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makeste · 3 years

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regarding Best Jeanist, Dabi, and all of that

@kaleswagdragon I hope you don’t mind me posting this comment and my response as its own post, seeing as it quickly got out of hand and sort of morphed into a whole entire essay.

anyway, so! you say that it’s a mischaracterization, but it’s really not, though. I mean, props for bringing up the cultural context of Japan, in which the honne-tatemae culture of covering up anything that might lead to any sort of conflict -- even if it means harming an innocent victim in the process -- is a very real issue. so given that, I understand why so many people are interpreting Jeanist’s statement in a “how dare you bring this family shame to light” sort of way. and Caleb’s “dirty laundry” translation doesn’t help, given the “we’re more embarrassed than actually concerned about this” feel of that particular phrase, which he apparently chose just because of the clothing pun without really giving much thought to any other implications.

but in the actual Japanese, the meaning/context is somewhat different. here’s a link to a twitter thread clarifying the original spoiler translation, and breaking down the actual Japanese dialogue.

I think the meaning here is very clearly “you waited until the public’s faith in heroes was already wavering to bring this down on them as a final blow.” if he was simply criticizing Dabi for publicizing the Todoroki family drama, he would have stopped with that first sentence. the two sentences afterward (“you waited until everyone’s faith in heroes was wavering, when the damage would be too great to handle”) make it clear that what he’s actually calling Dabi out for is the way that he basically weaponizes his story into the perfect political tool to finally take down the heroes. which is an observation that we as the readers can verify for ourselves as being true. look at how he so carefully edited the footage of Twice’s death. look at the contrast between the way he acts in the video, compared with the homicidal glee we see from the actual Dabi in real time.

Jeanist is notably the only one who is able to get the same perspective as the readers here, since he’s the only person who’s physically present in Jakku with the real Dabi, but is also able to hear the video being broadcast. meaning that he’s able to hear both video!Dabi’s calm, prerecorded “I’m just a concerned citizen trying to look out for a society being taken advantage of by the ones charged with protecting it” speech, and actual!Dabi’s “hahaha fuck you Endeavor I’m bringing the whole country down even as we speak, well anyway time to kill you all” reality. he alone can see that stark contrast between the concerned whistleblower act Dabi is putting onscreen, versus his true attitude of “I don’t actually give a fuck, I just want to eradicate the heroes and make my dad suffer.” basically, Jeanist is the only one who can see that juxtaposition, and see Dabi’s reveal for what it really is, seeing as Dabi literally spelled it out for Endeavor and the others. and so he’s calling him out on that.

and he’s not wrong to do so. it’s clear that a lot of fans vehemently disagree with this, but being an abuse survivor doesn’t excuse you from having the same obligation as every other human being on the planet to try your best to be a decent person, which at minimum means not going out of your way to hurt other people. I say this as someone who’s experienced abuse, which shouldn’t need to be a disclaimer honestly, but I guess that’s how it is these days. anyways, though, I have, and I know a lot of other people who have as well. it’s a terrible, awful, exceptionally shitty thing to experience, and it affects everyone in different ways. and every single person who goes through something like that deserves help and support and time to heal, and it’s a tragedy and an injustice that Dabi, from what we have seen, never got any of that.

but that doesn’t excuse him from still being held to the same basic standard of “hurting other people is shitty” as everyone else. it doesn’t mean he gets a free pass. it doesn’t mean that anyone who says “hey, Dabi using his trauma as an excuse to murder people is kind of fucked up” is an abuse apologist. and it doesn’t mean Horikoshi is an abuse apologist for writing him that way, for that matter, because guess what? sometimes people who are abused grow up to become abusers. that’s just a fucked-up thing that happens sometimes. and pretending like it doesn’t is ironically not all that different from that whole “sweeping things under the rug” concept you mentioned earlier. it does happen, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that, because acknowledging it is one of the necessary steps to take in fixing it.

this attitude of “if someone was abused they should be absolved of responsibility for their actions” that I’ve seen in some posts is taking the concept of “abuse often has a profound impact on people’s mental health, and that should be taken into consideration before judging them too harshly for behavior that they can’t always necessarily control”, and twisting it into this nice little loophole that people can use to duck accountability whenever it’s convenient. but being abused doesn’t give you the right to abuse other people, is my point. nothing gives somebody the right to do that.

and Dabi is hurting other people. he waited ten years to tell his story specifically because he wanted to use it to make others suffer. and, putting aside the part where he’s trying to engineer the downfall of society as a precursor to the mass destruction he and his pals have planned, he also broadcast the story nationwide without the consent of the other abused parties involved. which I’m not saying he didn’t have the right to do, mind you, because it’s his story as well as theirs, and he has the right to tell it. and the right to make his abuser’s crimes as public as he wants, if that’s what he decides. but it also ignores the question of what his mother and siblings might want, and the fact is that they’re also survivors, and so in theory should have the same right as Dabi to choose their own healing process, and decide exactly how they want their abuser, who like so many abusers is also a close family member, to be held accountable. anyway, but all of that is obviously very, very complicated and I don’t think there’s a clear right or wrong side as far as this part of it all. it’s not a situation where everyone can be happy, which unfortunately is often how it goes.

anyway, I’ve kind of meandered pretty far from my original point now, so my bad. my points are, basically,

(a) I think the linked explanation does show that Jeanist is chiding Dabi for using his trauma in this specifically scheming and destructive way, as opposed to saying “shame on you for not being a good little victim and staying quiet”, which would be a ridiculous thing for Horikoshi, who’s explored the topic of abuse more thoughtfully than any other mangaka I’ve read, to randomly have one of his protagonists say.

and (b) the people calling Dabi out on his shit aren’t all smug victim-blamers who have no sympathy for what he has been through. the latter point (and a lot of this post, actually) isn’t particularly directed at you btw; it’s more of just a general statement brought on by some of the discussion that’s been going on these past few days.

anyways, I actually like that the fandom is talking about all of this! I just think it’s a very complex subject, and an even more complex situation currently in the manga. and ideally, people would try to acknowledge that complexity when discussing it, rather than simply picking a side and doubling down on it no matter what, or shooting down the whole thing as problematic writing just because isn’t a neat and tidy situation where you can simply say “oh, person A is right and person B is wrong, that’s it, end of story.” it’s not, unfortunately. it’s a messy clusterfuck of a topic that’s only going to get messier as this plot continues, so hopefully we can all just sort of brace ourselves for that lol. this is really just the tip of the iceberg, I think.

#bnha 292 #best jeanist #dabi #todoroki touya #bnha meta #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #long post #I mean we always knew the todoroki plot was going to be like this though #and jeanist had to go and open his big mouth #you brought this on yourself really my man #and now we're dealing with all this discourse I hope you're happy #do us a favor and find out kacchan's hero name for us asap so we can put this all behind us and move on to new discourse my denim friend

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obxfishon · 4 years

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Chasing Waterfalls

(this gif has my heart (LOOK AT THAT SMILE), creds to the creator)

JJ x Reader

Description: Emotions flow like the water in the waterfall.

Prompts: “I wish I had a boyfriend.” “so what do you look for in a guy?” “real stuff, like the shape of his ass” “So, I found this waterfall…”

Word Count: 1.9k (I’m slacking sry)

“BYE MOM I’LL BE HOME TOMORROW!” You scream as you run from the house.

John B’s was pretty close, and you were about to make today unforgettable. The crew had been down in the dumps thinking that there wasn’t anything new for them to do, it was just the same old same old, but you found something at work yesterday.

You work at the country club with JJ, you both applied together a few summers ago when it was becoming apparent that you needed money to go on all the adventures.

While bussing a table yesterday, the girls behind you were talking about this amazing hike that led to a waterfall that had water deep enough that you could jump off into it. You read the name from their tab and searched for her instagram, sure enough she was public and posted the pictures from the hike with a location tag.

Saving the location you texted the Pogues to meet at John B’s tomorrow with food, proper shoes and a bathing suit. You didn’t want to give too much away but they needed to be at least a little prepared for what you had planned.

Racing onto the property you see that you are the last one to arrive, the rest all sitting on the porch trying to figure out what you have planned.

“Are you all ready to have the best day of your life?” You questioned as you jumped onto the porch with them.

“C’mon (Y/n), just spill, what do you have planned?” Kie asks, excitement evident in her voice.

“So, I found this waterfall, well I actually heard about it at work yesterday, but then I found the location and we’re gonna spend the day there!” You explain, watching the smiles grow on everyone’s faces.

“It’s about an hour and a half drive, but I think it’ll be so worth it!” You finish, slightly jumping up and down.

Everyone smiled and nodded and started packing everything that would be needed for the trip.

“(Y/n),” JJ squeezed you into a tight hug and spun you in a circle, “you have saved us all from extreme boredom, so, you’ve been moved up in the rankings and have become my favorite person, John B you’re now in second.”

“HEY! I thought I was forever at first?!” John B yelled from the van.

“Well I haven’t heard you offering any fun ideas, but you do house me and drive me places, just be happy you're still towards the top.” JJ remarked and grabbed the last load of things to bring to the van, throwing a wink your way.

You met JJ and the rest of the group when you moved here a few years back, your mom ran a convenience store that kept you afloat for the most part, getting a job at the county club helped you guys have a little extra cash after the bills were paid.

You clicked with the group better than anyone thought possible, together you all formed a family and there was nothing that could wedge between you all.

—-

The drive was full of awful karaoke and dances between all of you. The energy was unmatchable, everyone just letting go of the stresses of home.

Quicker than expected you all arrived and gathered the necessary belongings into backpacks before setting off on the small hike to where the waterfall was waiting.

It was a hot day and this seemed to be a popular spot to come so there were quite a few other people when you came over the final hill and laid eyes on the waterfall.

It was beautiful, the water fell perfectly and the water was a crystal blue, speckled with a few other people enjoying the cool water.

The group set up towels and the rest of the stuff in a sunny spot before heading for the ledge that people were jumping off. Kie wasted no time in running to the ledge and jumping off, letting out a yell of pure joy as her feet left the ground, she resurfaces with the biggest smile on her face, calling for the rest of you to follow.

John B, Sarah, and Pope followed, but you hesitated due to the nerves that came out of nowhere, JJ picked up on this.

“M’lady,” JJ held out a hand, offering a little extra confidence with it, that you took before both running to the end and jumping off, not letting go of him until you had to in order to swim back to the surface.

Everyone was swimming and throwing water on eachother, occasionally getting out to jump back in again moments later.

After a good amount of time it was decided to get out and take a little snack and rest break, so the group moved to the towels and relaxed in the warm sun.

Looking out to the water again you watch as a couple clung to each other as they floated around the water, just based on the way they looked at each other you could tell they were in love. Without thinking you opened your mouth.

“Ugh, I wish I had a boyfriend,” eyes slightly widening when it came out of your mouth, but you shrugged it off, everyone wished that… right?

“You know, (y/n), I don’t think I’ve ever even known you to date, have you?” Sarah moved her head up to look at you, as well as the rest of the group now.

“Nope, it’s hard to find someone who can handle me,” you smirked.

It was true, you hadn’t really dated before, sure you had crushes and had been in that weird talking stage before, but nothing ever became official.

You were a very strong willed girl, you knew what you wanted and how you wanted to be treated, and some people just seemed to be turned off or scared of that.

You also currently had a crush so deep that it didn’t really let you see anyone else as an option. As soon as you met JJ it was hard to ignore the butterflies that came every time he brushed your shoulder or smiled so big that it reached his eyes, just the small things.

“What do you even look for in a guy?” Kie propped her head up on her hands.

“Oh you know, real stuff, like the shape of his ass.” You smirked again and looked back at the group to see them all rolling their eyes and scoffing.

“Okay but really, what would it take to sweep you off your feet?” This time John B pushed.

Realizing you weren’t gonna be able to joke your way out of this you shrugged your shoulders.

“I mean, I don’t know. I want someone strong willed like myself, someone who really cares, would be willing to drop anything in order to help someone,” sighing you continue, “he needs to be a good listener, willing to pay attention to the little things. He needs to be able to make me laugh, that’s a big one. Oh! And someone who is giving, not like buying me things, I don’t need that, but someone who is willing to give me their time and is willing to work on things together.” You nodded your head and looked at them all, just staring back at you.

“You want someone the opposite of what your dad was.” JJ locked eyes with you and you felt your smile falter a bit.

“Yeah... yeah I guess.”

Your dad was awful to your mother, always told her that he could have done better, just rude and uncaring. When you were 12 your mother caught him cheating. She packed the two of you up and you left, she didn’t have a destination in mind, just drove until she ran out of land, literally. The two of you happened to stop at a gas station by the ferry and saw a listing for the small house that you two lived in now. She paid for a hotel for the week, got things in order to buy it, and set divorce papers to your father all in that week.

After that you two had started thriving in this new house, just you and her. Of course the divorce got messy, but he gave up custody of you without a fight, so after a year the divorce was final and you and your mother never spoke of him again.

“I learned from my mother what it means to be a strong woman, she taught me what it means to love someone, how to find the attributes of that love in someone else. She also taught me about where she went wrong, I know what traits can quickly turn toxic so when I see that in someone I keep my distance.” You are looking at the ground trying to hold back the tears.

Feeling an awkward silence you stood and plastered a fake smile on.

“I don’t know about y’all but I’ve had enough rest, I’m gonna go jump in again.” Nodding you turned and quickly walked to the other side of the water where the ledge was, where you were slightly hidden from the others.

Taking a deep breath you closed your eyes and just tried to forget about the memories that we’re trying to break through, this was supposed to be a fun day, so dammit you were gonna be happy.

“Hey, (y/n), are you okay?”

Your eyes shoot open to see JJ staring back into your own.

“Uh,” you plastered the smile back on, “yeah, yeah I’m fine!”

“Bullshit,” JJ pushes your hair behind your ear and then takes you into his arms, holding you in a tight embrace, “I’m sorry I brought up your dad, I know it’s a touchy subject, I wasn’t thinking, trust me of all people in our group I understand not wanting to talking about your dad, but you know I’m here for you no matter what.”

He felt a sob shake your body in his arms and held you closer, rubbing small circles on your back, then pulling away from you to wipe your tears.

“(Y/n), I’ll give you my time, my attention, shit, I’d give my life for you,” JJ looked down at his feet then met your eyes with his own, “I hate to see you in pain, let me make you happy, okay?” He smiled at you and you felt a smile grow in your own face, nodding as he wiped the rest of your tears from your cheeks.

He pressed a short kiss to your forehead and grabbed your hand as you two walked towards the original destination.

“You know, as far as the qualities you look for in a guy, I do have to say, I DO have the best ass around,” he looked at you, causing a short giggle.

“Eh I dunno, could use some work.” You tried to hide your smile as you passed him, your hand reaching out slapping his butt as you sprinted for the ledge, hoping he wouldn’t be able to catch you.

He caught up to you at the very end, grabbing your waist before you both launched off the cliff.

After landing in the water he kept his hold on you, you both just floated together, you head resting back on his shoulder.

Maybe he would be the first boy that passed your test, the one to finally break down your walls.

Only time would tell.

#jj maybank #jj maybank imagine #jj imagine #jj maybank x reader #jj x reader #jj obx #obx jj #obx imagine #obx #obx fanfiction #obxstuff #outer banks #outer banks imagine #imagine #fanfic

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themonotonysyndrome · 3 years

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Chaos Horizon

Part 6 of the ‘Successors of the Future’ is out! Man, next week is already the new year... what a year this has been! Anyway, I don’t have a lot of things to say today so let’s get right to it! Oh, and have a happy holiday everyone!!

Let us never forget that this whole series begin because of the amazing @tri3tri and her equally amazing fics and galaxy brain. If you haven’t check out her blog yet, then please do! I’m such a sucker for family drama and yandere characters and her blog continues to feed me whenever work stresses me out.

A year has passed in Twisted Wonderland. More importantly, for the students in Night Raven College.

Renata has learned quite a few important things just this one, short year. Yes, she needed allies for the time when her father finally discover her presence here in Night Raven College, but she never expected to honestly care and dare she admits it, love Hoyle and Rex.

They were nothing like the friends she made in her old school back at the other world. She noticed their true personalities underneath the surface with each passing days. Underneath his sarcasm, gung-ho attitude and sly tongue, Hoyle Trappola is someone who cares deeply for those who managed to see through him; see past his defences. Renata felt blessed to be his close friend after a night the three of them shared in her bedroom, just playing games and watching movies on his laptop. In a rare window of honestly after Renata explains about her family life and circumstances, Hoyle repaid her honesty by admitting that he wish that he could be a better son to his Dad. Being a single father is tough and despite doing his best to shield him from the hardships and struggles, Hoyle overheard one night when his Dad is talking to his grandparents on the phone. How they urged him to consider marrying a woman so he could have someone to support him and Hoyle in the house.

This was when he was still a child.

Renata didn’t offer sweet, comforting words. She knows that all Hoyle wanted was to vent, so he let him talk while tucking her head on his shoulder and pressed close to his side. She listens because that was Hoyle needed.

Rex is the total opposite of Hoyle, yet just as bright and amazing in his own way. Underneath his serious demeanours, resting bitch face and volatile impulses, Rex Spade is actually an insightful and gentle-hearted boy who looks out for Renata and Hoyle even when it’s unwarranted. Though it’s quite easy for them to persuade him to join in their shenanigans with a few teasing words and in Hoyle’s case, a challenge.

Never had Renata enjoyed her school life with friends like these!

The other important thing - or realisation - that Renata discovered is that her Mama’s friends always kept her in their thoughts.

Though Hoyle’s Dad gobsmacked expression when he brought her to his home for Winter’s Break was, uh, an experience. To put it very mildly.

Renata originally planned to return home via the same spell that Headmaster Crowley used all those years ago to send Mama and her siblings back to her world during Winter’s Break. But while Hoyle, Rex and her were hanging out and playing cards in Heartslabyul’s main lounge, Hoyle brought up in mid conversation that his Dad offered their home to stay if she had no way to go during the holiday.

“You’ve been talking about me to your Dad?” Renata had asked, folding her cards on the table. It sucks to learned that she’s terrible at poker and she pouts whenever Hoyle snickered at another bad hand on her. “Or have you been complaining about me?”

Beside him, Rex stares down at the cards in his hands, hard. As if they hold the answers to the universe. Around them, the other Heartslabyul students gave their table a wide berth, though there were a few brave souls that greeted Renata when they came over to tease Hoyle.

Renata happily introduces herself to them as a show of appreciation.

“A bit of both. Mostly complaining when we had to clean the Hall of Mirrors.” Hoyle easily admits without a shame. He gathered all their cards into a deck and shuffled them. “Anyway, you down? My Dad seems to know your Mum so he offered our place to stay if you don’t have any plans.”

Ace trappola, one of Mama’s best friend that she mentioned before. Renata would like to see just what kind of man he is.

With a nod, Renata reply, “If it’s no trouble then, yeah. I’d like to hang out at your place for Winter’s Break. I’ve never been to the Rose Kingdom before.”

And we’re now back to the present - where Renata and Ace are hanging out at his home; both waiting for Rex to show up with his Dad.

It’s the last day before they had to returned to Night Raven College.

“Have you met Rex’s Dad before, Hoyle?.” Renata asked, her eyes glued to the TV as she munches her bowl of cereals. They could hear his Dad walking about upstairs.

“Have I met him before? Dude, he’s my godfather.” Hoyle scoffed, scarfing down the last bits of his own cereal before placing the empty bowl on the coffee table in front of them. A simple breakfast while watching the morning cartoons are the best. “Rex got his stick-up-the-ass attitude from his Dad.”

“Ah. So he’s super strict?” Renata guessed.

“More like serious, but he’s actually silly.” Hoyle amended. “He and my old man love to argue literally about anything and everything. They’re weird like that.”

Renata just hums. She’ll get to meet him soon enough. Upstairs, his dad hollered at him to clean up so they could go out as soon as the Spade arrives. While the Trappola are getting ready, Renata gathered the dirty dishes from their breakfast and went to the kitchen to wash them.

Mama always told her to be on her best behaviour if she’s under someone else’s house.

Just as she puts the last bowl away, she heard heavy footsteps - heavier than Hoyle’s - coming from behind.

“You really didn’t have to clean the dishes, you know. Usually Hoyle does it before we go out every Sunday.” Said Ace, leaning against the wall.

“It’s not trouble at all, Mr. Trappola.” Renata assured him. She dry her arms by blowing hot air onto them before turning around to face her Mama’s best friend. “It’s nice that you finally look at me, instead of my horns.”

“A-Ah, you noticed that?” Ace stammers, abashed that he wasn’t as subtle as he thought.

“It’s cool, Mr. Trappola. I get that a lot at school too.” Renata admits easily. She’s gotten annoyed at him tip-toeing around ever since Hoyle introduces her. It was obvious that he has questions; it just that he doesn’t know how to ask them.

Scrambling to salvage the situations, Ace took a moment to exhale harshly before he decides to be his honest self. “It was rude of me, yeah? We all didn’t know what to think when your mother just... disappeared one day and then suddenly, my kid brought back her own kid who just so happen to look like the King of the Valley of Thorns...” He trailed off and then he regards Renata with a severe expression. “What happened your mother, Renata-chan?”

“It’s a long story, Mr. Trappola.” Renata said instead, smiling ruefully. “And I don’t want to ruin our day. Can I tell you and everyone what happened to Mama and us later tonight?”

“Sure, kiddo... Is it alright for me to called you that?”

“Mm-hmm! So what are we doing today, Me. Trappola?”

It was nice to see the ice chip away from Ace little by little, now that the man sees past her appearance. While waiting for the Spade to arrive, Renata had a lot of fun chatting and laughing with Hoyle and his Dad, now that there’s no awkwardness lingering between them. Ace didn’t waste any time telling the teenagers all the trouble her Mama and him got into at Night Raven College and hearing the life that Mama had before Father kidnapped her was a blessing to hear.

Judging from Ace’s story, it sounded like her Mama had a lot of people who truly loves her. It’s good to hear it.

The buzzing of the doorbell interrupted Ace mid ranting how it was Deuce who often got them all in trouble - not him! - and MC never seem to realised that and no one back him up. His reminiscent were put on hold when Hoyle went up to usher the Spades in.

Deuce Spade immediately blanked out, mouth slack-jawed the moment Renata waves hello to him. He looks as if he just saw a ghost.

“Yeah, I know how it looks like.” Ace interjects when Deuce couldn’t stop spluttering and stammering, his eyes kept switching to Ace and then at Renata...and then back to his best friend. Ace just clap his shoulders in a comforting manner. Meanwhile, Rex ducked underneath the two men to scurried over where Hoyle and Ace are seated. He squeezes himself in between them to show them the new café that just open up in the Rose Kingdom through his phone.

Once Ace managed to stressed out to Deuce that Renata will explain hers and MC’s story later in the evening, they all head out to town.

“You said that you’ve never been to the Rose Kingdom before, Renata?” Rex asked out loud for the others’ benefit. The town nearby to the Trappola house is bustling with life today. “Then there’s so many things you gotta check out! Do you like desserts? What kind of desserts do you like? Have you ever tried ice-cream cake before?”

“Easy there, Rex. You’re going to overwhelm the poor girl.” Deuce lightly scolded his son. His eyes linger a little too long at Renata before he caught himself and jerk away. “A-Anyway, how about we all walk around first and see what catches Renata-chan’s attention.”

“Sounds like a plan, Mr. Spade!” Renata internally wondered if all of Mama’s friends would react this way when she introduces herself to them.

That entire day, the Spade and Trappola played the perfect hosts to her. As they brought her to one shops after the other, chill out at the park after lunch and regale how the Queen of Hearts used to govern her kingdom, Renata found herself comparing the Country of Thorns to the Rose Kingdoms with every little things that she saw. Everything is so bright and... open here. The sun is shining down on them and everywhere they go, humans occupied the land but Renata did notice a few beastmen going about with their lives. It was nice to truly witness the world outside of Night Raven College and the Valley of Thorns.

Hoyle and Rex made sure they kept close to Renata, shielding her with their bodies when strangers stare at her a little too long for their liking and would usher her into a shop or café to distract her from their curious stares. They weren’t subtle about it, but she is touched that they care about her that much.

Renata is beginning to understand why Mama always talk so fondly about their Dads.

After dinner, everyone returned to the Trappola’s house so Renata could finally explain herself. The living room is packed full and it reminded Renata of her siblings and Mama crowding in front of the TV to watch a movie.

“Did Mama ever told you guys that while she was at Night Raven College, she met Father at night?”

“Father... so your... Dad... really is...” Ace began, but unsure how to even continue but Renata save him the trouble with a nod.

“Malleus Draconia. Mama said he’s a pretty big deal during his time at the school, being one of the top 5 strongest Magician in this world and all...”

Hoyle scoffed. “Understatement, Renata. He’s the strongest Magician in all of Twisted Wonderland now. The number 1.” He explains.

Well. Renata wonders how her little sister would react to this when she tells her later.

Renata then continue on with the story. “Mama explained that they were friends and that in the beginning, everything was fine. But in the end, their story completely went off the train tracks.”

And so, for the rest of the evening, Renata did her best to explain what had happened to Mama as honest as possible. They love Mama and so they deserve the truth.

She told them everything that Mama had told her and her siblings. Of Mama’s friendship with Malleus Draconia and how what looked like a happy ending turned horribly wrong when her Father was consumed with the horror that one day he would outlive his wife and one and only dear friend. His intense love, possessiveness and obsession with her and their children blinded him to everything else - to the point that he kept their Mama and them in a gilded cage.

Renata kept her dislike over Bellatrix to herself when she explains how they managed to escape from the castle on the eve of her Father’s second wedding. In the end, it was thanks to Headmaster Crowley that they could live freely in the other world.

Until the Ebony Carriage came to pick her up and now, here they are.

Renata watches her audience did their best absorb the information overload.

“I never thought...” Ace muttered, distressed. His bit his lower lip, thinking hard. “I never thought that Malleus Draconia had MC all along... what a fucked up situation!”

Deuce is troubled as well. “Poor Prefect... to think the Malleus Draconia fell in love with her... No wonder we couldn’t find her!”

Beside him, Rex nods furiously while Hoyle is already growing bored of this conversation. “It sucks, but it sounds like your Mum is pretty badass for a magicless human. I mean, being able to escape from the most powerful Magician ever in Twisted Wonderland? The King of all dark Fae? Kudos to her.” Hoyle interjects. “So, what’s gonna happen now? You said that your Dad is crazy possessive over you guys, so I very much doubt it if he’s not looking for you guys. Even until now.”

Finally! They’re getting to the good parts.

And so with a curious smile, Renata asks, “Funny that you mentioned that. Do you guy know what Sebek Zigvolt is up to these days?”

Night Raven College’s Entrance Ceremony is always a big event on this island every year.

He was one of the main characters last year - of the many that was addressed by the Mirror of Darkness - but as a Second Year student, he’s standing among the rest of the older Savanaclaw students now. Scenting the newly sorted First Year cubs and waiting for the whole thing to wrap up already.

At the centre of the chamber, the headmaster continues to called out names to step forward and face the Mirror of Darkness.

Amber Leech, Aeacus Shroud, Felix Felmier... the ceremony goes on.

“Psst! Bakari!” A voice suddenly whisper.

Bakari turn his head to the side and there’s Renata with her ceremony robes’ hood up, beaming at him. She’s standing away from her Diasomnia mates, a good space between her and the crowd at the back that no one seems to pay her any attention.

Bakari slips away from the rest of the Savanaclaw students in favour of walking towards her.

“How’s the fresh meats?” Was the first thing that Renata asked him.

“Some of them look promising.” Bakari admits. “More predators than preys so far.”

“Oooh, Savanaclaw’s hierarchy is so harsh.” Renata reply a bit absentmindedly. Bakari notices that her green eyes are scanning the room and the crowds around them. Looking for someone. Something unpleasant churns in his stomach but he resolutely ignores it. “Are you gunning for the Dorm Leader’s position?” She wondered.

Bakari scoffed, his tail flicking irritably just at the mere thought. Unlike his Dad, he has no lofty ambitions to secure a powerful position for himself. “Savanaclaw is governed by the laws of the strong eating the weak. You have to be the strongest in order to be the Dorm Leader and I have better things to do than watching over my dorm members.”

Like figuring out how to appease his Dad after he told him to stay away from the lizard bastard’s whelp during Winter’s Break. Regardless of her surname.

As if he’s going to do that though. He wants to fully unravel the mysteries of Renata MC/S. For the time being, she’s the most interesting creature in Night Raven College.

“Sounds tough.” Renata murmurs. “Well, it’s a good thing that you don’t want to be a Dorm Leader! Otherwise your workload would take you away from me.”

Bakari just hums. Already gotten used to her offhanded flirting.

The two of them watch in the background as the group of First Year students gradually thinned out. The headmaster’s loud voice carried to the back of the chamber.

“... Sherrie MC/S, please step forward!”

Murmurs erupted when said student pulled down her hood, a pair of black horns is clear for all to see.

Bakari glance to his side to see Renata beaming. “You were looking for your sister?”

“Something like that! It’s so nice when everything is coming together, don’t you think?” Renata chuckles, pleased with herself for some odd reason. It just made Bakari more and more intrigue.

And the uncomfortable feeling within him vanish just like that.

“...Octavinelle!”

The murmurs now turn into confused whispers and fingers are pointing as they all watch Renata’s little sister melded into the crowd of new Octavinelle students. Some of the students nearby even glance behind to stare at Renata and when she cocked an eyebrow at them, they quickly turn away.

“Octavinelle? Did the Mirror made a mistake?”

“I thought only merfolks are sorted into Octavinelle.”

“Those horns looks just like her’s. There’s no way she’s a merfolk!”

“Maybe her magic is not as strong to be sorted to Diasomnia?”

The students of Night Raven College sure love to gossip, Renata couldn’t help but internally mused. Even worse than those back in her old school.

“Guess you’re planning to catch up with her after the ceremony?” Bakari assumed, casting a sideway glance to gauge her expressions.

“I’ll meet up with her tomorrow, after she settles in for the night.” Renata answered. “There’s no need to rush. We have lots of time to prepare for the future.”

Ok! I think I did ok with this oneshot. Editing, was as usual, a bit tedious but the power of Miku’s songs prevail and I manage to push this through! Hope you guys have a wonderful holiday.

#fanfic #twisted wonderland #ace trappola #deuce spade #Draconia Family series #Second Wive AU #tri3tri

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gatonjennifer · 2 years

Text

THEIR HOME, MY LAND

Ch. 6 Ethnicity and Nationalism

In this week's fieldwork, we examine "the relationship of ethnicity to the nation" and will be thinking of things like our family's history and relationship to both ethnicity and nationality.

In this post, I wanted to stick more towards the original Canvas assignment and flow my blog post by the order of the questions. Some of the questions posed in the prompt are as follows:

HOW LONG HAS YOUR FAMILY LIVED IN THIS COUNTRY (THE UNITED STATES)? For starters, both of my parents are imigrants. So really, I am the first generation to be born in The U.S.. With that being said, my parents also came at different times. My dad arrived in 1990 and my mom arrived in 1995. My dad arrived at the age of 12 from The Dominican Republic (against his will as he loves to add becasue he did not want to leave and loved(s) his county). My mom, on the other hand, arrived MUCH later (not really but in terms of age difference, definitely) at the age of 16 and according to her, she didn't really think much of it (my mother is not so much of a passionate woman). Since they met in the 90's, I'll say my family has been here for about 25 years.

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? My dad is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and says he is a city boy so he is also from the city. My mom is from Lagos, Nigeria. I would like to add that it is very odd and strange and like extremely sick and FUNNY that my parents are BOTH from extremely large cities but would rather live in a suburb (mom) or villa (dad), so odd.

HAS YOUR FAMILY EMBRACED AMERICAN NATIONALISM? I personally would like to say, in their youth and of most of their parenthood, yes. They very much embraced American Nationalism. I mean for crying out loud, my name is literally Jennifer. Now on the other hand my middle name is in my mother's native language (Yoruba) and my last name is pronounced in a french sounding manner BUT due to a lack of the accent mark on all my documents, my name looks fairly unethnic. When I've brought this up (yes I brought it up. I want a cute, spicy, BRANDABLE name *rolls eyes*), my mom has slipped some talk on my name being "normal". Another sign I would like to point out is that I not only do not know spanish or yoruba but I also am really not familiar at all with the cuture. I honestly have no idea what Dominicans do and have very little knowledge on Yoruba people. I try to research as much as I can but I'm looking in from the outside and I'm really 2 doors down to be honest because my parents don't practice and homeland traditions at home like ever. Now with all this being said, they will always say their home country before America but always say their American. Example:

Question: Hello where are you from?

Answer: I am said nationality that is not American

But they will not deny and sometimes mention thier American nationality.

IF SOME OF YOUR FAMILY HAVE MIGRATED FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, HOW DO THEY INTERGRATE THEIR AMERICAN IDENTITY WITH THEIR ETHNIC IDENTITY? I'm gonna be very real; I do not know any family besides my grandparents, my moms uncle, his wife, their child, and both my parents' siblings and I must add: all together, I have 8 aunties and uncles (not per gender) and I am the oldest cousin. I hope as y’all read this, y’all cryin' with me because girl? It's sad. Now, with all that being said, I don't know that ANY of my family has left America to go to another country especially because my dad is a twin and that's his only sibling and that about cuts it at people I know on my daddy's side.

MY OWN THOUGHTS AND IDEAS ABOUT MY FAMILY ETHNICITY AND NATIONALITY AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO ABOUT IT WHEN I HAVE MY OWN FAMILY.

Although my parents are from different places, I do not identify with these places. When people ask me (usually because of my last name or teachers see my middle name, I say "my parents are from". I do sometimes get wierd looks or people correct me and say "you're from there too" or things like that and it honestly doesn't resonate with me. It's hard to want to be apart of something so bad but feel shunned from it, like an outsider. I feel like Mirabel from Encanto.

Now, In terms of what I hope to accomplish in my own home, should I ever become a parent, I hope for a a gigantic family both immediate and extended but especially in home. Big families promote big traditions (my dream). I hope that as I keep extrending into my adulthood I can continue to uncover what both my parents may have done as traditions or what is normal in their home countires so I can at least shimmer some of that to my children. I also intend to hyphenate my last name and pass it to my children as my last name is a big piece (of the small, tiny piece) of culture I have and I'd love to keep it alive if just for one more generation.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog, I hope to write more!

#culture #ethnicity #nationality

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philza-fanwriter · 3 years

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Harmful

This is originally posted on Wattpad <3 :) the ones that are in bold and italics are not said out loud.

warnings: Techza(not related) and homophobia, common warnings

____________________________________________________

"There was once an angel, born in the highest ranks of heaven. His family was part of the council, the lords that rule over 'earth' and the Heavens. He was next in line, and so, everyone wanted to be his friend. He was a ray of sunshine, and one that can lighten up the mood.

But we all know that's just a bait for the humans to believe in the heavens. The heavens was a dark place, The angels that lived on earth even said it might as well be more cruel than the creatures that lurked the dark. Everyone lies and and manipulates one another. the one who does this the most is THE COUNCIL, the gods.

But the boy wanted to explore the earth. And so did he

__________________________________________________

It was fortunate, really. His caretakers had been called by his parents. It gave him time to devise a plan out of the little house that was hidden away from society. It wasn't his fault he wanted to go explore from this plain that he lived in for years. He was 16! He can explore wherever he wants.

It's not like he's explored every part of the heavens, Including the badlands. But you don't need to know that

He opened the door of his home, Flying up into the sky, His pure white wings flapped him up, His body feeling light, he dived down towards the 'Earth' The council created, and never payed attention to.

Oh how he missed the days when they could freely give the humans gifts from the heavens, but those days were over.

He dove down to the gates below the floating island, looking at the general that had a white smiley mask that was feared by all. But not the infamous blood god he oh so admired.

He hid behind the in the trees, wings tucked behind his back as the man was called away by one of the other generals. He glided down in front of the gate, silently cursing when he forgot about the keys. He took out an invisibility potion from his enderchest, Drinking it and flew to the great hall.

"----he disappeared---- ------where do you think he is-----" was all he could hear, but he didn't have the time to listen. He snuck up onto the general, and slowly took the keys from his pockets.

Once he got the keys, He ran as fast as he could, as he jumbled with the keys in the air, people he vaguely saw from the great hall started chasing after him, and so he started to panic

. He flew into the forest and flew through the woods, losing them. He went to the gates again, trying out all the keys before getting the right one, Opening the gates, he breathed in deeply.

The sound of ringing and the faint sound of voices in his ears..

He jumped

He fell from the heavens, his wings flapping to control his descent, and he landed with the thud, onto a 'beach', He stood up and looked at his wings.

They were fading to grey

He Thought his wings would fade to grey, tales from long ago talked about escapees who had grey wings, called 'devils'. But fallen angel honestly sounded better, but he disagreed with everything the adults say, this time no different.

He walked onward, people say he's still alive, roaming around with a person with a red bucket hat matching his, watching over a village who has lived peacefully for years"

"But what's his name, Dad?" "Yeah! Also how do you know so much?" "Ah, alright. For your question Wilbur, They called him the angel of death, weird, yes. But no one knows his name, really."

"Oh! That sounds so cool!" "Yes, I know. Now for you tommy.."

"Let's just say I have been in this village for a very long time"

______________________________________________

this is where the techza thing starts, turn back if you don’t want to read it <3

"DAD! CAN WE PLEASE HEAR ABOUT THE ANGEL AGAIN?" A small child ran up to the man with the bucket hat together with a boy who wore a yellow sweater.

"Please dad? We promise to help you with the chores! Also shush tommy" The other boy said.

"Hm, fine." The man sighed, putting the tea cup down onto the table, he ushered the children onto his lap, before finally starting.

"Now, you must remember the angel was like any other. He falls in love, like in those cheezy movies that we watched on movie night."

"Woah, really? Who was the lucky girl dad?" The man only chuckled at him. "What's so funny?"

"Ah. It's cause he fell in love with one of the gods his age, at least, that's what the village told me. He was called the blood god. He was a 'myth' made up by one of the prophets, Or so what they thought. He was said to be able to single handedly defeat an entire army, And the angel admired him."

"BUT WHY WOULD HE FALL IN LOVE WITH A KILLING MACHINE!?" The blonde screamed. The man covered his ears, giggling at the boy.

"Ah. Well no one ever knew. Some people thought they were soulmates, other thought it was he was very attractive. Either way, the angel already disappeared before the adults could ask about his attraction to the god." He ran away like a coward, the villagers chasing him, His children didn't need to know

"Ooh! Really? I'm so happy for him! But.. The church doesn't allow us to like boys cause it was 'not right' though.. so did they try to attack the angel for it?" The boy shuddered at the thought of the angel getting hurt.

"Hm, I'm getting old, So I'm not very sure. The memories aren't very nice. But they did start talking behind his back, but he still has many people who worship him"

The two children huffed. It was similar to what happened with tubbo back at the orphanage, his parents just dropped him onto the orphanage because he was different from the rest of the other children.

" Ugh! They're so mean to the angel!" The blonde nodded his head. "Yeah Wilby! The angel never did anything wrong! He just likes boys, nothing's wrong with that!" Phil smiled at his two sons.

"Can i continue the story now, Wil and tom?" The two nodded.

"I'll tell you what people thinks the blood god looks like. Now, I'm sure you both know about hybrids, and about passive and aggressive ones, Hmm? He was said to be a piglin hybrid, Fierce and sharp with his words. He fluently dances with his blade, like an extension of his arm. His hair was a shade of pink, with a pig mask covering his face, and he had a gold crown sitting atop his head."

"Oh! Now i understand why he likes him! He probably looks so pretty." Tommy just shook his head at what wilbur said.

"Dumbass! The blood god is only for the angel! Get your head straight" Wilbur just smacks tommy's head (I like ya cut g-)

"People said he loved the angel too, Moments of soft touches under the moonlight between the god and the angel. But people called of the blood god, and so he had to leave his lover and the warmth of the angel." And the angel fucking broke, his tears reflected the moonlight as his lover never returned to see him

"That's sad! Did he ever return to him?"

"....Yes, he did. And they say that they lived far away, in a lake in a cottage, forever keeping the warm touches, and never left each other's sides." The angel continued to cry, as his lover continued to fight, never sending a letter to comfort him, Carnations wilting in a vase as bloodied feather littered the floor.

"THAT'S SO POGCHAMP OF HIM TO RETURN! THANK YOU DADZA WE WERE SO BORED!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Oh shut up tommy, Yeah true but don't need to scream!"

"YOU'RE SUCH A HYPOCRITE WILBY! YOU DON'T GET TO BOSS ME AROUND! ONLY DAD CAN!"

"Now now children, if you don't stop fighting I won't tell you anymore about the angel alright? Now come on and get off my lap, You're going to do the chores."

The two groaned at that and stood up to get the brooms.

"Hey wilby?" Wil looks over to tommy who's sweeping the floor. "Yes Tommy? Do ya need anything?"

Tommy looks down at the floor, pausing for a second before talking. "Do you think we'll meet the angel?" Wilbur chuckles at that. "Of course we will! I'm gonna work hard so I can get out of here and build my own place where people can live without those shit rules this place has." Tommy's eyes sparkle at that.

"Can i come too? Maybe we can find the angel there! But.. Where are you planning to make the country?" Wilbur grins even wider. "The Land of the Dream Smp! It's the perfect place for people who want to get away!" Tommy only agrees as they continue cleaning the house.

_____________________________________

A person was listening to their conversation, Eyes widening in horror, They turn back, a portal through time still open beside them. He was about to step in before..

" Ah, hello Karl Jacobs, How rude of you to spy on philza's children like that.. Hmm?"

_____________________________________

And Cut <3

Hope you enjoyed :)

Idk how to improve so Uhm-

#techza #angel of death #part 1 and 2 of the book #philza #techno #tommy #wilbur #tags suck ass #redza #philza minecraft #philza centric #karl #evil #manipulation #long lost love

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is-that-another-soulmate-au · 4 years

Text

Sun Touched Zuko AU!!

Tag list @chaoticidiott @mypureessence @fae-tales-personal

This won't be a soulmate AU but it will be Zukka for sure.

Zuko was born sick, so sick in fact that he was going to die. His mother prayed to Agni that he would live, prayed that the sun spirit would save her first born son. In the gardens she held him up to the Setting sun pleading. The suns rays caught in the amber stone on top of the alter set for worship and moved to Zuko's eyes. His hair changed from solid black to a golden blonde, he opened eyes and began to cry. He was touched by the Sun and lived.

Ursa couldnt have been more happy, her son was alive. "My little sunshine" she whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks as she held him close and rocked him in her arms.

When Ozai saw his son's golden hair he demanded that it be dyed black, but was willing to compromise when Ursa suggested they wait until he turns 5 so that the dyes don't harm him.

The first time they dyed his hair he asked his mom why, his bright molten eyes looking at her with confusion "because your father wants you to feel safer my sunshine, people will stare at you with that bright shining hair of yours"

"Oh, okay" was his only response that day. He never questioned it anymore when they touched up his roots weekly.

After his mother left him he felt alone in the world, his dad still staining his golden hair each week with more and more ink. All the while berating him when he couldnt control his fire well. Even with being touched by the spirit and having powerful fire he couldnt manage to control it, couldnt understand how to. Until master Piandou taught him swords and he applied his teachings to his fire.

The first time he used his swords to control the fire Piandou was more than impressed "Prince Zuko! That was amazing!"

"Thank you Master, thinking of the swords as an extension helped me control the flames better" his smile soon faded when his father appeared

"Yes, great work Zuko, I am pleased to see you have learned how to control your flames, however mixing these arts in this fashion is unacceptable. Come with me"

After that he wasn't allowed back at Piandou's unless he was accompanied by either his father, or an advisor to make sure he practiced correctly.

On the day of his fated Agni Kai Zuko had just gotten his roots retouched before entering the war meeting. When his father burnt him for speaking out of term his tears felt like lava running down his cheeks. He could smell the fresh dye burning and it hurt his lungs.

His Uncle immediately took him under his wing when he was banished "Zuko, my star," his Uncle pleaded when they were at the western airtemple "i need to dress your wound, the sun spirit would not want you to lose your eye"

Zuko reluctantly let his Uncle clean and dress his wound several times on their travels until it healed and scarred over. When it finally healed over Iroh smiled "there you go sunshine" he said as he wiped the tears forming in Zuko's good eye away "do not cry Prince Zuko, you are safe"

He still dyed his roots every week to uphold his place as prince. He did not know that his golden hair was his own symbol or royalty, that the sun chose him. Sure he knew the sun saved him, but he could not understand that it was because he was chosen.

When he arrived at the South pole and discovered the Avatar, he felt a breath of relief wash over him. He was going home, but he heavily underestimated the Avatar's abilities and lost him.

Soon he started a cat and mouse game with the monk and his two southern water tribe friends. After the northpole he slacked on dying his hair, not because he didnt want to, he simply didn't have the resources to do so. So his roots started to grow in gold.

"Well your looking golden Zuzu" Azula's voice startled Zuko when he walked into the hut they were staying in.

"Azula, what are you doing here" he glared at his younger sister

"You know, im my country. We greet one another before asking questions" she responded coldly "i was just passing through"

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit Princess Azula?" Iroh piped into the conversation

"No wonder you two click, always so quick and to the point. Father sent me, family is suddenly very important to him." She turned her head to look out the window "father regrets your banishment. He wants you home"

Zuko was frozen in place "father regrets?"

"I can see you need time to think this through, ill be by to collect you in the morning" Azula smiled softly before a flash of worry flashed on her face for a split second as she walked out the door.

When Azula's true intentions were revealed Zuko and Iroh managed to flee from her and her soldiers. When they stopped at the river to cut their hair Zuko looked at Iroh when he watched the inky hair fall into the river "your gold hair will conceal your identity fairly well my nephew"

"Yeah, it'll hide me pretty well" nobody had seen Zuko with his golden hair before. He hadnt seen his hair fully gold since age five.

On their travels his hair grew fairly fast now that it wasnt being dyed so often. It would catch the eye of several earth kindom citizens when he passed through towns. When he and Iroh were sitting against a building with a hat in front of them a young woman approached them and slipped a few gold pieces in "I know this might sound creepy, and I'm only asking this because I cannot resist. But may I kiss your hair sir? You can say no, I won't take my money back."

Zuko flushed a light shade of pink and scratched the back of his head "uhm, s-sure?" He mumbled out and leaned his head towards her. She placed a tender almost motherly kiss to the top of his head.

"Oh, your hair is so beautiful sir, it's like a million rays of sun. I wish you luck, i can only spare a little but if you'd take these small meals Im sure they'd help you" she said while offering two wrapped meals

They accepted and thanked her with small bows "what a nice young lady, huh?" Iroh said and nudged Zuko's arm

"Yeah, she was very nice"

When Zuko and Iroh found Azula and Aang battling in an abandoned earth town Azula pointed out his hair "wow Zuzu! You look just like a star! Where'd all that ink go?" When the fight ended and Iroh was injured Zukos cheeks felt like magma was pouring from his eyes.

"Zuko, I can hel-" Katara approached them

"LEAVE!" Zuko cried out, turning to Katara with golden tears running down his face.

While on the Ferry to Ba Sing Se Zuko was angry, not angry at anyone or anything in particular, he was just angry. "Hey" the voice of a man at his right side broke his brooding "names Jet"

"Lee" Zuko muttered out how cover name

"Yknow Lee, I hear the captain is eating like a king while we're stuck eating all his left overs" he paused "want to help me... liberate some food rations?"

It didn't take much to convince Zuko to join him. They liberated the food quickly without getting caught. Zuko found himself wandering the the front of the lower deck, leaning on the railing. "You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were" he paused as he approached Zuko "youre a refugee, like me. Thing is though, I've never seen hair like yours, let along your eyes."

Jet reached out and brushed Zuko's hair out of his face. "The freedom fighters could use a starlight like you, what do you say?"

Zuko smacked Jets hand away gently "thanks, but no thanks, you don't want me on your team, trust me"

In Ba Sing Se Iroh and Zuko made a life for themselves. They managed to have their own tea shop and apartment. Things were doing great, until Zuko went after the Avatar's bison, mind you he went there originally to take the bison captive, but when he saw that the creature was hurt he sheathed his swords and removed his mask, letting his golden hair free as he approached the bison "hey buddy, are you okay?" His voice was much softer than usual "oh no, here let me help you, this is going to hurt and I'm sorry, but I need to pull out this thorn" he talked to him the whole time he was pulling out thorns, gently rubbing the fur near it to sooth him.

When he pulled all of the thorns out he took out his swords "alright buddy, dont worry about the swords, im going to use them to cut you out of these chains, shhh its okay, you're okay" he continued to talk him through each of the six shackles "there we go big guy, now you need to get out of here, go find your friends- ah! Hey!" Appa knocked him over and gave him a thanks with a big sloppy dog like lick across his torso and face before taking off.

"You did well my nephew" Zuko shot up at his uncle's voice

"Uncle?" His startled voice wavered

"Now lets get you out of here and back home." And that they did.

When they made it back to their apartment Zuko felt dizzy, he held his head in his hand "I dont feel good" he managed to get out before collapsing and breaking a vase

"Zuko!" Iroh shouted as he rushed to his nephew to make sure he didnt hurt himself on any broken glass.

In his Angst coma Sokka heard his mother singing

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me Happy! When skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don't hide my sunshine away"

His sisters voice mocked his hair "youre hair makes you look like a dandelion, a weed can't take the throne!" Her cackling filled his ears.

There was a blinding light and a woman appeared with flowing gold hair and bright fire eyes "my dear star, why do you let yourself hurt so much?"

"I don't, who are you?"

"I'm Agni my dear, you do know I chose you right?"

"Why?"

"You are special my dear, your mother made sure to get my attention and I am so glad she did" the woman spoke as she placed her hand on his cheek. Filling him with the image of her reaching out to kiss his eyes as a baby. "You are meant for great things little star." Her voice faded as she herself did

He soon woke from his coma with a fresh breath. Taking charge in making sure his Uncle's tea shop did well, and helping him where he could. However Azula soon found them and summoned them to the palace under the guise of serving tea to the king. Things didnt end well and Zuko was thrown into a cave beneath the City with Katara.

"Why would they throw you in here!" Her angry and hurt voice filled his ears as he tried not to make her feel more uncomfortable by staying as far from her as possible.

when she mentioned her mother he turned around and spoke "thats something we have in common"

"What?"

"My mother was my only source of safety... she was the only one who defended me against my sister and my father. And one day my father was ordered to... do something terrible and my mother protected me somehow, I dont know what happened but when I was half awake she told me goodbye and when I fully woke up she was gone."

When they were separated and Azula had Iroh trapped she approached "Zuko, nows your chance to come home. Help me defeat the avatar and you can come home. Without inking your hair. Isnt this what you've always wanted? You'll have your honor back, you'll have fathers love back"

And despite all he had gone through he still chose the path of returning to his father. When he did return his father wanted to dye his hair but Azula spoke up against it "father, if I may. Zuko's hair is a symbol of the fire goddess Agni, if he were to take the thrown it'd be best to show that she has chosen him"

"Yes, that is true. Alright, off with you two"

Reuniting with Mai wasnt smooth, she confessed to him that her and Ty Lee connected and while he was saddened he just smiled "I'm glad you two are with eachother, you work well"

On the day of Black sun, with the information he had learned from Iroh and armed with the fact that his father was practically powerless without his bending. He approached him.

"Zuko, what are you doing here?"

"Im here to tell the truth"

Ozai let out a snort "telling the truth during an eclipse?" He waved off his gaurds "what do you have to say"

"First of all, Azula lied to you, she was the one who shot down the avatar"

"What?! Why would she lie about that?"

"Because the avatars not dead, he's probably leading this invasion right now"

"Get out! Get out if you know what's good for you!"

"Thats another thing, I'm not taking orders from you anymore"

"You will obey me or face the consequences!" As Ozai stood Zuko drew his dual swords and took a stance

"Think again. I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen"

He went on to question his father "you knew Agni chose me as a child and that was the reason my hair turned gold. You knew this and yet you hid that from the world, you darkened my hair for years, and you have the gull to tell me I was lucky to be born. You! The tyrannical leader set out to destroy the world. you! My own father challenged me to an Agni Kai just for speaking out of term, how could you possibly justify a duel with a child!"

"It was to teach you respect!"

"It was cruel and it was wrong"

"Then you have learned nothing!"

"No! I've learned everything, and I've had to do most of it on my own" he paused "Growing up we were taught that the war was our nations way of spread joy, what an incredible lie that was, the other nations don't love us, they fear us, and they are right to fear us, we've brought the world to an era of hate and suffering, now we need to fill it with one of peace and joy"

"Your uncle has gotten to you hasnt he" Ozai laughed

"Yes, he has, and I've come to another decision, im going to join the avatar, and im going to help him take you down."

After announcing this he turned to leave but stayed to learn about what happened to his mother

"She's alive?" He said in a soft voice as a single golden tear rolled down his cheek

"Perhaps," Ozai paused "now i see that banishment is far too small of a punishment for treason" he said as he gathered lightning and shot it at Zuko who quickly redirected it right back at him before escaping.

After finding that Iroh had broken out of prison Zuko fled the firenation in a small war ballon and followed the Avatar's Sky bison to the western air temples. Their first encounter didn't go so well and he managed to burn Toph's feet but after helping them defeat the assassin and managing to form his words more properly and giving a genuine apology to Toph he was on the team.

Some time after joining and managing to break Sokka's dad, Suki and Chit Sang out of prison they were all sitting around the fire. "So.. uhm Zuko" Aang started

Zuko turned to look at him "yeah?"

"I have to ask, pretty bunch nobody in the firenation has golden blonde hair right?" Zuko absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair at the question

"Yeah, and when you were first chasing us your hair was black, whats up with that?" Sokka added

"Oh, uh, well my hair was always dyed black because my father doesn't like my gold hair..." he paused "when I was born, I was sick, so sick that my parents thought I was going to die. But my mother pleaded with Agni to spare me, she took me to the sun worship alter in the palace gardens at sunset and held me up, pleading. When the last ray of light from Agni, my hair turned golden and I began to cry. So, in a sense the sun gave me my life"

"Like Yue!" Sokka piped up

"Like who?"

"Princess Yue! She was born sick just like you, and the moon spirit saved her. Well, she's the moon spirit now"

"Woah woah wait, is this the girlfriend you said turned into the moon?"

"Yep!"

"Well, just don't go falling for Zuko now, dont want to have your first boyfriend turn into the sun" Suki teased him

"Hey, at least I'd have a full set of spirit lovers"

Zuko's face turned beet red and the group laughed at him. Over the next few weeks of them being in close quarters Zuko found that he was growing feelings for the water tribe boy. Anytime he'd look at him he felt his stomach do a flip. But he didnt have time to think about his feelings.

Even though the sun touched prince tried not to think about Sokka on the mission with Katara, he couldn't help it. When they were returning Katara piped up "I know you like him" she paused to watch his surprised face "its okay you know, its fine if you like him. I dont have like you to let my brother like you. I may be cold to you but im not a monster like your father" she tied off the sentence by staring off "and besides, if Agni chose you, I think you would be safe for Sokka"

When they got back he heard sokka shout "You're back! Thank La youre safe!" Turning to Katara he expected to see Sokka running to hug his sister. Instead he was tackled to the ground with a hug from Sokka "how did it go Katara?" He asked from the ground while quite literally snuggling into Zuko with this hug that was still very much happening.

"I found him, and he was just so pathetic, i couldnt kill him"

Sokka then stood up and helped Zuko to his feet and placed a quick sneaky kiss to his cheek before moving to hug his sister, leaving Zuko frozen in confusion. He remained frozen until Suki came up to him "he's trying to confess silently, he's weird like that, corner him later if you want to hear an actual confession"

He however didn't manage to corner the now seemingly overly flirty blue boy until they were at ember Island. It wasnt until just before bed when Sokka was walking past Zuko's bedroom door. He reached out grabbed Sokka's shirt and yanked him into the room before slamming the door shut and pinning him to it. "What are you doing?"

"Wh-what do you mean? You're the one who dragged me into your room, what are you doing?"

"Dont play dumb with me Sokka, you've been flirting with me since I got back from my trip with your sist-"

"Actually ive been flirting with you since the temples, you just didn't notice until I kissed you"

"You mean until you missed"

"What?"

Zuko smirked "you missed" he mumbled before leaning closer "you went for a kiss but you missed"

They ended up spending the night sharing a room and a bed. When the morning sun peaked through the windows Zuko curled back into sokka who in turn pulled him closer. Both refusing to wake up until Katara knocked on the door and opened it "breakfast is ready, if you two love birds want some warm food you better hury and I better not see any hickeys"

"Ugh! Katara we just cuddled!" Sokka said as he burried his face in Zuko's hair.

Katara simply laughed "alright, but still, hury up."

When the day of the comet came and Zuko had to separate from Sokka he saw the worry in his blue eyes "Ive got this Sokka, Agnj chose me remembe, besides, I've got Katara with me and she's powerful" he placed a quick kiss to Sokka's lips "go take down those ships, and I'll see you by the timd the sun rises tomorrow."

And he was right, even though he was shot with lightning and Sokka broke his leg they both came out of the battle alive and together. When Zuko woke up to find Sokka curled up against him he smiled and let out a soft breath of pink fire. Relief.

"Woah, do that again" Sokka's groggy 'just woke up' voice rumbled against his shoulder

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you, do you mean this?" He let out another breath of fire, this time a pale purple

"I didn't know you could do other colors of fire"

"Well, I couldn't until I went to the sunwarriors, Agni spoke to me there"

After Zuko's Coronation the firenation began righting their wrongs. It was a long struggle for sure. However two years into his reign with Sokka having practically moved in he found that he would soon have a partner to help him through these struggles.

The day had only just begun but Sokka was dragging Zuko to the turtleduck pond where they often sat together to simply relax. Sokka seemed a little antsy this time though "what's wrong Sokka?"

"Uhm, well, I have something I need to ask you," he paused and reached into his pocket while sinkning down to one knee. Zuko's breath caught in his throat as he saw Sokka pull out a betrothal becklace, the band was made with a fine red silk and the center piece was gold with a carving of a sun with a wave inside of it. "Zuko," he took a shaky breath "you've been by my side for two years now, you've held my hand through war and peace, quite literally, and you've done so while loving me whole heartedly. I can't imagine my life without you in it." Zuko could feel golden tears threatening to fall fram his molten eyes "Zuko, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" He heard himself responding before he could even think "Agni, yes Sokka, of course I'll marry you!"

Sokka moved from his kneeling position to lifting Zuko up into a kiss, holding him right under his rear. Zuko held his face in his hands as he pressed his lips to Sokka's as he was lifted up quite unceremoniously.

Once he was set down Sokka helped him put on the betrothal necklace. He reached up to touch the Golden pendant and smiled up at Sokka with gold tears falling down his cheeks.

Their marraige was held not long after, joining the southern water tribe and the firenation in a strong Union with a mixed culture wedding blues, silvers, reds and golds filled the wedding and reception as well as suns and moons.

Agni smiled down on the wedding that day, her chosen sunshine found his moon.

Yue smiled on them that night as they stood on the balcony holding one another. The boy who protected her finally found his light.

>Woo boy that was a long one! I sure hope you enjoyed it!<

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half-bakedboy · 3 years

Photo

Pairing: Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz Rated: General Summary: “I’ve recently found myself with a lot of time on my hands and since you don’t seem to have enough to romance someone,” Buck began, settling his drink on the table, “I think it only makes sense for someone to romance you.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh and shot back, “Yeah, and how are you going to find someone willing to put in that effort?”

“Oh, you’re lookin’ at him.”

Or… Eddie gets the romance he deserves in the form of fluff-filled dates with Buck.

For @911fluffweek - day three: Getting together // Dancing

(read chapter three on ao3 or start from the beginning)

Their second date—or third date as Buck would have absolutely corrected him—was spent much more casually than the first. There were no reservations made or romantic gestures under the stars, but that didn’t mean it was any less perfect. Buck had chosen the place once again, still not allowing Eddie to do any of the planning because it was apparently Buck’s ‘job this early in their relationship’. Eddie blushed at the words and hoped that his team didn’t notice his bright red face when he got off of the phone.

They hadn’t yet defined exactly what they were, but Eddie knew one thing; he had never been happier. He went to work with a smile on his face, came home after his long shifts excited to see his son and to talk to Buck, and even on his days off, the grin seemed almost permanent on his face. Everyone could see it; the one-eighteen, Carla, Christopher, his abuela who had insisted this ‘Buck character’ come over for dinner as soon as possible. He was so incredibly grateful for the life he was building in L.A. and the man sitting across from him had almost everything to do with it.

“Alright, if you had to choose between country and classic rock, which would you choose?” Buck asked, narrowing his glassy eyes at Eddie as if concerned for the answer. Eddie shrugged his shoulders and took a long sip of his beer. “You would choose Keith Urban and Toby Keith over The Stones and Pink Floyd? Seriously?”

Eddie let out a loud laugh and said, “I was born and raised in Texas, Buck. I barely even heard The Rolling Stones when I was a kid because my dad was too busy acclimating me to the supreme talent of Garth Brooks.” His defense was met with a wave of Buck’s hand as he downed the rest of his drink and motioned for the bartender to grab him another.

“You can’t dance to country music—And no,” Buck said just as Eddie opened his mouth to refute his accusation, “line dancing does not and will never count!” Eddie laughed again and since he was soaking in his newfound joy, he reached out a hand to Buck who easily laced their fingers together.

“Like you’re such an expert on dancing.” Eddie scoffed and gestured toward the decently crowded floor beside them. “I don’t see you out there breaking in these new kicks.” He kicked a foot out in an attempt to scuff up Buck’s shoes but Buck gasped and caught Eddie’s foot between his, holding it there easily so Eddie couldn’t do any damage. Buck was weirdly protective of his shoes, Eddie noted.

“I can absolutely kill it on the dance floor, but,” Buck gulped down a few sips of the beer the bartender slid over to him, “I’m entirely too buzzed for that now.”

“Oh, sure, likely excuse,” Eddie said with an expert roll of his eyes. The band of the night came back on stage and they both turned to listen to them introduce themselves once more before they started their next song. Eddie concentrated on the quick beat and figured he could work with it. “Well, I’m going to get out there but since you’re too buzzed for that…” Eddie tossed Buck’s own words back at him and he gaped in response.

“Wait, what? No, you can’t—” Eddie stood up at Buck’s stuttering and backed to the dance floor, gesturing for Buck to follow him with a simple pull of his fingers. He knew Buck wouldn’t say no. Eddie watched him take a deep breath and down the rest of his beer as if gathering his courage before he shuffled over and grabbed Eddie’s hands in his.

Eddie pulled him closer and started moving to the music, swaying himself and Buck expertly to the beat. Buck’s mouth stayed open and gaping the entire time as if he couldn’t believe that Eddie had any sense of rhythm in him and Eddie was absolutely elated by that. Not many people knew he could dance and the sheer surprise in their eyes when Eddie showed them always made him a little giddy. No one expected a Texan country boy to know how to move his hips no matter how fluent in Spanish he was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Buck exclaimed when Eddie pushed him out and twirled him back in, catching him easily. Eddie raised his eyebrows in question as Buck wrapped his arms around Eddie’s neck tightly and stared into his eyes with astonishment. “You can dance, too? You’re not allowed to be this perfect, Eddie, it’s really not fair.” Eddie threw his head back in laughter, clapping his hands together when the song ended and smiled widely when Buck leaned into his side as if nothing could pull them apart.

“Look who’s talking,” Eddie shot back punctuating the words with a wink. Buck shook his head and smiled down at the floor before narrowing his eyes at Eddie and pulling his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Alright, MJ,” Buck began, shaking out his hands and jumping up and down as if preparing for a marathon. Eddie’s joy bubbled up in his stomach and boiled out of his mouth in a giggle he didn’t have time to be embarrassed about, and he beckoned Buck closer again. “When did you learn you had moves?” Eddie thought about the question for a moment and a fond memory flashed to the front of his mind.

“When I was five, my abuelo decided that since I was steady enough on my feet, it was time I learned to dance. It wasn’t unusual in my family for the men to know how to dance just as well as the women. It’s a skill that was passed from generation to generation,” Eddie explained. He pressed a kiss to Buck’s cheek gently as he slid his hands up Buck’s back, pressing at his shoulders so they were chest to chest, moving with the steady beat.

“I don’t think it’s that kind of place, Eddie,” Buck whispered against his ear, a ghost of a laugh huffing against the skin there. He shivered, momentarily surprised at the kind of man Buck had reduced him to with his presence alone and pulled away enough to grip Buck’s hips and hold him at arm’s length. “I mean, we don’t have to go that far,” Buck complained about the distance with a perfect pout settling on his lips.

Eddie laughed and teased, “It’s usually the third date when I allow a man to get his hands all over me.” Buck’s eyes widened in intrigue before a smirk erased his frown. He slotted his hand in one of Eddie’s, wrapping the other around his waist and nudging Eddie to rest his on Buck’s shoulder. There was no need for them to be that close, but Eddie wasn’t about to be the one to pull away.

“Well, lucky for me, this is date numero tres,” Buck said in what Eddie could only describe as a horrible attempt at Spanish pronunciation.

“It’s date numero dos and you know it, Buck,” Eddie corrected. When he noticed the familiar song was almost over, he moved his arm to slide up Buck’s back again so he could dip his dance partner for the length of the drawn-out end note, pulling him back up only when the song finished and applause erupted around them.

“It’s unfair that you keep out romancing me on these dates,” Buck mentioned when the music slowed down.

It gave them the chance to just sway in each other’s arms and enjoy each other’s company. Eddie had his arms wrapped around Buck’s neck, his fingers laced behind Buck’s head so that he could pull him in for another kiss if he wanted to. Buck’s were wrapped around his waist and rubbing soothing circles onto his back, tracing letters Eddie couldn’t quite place onto the fabric of his sweat-damp shirt. Eddie didn’t care that they probably looked ridiculously lost in each other, their gazes never straying even when the slow song ended and another quick-paced jam echoed through the bar. Neither of them wanted to be anywhere besides each other’s arms but knew it wasn’t possible to stay there forever.

“Come home with me?” Eddie whispered and his heart skipped a beat when Buck said yes.

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

Eddie hadn’t planned it. In fact, he had to beg his abuela to keep Christopher overnight because it wasn’t the original plan. She said yes, which was all Eddie cared about, but unfortunately, her yes came with an exception that Eddie ignored in favor of turning his phone on silent and tackling Buck into his bed.

That exception was a knock at his bedroom door at seven in the morning even though he was wrapped peacefully in the blankets and covered by Buck.

“Oh no,” he muttered, eyes widening with sudden awakeness when he heard his son shouting for him on the other side of the door. He smacked Buck, who was apparently the heaviest sleeper Eddie had ever known, and when he finally opened his eyes, Eddie threw his shirt directly at his face.

“What the—” Christopher knocked again and Buck matched Eddie’s panic with even wider eyes filled with not only fear but sympathy. That little bit of understanding was enough for Eddie’s shoulders to relax and his mind to clear.

“We’ll be right out, Christopher. Say goodbye to abuela and let her know I’ll call her later,” Eddie called. Buck apparently heard the ‘we’ and froze where he stood with his pants around his thighs.

“You just said—” Eddie nodded and walked up to Buck, holding his face in his hands gently and swiping his thumbs along the light redness underneath his eyes. They hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and neither of them would have chosen to be awake so early in the morning after a night at the bar and in bed.

“We had a sleepover. We went out dancing last night and we were both really tired so we decided to have a sleepover so that you didn’t get hurt on your drive home. He’s eight, Buck. A sleepover is just a sleepover,” Eddie explained. He let Buck process the plan for a moment. He could just as easily slide out the bedroom window without Christopher knowing he was ever there or Eddie could go distract his son enough for Buck to sneak out the front door only to never see him again like Eddie was entirely too familiar with.

Instead, Buck asked, “Does he like French toast?” Eddie kissed him as hard as he could with as much passion thrown into it as he did the night before when they didn’t care about anything besides how they felt wrapped in each other. Buck kissed him back and Eddie could feel the smile on his lips even as he pulled away.

“Yeah, he’ll eat just about anything with syrup,” Eddie noted.

Buck nodded and finished tugging on his pants, but made a face of disgust as he sniffed his shirt. He tossed it at Eddie and one whiff had him walking over to his dresser and rummaging through to find something that might fit Buck. Warm arms wrapped around Eddie’s bare waist and Buck pressed a few gentle kisses to the back of Eddie’s shoulder before resting his chin on top of it. Eddie turned and pressed a clean shirt into Buck’s chest, kissing him one last time because he could.

“We’ll grab showers after we eat, yeah?” It was almost as if Buck was asking permission to stay longer and Eddie would be hard-pressed to say no. He nodded and, after tossing on his own shirt, grabbed Buck’s hand and led him to the kitchen.

Christopher was waiting patiently in his chair and when he saw who Eddie pulled behind him, he shouted, “Buck!” Buck pulled Christopher into an awkwardly angled hug and kissed the top of his head as his own greeting.

“And your dad!” Eddie chimed in after the two had separated. Christopher rolled his eyes and Buck gestured between the father and son because they both knew there was no other person he had learned that reaction from.

“Hi, Dad, I missed you,” Christopher said with a cheeky grin on his face. Eddie knew there was just as much truth to it as there was a tease so he wasn’t about to call him out on it, not when he held his arms up for Eddie to hug him, too.

“I missed you, too, kid. Buck, here, has offered to make us some French toast this morning. How does that sound?” Christopher nodded excitedly and peered up at Buck.

“Can I help?” He asked. Buck sent Eddie a pleading gaze and he immediately knew he could never say no to either of them.

“Be good. I’ll throw on some music while you two make me food,” Eddie suggested, walking to the living room. He turned on the TV and played one of the classic rock music stations for Buck’s benefit. The loud cheer he heard from the kitchen indicated he had made the right choice and he turned up the volume just a little before making his way back to his boys.

His boys, Eddie thought fondly. He liked the sound of that.

“I see you’ve decided to play good music this morning,” Buck commented with a wide grin in Eddie’s direction. Christopher erupted into giggles, not quite understanding what Buck meant, but knowing he was definitely making fun of his dad.

“Carla and Tia Pepa told me that dad’s taste in music means he’s actually an old man,” Christopher stated as he assisted Buck in mixing the eggs together in the bowl from the chair he was standing on. Buck had one protective arm wrapped around him and the sight made Eddie’s heart absolutely burst.

“Oh, is that so? I’m gonna have to have a talk with them,” Eddie threatened, but there was no heat in it. He was sure they had said it to his face before anyway. He leaned over Christopher’s shoulder to see his little hand being guided by Buck’s to dip each piece of bread into the batter before dropping them on the griddle. Buck moved them into place with the spatula, careful that Christopher was far enough away from the heat before his eyes left the kid for even a moment.

“Chris, you think you can man the French toast while I dance with your dad?” Buck asked, handing over the spatula. Christopher took it like it was the holy grail and Buck helped him to sit on his chair before he moved away, redirecting his attention to Eddie.

“You wanna be schooled again, Buckley? We already proved I was the better dancer last night,” he challenged, avoiding Buck’s batter-coated hands by dipping his shoulder and bending his knees, undulating his body in a move he knew would probably regret later.

“I was not in my best state, Diaz, and you know what they say about dancing?” Buck began, wiggling his arms in some motion that could have been considered a dance move, but mostly looked like he had lost control of his limbs. “The person with the best partner wins,” he finished just as he picked Christopher up from the chair and twirled him around the room.

Eddie softened immediately. People were so careful with Christopher all the time, tiptoeing around him and hesitating before letting him do anything a normal eight-year-old could do with no problem. But not Buck. Buck let him stand in the chair to help him cook breakfast and was twirling him around the kitchen wildly, gauging his comfortability by the laughter falling from his lips.

“Dance with us, Daddy!” Christopher yelled, reaching an arm out toward Eddie while keeping the other securely wrapped around Buck’s neck. Eddie took advantage of his socked feet and slid across the tile floor, straight into the waiting arms of his son and the man he was definitely falling in love with.

It wasn’t until the French toast started burning that they settled their laughter in favor of sitting around the table to drown what they could salvage from their breakfast in syrup. Eddie held Buck’s hand under the table and they shared soft smiles and teasing winks with each other as Christopher told them all about his night with Abuela. It felt like the family Eddie had tried so hard to push away and to Buck’s credit, no part of Eddie wanted to run. In fact, he wanted to stay right there as long as he could.

#buddie #buddie fic #911fluffweek #911 #911 on fox #911 fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #eddie x buck #buck x eddie #christopher diaz #honestly this is just getting more fucking cheesy as the chapters go asdlkfjals;d #thank god ryan can dance #it really helped with visuals #my writing

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thatshiscigar · 4 years

Text

Future Business Partners

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Request: Can I request a rafe x reader where the reader’s dad is business partners with Ward and they want to show their oldest kids (rafe and reader) what they do and they meet through a meeting at the club while golfing and maybe the reader isn’t great at golf so rafe helps her and it’s fluff!’

Warnings: mention of drinking, usual rafe/ward dynamic

Word Count: 1.9k

Masterlist

Let me know if you would like to be added to my OBX taglist!

Your family had known the Cameron’s for some time now, seeing as Ward and your father were long time business partners, but somehow you never really got to meet them. They were like this entity that never left your life. You knew Ward and your father were very close, and the Ward also had a son, who was around your age. Your dad told you little things about the business when you were younger, but nothing important enough to hold onto for your teen years. But, your father decided it was time for you to seriously learn about the business. You were his oldest, and he was confident you would be a great leader to honor his name.

You spent a majority of your life hearing about the Camerons, and the young man that was supposedly going to be running the business one day. You of course had seen pictures of the Cameron boy, and you can’t lie, he was easy on the eyes. You sure as hell wouldn’t mind working with him in the future. But first, you had to meet him. Your father and Ward has organized a day where they would showcase the next faces of their businesses. You, your father, Ward, and Rafe were set to meet at a country club for a day filled with drinks, “adult talk”, and stupid club games. You can’t say you were excited, but you sure weren’t dreading it.

You and your father arrived at the country club in a black Range Rover. Employees rushed to your passenger side door to open it for you, and you stepped out, glad to be breathing in some fresh air. You and your dad walked to the gate of the club, meeting the two Cameron men there. You all shared hellos, and handshakes, greeting each other and making good first impressions. When you got to Rafe, your actions faltered. You stuttered your hello, taking in his beautiful appearance. Rafe was certainly taller and more handsome than the family photos on Facebook led you to believe. He took your hand in his.

“Pleasure to finally meet you!” You said cheerfully, hoping to make him forget about your previous awkward introduction. Rafe brought your hand up to his lips, lightly kissing it.

“The pleasures mine, Ms. (Y/L/N).” He flashed you one of his signature smirks, making your insides melt.

Rafe knew he was going to make you his. He liked a woman in charge, and if you were going to be the next head-woman of your dad’s company, he didn’t know how he would be able to handle you being his business partner. The way your sundress hugged your hips gave him way too many ideas.

“Alright, well let’s get this show on the road! Mr. (Y/L/N) and I will be at the bar, and you two will be playing golf. Rafe, go show (Y/N) to the golf clubs.” Ward made authoritative eye contact with Rafe. It almost made Rafe flinch, like he was scared of him. It was definitely a contrast from the cocky and cool Rafe you had just seen.

“Yes sir,” Rafe said lowly, as if he didn’t want to anger his father. You knew that there was something wrong with their dynamic, but, this was your first time meeting them, what did you know?

Rafe led you to the golf clubs. There were so many to pick from, you didn’t know where to even start. Rafe picked up on your cluelessness after he selected his pick.

“Need some help?” His original, flirtatious tone was back. The question pulled you out of your thoughts, causing you to whip your head around to his direction. He was leaning on his clubs, the sun hitting his face just right.

“Oh, um, yeah,” you started.

“I just don’t really know how to pick out the right ones.” Admitting you needed help was not an easy task for you, but something about Rafe made you feel safe, like you could be yourself around him, and he wouldn’t judge you for it.

“Have you ever been golfing before?” He questioned. You shook your head no

“What?” He sounded astonished.

“You’ve lived in Figure Eight all your life, and you’ve never gone golfing?”

“Nope, not once,” you agreed.

“Well then, it looks like you’re going to need a teacher.” He shot you that smirk again. Your stomach fluttered at the idea of Rafe teaching you. Excitement and nerves blended themselves together, leaving you clueless as to what you felt. Rafe helped you pick what clubs you needed. He asked you what your dominant hand was and how tall you were, and that seemed to be all the criteria he needed to get clubs that fit perfectly in your hands. You slung the golf bag over your shoulder, Rafe following suit, and went to the golf carts. You guys hopped in, and started the cart. You were both sitting very close to each other, and whenever your thigh bumped against Rafe’s, you saw his grip tighten on the wheel, almost turning his knuckles white. You smiled to yourself, enjoying the effect you had on the boy.

“So,” Rafe said, cutting the silence.

“If your dads anything like mine, all he does is work, like, all the time.” He looked to you for a moment before looking back to where he was going. You thought for a moment before responding.

“Yeah! I mean, it’s all for the family’s well being though, I don’t mind it, I guess.” You lowered your voice at the last part.

“Right,” Rafe replied, same tone as you.

You were lying. Of course you wished you dad wasn’t so occupied with work. You missed him, and all he did was work. He let it swallow him whole. Even fun little outings like this were related to work. You didn’t want your future to look like this. You were sick of it, but you kept your mouth shut. Your father was so proud of his work and he couldn’t wait to pass it on to his pride and joy, you. Rafe knew your emotions, without you having to voice them. He understood your thoughts and struggles that came with having a life like this. You guys arrived at the course and Rafe parked the cart.

“Alright,” Rafe started as you guys reached the starting point.

“Your first lesson starts now.” A cheesy smile crawled onto his lips. He moved to show you how to correctly hold the club.

“Ok, this hand goes here, and this one here, like this.” He placed his hands on top of yours, his arms wrapping around your torso.

“Like this?” You turned your head to him, and you could’ve sworn you saw Rafe’s eyes flick down to your lips. He smiled.

“Yeah, like that,” he said over a breath. He cleared his throat, and stepped away from you, regaining his composure.

“Now just,” he mimicked your stance.

“Swing.” Rafe fake-swung.

You focused on the ball, raising your arms in the air. You followed his actions, and you swung.

“Attagirl,” Rafe said sharply.

The ball went flying, the both of you intently watching it go. The ball landed close to your target, and you bust out into cheers.

“That was good, right?” You half-cheered, half-questioned.

“Yeah! That was great (Y/N)!” He reached out for a high five, which you delivered. It was a short touch, it was basically over as it started, but Rafe wanted more. He wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t used to someone who understood what he was going through. Someone who could listen to his problems and relate. He needed to be with you.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of stolen glances, lingering touches, and many, many, flirts. He couldn’t get enough of your smile whenever he cheered you on, or when you got the ball in the hole, or when your hands grazed over each others as you walked together. He never wanted your smile to leave your face.

The day was winding down, the sun was setting at the crickets started singing their nightly song. You didn’t want the day to end, you had finally met someone who didn’t wave off your problems as “rich girl problems”. You found someone who understood.

As you and Rafe drove back to the club on the golf cart, he rested his hand on your thigh. Your eyes darted towards his hand, then you looked up at him.

“Y’know, I had fun today.” He gave a light squeeze to your skin, sending shocks all over your body.

“I did too,” you smiled at him. He quickly looked at you, and shot you a smile back. His thumb started to draw irregular figures on your thigh. You got used to his presence there, and your nerves cooled. In a quick burst of confidence, you grabbed his hand from its spot. You interlocked your fingers with his.

Rafe was always sleeping around, and had felt the embrace and touch of many girls, but none quite felt like this. Just a little hand-hold had him weak. He had only known you for a day, but you felt like home to him, and he never wanted to leave. Rafe slowed the speed of the cart, just to prolong the time you two had together before you got back to the club.

The moment Rafe had dreaded was here. He pulled into the club, and parked the cart. You were still holding hands, neither of you wanting to move. You stroked your thumb along his knuckles before you started speaking.

“When am I going to see you again?” Your voice was low. You didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“Any time you want, princess,” Rafe brought your hand up to his lips, just as he had done earlier that day.

A tension had arose from the simple action, and it was just a matter of time til one of you acted on in. Rafe couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to kiss you. He cupped your cheek, and when you didn’t move away from him, he knew it was okay. He eagerly leaned in, not saying to waste another moment. You gladly welcomed it, kissing him back with the same passion and need. Your arms moved to drape over his shoulders, while his hands found your waist, bringing you closer to him. You broke apart for air, resting your forehead against his. You let out a giggle at this whole situation. You just met this dude today, but here you were, making out with him in a golf cart. But you didn’t care. You liked him, a lot. He made your insides turn to mush and he made your knees weak.

Rafe had been waiting for someone like you for a long time. Dealing with his fathers harsh and manipulative teaching was getting too much for him to handle, then you happened to pop into his life. He didn’t plan on letting you know, but you helped him out that day a lot more than you know.

Rafe had found his one, and if you were going to be his business partner in the future, he definitely wanted to take over Cameron Construction.

Taglist: @supremestarkey @lovelymaybankk @blueeyedbesson @whormotional @classywaves @sexytholland @danaerekat @em753 @babyhoneystvles @angelic-boca

#outer banks #obx #obx netflix #outer banks netflix #obx fluff #rafe obx #obx imagine #obx fanfiction #obx x reader #rafe x reader #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron outer banks #rafe cameron obx #rafe outer banks #rafe cameron imagine #rafe imagine #rafe cameron fluff #rafe cameron

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spider-pxrkers · 4 years

Text

replacement pt. 1 || peter parker x stark!reader || tony stark x stark!daughter!reader || series

summary: After your mother’s death, your father, Tony Stark takes you in. Your heart breaks as you realize he’s already found a child in the broken kid with spider-like powers.

word count: 1015 words

a/n: this is my first series here and i’m very excited. please leave your honest reviews and feedback :D

warnings: parent death, described anxiety, hinted depression

masterlist || series masterlist

i do not own any gifs used. all credits go to the original creator.

A couple of days after your mother passed, you found yourself in a limo parked outside Stark Tower in New York City. As you got out of the car, you were instantly blinded by flashes of light in your face. As your vision adjusted, you noticed the dozens of men and women surrounding you, all dawning cameras and microphones pointing at you.

A few weeks before your mother’s last day, you sat by her in her hospital bed. She handed you an old worn picture she’d been playing with.

In it was a seated man, a young Tony Stark you recognized, pushing a park swing with a young, beautiful woman in it. The couple had wide grins etched onto to their faces, as you glanced between the girl in the picture and the pale woman before you, you hardly recognized your mother. You looked up at her, confused out of your mind.

You were stunned. As your chauffeur carried your bags inside the building, you stood frozen in place unable to follow him, your nerves getting the best of you as you stood in the middle of new reporters eager to get the scope on Tony Stark’s daughter. You felt your breath falter as the reality of everything happening struck you. You missed your mother, you missed your home by the country. This city was big- It was scary.

Your vision darkened as you felt yourself suffocating and your breath stopped in your throat as your eyes scanned the people enclosing in you. You needed to get out of here, but there was nowhere to go.

You kept looking around and right when you thought you were about to faint, you felt a soft grasp on your arm, gently tugging you to walk. You turned to your side and saw a young boy, maybe a year or so older than you were, smiling softly at you as he pushed through the paparazzi and guided you safely inside the building and out of the eyes of the press.

Once you were inside, you turned to the boy whose gaze was already on you, letting out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what happened I-”

“Don’t worry about it.” He softly chuckled, his arms adjusting on the bag resting on your shoulders. You took in this kid in front of you; he had a light bruise etched on the side of his face and if you looked close enough, and his eyes had light bags under them. His hair looked like he just pulled a tight cap off of it. He looked exhausted.

“Anyway,” you began as you caught you breath. “Thank you. I don’t what would’ve happened if you hadn’t-”

“Peter, there you are!”

The two of you turned around to the source of the voice calling out behind you. Your eyes widened as you saw a man in a suit and sunglasses enter the hall and walk towards the pair of you.

As he made his way over to the two of you, your eyes softened, recognizing the man in front of you.

You instantly felt yourself straighten your posture, taking a deep breath as he approached the two of you. This was it.

You were about to meet your dad.

You had spent years and years wondering about the little things like what his voice sounded like, how he’d like his coffee, what his favorite would be. But that all came second. You gently stretched your arms, ready to finally embrace the man missing from your life all these years.

As he made his way over to you two, you opened you mouth to say something but instead, ended up stuttering as you saw your father instead placed his hand on the boy next to yours’ shoulder.

“What brings you here, kid?” you face fell and heart broke as he completely ignored your presence, focusing his attention on the boy named Peter.

“You always were curious about your father,” she whispered to you, her voice weak and cracking. “Something the two of you have in common.” She let out a broken smile.

“Mom,” you began, forcing out a humorless laugh. “If this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny-”

“Just listen to me,” her voice grew sterner as it rose in volume. “You and I both know how this is going to end.”

“Mom-”

“The doctors,” she interrupted you, before coughing a bit. “Are spending the very little money we have left to keep me alive for as long as they can until they’ll have to pull the plug.”

“Mom, please don’t-”

“You’re going to live with him, alright?” your face fell, tears threatening to spill as your mother softly laced her fingers in yours. “I already spoke to him. He’s agreed to take care of you. To,” she paused, moving her shaking hand to move a strand of hair from your face, brushing a stray tear. “To be the father you need.”

“You haven’t been around here in weeks,” he continued. “You doing okay?”

“Hey Mister Stark. I was just walking by before I saw, um..” Peter turned to you. On any other day, you’d wonder why he ignored your father’s question about his wellbeing, but right not all you focus on was the direction of your gaze which was locked on your father’s hand on this random boy’s shoulder.

“Y/N.” You looked up at the mention of your name, your eyes locking with those of Tony Stark’s who had reached up to remove his sunglasses and finally recognized you. The both of you took in each other, took in the missing family you both didn’t know existed. “Hey.” he whispered.

Hey? You thought. Really? Years of being apart, then ignoring me and all he says is ‘hey’?

You decided against losing your temper at your father’s initial ignoring you and instead and instead took in another deep breath before putting on a light smile. “Hey.”

“Peter,” Tony began, removing his hand from the boy’s shoulder and gestured to you. “This is Y/N,” he breathed. “My daughter.”

part two

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gracelessfighters · 4 years

Text

Dragonfly

Chapter 1

Summary: Y/n has just moved to the Outer Banks and is struggling to enjoy it until she meets a few certain pogues (again its an awful summary i’m sorry)

Word count: 2k

Warnings: I don’t think theres anything

A/N: I was originally doing a one shot with this but I hadn’t even got to writing the main bit yet when it seemed to be getting longer so I think if people like it I’ll make it a series and this is kinda like the prologue because theres not much interaction with the pogues and stuff (also the grammar might not be great but oh well) - any feedback would be lovely!

It had only been a week since you’d moved away from Oregon, starting a new life in the Outer Banks, and so far you were struggling to enjoy it. Yes, it was a beautiful place but it wasn’t home to you yet, no matter how hard your dad tried to make it seem like it was, you missed being on the mainland, where you could drive to places whenever you wanted, you missed your friends, but most of all you missed your mum. Your mum dying a few months ago was what caused your dad to move out here - he no longer wanted to be reminded of her wherever he went, whether that was to Cannon Beach where you spent most of your time surfing, swimming and being with your friends (or your mum depending on the day); or if it was just to the shops, he’d be reminded of her everywhere, so apparently that meant he would drag you both to the other side of the country, far away from everything you loved.

It could’ve been worse, you supposed, he could’ve moved somewhere without a coast, which would’ve been your own personal hell, as being in the water was what made you happy and where you went to cool off if you’d argued with your dad or had a bad day.

Annoyingly, since moving here you’d only been able to get down to the sea in the evenings or at night as your days were spent either unpacking or looking for a job somewhere on the island. So far you had returned back to your house, having no luck in anyone hiring you, today was different though, you’d been offered a job at this place called the Wreck, a cute little restaurant in the middle of the island, and you had bought some food from there back with you so you and your dad could celebrate a little.

Pulling into your driveway, you turned off the engine, before getting out you stopped to look at your house - it wasn’t a great looking house, you knew this, and according to the sales person who sold it to your dad, it hadn’t been lived in for a while, which was obvious by the fact that your dad had been fixing it up all week. Your family had never come from money, your dad was a plumber and your mum had been a teacher at a high school, so not hugely paying jobs - but the money (or sometimes lack thereof) hadn’t bothered you guys, as long as you had enough money to eat well and enjoy life together, then it was alright. You agreed with this mentality, but you liked having a part time job to pay for certain things, it was how you’d saved up for a car and how you got your surfboard, so it was worth it.

Stepping out of the car, you made your way to the front door to go inside, and headed straight for the kitchen to put the food you’d brought back with you into the oven to reheat a little before eating.

Realising you hadn’t heard your dad say hello, you called out, “Hey dad, I’ve brought food, where are you?”

You heard a faint answer from the bathroom, and when you got there he was on the floor and attempting to fix the pipes under the bath by the looks of it.

“Hey, how’s that going?”

“Terribly if I’m being honest, one of these pipes had rotted from the inside out so when I tried attaching something to it, it snapped.”

“Oh that’s fun, please tell me the shower still works?”

“Yes it does, don’t worry you won’t have to go anywhere smelling like you do now.” He laughed as you stuck your tongue out at him.

Stepping back slightly so he could stand up, you replied, “And to think I brought you some food, guess I’m just gonna eat it all myself now after that comment.”

You began walking back towards the kitchen when your dad put his arm around your shoulder, “Oh, if food is on the line I take it all back, you smell great.”

“Wow thanks, that seemed really sincere.” You say, smiling back at him as you reached for the oven gloves to get the food out of the oven and onto the plates on the side.

Once you had dished everything up, you both sat at the small dining table in the corner of your kitchen, a comfortable silence falling between you as you dug into the food in front of you.

Your dad broke the silence, “This is really good, where is this from?”

“A little restaurant called the Wreck, that also happens to be where my new job is.”

“You got a job? Damn, you kept that quiet.” He laughed, “I’m really proud of you Y/N, and I know your mum would be too.”

You looked up at him, smiling, “Thanks dad, and there’s no need to be emotional, it’s just a part time job.”

“I think you’ll find I can be proud of you whenever I want, which just happens to be all the time because you’re amazing my little dragonfly.” He reached across the table to ruffle your hair, before retuning focus back to the food in front of him.

You also looked down at your plate, still smiling but trying to stop your dad from seeing how your eyes watered at the nickname your mum had given you when you were younger. The nickname came from the time you and your mum had gone on a walk in the woods near you, where there was a big lake, with hundreds of dragonflies flying around it - initially you had tried to catch some of them, but when that failed, you’d stayed still, holding your hand out hoping one would land on you. Within minutes a large blue one had landed on your hand, which was then followed by a couple more, your mum had taken a picture of this, capturing the joy on your face when you looked at the multiple dragonflies. Since then it had been your nickname, your mum even getting you a cute silver necklace with a dragonfly charm on it for your birthday a few years back - which you’d pretty much never taken off.

“So,” your dad spoke up again, “at this place, the Wreck, are there any people your age who work there as well?”

“Um, there weren’t many people working today when I was in there, but there was this one girl, I think its her family who owns it, and she seems quite nice.”

“That’s good, hopefully you might become friends then.” He smiled at you reassuringly, you bit back your comment about how you had friends at home because you knew he only meant well, and he was struggling just as much as you were in this move, so you just nodded and ate your last mouthful of food.

After you had cleaned your plate, you said to your dad, “I think I might go surfing in a bit, once my food has settled, because I’m going into work tomorrow to collect my uniform and do a small shift, and I’ll probably be too tired to do it after that.”

“Okay that’s fine,” he turned to you as you walked out the room, “just don’t be out too late, and like usual, be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” You smile at him before going upstairs to get ready.

—————

The beach was nice and empty at this point in the evening, probably because the sun was just setting and people would rather not be out in the cold or dark. But you liked the peace and quiet of it, hearing the waves crash against the sand always relaxed you, and there was no need to worry about what other people think of you if there are no people around which was a bonus.

You set out into the water, board in hand, before it was deep enough to get onto it and paddle out a little further. Once you were far enough out, you began waiting for the perfect wave, riding a few that weren’t too great in the meantime, enjoying it all the same though. As you were sat on your board, waiting for another wave, you heard some voices on the beach, and looked over there to try and make out where abouts it was coming from. Eventually you saw a couple of figures walking across the beach, and from where you were it looked like two guys, maybe around your age, but they hadn’t noticed you yet and you weren’t sure whether you wanted them to.

It was unlikely you would be unnoticed for long though because if they looked out to the water they’d be able to see a person, especially if you were riding a wave. Checking the water behind you again, you saw a promising wave begin to form, and so you began paddling to try and catch it, forgetting about the boys on the beach as you focused, and just before the wave broke you stood up, and started riding it. You turned to angle yourself on the wave slightly better before doing a kick flip, and successfully landing it - you couldn’t help but let out a little whoop at your success, always happy when you landed a trick well. After this you only managed a few more seconds on your board before the wave crashed onto you, knocking you into the water.

You quickly swam back up to the surface, getting your board beneath you so you could start paddling towards the beach - deciding to end the night on a high and before it got late enough for your dad to start worrying about you.

As you got nearer the beach you saw that the boys who you’d seen walking were now standing there watching you come out of the water, you’d been right about them spotting you when you were out there.

Once out of the water you rang your hair out before putting it into a bun to keep it out of your face, and just as you started moving again the two boys approached you, in a way that seemed nervous you thought. The closer they got, the more attractive they became, both very tall, one with long brown hair and the other blonde and both with incredible bodies. Damn maybe you wouldn’t mind it here after all.

“Hey, we haven’t seen you around here before, are you new?” One of them, the brunette one, asked.

“Um yeah I moved here last week.”

“Oh that’s cool, by what we saw you do just then I’m assuming you surf a lot?” This time it was the blonde one who had asked the question, and as he did you could see his eyes move up and down your body, a small smirk on his face when he met your eyes.

“Yeh I lived by the coast in Oregon, so I’ve pretty much surfed since I was a kid, which is basically the only thing this place has in common with home, so I’m taking advantage of that.”

The brunette spoke up again, “Thats nice, um, I’m John B and this,” he indicated to the other boy, “is JJ.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N,” you smile at them, “but I need to go now, so I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeh that’d be great” JJ replied as you turned around and starting walking back up to your car, turning around one more time to give them a quick wave.

Once you were at your car, you could still faintly hear them, and from what you could work out they were talking about you, nice things it sounded like, you rolled your eyes and got into your car to drive home and collapse in your bed, still thinking about the way JJ had looked at you.

#jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x y/n #jj x reader #outerbanks fic #obx fic #obx #outer banks #john b x reader #john b routledge #pope heyward #outrebanx

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loser-writings · 4 years

Text

Dabi having a crush on a Hero

A/N: My style of writing is split between a fanfic and a series of scenarios. Kind of irritating me, but I hope you enjoy

TW; Mentions of abuse

You were a hero. Not one of the most popular, but you didn’t do it for the popularity. Originally, you only caught Dabi’s eye when you yelled at Endeavor for putting Shoto at risk when the Hero Killer attacked, scolding the big man while standing between him and Shoto. It impressed him since he saw that you were somebody that clearly cared about the youngest Todoroki and was willing to call Endeavor out on his shit parenting since it could have gone horribly.

The next time he saw you was when he was out running some errands for Shigaraki since Tomura refused to go out in the rain. He had caught your voice and found himself walking towards it. He found you sitting in the alleyway with a small child sitting in front of you all cut up. He had to be no older than 5. You were soaked since you had given your cape to him so he could keep the rain off of him. Dabi had moved without thinking and found himself covering you and the little boy with the large umbrella he had brought with him. You didn’t even notice how the rain had stopped hitting you as you carefully cleaned the boys cuts and bandaged them, but the boy stared back at Dabi with a slight look of fear. “There...Those should be all better now.” You said and patted the boys’ leg. “Now...can you tell me what happened? Why are you out here in the rain?” You asked softly before noticing that the boys eyes weren’t focused on you. “Abuse.” You jumped and instinctively protected the boy before your eyes widened at Dabi. “Who are you-” “Not a threat. I wanted to help.” He stated bluntly before crouching down, still covering the boy who cowered in fear. “My assumption is the dad. Or at least a male figure since he has fairly big bruises on his upper arm. That’s usually where an adult grabs a child when they are deemed to be misbehaving.” He spoke to you while you turned to the little boy that clung to your cape. “Is that true, love?” You asked quietly as the boy moved a little closer to you, nodding slowly. You sighed softly and shook your head before moving to sit on one of your knees. “Come here dear. I think we should get you out of the rain and find you some warm food. Would that make it better? At least for a little?” The boys’ eyes seemed to light up when you mentioned food and moved to quickly run into your arms. You smiled as the kid clung to you, hiding his cold nose in your neck. The sight was enough to make Dabi forget that you would be considered his enemy because at that moment, you seemed like a true hero to him. Not someone in it for the money, the fame, or really any of the benefits. You were just there to help people like this. The kids that deserved better than what life had thrown at them.

He remembered disappearing as quick as he appeared after that. After that night, he would go out of his way to see if he could find you around the city during your patrols and even would help you a little. He learned a lot about you during this time too, like the fact that your family life wasn’t exactly the best growing up and that you became a hero for the kids since you knew All Mights’ time was limited.. He learned that you weren’t the biggest Endeavor fan but you had managed to befriend his son, Shoto, since you had believed that he needed some sort of outside support in his life besides his teachers and classmates. You had no time for dating since your daily life consisted of you taking online college classes to become a teacher and at night you were a hero, yet he managed to sneak his way into your life.

Not only that, but you became a part of his life too. It was almost as if he was living two different lives since he would be with the league through the day planning and trying to figure things out, but at night he would join you in your little patrols before going to your apartment for a late dinner and maybe a movie. Feelings were never brought up during this time because you were a hero and your schedule was a mess, and Dabi because he had so many secrets he wasn’t ready to tell. This didn’t stop the two of you from joking about the shitty horror movie that was on your TV while sharing some food that you had made earlier that night.

His favorite part was always how you would snuggle up to him, claiming that he was warm before falling asleep. That was when he had realized he was catching feelings since he would ignore the movie from that point on to focus on you. How he examined your hand in his before realizing it was littered with scars from any small battles you were in, how you seemed to hug him tighter when he warmed up his body temp, and how you smiled in your sleep while he played with your hair. The night always ended with him carrying you to bed, tucking you under the sheets, and leaving to rest at his own place.

When some of the truth finally came out, it was after the attack that had a kid from class 1-A kidnapped. Shoto had come for you for comfort and help since he was worried about Bakugo and was furious over what all had happened. Of course, you listened as he lashed out and vented to you, something he only ever did around you because he knew you would understand. He described the villains and once he started describing Dabi, your stomach rolled. That night you ended up carrying a passed out Shoto back to the school to give to Aizawa while explaining what happened. He was fine, just exhausted from crying.

When you went on your patrol, you weren’t surprised to find Dabi waiting in your normal spot. You had taken note on how he seemed to look a bit more exhausted and a bit bruised up while walking, not answering his small talk as you went. He grew concerned when he noticed how your fists were clenched and as he was about to reach for your hand, you punched him as hard as you could which only knocked him out cold.

When he woke up, he was surprised to see that it was morning and that he was in your bed. Why the fuck was he in your bed? He slowly moved out only to see himself in the mirror, a bruise on the side of his face. He saw you in your kitchen, bags darker than normal, hair a bit messy, and it was clear you had been crying. It caused an ache in his chest but when he moved to hug you and ask what was wrong, you only threatened him and told him not to touch you. You were cold and he could tell he fucked up.

He answered all of your questions that you threw at him, feeling himself getting emotional as you broke down. You yelled for him not being honest, for him lying to you, for him hurting the people you were trying to protect and everything in between. He let you yell and cry until you sat on the floor while wiping at your eyes, mumbling more questions he couldn’t understand. By then, he moved to carefully wrap his jacket around you and hugging you softly, warming his body up to get you to lean into him a bit.

“Look...I don’t deserve anything. I get that what I am doing is really fucked up in your mind and I am sorry for hurting you like this,” He spoke softly as you clutched his jacket around yourself, just like the child you had saved did with your cape months ago. “You don’t have to forgive me cause I know I sure as hell don’t deserve someone as nice as you in my life. Especially when I know that the media or someone like Endeavor finds out that we know each other and are close…” He saw you clutch the jacket to you tighter and he sighed, knowing that you were starting to think about his words. “I’ll ruin everything you worked for. You’ll be a traitor to your country and I don’t think I can be okay with one of the few real heroes being called a traitor when there are false heroes being praised,” He had explained to you his views on Heroes multiple times, but this is the first time he claimed you were one worthy of the title. “So...We can stop everything. I’ll keep the league of villains away from you and you can go back to how it used to be. Get your degree to be a teacher and give the kids hope for a better future,” He moved to press his lips against your head just like you had done to him in the past. “You’ve already given me hope.”

He started to pull away, letting go of you and slowly standing as you sat on the ground thinking. It was only when he started walking to the door that you broke out of your trance. “Dabi,” Your voice was quiet and he could tell there was a lot on your mind. He turned back and smiled sadly at your form. He normally would take pleasure from the fact he hurt heros, but not you. This wasn’t something he could take pride in. “Yes?” He watched as you looked up and shook your head. “I don’t…” Your fingers gripped his jacket more. “Please just...Come home tonight.” You moved to wipe your face and slowly looked at him. “I’m...calling in sick to the agency. I can’t do it tonight. I just want to stay here and pretend that nothing happened. That nothing changed and everything is okay.” The tall man smiled a little at you, almost pitifully. “Yeah...But think about us, okay? I will leave the second you say you want me gone, and no matter what that offer stays.” He said before walking back over to you and carefully helping you off the ground to the couch. “But rest for now. Don’t worry about cooking or being a hero today. I’ll be back tonight.” After he laid you down, he took his jacket that fell off of your shoulders and draped it over your body. “I’m serious. Rest.” he said before moving to kiss your forehead one last time. When he pulled away, you just nodded and shut your eyes, clutching the jacket in your hand as you fell asleep. Once Dabi was sure you were out, he took your phone, texted the agency you worked for that you had the flu, and left you asleep on the couch.

That night, Dabi walked into your apartment to find you curled up on your couch, still wearing his jacket and a blanket over your lap. Your eyes looked back at him and his eyes widened when you gave a small smile. He couldn’t help but smile a little back before moving to sit next to you, sitting the bag of food he brought on the coffee table before he wrapped an arm around you since he knew you would snuggle up to him.

His hand held your waist before he noticed how you hesitantly crawled in his lap, covering you both with the blanket. For a moment, Dabi relaxed as you snuggled your face into his neck, thinking to himself that this could work. You could be a hero and he could continue pursuing his desires, and at the end of the day you could always return to each other's arms. It could work out….right?

He sighed and moved to take your hand, placing it on his chest. “I’m...Not good with feelings. Not at all, but I do know that you make me feel okay,” He felt you move your head to look up at him as he continued to speak. “You’re just...a good person. Someone I think deserves the title hero, but I’ve never figured out why you seemed to like me.” He admitted as he stared blankly at the TV. “The worst part is that I knew that if you found out, you would hate me-” “I don’t hate you though.” You cut him off as you moved to hold his hand in your own.

“Sure, I don’t agree with how you’re trying to make the world a better place...but I think you’re doing it for a good reason.” He looked at you with a confused look as you chuckled a little before looking down at his hand. “You want to make the world a better place, and in a way, you could be described as a hero since I can tell you are trying to protect those from getting hurt.” You shrugged a little. “The title hero is a subjective one...To me, You’re a hero even if I don’t like how you are going about it.”

He smiled a little and shook his head before kissing your head. “I don’t want to be a hero. Most are assholes…” “Well good thing you’re an asshole.” He just rolled his eyes before moving to tickle your sides a bit which made you jump and smack his hands away. “Stop that!” You both chuckled as you looked back at the other, slipping your arms around his neck as his sat on your waist.

“Anyway...I thought about what you told me to.” You mentioned before sighing softly. “I want to keep seeing you. I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but I think I’ve managed to get a crush on you, crusty.” You teased as he just rolled his eyes, trying to play off the fact that his cheeks were turning pink. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He admitted before moving to kiss your forehead. “I like you too.” You smiled and moved to peck his nose.

“Promise me one thing?” “Depends on what it is, Doll?” “Don’t get yourself killed. If you’re arrested, I can bail you out. If you die, I think I’d have to kill you.” Dabi laughed and rolled his eyes. “Sure, Doll...I’ll do my best.”

#Dabi #Dabi x reader #Dabi imagine #Mha Dabi #Bnha Dabi #touya todoroki #Todoroki #mha scenarios #mha x reader #mha oneshots #dabi oneshot #bnha imagine #bnha x reader #bnha oneshots

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sturnioloshacker · 3 years

Text

Grocery Giggles - A Christopher Velez Imagine

Requested by @lil-angxlll

Prompt #7: You both do the side-to-side dance when you try to pass them in the grocery store aisle

A/N: Sorry this took so long, bub! University problems took over 🙄

Trying to seek out cute guys in my area is way too difficult. Everywhere I go, I try to spy on every guy to see what they look like. They’re either too young or too old and it’s frustrating. I can never find one who’s around my age! High and low, left and right, I can’t find an attractive male who is somewhere between 21-25 years of age with a gorgeous face and little personality traits that I find cute. That is until I went to a specific aisle of my local grocery store…

Early morning walks are honestly the best! No one is around, the air is nice and I can enjoy the morning sunshine through the trees. As I walk along the footpath, I listen to the birds chirping in the trees and watch as one or two cars drive past. I usually take this time to collect my thoughts from the past couple of days and erase any bad ones - this helps me stay motivated and focused on the rest of the day and keeps me on my toes.

The one thought that keeps running through my mind is trying to find a boyfriend. My mum, my grandma, my aunties and my friends all pester me about trying to find someone. In this area, there’s no one. Absolutely no one! There’s hardly any guy that is around my age who is my type. I am so close to giving up and just staying single for the rest of my life. It’s too difficult. How in the hell did all my relatives and friends find attractive guys? Oh yeah, they country-hopped. Different year, different country. My mum found my dad who was from Australia and my grandma and aunties all found their significant others from the UK. Me, on the other hand, can’t country-hop because of college. What’s my type, you ask? Well, I like me a man who is sexy and charming yet also caring and sweet. I want him to be family-orientated. I don’t care what he looks like, I just want him to have certain personality traits that I can tolerate. You definitely can’t find that here.

I walk through the automated doors of my local supermarket to grab some stuff for dinner. I walk up and down the aisles, grabbing the items I need and placing them in the basket. I turn the corner to enter the next aisle and the sight in front of me caused me to let out a gasp. Someone had dropped a jar of sauce and that, combined with the glass, is everywhere. Signs blocked the area the mess was made and a worker is in the middle cleaning up the messy situation. I needed to grab stuff from that aisle so I made my way through the people standing and watching. As I pass people, I get to a big group of workers who were standing into the middle of the aisle helping the worker cleaning the mess.

As I’m about to pass, a guy opposite me started coming through. I quickly measured the distance between us and saw that it was easy for both of us to go past without touching. Boy, I was wrong. We both crash into each other and apologise. We continue trying to budge through but it wasn’t working. Each time we tried to go past, we kept bumping into each other. This resulted in both of us erupting into a fit of giggles. His laugh is contagious, oh my gosh! We finally decided to shuffle side-to-side which looked like a little dance. We eventually made to the opposite sides and giggled some more. I grab what I needed and walked to the check-out. I took a quick look back to see where that guy was and he wasn’t there. Oh. I didn’t see what he looked like! That was my chance! God, I’m so dumb! After taking my receipt, I begin my walk back home.

I walked through the front door and set the bags on the table. “Ah good! You’re home! I need to tell you something!” my mum gushes and sits me down on the couch. “You know how we have new neighbours across from us?” my mum asks and I nod. “Well, we kindly invited them over for dinner tonight! They’re super nice and friendly! I think she said they have a son!” Oh great. This is a set up to find me a boyfriend! “They’re originally from Ecuador but moved here recently”, my mum continues. Ecuador. Interesting. Maybe I don’t need to country-hop! I decided to get a nice and dressed up to look somewhat decent. Hopefully he’s attractive! Hopefully he’s my type!

LATER THAT NIGHT

I hear a knock on the door and yell out to my mum. I hear chatter from downstairs so I went down to introduce myself. “Hi, I’m Nicole! This is my husband, James and my daughter, Sammie. It’s so nice to have you over!” my mum gushes. The three new neighbours laugh and I heard a laugh that sounded really familiar. I could be hearing things. “Thank you for having us! My name is Yenny and these are my two sons, Jonathan and Christopher”. I look at the two boys and my eyes widen. The boy opposite me does the same thing. “Christopher?!” I gasp. “Sammie?!” Christopher gasps. “How do you two know each other?” my mum questions us. “We kept bumping into each other and giggling while trying to pass each other at the grocery store!” I explain.

As the night went on, Chris and I got to know each other more. He’s attractive, he’s super sweet and he’s very family-orientated. I think I found my man! Dinner was filled with stories, laughs and tissues. Hearing about Chris’ life was hard. I’m so glad that he managed to win the competition and do it all for his family. Our family shared some stories, most of them being about me which was embarrassing. At least Chris got a good laugh out of them.

After dinner, I took Chris up to my room where we just told each other our most embarrassing and most memorable stories which resulted in laughter and tears. He’s honestly the sweetest and most caring guy. Thank god he’s moved here! “So, have you been in any relationships?” he asks. I explain my problem and he giggles. The same giggle from the grocery store. “Have you been in any?” I ask. “I have been in a couple but they haven’t been serious”, he tells me.

We all said our goodbyes after what felt like the best night ever. I hug Chris and I feel him slip something into my pocket. I have a feeling I know what it is. Yenny and the boys left and we shut the door behind them. I walk up to my room and get ready for bed. I take out the little piece of paper Chris slipped into my pocket and open it up.

Text me

**** *** ***

Chris ❤️

I enter the number and begin typing.

S: Hey Chris! Sammie here. Tonight was fun! Thanks for coming over xx

C: Thanks for having us! Thanks for the giggles this morning as well xx

C: I miss you already 🥺

S: Awwww! You’re cute! Did you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?

C: Of course! Is it okay if I bring the CNCO guys as well? They’ll love you!

S: Sure thing! I would love to meet them!

C: Awesome! See you tomorrow, amor! Good night xx

S: Night Chris xx

I hear a knock and my door. “It’s open!” I yell. My mum opens the door and walks in. “So, what do you think?” she asks and I smile wide. “He’s cute! In fact, we’re going for lunch tomorrow and I get to meet his bandmates!” I squeal which makes my mum squeal. “You’ve finally met someone! I’m so glad! Now to tell everyone!” she gushes. “NO! Let me tell them when I’m ready!” I say and she nods. “Good night, honey, sweet dreams”, she says. “Oh, I will have sweet dreams”, I tell her and we both laugh. I shut my bedside light and roll onto my side. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep. Tomorrow is going to another great day!

#christopher velez #cnco #christopher velez imagines #cnco imagines

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hms-chill · 4 years

Text

Red Velvet, White Meringue, and Royal Icing

The Bake Off AU that I didn’t know 2020 would need, written for @rwrbbigbang!

Henry is a dramaturg who lives and works in London with his sister Bea and dog David. His bakes have all been approved by the casts and creative teams at the theater where he works, and inspired by his family baking tradition.

Originally from the American state of Texas, Alex now lives in Kent, where he balances studying law with his love for baking. He

Alex came to Bake Off to find out how good he is. Henry came to find new ideas and inspiration, and maybe to prove to himself that he can carry on his dad's baking traditions. But with ten weeks in a tent, they both find a little more than they bargained for.

With art by @emry-stars (which you can find Here and Here), and a massive thanks to Syd, @/wyverning on Twitter, for hopping in as a very last minute beta and dealing with my disaster of a first draft!

Chapter 1: Cake Week

“And you’ve got your recipes, right?”

Henry rolls his eyes with a smile, patting his bag. “Yes, Bea. They’re right here, safe and sound. If I lose them, I’m sure they’ll have the copies I sent them in the tent.”

“The little laundry sheets so you can do wash in case you get something on your top?”

“I’ve got them, too. I’m going to be fine; there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll call you when I get there, and before we start tomorrow, and I’ll keep you posted.”

She hugs him again, adding, “Dad would be so proud of you.”

He grins when they pull away, and she reaches up to ruffle his hair while he swats at her hands and escapes toward the train, waving with a confidence he’s not sure he feels. Bea had been there when he auditioned for the show, to proofread his application and help him learn the basics of food photography for the Instagram account she’d set up for him. She’d been there when they called him for the phone interview, and she’d cleaned up while he made things for the first in person interview. She’d helped him scour cookbooks and drill baking basics before his technical application, and she’s spent the past week testing his practice bakes and cleaning up after him, typically with nightly pep talks about how good he is and how she’s proud of him. But now, it’s just him and his overnight bag getting on the train for Berkshire. He’s committed to his bakes, and he’s sure of what he’s doing. Now, all that’s left is to do it.

The train ride is somehow both too long and too short all at once. He tries to get some work done, but the nerves make it hard. He wants to shout at everyone on the train that he’s made it, that he’s going to be on the show and in the tent, baking with the best home bakers in the country. He wants to ask each and every passenger if maybe they’re going to the same place, maybe they’ve done it, too, and the two of them are going to get to bake together. He wants to ask if a Victoria sponge is too simple, if he’s committed to something stupid enough to get him sent home the first week just because he’s a sentimental sap.

A crew member from the show meets him at the train station, and there’s someone else next to him, a Black man wearing the most colorful shirt Henry has ever seen. He’s got a big smile as he reaches out to shake Henry’s hand.

“I’m Percy. Call me Pez, like the sweets.”

“Henry. Nice to meet you.”

“Good to meet you. I think we’re waiting for one more, then we’ll go to the hotel and see the tent and things. You excited?”

Henry nods as another boy comes over in a rush, his curls flopping into his face and bag inches away from falling off his shoulder. He sticks his hand out, and the bag slips down his arm, settling around his elbow as he shakes their hands.

“Hi. Hi, sorry I’m late, I’m Alex.”

Henry and Pez introduce themselves, and the crew member whose name Henry doesn’t quite remember (it might be Sarah?) gets them into a car and driving toward the hotel where they’ll be staying for the weekend. Ideally, they’ll be back next weekend, too , but thinking about leaving already feels like a lot for week one. Alex introduces himself as a law student from Canterbury, and Pez works at a nonprofit in Manchester. Henry just tells them he does research for a theater; it’s not quite worth getting into everything when they’re all just getting to know each other. He’s more than happy to let the others talk; he hears about Alex’s classes and Pez’s charity work. He hears about how Alex moved from America to Scotland with his mom when she married his stepdad, but he still goes back to America in the summer and for some holidays.

He half-listens, half-worries about the upcoming weekend. He checks to make sure he’s still got his recipes at least three times. They still haven’t escaped, thankfully, and by the third time he looks in his bag, Alex, who’s sitting next to him, notices. “Hey, they’re there; it’s fine. We’re all nervous, but it’ll be okay.”

Henry just smiles at him. He’s not sure how he didn’t notice before, but Alex is… well. Alex’s face is very, very nice. He’s got a bit of a smile, and Pez is saying something, but Henry’s not sure what it is and he knows he doesn’t care.

“I just don’t want to go home first,” he admits, and Alex grins.

“Listen. If I think you’re going out, I’ll drop a cake on the floor and we’ll go together, okay?” Henry laughs a bit, and Alex pats his shoulder, then turns back to say something to Pez. His hand is still on Henry’s shoulder, and it stays there until they reach the hotel where they’ll meet the others, and Henry tries his hardest to think about or focus on other things, but it’s certainly distracting.

Alex doesn’t move his hand until they’re pulling up at the hotel, and when it’s gone it leaves a cold spot in its place. Henry doesn’t have long to think about that, though, as he’s climbing out of the car and joining a crowd already around a minibus with the Bake Off logo on the side. Probably-Sarah takes their bags to their rooms, explaining that they’ll be going to the tent tonight to get a look at it and learn how things like the ovens and the mixers work.

They have the obligatory round of slightly awkward introductions, and Henry finds himself next to a man named Shaan whose aura of calm somehow seems to quiet even Henry’s jangling nerves. They’re talking about Shaan’s role as a curator with the National Museum of Scotland and their exhibit on prosthetics when the bus turns a corner and they see the white peaks of the tent emerging from behind the Welford Park House. Henry stops in the middle of a question about the Alternative Limb Project’s Vine Arm to gape, and Shaan leans over to look out the window as well. The whole atmosphere of the bus has changed, and there are a few moments of silence before it erupts into excited chattering, everyone seeming to remember all at once why they’re here. Henry still just looks, grinning, out the window. That’s the tent. This is it. He snaps a picture to send Bea.

Then they’re getting out, and they’re walking the tent. They’re being shown which benches they’ll bake at tomorrow, and they’re meeting the hosts and judges and crew, and Henry’s brain can’t seem to focus on any of it. It doesn’t quite seem real, but between Shaan’s grounding presence and Pez’s chatter, it’s hard to believe he’s dreaming. Alex being here is another point in the not-a-dream category; he’s not sure he could have imagined a smile that bright.

It’s a whirlwind trip, and they’re loading back onto the minibus before too long, Henry’s head spinning. He’ll be back here tomorrow, baking cakes he used to bake with his dad, and he’ll be doing it for TV cameras and in front of the entire world. He’ll be telling the world about growing up baking cakes, and those very cakes he used to make with his dad could be the ones that send him home.

That night, the production team takes them out to dinner, and Henry meets Nora, the data analyst Alex has become fast friends with via a heated debate about how easy a pothos plant is to keep alive. He mentions that Bea’s kept one for a few years without much struggle, which drags him into the debate and gets them all laughing. They’re not talking about their bakes, and Henry’s glad. He’s got enough to worry about without hearing the amazing things the others have planned.

The next morning, they have an early call. Henry’s in the lobby of the hotel even before they need to be, though, texting Bea an extra thank you and checking, once again, that he has everything he needs. The last thing he wants is to get to the tent and realize he’s left something here. He’s halfway through another text to Bea when there’s a hand on his shoulder, and he turns to see Shaan.

“Hello. Couldn’t sleep either?” Henry asks with a smile. Shaan shrugs.

“I just think it never hurts to be a bit early to things.” He’s got a thermos of coffee, but beyond that, he looks just as polished as he would any other time of day. There’s no indication that he’s up at 5 AM.

“What do you think will happen today? I mean, I know they walked us all through it, but that’s not the same as actually doing it, and no one… no one really talked about things last night.”

“I think we’ll go in there and bake. What do you have planned?”

“Some… some Victoria sponges today. Mini ones. I… I’m sort of scared it’s too simple, but we used to make them with my dad growing up, and so I have a lot of practice. My sister suggested I pick something pretty simple that I’m familiar with for the first bake so I get used to it.”

“I think that’s a good plan, and I’m sure if you’ve been making these since you were young, you’ve got it down.”

“What are you making?”

“It’s a green tea cake; we had them at a gallery opening a few years back.”

“It sounds good; I’ll have to try some when you’re done.”

Shaan smiles at him, and Henry relaxes a bit. He looks around to see some of the other contestants have joined them in the lobby. He spends some time talking to Hunter, who’s very excited about the new high-protein flour he’s using for his cakes, and decides that he would maybe rather pull his ears off than hear more about high-protein flour or different milling varieties and their nutritional benefits. He’s in the bus when Alex arrives in the seat next to him, looking tired and carrying the biggest thermos Henry’s ever seen.

“Hello again. Ready for the big day?” Alex asks around a yawn.

“I’m not sure. I guess? We sort of have to be,” Henry says, and Alex nods.

“I can’t argue with you there. Still. You feel ready?”

“As ready as I can. What about you?”

“I guess. I think my sister’s more worried than I am, if I’m honest.”

“You have a sister?”

“An older one; June. She’s thinking of moving back to the states, but for now she’s working for a few magazines here.”

“Is it weird, sort of being here and sort of being back in the States?”

“I guess. It’s just sort of how it’s been since we moved, you know?”

“Think you’ll ever go back?”

“I’m not sure. It was sort of weird deciding to move, but June was coming since she was interested and school here’s a lot more affordable, so I came, too. It was… you know, this exciting new start and everything, and we’re pretty happy staying here and going back for summers sometimes.”

Henry just nods as they turn into Welford Park, looking down at the bag where he’s got his recipes again. Alex smiles.

“They all there?”

He’s teasing, and Henry just rolls his eyes. He’s expecting to be nervous as they all climb out of the van, but somehow, he’s not. Alex’s hand on his shoulder likely has nothing to do with that.

They file in to stand behind their assigned benches.

Henry puts his recipes and a picture of him and his dad baking down in front of him, taking a deep breath.

On your mark.

Get set.

Bake.

And then he’s reaching for the eggs and flour and sugar, and he’s baking a miniature Victoria sponge, just like he’s done a thousand times before. And yes, he’s in a tent rather than a kitchen, and yes, there’s the hustle and bustle of camera crews and other bakers around him, but it’s just baking. It’s just the same Victoria sponge he used to make for his mum every year on her birthday, when they’d each decorate one for her and she’d look at them all and puzzle over it before she declared them all the best decorators.

The first Royal Tour arrives before any of them are really ready for it. Henry sees Amy frantically cleaning a few things off her station as the judges come to stand in front of him. He’s seen this bit a million times, but it feels surreal to actually be the one in the spotlight.

“I’m Henry; I’m making some Victoria sponges. When we were kids, we used to make them with my dad, and all three of us kids would decorate them for our Mum.”

“Did you have to fight it out to have the best cake?” Noel asks, and Henry laughs.

“She’d always say we were all her favorite.”

“Bit simple, isn’t it?” Paul asks, and Henry’s heart is in his throat.

“I was hoping to do something where my nerves wouldn’t get in the way as much, at least for the first bake,” he explains, and Sandi smiles.

“Well, I think that if you do it well, something like this will really show us what you can do,” Prue says, and as they move on, Henry thanks every saint he’s ever disappointed that at least she’s on his side.

He has a second after he puts the cakes in when he can look around to see how everyone else is doing, and he sees an explosion of color on Pez’s station. Across the aisle from him, he sees a personal assistant named Zahra with a station he swears is neater than his was when they started. Nora is in front of him, checking things off a complex spreadsheet while surrounded by chaos, and somewhere, he thinks Alex might be swearing in Spanish.

After a second to breathe, Henry starts on his jam and buttercream, keeping an eye on his mini cakes. He’s making more than they used to with his dad, but even so, it feels just as familiar and comfortable.

The fillings come together, and then he gives himself a half second to check them before he’s on to assembling, setting a single raspberry in the middle of each cake and carefully piping designs on the tops. Noel announces that they have one minute left, and Henry gets everything on the end of his bench and leans back as they finish counting down.

Just like that, the first bake is over, and the bakers file out to rest. This is the part where the TV element of the show takes over; their bakes are going to get their beauty shots and the bakers are going to be interviewed. Hunter gets pulled first, so Henry gets to flop down onto the couch. Pez settles beside him, automatically resting a hand on Henry’s knee, and it turns out that he’s used a colorful mirror glaze and real flowers, either of which could have been the colors Henry saw. He asks about Nora’s spreadsheet, and she shows it to him, covered in frosting and batter and marking out what she should be doing every ten minutes.

When everything’s ready for them, the bakers traipse back into the tent, all quiet and nervous as they face their first round of judging. As much as Henry is trying to pay attention to everyone else’s comments, he’s too nervous to focus on much aside from the occasional word until the judges are in front of him.

He’s smiling, doing his best to relax as they take a bite. Paul reiterates that his cakes are simple, but says they’re perfectly done, and Prue agrees with him. Henry grins, finally feeling like he can breathe as he sits down. Behind him, Cash gets compliments on his flavors and the unique designs. Alex is next, and Henry hears them compliment his cake, but complain that it’s a bit claggy, which he’d been worried about. As they file out for lunch, Henry manages to get beside Alex and ask how it went, but Alex just shrugs.

“I made a damn good tres leches; if they thought it was a weird texture I’m not too upset about it. I mean, obviously I’m not thrilled, but you know. It was the type of cake they didn’t like, not my version of it. So it’s not, you know, that I’m bad at baking or anything, at least not really. This table look good?” Henry nods and sits, which is how he finds himself at a table with Nora, Pez, Alex, and Hunter, who turns out to be both very talkative and intensely boring.

Alex is across from Henry, and whenever they make eye contact, Alex makes a face, quietly mocking Hunter. Henry smiles, and he nods when Hunter says things, but it’s nice to know he’s not the only one bored with Hunter’s rambling. Alex is on his side, both in and out of the tent, and that’s nice to know, too, especially going into the technical.

Henry’s been trying to avoid thinking about it, but the technical’s been in the back of his mind. He’s done what he can to prepare for it, but he has no idea what to expect. Still, Alex will be baking near him, and Zahra will be across from him, and she seems like the sort of person who will know what’s happening if he gets really lost and needs to see what she’s up to. It’ll be alright.

They file back to the tent as lunch ends, and Henry takes a deep breath as he settles behind his bench, tying the apron. It’s just this technical, then they’ll be getting dinner together and spending time in the hotel, probably talking about the loved ones they’re making their showstopper cakes for. Henry is more than ready to talk about Bea and how much he loves her, and he wonders briefly who Alex is making a cake for. He’s been so focused on worrying about the technical that he hasn’t gotten a chance to know the other bakers as well as he hopes, but maybe that chance will come over a dinner with the bakers he’s starting to become friends with.

He tries to think about that instead of the gingham-clad mystery pile in front of him. There are ingredients for something under that fabric, but he can’t know what, and it’s not going to help to try and guess. He just takes a deep breath and tries to focus on the judges’ advice instead.

As it turns out, Prue’s advice is just to read closely, which is about as helpful as telling them to remember to breathe or that cakes need sugar. That’s all they get before the judges step out, and Noel has a joke about their figure skating class before Sandi announces the dish they’ve been tasked with.

They’re making something called nut cake. Henry thinks he may have heard of it once, and the cake itself seems fairly simple. The icing for it looks a bit more complicated, but that’s an issue for Future Henry. The cake is a problem for right now, and it’s not nearly as much of a problem as he thought it might be. And right now, Henry’s just baking, falling into the routine of reading a new recipe and figuring things out. He and Bea have been practicing technicals for weeks now, and he’s been reading old recipes for years so he can bake things appropriate for different plays he’s working on. As it turns out, deciphering them has helped him get ready for figuring out pared down modern ones.

Behind him, he hears Jeffrey, a man he’s not particularly close to, panicking.

Zahra seems in control, and while there are varying degrees of panic happening around him, everyone else seems relatively calm.

Nora’s workstation is a mess, as is Pez’s, but they and some of the other messy bakers seem like they’ll thrive in that mess. By contrast, Jeffrey’s mess just looks like mess.

But as much as he cares for the other bakers, Henry does his best to ignore them, at least for now. He tries to just concentrate on his own cake, even if it demands less concentration than he might have guessed. Even as they shift to icing, it’s far from the hardest thing he’s ever baked. The judges might be easing them into the technicals, but Henry’s glad for it. As the final seconds tick down, he’s drizzling the icing on his cake, and as he steps back he declares it ‘good enough’.

Carrying it up to the table and setting it behind his picture feels surreal, especially surrounded by the other bakers doing the same. He’s seen it on TV a million times, but somehow, doing it himself still sends a slight shiver down his spine. His cake doesn’t look bad compared to the others, and as he’s filing out to take a break with the rest of the bakers, he gets a glimpse at Jeffrey’s. It doesn’t look iced. In their resting area, Henry learns that he’s afraid it’s underbaked; apparently he’d forgotten to add nuts to his first one and had to restart with barely any time left.

As much as Henry hates to see anyone upset, a tiny, tiny part of him is relieved. He doesn’t want to come last in the technical, especially not the first one. They’re called back into the tent once it’s clean, and as they file onto the stools, Henry is sandwiched between Shaan and Alex. Alex grabs his hand; his cake is on the end where they’ll start the tasting and he’s pretty clearly worried. Henry just gives his hand a squeeze as the judges try his cake, and when they move on, Alex doesn’t stop squeezing, so Henry keeps a tight hold through the whole thing.

It is, by far, the worst part of the day. The deliberation about cakes is too quiet to hear, and it seems to take forever, but then they’ve decided. Alex is squeezing Henry’s hand so hard he thinks his fingers might go numb as the judges step forward to announce the results of the first technical challenge this group of bakers have ever faced.

Jeffrey comes in last. Alex is fourth, and to his shock, Henry comes in first. He’s not sure what to think, but he knows he has to call Bea as soon as he can. He has to thank her for how much she’s done to test him and get him ready for this part of the competition. Alex pulls him into a hug almost immediately, and Henry grins as Cash, a stay at home dad who seems great, joins in. They get pulled aside for more interviews, and Henry gets to be really, really excited without having to worry about hurting or offending anyone else, but even on the bus back, even as he tries to keep it toned down a bit so as not to upset anyone, he can’t quite help his grin.

He calls Bea that night from the hotel room, because really, he can’t think of anything else to do with these emotions. She picks up on the first ring.

“Henry! You did so well! I knew you would.” Just hearing her voice is enough to pull some of the tension out of his shoulders, and he laughs a bit.

“I never… god, it was a lot, but I… I did it.”

“You did it! And you got first in technical; I’m so proud of you. Dad would be, too, I know it.”

He just smiles, talking to her until there’s a knock on his door, and Pez is there to invite him out for dinner with some of the other contestants. Bea tells him to go have fun, and he finishes getting changed, then finds Pez, Alex, Nora, and a reporter named Oliver at the hotel bar. Alex is talking about a family friend he’s planning to make a cake for tomorrow, about how they’ve been friends since his dad took Raf in when his coming out didn’t go well. They’d had a tradition of birthday cookies, but Raf was used to cakes, so he’s the only one they make cake for. He’s planning a big cake decorated with cookies, just like they’d always done.

Henry gets to talk about how much he loves Bea, then a student named Liam joins them and hesitantly talks about how his boyfriend’s parents’ anniversary was last week, so he’s replicating the cake he made them. Pez demands a picture of Liam and his boyfriend, and they all get to admire how cute they are while Liam blushes. Pez moans that he and his partner will never be that cute, and he uses the word ‘partner’, which makes Liam relax a bit and makes Henry grin as a wave of quiet warmth washes over him. Even though he’d known that people would probably be fine if he came out, it’s nice to know he wouldn’t be alone if he did. Seeing Liam and Spencer’s pictures, and hearing that Pez probably isn’t straight (though honestly, he’d piqued Henry’s gaydar early on), helps quiet the part of him that’s worried.

Apparently Liam was the only one they were waiting for, so Pez leads the way to a nearby restaurant. Shaan and Zahra are there already, and they wave them over. The eight of them end up monopolizing a corner booth, filling the table with good food and the benches with good conversations. Zahra’s planning a baby shower cake for her sister, and Shaan’s planning one as a test for his parents’ renewal of vows. They finish dinner and go to bed relatively early, knowing they’ve got an early call tomorrow, but Henry goes to bed feeling better about the showstopper than he ever could have imagined.

It’s him and Shaan downstairs early the next day, and they make small talk and text their families while they wait for the others to come down. It’s a nice way to wake up, and Henry’s already starting to get used to this routine, to morning conversations about Shaan’s museum over tea and coffee. Shaan offers to give him a tour of the archives if he comes to visit, and Henry promises to take him up on that next time he’s in Edinburgh. Even that feels nice, to plan to see each other again after this is all over, and to know that even if he goes home this week, he’ll have made at least one friend.

The other bakers trickle down as Henry and Shaan are finishing their tea, and it’s not long before they’re all there, loading into the minibus and heading off to the tent to make cakes for their loved ones. Henry’s planning one shaped like a guitar for Bea, using a sponge recipe similar to the one they’d made with their dad but flavored especially for her. It’s the one bake he hasn’t practiced with her around, the only one she’s never tried in full. He wants her to be surprised when she watches the show.

He tells Paul and Prue about having lied about his plans to her when they come on the royal tour, and it makes Paul laugh, which is a relief from his regular stoicness. Prue tells him it’s sweet, Noel asks if there’s anything else he’d like to confess to lying to her about, and Henry honestly admits to having never lied to Bea in any other circumstance, and then they’re moving on. Behind him, Henry hears Cash talk about making a cake with layers for each of his kids, and he can’t help but grin. He’ll have to take a peek at that cake when decorating time comes.

His own cake is going well. He’s been playing it safe this week, and he knows that, but at least that means that he doesn’t have to worry about anything too hard. He’s made each of these cakes for Bea before, and he made a guitar cake for her last birthday. The hardest part is the assembly. He’s decided to have the guitar stand upright, probably because he’s an idiot, so the last two hours of the bake is entirely dedicated to carefully, carefully stacking cakes on top of each other and carving them into the right shape. He’s planning a mirror glaze, both because it will mimic the shine of Bea’s guitar and because he’s an idiot who likes to use every second of their allotted time and stress himself out as he does. He’s sure he’ll have time, but he’s making a brown fondant just in case.

He’s just getting his fondant-covered cake in the freezer when he hears Alex swear behind him, and he doesn’t even think before he turns to see what’s wrong. Alex has a decorative cake tin, and he’s frantically tapping it on a baking sheet. Henry goes over to his bench, and he can feel a camera following him as he asks, “How can I help?”

“Just… it won’t come out.”

“Did you run a knife around the middle? Try that.”

There’s a tense silence as Alex does. Henry’s holding his breath.

Alex flips the cake over again, shaking it up and down a few times on the baking sheet. Henry can just hear the thunk as it falls, and Alex lets out a shaky breath as he pulls the tin off. The cake emerges, looking complete, and Alex grins. Henry grins back, and Alex thanks him as he picks up a piping bag. Henry turns back to his own bench as Alex says, “Hey, if you need me to drop this on the floor, I still will.”

Henry just laughs as he goes back to his own bench. As he goes around Cash’s, Cash says, “Hey, either of you are welcome to drop anything on the floor as long as it’s not mine. Amy looks pretty confident over there.”

Alex tosses the top of a strawberry onto the ground behind Cash’s bench, and Cash laughs, and Henry starts on his mirror glaze infinitely less worried than he would have been otherwise.

He’s pulled shortbread decorations out of the oven and drizzled his mirror glaze over the cake when Noel calls the two minute warning, and his piping of the strings is a bit sloppy, but when he steps back he can barely believe he’s done it. It’s a bit messy, but it looks like a guitar, and he knows Bea would be thrilled with it. Really, that’s all that matters. He’s feeling good about it, but when he turns and sees Cash’s cake, he knows he’s lost any shot at star baker. It’s a towering beauty, each layer individually decorated with castles, jungles, and pirate ships.

Cash brushes aside their compliments, but when Henry asks about the kids, he starts talking about each of them, rambling and rambling as they leave the tent for their break. Henry just grins and listens as Cash’s excitement completely overwhelms any worry Henry might be feeling. Instead of thinking about if his cakes are too dry or if something is wrong with his fondant, Henry gets to look at pictures of Cash’s kids and husband and dog. It makes for a fantastic distraction while they wait for the tent to be cleaned up, and Henry wonders briefly just how many more people he can ask about pets or kids while they wait.

Cash rambles about his family through most of their break, and Henry is happy to just sit back and listen. Cash is clearly a good dad, and he’s more than happy to ramble about his son’s ballet recital or his daughter’s favorite cookie recipe throughout the entire cleaning period and photoshoot.

He’s still talking about his kids as they photographers finish up, so Henry gets to focus on that instead of worrying as they settle behind the benches for the final time that day. Henry is too far back to hear what the judges are saying to anyone else, but he watches Hunter’s and Jeffrey’s shoulders slump, watches Prue smile at Cash and Oliver, and he grins when Pez brings a rainbow explosion past his bench. Pez just winks as Henry laughs a bit.

Then it’s his turn, and he’s carefully carrying the cake up. It looks good; recognizably an electric guitar leaning against an amp. The judges like the flavors and the look, but it is dry. He’d been afraid of that; he’d been making fondant while it baked, and left it in a bit too long. Still, over all, it’s positive. Alex gives him a thumbs up as he carries the cake back, and Cash smiles at him. It’s not a bad cake, and he’s done well in the technical. He’s probably going to be back next week, and that’s good enough for now.

He does his best to focus on the others’ comments, but this far back it isn’t easy. It feels a bit like playing telephone as the bakers closer to the front say things like we’ve all had dry cakes or I heard good things. Reactions seem to be pretty varied across the board, and it doesn’t seem like Henry’s the only one who’s not done his best, but this far back he has no real idea.

The judges and hosts leave to make a decision, and the bakers are left to mill around the tent before eventually settling on the stools at the front. Alex is beside Henry again, and he grabs Henry’s hand as the judges and hosts come out. He’s had a good bake, and done decently in the technical, but nothing’s guaranteed in the tent.

Cash gets star baker, surprising no one but himself. His showstopper pushed him over the top, just like Henry knew it would, and he’s thrilled to get to reach over and squeeze Cash’s shoulder to congratulate him. His husband and kids are going to be so proud.

Then comes the hard part. Alex is squeezing Henry’s hand so hard it’s turning white.

Sandi opens her mouth.

“Jeffrey.”

Alex drops Henry’s hand and gives him a little half-embarrassed smile, and Henry has just enough time for half a thought about how he hopes he and Alex stay on the show. He refuses to let himself think on that, just gives Cash a big hug and gets through their final interviews. He tells the interviewer that he’s not surprised Cash got it, because he really deserves it, and that he’ll be glad to come back next week. Cash joins them again while he’s on the phone with his husband and kids, and he’s beaming as he talks and they load into the minibus.

It’s a strange atmosphere on the bus. Jeffrey’s upset to be going home, but Henry can’t seem to find it in himself to be all that sad. He’s staying, and so are Alex and Shaan and Pez. He gets to come back and bake with his friends next week, and as much as going home sucks for Jeffrey, Henry can’t find any particular grief about it.

They only have a few minutes to get their bags together before they’re heading back to the train station. Henry says goodbye to Alex, Pez, and the others, then calls Bea as he slips his ticket into the slot. The train is already on the platform, and he finds an empty table and slides into it, still talking as he pulls his laptop out to get some work done. He’s just hanging up with her when someone slides into the seat across from him.

“Anyone sitting here?” Alex asks with a smile. Henry smiles back, shaking his head.

“Hello.”

“Hey. Good job in there today; that guitar looked great.”

“Looked great, tasted dry. Yours looked good, too; I’m sure your family friend would have loved it.”

“Thanks. I needed it to be good after that tres leches disaster yesterday.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t have to drop anything on the floor,” Henry says, and Alex grins.

“Me too.” Alex pulls out a laptop, but even as he opens it, he seems no less willing to end the conversation. “And, if I’m honest, I know this is meant to be the most wholesome experience and all, but I’m sort of glad Jeffrey’s gone.” He’s leaning across the table conspiratorially, and Henry finds himself leaning forward, too. “He rubbed me weird.”

“He… he sort of rubbed me weird, too. If it had to be someone, I’m glad it was him.”

They share another conspiratorial smile, and Alex says, “Exactly. Like maybe he’s fine, but I’d rather him than someone else. I’d rather him than you or Nora or Pez any day.”

“He was just so…” Henry’s not quite sure what he wants to say, but Alex is nodding.

“Yeah. If it had to be someone, I’m glad it was him.”

He’s finally turning his attention to his laptop, making an excuse about a paper he’s got to work on, so Henry turns back to his own work with a small smile, his leg occasionally brushing Alex’s. They both get drinks when the cart comes, tea for Henry and coffee for Alex, and Alex pays for both, promising that Henry can get it next time.

Next time, because there will be a next time.

When he meets Bea at the station that night, he’s not quite sure how to tell her about Alex, but she seems to know what to think, even if Henry doesn’t.

On AO3

When I started this fic back in February, I had no idea how much the world might need it come October. But here we are, and here it is! Ten chapters of gay baking! That I hope y'all love!

As always, if you want to support the Hannah-Makes-Art fund, you can tip me in ko-fi here! And if you want to support the Emry-Makes-Art fund, they’ve got commissions up on their blog!

#rwrb big bang #rwrb #rwrb bang #red white and royal blue fic #rwrb fic #my fic: rwrb #red white and royal blue au #bake off au #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry fox mountchristen windsor x alex claremont diaz #firstprince #red white and royal blue

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