here would swoon over. But in that moment you were just plain uncomfortable. 
“Sorry, we’re booked for the summer.” 
He inched closer to the counter. “Well, at least let me take you out to dinner. Come on, when are you off?” 
You glanced side to side in agitation, racking your brain for some witty remark.
“December.” 
“I’m serious, y/n. I want to take you out! You know, get to know you better,” he prodded. 
You weren’t born yesterday. But he sure was if he thought he was going to take you out anytime soon. Or ever. 
“Yeah well, I think I’ll pass. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have my last session of the day in ten minutes.” 
Luckily, you were able to slip past him and out to the beach for your beginners’ class. It was a small group- an old couple and two boys around the age of nine. 
You greeted them with you usual work-charm and had them set their boards around you. Just as you situated yourself, you hear a faint “Wait!” followed by JJ sputtering towards the pack with a board under his arm. 
You wanted to rip your hair out. 
“What the hell are you doing?!” you spat, startling the old couple with you vulgarity. 
“I’m here for the lesson.” 
“Like I said,” you sneered through gritted teeth, “We’re booked.” The glare on your face was very, very potent, and you knew this wouldn’t be good for the reviews. 
“Yeah, your co-worker in there told me one of the guys that was supposed to be here said he couldn’t make it. So that leaves a spot open for me.” 
Cody. That rat! 
You sighed in defeat, motioning for him to situate next to the younger boys. “Fine, just take a seat and be quiet. You already missed the safety instructions!” 
All throughout your session JJ was an absolute pest. He could have at least played the part of someone who’s never picked up a surfboard in their life. Instead, every time you went into detail about a specific step, he’d pitch in his own comments no one asked for. 
“Well actually, it’s better if you add a jump when you stand up, you’ll go faster.”
“Well actually, if you try to pivot your board when they wave’s under you, you can ride it longer.”
“Well actually, if you attempt a big wave first, you’ll learn how to balance better.”  
The next ‘well actually’ you heard, you were going to fling JJ to the sharks.
When it was time for the group to hit the water, you tried to guide them through the motions, but everyone was too busy listening to JJ ramble on and on about his personal tips. 
For the remainder of the session, you sat on the shallow end, watching JJ have a rat-a-tat time with your customers. Blowing away a stray hair that fell on your face, you continued to glare at the light-haired boy cheering on the kids as they attempted the baby waves. 
There was a point where one of them leaned over onto JJ’s board and threw their arms around him. You softened at bit at the scene. It was very cute. 
Once the hour was over, you called everyone back to shore to give your closing remarks. JJ darted up behind the lot, sparklets flying everywhere as he shook his wet hair. He beamed at you, but you just averted your eyes. 
While everyone headed back to the hut, you tucked the cash you were given into your fanny pack and gathered your items to leave. That was, until you felt the player boy grab onto your hand. 
“Hey, the waves are absolutely insane out there. This is your last session today right? Come surf for a bit, you didn’t really get to do much earlier,” he offered, blinking down at you with his sky-blue eyes. 
“Well I would have if someone wasn’t running my class.” 
JJ let out a soft chuckle. “Look, everyone was happy with the way it went. And I’ll even tell your boss that you’re an amazing instructor. Which, to tell you the truth, you are.” 
You huffed and picked up your board to tread back into the water. You had to give it to him, though. The waves were indeed on fire that afternoon.
You were able practice a few moves you were working on, executing them perfectly. JJ, too, was flexing his tricks and you made a few mental notes to try a few of them later when he wasn’t around. 
When a pipeline wave began rolling your way, JJ tossed you a devilish grin, looking like a kid ready to break something. It was supposed to be one of the hardest ones to surf on. 
“Bet you won’t get this one!” he hollered. You flipped him off with a smile. 
“Bet I will.” 
You both eyed the target, determination evident, as you paddled. JJ quickly bounced up once it tumbled in while you waited a couple seconds after. 
Immediately, he plunged from his board while you expertly pivoted and glided along the tide. Poking his head from the water, he yelped seeing you nail it. 
Afterwards, you plowed back up the sand with him while he raved about what just happened. “That was so sick y/n! It was a pipeline! A fucking pipeline! I’ve never seen anyone do that before.” 
You blushed and tucked your hair behind your ear. “Well, it’s kinda my job.”
As you reached the shop, he turned to face you. “Yeah, speaking of, when do they give you a break around here again?” 
You chuckled and shook your head. “JJ, I had fun out there, but I’m still not going out with you.” 
“Alright! Alright! I get it. Can’t hate a guy for trying.” He held his hands up in defeat. 
You bid him goodbye and started getting ready to close the store. 
Later that evening, you met Sophia and the others at Annalise’s condo, spilling the beans on what happened. They all collectively gasped and hung onto their seltzers. 
“He actually came back?” Maia repeated as Arabella anxious gulped her drink. 
“Yup! Bothered me for my entire session and everything. God, he’s so delusional thinking I’d actually go on a date with him.” 
All the girls giggled except for Annalise who stared at the ground in deep thought. “But what if... you did?” she finally spoke. 
You grimaced. “Why on earth would I do that?” 
“No, like, fake date him,” she re-emphasized, “Think about it- you can fake-date him and we’ll go on your dates and sabotage the fuck out of him! Then, for the cherry on top, you can dump him before he even gets the chance to run! It’s the perfect ploy guys! We need to make sure he never messes with any girl ever again.” 
“Uh, I don’t know,” you scratched your head, “Can we really pull it off? It sounds so messy don’t you think?”
“Relax, we’re not killing him,” Annalise assured, “Also, it’s what he deserves! He’s broken practically every heart on this island. It’s time we take a stand in the name of our womanhood!” 
“That, I agree with,” Sophia added and the other two nodded. 
You were kind of shocked that Soph would be on board with such a preposterous plan. But, then again, this wasn’t the worst thing she’s ever agreed to. 
“You know,” your best friend continued, “I heard after you ditched him at the Boneyard, he hooked up with Emma Cohen the same night and ghosted her too. The boy just won’t stop!” 
Arabella gasped. “See! Rejecting him just isn’t enough! We need to kick him straight in the balls!” 
They did have a point. A twisted, ridiculous point. But you weren’t all gung ho about being the one to beat JJ at his own game. You- the girl who couldn’t even get Pope Heyward to take her to a dance. 
“All you’d have to do is bear him for a few dates. I’m sure we can take care of the rest,” Maia noted. 
Reluctance was still evident on your face. You could tell Annalise was getting desperate. “You know, y/n, I saw all the UVA gear on your locker at the shop. My dad’s best friends with the chancellor. He owes my family a lot of favors. How about I make a deal with you. If you do this for us, I’ll have my dad write you a rec letter and talk to his friend. You’ll be pretty much guaranteed a spot at UVA when you apply.”  
You let out an exasperated breath. Now that was an offer you couldn’t refuse. You wanted to put up more of a fight, but you didn’t want to let an opportunity like that slip from your fingers.
“Alright,” you sighed, “Fine. You sold me with UVA. Count me in your little scheming game again.”
Your friends cheered and clinked their drinks, eyes hungry for revenge. You sat back meekly and sipped yours, knowing the next few weeks were going to be an absolute train-wreck. 
“But wait!” you raised in the midst of the group’s plotting , “I shooed him away today. What makes you think he’ll be back to ask me again?” 
“You rejected him twice today?” Arabella questioned. You gave her a quick nod. 
“Oh girl, he’ll definitely be back.” 
-----------------------------------
Sure enough, JJ was back at the hut bright and early the next morning when you started your shift. 
“It’s you again,” you greeted as he leaned his arms against the counter, flashing you a smirk. 
He had on black aviators and a gray crewneck. For a second he seemed like a cute, innocent little puppy. Until he opened his mouth. 
“Don’t act so coy, babe, you know you’re happy to see me.” 
Oh God. This was the guy making half the island bawl in tears? You really couldn’t wrap your head around it.
You sighed, ignoring his corny-ness. “What do you want? We’re booked for the day.” 
“Ouch, is that any way to treat a customer?” He pretended to have gotten shot in the heart. 
As if on cue, Cody’s stocky legs strolled out of the back room, acting like he owned the place. He slid behind the counter to face you, disregarding JJ. You scowled and rolled your eyes.
“Y/n one of my customers had a complaint yesterday,” Cody stated.
“What? They had a shitty instructor? I could’ve told them that,” you shot back nonchalantly, inspecting your bare nails in disinterest. 
From the corner of your eye, you could see JJ snort in amusement. 
“Actually,” he prevailed, “They were complaining that their board was wobbly because someone let their customers take all the new ones.” 
You remained emotionless at his petty grievance. “What? It’s not my fault I don’t make my students do a hundred push ups at the start of the session. Maybe quit the crossfit and then they’ll actually leave better reviews.” 
Cody narrowed his eyes. “My students are grateful for my complimentary body-weight routine! They need to be fit for the waters. Whatever, stop fucking taking all the good boards! You’re taking away my customer experience, my good reviews, and my scholarship!” 
He proceeded to storm out the front door to his first set of victims for the day. You shot daggers at his back before JJ’s giggling snapped you back to reality. 
“Done,” JJ said, lifting his eyes from his phone.
“What are you talking about?” 
“I just left a bad review for that guy on your website.” 
Your eyes widened. “What do you mean?” 
JJ flipped his screen to you with the post pulled up. You read it out loud. 
“Do not recommend having Cody as your instructor. Made me do a hundred push ups before I got in the water, voice was too demanding, and shorts were uncomfortably short.” You erupted in laughter and playfully swiped his arm. “No way JJ!” 
“What?” he grinned and pocketed his phone. “Dude was being a real asshole to you.” 
You lightened up a bit at his kind gesture. Well, kind to you.
“Anyways, look,” he went on, “I know we might’ve started off on the wrong foot yesterday, but I wanted to come here and ask you out again. Properly.” 
You opened your mouth to speak, but he persisted with his rehearsed spiel. 
“And before you say no, I just want to say that it won’t be nothing grimey or weird. Just dinner. Tonight. It’s not gonna be the best night of your life or the worst, I just wanna get to know you.” 
You sighed and cocked your head to the side. “If I say yes will you leave and stop bothering me while I’m at work?” 
“Abso-fucking-lutely.” 
You blinked in disinterest. “Pick me up at seven. And don’t be late.”
--------------------------------
note: dUN DUN DUN!!! 
chapter four
tags: @obxlife @rudyypankow @yeehaw87 @ilymarkchan @jellyfishbeansontoast @tangledinsparkles @toloveortobeinlove @pixelated-pogues @normatural @teamnick @drizzlethatfalls @hazelgirl355​ @wicked-laugh​ @jjmaybankswife​ @ponyboys-sunsets​ @5am-cigarette​ @everydayimfangirling​ @angvelics​ @poguecollins​ @xealia​ @floridabornandraised​
457 notes · View notes
meta-shadowsong · 3 years
Text
Quick response to Mandalorian season finale
Behind a cut because, well.
Okay, yes, I am in this show for Dadalorian and Found Family etc. But I am at least as invested in the plotline this season about various factions of Mandalorians and their, for lack of a better word, sectarian disputes. Which frequently result in barfights. Because Mandalorians.
(AKA that scene where they picked up Bo and her minion was. A Delight.)
(Also, I love my girl Bo-Katan. Even if she’s very much a blunt instrument/not a politician going at this in all the wrong ways and was Very Rude to Boba but tbh I wasn’t 100% sure she was going to show up in this episode and I would’ve been Sad if we hadn’t gotten to see them meet. Either here or next season.)
(Still Sad at the lack of Sabine, though :( )
Leaving aside anything re: Gina Caranno (because that has been discussed by people much smarter and better-informed than myself), I’m kind of thrilled that the strike team was Almost Entirely Ladies.
(On that note. Uh. Does anyone else kinda. That little “Anyone else, we can take” smirk. And I just. Uh. Bo/Fennec, anyone??????)
(I kind of already ship Bo with Ventress tbh but a) multishipping ftw and b) threesome??????)
(Hi I’m shallow sometimes lol)
Anyway moving on.
Also the sound/almost-music when the Cylons Dark Troopers were activating was Excellent I approve.
And that Visual of the one trooper Din set on fire. ...honestly that whole hallway fight sequence was pretty Brilliant.
And the sort of...almost casual layer of the scene in the elevator. Even if these women haven’t worked together before, just that, “sure you don’t need any help with that?” “I got it. Excuse me.”
And that whole thing where Gideon was trying to Manipulate Din and he was like “...dude, I legit just care about the kid. I’ll fight for/with Bo-Katan because she’s pretty badass and I Might As Well plus she gets me what I want but I don’t...actually...Care about her Greater Cause?”
(Side note, I’ve spent a lot of time writing Bo-Katan/figuring out how her head works and literally all she cares about is Mandalore and its survival. It’s why she broke away from her sister in the first place, and has informed every single thing she’s done since. A lot of why she makes the specific choices she does goes back to the Mandalorian Civil War and her experiences there--especially since all the evidence indicates she was not with Satine and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The way that separation and their different experiences of that conflict probably contributed to the eventual destruction of what seems likely to have been a Very Close Relationship before that is fascinating to me. And the subject of a fic I’ve been working on off and on for a couple years now, lol.)
(...anyway, where I was going with this was--I mean, yes, Gideon knows everything in terms of facts, but he doesn’t always interpret them correctly. IMO, Bo-Katan’s desire to rule Mandalore is less about power (for herself) than it is about Mandalore. Especially given some of what she says to Sabine in Rebels--if there was someone else she genuinely trusted to take the throne and rule her world, she’d be willing to cede her claim and be one of their generals. Especially since she’s very much not a political animal. She’s an excellent war leader, but not so much in terms of actual Governance.)
(insert long ramble about the Parallels between her and Anakin, which I touched on in one of my fanfics, lol; and will probably do more with in my BB project which involves the two of them and Padme as the main characters)
(And, yeah, she does want to fight Din for the right, but if she thought Din would be a good Duke/King of Mandalore, I think she would seriously considering swearing allegiance to him? Again, witness how she handled things with Sabine. Also she would probs prefer to avoid a third (fourth?) civil war in her lifetime. But, I mean. I love Din but he is. He is not a Leader. Not like her people need.)
(And I think the way things played out with Sabine affects her decisions here, too--she did accept the Darksaber as a gift/tribute then, but proceeded to lose it. Maybe she does need to fight for it the way Maul and Viszla did (presumably; we don’t know how he got the Darksaber; it may be something he inherited/have been held by House Viszla for a while, even if they never used it to dethrone the Kryzes until now).)
(But, then again, I mean, this has been her life for at least a decade, so...well, maybe she wouldn’t quite step aside. Even if an Absolutely Perfect candidate came along. But WRT Din specifically--given who he is and what he’s capable of, while she absolutely wants him in her camp (and on a personal level isn’t super thrilled about having to fight him like this; she seems to genuinely like this kid), my guess is she doesn’t want him ruling. Not without some more actual leadership training/experience. Because, well, he’s been either a follower or a loner in everything we’ve seen him in, and given Bo’s opinion of (possibly experience with?) the Watch/the group who raised him, and the fact that he’s consistently shown himself to have super-narrow priorities and not really caring about much outside of them...yeah, she probs has some Concerns.)
(Plus, he clearly doesn’t want it. And you have to Want It on some level in order to be an effective ruler--that Wanting can be from genuine altruism/wanting to make the world better, like we see with Bail and Padme; it can be from single-minded determination to Make Things Right, like Satine and I would argue Bo-Katan (Leia falls into either the first or second category, depending on the point in her storyline); and it can come from a desire for personal power and advancement (as we see with Pre Viszla and, of course, Skeev Palpatine himself; to be fair, rulers in this third category tend to be bad in other ways lol). But someone who genuinely doesn’t want power generally kind of Sucks when they’re unexpectedly handed it. Which I could cite several IRL historical examples of. And, I mean, obviously, this isn’t the only factor in play for what makes a good ruler/leader (see above re: Palps and Pre Viszla), but it is a factor.)
(Also, to clarify: none of these are bad qualities/traits, necessarily? Like, traits are good or bad depending on whatever context a person/character finds themself in. And in Din’s current context, with his current life and mission--even in situations where he has to coordinate with other groups in the service of a larger goal--these are excellent traits to have. But for someone who’s responsible for an entire nation? Not so much.)
(One could argue that Bo has some Issues there, too, albeit different ones, which is why I think she might be willing to step aside and cede her claim to a Genuinely Good/Better Alternative, if she found one. She’s a war-leader, not a ruler, and the two jobs require overlapping but different skillsets.)
(..........honestly? I don’t think the show would go there, but I think the two of them as a team/partnership ruling Mandalore would actually be really effective? Either on an equal footing or with one as the Official Ruler and the other as a second-in-command/right-hand. She has the leadership expertise and the actual will and drive to pull this off, and he has the diplomatic skill, as we see with the Tusken Raiders, among others.)
(Not a romantic partnership, lol, that would be Weird, but a political and probably eventually platonically affectionate one. Especially with how Mandalore feels about family of choice/adoption, and the fact that they’re both kind of alone now (whatever happened to Korkie, anyway??) even if no formal adoption is likely in their case...)
(Anyway. Uh. Long tangent aside...)
(also if there’s anyone who didn’t see Gideon trying to decapitate Din when his back was turned...IDEK what you were expecting. Like. I am All About guys like Pellaeon in the Imperial ranks, and the fact that there might be a few people who would make that offer/deal and be on the level. To say nothing of my best beloved Alexsandr Kallus. But. Uh. Gideon is. Not one of them.)
(Also, I thought it was a Nice Touch when the spear started turning red--because, no, the Darksaber can’t cut pure beskar. But it does generate heat, as we’ve seen in, say, TPM. And beskar does melt.)
Also, called it on tossing the Cylons Dark Troopers out the airlock Not Working in the long term.
While it’s not Cool or Flashy like a bomb or slicing, the Cylons Dark Troopers pounding the doors down with their goddamn fists was Cool and Terrifying in all the best ways.
Side note--I think even if I hadn’t been spoiled (forgot to mute the spoiler channels on the SW Discords I’m on before going to bed, and checked on autopilot), X-wing + Grogu perking up would’ve probably clued me in and I would’ve been SHRIEKING. I was still vibrating super hard even though I knew who was coming, but it probably would’ve been slightly more XD
(and then a moment of HAHA GIDEON KNOWS WHAT’S COMING)
(and so does my girl Bo)
(and then the green ‘saber and the glove and other costume details and IF YA DIDN’T SCREAM BEFORE YOU SURE ARE NOW!!!!)
(Kind of cool that they waited until the last minute before showing his actual face though)
NO MY GIRL BO-KATAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(IF YOU DIE WHO WILL GET DRUNK AND SWAP WAR STORIES AND MAYBE HAVE VICTORY SEX WITH FENNEC)
(shut up i’m shallow)
(also I love her she’s legit one of my favorite characters in this series I don’t want her to die DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD:)
OH GOOD SHE GOT UP
(yeah that was my actual real-time reaction to her getting shot lol)
“Talent without training is nothing.” ::insert Obvious/Tired joke about Luke having all of three months’ training At Best::
(also, I mentioned this in my last quick reaction, as well as elsewhere, but I’m...still kind of uncomfortable with the continuing implication that the Jedi path is the only option other than Darkness. Not because it’s a bad one, either in the PT-era or with Luke’s reconstruction. But the idea that the only way to achieve the mindset/emotional stability/whatever needed to wield the Force without Falling is through adapting the Jedi philosophy sits wrong with me. especially the implication that you can only do so from an early age/in isolation from other influences or bonds; which is a word I’m using very specifically because there’s a difference between Attachment as defined by the Jedi and interpersonal bonds which they clearly have and I don’t want this to get derailed by that particular Discourse(tm) That doesn’t even super hold up on Earth, with a single species, let alone in a galaxy with trillions of beings of multiple different species. Basically, people and the galaxy--and by extension the Force, which is in part created/influenced by living beings--are way too complicated for there to be only one right answer.)
(Also, it...doesn’t really hold up with the core message of Star Wars, which is about Choice? If the only way you can be a Good Force Adept is by meeting this extremely narrow set of criteria, most of which are outside your possible control......but I should probably save this for a separate post, lol.)
(The point is, I mentioned earlier in the post how much I’m LOVING the throughline in this season about different factions/sects among Mandalorians, and I think it would be Great if we got more of that with Jedi/Light adepts.)
(Anyway. Uh. Back to the episode...)
That FACE MOMENT had me legit crying omg
ARTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!@@21!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
omg had they MET
I...don’t know what I was expecting from the credits but Welp. I wonder who the body double was...
(And before you ask, I didn’t really get the Uncanny Valley effect from Rogue One, not even Tarkin, so.....yeah, I guess I don’t always pick up on that, or it hits me from weird directions, lol. Because I sometimes get that from the Rebels animation, especially in stills/gifsets, because everyone’s faces are all so Smooth...)
.........Jabba’s palace, okay.
.......Bib Fortuna, Okay.
(those fingernails, however, are Not Okay)
YAY RESCUE THE GIRL.
Good on you, Boba, just shooting him in the face instead of letting him posture!
although why you want to rule Tatooine is...okay then.
LOL at Fennec perching on the arm of the chair, sipping her booze all casual-like.
Right! So that was an Experience! Overall, I liked it. Looking forward to how Din and Bo handle things moving forward, in particular! Because, like I said, I’m in this series for Dadalorian (so IDK how I’ll feel with it no longer being the Core Story since Grogu left with Luke) and in this season for the Mandalorian factions/sects and how they interact.
I’m also not sure how I feel about three interconnected series leading up to a Major Finale Event? Disney’s Star Wars has not had a super great track record with giving all the information needed to follow things in the core product (see: the ST worldbuilding lol, and also some of the cameos/appearances in this season, even), so I’m Skeptical of how well they’ll do explaining what is Necessary in each of the three series, in case someone only watches one or two.
What were your thoughts?
4 notes · View notes
n0v4hearts · 4 years
Text
So This is Love
Ship: Snatcher/The Prince (AHIT) x SI/OC
Word Count: about 3,160 ish words, and not beta read (unless sending this to your friend at 3am to read it over is beta reading ksbdjd)
Ok, so this is majorly self indulgent, because I low-key really like masquerade balls and grand costumes and stuff, but I can't write imagery for JACK and the song "So This is Love" basically came into my heart and smashed my knees with the image of me and Snatcher dancing to this elbdj
Also! The Prince doesn't really have a name, so i just named him Luka lol
(I haven't posted anything og my self-insert, but they go by Bee and they/them pronouns, and they work as the king's mail carrier and post man. They and Luka have been close friends since childhood, and that's why they get away with so much stuff together lol)
Anyway, I need to stop rambling, I hope you like it!!! I know I do-- The actual fic is under the read more!
 ... <3
   Acorn sighed, as they fiddled at their clothes. Even though they are a mail carrier, they are a royal mail carrier and got the privilege to be invited to a masquerade ball the kingdom is holding. The heir of the kingdom – Prince Luka – practically begged for Acorn to be there, seeing as they were a close friend of his. Luka even had a tailor of his make a set of clothes for the occasion. When he gave Acorn their set of clothes (on a mail run, no less,) they almost burst into tears. Even though Acorn was a friend of the Prince's, and technically worked for the King and his Court, they were still pretty surprised that the King allowed them to join. Acorn sharply shook their head to try and stop thinking about what happened before the party, thoughts lingering on the clothes and the handsome Prince instead.
     Thankfully, Luka made the clothing he gave them lighter than what most ball dancers would wear, as well as not having many intricate ruffles or details sewn on, unlike the richer party-goers of the ball. Ladies' dresses were puffy and frilly, with hand-stitched flowers and lace put onto the dress and bodice, waists thin and masks ranging from a simple face covering with pearls and feathers to a full-on mask with lace and colorful markings with animal representatives. Men's suits were… less fun to look at, but still brought attention to them, with brighter colors and designs in the suit rather than the tones than most were used to seeing, along with their ruffles more prominent. Their masks were similar to the ladies, with most being simple masks and the most extreme one Acorn has ever seen being a peacock themed set of clothes.
       Luka, who's family was hosting the ball, had a moderately complex suit. His was centered around a mouse, trying to mimic Acorn's rabbit mask and the suit he commissioned for them. His pale white and more natural fur-like colors of his suit and extra details contrasted his normal clothing style, which used more purple and red tones, showing his stature in the kingdom. His overcoat had slightly padded shoulders to emulate his everyday wear, and his vest to protect his shirt slightly covered the silly cravat that Acorn loves to torture him about. He didn't wear his boots, as he was forced to wear his uncomfortable dress shoes. Luka's mask was ornately decorated, with a small crown of pearls shaped vaguely of a lute sat on the forehead, and silver adorned the cheeks and temples of his mask. Acorn's mask and suit were nowhere as near to the simple extravagance of the kingdom's prince, but they were still proud to wear it, albeit, slightly embarrassed. Their mask was of a simple white rabbit, it's ears extending from the area just above the temples. Despite being very simple in shape, there were swirls of silver, and around the eyes and the edges of the ears, there was gold paint. Their mask also had a very little rabbit nose, similarly decorated to the rest of the mask. Their suit had no overcoat and had a more brown set of tones rather than the pure white of Luka's. Acorn was able to wear their boots, as it did match his suit, and they were sure if Luka was there to see that, he would probably give them a look that would kill.
        Speaking of which, Luka was greeting the party-goers, occasionally leaning down to kiss a lady's hand as her group of friends giggled at the small gesture. When he looked up from greeting a different woman who was surrounded by her escorts and saw Acorn, they could tell his night was made. Even though they could see his mouth, he was still in front of a small group, and couldn't show his excitement fully. Luka's eyes lit up, his hazel eyes catching the candlelight to make them a more pale yellow than normal, a happy glint in his eyes. Before he could excuse himself from the group to say hello to his friend, Luka was thrust into a conversation about courting, with the young woman – her name, what was her name… Vanessa? Was that it? – and him being the topic of conversation. Acorn saw Luka stiffen slightly when he turned around to an older gentleman gently touching his arm, and realized that they would probably both be here for a while.
. . . <3
      Luka crept behind Acorn, trying to be discreet about getting to the food table. Well, as discreet as he could be, being the kingdom's one and only heir to the throne, while people are trying to make him do political moves, like marrying their daughter that probably only wants to get in his pants or leave. He jabbed at his friend's sides, making them jolt and whirl around, glass slightly raised in case they needed to resort to violence. "Oh, you–!"  Luka chuckled and struggled not to laugh louder than was socially acceptable as Acorn realized it was him and gently smacked the back of their hand on his shoulder. "I almost splashed my champagne all over your suit, You're High–" Acorn was cut off before they could continue.
      Luka shook his head and put a finger over his lips. "Don't call me that, please. I just got out of a conversation with a neighboring kingdom's duke. I'm sure their daughter is nice and all, but God, I just want to have some food and spend time with you before I'm forced to go dance with the people here." Acorn quirked an eyebrow at that. The Prince? Wanting to spend time with the mail carrier? During a ball to find a suitable lover? Not out of the blue, but certainly not expected. Before Acorn could ask the thoughts running through their head, Luka quickly responded. "We haven't had any time to speak at all lately. I mean, I've been looking for a good school to look into law practice and you've been constantly working all the time with deliveries that my father is making you do. The whole reason why I invited you to this is so I could talk to you, not talk to the political figures," Luka bitterly spat out as he grabbed a small plate and put some sweets on it.  "… Is that so wrong?" He stayed silent for a moment after saying that, previous actions slowing and calming slightly.
      Acorn shook their head. "Of course not! It's alright to want to talk to someone who hasn't spoken to in a while. But," They lowered their voice slightly and moved closer to Luka, who in turn subconsciously moved towards them. "Why here? Where you are trying to find a suitable lover?" They turned their head slightly to get a look at Luka and oh stars, when did he get this close. His shoulder-length hair had a small ponytail in the back, tying off some, but leaving the rest down to frame what little of his face people could see. He smelled like vanilla and lavender, and Acorn couldn't get enough of it. They were thankful for the mask for once, hoping that the other couldn’t see their face flush scarlet as they realized what they were thinking.
     Acorn looked away, probably a bit too quickly, and looked around at the scene around them as Luka sighed. “Well, you know how it is. I was kinda forced to come here. Royal duties to,” he switched to a deeper voice and cocked his head a little higher, “keep the royal bloodline alive and all that wonderful business.” He shook his head and started to walk away from the table with his plate piled high. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t wish to, but I would like you too.” Acorn looked at Luka and smiled, while they both walked off together. Luka side-eyed them and lifted his mask slightly to eat easier. They smiled at one another after a moment, and after Luka gently slapped Acorn's hand for trying to steal a chocolate truffle, they walked onto a balcony to (hopefully) get some better privacy to talk with one another.
. . . <3
     The two slightly moved their masks away from their faces, finally being able to breathe more comfortably and show their faces while in their own company. Acorn walked closer to the balcony and looked up at the sky, while Luka slowly picked at the desserts on his plate. “It’s beautiful.” Luka looked up, and swore his heart stopped at the sight ahead of him. Acorn was leaning over the balcony’s intricate stone banister, one leg tucked behind the other. Their tight bun was slightly undone, hair messy, but oh so… Elegant, is that the word? Even in the dim light of the moon shining down on them in their suit, and the band still heard playing, Luka could just stare. This moment felt too intimate. Even… even for just friends, silently pining. Acorn turned slightly, to look back at the other. “Don’t you think so?” Luka stuttered as he let out a held breath – since when did he stop breathing? He flubbed an agreement that seemed to satisfy Acorn, because they turned around and kept looking at the stars and constellations. Luka unknowingly kept admiring them, smiling to himself. He finished his dish and set it next to him as he got up to look at the stars next to Acorn. They stood there for a few minutes, pointing out constellations and enjoying each other’s company for a bit.
     Luka looked over at Acorn, and his heart flipped. Oh how he wished he could just kiss them –
     … Wait.
     Oh. Oh.
     Oh no.
     He flushed red at the thought that he couldn’t quickly shoot down as he wanted to. He? And Acorn? His childhood best friend, who helped him through everything, even though they were the child of a mail carrier? He wanted to laugh, but the thought had crossed his mind too much as of late for his to even think about drawing an awkward chuckle from himself. They were just so… so perfect for him not to fantasize about what a relationship with them would be like. It would be a scandal for sure, but would anyone really mind? He saw the was his parents looked knowingly at him when he laughed a little too hard at one of Acorn insufferable puns and jokes. Even when the topic of this ball was brought up by an advisor, the King told him that it was really just a formality to “keep the bloodline alive”, and nothing more. Luka realized that he was probably staring, and cleared his throat slightly, looking back at the stars above. Then one of the band members – violin presumably – started a familiar refrain, as the other instruments slowly joined in.
     Luka looked at Acorn, as they looked back at him. “You should probably… go grace somebody with you amazing dancing skills Luka.” They looked at the slightly ajar door they left open when they came out on the balcony. “I mean, some lucky lady is probably wanting to dace with you. Perhaps the one you were talking to for hours on end, hmm?” Though their voice had a teasing tone, Luka could tell that they didn’t want him to leave. Not yet.
     Luka pretended to think it over, and grabbed their hand to pull them closer to him. “No, I don’t think I’ll leave just yet.” He chuckled, and dramatically leaned down to kiss Acorn's hand as they sputtered. “Care to join me for a dance, my dear?” Even in the dim lighting, Luka could tell that Acorn's face was probably scarlet at this point. Their mouth opened and closed for a moment, trying to find words without sounding like a fool, but eventually they just nodded their head. Luka smiled gently. “You don’t have to. I won’t mind if you refuse Acorn.” They stood their ground and shook their head, saying that they did want to dance. So, they got ready to waltz in time with the music.
     Luka put his hand on Acorn's shoulder while Acorn put theirs on his waist. They clasped each other’s hand, and started swaying gently with the music. It was surprisingly more springy than they both remembered, but the pair started dancing slightly. They turned and swayed as the music continued, and slowed when the band quieted to let the singers… well, sing.
So, this is love
Mmm~
Luka hummed the words slightly as the pair subconsciously moved closer to one another. Acorn looked up at Luka slightly, eyebrow raised. Luka scoffed slightly. “We both know that we’ve been raised on this song, don’t give me that look.” Luka gently nudged the other, and Acorn chuckled.
So this, is love…
So this is what makes life, divine
Closer and closer still, the pair moved in tandem with one another, circling like two moons orbiting a forgotten planet. They swayed, with Luka gradually whispering the lyrics, enjoying himself. They both looked borderline ethereal to the other, both of them unbelieving of the sight they had.
“I’m all aglow, mmm
And now I know,”
“And now I know…” Acorn sang slightly, looking at Luka while he sang the verse before. They both seemed surprised that Acorn did that, but Luka recovered and muttered that they had a nice voice. Acorn flushed, and buried their face into Luka’s jacket, stuttering.
“The key to all heaven is mine…”
They harmonized with themselves and the singers inside the castle. They had stopped dancing altogether at this point, and had just started embracing each other instead. Acorn's head was on Luka’s shoulder, and Luka was staring ahead, head tilted slightly to clay. The pair still swayed gently, but it wasn’t to start dancing.
My heart has wings, mmm
And I can fly
I’ll touch every star in the sky…
Luka looked down to Acorn, and saw the peaceful expression they held. ‘They are right there,’ he heard himself scold. ‘Just kiss them, get it over with.’
So this is the miracle
That I’ve been dreaming of…
Mmm
They now faced one another and started slowly leaning together, their faces almost touching. Luka’s eyes fluttered closed as Acorn's glanced down at his lips.
Mmm
So this…
Is love.
     The singer’s duet ended, and their lips finally connected. It felt like fireworks and explosions were going off, sparks dancing on their lips. As the two gripped each other tighter, they didn’t hear the pair of feet making their way towards them. “Your highness, you are–” The guard cut herself off as she realized what she had walked into unknowingly. The two parted quickly once her voice was heard, and Acorn tried to shuffle away from Luka slightly to try and at least pretend that they totally weren’t kissing, what? “I, I’m sorry your highness, I can come back–”
     Luka shook his head, but never let go of Acorn. “No, no. What is it?” He inquired and put most of his attention to the distraction at hand, slightly disappointed. Acorn looked down at the ground, away from the guard, suddenly taking interest in a few pebbles on the surrounding stone.
     The guard re-positioned herself. “The King wanted to see you sire, but I will just let him know that you are… Busy doing other things. I, uh. Hope I didn’t interrupt anything too maj– you know what? I’m just gonna…” The guard awkwardly walked off, shifting in her armor slightly, embarrassed that she walked in on the prince and the mail carrier having a moment together.
... "Wait, the mail carrier??"
     Luka waited for a moment after she left, making sure the gentle clinks of her armor had faded completely. The pair stayed silent for a moment, before Acorn tried to shift away again. Luka pulled them to where they were originally in his arms and smiled mischievously. “Where do you think your going, lover?” He teased, laughing slightly as Acorn pretended to fight back. He grin became wider as he realized that Acorn had blushed darker. “Oh, did you like that dearest? Calling you ‘lover’?” Luka cooed at them, as Acorn gently swatted at him. “Just come here, sweetheart,” and with that last teasing pet name, he brought them into another kiss, less tentatively. He could feel Acorn smile as they let out a silent sigh and melt against him, knees weak. Luka pulled away slightly, and as Acorn's head followed the movement slightly, he whispered, “Don’t you think we should take this somewhere a little more private after the guard, you know…?” Acorn's knees fully gave out, and Luka hurriedly clung onto them as he felt how hot they were. He fussed over them for a second, hoping that they didn’t fully pass out.
     They both chuckled for a moment after Acorn quickly recovered, and Acorn muttered something along the lines of “Kissing is just fine for now, anything more and I think I’ll die.” The two couldn’t contain their loud laughter at this remark, Luka’s laughter carrying on over Acorn's. He leaned over and gently pecked their cheek, saying how they didn’t want anyone to see them kissing again, and that he was sorry that he insinuated something more than kissing. Acorn pecked him back on his lips, and accepted the apology.
💛
(Little bonus scene! I didn’t really wanna write this out fully, but I kinda wanted to add what one of their fist meetings could be sknf -- enjoy!!)
Looking back on it, the Snatcher could hardly believe that he was so in… actual infatuation and love with a childhood friend that he could hardly believe that he could marry Vanessa. She was of course, fine at the start, but the lingering feelings for the pair never truly left their hearts. He shook his head, looking back down at his book, waiting for that kid – Hat Kid was it? Or was it Bow? – when a knock sounded on the tree bark. Snatcher sighed. “What do you want, ki–”
His sentence was abruptly cut off as he saw an all too familiar face in the entry way with Hat Kid behind them. “Hello your highness. Been a few years, hasn’t it?” Snatcher almost dropped his book as his jaw hung slightly. Acorn, in the flesh. Right there. Their clothes were much more casual to fit the modern times, and they carried a mail bag on their shoulder, with a mail carrier's cap in one of their hands.
Snatcher blinked a few times. “Yeah… 10, at least, huh sweetheart?” Acorn laughed loudly, and ran towards him. They embraced again, and finally after 200 years of waiting, wondering if the other was alive or not, Acorn peppered Snatcher’s face with kisses. There certainly wasn’t going to be any complaining about this for a while to say the least. Even from a ghost who always said he had a reputation to uphold.
7 notes · View notes
nad-zeta · 4 years
Text
Match up ^o^
May I request a Match up, please?
I’m at the part when I have to choose a route and I honestly don’t know/care. So I decided why not let some lovely internet stranger choose for me? Who do you think I would pair the best with?
I also noticed how much effort and detail you put into these so I decided that it was only fair to try to put in just as much effort in requesting. Or maybe I am just extremely vain so blabbering on this much about myself comes naturally (I also wouldn’t be too suprised if this were the case lol). Either way, I apologise for this getting so long. And without further ado, let’s learn about yours truly. Uh, yay?
I will start with my physical appearance because that’s easiest.  
First of all, I am rather tall for a woman. Pair that with the fact that I constantly wear boots with 8 centimetre or greater heels and I almost always cap out somewhere above 182 centimetres (that’s 6 feet in American). So yes. I’m not exactly the approachable type, on the account of my height and near constant resting bitch face. I always look pissed off at something (and to be fair, I usually am).
I am a brunette with boring brown eyes. Nothing of note there. 
I prefer to walk on my toes, for whatever reason. I also have great posture when I walk and these two factors always make it seem like I am floating. I’ve been told that I always seem very confident and self-assured. Which is complete bullshit because 90% of the time, I am winging it. 
I am a dancer (of sorts. More on that later), so I am rather slim and toned. This is literally the only aspect of my physicality that I am actually confident in. The rest of me can burn in hell for all I care. 
I am also very touch adverse. I hate the feeling of skin touching my skin it grosses me touch. However. There are a select few people in this world that I accept and enjoy hugs and cuddles from (and who I could snuggle with for hours). If I let anyone cuddle me that means I trust said person unconditionally and feel extremely comfortable around them. It’s essentially the ultimate statement of trust.
Onto personality.
If you can’t already tell, I have about as much dignity as a wet cat. I while I certainly do have an ego, it can be kind of difficult to bruise. Publically, I am absolutely shameless and don’t give two shits about what others think. 
I have a tongue of steel and can rapid fire the most atrocious insults and comebacks when provoked. I’m known for my venomous sarcasm and biting wit among my own circles. I have a line for nearly every single situation so one-liners have become my thing. Which works out for me because I am a huge flirt.
I’ll flirt with pretty much anyone regardless of gender, I don’t give a crap. To clarify, it’s not because I am an attention whore (okay, yes. I am a complete attention whore), it’s because I am a theatre kid so excessive eye contact and sexual jokes are kinda where I thrive. I am also not afraid to get questionably lascivious with my flirting if someone tries to out-pace me. I never blush, I never falter, and I never let anyone know that they got the better of me. It shows weakness. 
Despite my salacious façade, I am not inherently a sexual person. As a matter of fact, I am quite the opposite. I don’t experience sexual attraction (kudos to my asexual humans. I see you). This has rendered me practically immune to all charm, crushes, and sex appeal. It makes my life a lot easier, in my opinion. I don’t get too attached. I also enjoy messing around with the egos of fuck boys. 
As mentioned earlier, I am an attention whore. I love showing off because I crave validation (this could point to some deep seated insecurities about myself that I refuse to acknowledge…. Ahem). Being on stage as where I thrive. And yes, I am a dancer, as I stated earlier. But I am not your conventional prissy ballerina. I am a circus performer. More specifically, I’m an aerialist. I have covered trapeze, contortion (I am unnaturally flexible), lyra, and silks. It’s a lot of fun almost dying every day and finding bruises in the most questionable places (if you cant already tell, I am an adrenaline junkie. I took karate for the first dozen or so years of my life and have recently been searching for more weapons combat classes because apparently I don’t have enough bruises already).
I am not easily impressed. And I don’t give out compliments very often. And that includes myself. I can be unnecessarily hard on myself at times… most of the time. But then again, who isn’t? 
As for the side of me that isn’t stark-raving mad, I am usually a pretty objective person. While I have no qualms with discussing emotions (both mine and friend’s. I am a great listener and actually give pretty good advice when it comes to dealing with intense emotions). I tend to avoid letting them interfere with my logic. I look down on those who allow their emotions to dictate their actions. It makes them needlessly reckless. 
I am typically a pretty chill person. When I am among people I am unfamiliar with, I tend to stay quiet and try not to rock the boat too much (again, I won’t hesitate to unleash a severe tongue lashing upon any poor soul who happens to rub me the wrong way… Or just happens to exist. I don’t take shit from other people and I hate it when others try to control me. (I don’t play rough, I play smart). 
I really enjoy reading, writing, or drawing quietly. I can’t stand loud and excessive noises or people (parties, screaming, concerts). I am a true extroverted introvert. I love being the center of attention and chatting, but I need my alone time. People are exhausting to deal with. 
Because of my aversion to loud sounds, I tend to avoid typical dance parties like the plague. While I am very good with mingling and partying in general, I can only keep it up in short bursts before I have to retreat somewhere quiet. This is also the reason I greatly prefer the nighttime (if I had a choice I would sleep all day and only frolick around at night. I just love the dark. It’s comforting in a weird way). I also love the night because that’s when I get to sleep and just peace out on life. It’s kinda like non-committal dying.
I am near constantly on hyper-alert so I am not easily startled. When I do get startled, I have a tendency to squeak, yelp or growl. These noses are purely reactionary sounds but for whatever reason, my friends think that they are absolutely adorable and will go to great lengths to startle me just to hear me make them.
To counteract my friend’s malevolence, I have learnt to be super observant, especially when I feel threatened. Usually, I am caught up on my own world and thoughts. I have an imagination so powerful that I can trick my brain into feeling false sensations such as an extra limb or falling. I much prefer to spend my time in my head rather than our boring reality. But if I feel threatened, or think that another attack is imminent, I instantly become hyper aware. These moments of lucidity enable me to make certain observations others would otherwise be overlooked (for example. I was able to tell when my professor lost her wedding ring due to the discoloration around her ring finger and the habitual and near-constant worrying she did at it. I offered to help her look after class ^.^. I admittedly felt kinda smug when I saw her surprise.) Ironically enough, I like to refer to this mode of thinking as “Sherlocking”. I can be quite the detective when I really try. 9 out of 10 times my friends will come to me when they suspect infidelity, I am pretty good at digging up dirt. 
However, I have to make the conscious decision to do this, usually when I am trying to figure someone out or manipulate them into liking me. So this isn’t constant and usually I go about my day like everyone else, blissfully unaware of my surroundings.
Uhh, there is probably more I could cover but this is getting very long as-is and you are probably forcing yourself to get through my seemingly eternal ramblings. So I am going to stop here and go grab myself some food. 
Best of luck to you,
-November
Hi there love!<3 you sound like such a cool interesting person! ^_^ Hehehe I probs took so long with this match up that you already chose a new route lol! Anyways thanx for waiting soooooo long for this and I hope ya enjoy it love ^0^ ^_^
I match you with……………………… Masamune
Tumblr media
Honestly, it was between Masamune and Mitsuhide for me lol but i eventually decided to go with Masamune 
The first time Masamune sees you, his eyes go wide in awe, like wow you are one tall fine lady! He has legit never met anyone so tall. After you were named as chatelaine, you stayed behind with some of the warlords to chat and get to know them better, you are after all going to be seeing their faces every day for the next 3 months. 
Right of the bat, Masamune is howling in laughter at the fact that you are way taller than Ieyasu. You, Masamune and Mitsuhide basically tease the poor porcupine for a solid 20 minutes. “My my I never expected such a scary-looking little mouse to be so bubbly and friendly.” 
Oooh, this boy just stared a war of wits. Today day was a good day cause your tongue of steel was rapidly firing witty words and sarcastic remarks at the resident kitsune. He almost couldn’t keep up, almost. Masamune was just standing there watching the whole scene unfold, you truly were going to be a lot of fun! Masamune decided to test out that tongue of steel of your and started firing some flirty pick-up line, while unbeknown to him you are the queen of one-liners, and have no shame when it comes lascivious flirting. Masamune, of course, never backs down from a challenge, and he was determined to make you blush. The conversation got so heated that it made even Hideyoshi blush on your behalf. You simply laughed and fired another one of your pick-up lines.
After the little chat in the hallway and a massive speech from mama bear for talking about things that were not PG13, cause of the kids *cough* Mitsunari *cough*, you and Masamune become quick friends. He had never met a woman before that was immune to his boyish wild charm, and handsome sexual appeal. Masamune was definitely popular with the woman, not as popular as Hideyoshi, but he was definitely a fuckboi. As surprised as he was, that his normal antics didn't work on you, his ego wasn’t dented one bit, it just made him more determined to get to know you. 
Masamune definitely finds your flirtatious nature attractive, especially when you managed to score the two of you free sweet bun just by flirting with the shop owner, he was, even more, shook when the shop owner was a woman, your flirtation truly knows no bounds. The two of you would spend loads of time together, just going out for tea and sweets while getting to know each other. TBH although Masamune would never admit it, he found it refreshing that you weren't just his friend simply cause he was hot or cause you wanted to climb in stations but because you actually liked him as a person. You and Masamune definitely made an unstoppable team when it came to banquets. The two of you would team up and start teasing everyone there. When you two cuties are together its always a good time with loads of laughter and banter
Masamune discovered that you like him, was an adrenaline junkie. He loved that he finally had someone around that would do stupid shit with him just for the thrill of it. The two of you would go out on adventures 24/7 jumping down waterfalls and hiking up cliffs. The two of you goofball would also dare each other to do the craziest shit. Like one-time Masamune dared you to jump off the castle’s roof onto your balcony, and you freaken did it, no questions asked. Or like the one time you dared him to put his head in Shogetsu mouth, mind you the little cub was now grown into a full-blown tiger
One day you and Masa went to go watch one of Mitsuhide’s undercover performances. The three of you were investigating a shady daimyo in one of the nearby provinces. The three of you disguised yourselves as performers and joined a circus troop as their new dancers. You were so excited, the stage is where you truly come alive. You had promised Masa to show him something that would shock/surprise him after he gave you the grand tour of  Azuchi. Today was the day, you had kept your dance and performances a secret from the two men, and now it was finally time to show them what you can do. You had 3 different performances planned. The first one was contortion. To say Masamune was shook would be an understatement he never knew anyone could be so freaken flexible, like wow. Your next performance was aerial dancing, his blue eye gleamed in delight, watching you move through the air so gracefully. If he wasn’t sure before he was sure now, this boy loved ya. But what really took his breath away was when you trapezed through the air, he was absolutely mesmerized at the way you flew through the air doing back-flips and other cool ass tricks. Masamune loved the look of pure joy on your face as you performed and after the show, you explained to him that you were a theatre kid back in the past. Mitsuhide definitely took note of your skills, and since that day you now accompanied him on most missions that required him to disguise himself as a performer.
Masamune loved everything about you at this point. Your overdramatic introvert/extrovert personality. The way you walked. Gosh, he loved the way you walked, it looked like you were an angel floating around wherever you went. He loved your banter and one-liner for every situation. And most of all he loved your hyper-alert side. Boy did he love to come up behind you to scare the crap outta you just so he could hear you squeak, yelp or growl. Like he lived for those adorably cute noises. And you somewhere along the line had fallen in love with the big idiot. He was always coming up with new fun adventures to go on or new fun things to do. He was one of those few people that could actually keep up with your banter
What was he most impressed with you may ask, well you Sherlocking skills of course. One day there were rumours of some super shady daimyos visiting Azuchi. Word on the street was that they were planning on stealing Mitsunari report to make the poor angel look bad. Mitsuhide was away sorting out some other plots and schemes, so it was now up to you to use your skills, to save the angel. You used your detective skill to gather evidence, and since your inner circle knew you were from the future, you were planning on catching them in the act and filming them for evidence. Masamune was always up for an adventure, so he acted as you own personal Watson. The two of you hid while watching the whole scene unfold, once they left the room the two of you came out. “What do you think they are going to do with the report lass,” he asked while his blue eye gleamed in delight. “Hmmmmm, I believe they are going to burn the evidence in the forest” you replied in your best British accent. Masamune couldn’t help but laugh. The two of you made your way to a secluded part of the forest and spotted them making a fire. Masamune looked at you curiously “How did you know they were going to be in this exact spot.” “Elementary, my dear Masamune.” He couldn’t help but burst out in laughter you really were a super fun kitten. Unfortunately for the two of you, they heard you guys laughing behind the trees and before you knew it, the two of you were surrounded. One of the men had a sword right at your throat ready to cut you open, that is when you shocked them by not backing down from the fight, you hit the sword away with one of your own gifted to you by your dearest one-eyed dragon. “ Point that sword at me one more time and i’ll slash your Achilles’ tendons, and TBH given the medicine situation of this time, no one would know how to fix your injury, so I hope you like hobbling around on one leg for the rest of your life cause that is what will happen.” These men were shook; meanwhile, Masa was next to you howling in laughter, “She’s not joking boys, this lass delivers on her threats.” You had never seen grown men run away from a fight so fast. You and Masamune picked up Mitsunari’s report that had fallen on the ground during the commotion and walked back hand in hand
You didn’t really like skin touching skin, but TBH you definitely like the warm feeling of Masamune’s hand warmed around yours. The two of you had come to fall in love with each other, and it wasn’t long before you two cuties entered into a relationship. Despite both of you being adrenaline junkies, both of you also loved your quiet times. Often you would sit together in his manor each doing your own thing. You would read and write, and Masamune would sit at his desk pretending to work (Cause admin is so freaken boring). 
The two of you would have the best time together during banquets you loved being the centre of attention and would chat with everyone, but as the night would progress you would start feeling a bit drained and that’s when the one-eyed dragon would swoop in, pick you up and takes you to a quiet corner where the two of you cuddle and snuggle together.
He would spoil you rotten with the most amazing food, he would basically, cook anything your heart desires just to see that beautiful smile on your face. His heart would always burst with affection whenever he cuddles and kiss you, he knew that the fact that you allowed him to cuddle you was the ultimate statement of trust between the two of you.
Often the two of you cuties can be found causing mischief and giving Mamayoshi more grey hairs or cuddled together sharing stories of your day
Other potential matches............... Mitsuhide 
Hope u enjoyed it dear @november-solarstorms
12 notes · View notes
mittensmorgul · 5 years
Text
300, and other random observations
Last night Mel and I were scouring the episode looking for the expected obvious “300″ to jump out from some random door or building number, or appear SOMEWHERE in the episode the way 100 did in 5.18:
Tumblr media
or 200 did in 10.05:
Tumblr media
In case it isn’t obvious from this image, this is the 200 Motel:
Tumblr media
So I was looking for the 300 in 14.13, and weirdly didn’t find anything quite this obvious. I rambled a bit about my search here on @drsilverfish;s post:
http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/182669346730/14x13-lebanon-some-silent-storytelling-notes-on
But I saw some interesting things in the pawn shop and around Lebanon that I can appreciate, as well as some very well hidden “300″ references. Basically this is just my Jerry Wanek appreciation post, because what a guy!
All screencaps are from hotn.
The one thing I’d overlooked as a HUGE “300″ is the most prominently featured guitar in the shop:
Tumblr media
That one right in the middle, raised up above the others, looks a bit downtrodden. It’s missing its strings, first off. While another guitar is labeled “PLAY ME!” this one isn’t playable at all. And yet it might be the rarest instrument in the shop, and with a bit of tlc could easily be worth thousands. It’s a ww2 era Gibson ES300. Between 1942 and 1946, Gibson only produced a few acoustic guitars, since metals for the electric pickups were needed for the war effort. I think this could be one of those guitars. So talk about a big, blaring 300. Unstrung, a product of war, seemingly unplayable, but with care and attention, possibly the most valuable and precious instrument in the shop. Easy to see why it’s given pride of place.
But again, this isn’t an obvious 300. You kinda have to know something about something to even recognize it among all the other second-hand guitars.
(also lol at the giant tv in the background that makes us think of 13.16)
(and lol at the tuba that makes me think of the house of horns or whatever from 6.06. This show has such a bizarre history with pawn shops...)
Under a cut because this got way longer and more rambly and tangential than I intended >.>
There’s a lot going on just at the register:
Tumblr media
Roadhouse Monkey, “You break it, you buy it,” and the sign that says “Your baby daddy sitting in jail? Sell your gold and get bail!” with the weirdest assortment of random jewelry pictured on it... and oddly a mala draped around the register itself. Clearly this dude hasn’t been using his mala for meditation practice.
In the post I linked above, I already described their entrance into the secret back room, where everything was “one of a kind” and we immediately saw two identical goblets. Go read that post for more on that. :D
Tumblr media
Behind the goblets, it almost looks like a heart frozen in a block of something. But what the shop owner points to is a Hand of Glory, which was the central magical item from 3.06, the plot of which had to do with people who committed acts of violence against family (and the spell they found to banish the ghost killing people forever contained the first use of the word “Castiel” on the show).
He goes on to point out “gris gris bags” and “anointed dove’s blood.” Gris gris bags are protective talismans, which my brain immediately associates with Gordon Walker. He traded his to Bela for the Winchesters’ location in 3.07, and after giving it up, he was turned into a vampire and then killed by Sam. I can’t remember any use for the dove’s blood in canon...
It’s hard to see, but one shelf over is a Jason Voorhees style hockey mask (which is interesting to me because of 14.04 and the horror movie callbacks that were referenced later in 14.13 again at the movie theater in Lebanon playing All Saint’s Day and Hell Hazers). Not to mention as we talked about during 14.04, the original “monster” they were supposed to fight with in 3.10 in their nightmares was Jason, but Kripke didn’t realize they couldn’t obtain the rights to it, so that scene had to be cut. So in a roundabout way we get another reference to that iconic scene between Dean and his demon self, rejecting John’s influence over him. Beside the mask is the first of three Centurion Helmets we see in the episode (actually the second instance is probably this helmet again, but in a different context, in the box the teens steal from the Impala and take into their party house, along with the teddy bear Sam plays with here in a minute).
Tumblr media Tumblr media
There’s the spray bottle of Dragon’s Breath, that looks like an innocent bottle of perfume with the squeezy bulb, but shoots out a gout of fire. 
Inside his safe, along with the skull of Sarah Goode, executed during the Salem Witch Trials, is an odd assortment of things, double-locked inside this already secret room:
Tumblr media
It looks like a clock of some sort, a brass globe, and a genie’s oil lamp. But it’s the fact he had the skull at all, stolen from a murdered hunter that they knew, meant that he’d been involved with that horrific crime, like the previous references to Bela who traded in these artifacts (and had sold the hand of glory when she’d needed to destroy it to save her own life... I mean this was pretty heavy Bela parallels here), the owner turns the Dragon’s breath on them and pulls out a saber:
Tumblr media
It’s called “Chrysaor.” Whether the one from Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene” that belonged to Sir Artegal, the Knight of Justice, and had supposedly been used by Zeus to battle the Titans, or to the offspring of Poseidon and Medusa and the brother of Pegasus, or whether it was a nod to Assassin’s Creed (I honestly think it’s the former and the latter is a bonus here...)
This reminded me SO MUCH of Gog and Magog and their Special Swords forged by a god, with the reference back to Zeus and the Titans here, AND to the actual circumstances around how Dean managed to kill them. Because Gog and Magog... just would not shut up. Dean even lampshades the fact this guy stood there with the sword over his head, raised above Sam sprawled on the ground the same way Cas was in 13.14:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
But he talked long enough about Cas’s “beautiful death” that Dean was able to stab him from behind, just as he was able to shoot the store owner now, because he wouldn’t stop talking. Forged by a god, touched by God...
Then we see the store’s secret ledger:
Tumblr media
I honestly don’t want to know what’s in the “genitalia jar.” But these entries are dated from 1956. How long has this shop been into this sort of shady business? At least as far back as the original MoL was operating in the US (they were annihilated in 1958 by Abaddon). And there’s even a reference to a “Men of Letters membership discussion” in the ledger:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Of interest on the next page is a lock of hair from a victim of HH Holmes (taking us back to 2.06), as well as trinkets associated with Vlad the Impaler and Napoleon, a “bag of sorrows,” and a “razor of the damned.” Among other items of interest.
But here’s the page with the magical pearl:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
And nowhere in this book does it say the pearl “gives you what your heart desires.” It says, “a pearl that grants wishes.” So... where did Sam get that additional information? I find it fascinating how things that are written in books are interpreted in a much broader fashion by the reader-- first Dean with the book Billie gave him in 14.10, and now Sam with this entry in this ledger.
Because this has been happening a lot.
For example in the scene immediately prior to this, the kids outside are talking about the Winchesters when they actually drive up. Their conversation is really interesting:
Eliot: People say they’re brothers. All I know is I was standing right here when-- when I heard this BAM! from the trunk of their car. And then, this like, shallow breathing. Max: No way. Flower Shirt Girl: Eliot, you’re creeping Max out.
I have to assume this was when they still had Garth in the trunk of the car, and just :’). Eliot is making some assumptions, but he’s much more terrifyingly accurate than he probably could guess. And Max’s flippant comment in her next scene proves it:
Eliot: I mean think about it. Where do they even come from? Them or their weird sidekick with the trenchcoat. Or what about the kid with the dumb Bambi look on his face all the time? Max: So what, it doesn’t mean they kidnapped Bigfoot or whatever.
And they all laugh, and Eliot calls them dicks. :P
And all of this makes me think of how the show spent the early part of the season teaching us how to read between the lines, to fill in narrative gaps, and to parse the subtext to understand exactly what it was they were actively not showing us.
Like in the scene at the party house where the John Wayne Gacy clown appears, we don’t see Dean thrown by the clown (just as we didn’t see the other boy who was attacked escape from the clown), nor do we see Sam light the fire that burned the cigar box tethering the ghost. But it’s clear that Dean was thrown because we saw him land, and Sam obviously eventually got his lighter to work because there’s the evidence of the flames.
Also, did they bring that old pickup truck from the bunker? Because they should DEFINITELY drive that thing more often. :’)
And Eliot follows his instincts, wanting to know what’s up and witnesses the ghost going up in flames. And he knows what he saw, and doesn’t even question it. When Sam confirms it, he feels so validated. Just like us when we read the subtext and fill in the blanks.
I have no idea how I got here from rambling about finding the 300′s in the episode but here we are.
OH. Right! The Centurion Helmets!
The first we see was in the shop pictured above. We see it again at the Party House in the Establishing Shot inside, nestled in a box with Sarah Goode’s skull, which was the original Macguffin that led Sam and Dean to that pawn shop in the first place, which enabled them to find the pearl to even be able to make this wish at all:
Tumblr media
And the second and third Centurions are on the wall of B&E Pizza:
Tumblr media
(and the one on the other side of the menu board hasn’t been screencapped yet, but is much more clearly visible than this one because Cas lights it up:
Tumblr media
Three Centurions. Each of whom commands a century, or a group of 100 soldiers. So I’m going to use the fact that the show is actively telling us to notice and read between the lines, and assume we’re seeing yet another 300.
Especially after Misha’s tweet joking about it: https://twitter.com/mishacollins/status/1093606706532282371
187 notes · View notes
speckofglitter · 5 years
Text
1 - king - chs x wyk
word count ; 1.6k
genre ; partners in crime!au | fluff | angst
pairing ; gangleader!hyunsuk x y/n x gangleader!yukhei
warnings ; mentioned murder, attempted assault
‘Can’t you just ask someone else?’
‘They can’t even compare. They don’t move like our crew and you know that. I need a queen with my team.’ hyunsuk pleaded.
Hyunsuk had been begging you to join yammy gang for the past three weeks. Yammy gang was the strongest gang in town. Not only did hyunsuk and his gang control the entire town, they also protected the majority of the town from criminals and robbers. You could say they were a more realistic version of the avengers. Hyunsuk rarely recruited people for the gang, that was jihoon’s job but with you he felt like he needed a more personal approach. You were confident and witty and hyunsuk loved that about you. He needed someone who wasn’t afraid of taking risks and most importantly, someone who wasn’t intimidated by him. You were extroverted, logical and street smart. He knew you would be a necessary addition to the gang. You weren't only the missing piece, but the most powerful piece on the chess board.
His slim fingers decorated with silver rings tapped against your desk table, making you nervous. You had been friends with hyunsuk for a while and you were practically an unofficial member but you were a senior now and you just wanted to stay out of trouble. You had seen hyunsuk in pain many times before. Countless times you had seen him tending to his wounds, scraped knees and busted knuckles as you walked by his house, next to your own. Hyunsuk was the only name you ever knew to call when you were in trouble. Maybe one day if you bit your tongue hard enough, you would be able to forget his name.
You were one of the few people who really knew him. How he would run across town when the streets were asleep. How he would spend hours practicing dance when the city woke up, sacrificing his sleep. You would stop by the dance studio and watch him dance, sweat pouring like raindrops and breathing heavy. His movements were as bold as his personality. Hyunsuk had promised his parents that he would stop the gang and enroll in a professional dance company once he turned 22. He still had a few years to go but until then, he was basically leading a double life. Hyunsuk was a natural leader. Sometimes he was sharp and cold like mornings in january. He walked softly but his eyes screamed power. But most importantly, he treated everyone in yammy gang with respect and compassion. They were his second family.
He titled his head and smirked at you, grabbing your hands in his.
‘Princess you were meant for this. It’s only a matter of time before you join.’ he insisted.
He knew exactly what he was doing. Hyunsuk was the king of using his good looks to get everything he desired. You removed your hands from his, meeting his intense gaze as you looked up.
‘Fine, i’ll do it.’ you sighed.
Hyunsuk immediately started cheering, grabbing you into a tight hug. Not many people saw this side of 19-year-old choi hyunsuk. The soft and caring person that he was behind the shell of a protective figure.
‘BUT you have to buy me food whenever i want!’ you exclaim, raising a finger up.
‘Why do my good intentions always blow up in my face...’
-
young savage🤧💚: hustle and grind! time to get up princess🤑
y/n: can you not… this is not my idea of a cute good morning text
young savage🤧💚: don’t worry you’ll get those sooner or later 😉
y/n: just gonna pretend i didn’t read that,, n e ways i’ll be ready in 30 minutes
You chuckled to yourself as you read through your texts. Damn he was cute.
Hyunsuk picked you up exactly 30 minutes after he had received your last text. You got into his jeep as he drove away, speed put at the maximum. Your posture was stiff as you picked at the chipped nail polish on your fingers. It was your first day so you didn’t know what to expect.
‘So, where are we going?’ you questioned.
‘You’ll see.’ he quietly responded.
‘No mercy huh?’
‘You knew what you were getting into princess.’ he retorted as you sighed, looking out the window. The city was still dark, most of the city still asleep at 5 am.
After a 30 minute drive, hyunsuk stopped in front of an alleyway. He parked, running out to open the door on your side.
‘Follow me.’ he whispered.
You could feel a whole different atmosphere already. You walked behind him before he stopped. In front of you was a huge white wall. The words ‘don’t meddle unless you want some trouble’ along with the signature 'wyk' were spray-painted in red. Hyunsuk sighed, avoiding your eyes. He finally took his phone out, taking a picture of the menacing message.
'This must be from the rival gang nct. They killed a police officer here last week and I caught the murderer right before he escaped the crime scene. My sources say that they're planning something right now.  We especially need to keep an eye on Yukhei, he's the leader. That's gonna be your first mission. I need you to follow him.' he explained.
‘The sun hasn’t even come up and you want me to do what now?’
'I need you to take this chance ok? I know it's your first mission but just trust me. All you have to do is follow him around school. He goes to the same college but he hides his identity. He goes by the nickname Lucas.'
What could go wrong?
Here's exactly what went wrong.
The first few days were easy. Lucas would just go to classes, soccer practice and hang out with his friends. You didn't find out anything about him other than the fact that he was incredibly obnoxious.
You knew there had to be more. That's why you decided to venture into a territory that Hyunsuk had firmly warned you about, Yukhei's house. Getting there was easier than you thought. He threw a party every two weeks and the next one was tonight. You looked through your closet, taking out a low-cut top, ripped skinny jeans and a leather jacket. You wanted to look secretive and mysterious.
Isn't that what all bad boys are attracted to?
You heard loud hip-hop music playing as you entered Yukhei's gigantic house. If you thought you would pass by unnoticed, you were wrong. 'Hey isn't that y/n?' you heard mark excitedly scream. Mark had been your lab partner for a while and you were good friends but you also knew that you had very different affiliations. He was Yukhei's best friend.
'You look incredible' he slurred, eyeing you up and down.
'Back off fuckboy, i'm looking for Yuk- hmm Lucas. I need to talk to him.'
'Why would you talk to Lucas? I didn't know you two knew each other.' mark smirked, probably thinking you were one of lucas' girls. Girls who he would play with and then ditch a few days later. You decided to play along with that idea, asking mark to lead you to him.
'Hey Lucas? You wanna go get a drink?' you asked seductively, twirling your hair as you tried not to throw up from your actions. Lucas was too wasted to think clearly, following you as you pushed him into the nearest bathroom, caging him against the door.
'So, Yukhei, what are you planning now?'
His eyes were glued to your cleavage, completely tuning you out. What a fucking perv... Guess i need to play a game that interests him...
You pulled him close, hand in his hair as you kissed him deeply before abruptly pulling away.
'Damn princess..' he bit his lips, surprised at your confidence.
Princess. That's what Hyunsuk calls me...
'What? Choi Hyunsuk's little wifey not feeling so bold anymore?' he chuckled, lifting his hand to stroke your cheek.
He knew. He knew the entire time. That's why he hadn't been doing anything suspicious when you followed him... You were in deep shit.
Yukhei swiftly turned you around, hand pressed on your hip as he locked the door behind you, flashing you a million dollar smile.
'You've been a very naughty princess... You thought I wouldn't find out about your little games?' he whispered, nibbling on your ear lobe as you tried to move away from him. His hands were cold and his grip on your hips was deadly.
You decided to play along for now. It was the only way you would get out of there alive.
'I know following you was a bad idea... I just wanted to help Hyunsuk... It's really not like that with him.. He's my best friend..' you trailed off, hands roaming all over Yukhei's toned body as he stared at you, eyebrows raised. You took the opportunity to kiss him again, this time using tongue. He let out a groan, releasing your hips as he kissed you back. As soon as his hands were off you kicked him in the crotch, immediately turning back to unlock the door. You ran out of there, not looking back until you reached your house. Hyunsuk was waiting for you on top of his car, smoking a cigarette. He got up as he saw you running.
'Hey, what's wrong? You weren't supposed to follow Yukhei today, did something happen?' he questioned as you frantically looked around to make sure no one had been following you.
'Don't tell me you went to his party... Did he hurt you? I swear to god is that asshole touched you I will make sure he rots in jail.' he rambled on, holding your hands as he tried to get you to answer him.
'He knew... He knew about everything. He's watching us.' you finally answered him.
••
I tried out a very new concept for this fic so idk if you guys will like it lol. Btw this is just the first part. It’ll be a series.
masterlist - requests are open !!
- ya girl tiyi 💖
39 notes · View notes
Text
The Boy from the Beach
Name: The Boy from the Beach
Type: Gang!au, Fluff
Pairing:  Jimin x Reader (feat. cameos by Jungkook and Yugyeom)
Rating: PG-13? Gang references? Kissing? Probably PG. I’m old and you hooligans are pretty streetwise these days :P
 Warnings: None really? Brief creepiness/intimidation.
 Word Count: 1,323
A/N: This was basically an exercise in curiosity. Mostly because I wanted to post something for all of you lovelies (I know I’ve barely been on tumblr lately 😞 ). But also because I have been crazy busy with school and would love to go to sleep at a (somewhat) normal time, but still write. What I did was set a timer for one hour, and at the end of one hour whatever I had written I would post, with minimal editing (like this is something new, lol) and without sitting on it for a while. So this is probably the hottest off the press you will ever get from me <3.
A/N: Ok, I somewhat cheated. It was an hour and 15 minutes. And I had to cut a scene where Jimin is jealous of her abs. Please imagine and enjoy.
Tumblr media
 You stretched out as far as you could on your oversized beach towel, and rolled your neck. You had been reading for an hour or so, but knew you had to flip over to your front or your tan would be uneven. Undoubtedly your dad would make some passive comment later about how brown you were, but that was his problem. You loved the feeling of the sun on your skin, and the way you looked after you had spent as much time outside as possible.
This was one of your few days off from the family business- no responsibilities, no guards, and for one short day, you could pretend to be a normal girl in a flouncy bikini, with the only concern being the evenness of your tan and the plot of the trashy romance novel you were reading. You were sure the guards were nearby somewhere, but they were doing a remarkably good job of blending in-not that you expected any less from some of Korea’s most elite guards.
Not that you needed them, which was why you were able to have this day to yourself. Your dad had every confidence that you could handle yourself. For years he had been reluctant to train you, hoping for a son, but when it became clear that it wasn’t going to happen, he embraced training you whole heartedly. Not that you’ve ever had to use that particular skill set, but “forewarned is forearmed,” as the cliché goes.
You settled back down onto your towel, thoughts of your father and his companions retreating to the back of your mind. This time you were face up, and you were able to survey the beach around you. Haeundae Beach had once been a somewhat seedy part of Busan, but you would never know it, looking around at all the beautiful people with a backdrop of sparkling high-rises. Your dad had made some of his earliest money redeveloping the area, which meant that you had a pretty sweet penthouse view.
Despite the fact that it was early October, the beach was packed due to the unseasonable weather, and the film festival that was about to kick off. From your vantage point, you could see the lines snaking around Centum City. As much as you liked to support the Korean film industry (you had cried during the ending of Train to Busan), you would be avoiding the crowds and cameras.
As your thoughts drifted, your peripheral vision caught someone moving swiftly to your left, and someone to your right.  You didn’t think they would be a threat, and this was your first critical mistake of the day. Before you could realize it, there were two (unfortunately) familiar faces on either side. Jungkook and Yugyeom. Scions of the other family in the area, which your father euphemistically called your family’s “competitors.” They had sat down on either side of you, close enough that you found it intimidating, but that casual passerbys might only see as close friends. Normally you were confident in a fight, but each of them were trained just as much as you were, if not more. Not to mention that you were barely clearing 155 cm (5’1”), much to your dismay, their reach would be much longer. You could probably win and get away, but not without creating a massive scene that you had no interest in seeing unfold. The last thing tourists and film critics needed was an introduction to the families that ran the grittier side of Busan.
Jungkook slung his arm around you in an overly casual way, and Yugyeom smiled his signature smirk.
 “Enjoying a beach day?” Jungkook asked. “The view is pretty spectacular,” he continued, eyeing you over. You tried to squirm away at that, only to bump against his partner in literal crime on the other side of you.
“Easy, now. We wouldn’t want to cause a scene, now would we?” he asked, whispering in your ear and making your skin crawl.
As you momentarily weighed the pros and cons of your next steps, a sweet, but firm voice, echoed from behind.
 “Funny, but it looks to me like you guys are the ones making a scene. Maybe you should leave her alone?”
You wondered who the voice belonged to, but as the two jumped at the unexpected confrontation, you saw your chance and took it. Spinning around, you jumped up, pushed them off balance and grabbed the hand of the unlucky passerby who had willingly jumped into this mess. Despite what your father would have said, you knew that you couldn’t just leave him to their wrath.
 As you ran, he was in surprisingly good shape, and must do a lot of cardio, because he kept up relatively well. But you were in better shape still, and he began to tire before you did. And, apparently, before Jungkook and Yugyeom, who had regrouped and were sprinting down the beach after you. Your training told you that you could never outrun them, and that you would have to find cover somewhere to hide until they gave up-or until you could call for reinforcements, but you didn’t want to have to explain that to the boy that was with you. 
You sprinted off the beach access ramp, and darted around the corner. Even as he slowed, the boy didn’t complain. You ran into the first small shop you saw- a clothing store, and thought to hide in the stall. Not your best idea, but you didn’t have many resources or much time at your disposal.
The shop owners gave you a strange look, but luckily didn’t say anything. They probably recognized the tattoo on your exposed shoulder and left the two of you alone. But clearly this guy didn’t, since he kept asking questions that you couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. In the too close space of the changing stall, his questions were rapid fire.
“Who are you? How can you run so fast? Do you know those guys? What do they want with you? They seem scary? (is this a question? you eye-roll internally. He’s clearly on an adrenaline high). For some unknown reason, maybe because of the smutty novel you’d been reading earlier, maybe because his lips have looked so soft and appealing the entire time he’s been rambling, the only sensible way to get him to stop is to kiss him. So you do. And his lips still under your own.
And it’s lucky timing, because as you do, you hear the doors bang open loudly, and meek protests of the staff. From the way they are talking, Jungkook and Yugyeom are incensed that they have lost the two of you. In their rage, they aren’t very thorough, and with the light out and the two of you wedged behind the door, they only spare a cursory glance in your direction. Thank god. You exhale slowly, but the boy creates no additional space between you. In fact, his hands are firm but gentle on your hips, and though you are no longer kissing, the two of you are forehead to forehead and nose to nose.
“What is your name?” he whispers, still breathless, though from running or kissing you can’t be sure. You’re feeling pretty breathless yourself, though you’ll never admit as to why. While he had been asking before, you were pretty sure he was some city slicker from Seoul, but hints of a Busan satoori closer to your own have slipped out.
 “Kim Y/N,” you whisper, giving only your real first name and a fake family name. He doesn’t need to know the full details of your family. He can be eased into that later, if he sticks around, you amend internally. “Yours?”
“Park Jimin.” And with that, he leans in and continues to kiss you, and you know that you are even more of a goner than the heroines of your beach novel.
42 notes · View notes
orsa2014 · 7 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Let me say this, whether you’re a fan or not!  This is a must see movie!!  It’s so enjoyable.. you don’t want it to end!!!  It’s a well balanced movie with comedy, action, history & tragedy all labeled under a great message!!  Though it’s a series subject the director wanted to convey, he didn’t present it in a depressing way, like most Japanese movie directors do!!!  This is the best action movie I’ve seen since Rurouni Kenshin liveaction!!
Here’s my rambling and opinion of the movie –which I saw 5 times- whistles, and still miss watching it!! Waiting for the BR release every day!!
WARNING:  BIG FAT LONG SPOILERS ahead, so don’t read If you hadn’t watched it yet!!! 
Tumblr media
I went to Japan this summer with family members, and cause Japan is hot in summer we decided to visit Sapporo first!!  And guess what!!  Ohno Satoshi with the director visited the cinema near my hotel!!  I knew about it one week before the trip, and of course no way to buy a ticket –which I tried-!!!  I was there that day, but I didn’t see him :( and I went there before 10 but the movie was sold out until 6pm show!!!
Like I said before, I didn’t read the manga, cause I wanted to get my first impression of the story from the movie, and because the script writer was the writer of the original novel himself Wada Ryou, I had hopes for a good original script!!  So here’s my preview and opinion, maybe a too honest one about the movie:
Tumblr media
Maybe the first and last Japanese movie I’ll see in the cinemas?!  Luckily it wasn’t boring at all!! About 98% of the Japanese movies I saw were either boring, or had to stop at the middle and have a break!!  I don’t know why the movies are boring while I can see a drama 11 ep nonstop for a whole day!!!  And for Shinobi, before going to the cinema, I was wondering what will I do if that was the case too, sitting in a cinema with a boring movie!!!
BUT.. it was fun.. though the first time I saw it I understood little of the conversation!!  It was packed with comedy, events, characters and action!!  It feels like anyone can watch this movie, beside it being a Samurai vs Ninja movie which appeals to many.. boys will love this, I’m sure!!  My brother tagged along for the first time, and though he only watches j anime & American movies and doesn’t know much Japanese; he admitted he enjoyed it.. he even tagged along for a second and third time.. lol..
I also noticed that a lot of the viewers were old people, and I’m talking about really old people.  My two times in Tokyo, the cinema was almost all old people, one of the viewers was so old with a bend back and a walking stick, she came alone to watch the movie.. I thought how cute!! I don’t see this in my country.. I was wondering if she was a fan, or if she likes historic movies..
The second and third time were fun.  And on my fourth watch I almost understood all the conversations but for little details and vocabulary.. which made me happy, cause the Samurai language is too difficult!!  The fifth time was to watch it all while understanding the whole story.. lol.. I might have gone more if my trip was longer, or hadn’t responsibilities with my family who travelled with me..
Tumblr media
Many people talked about the politic side in the story, I’m not gonna do that.. :P let’s just talk about the movie and actors, the entertainment side of the movie, you kids gets the lessons on your own from the movie.
Ohno Satoshi as Mumon.. at first it looked awkward, his Mumon, like he said in the promotion, “you would think it’s Ohno not Mumon, but it’s Mumon”.. but watching this movie few times and understanding the story.. I understood Mumon; he was an empty, playful, lazy person with no emotions but love for his wife (which I think he didn’t give it much thought but that he’s attracted to her)!!.. honestly I didn’t know what to think of him at the start.. but after many events.. you start to see emotions from Mumon, gradually he’ll start to feel pity and anger..  And that’s when he’s the coolest, and you cannot have enough of him.. but then the movie ENDs!!!  Lol.. That’s maybe why I can’t have enough of this movie.. give me part 2!!  - Maybe watching it the second time while knowing Mumon will make you enjoy the movie more? Hmmm-… like ahh, here comes the lazy ninja!!  Cause I definitely enjoyed it the second time more than the first, and my seat was better too.
Tumblr media
The reason behind Mumon’s change of character must be his wife Okuni and Heibe.. though I think Okuni had a bigger effect, unlike some manga fans think!!  Of course I did read the manga after I saw the movie, and it worked!! –my theory- Lol.. cause I like the movie version better, even though it had lesser details and characters!! Why?  Mainly because of Mumon’s character.. I liked Mumon in the movie more.. Mumon in the manga was darker –and it may make the movie too!!  Ohno’s Mumon, though he didn’t care much for people’s life, he had an innocent aura to him, like this is how he was brought up and thought it’s normal, he doesn’t know another lifestyle.  While he fought others he had a smile on his face which felt that he’s just playing around with the weak ppl who are fighting him!!  Like when he fought at the start with the Ninjas and Jirobe.. It was interesting to see he didn’t use much strength, but was playfully fighting, even pulling his ears and distracting him.. lol.. but as soon as he heard the name, money flashed infront of him and changed mood immediately!!!
It could be me, but though he was smiling, his eyes were sad or pitying!?  I hadn’t seen Ohno with a face like that before!!  So to me he wasn’t dark, he was a lost soul!!  Especially when the princess committed suicide, I didn’t like Mumon’s reaction in the manga!!
Also Mumon in the movie ended taking the boy Nezumi with him, it felt like even though he’s not his son, but Okuni cared about the boy so he decided to take care of him for dear Okuni!! Loved that last scene, makes you smile though you were just in tears moments ago!!  Instead manga’s Mumon kept grieving over Okuni, it ended up in a sad and negative way!!  -Although the origin is the novel, which I hadn’t read!!-  I don’t know how different the novel is from the manga and the movie!!
I had a feeling she and/or Mumon would die.. but I still had a slight ray of hope until Ohno spoiled everything in one of his interviews and said Mumon will lose his wife!!!  :(  NANDEEEEEEEEEEEEE ) ??  >_<  BAKA!  Oh, and Tsunagu, the credit music by Arashi, had a hint too that these two will get separated.. ;__;
I thought before watching the movie, if Okuni dies, I would hate the ending and get depressed!!  But even though it was sad, and I teared up at this scene (2-5 watch; first time I was shocked)!!  But it wasn’t that depressing!!  Maybe cause it was by the end of the movie!?  Or because the director didn’t show us any sweet scenes between the couples, so I wasn’t attached enough to them!!!  But really, when she says you poor thing to Mumon.. ;__; I would think you poor thing to Okuni herself!!
She was so unfortunate.. though she followed Mumon cause she loved him deep down!!  He didn’t keep his promise -___- and she lived in poverty!! She was isolated in Iga!!  And died by Mumon’s ppl in the end!!  Nothing good happened to her.. poor thing ;__; Mumon BAKA!  Really I was sad for both!!
And Mumon’s reaction!! Though he was extremely angry, and his people and comrades just killed his beloved wife!!  The natural thing was to kill 2 dozens of them and leave!! Instead he walked away carrying his love, suddenly too tired to argue with hopeless people!!  This was more effective and sad!!
And the baby Mumon <3 cute little button <3 <3 <3 chouuuu Kawaaiiiiii..
Come to think of it, every main character had a sad/tragic life or past!!!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
As for his fight with Daizen!! It was so much fun and unpredicted.. lol.. I didn’t expect the wood character!!  It’s so anime like, but I didn’t hate it.. it was surprising and fun!!  I wished his fight with Daizen was abit longer :p   yeah, I wish half the movie would be action scenes..
 Mumon’s fight with Heibe was the best part!!  But honestly, I feel it was short!! >__<  I love action scenes.. and here too i preferred it over the manga!! In the manga the fight was so short, with not much feelings –at least this is how I felt-, but in the movie it was an important scene, and you really feel sorry for a character like Heibe to die!!!
T__T And when you think that’s all, Okuni has to die too soon after.. whyyyyyyyy..
Heibe’s story was tragic too, with a father like that -__-; I don’t know for what he sacrificed his two sons for!!? Miserable old man!!!  But I felt alittle sorry for that old fool when Heibe left him at the battle scene!!
The last fight with Mumon was shot beautifully & skillfully, and showed how desperate he was to fight Mumon!!  Mumon probably never fought like this before with anyone, and was moved by Heibe.. until the last strike, he was fighting seriously.. I was surprised that he gave him killing blows even though he was almost dead!!  Mumon’s eyes and experession said a lot in this scene (Anger, respect, acknowledgement, realization, focus..),  I couldn’t but watch this silently.. unlike the excitement in other action scenes!!
As for Nabukatsu, I think Chinen did really well playing the role!!  He was spot on with the brat character!!  I’m surprised this guy stayed alive.. lol.. This is my first time seeing Chinen acting..
All other actors were good!! The minute this movie starts all the action burst!!  It’s really a shame that the director cut off some of the last fight scene!!  I would have liked to see more of it!!  I hope he’ll include the cut scenes in the DVD/Bray release!!  Onegai!!
 The only down side was that the actions in some scenes were not top notch!!  Though enjoyable, the movie would have been perfect if the action scenes were more worked on!!  Not the sword scenes.. but the high jumps using the action wires, and Mumon’s fight/play with the soldiers.. this scene though he did great acrobatic stunts.. I think it could have been directed better.. honestly my least favorite scene.. but did not disturb the movie much cause it’s filled with events..
To be more picky, some sword fights too needed to look rougher!!  Gomen ne.. my eyes are sharp at flaws!!  Lol.. can’t help with big screens.  I give this movie 9.5 out of 10!  It only had to have more better directed action scenes and it’s perfect (and maybe Okuni being saved <3)!!  Everything else is good, the music, the story, the history, the comedy and this strange not so goody main character Mumon!!!  
 I can’t wait to see this subbed by fans when it comes out, because we rarely get subbed dvds!!  But I’ll definitely buy Shinobi no Kuni B-Ray!!! Can’t wait for the release!!
On another side note, I give credit to the director for this fun movie!!  Actually after Mumon, I watched several of his other movies, and they are all above average good!!  I avoided the horror ones though!!  And what I like about his movies that they don’t leave you depressed; there’s a ray of hope in his movies even if it’s sad!!  From now on I’ll look forward to his works!!
I even seen his Magnificent Nine in the airplane, but I only watched one hour of it : (  I can’t concentrate on planes!!  I really want to see the second half of the movie!! Someone sub it please!!
I’m looking forward to him working with Ohno again.. lol.. as he said in Toronto, he want to give him a dark role!!  Lol, good luck Mr. Nakamura!!
14 notes · View notes