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blossom-hwa · 3 years

Text

Danger: Stalemate - JUYEON

Pairing: Juyeon x gender neutral!reader

Genre: fluff, angst, fantasy, royalty!au

Triggers: death, semi-graphic depictions of blood

Word Count: 4.3k

Lesson 8: where one journey ends, another begins, oftentimes more difficult than the first.

Previous: Crown >> Stalemate

TBZ Masterlist | Danger | Kingdom

[ Taglist will be reblogged! Send a dm or an ask to be added! ]

Younghoon has seen Somin angry before, but never to this extent. Anger doesn’t even begin to cover the expression on her face – there’s something wild in her features, something that bleeds of absolute fury and sends terror striking to the core of his bones.

He stays still, suddenly very glad that he was able to send Minho to get Haknyeon out of here before the sun fully rises. Despite all he said, he can’t be sure Somin wouldn’t kill off his best friend in a fit of anger. Better that he leave first with a tiny chance of escaping rather than stay here and risk an almost certainty of dying.

Speaking of dying, Younghoon wouldn’t count himself out of that fate by the end of the day. Somin’s face has composed itself, but the way her hands bunch into her skirts speaks volumes about her true feelings.

One arm raises, her fingers flicking in a gesture of dismissal. Several guards exit the room, leaving Younghoon alone with a power-hungry maniac who looks ready to rip him limb from limb.

A drop of sweat rolls down the back of his neck.

“I suppose you thought your stunt was funny,” Somin finally says, unfisting her other hand out of her skirt. Her fingers splay on the table separating them, slim, lithe, pale, and Younghoon imagines the carefully trimmed nails growing longer and longer, snaking across the wood to pin him in place.

He shoves the image away. “That’s one way to put it, I suppose.”

Somin snarls. “You betrayed your own kingdom.”

“Not so.”

“Really?” One perfect eyebrow raises. Younghoon has to admire her ability to look so put together even in her nightclothes after almost no sleep. “Elaborate.”

Younghoon allows a cordial smile to pass over his face. “My duty as king is to do what I deem best for the kingdom,” he says, heart pounding. “That is the oath I took when I accepted the crown. I do not deem your methods suitable for the interests of my people.”

My people.

Somin notices his deliberate choice of words. Fury flashes across her eyes, nails digging into the table, but she doesn’t lunge like Younghoon thought she might. “It is regrettable that we do not agree on what will benefit our kingdom the most,” she says lightly.

Our. Younghoon wants to laugh. Since when has Somin cared about the common pawns under her rule? “Quite.”

Somin scoffs. “Indeed. I dare say that, however, my methods will win out in the end, despite this… temporary setback.”

That makes Younghoon blink. “You – what?” His composure slips. “You can’t think you’ll get the crown back.”

“Oh, I might not have the crown.” For the first time, a smile, a real, terrifying smile widens across Somin’s lips. “But a king must be crowned by a queen, no?”

A queen. Yes. A king cannot be crowned by anyone else, but Juyeon has a queen. His sister. What does Somin mean –

His eyes widen. “What did you do to her?”

Somin sneers. “Not as much as I’d like to have done,” she sniffs. “But we are in a stalemate, and she is away from the palace. As far as I know, she is alone, and…” Her smile widens. “From what I understand of her position, the presence of any pawn would only destabilize it. Even a royal one.”

No.

Younghoon clenches his hands into fists, trying to stop their shaking. “You’re lying,” he says, praying for a sign of untruth in Somin’s eyes. “You’re lying.” It can’t be that Juyeon, Kevin, and Jacob endured so much only to fall into yet another one of Somin’s ruthlessly intelligent traps.

But Somin only laughs, empty mirth echoing on the stone walls. “You thought I wouldn’t let them go if I wasn’t sure of a victory?”

Younghoon has to hold onto the side of the table to keep from falling over completely. His legs tremble as he tries to wrap his head around Somin’s words.

“So you see, I still win in the end.” She smiles, leaning forward. The image of a snake rearing its head to strike flashes through Younghoon’s mind. “There is only one way out of a stalemate, you know.”

The unspoken word hangs heavily in the air.

Surrender.

Somehow, Younghoon finds his voice. “They won’t be conquered so easily,” he says, endlessly thankful that his words don’t betray the terror flooding his veins. “Juyeon is still alive. He may not be king, but he can rally an army. And his sister is still a force on her own, you know.” His fingers clench on the table. “After all, they always did say she was smarter than you.”

Somin laughs again, though an edge of anger tints the sound. “I must disagree with you,” she replies, smile still intact. “I have the larger army. I have the power to move. I am the one who has placed her in a stalemate.”

“No one places the other in a stalemate,” Younghoon retorts. “If anything, I would say she is far more intelligent for being able to maneuver you into such a position, even after you began capturing her mages and killing her troops.”

“Does it matter?” Somin sneers. “I have the upper hand. And even if she or the prince managed to worm their way out of my control, do you really think I’m not smart enough to figure a way past it?”

“Oh, I believe you might.” Younghoon smiles, lips tinged with venom. “I hope you won’t, but you certainly are intelligent enough that you might. Allow me, however, to remind you of something the former queen understood much better than you.”

Somin cocks her head, looking almost bored. “Do enlighten me.”

Younghoon leans across the table. “Intelligence alone does not make a queen.”

Silence.

Then the sound of Somin’s tinkling laughter.

“You’ve reminded me of this many times, Younghoon.” Eyes bright with mania stare into his. “And I understand. Why do you think I keep you around, after all?”

If Younghoon lifted his hand, he’d see crescents from his nails imprinted in the wooden table. Checkmate.

“This was an enlightening conversation, my king,” Somin says, breaking the silence once more. She sweeps around the table, stepping forward enough to pat him on the cheek. He jerks away. “I do hope, however, that you will reconsider my thoughts on what is best for our kingdom. It is best, after all, for the two of us to present a united front in these turbulent times.”

“Turbulent times that you caused?” Younghoon snaps.

Somin only smiles as her skirts rustle out of the room. Younghoon manages to stay upright for one more second before his knees give out.

Hands clasp automatically in the traditional position of prayer as his head falls forward, eyes snapping shut. This isn’t a shrine, isn’t a holy place, but Younghoon thinks the orders will hear his prayer regardless.

They have to.

I revere the higher orders of the Board and beseech them to answer my prayer, loyal servant to the balance that I am. I pray for Prince Juyeon of the Onyx Kingdom, the amethyst heir Kevin Moon, and the esteemed mage Jacob Bae. I pray that they return home safely to their kingdom without harm.

He swallows hard, nails digging into his skin.

I pray that they will create a plan to defeat Somin, that they will find a queen ready and able to crown Juyeon king. I pray that if there is anything I can do to help, I will take that opportunity without a second’s thought. I pray that balance will be restored once more.

His head dips further as he squeezes his eyes tightly shut, sending one last prayer to the orders listening above.

I pray that we have the strength to carry out your will.

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 prayer for me please don’t murder me for this)

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retvenkos · 3 years

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fingerless gloves | m.h.

Playchoices: High School Story - Michael Harrison x Reader, fluff

tw: none

word count: 1.2k

prompt: you saw me shoveling snow all day and i guess it’s pretty obvious how cold i am because you brought me a jacket gloves and hot cocoa

(Y/n) woke in the early morning to a chill; their blanket had fallen off at some point in their hours of sleep, and with it's departure it had invited in the cold. Something about the freezing air brought a sense of clarity and alertness, so instead of burrowing back under the newly retrieved blanket, (Y/n) got up for the day. The morning was frigid and grey, and with it came a sense of peace and calm.

(Y/n) went about their morning routine, and it wasn't until after they had showered (a terrible necessity, on a morning like this) that they noticed the thick layer of snow outside, covering the sidewalks and dying lawns like a heavy, white sheet. Already there were people outside - most likely freezing, despite their layers of coats and sweaters - trying to carve out the paths that were once driveways, sidewalks, and porches.

(Y/n) spotted their neighbor and best friend, Michael Harrison, digging away at the icy snow with a bright yellow snow shovel, his brown hair full of white snow and his head bobbing to the sound of his headphones. The wind blew strong enough to make the four walls surround (Y/n) groan, and even from a distance they could see Michael grimace, sticking his shovel into the mountain of snow beside him and breathing onto his exposing fingertips in an attempt to warm them.

Fingerless gloves. (Y/n) rolled their eyes. Michael never changed.

As they were slipping on their socks, (Y/n)'s phone chirped with a reminder. Homework. (Y/n) sighed with the weight of every other burnt out high school senior but went over to their stacks of textbooks, nonetheless. It was high time they did that essay they had been trying to forget about; better to get it done than take half-credit for turning it in late, right? (Y/n) booted up their computer and pulled out the tangled mess known as their headphones, queuing up a fairly decent playlist. The least they could do was try to make the process enjoyable.

Three hours later, (Y/n) was finished, and still it snowed. In that span of time, (Y/n) counted six times that Michael went out to clear away the snow and each time he was a little more bundled than the last, finally decked out in a sweater, coat, hat, and scarf. The only thing that was still his from his ensemble was a pair of proper gloves, his fingertips still exposed. Every time Michael had to tug on the gloves for warmth or rub his hands together in vain, (Y/n) had to stifle a wry smile.

When the two were in seventh grade, Cedar Cove had been blessed with a mild winter. The days were warm enough to only need a jacket, and Michael had sworn that fingerless gloves were the superior type of glove because they allowed for better dexterity. (Y/n) had teased him about it, saying that he had forgotten how bad winters could be, and come next year, he would be crawling back to fully fingers gloves. Michael had sworn he wouldn't - no matter how bad the winters were - and so far he hadn't broken his promise. Through the worst of snow storms, Michael refused to buy a pair of intact gloves, and even now he didn't cave. This was by far the worst snow storm yet, and he refused to give in.

When the Harrison's front door opened for the seventh time, (Y/n) rolled their eyes and pulled on their coat, grabbing something from the deep pocket before making their way into the rather frigid, early afternoon weather.

Michael's head popped up once they shut the door, as though he had been expecting them all along. Michael pulled out an ear bud as (Y/n) approached, nicking a shovel of their own from near their front door. He greeted them with a smile.

"You're lucky to have a next door neighbor with four kids who are still young enough to enjoy shoveling snow."

(Y/n) laughed and the air was cold enough to make their breath visible, like puffs of white smoke. "They don't do it out of charity, I'll have you know. And I'm sure that by the end of the day, they'll be demanding more money for their efforts."

"They're businessmen, I can respect that." Michael was rubbing his bright red fingers together, again, smiling despite the biting cold.

“How many times have you been out here, today?” The wind buffeted the two of you closer together, but you didn’t mind.

“Too many,” Michael groaned, but his eyes were still bright. “The snow started at six in the morning and I’ve been coming out every half hour, since.”

“Yikes,” (Y/n) breathed and Michael chuckled. “Well, I brought you something, along with my help.” (Y/n) held up a thick pair of gloves, and Michael hesitated for a moment before a grin slowly grew on his lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. Your solemn oath won’t be betrayed.” With a scoff, he grabbed them, peeling off his fingerless gloves with ice cold fingers and trading them out.

“You can’t tell anyone - I have a reputation to protect.”

(Y/n) rolled their eyes and punched him on the arm. “I just said I wouldn’t, idiot.”

“Well, it’s in my best interest to make sure.” Michael eyed them fondly, and after a moment, he pulled the beanie he wore off, pushing it onto (Y/n)’s head and pulling it over their eyes. (Y/n) adjusted the hat and caught a glimpse of Michael’s disheveled hair, a perfect compliment to his mischievous smile. He fixed his hair, and fiddled with his new gloves, once more. “How do you always know what I need?”

“Magic,” (Y/n) shot back, taking their shovel and getting to work on the driveway in front of them. The snow had piled up fairly thick, once again, and it would have been beautiful, had they been able to do something other than clear it away. Michael marveled at them for a minute, a gentle warmth spreading through him, although whether it was from the gloves or something else was hard to say.

“You’re amazing, y’know that?” and he had to yell to be heard over the scraping of the shovel and the howling of the wind, but he could tell by (Y/n)’s smile that they heard him.

Michael grabbed his neon yellow shovel and pushed the snow, working in tandem with (Y/n). Snow continued to fall from above, getting caught in Michael’s tousled hair and sticking to (Y/n)’s shoulders. The two made quick progress, clearing the snow from Michael’s driveway, the sidewalks in front, and the pavement that belonged to the elderly couple that lived to the right.

When they were finished, the weather was slowly dying down, snowflakes drifting from above, suspending themselves for a moment before making a soft landing. One fell on Michael’s cheek as (Y/n) invited him over for a cup of cocoa, and it melted on his cheek as he nodded in agreement.

Once safely inside (Y/n)’s home, Michael peeled off his layers of outer wear, padding into their kitchen in a thick pair of socks and his usual green t-shirt. (Y/n) noticed the gloves in his hands, and when he tried to return them, they shook their head.

“Keep them. You’re going to need them again before spring.” They scrambled around the kitchen to get out the ingredients for hot chocolate, and Michael helped fetch the mugs. “Oh, and maybe don’t cut off the fingertips of this pair?”

Michael gave them a deadpan look and (Y/n) grinned.

“Now, what trashy, day time television show are we going to watch?”

-- taglist: @musicallisto // message me if you want to be added to a taglist!

#choices: stories you play #playchoices #choices #high school story #hss #choices hss #michael harrison #michael harrison x reader #michael harrison x you #michael harrison x mc #reader insert #fluff #imagine #michael harrison imagine #one shot #fic #fanfic #drabble

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imagineclaireandjamie · 4 years

Note

Prompt: Victory!

Brian and Ellen AU / Tell Me About Your Family

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7 || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 || Chapter 10 || Chapter 11 || Chapter 12|| Chapter 13 || Chapter 14 || Chapter 15 || Chapter 16 || Chapter 17

On the morning that changed her father’s life forever, Faith Janet Hildegard Fraser was three months shy of her seventh birthday.

She didn’t quite understand it all at the time, though she clearly remembered Uncle Rab and auld Ned Gowan - whose eyes always looked funny from behind his spectacles - riding through the dooryard and narrowly missing the buckets of washing that Mama and Mistress Crook and Grannie and Auntie Jenny had set up in the dooryard.

She remembered Mama sending Fergus racing inside, and him returning moments later with Grandda and Uncle Ian and Da.

She remembered how worried Da looked. And then how Da had let out a whoop of joy, twirling Mama around, when auld Ned had handed him a wee scrap of paper.

She also remembered how she’d stained the front of her dress later that day, mixing berries to help Mistress Crook bake a pie to celebrate Da’s freedom. How happy they had been that evening - and how she was allowed to stay up with the grown-ups as they sat around the fire. And the strong arms of her father, carrying her up to bed and kissing her goodnight before bringing the quilt up to her chin.

“Da?” she had asked him, sleepily.

“Aye?” he had whispered, mindful of Bree snoring on the other side of the bed.

“Does this mean we can go to Edinburgh now?”

He had ruffled her hair. “Aye. And Aberdeen and Glasgow and wherever yer heart desires, a leannan. We can talk more about it in the morning.”

---

“Is she all right?”

Jamie kissed the crown of Claire’s head as he settled back down next to her on the settee. “Aye. Tired out, puir thing. She wants so badly to grow up.”

Claire took his hand, squeezing. So full of joy.

Across the room, Brian poured Ned another dram. “So what will ye do now?”

Jamie pursed his lips. “I’m no’ leaving Lallybroch, if that’s what ye’re thinking. This is my home.”

Ellen let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “But surely ye want to at least go to the village, perhaps?”

“Aye - in good time. I’ve lived these past years wi’out it. Will be strange to see people who aren’t one of you.”

“I’ve the five certified copies in my satchel,” Ned repeated - unknowingly - for the third time that evening, his face cheerily flushed with mirth and whisky.

“Ye should have seen him.” Rab smiled at the wizened old man beside him, then clapped him heartily on the back. Ned choked a bit, but cleared his throat with even more whisky. “Arguing yer case in that room full of magistrates. He’s a force of nature.”

“My father did right when he brought you into his service,” Ellen remarked.

Ned blinked owlishly, hand gripping the side of the couch. “I realized long ago that I wouldn’t make my way in this world with my back or my arms - but rather with my brain.” He wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I’m afraid I won’t be of much use to you here, now that this mission is accomplished.”

“Nonsense.” Brian’s voice was slow and clear. “You’re welcome to stay with us until the end of your days. A man deserves to live out his auld age in peace. And ye’ve got many good years ahead of you yet.”

Ned sighed. “I cannot tell you how grateful I am, Brian. Ellen.”

“It’s us who are grateful,” Claire interjected quietly. “You’ve given so much to our family.”

“And the bairns love ye something fierce,” Jenny added, adjusting a sleeping Kitty against her shoulder. “Not to mention - with the way things are going wi’ the redcoats these days...we could use a good lawyer to keep things to right.”

Ned stood, then - legs wobbly - and placed his hand over his heart.

“Then I pledge my fealty to the Frasers of Lallybroch,” he proclaimed.

Then he gently collapsed back onto the couch, stone asleep.

“Do ye think he’ll remember that oath come morning?” Ian smiled.

“Oh, aye.” Ellen rose to fetch a blanket from the closet in the hallway. “My father didnae bring him on for nothing - and Ned didnae survive Colum and Dougal wi’out developing a few peculiar talents. He’ll remember, all right.”

Ned’s snores echoed off the walls of the room.

Jamie rose, Claire right beside him. “We’re lucky to have him.” He turned to face his family. “And I’m lucky to have you. All of you.”

Brian could only smile. “It’s us who are lucky to have you, Jamie. And to celebrate your freedom.”

For free Jamie was - his honor restored - and the world was open and bright and fresh with hope and possibility.

#;mod gotham #brian and ellen au #Anonymous

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seasonofthewicth · 4 years

Text

A Groovy Kind of Love - Chapter 5

AN: This chapter was just not coming until I wrote nearly all of it in one sitting... who knows. As per usual, I hope you enjoy and if you feel inclined to do so please leave a comment! I love reading everyone’s responses so much!

masterlist

------

Aelin huffed in frustration, slamming her laptop shut and tossing it to the other side of her bed.

Her third job rejection in so many days. How could she be simultaneously under and overqualified?

She blew a rogue strand of hair away from her face before rolling sideways, pushing her face into her pillows. She wasn’t desperate yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a job. Plus, the rejections were landing blows to her self-esteem.

A knock sounded at her bedroom door, snapping her out of her grumbling.

She turned to the side, dragging her face out of her pillow. “Come in.”

The door swung open to reveal Fenrys, his golden curls falling across his forehead, his tan skin glowing in the afternoon light.

“Galathynius, I have news for you.”

He pointed a finger at her as he came into her room and took up a spot at the end of her bed. He positioned himself far too comfortably, lounging on her bed as if he owned it, anyone else and she would have kicked them off. She couldn’t help but nudge him slightly with her toe.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

She took a breath, hesitating as she weighed up Fenrys’ assessment of good and bad news and whether or not she would agree but he spoke again before she could say a word.

“Doesn’t matter, you need the good before the bad anyway.”

She shot him an incredulous look but rolled her wrist, a gesture for him to go on.

“Good news;” A smile crept up his chiselled face. “I managed to get you an interview for head of the humanities department at my school.”

She blinked.

Head of the humanities department was a role far above what she had had at her old school and it would give her far more responsibility and say in the education of her students. She would be able to influence what was taught in the school and how the students were assessed. It would also likely come with a considerable pay rise.

She let out a strangled cry and threw her arms around his neck.

“Fenrys,” she gasped. “How?”

“The right person owed me a favour.” He looked up at her with a sly grin.

“That’s incredible,” She breathed, mind was running wild with the possibilities. Once she turned back to him she paused. “What’s the bad news?”

Fenrys pulled a face, the corners of his mouth turning down and pulling into a grimace. He swiped a thumb across his forehead and tucked a strand of his thick hair back from his face before he spoke.

“The bad news is that it’s tomorrow.”

Aelin felt her face fall.

“At nine am.”

Of course his news was too good to be true.

“I can’t prepare in time for tomorrow.”

Her brain ran into overdrive, brainstorming every possible thing she would need to do before an interview. Every question she could be asked and how she would answer it. What would she wear, what experiences would she draw from her past school, what references she would need.

Fenrys’ hand clamped down on her shoulder, startling her out of her spiralling.

“Of course you can,” His voice was a warm reassurance. “I can help.”

“Really?” She asked, a seed of hope growing in her chest. They had a couple of hours before she’d need to go to bed to be rested enough to perform, they could get through plenty.

“Really,” He said affirmatively, before turning away from her to yell “Lorcan!”

Muffled footsteps from the hallway pre-empted the appearance of her dark-haired roommate in her doorway.

“Yes?” He drawled, clearly already bored of whatever Fenrys had to say. His arms crossed across his chest as he leaned against her doorway, his frame so tall and his shoulders so broad he almost filled the gap.

“We’re going to quiz Galathynius, help her prepare for her interview tomorrow.”

She expected him to dismiss the idea and skulk off, but to Aelin’s surprise the man in the doorway shrugged before pushing his weight up from the frame.

“The kitchen table will work best.” He turned on the spot and was gone a second later.

She looked to Fenrys who only grinned.

-----

She felt ridiculous greeting Lorcan and Fenrys over their dining table and shaking their hands. Lorcan squeezing hers so tightly she had to flex her fingers afterward, hoping to get the feeling back. No need, dick. He smirked at the glare she shot him.

“Ms Galathynius, please take a seat.”

It was a struggle to keep a straight face with the ridiculous accent Fenrys had decided to speak in, she caught the slight flaring of Lorcan’s nostrils which had her holding in a snort.

“Thank you.”

She took the wooden chair he had gestured towards; it was normally Aedion’s chair and she had no idea why he would choose repeatedly to sit on this. The slats of it dug in uncomfortably to her back and her bum was numb in seconds.

To be fair, it did make sense for her cousin, he was uptight about a number of things and would probably argue it was good for his posture and back support.

Opposite her, Fenrys and Lorcan took their own seats.

She couldn’t imagine being a criminal if this was Lorcan’s interviewing technique. The frown his face was fixed in was slightly terrifying. She looked toward Fenrys who played the perfect good cop to Lorcan’s bad, smiling broadly at her in contrast to Lorcan’s heavy frown.

“Why don’t you tell us why you’d like the role.”

She launched into her speech about her motivations for teaching, she loved the students and really cared about the development of every single one. It was her passion, and she had loved history since she was a child, and the best way she could explore it was through teaching it.

“And why do you think you’re up to the task?” Lorcan asked.

Aelin raised an eyebrow, almost sending a taunting reply his way, but this was for her own good. And Lorcan was, surprisingly, helping.

She answered fast before his good will could run out.

They flew through a set of questions, Fenrys encouraging her and adding slight pointers where his knowledge of the school could help her to impress. Lorcan also added his own tips, a number of them surprisingly helpful, she supposed that to get his own role as a police sergeant he would have had to have done well in interviews.

She knew what she had to say in answer to the questions she’d likely face, but the practice was invaluable, especially given the interview was at such short notice and Fenrys’ knowledge of the school. He, unsurprisingly, knew all of the teachers in the department and how she could impress them, and she made a mental catalogue of his descriptions of each of them.

Once the had finished and she was tucked up in her bed, her soft, cotton pyjamas keeping her warm beneath the sheets, her phone lit up with a notification.

Rowan: i probably won’t see you before you go so good luck with tomorrow.

She smiled at her phone, Fenrys had probably texted him to let him know, but either way she appreciated his message.

It was nice to hear from him; he’d been picking up extra shifts at the bar and she hadn’t seen him for more than half an hour at a time for the past few days. She quickly tapped out her own reply, Thanks with a smiling emoji before turning out her light.

------

Rowan had been relieved to find it wasn’t awkward with Aelin after the wedding. He had been worried that they wouldn’t be able to live normally together after being so close to one another, he worried they wouldn’t have been able to slot back into being roommates after getting into each other’s personal space.

That being said he hadn’t exactly been seeking her out since.

He wasn’t sure if what they had had in the quiet of the kitchen after the wedding had classed as a moment, but he hadn’t missed the way her cheeks had flushed when she noticed him in the kitchen, or the way she’d stiffened after his comment about Aedion.

She had to have seen right through his words, known his meaning behind them.

He needed to be very careful; he owed it to Aelin to respect her space and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in her own home. Not to mention the oath he had sworn to Aedion before she had moved in, the oath they had all sworn, that Aelin was off limits.

Aelin would probably cut them to pieces if she found out, Aedion especially for trying to fight her own battles for her, but Rowan had still sworn the oath and still needed to keep it.

He couldn’t lie to himself though; it had been nice to hold Aelin the way he had done.

She was so tiny his hand had spanned almost the entirety of her back when he had cradled her to him as they danced. Her fingers carding through his hair had felt divine, sending sparks of heat down his spine. Rowan also couldn’t deny that he found her to be absolutely stunning.

He was satisfied that Lyria had believed it. Had believed that he had fallen in love with Aelin, that he was in love with Aelin, but it had hurt both more and less than he had expected to see her.

It had hurt less than he expected to see her in front of him knowing she wasn’t the Lyria he had known anymore. She was still as beautiful as he had thought she was the first time he had seen her, but he hadn’t felt the tug towards her he used to.

His heart hadn’t pounded the way it used to when he saw her, it hadn’t pounded the way it did when he had held Aelin close.

What had pierced him in a way that he hadn’t expected was seeing Lyria with Rolfe. He wasn’t surprised that she had moved on with her boss, throughout their whole relationship he had always suspected Rolfe’s feelings for Lyria, and truth be told Lyria’s for Rolfe.

He sighed, pushing the door to the loft open. Four heads snapped to him at his entrance.

“Hey,” he stalked into the living space to find all of his roommates crowded around the coffee table. The only thing on it was Aelin’s phone, its corners lined up perfectly with the corners of the table as they all watched it.

Their greetings were brief as they all turned back to the phone.

He knew her interview had been this morning, and he could only imagine why she’d be waiting by the phone, it only slightly surprised him that Aedion, Fenrys and Lorcan were waiting with her. He wondered where Lysandra was.

“Have you heard—”

His question was interrupted by the shrill ringtone of Aelin’s phone. She grabbed it, jumping up from her spot on the couch.

She spun to face them all, holding her index finger to her lips before lifting the phone to her ear.

“Hello.” Her voice was apprehensive and small as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

Rowan couldn’t hear what the person on the other end of the line was saying, and he turned a curious eye to Aedion who only held a finger to his own lips.

Aelin nodded along to whatever was being said on the phone call, occasionally humming her agreement. Finally, she put the phone down before turning to the occupants of the loft.

There was a beat of silence before Fenrys spoke. “So?”

“I got it!” She squealed, running to the sofa and sweeping the others up in a hug.

Even Lorcan was smiling, she really did have the occupants of the loft wrapped around her little finger.

Aelin turned toward him, unleashing the full brightness of her grin. It struck him how beautiful she was, her face shining as her eyes scrunched up and she smiled at him.

“Congrats.”

He pulled her into a hug of his own, trying his best to keep it brief and not to notice the press of her body up against his own but he was pulled back by the aggressive sound of glass against their coffee table.

Fenrys gripped the neck of a bottle of vodka where he had thrown it onto the table.

His smile was wicked. “Let’s get drunk.”

His roommates cheered but his brain only focused on Aelin’s peals of laughter. Bright and easy and relieved.

Aedion appeared with shot glasses and passed them around as Fenrys followed, filling each of them to the brim with the clear liquid.

“To Aelin,” Aedion toasted as he held his glass in the air. “My soon to be rich as fuck cousin.”

“To Aelin!”

Rowan swore as the vodka burned his throat, the heat trailing all the way to his stomach.

------

Really, they were lucky it was a weekend. Fenrys kept pouring and Rowan and the others kept knocking them back.

His vision had started to get blurry at the sides around the time Aedion suggested a game of truth or dare. It wasn’t something Rowan had played since college but the alcohol pumping through his veins opened his mind to the idea and killed any of his reservations.

Lysandra had appeared a while earlier, wrapping Aelin in a hug before knocking back a shot of her own. Not one to be left behind.

Rowan had been impressed by the way she had taken the shot without so much as a wince. He made a living by selling alcohol and even he couldn’t handle his liquor the way Aelin’s best friend did.

Rowan didn’t miss the appreciative glances Aedion was shooting her way, trailing his eyes from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head and back again. Slowly, his eyes burning with intent. Rowan just hoped with brief sobriety that Aelin didn’t catch them too.

“Fenrys,” Aelin drawled. “Truth or dare.”

She had picked her head up from where it was lolling against the back of the couch to send Fenrys a contemplative look.

“Truth.” He answered, refilling his own glass.

She cocked her head to the side, as one hand came up to tap her chin. Without his sober brain to keep him in check Rowan followed the movement, his eyes landing on Aelin’s plump, pink lips.

“Where’s the most exciting place you’ve had sex?”

Rowan rolled his eyes, Fenrys had them all beat in that department. Apart from maybe Aedion.

“I don’t know about most exciting, but I have done it where you’re sat.”

“Gross!” Aelin cried jumping up, Rowan’s head spun at the jerkiness of her movement. It seemed to have affected Aelin too who stumbled until Lysandra offered her an arm of support.

“Drink.” She ordered him.

Aelin walked around the sofa to drop herself down next to Rowan, leaning her elbow against his knee. He was far too drunk for this.

Obligingly Fenrys knocked back his drink before turning to Lysandra.

“Lysandra, darling.” Rowan knew from Fenrys’ tone that he was about to cause a fuss. “Truth or dare.”

“Dare.” Her eyebrows quirked up in a challenge, lips twisting to the side.

“I dare you, to kiss Aedion.”

Rowan’s eyes snapped to Aedion, who was beginning to blush. Even so, a cocky grin graced his lips.

Rowan knew his friend was attracted to Lysandra, had listened to the many stages of his (mostly joking) plan to seduce her, but he wasn’t sure where Lysandra stood.

He knew Aelin had joked to him about the two of them, but he wasn’t sure how serious she had been. Whether she honestly thought her cousin and friend would be good together or whether she was genuinely repulsed by the idea.

Lysandra rolled her eyes but rose from her spot on the bean bag on the floor next to Lorcan and stalked across to where Aedion was sat, bending slightly until they were at eye level.

She rested an elegant hand against his chest and draped the other around his shoulders. Rowan wasn’t sure Aedion was breathing, wasn’t sure any of the rest of them were either. He hadn’t expected this evening to head in the direction it was going.

Lysandra leant her head in, until there were only centimetres between them, and Aedion’s eyes flickered shut. Aedion’s hand rose to cup her cheek, surprisingly gentle given the amount he had had to drink, as he leant further into her.

Rowan’s eyes flicked around the room and he noted the glee in Fenrys’ eyes at the sight, he knew Fenrys had been dying to pull something like this. Lorcan wore a grin, for all of his posturing about being above it, Rowan knew he was a sucker for even just a nugget of gossip.

He looked to his side, at where Aelin sat, but she wasn’t watching the pair. Instead she had her head leaned back against the sofa, eyes squeezed shut.

The entire room held their breath as Lysandra closed the gap, brushing her lips against the corner of Aedion’s. She paused there, not drawing back, but she didn’t press any further until Aedion’s hand slipped to tangle his fingers into her hair.

“I’m going to be sick.”

Rowan’s head snapped to the side, to where Aelin sat gripping her stomach. The spell was broken and Lysandra pulled back from Aedion, who dropped his hand to wipe awkwardly against his trousers.

“God Galathynius,” Fenrys said, not bothering to hold in his laugh. “You can’t hold your drink.”

She sat forwards, now holding her head in her hands.

“I’m serious,” She mumbled, beginning to stand. Rowan offered his hand for her to lean against.

“Ro,” Fenrys shot him a look. “Help a lady out.”

He stood and wrapped an arm around Aelin’s waist, leading her towards the bathroom.

“No,” She mumbled. “Just bed.”

He altered their course to slip into her bedroom and he pulled back her bedding just in time for her to flop face first into her bed. Rowan threw her sheets on top of her as best as he could before turning back to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of water.

The other occupants of the loft looked to him expectantly, but he shrugged them off.

He realised they were stood up, now wearing jackets, and he paused. To him it seemed like the night was over, now that the guest of honour was tucked away in bed, but apparently not for his roommates.

“We’re heading out to a bar Lysandra knows.” Aedion told him. “You’re welcome to come.”

He shook his head and continued to the kitchen to fetch the water for Aelin before waving his goodnight.

In her bed, Aelin had rolled onto her side, her hair fanned out across her pillow as he deposited the glass of water on her bedside table.

He lingered for a second in her doorway, taking in the gentle expression on her face. Even in her intoxication she looked peaceful, her face smoothed out of any worries so he clicked the light off and made his way across the hall to his own room.

------

tags:

@jesstargaryenqueen

@maybekindasortaace

@slytheringalathynius

@http-itsrebecca

@morganofthewildfire

@in-love-with-caramel-macchiato

@fictional-horan

@tottenhamboys20

@dressedindustandshadows

@sleeping-and-books

@perseusannabeth

@ireallyshouldsleeprn

@superspiritfestival

@aelinfeyreeleven945tbln

@spyofthenightcourt

@jlinez

I’ve incorporated my general taglist with the taglist for this fic so if that’s not right or anything or anyone new wants to be added please let me know!

108 notes · View notes

theelvenhaven · 4 years

Note

The order of which the Gondolin and Feanorian elves would allow/enjoy make up being put on them. Pleeeeaaase!!!!

Of course I can!!! ☺️ Elves usually aren’t very big on make up as far as we know BUT if the circumstances were right or if it was widely available like it for us I’m sure they’d indulge! Let it be noted that this whole answer took on a life of its own lol

Fëanorians

Fëanor - Fëanor, being who he is, is extremely confident in his appearance and his beauty and feels that it needs no enhancing what so ever. I think he would’ve absolutely experimented with it first though before deciding he didn’t need to wear it. Content with you applying a couple of different things, like eyeliner and mascara and even some highlighter. He understands the appeal but again he is confident he doesn’t need it. In turn Fëanor would absolutely apply make up to you instead, expect for subtle feature enhancing application until it comes to lipstick. Expect bold and rich colors as well as shiny and glossy gloss, he loves to smear your lipstick at the end of the day with a heated and passionate kiss.

Maedhros - Maedhros especially pre Angband wouldn’t bother with any, if you wore any of course he wouldn’t say anything. In fact he’d like the way mascara makes your lashes longer and giving the illusion your eyes are bigger. Post Angband that would change specifically in the name of concealer and foundation. Wanting to hide any scars that he could, he wouldn’t allow for anyone but himself to apply it. And he’d have no interest in anything else but concealer in foundation when the times could allow for it in the midst of his oath and war.

Maglor - Pre flight, Maglor would love highlighter and possibly even mascara! He’s a preformer, so anything that would enhance his beauty subtly would be accepted. Though he’d be averse to lipsticks and eyeliner and bright blushes. Concealer and foundation wouldn’t be necessary considering his skin is flawless. He loved it when you’d put highlighter on him and how gentle you worked with him. Post flight he wouldn’t worry about it, there’s too much happening and not enough time to indulge in such luxuries.

Celegorm - Celegorm’s version of make up would be extremely different as opposed to more classic wear and use. I think for him it would be more like face paint for the sake of hunting and blending in more effectively with the terrain. He’s completely opposed to wearing any make up other than that, and will allow you to apply his face paint. You wearing make up on the other hand is completely okay and encouraged, especially encouraging you to wear bright red lipstick.

Caranthir - Caranthir I feel like would possibly like eyeliner, not anything heavy of course. Just a subtle line around his lash lines, and he’s an expert at keeping it from running and smudging. Caranthir isn’t big on letting you apply it onto him considering it’s his eyes and is mildly fearful you’ll stab him on accident. He hates concealers and foundations and especially blushes. If you’re in a relationship and wear blush he’d find it somewhat endearing that you’d want your face to look similar to his. But if you’re big on wearing foundation and concealer anticipate him to be cold about you wearing it. Especially if you are constantly telling him how much you love his rosy face as is, he finds it completely and totally hypocritical that you tell him not to alter his complexion while you do it in turn.

Curufin - Curufin, like Caranthir, would like wearing eyeliner! Rather than wearing around his whole eye like Cara would, he’d wear it just on his bottom lashline. He’d not be up for you putting it on him at all, not so much because you might stab him, it’s just because he’s stubborn. I feel like Curufin would also get creative with his liner, wanting to possibly make his appearance look more regal and intimidating. Like Celegorm and Caranthir, he’d be opposed to anything else. As opposed to you putting any make up on him, Curufin I think would enjoy dolling you up instead.

Amrod & Amras - Amrod and Amras are still considerably much younger than their brothers and I think they would be experimental in what make up they’d wear. Even allowing you to experiment on their faces, and taking your suggestions to heart. They’d also certainly follow Celegroms lead on the face paint, considering they are hunters as well. Some days they might be more partial to eyeliner, another day blush or highlighter, or just mascara.

Celebrimbor - I think he’d take after his grandfather on this one, while he sees the appeal to wearing make up he just isn’t big on it. He appreciates the art to it and how beautiful it is, but it’s just not for him. He spends too much time in the forges anyways, sweating it all off to worry about keeping it on. He does like when you wear minimal make up as well, preferring a more natural look. Though even if you prefer a less natural look, Celebrimbor will think you are gorgeous either way. He loves you regardless of what you wear and what you do.

Gondolin

Turgon - I feel like Turgon would have mixed feelings about make up, he’d appreciate what it can do but he’d be a sucker for staying more natural. In the privacy of your chambers when it is just you two, he’d allow for subtle looks to be applied. No eyeliner or lipsticks though, and he wouldn’t wear it outside of your chambers. I think he’d have an affinity for the highlighter and heavily consider wearing it to court or doing his daily duties, but would be a little nervous about doing so. Keeping him to stay natural.

Glorfindel - He loves highlighter and blushes and maybe even some lip balm. Nothing too over the top of course, being an elf again that natural look is going to take priority. But he loves the extra sparkle it adds to his natural glow already, and he is absolutely content and relaxed to you applying the make up to him. He also loves to see you wearing make up as well, again more partial to natural looks. But he is content if you wear a little more heavier highlighter than he does.

Salgant - I don’t think Salgant would be partial to any make up at all, not wanting to stray at all from his natural look. Unlike Turgon, he would be completely adverse to you applying anything on him at all, even just to experiment and for fun. I also think Salgant would be adverse to you wearing any make up as well, wanting you to be completely natural.

Rog - Rog is very go with the flow and extremely laid back, but when it comes to make up it’s not something he will wear especially in public. It doesn’t help that he does spend copious amounts of time sweaty in the forges, and all of your hard work would wash away from the sweat. On nights when you both are goofing around, and if you ask Rog will let you apply make up to him. Even if you make it utterly ridiculous he will only laugh, but expect for the same to happen to you. The more outrageous you make him look, he will be sure to do the same to you in turn.

Ecthelion - He’s not very big on make up, preferring none at all for himself. Ecthelion feels that he doesn’t need to wear anything to enhance his features. Feeling that his features are beautiful enough, and he is adverse to experimentation to it because he knows he doesn’t need it. As for you, even if Ecthelion prefers no make up, he isn’t going to go out of his way to tell you that how he feels. If you like wearing make up and the extra confidence it gives you, he is content with that.

Penlod - Penlod feels no particular way about make up at all, I think he’d try and experiment with a little bit of everything. From more subtle looks, to a little more bold (nothing ever over the top.). He’d happily let you apply anything that you wanted to his face, wanting to see what all the looks you could come up with. Depending on how bold you go he’d wear it for the day, and absolutely would he experiment make up looks on you constantly if you allow for it.

Maeglin - Expect absolutely no room for experimentation or application on Maeglin by your own two hands for a considerable amount of time. Considering that require a great deal of trust and comfort that he would have to share with you before even letting you touch his face like that. Maeglin would probably be more partial to eyeliner and concealer. He’d like how black liner could make his eyes pop and be even brighter than they already are, probably wearing a thicker line as opposed to a thin one. He’d certainly use the concealer to hide the purple bags under his eyes from all of his lack of sleep. Maeglin would admire and enjoy when you wear make up, liking the way it makes your eyes look brighter, and the way your skin would sparkle and the way your lips would be tinted.

Galdor - Galdor prefers the simplicity of lip balm and nothing else, in fact he produces it himself! He’s not big on anything other than that for himself, being so laid back he doesn’t mind what else you like to wear. Other than that he won’t really allow you to apply much of anything to his face, save the lipbalm. He’s a simple ellon with simple tastes!

Duílin - Duilin I think would be like Celegorm and Ambarussa in the name of face paint for hunting before Gondolin was completed. I’m sure he loved the thrill of the hunt and all that entailed with it. As for make up outside of his face paint, he prefers nothing. He does however have a preference for when you wear mascara and blush, he loves the rosy color added to your face. Thinking you’re even more beautiful with it on.

Egalmoth - Egalmoth loves highlighter, and light tinted lip balm for himself. He loves the sparkle in highlighter and likes to look even more radiant especially when he is decked out in all of his jewelry. Egalmoth prefers pale pink lip balms to add a little more color to his face, and he prefers applying it himself. Though he will relinquish his control to let you do it if you asked. In turn Egalmoth also loves to apply make up to you as well. Adding extra highlighter and bolder colors of lip balm or lipstick to your face.

* * *

tags:

@lilmelily @dicksoutformtl @fandom-hoe101 @icarus-fell-in-spring

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aelin-queen-of-terrasen · 4 years

Note

"Are you going to be okay?" + "Please stop lying to me" for either Rowaelin or someone from the Cadre (Rowan and Lorcan or Fenrys and Connal)

note: so like, since we need more Lorcan and Aelin brotp fics, I'm gonna do them for this one. hope you don't mind. if you'd like to check out my other fics, here's the masterlist.

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

Lorcan hated how much he was used to Terrasen now, hated how it felt like home more than Doranelle ever had. In the five centuries he had been alive, he had never imagined this is where he would end up. Bloodsworn to a queen of fire and ash, as wild as she was reckless. A queen who actually cared for her people and her court. A queen who no doubt hated his guts ever since that cursed day on the beach. He had nightmares about that gods damned day sometimes, of Aelin being bruised and battered. Aelin may have forgiven him but he couldn't forgive himself.

He had tried to avoid her as much as he could, didn't want to get close to the wicked queen and had done a good job at keeping away from her until today.

"You're sure there's no one else who can do this?" he asked, hesitant.

Emrys, the cook, quirked an eyebrow at that. The storykeeper had a bowl of steaming soup in his hand. "Prince Rowan isn't here and she's sick. Do you want to be the one to tell him why I let just some servant into close quarters with her when she was ill disposed?" The man had a point. The Fae part of him wanted to growl at the mere thought of letting anyone near her, not when she was probably passed out.

Lorcan sighed in resignation before he was making his way towards her private chambers, the bowl of soup in his hand. He knocked twice on the door of her private chambers and entered when a muffled voice replied, 'The door's open.' She had likely heard him arrive with her fae senses. He almost wished she hadn't let him in.

He didn't know what he expected but the fire breathing bitch queen hunched over papers, her quarters resembling a trash bin was not it.

She had her head propped up with one hand, another holding a piece of parchment that her eyes skimmed through. She half turned in her seat and gave him a wry smile when she spotted the bowl of soup in his hand. "First my bloodsworn warrior, now my personal servant? I'm impres—" the words were cut off by a sneeze, then another and another in quick succession.

She rose from her seat, then flicked a hand in dismissal. "Thank you. You can leave now." But then she was stumbling, eyes half shut and Lorcan barely caught her in time.

She righted herself soon, pulling away from him. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold outside, face uncharacteristically pale and turquoise eyes lacking their usual gleam of wickedness.

He frowned. "Are you going to be fine?" It was a stupid question. The woman was trying to work when she was so sick. She was anything but fine.

"Yeah, just a cold. You'd think after all the shit with Maeve and Erawan, I'd be immune to something as trivial as cold." Her humour failed to hit it's mark when a coughing fit seized her. She said, "You can leave. I'll be fine."

Lorcan didn't know what came over him, only that she was being an idiot and he needed her to rest if she was going to recover. "Stop lying to me! You aren't fine, you should rest." He pushed her back on the chair she had been sitting in, shoved the papers aside and slammed the bowl of soup in front of her. "Finish this."

"I don't—"

"Aelin, finish this now."

Short of using the blood oath to make him leave, there was nothing she could do that would make him leave. Lorcan doubted she'd use the oath and he wasn't leaving until he was sure she was fine, even if she did try to kill him a lot of times. For all he knew, she still did want to kill him.

Aelin grumbled but obeyed. "Damn you overprotective fae bastards."

While she ate, Lorcan drew the curtains shut to keep the cold air out, lit the fireplace when she didn't light it herself and tidied up the bed, making space for her to lay down between all the dresses sprawled on it. He could call in a servant to clean all that up but his fae instincts wouldn't let anyone within a hundred feet of her until he was sure his queen was safe and protected. Whatever reason Lorcan had for taking the blood oath, she was his queen now. It was his duty to protect her.

Aelin was back to working by the time he was done. "You're not working anymore, Aelin. Finish that tomorrow."

"I won't finish in time if I stop now."

"You will," he nudged her to rise. "If it's so important, I'll help you finish. For now, you need to go to bed."

She looked ready to protest and Lorcan was prepared to throw her over his shoulder, then chain her to her bed if that's what it took. Aelin must have known that because she surrendered and moved to lay down in her bed. Lorcan watched her closely should she stumble again. He didn't want to explain to Rowan why and how his wife fell face first onto the floor when the prince returned.

Aelin cocked her head at him when Lorcan moved to pull up the covers. "What, now you're tucking me in? Are you going to kiss my forehead, then sing me to sleep next, father?"

Insufferable, as always. "Can you please stop, Aelin?" he asked.

But of course, she couldn't stop. When had she ever stopped? "You didn't even call me bitch! Look at us bonding together! Elide bribed you into this, didn't she?" A pointed look at that. "You're going soft on me, Salvaterre."

He ignored the jibes, then turned to leave the room once he made sure she was safe and warm. "I'll be right outside, call me if you need something." Then he pulled back, scanning the room for any safety hazards before he left.

Aelin cleared her throat, stopping him with a hand on his wrist. "You don't have to do this. I know you don't like me, it's alright. I understand."

She didn't understand shit. He wished Elide had bribed him into doing this or something so he could claim he was here against his will. He didn't want to care for anyone else, not now, not after all that he had done and seen and lived. Especially not for another queen, one just as powerful—if not more—than Maeve. Sometimes, Lorcan had nightmares about that too—about serving in Maeve's court still, wreaking havoc in her name. He didn't want to end up devoted to this new queen as he'd been to Maeve even if he knew the two of them were nothing alike.

Maybe it was that realisation that made Lorcan want to say it. "I've never said it before, not like this but I'm sorry for what happened with Maeve." His voice wobbled as an image of a blood drenched shirt lying in the sad flashed across his vision. Lorcan steeled himself and went on. Aelin had saved his life and Elide's countless times. He owed her this truth, "...you were a foreign queen, a stranger I didn't care about. Now, Aelin? Now, you're my queen and I promise, oath or no oath, I will always protect you." Then, just to lift the mood, he added with a scowl: "Even if you are a raging pain in the ass most times."

Aelin snorted, nudging him to sit beside her. Hellas damn him, he did. "And here I was, thinking we'd become friends after that speech."

"The only way we'll be friends is if you use the blood oath to do that."

Aelin shot him a glare before she snuggled closer, head resting on his chest as if she was trying to leech off his warmth. "It won't be the worst thing in the world to have you around the palace sometimes, I suppose," she mused, her voice muffled and soft. Lorcan didn't move even when her breathing turned soft and steady, his arm wrapped around her.

He didn't regret a thing until the court returned to find the two of them wrapped in a warm embrace. Needless to say, no one let Lorcan forget about it for the next few weeks.

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

note: oof, hope y'all liked reading that. it was fun to write Lorcan and Aelin. Would totally do it again. also, not to self promote but join the 1K celebration if you haven't already!

Tags:

@thesirenwashere // @judexcardanxgreenbriar //@fangirltrash74 // @the-dark-swan // @queenofgreenbriar // @clockworkgraystairs // @julemmaes // @rowaelinforeverworld // @mymultiversee // @queen-of-glass // @strangely-constructed-soul // @mijaldraws // @http-itsrebecca // @aesthetics-11 // @lord-douglas-the-third // @flowersinvegas // @towhateverend17 // @aelinchocolatelover // @justabunchoffandoms // @cool-ish-nerd // @faerie-queen-fireheart // @sad-book-whore // @didsomeonesayviolin // @atozfantazyxx // @hizqueen4life // @the-gods-killer // @booknerdproblems // @annejulianneh111 // @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln // @b00kworm // @mysweetvillain

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fantastic-rambles · 3 years

Note

Ahhh yaknow what you’re right. I just went back and looked over some of the rod, and I didn’t see Langa explicitly agree to not to skate with Adam. He promised that he wouldn’t quit skating with Reki, but he only acknowledged Reki’s warning to not be reckless. It actually makes a bunch of sense why Langa would be confused by the distancing and argument. I see now why you were upset with Reki’s behavior. It feels kind of like a ‘secret contract’ sorta thing where Reki got upset over a broken rule Langa never realized he was supposed to abide by. And not only is that unfair like you said, but it flipped the situation as if Langa was being untrustworthy to his word when really Reki didn’t trust Langa not to quit skating with him just because of danger/injury. And especially since I’ve seen people make solid arguments for Langa being neurodivergent or neurodivergent-coded, it’s really not a stretch at all for him to see the situation like you did. Langa most likely saw the issue as solely reckless behavior leading to quitting. But clearly Reki’s own jealousy/insecurities added Langa preferring better skaters as potentially leading to them not skating together without ever discussing it until Langa was blindsided during the argument. I would’ve looked a better apology from Reki where he fully explained why he was upset when they were making up. It’s human for his feelings on the issue to change, but that should’ve been better expressed to Langa. Although Langa did a great job of accurately smoothing over what was bothering Reki without that. Maybe that’ll be rectified if he apologizes to Miya. I think Miya deserves one especially since Reki physically shoved him after he opened up about why his actions were such a sore spot for him. I actually thought Miya’s words would help Reki see the other side of things so seeing Miya get pushed was like a “Bro wtf??” moment for me. Again it’s understandable that people act out when they’re angry and Reki was obviously already struggling with his emotions, but it should be acknowledged again how wrong that was. Boy are you opening my eyes to a lot of problematic stuff lol.

Also, I’m very curious as to why you hate Shadow. For me, it’s because I can’t move past that comment in ep 1. I know ppl brush it off as just an (unnecessarily misogynistic) act for his persona, but that woman literally didn’t say anything to him and he insulted her for no reason by using her body as trophy to be defaced if he won. Ew. And just because he’s super nice to the flower shop lady, he does not get a pass. If he’s only respectful to women he’s attracted to and jumps at any other the opportunity to degrade women, he’s still a misogynist. And I’m pretty sure that he already new flower shop lady when the series started, so I don’t think you can argue that his character developed to be better towards women as a whole because of her or that he wouldn’t do something like that again at this point in the story. Especially since the goal of proving yourself as a “strong man” has not historically worked out to men being compassionate with women. (Tho within a vacuum devoid of his other actions, I can appreciate his commitment to a makeup routine)

Oh! And I would totally wanna read that fanfic if you write it!! I’m not even as gung-ho about Adam going to jail as most fans and Adam-haters tbh. Mainly because it’d probably be for political corruption via money bribes which is already kinda common and I don’t think the show has stated him to be doing anything particularly bad with it I don’t think so?? Like it seems to be mainly for the purpose of keeping S secret which is indeed a waste of money and effort when he could just buy it, but on the other hand, there doesn’t seem to be any ill consequences on the citizens the politician represents. So yea, it’s illegal so the jail time is technically deserved. But also like... no harm no foul🤷‍♀️ If he would be getting charged for assaulting other skaters than I definitely think that’s fair, but I doubt that’ll happen in the show just because I feel like no one will actually say anything when the time comes partially due to the shock of his arrest if they’re even involved. And I mean, Cherry was pissed at Adam for getting skaters hurt but still rolled out the hospital and joked like he was fine, so I just don’t particularly see anyone calling him out on it to the point of it being apart of his sentencing. The end of ep 11 with Cherry and Joe arguing about one of them going against Adam just doesn’t sound like condemning him to battery charges to me XD

But yaknow I’ve been loving hurt/comfort type fics lately, so I’d be really interested in seeing Adam truly work and change himself for some type of redemption in that setting. I can see hitting rock bottom as being really good for him given it may provide a reprieve from having to manage his image. Adam is underrated in complexity so it’s always cool when people try to flesh him out more and dive into his inner world. And of course Tadashi is kind of my fave (if you couldn’t tell) so I love anything healing for him as well :)

Yep, I was majorly pissed at Reki for how he treated Langa and Miya. His behavior is absolutely problematic. Not as bad as Adam, obviously, but with everything I’ve said and you’ve realized... yeah. I’m glad he made up with Langa and will probably make up with Miya, but it doesn’t invalidate everything he’s done before. Yes, he’s still an immature teenager, but I don’t think he realizes how messed up his behavior was, even after making up with Langa (the resolution seems to be based on him accepting that he’s not an ace skater, rather than recognizing how toxic his behavior was), so I’m still not satisfied. But hey, it’s probably just me being hyperfixated on trivial details that nobody else even cares about. /shrug

(I’m glad to know that I wasn’t misinterpreting the “promise,” or lack thereof, though!)

And I have two major problems with Shadow. My first--and biggest--problem is, as you’ve pointed out, that he’s an enormous misogynist. At “S,” people have the freedom to be exactly who they are beneath the facades that they show to the world. For example, Adam is someone desperately searching for someone who can understand him, not the perfectly put-together politician Shindo Ainosuke. Cherry and Joe are more true to their “real life” selves, but there are differences in their behavior on the track and off. And then there’s Shadow, the overcompensating “strong man” who threatens to make a guy tattoo “Dumpster Slut” over his girl’s name. So I 100% agree with everything you said about Shadow. He’s a chauvinistic pig.

The second problem is that I honestly think his actions when he’s racing are worse than Adam’s, and the only reason it’s not made out as such is because he’s the buttmonkey rather than the villain. I believe that, as problematic as Adam’s antics are, he does not intend to cause severe physical harm to his opponents. I’ve discussed this idea in more detail in other posts, but in short, even in the most extreme case--Cherry’s--his injuries were far lighter than they would have been if Adam had seriously wanted to hurt him. Death, coma, etc. were all highly probable outcomes of that situation, so the only reason they didn’t happen was because Adam was holding back. Or anime logic. But even anime logic can only stretch so far. And against lesser opponents like Reki, he generally holds onto them to ensure that they don’t accidentally hurt themselves when they’re panicking.

Of course, Shadow doesn’t intend to cause severe physical harm to his opponents either, but he does not exert any control over the situation after he throws fireworks at his opponent or shines a laser in their eyes. We’ve twice seen his opponents fall off the course as a direct result of his actions: Reki in the first race, Harry in the quarterfinals. They could have just as easily fallen off the cliff or slammed into a wall (at full speed) and been badly injured. If Shadow were an actual villain, I fully believe that he would have an actual body count of people who died racing against him (as opposed to Adam’s trail of injured opponents). So it bothers me that people shrug off what Shadow does while screaming for Adam’s death.

As for the scandal subplot... I’m *pretty* sure it’s a lot more serious than Adam bribing the police to leave “S” alone. I think he’s actually involved in some majorly shady/illegal activities politically. Like, in Episode 7, when the other Diet member gets pulled over, arrested, and has his house searched... there’s no way that has anything to do with “S.” At the very least, the two of them were collaborating on something really bad, something serious that Adam lied about under oath, and that’s enough for Adam’s staff to worry about what’s going to happen, especially Tadashi. We don’t know what it is specifically, but it’s definitely a lot more than just passing out bribes to hide “S.”

Lol, I’ll have to see how it goes. Probably won’t start it until after the anime finishes at the very least so I can see how it turns out for Adam and Tadashi, plus I have another half dozen WIPs at the moment and nowhere near enough time to work on them all. xD

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takonei · 3 years

Text

Beta AU - Main story, Chapter 5, daily life (Part 5)

Note of the author: Merry (early) crisis yall! Have your favorite AU updated <3

Chapter 5: An oath to one’s lost humanity - Daily life

"..."

"Today."

"At last, I'll be free."

"I'll finally be free."

Day 21 since the beginning of the game.

7:00 AM.

Shuichi woke up earlier than he expected to.

He sat up crossed-legged on his bed, eyes slowly focusing on the other side of the room.

Not even a minute after waking up he could feel his heart racing in his chest.

He missed the moments that feeling was reserved to stress due to an exam.

Tonight they will have to fight for humanity's sake.

The stakes were too high for him. One misstep and they could all die. No matter how many times he tried to accept it, he just couldn't.

But now was not the time to be scared, nor to doubt.

...

Perhaps some of the others were awake as well.

Shuichi made his usual morning routine- one that could be the last.

He stepped out of the dorms, quietly closing the door behind him.

The 'sun' was slowly rising, although he could not sense any sort of warmth from it.

The violinist took out his monopad to see if anyone was awake.

And to his surprise, no one -aside from Ryoma- had left the dorms. Even Rantaro was in his room.

Somehow, that gave him a sense of comfort. At least he slept in a bed last night.

What could he even do in the meantime?

He glanced at the wisterias not so far away.

A few days ago, Kirumi and he were watching the sunrise from above the pergola. He had fought his fears to climb to the top, so perhaps he could try to do the same today, to fight one fear at a time.

He approached the structure and placed a hand on the wooden pillar.

Shuichi had managed to climb it up and down last time, so why not now?

After some clumsy attempts, he somehow managed to make his way up here, trying to keep his balance on the beams.

He sat down. This time there wasn't anyone with him. Just him and his thoughts.

At least it was peaceful.

He closed his eyes and tried to mentally rest a little.

This was one of the last moments he could be at peace before the fight.

...

But soon after, the silence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

"Didn't expect to see you up here."

He jumped at the voice and turned around.

Rantaro was looking at him from the ground.

"O-Oh... Hi Rantaro...."

"What are you doing up here?"

Shuichi glanced back at the beautiful morning colors. "Nothing. I know the sky is fake but watching the sunrise does help me mentally calm down a little."

Although he didn't look back at his friend, he could still guess he was contemplating the scenery as well.

After a moment, Rantaro grabbed one of the small tree's branches to get on the pergola. "Mind if I join?"

Even though he was a bit nervous, Shuichi couldn't refuse. "No... Go ahead."

After easily making his way up, he sat down next to him, legs hanging down under the floral roof and arms resting on his thighs.

To his surprise, he didn't speak at all. Both were staring at the horizon for what felt like an eternity.

...

"So, relaxing you say?"

Shuichi was almost startled. "Y-Yeah! You think so as well?"

The medic hadn't even turned his head towards him.

"... You could say that."

Somehow he didn't sound convincing at all.

Upon a closer look, Shuichi could see his hands gripping one another, and it looked like he was doing his best to refrain from shaking.

Overall a worrying position added to an emerald gaze that never healed from the last deaths.

The words he read in Kiyo's notebook were lingering on his mind.

He was the one in charge of helping Rantaro to get back on his feet as soon as possible. For both his own well being and the entire group's.

"H-Hey..."

Rantaro hummed. "What is it?"

It wasn't like he was the best therapist. Far from it. One word and Rantaro would go away, isolating himself like he did for the past two days.

He had one shot that he couldn't waste.

"Why... Do you care so much about helping people?"

...

Silence.

"I-I mean... Ever since the beginning you try to help us to the point where you don't even think about yourself anymore... Why?"

...

"To make sure others are alive and safe is the reason I exist on this planet. Simple as that."

This was not as simple as he says it is.

"You said it yourself back then, I know, but... How can you do that? How can you spend so much time and effort into protecting us all? I don't understand..." he almost desperately yelled.

"Some things cannot be explained. Even I do not know where this instinct came from. I just follow it because this is what feels right."

"And if it leads me to the freedom and safety of this group, then so be it."

An instinct...

"What about yourself? You're more than just an instinct! You're Rantaro, you're our friend! And... and..."

Shuichi trailed off. He didn't have the right words to spit out.

But what made him worry the most is the fact that Rantaro hadn't moved a single inch. His eyes kept staring at the horizon.

No response.

...

"Please, Rantaro... We're here for you. You don't have to bear this alone."

No matter what he said, the medic wasn't responding.

Shuichi felt his throat tighten.

Every second felt like a year passing by.

...

"It matters more than you would think."

He blinked. "What...?"

"I know that's what you think too. You can't tell everyone about your secrets to the risk of telling the wrong person."

"I do not know what you have discovered throughout the game and I am not going to ask."

"You never realize when eavesdroppers will take pleasure in listening to your own thoughts."

He froze. Did he... Did he realize that Shuichi knew about the morse code?

"Sometimes you have to take things into your own hands no matter the cost. Because even your closest allies can betray you in the end."

"It's a game where the boundary of trust and betrayal is nothing more than a thin line you can cross whenever you please."

"You could close your eyes and isolate yourself for the entire day and night, but you cannot achieve anything by never taking any risks. At some point, you have to put your life on the line and hope to get a pair of aces."

"Always be careful and never, ever lower your guard. Because one mistake and your pair of aces burns into ashes."

... And thus the refusal to talk about himself.

A fear of slipping up and end up killing the last glimmers of hope for humanity.

Shuichi glanced down for a moment. "I understand, but I... No, we realized you've been acting strange... You can't just expect us to give up on you like that."

He swallowed. "You're not okay, Rantaro."

...

Silence.

"Ha ha..."

Shuichi perked up.

Rantaro started laughing. He could only look at him giggling to himself- or at him? At this point, he didn't know in the slightest, but... That was not a sad laugh. That almost looked like a genuine one.

"There's really something wrong with me, isn't there?"

"I know that already. I know life has completely fucked me up from the bottom to the top."

"But what can I do? The only way I can move on is by putting a stop to this game."

"No matter how much my own conscious is begging me to stop and no matter how many painful memories it brings back to me, I won't stop."

"I won't be able to die in peace until I'm absolutely sure this game is over."

Shuichi held even more onto the wooden bar he was sitting on. "I..."

He perfectly knew changing Rantaro's mind was impossible. That was not the problem.

"Please just... Just promise me you'll talk to us after the fight. I can't go any longer knowing you're not taking care of yourself."

"I don't care about how many things you're hiding from us, I don't care if you have things you don't want to tell me! We all want you to get better so just please listen to us for once! None of us want you to suffer alone anymore!!"

He felt tears forming in his eyes.

But despite pouring all of his feelings out...

... Rantaro was still not looking at him in the eye.

The medic lowered his head.

"... Alright. But I need some time alone right now if you don't mind."

"Huh?"

Rantaro stood up.

"W-Wait! I'm not-

"I will think about it. However..."

He eyed him. "... I know I've only made you uncomfortable these last few days. Thank you for keeping up with me but I know it doesn't do any good to you. It's pretty obvious from the look on your face."

Shuichi felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't disagree in the slightest. That was actually the painful truth.

But no one else aside from Kirumi is aware of this problem. He couldn't just give up like that.

"W-Wait, that doesn't mean you should not listen to what I just said!"

It was a bit late for that.

Rantaro took off his jacket, wrapped it around one of the wooden beams, and used it to get down.

He had to catch up to him before he ends up locking himself up in a room again.

The violinist knew that was not a good idea, but he had to get down fast.

He held onto one of the beams so he could get down, but...

"Ah!-"

... He let go of it. Shuichi tried to grab the vines but they were not strong enough to hold him back.

He painfully crashed on the ground.

Thankfully it wasn't too bad, the fall didn't do too much damage, but it still hurt.

"Shuichi!!"

Rantaro immediately ran up to him. "Are you alright??"

"Y-Yeah... I think so..."

His hands were stinging. But when he looked at them, he realized there were several cuts from the vines, letting out a small amount of blood.

"You're coming with me to my lab. Right now."

Shuichi didn't have time to protest. Rantaro grabbed him by the wrist and guided him to the third floor.

The fall did hurt but it wasn't like he broke anything. He could still move, although with some difficulty.

Once in his lab, Rantaro started going through the drawers.

"Sit down. I'm taking care of you. Do you feel any other injuries besides your hands?"

"My back hurts a little, but I don't think it is much..."

"Take your shirt off. I should check anyway."

It wasn't like he could refuse. Rantaro wouldn't let him go like this.

He did at told, putting the torn shirt aside. He would have to get a new one.

He watched Rantaro searching and taking out various bandages and bottles.

Shuichi looked at his hands again. The cuts looked pretty nasty on second thought.

The medic approached him and started treating the hand wounds with caution. Gentle moves that were mesmerizing.

From the disinfectant -the part that probably hurt the most-, to the bandages. He didn't even have to tell him if it was too loose or too tight, he simply applied it without a second thought, although still very carefully.

Even right now, he was living up to his talent.

"There. That's it for the hands."

Shuichi looked at the bandages. They were surprisingly comfortable. "Thank you, but... Do you think I'll manage to bear the weapons tonight?"

Rantaro hummed. "We'll give you lighter weapons. But in the meantime, I suggest you should try to find gloves to make sure the bandages won't get ripped off during the fight."

He nodded. "O-Okay."

The medic proceeded to help with his back. There weren't any wounds or anything that could require bandages, so he simply put on soothing cream and gave him some light painkillers.

Shuichi put his shirt back on, fastening the buttons. "Thanks a lot, Rantaro. I'm sorry I caused some trouble here."

"It's fine, don't sweat it."

Shuichi watched Rantaro putting things back where they were.

He then approached the door to open it. "Now let's just go back to... the dining hall..."

The medic trailed off, stopping in his tracks.

"Rantaro?"

He put a hand on his head. "It's fine, I'm just feeling... a little..."

Before Shuichi realized what was happening, Rantaro collapsed on the floor.

"Rantaro!!"

The violinist rushed to him. "Rantaro! Are you okay?!"

No response. At least he was breathing, just unconscious.

"No, no, no, no..."

He wrapped one of the medic's arms around his shoulder and tried to stand up to put him to bed.

An unconscious body is very heavy, he quickly realized.

At last, he managed to get himself into a -barely- standing position when-

*knock* *knock* *knock*

He immediately turned to the door. "Huh?"

The door opened to reveal Kirumi.

The two stared at each other for a while before Shuichi realized he was holding onto an unconscious Rantaro.

Kirumi's expression was one of both concern and confusion. "What. Are you doing."

"... Help me, please."

"And what happened?" she approached Rantaro and help him up.

"He was treating a wound I got earlier and as soon as he got finished, he collapsed..."

The mercenary sighed. "I should have expected that, somehow."

The two helped to put him into bed. Kirumi put her hand on his forehead. "... He's burning. Get a wet tissue while I properly lay him down."

Shuichi applied the object where she told him. He didn't know if that would help or not, though.

They could only hope he would wake up soon.

Kirumi looked at the violinist, or more precisely, his hands.

"... May I ask what happened?"

Shit.

He explained the story to her, how the two were talking on the pergola, then after a failed landing, Rantaro insisted on treating his wounds. At least he didn't have anything to hide this time, aside from the conversation itself.

"... I see." she turned to the medic. "He better wake up before the time limit. This is going to be a huge problem if he doesn't."

"Agreed... But what can we do?"

She narrowed her eyes at the sleeping teen. "I don't know. There's not much we can do while he is sleeping."

Shuichi looked at him as well. "He has been worrying me for days now... And yet we have no clue what is wrong with him."

"I would say that he collapsed from exhaustion, judging by how he was acting the past few days. Rantaro needs to rest, and he better stay in bed until we do the actual preparations for the fight."

"I know... Should one of us stay with him until he wakes up?"

"That would have been the ideal situation if we didn't have the final battle to prepare."

Shuichi winced. She was right... The more people preparing, the bigger their chance of winning.

He thought about their conversation. What did Rantaro mean by his words?

"He better talk to us after the fight... Because Kiyo is not with us anymore doesn't mean we should-

The door opened behind them.

The two immediately turned around to see Miu.

There was a long silence as she glanced at both the two and Rantaro sleeping on the bed.

"May I ask what's going on?"

Her tone was serious. Nothing like the Miu they are used to talk to, but rather...

... The one he listened to back after the first day of the Sanzu garden, after her time with Kokichi in the room.

"M-Miu?"

"What. Is going on."

She approached Rantaro to get a better view.

Kirumi and Shuichi glanced at each other for a moment. He had no choice but to explain- although he omitted a lot of details, mostly about the conversation they had.

Right now was not the time to panic. It pained him to say it, but to address the problem in its entirety after the fight would be a wiser choice.

Miu stood by his side. "... The morning announcement will ring soon. Shuichi, go and change your shirt. Kirumi, could you please start making breakfast for everyone and a separate one for Rantaro and me?"

"No offense, Miu, but if Rantaro collapsed from exhaustion I do not think he will wake up for at least a few hours." Kirumi explained. "I can make one for you, of course, though."

She hummed. "Fair enough."

The two left the lab and closed the door.

"I didn't think Miu would get dragged into this as well." Kirumi stated.

Shuichi looked away from a moment. "I mean... She is very protective of us all, especially Rantaro... It's pretty useless to try to oppose her."

"Agreed." She said. "Do you want me to search for gloves while you change your shirt?"

Shuichi's eyes widened. "You would do that for me?"

"It isn't much. Just go to your room."

He smiled. "Thank you, Kirumi!"

The violinist walked back to his dorm. The moment he entered, the morning announcement rang.

Surely, the rest of the group would come soon.

A simple shirt, and another day of leaving the vest and tie behind.

He really hoped his injuries wouldn't handicap them too much.

At least his back and hands hurt a bit less now.

On his way back to the main building, he saw neither Kaito nor Kokichi, but perhaps it was too early for that.

He opened the door and saw Kirumi putting the plates down on the table.

"You're back."

The mercenary approached him. "Maki's lab had gloves in one of the drawers. I hope they are of your taste." she handed him a pair of plain black thin gloves that he put on immediately. Thankfully they fit him correctly.

"Thanks a lot!"

"Do not worry about it."

The two ended up preparing breakfast, leaving a small part for Miu.

Shuichi took it to the third floor.

Once arrived, he knocked on the door and opened it.

The street artist was cleaning up the lab.

"I got your breakfast. Should I leave it on the table?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

He glanced at Rantaro again. "Do you... plan on watching over him until he wakes up?"

"For now yes. I've turned my back on him for far too long. He may be good at taking care of others but..."

"... It's about time I do it back for him."

Miu had a noble soul. It wasn't surprising she would start worrying at some point, but...

Had she even the slightest idea of what was going on behind the scenes?

"... I can't convince you not to, can I?"

They needed as many people as they could to train, and of course, that included Miu.

"Nope. I'm staying until I'm absolutely sure he wakes up."

As much as it pained him to say it, no one could even try to convince her otherwise. At least not now.

"Alright. Just come to us if you need anything, okay?"

She gave him a thumbs-up as he left.

After closing the door, he let out a sigh.

Hopefully, things would turn out okay for everyone. Not just for the fight, but everything after.

He went back to the dining hall.

He and Kirumi had to wait a few more minutes before Kaito and Kokichi joined them.

They had to explain the situation and how for now Miu wasn't going to join them for the last training sessions.

Breakfast was eaten in silence as usual. However, there were even fewer of them than usual. Just Kirumi, Kaito, Kokichi, and himself.

"What do we do now? It's the last day..." Kokichi asked.

"To be frank, I wouldn't risk doing serious physical exercises right now. We need all of our energy to fight tonight." Kirumi noted.

"Yeah! We kinda have to make a strategy too!" Kaito exclaimed. "We can't just say 'let's take the weapons and fight' without an actual plan!"

He was right. But right now, not everyone was here.

"But there are only four of us... We should at least wait for Rantaro and Miu to come back." he said.

"Agreed. For now, I suggest you all try to work on your aim. That's the least we can do right now." Kirumi suggested.

The group of four headed to Tenko's lab. Kaito had never done aiming exercises before, now that he thought about it.

Kokichi and himself had -although he spent a part of the 'training' reading Kiyo's notebook- already done some exercises, so the biker was the only one among them who hadn't.

He did end up having some trouble with the moving targets, but overall the training was paying off, for the three of them.

Since Kokichi and Shuichi already received training, they had better accuracy. Kokichi was better than him, though. He didn't even need darts exercises, but now that he thought about it, there was a possibility he was already familiar with them.

Unfortunately, Miu was not coming. And of course, neither was Rantaro.

"Should we... At least try to get those two?" Kaito asked.

"Miu said she would come with Rantaro after he wakes up, but... It's been a while, isn't it?" Kokichi fidgeted with his sleeve.

"She will have to train at some point and join us for the strategy meeting. We cannot leave her alone when we don't even know when Rantaro will wake up." Kirumi added.

Perhaps now they were more likely to convince her to join them, after spending several hours by his side.

"It's 12 PM anyway... Should we take a lunch break and then get Miu for the training and strategy? Assuming Rantaro will wake up later..." he suggested.

"I mean yeah... I know she can be really stubborn but we gotta do something." Kaito glanced to the side.

The group agreed and went back to the dining hall.

Of course, no Miu in sight. But to their surprise, the table was already set with meals in food cloches.

"Did Miu prepare everything for us?" Kokichi approached the table. "She’s not here, though…"

Kaito groaned. "And here I thought I was the stubborn one. I’ll be right back, just going to get her."

The biker left immediately, leaving the other three in the dining hall.

They decided to wait for the two to come back.

…

After five long minutes, there was still nothing.

"Should I… Should I try to see what’s happening?" Shuichi asked.

"It would be better. Although I’m starting to wonder whether the two are arguing or not." Kirumi said. "If Rantaro is still unconscious then I wouldn’t be surprised if those two started bickering about this."

She had a point. Miu was trying to help Kaito change back after the third trial, perhaps he would try to do the same?

Shuichi left the dining hall and started heading to the third floor.

But to his surprise, it’s on the second floor that he saw a frustrated Kaito, alone.

"I-Is she still not willing to come with us?”

The answer was obvious, but he asked anyway.

"I tried to tell her it was useless to stay by his side the entire day and that she didn’t need to do that but noooo! She has to!” he almost yelled. "I’m glad she’s here as the mom of the group but she does a little too much to my taste."

This was understandable. And Shuichi was getting sick of the selfless mindset.

"Still… Did you tell her we had to plan the strategy for the fight?"

"I did! But she said she needed time to think. Like I know she cares about us and everything but goddamn! She doesn’t need to devote her entire life to someone else!"

… Shuichi preferred not to comment on that.

"If she doesn’t come back after lunch, I’m getting her by force. I’m not letting her stay alone for the rest of the day." Kaito started going back to the first floor. "I know she cares about Rantaro and I do too, but this isn’t helping her."

Her caring attitude had started being contagious, Shuichi noticed.

The two boys went back to the dining hall, their mission unsuccessful.

Kirumi and Kokichi did wait for them to come back before starting to eat.

"I guess you couldn’t convince her…" Kokichi lowered his head.

"I’ll be checking again later. She said she wanted to think about it." Kaito responded.

Shuichi really hoped he will manage to convince her.

Lunch was silent, with more tension than usual. Even though there were seven of them, it looked like only four of them were alive.

8 hours until the time limit.

They started putting things off in the kitchen, Kaito thinking about what he was going to say to Miu.

"H-Hey, Kaito…"

The biker turned to the source of the low voice.

"What’s up, Kokichi?"

The silver-haired boy fidgeted with his sleeves. "Can I... Can I try to convince her to join us? I know you said you would try to do so but I want to talk to her..."

The taller man blinked a few times. "You sure about this? Miu is stubborn as hell, I know that better than anyone."

"Perhaps Kokichi is right." Kirumi put down the old rag she was holding. "Bickering back and forth probably won’t do any good to any of you. But that is just my opinion."

The biker stared at her for a moment. "I know her better than you, y’know? We may be stubborn as hell but she’s my best friend."

Shuichi swallowed. "Yes, but you saw how it went, right? I think... I think Kokichi should be the one to talk…"

Kaito stayed silent, pondering. "… Alright."

"I’m leaving this to you, young man!" he said as he ruffled Kokichi’s hair- although he didn’t seem to appreciate it much.

"O-Okay!" he said as he put his hair back in place, heading out, and leaving the three to clean the rest of the table.

Without Kokichi, Shuichi could feel even more tension in the room. He knew full well Kirumi and Kaito were not getting along well.

Hopefully, they would form a better relationship soon.

Even after they were done, Kokichi still hadn’t come back.

"What do we do now? I trust Kokichi with this, but still- We have to do something in the meantime." Kaito leaned against the wall.

Kirumi thought for a moment. "We still have to establish our strategy. It would be better if we go to Tsumugi’s lab for this. I know Miu, Kokichi, Rantaro, and Ryoma are not here but we don’t have a choice at this point."

She was right. They didn’t have much time left. And besides, by going to the fourth floor, they would have to pass next to the medic’s lab. Perhaps they could get a glimpse of the situation.

The trio started going up the stairs. But the moment they entered the corridor leading to the stairs and Rantaro’s lab, they saw both Miu and Kokichi closing the door behind them.

"Miu! You’re here!" Shuichi almost exclaimed, approaching her.

She didn’t seem that enthusiastic to see them, though. "Yeah… I know I gotta watch over Rantaro, but… I can’t just leave you guys like that. That’s unlike me."

The street artist slapped her own cheeks. "Alright! What are we doing now? Training?"

"Not exactly. We’re establishing our strategy to fight Monokuma and the exisals." Kirumi explained.

Miu hummed. "Okay, but we don’t even know what type of weapons Ryoma prepared for us! Rantaro may know, but I know I don’t."

Shuichi thought for a moment. "I think Ryoma is preparing diverse weapons of different weights adapted to all of us. Although I’m not really sure…" He stared at his gloved, bandaged hands for a moment. "At least Rantaro told me I would get lighter weapons for the fight, so I think there’s at least some variety."

"In any case, it is better to start planning our strategy as soon as possible." Kirumi added.

"W-Wait… Won’t Monokuma eavesdrop on us?" Kokichi asked. "He could listen to our plan and find a way to counter it… Even the walls have ears."

He raised a good point.

"So, we need like, a closed small room to make sure he doesn’t come and listen?" Kaito crossed his arms.

"Then how about the dorms? We can lock our rooms, Monokuma can’t enter! We should just keep our voices low, or better- only write on paper what we want to say, like secret agents!" Miu exclaimed.

Only writing on paper so Monokuma doesn’t hear them…

It almost sounded familiar.

The group headed back to the first floor to leave the main building.

They also established that they would try to wake up Rantaro if he doesn’t come back by 5 PM.

But for now, they were going to the dorms. Or more specifically, Miu’s dorm. She volunteered to be the host since she claimed to have a lot of paper and pens already in her room.

She opened the door and bent down, gesturing for them to go inside. "Welcome to the mighty lair of the firefly of the city! Only allies of mine are allowed to enter."

Shuichi chuckled as he stepped into the room. "Thank you, Miu."

Kaito snickered. "We talking nicknames now? I’ve been called ‘Silver Rider’ for ages!"

"Sometimes people call me ‘Apollo’, although I don’t think that’s very fitting…" Shuichi nervously scratched the back of his neck.

Kirumi sighed. "At least you three can be proud of your nicknames. ‘The Devil’s right arm’ is not very flattering."

Shuichi felt chills at the words. "That’s… Original…"

Kokichi sat on the ground. "At least it’s better than being known as a supernatural catastrophe…"

This conversation turned dark very quickly. Which is not what he wanted in the slightest.

"Um… Should we change the subject?"

"Very well."

“Agreed.”

Miu gave them all a stack of paper and pens for them to write and suggest ideas. She turned on her monopod and started sketching the academy’s map to visualize themselves better.

To debate without talking was hard, but doable. At least they were making progress.

Kokichi would serve as a distraction since he was very fast and hopefully he would have bombs to do damage to the exisals.

Kirumi and Miu would form a team as well as Ryoma and Kaito to inflict a lot of damage- one experienced fighter and one who could still fight despite not being in the field.

Shuichi would have to place bombs in specific places and with the help of the others, guide the exisals to a deadly trap.

However, they would have to explain to Rantaro that it would be safer for him to stay on the sidelines in case someone gets hurt.

They were still planning the details, but at least everyone had a role now.

But as they were about to continue, there was a knock on the door.

They all stared at each other for a moment.

Miu hesitantly approached the entrance of her room.

The person behind the door knocked again, but something felt familiar.

Four knocks, loud and clear.

This was exactly what Rantaro did back when they had to retrieve Ryoma from his lab a few days ago.

"Miu! It’s Rantaro, you can open!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Huh? How can you know?"

A voice came from behind the door.

"Because he learned how I make myself known."

And the voice, even though he could barely hear it, was indeed Rantaro’s.

Miu immediately opened.

"You’re here! I was so worried about you!" She held him in a firm embrace that visibly startled him.

"Hey, hey, it’s fine. I was just a bit tired, that’s all."

Shuichi briefly glanced at Kirumi, who did the same.

Miu locked the door behind her and started writing on the paper.

_We’re writing so Monokuma can’t eavesdrop on us! So take a pen while we explain what we're doing!_

Rantaro nodded, took the green pen and a sheet of paper.

_That’s pretty smart._

She smiled.

Kirumi started writing the strategy and Rantaro took the time to listen- or rather, read. He did ask a few questions but wasn’t opposed to what they came up with.

It took some time to reexplain, but at least they got to remember better their roles and positions.

But then came up the question they all feared.

_What is my role in this?_

They all stared at each other until Kirumi took her pen.

_Since you’re the only one who can provide medical assistance, you’ll stay on the sidelines, or at least not take too many risks. Is this fine with you?_

Rantaro stared at the message for quite some time before sighing.

_As much as I hate this, it would indeed be wiser. But are you all going to be fine by yourselves? No offense, but I am still one of the only three who have experience in combat._

Miu immediately started responding.

_Count on us! We trained a lot, you know? I know we’re far from real fighters like Kirumi, Ryoma and you, but we can still manage! Besides, we still have Ryoma’s weapons with us!_

A short moment of pure silence.

_You’re right. Sorry for doubting you._

_It’s fine! But we still have to establish a lot of things for the plan. Shall we continue?_

He nodded.

The group carefully planned their tactics, where everyone had to be, and what they had to do. They would have to be cautious and strike perfectly.

Shuichi started feeling more and more stressed due to the incoming battle, but they would have to do this. They were this close to the end of the game.

Time passed as they used more and more paper to write their messages, sheets of paper scattered across the floor filled with different writings in different colors.

About two hours later, they were finally done.

Shuichi leaned back, sighing. "Good grief, it's over..."

"Hey! We're not done! We'll have to put that entire strategy in place tonight and win!" Miu exclaimed.

Rantaro stood up. "But Shuichi is right. I think we’re done here. However, we still have to explain the strategy to Ryoma. It’s about time we finally get to see what he crafted for us."

"Agreed. Shall we go to his lab?" Kirumi added.

"Yes. I think now is the perfect time to plan the final details."

Shuichi nodded.

The group left Miu’s dorm with the papers in a pouch not to leave any hints on what they are going to do.

They were ready to inform Ryoma, and thus headed to the main building.

But the second Miu opened the main door, something didn’t feel quite right.

It looked like another blackout occurred.

Shuichi frowned. "Again?"

Kirumi narrowed her eyes. "One time could have been an accident, but now I am starting to think this was done on purpose."

Rantaro looked at the dark corridor. "Let’s just hope Ryoma was still able to finish the weapons even with those suspicious blackouts."

The group glanced at each other and started going up the stairs.

Shuichi didn’t like this in the slightest.

The whole building was in the dark yet again, and it sure as hell looked like someone was doing this voluntarily, as Kirumi said.

Was this the way the mastermind was trying to stop them?

Once on the fifth floor, Rantaro approached the door.

He knocked four times as he always did, Shuichi supposed.

…

No response.

Rantaro frowned. "Come on…"

He knocked again.

Still no answer.

Shuichi started feeling more and more nervous.

The medic placed a hand on the handle and tried to open the door, hoping it wouldn’t be locked.

And to everyone’s surprise, it was not.

The lab looked plunged in the dark, with only the emergency lights slightly illuminating the area around the door.

"Ryoma?" Rantaro called.

…

Nothing.

They glanced at each other, fearing for the worst.

The group started moving through the lab to get to his working panel.

In the distance, Shuichi could see the faint light of a ceiling lamp, flickering in the darkness of the engineer's lab.

How did that light survive the blackout?

But the second the workbench was into view, he felt his heart drop.

The dark atmosphere was not enough to hide the atrocity his eyes were offering him.

A small chair was knocked down on the floor next to the table.

A rope was attached to one of the metal beams, and connected to it, illuminated by the faint white light of the barely surviving lamp…

… was the hanged body of Ryoma Hoshi, the ultimate weapons maker.

#ndrv3 #danganronpa v3 #ndrv3 au #beta au #main story

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talesfromtherim · 3 years

Text

A Simple Operation

Hannibal sat in his bunk, anxiously awaiting his fellow colonists to meet him. He turned the idea over and over in his mind, desperately hoping he wouldn’t be too harshly criticized for what he was about to propose.

Just as he was considering calling the meeting off and returning to work, Alex, Waltz, and Minase entered his room.

“Well, we’re here. What’s so important?” Waltz asked.

Hannibal scanned the hallway before closing the door and turning to his fellow colonists. “Where is Ogurak?”

The three look to each other in confusion. “She’s still repairing the southwest embrasure,” Minase answered, “Was she supposed to be here?”

“No,” Hannibal said, relieved, “Just making sure she won’t overhear us.”

“Why?” Alex asked, brow raising.

“This meeting is about her.” Hannibal scanned the three, studying their reactions. For now, they remained stone-faced. Hannibal wrung his hands, a stone settling in his stomach.

“Out with it!” Waltz demanded.

“Alright, alright,” Hannibal said, “It’s just...this is a delicate situation.”

“Oh no,” Minase sighed, “Are you trying to get back with her? Again?”

“No, it’s not about that. Listen, we all saw what happened the other day.” The three shared an uneasy look. The other day, three days ago, in fact, Ogurak blew up the entire southwest embrasure—the first line of defense for their growing colony—along with part of the workshop’s wall. The embrasure was uranium.

Ogurak was prone to mental breaks—this was well known within Toothless Hill. Oftentimes, she just went out into the wilderness to sort herself out, but last time, it was catastrophic. It’s a miracle she emerged from the rubble unscathed.

“I don’t think I could possibly forget the sound of one hundred shells exploding.” Waltz crossed his arms and chuckled bitterly. “You know, Alex, my ears are still ringing.”

“I’m just worried about her,” Hannibal said.

“We all are,” Minase said, tenderly, “Which is why Alex convinced her to go on antidepressants.”

“They clearly aren’t working,” Waltz mumbled.

“I can’t up her dose any more,” Alex replied, “Smokeleaf is helping, somewhat. I’ve considered suggesting more recreation time for her. Honestly, I’m running out of options. Maskinnen says there might be some glitterworld tech that could help her but...well, we simply don’t have access to that.”

Hannibal paused, giving his proposal one last consideration. “Maybe we do.”

“What do you mean?” Minase asked.

Hannibal took a deep breath. “Before I say what I’m gonna say, you all have to promise me that you won’t judge me.”

“Whatever,” Waltz said, turing to Alex, “It just better actually work this time, unlike that toddler Lexapro you give her.”

“I can assure you, her medication is much stronger than...’toddler Lexapro’.” Alex turned back to Hannibal. “Listen, I know you still care about her deeply. Heck, the whole colony knows. I’m sure whatever you’re proposing can’t be that bad.”

Minase remained silent, her eyes uneasily flitting from Hannibal to Alex and Waltz.

“Minase?” Hannibal said, “Do you promise?”

“I wish you would just say it already, this is making me nervous.”

“Alright.” Hannibal brushed past his friends and reached under his bed, retrieving a small brown box. He handed it to Alex.

“Is this…?” Alex opened the box and inspected its contents. “A joywire?!”

“Alex, you promised!”

“I didn’t think you would suggest something like this, Hannibal. This is…”

“Unethical!” Minase shouted.

“Please, keep your voice down,” Hannibal pleaded.

Alex centered himself, actively trying to control his temper. “Hannibal, do you know why this is banned on most Urbworlds?”

“I know it’s got some side-effects, but I really think this could help Ogurak.”

“I absolutely refuse to put this...this device in her brain. It goes against my oath as a doctor.”

“Maskinnen purchased it.” All three were now suddenly at attention. “I was assisting her with an orbital trade ship. She saw one in their inventory, showed it to me, and I let her buy it. She even offered to do the operation.”

Alex slowly shook his head. “Of course she would agree to something like that. She’s not a real doctor; she just spent so much time sewing you lot up that she thinks she knows her way around a body!”

“Oh come on, Alex,” Waltz protested, “she has just as much skill as you do, and way better bedside manner.” Waltz clapped Hannibal on the shoulder. “I think it’s a good idea.”

This calmed Hannibal, somewhat. “I trusted Maskinnen to install my bionic eye and arm; I know Ogurak will be in good hands with her.”

“Well, if you’ve got it all figured out, why did you need us to crowd in this room and whisper about it?” Minase said, uncharacteristically angry.

“I just wanted a second opinion, I guess.”

Minase sat on the bed. “You love Ogurak, right?”

Hannibal’s mind went back several quadrums where, during one of her many mental breaks, Ogurak screamed at Hannibal that she never wanted to see him again, surprisingly maintaining that stance once she came to hours later. “Of course I do.”

“Then I think you should listen to Alex.”

Hannibal’s face fell. “What’s so bad about this thing anyway? A device that makes you happy surely can’t be so bad.”

“If it just made you happy, then it wouldn’t be,” Alex retorted, “Because of where the joywire’s installed, Ogurak will lose a significant amount of her consciousness. She’ll be much more prone to fainting spells and memory loss. She won’t be as alert as she was before, which can be deadly on the battlefield. She’ll be half the person she was before, and turn into a saccharine zombie. Is that what you want?”

“I think it’s better than having a full on mental break every two days, Alex. That’s what I’m trying to fix, here. Besides, we haven’t even considered whether or not she’ll agree to it.”

“You and Maskinnen haven’t, you mean.”

“Oh, she will.” Minase added. “Me and Ogurak talk a lot, you know. She’s always going on about how deeply unhappy she is.” Minase’s breath caught in her chest. “I think she was trying to end it this time.”

A dark silence fell over the group. In the distance, the southwestern embrasure could be heard being reconstructed. Alex put the lid back on the joywire’s box and handed it to Hannibal.

“At the end of the day, can’t we remove it if things don’t turn out well?” Hannibal asked.

Alex nodded. “Yes. But I wish we could just figure something else out.”

“You said it yourself—we’re out of options,” Waltz said, walking towards the door, “This is the only one left.” With that, Waltz left.

“I don’t approve of this, but I guess I can’t stop it,” Alex said before leaving as well.

Hannibal studied the small box in his hands. Would this really be worth it?

“I just want her to be okay,” Minase said, wiping her face before leaving Hannibal alone with his thoughts.

---

“It’s a simple operation, really,” Maskinnen nonchalantly said as Ogurak climbed onto the bed. The joywire sat neatly in its box on a metal table beside the hospital bed. “Nothing to worry about at all.”

Hannibal grabbed Ogurak’s hand and squeezed. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Ogurak gave a slight smile as Maskinnen injected the Anesthetic into her IV. Within minutes, she was out.

Hannibal looked to Maskinnen, who gave him a reassuring smile. “She’ll be just fine.”

Hannibal gave her a nod before leaving the medbay, the doors swinging behind him as he wondered if Maskinnen would be right.

#rimworld #rimworld story #flash fiction #fan fiction #literature #byme

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higuchimon · 4 years

Text

what do you want to see?

GX Month is almost over and I'm having a lot of fun with it. But it did push back finishing my WIPs a lot, and it added a few to the list despite my best efforts. So, my next goal after this is to finish those WIPs. That's not what I'm asking. This is: I have a lot of series and worlds. Which do you, the readers I share what I write with, wants to see the most? Here are your options:

Digimon Adventure 02

Division of Destiny: The world of Reign of the Undead King, taking place afterward. The living Chosen adjust to a world of blue skies and green grass and Digimon who aren't trying to kill them. But Piemon and Vamdemon are still out there, and Vamdemon has Daisuke.

Take To The Skies: Daisuke falls more and more under the Kaiser's control and he really doesn't want to. But even his stubbornness can only hold out so long. [unknown type of ending]

Fragmented Memory: Kaiser keeps a firm hold over Daisuke by manipulating his memory. But even he can't succeed forever, right? Only time will tell - and maybe not this story. [unknown type of ending]

Broken Bonds: Takeru must still deal with his soulmate Piemon and the fact that Patamon won't hatch out of his egg. [unknown type of ending]

Fight To Remember: Ken and Daisuke have both lost their memories. Getting them back will involve remembering that they're enemies - unless something happens before that. Something like becoming friends.

Services Rendered: So, to pay the Kaiser back for saving his life, Daisuke has to do what the Kaiser wants. What does the Kaiser want? [probably open-ended]

Scars of Victory: The elder Chosen have returned to the Digital World. After 7 years they've missed out on a lot and need to get caught up. But will the Kaiser give them the time? [probably open-ended]

Course of Events: Daisuke grows up with Piemon and LadyDevimon, learning what it is to be their son, their servant, and their warrior. And then the Chosen arrive - along with the sister he barely remembers.

Walking The Edge: The Kaiser has what he wants. Daisuke finally knows who he is and is going to help him - whether Daisuke likes it or not. If the Chosen haven't stopped him in all these years, how can they now when they're down one? [undecided ending]

Dark Brotherhood: Now that the Kaiser has his half-brother Anbumon with him, they're going to take down the Chosen. If only it were that easy.

Danger Zone: Kaiser is very annoyed that Hikari prevented him from taking Daisuke. So he's going to make sure that she delivers his prey right to him. [not a happy ending]

Melody of the Heart: They need to find Jou and Koushiro to help Taichi be immune to Yamato's enchanting voice. It's a long journey and an amazing adventure.

Heart of Demon, Soul of Angel: How exactly did Yamato distract Taichi? Well, Ken had to get Daisuke on a date. So how did Yamato manage that? He's a demon. He did it with lust. [not entirely happy ending]

Game of Life: Now that the Kaiser knows about the breed, what is he going to do next?

Bitter Bargain: The first night that Daisuke spends in the Kaiser's fortress is much like when the Kaiser spent it at his apartment. [obviously rated M & forced consent]

Sanguine Bindings: How did the Chosen deal with the Kaiser's revelation as a vampire and having taken Daisuke?

Purpose of Existence: Yamato, Koushiro, and the Kaiser go to rescue Daisuke. But who is going to rescue Daisuke from the Kaiser?

No Good Decisions: V-mon's an egg. Daisuke is still sick - and is he getting sicker? But the Kaiser's there to take care of him.

Flaming Ivy: The Kaiser has chosen Daisuke as his Firestarter. Daisuke might not feel the same way - or maybe he does.

Digimon Xros Wars: Young Hunters Leaping Through Time

Hunting The Great Game: A look back into the past - it's really not so easy to break Kiriha free of DarkKnightmon's control.

Yu-Gi-Oh GX

Reversal: the full story of RYou's expereinces as a spy in Haou's forces, ending up with his reveal and the consequences thereof. Not a happy ending.

Reversal: the rebellion finds hope at long last. Or hope finds them, whichever way. Happy ending, or at least a neutral one (depending on how much I want to put in the story).

Reversal: O'Brien is able to track down his deck and duel disk. Reasonaly happy ending.

Hell's Ice: Ryou awakens in Dark World and slowly learns that he has a connection to ice, snow, and cold, and must learn to master his powers under Snoww's instruction, while surviving serving Brron.

Itch To Scratch: Juudai & Yubel take Johan to find out what he really is. Johan is not very happy about what he finds out.

Bridges: A tale of Samejima and Ryou, with Ryou learning how to bind demons and be a duelist of the Cyber-style.

King's Champion: Magician to King: Fujiwara Yuusuke has lost his parents. Honest offers to take him to another world, since he has no family left. That doesn't turn out the way that they both hope.

Shadow Demons: There's someone who wants to destroy demon prince Ryou, shadow mage Yuusuke, guardian angel Honest, and angel of love FUbuki. This is going to be difficult to deal with.

Past and Future: The story of how Juudai went swimming, lost his clothes, fought demons, and flew home naked.

Hole In Your Heart: A retelling of season three, with a more detailed timeframe and an arc of Dark World that's not far too short.

In Darkness We Find Fire: Ryou, Fubuki, and Yuusuke's first year, learning who they are and how to deal with being Healers and Firestarter.

In Darkness We Find Fire: Shou's first year as a duelist and Healer is far more interesting than he expected.

Prisoner of the Black Tower: Why does Haou keep Johan in the tower?

Red Zinnias: So, the Light has been expunged from Saiou. He's free for the first time in a while. So now what happens?

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal

On Dragon's Wings:

Hating Humanity: Now that Durbe has restored Nasch and Merag's memories, it's time to figure out what to do about the Astral Messenger - who hasn't arrived yet.

Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V

Confusing: Yuuri is getting better at twisting Shun's memories. But that also requires taking him out into the field - where he can encounter those from his past.

Angels, Demons, & Deciding Factors: Yuuri's corruption of Shun continues. [rated M/R, technical non-con in the sense Shun isn't in his right mind and Yuuri is a jerk]

Collars and Keeping: Yuuri inflicts punishment onto Shun for his escape attempt. [rated M/R. see also, Yuuri is a sadistic jerk]

Fae Song: The story of how Rin and Ruri came to serve selena - and what happened to Yuugo.

Strike Hard Strike Fast: Shun has to deal with being captured by vampires. As if one wouldn't be bad enough.

Ashes and Oaths: What happens to Shun now that Yuuri's captured him? Pain. Lots and lots of pain.

Beat of Wings: Yuugo's wings have been bound, like all Flyers of Commons. He can only be released if somoene purchases his services or if he's sold to someone. Roget will try to buy Yuuri off any way he can.

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boubei Love

Burning Inscription: Kinshiro and Atsushi finally find out the truth of their soulmate marks. Along with the truth of what their battle is really about.

Crossovers

Digimon Adventure 02 & YGO GX: Replacement Vampire: Camula and Vamdemon sent the newly turned RYou to be Camula's replacement in the Seven Stars. So how is that going to work out?

Intrafandom Crossovers

Scorpion Strike: Lesath learns to adjust to the Barian World and his new position as Mizael's assistant. That means dealing with Vector.

Message me, comment, or whatever about which one you'd like to see. This will be reblogged on a regular basis and will continue until I've finished my current WIPs, so probably into 2021.

#fanfic #higuchimon posts #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #digimon xros wars #ygo zexal #ygo gx #ygo arc-v #binan koukou chikyuu bouei bu love!#crossovers #Digimon

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pendragonfics · 4 years

Text

Set It Up

Paring: Leonard McCoy/Reader

Tags: gender-neutral reader, no pronouns, Starfleet Academy era, Starfleet, post-Star Trek (2009), co-workers, mutual pining, requited unrequited love, medical professionals, emotionally hurt Leonard "Bones" McCoy, whump, hurt/comfort, eventual fluff

Summary: You've known (of) Doctor McCoy since the Academy, but keeping to professionalism, you keep those feelings to yourself. Captain Kirk, tired of seeing two idiots dancing around their feelings, intervenes.

Word Count: 3,318

Current Date: 2019-12-22

Requested By: @karasong

It was years ago, the first time you ever saw him. You were sitting in the group study area of the Starfleet San Francisco student library. It was your fourth year, and the semester was almost over. But exams were yet to come. You, having organised the study group for your fellow fourth-year medicine students, sat idly as they brainstormed on what you had already learned, and memorised.

While they discussed non-human anatomical diagrams, you were people watching, idly. Your eyes grazed throughout the bottom floor of the study area until you caught sight of him. Dark hair, eyes, and the look on his face drew your attention. Frown lines, and unused but etched out smile-lines beside his eyes.

Just as you began to ponder further, your friend Christine walked and gently smacked you with the underside of her thick textbook.

“Ouch, what was that for?” You whispered, cursing a string of words. Hushed of course for the library’s volume limit. You weren't an animal.

“Oh, it won’t leave a mark, don’t be such a baby.” She admonished you, perching in the empty seat to your left. "That’s what you get for gawking at boys when you’re supposed to be studying.”

“__________’s actually running the group,” a member of the study circle piped up to your defence. “Did you know they already like, memorised the xenobiology textbook back to front?”

Christine chuckled. “Yeah, so have I, but I’m not staring at James Kirk like a brain-dead bug.” She nudged you gently, and added, “no offence but I’m just saying, you could do better...and you know, not on study time.”

"I was not-," you protest, rubbing the back of your head. "Is this because of second year?"

"He's like that with everyone," another member of your study group spoke up, softly. "Don't take it personally."

You didn’t have the guts to correct them, nor stir the pot at the mention of Christine's one-sided romance-slash-one-night-stand with Cadet Kirk. Unlike many of the people in Starfleet academy, you were not interested in James T. Kirk in that way. Sure, he had the manners of a country boy, but he also slept with anything that had legs, and the ability to consent.

So not your type.

No; you were not looking at James Kirk, the golden boy with hair that matched the sun. You were looking at his closest friend, the gruff man with inky midnight hair. His friend, a mystery to you.

---

Captain James Tiberius Kirk was not a laid-back man for simple reasons. Sure, he had the stress of organising safe passage for over two thousand people at a time and orchestrated the wills of Starfleet for their mission. On top of that, he had the problems of a regular man, be that in family, money, love and friends. He rarely saw his half-family back on Earth, and money wasn't a problem when he was paid the generous salary of a captain. Sex came as it did, mostly not so often while he was commandeering the Enterprise.

That was what shore leave was for.

But as a good friend, Jim Kirk was not one to fool around on the clock (too much). Scotty had Keenser, Spock had Uhura, and while he didn't have any long-term interests in settling down, he knew that his friend Bones surely did.

The poor bastard had been divorced and stripped of all he had before they met, and then with everything else that came with the job of being CMO on the ship, he had the gall to stay being a year-long Grinch. Jim's mind had been set since Bones' reaction to the second one night stand that he'd had back as a cadet. But now it was a thing: by the time that mandated shore leave came to an end, he would have Bones with someone.

---

His reputation, while not as prolific as some of the faces that he kept as company, still preceded him. At first, you only knew him as the ‘gruff man that flanked Captain Kirk's side’, but as time went on, you learned his name.

Doctor Leonard McCoy.

If it wasn't for the fact that you were transferred by Admiral Pike, you perhaps wouldn't have had the opportunity to be on the same starship as each other. Let alone working beneath him as Nurse. But still, it was an honour, and whenever your paths crossed, you kept your professional face forward. No matter what, you would keep to your oath as a healer, and those feelings would come second.

While in the Medbay, he was curt, quick to the jump, and a furiously good worker. Not that you believed that Captain Kirk was one to get into trouble - he was - or that he often endangered the crew with those actions - anyplace was dangerous, and it was a fact - but it seemed that the work in the Medbay was never finished. There was always an engineer with a pinched nerve, a scientist with an adverse reaction to alien flora, and because of this, the immersion into your work was both a blessing and a curse.

Maybe because the closer you came to your superior, that crush from years ago would flare up, and you’d have to work extra hard to keep your work ethic up. It didn’t help that half the time that you and Doctor McCoy were on shift together, he was doubly grumpy, and you’d have to circumnavigate that as well as your own feelings.

But that was fine. You were a professional. Keeping your feelings to yourself in order to keep to Starfleet code was easily done. It wasn’t like you were denying yourself anything - if anything, your needs were still there. Waiting. On the back burner.

That was fine. Everything was fine.

---

In time, you were alerted, like the rest of the crew, that the USS Enterprise was to approach a Federation planet for among other things, structural maintenance, restocking, and such. It also meant that everyone working on the Enterprise would get time to themselves while docked. It was your first ever shore leave, and excited, you idly planned things to do with such freedom. But while your co-workers chatted eagerly about the chance for some time away from the Enterprise, you kept quiet, and to your duties while on the clock.

Not that Doctor McCoy also being on shift as the news broke had anything to do with that.

"Oh, you -" he acknowledges upon entering the Medbay. "Nurse -,"

"__________," you supply, perhaps too quickly, "What can I do to be of assistance?"

He pauses in the doorway, swaying where he stands. Your keen eyes swept over his form; though he had just arrived on shift, you could see hints of fatigue; the bags beneath his eyes, the slowed movement, the deep frown upon his face.

He doesn't reply and approaching your superior officer, you ask again, "Are you feeling well, sir? Should I -,"

"It's fine, Nurse __________." He snaps, brushing past you.

It's a very rare day with no patients in the room, and you watch him as he goes toward his small office in the rear of the Medbay. He closes the door behind him and flicks the old-style Earth blinds over the glass on the door. You bite at your lip, chewing in earnest. What could be the matter?

---

By the time that Jim found out that Bones wasn't going to be on-planet for shore leave, it was too late to reschedule things so there would be an excuse for his friend to go and have fun. Not that Jim needed any reasonable excuse for that to happen.

He'd once orchestrated a fake wedding between Spock and Uhura to try and get Bones to stop working so damn late (but that had fallen through, mostly because it turned out that Spock was actually thinking about proposing to Nyota, and Jim's intervention had apparently been a "disaster" to Spock's carefully planned proposal). Jim had even once pretended to be sick in his quarters to have Bones inspect him personally (Jim had planned to trap him inside, watch holo-films and drink whiskey) but then Doctor M'Benga came instead of his friend, and he was forced to get the vaccinations that he'd been avoiding.

But now Jim had the perfect plan. He'd seen how Bones acted around that Nurse he always worked with - Nurse __________. Jim could have sworn that his friend chose to work alongside her because the man had driven every other person of her rank away. But, nonetheless. Jim had a plan. While not exactly a connoisseur of true love, Jim knew how to make it all pan out.

He could go about it like his other tricks, make something that was memorable, perhaps borderline disastrous, but his friend deserved the best. It wasn't a prank if someone was at least consenting in some way, right? And as far as Jim knew, both parties certainly were.

He saw how the pair of them looked at each other on the security footage. Like lovesick children! Like kids who had no idea how to communicate the finer details of their feelings to one another! Like two medical professionals too immersed in their careers to see beyond their noses!

That was where Jim came in, and smirking to himself at his brilliance, Jim went to reply to the message that had come into his communicator and make some magic.

---

The fact that Christine called you up out of the blue, and then set you up on a date should have seemed fishier than it was. But to you, your fellow Nurse was just a close friend, looking out for your pitiful love life, and even being assigned to a separate Medbay to you wouldn’t stop her from reaching out. But you trusted Christine, perhaps with your own life, if it ever came to it. Her judgement was (nearly) law, and so, you buzzed throughout the day, a mix of trepidation and excitement keeping you going.

You were supposed to meet the person at five at the entrance of the main mess hall, but there wasn’t anyone there. Confused, and a little betrayed, you messaged Christine for answers, but all she said was that he worked with you and that she’d kick his ass if he stood you up. You wouldn’t wish her wrath on anyone, and instead of feeling upset, you decided to find the mystery date yourself.

It was a quick walk to the Medbay, and though it was the off shift, the current nurses greeted you kindly. But when you asked about anyone who wasn’t supposed to be working being in the Medbay, all that one nurse who wasn’t wearing his nametag said was, “I don’t know about anyone, but the CMO is still in his office.”

Was Christine setting me up with…? You wondered.

There wasn’t a reply as you knocked at the door, and walking in, you saw why. Laying face-down on the desk, arms cradling his head, was Doctor Leonard McCoy. His hair was crisp in a way in which needed washing, from either from being carded through or lack of a care routine to it. He slept soundly as you closed the door behind you and made your way to his side of the desk, creeping around the papers that littered all the surfaces of the room.

A pit settled in your stomach as you regarded him.

Sleeping, he looked like a different man from the one you worked with. His frown-lines were unwrinkled, demeanour relaxed, and for a moment, you felt your heart jump at the sight of your long-time crush, and senior officer before you.

Ever since you were a little kid, your favourite type of person was someone that had two faces; one to the world, and one hidden beneath that one. That was perhaps because your favourite fairy- was Snow White & Rose Red. When you were seven, you spent a weekend seeking out the bears in the forest in search of a fairy-tale prince that was cursed to be one. Your parents quickly put an end to that, and ever since, you were left with one type of love on your mind. The kind where you would sift through, searching for the hidden prince beneath.

Maybe that’s why, after all this time you still liked him.

He stirred as you placed a hand on his, sitting up when you started to make sense of all the papers that were everywhere. You didn’t realise that he’d been awake until you looked over your shoulder, his papers in your hands.

“Hi,” you greeted, “uh, Doctor McCoy. Sorry to wake you.”

He blinked.

---

Jim was having a not very good day on the bridge, what, with Spock and Uhura’s latest spat over something that he didn’t care about. He excused himself, leaving his duties to his first mate, and made his way to the Medbay for something for the headache. Hopefully, he’d be administered something that wasn’t in a shot.

But when he got down there, he couldn’t see Bones anywhere. Records on his PADD said that he hadn’t clocked off, and yet, he wasn’t in the main area. Curious, Jim let himself into the back room, only to find -

“Nurse __________,” he greeted, looking between them, and his friend, “Bones!”

“Jim,” Leonard gritted out. “What are you doing here?”

“I want something for the migraine. Or at least, it feels like one. Don’t diagnose me, just give me the good stuff.” He prattled, looking through a first aid box that sat on one of the tables beside the desk. “I see you two are hitting it off. I thought tonight was your date, Nurse __________?”

“Uh -,”

“Jim, you have no right to pry into the private lives of my staff,” Leonard spoke up.

“Speaking of, why aren’t you at your date?” Jim added, finding what he needed in the box, and popping the paracetamol into his mouth, the captain of the Enterprise swallowed the pill dry in one go. “Sorry. I shouldn’t pry, bye!”

At that, he left the pair of them to their confusion, and waltzed back to his post, confident he’d ride out the headache.

---

“You have a date?” You heard Doctor McCoy ask you, a flush of heat growing on his pale face. Suddenly, you felt barer than you did five seconds ago when your captain and personal nuisance had waltzed in and exposed your private life. “Why aren’t you - what are you doing here?”

“They didn’t show up,” you reply, softly. “My friend - Nurse Chapel - she said they worked here, and I came to give them a piece of my mind, but then someone out there said you were still here, and I -,” you felt a wave of embarrassment flash across your face, and somewhat mortified, you stopped speaking.

“I’ll give that guy a piece of my mind.” He grunted. But as he went to stand, he sat almost immediately back down, in an unceremoniously simple way in which made you hear sirens. “…but not right yet.”

You blinked, placing all the things together that you’d observed over the last few days. “…sir, I think you’re experiencing fatigue.” You tell him, placing your wrist against his forehead. He recoiled, but just as you thought, he was burning up. Rescinding your hand, you began working on finding something to get him enough energy to rest in his room. “At least tell me you had plans that you’re missing, so I can feel better about missing out on mine.”

He snorted. “…Jim set me up. The bastard doesn’t realise what today is to me.”

You paused, looking to your superior. “If you don’t mind me asking, sir…what is today, to you?”

Doctor McCoy paused, and, softly, as if he’d never said it aloud in the first place, he told you, “It’s my daughter’s birthday. She’s eleven today, and I promised I’d be - I’d be back home for her.”

You looked to your hands. You'd never think of him having a daughter, and yet...you could already picture her. “I can see how that would tear you up.” You empathise, the words slipping out as fast as they come to your mind, no time to filter them at all. “…although I’m glad I missed out on my date, too. I don’t have a good experience with it at all.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Nurse - __________…?”

“Oh, well…the last time I went on a date, it was back at the academy, about fourth year? He was a quite nice guy, studying computer engineering. A looker.” You tell him, not sure why you feel so comfortable saying all this to him. “He turned out to be very much in love with his ex-girlfriend and he told me all about her all that night.”

“Did you call him back?” Doctor McCoy asked you humourlessly.

“Stars, no. And I haven’t gone out with anyone else since. Well, until…” you trail off, turning back to your supervisor. “I can’t find anything in here to give you, so I’m prescribing you the old-fashioned treatment of rest.” You tell Doctor McCoy. “I’ll even walk you back to your room so that I know you make it there.”

“My hero,” he said in his dry, Georgian accent.

Once you helped him to his feet, you got Doctor McCoy to walk out surreptitiously without your help. But once you exited the Medbay, you reclaimed your hold on him as so to keep his status in the workplace and got to talking. You spoke of how you knew of his friend the Captain, and how you were to meet the date at five o’clock. It was then he paused.

“I was supposed to meet my date at five.” He said.

You frown. “The one you said Captain Kirk set you up on?” you asked him.

Doctor McCoy nodded. “Yep, that’s the one. I was supposed to meet them at the mess hall, the big one, but -,”

“Oh my -,” you realise, looking at your feet like you just realised that they were attached to you, feeling something new in your chest, a rush of surprise, and exhilaration, “I think you’re my blind date.”

There was a strange noise, and looking to the man beside you in curiosity, you realised quite quickly that he was laughing. Quietly, of course, and in a way that sounded like a snuffle, or a chuckle, really. But he was laughing.

“Of course,” he smirked. “No wonder Jim was in our business like that. And your friend, Chapel, I’m sure she hates Jim but would do anything for you -,”

“Very true,” you retort. “It’s just…quite funny that it’s come to this.” You gesture toward Doctor McCoy, leaning on your tiredly as if he’s from the old Earth film Weekend at Bernie’s but is very much alive. “…I’ve always had a thing for you, you know.”

“Sorry, I…sorry I messed up your date for you,” He replied sheepishly, and added softly, looking your way, “…and I like you too. Have done for a while.”

“Would you go out with me?” you ask, hopefully. “Doctor McCoy?”

He grinned and pecked your cheek with a kiss. The five o’clock shadow tickled you and left you tingling after he rescinded from your proximity. “’course I’ll go out with you. Just not while I’m like,” he gestured to himself, just like you did before.

“Let’s get you to your room, doctor.” You chuckle, walking him on his way once more. Working together, you both made short work of it and made it to Doctor McCoy’s private room in good time. “…rest up, sir.”

“Thank you, __________.” He nodded, turning toward his room.

The door was about to close, but placing your hand in the way, it waited, and you met his eyes. “Good night, Doctor. And a happy birthday to your daughter.”

#Leonard McCoy #leonard mccoy x reader #leonard mccoy x oc #bones mccoy #bones x reader #bones mccoy x reader #Star Trek 2009 #star trek fanfic #star trek alternate original series #star trek x reader #chaotic--lovely #pendragonfics #gender neutral reader

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valkyriesryde · 4 years

Text

Guardian Angel

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Athena!Reader

Summary: PART TWO OF CALM She won’t commit to him. He doesn’t understand why. But he doesn’t know who she is.

Word Count: 2,130

Warnings: maybe some angst, maybe some fluff, some hinting towards NSFW content but its not explicit. And swearing

A/N: this is a part two but I think it can be read by itself maybe. Its also @mybesttobobcratchit Bex’s 500 Writing challenge! Thank you so much for letting me take part hun! love you <3

Masterlist

~~~

Midgard. That’s what Thor always called it. In the years since the blip and moving forward Thor had come back to earth a handful of times. He’d met Bucky, reconnected with his old friends, those that were still around at least.

On one of his more recent visits, when Bucky found Thor alone in the common room of their offices he couldn’t help but think of her. Thor was a god and so was she. Thor had power and nobility just like she did. She was still as much a mystery to Bucky has she had ever been and he thought, perhaps Thor had some answers.

“Humans believe in many kinds of gods, do you think it’s possible they’re all out there like you were?” Bucky picks his words carefully, he and Thor don’t exactly know each other well and he doesn’t want to give her away just yet.

“Of course it’s possible, myths always start as facts. Why do you ask? Have you met one? Who is it?” Thor fires questions at Bucky and a smirk spreads over him when Bucky falters at them. “You HAVE!” Thor’s voice booms with laughter as Bucky tries to hush him and looks over his shoulder.

“Maybe! Just be quiet. They can’t know!” His heart beats quickly as he looks towards the door but there’s no sound of someone coming and Bucky can relax. He wonders if she knows he’s told someone about her? If maybe speaking her name would bring her here.

“But why not? This is fantastic? Who are they? Have I met them?” Thor whispers into the air and the words settle around Bucky for a minute.

“I don’t know.” He doesn’t know. He has his theories, he’s got the clues. But he doesn’t want to make any assumptions. “She’s like a guardian angel, my guardian angel.” He feels almost breathless talking about her. He’s confused though, he doesn’t know, he’s not 100% sure of anything. She’s cryptic when she talks to him, refuses to tell him anything about herself that digs any deeper than what’s on the surface.

“She? Do you have her name?”

“Y/N”

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Thor shrugs his shoulders, he sips his coffee and peers over the mug at Bucky. Bucky who slumps in his seat and is lost in his thoughts until his phone rings and he’s out the door.

~~~

She comes and goes. Like the sun, she passes by and without realizing how long it’s been the sun sets and she has to leave again. She tried explaining it once, “if I’m here for too long people get suspicious James,” she said when he asked her to stay a little longer. “I’ve duties elsewhere you know that. I’ll always come back.” come back those were the words that hurt him. She had come back so far but what if she didn’t?

The sun was setting again. Bucky watched her tidy her small apartment, the one she kept for whenever she was here. Five months this time he’d had her. It was the longest he’d had her in the same world as him, the longest she had stayed in New York.

“Do you know when you’ll be coming back?” he picked at the thread of his jumper not wanting to look at the way her face dropped at his comment.

“When the time is right,” she muttered into the room, her focus on the cups she was putting away instead of the frowning man on her couch.

“And when will that be?”

“James…” she moved to sit next to him, she hated these moments; the goodbye. When he asked her to stay with him for a bit longer and she had to fight herself and tell him no, she couldn’t.

“How hard is it to give even an estimate? You never tell me, I don’t know if you just don’t know when you’ll be back or if you don’t want to tell me but either way it’s incredibly hard on me just waiting for you to return?” Bucky was angry. Everything came bubbling over at once, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling frustrated and annoyed with her. He thought they were happy, he thought he was enough but why does she keep leaving him.

“I always come back,” her voice was calm and that just fueled his anger. She shouldn’t be calm at a moment like this, she should be feeling some sort of emotion, at least give him something!

“But I want you to stay! You never do. There’s so much you don’t do. So much you don’t tell me. Do you even care about me? You tell me you favor me, that you love me but do you really?” That angered her. Finally, that was the thing that pushed her over the edge. How dare he question her love for him.

“Are you really going to look me in the eye and tell me you think I don’t love you?” She stood from her seat and looked down at him with grey eyes that made him feel as though he was in the eye of the storm but Bucky’s emotions got the better of him.

“You won’t even kiss me. What am I supposed to think?” Bucky’s voice was quiet, he was hurt, every time he would go to kiss her she turned away. She wouldn’t tell him why just that the time wasn’t right. There was never enough time, never the right time.

“Love isn’t just shown through physical affections, James.” Her voice low as anger fueled it.

“Sometimes I feel like I barely know anything about you! You just talk about me and everything else but yourself. I want to know who you are!”

“Who I am?” She held her hands in fists by her side, her jaw tightened.

“Yes.” He hit back. She straightens her posture in front of him and Bucky sits up.

“I was born when my father developed an unbearable headache. His skull was split open and out I came ready for battle. I had no childhood. I’m always on the winning side of the war. They named a city after me you know? A whole city.” She shakes her head and lets out a small laugh. The simple jeans and t-shirt she wore morphed and a toga, white as snow, formed over her. A familiar golden shield appeared in her hand. The face of a woman with snakes for hair, he knew that story, was on its front, she held a spear in her other as she stood over him. “Gods get forgotten, the new gods are merely the old with different names. That doesn’t change our history. I’m not remembered, I’m no longer worshipped but that does not change who I am. I don’t kiss you because I took an oath. If I kiss you I don’t know if I’d be able to stop myself. It’s bad enough that I favor you and I spend my time in the mortal realm but if I broke that oath? I would be disowned, I would be punished worse than you can ever imagine.”

Bucky stood from the couch and her shield and spear disappeared from her side. He wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling. In awe, enamored, slightly terrified, a little honored.

“You want to know who I am? I am wisdom. I am the helper of heroes, Odysseus and his son, Heracles, Perseus, Jason...you. I am the protector of the city, Pallas, grey eyes. Minerva. Athena.”

“Y/N.” Her breath caught in her throat when he spoke her name. The only one she’d chosen for herself. Bucky reached up and traced his fingers over her jaw, her chest heaved as he held her in his hands as if she were made of glass.

“I love you.” He brushed away her tears, she hadn’t even realized she was crying until she felt his fingers brush across her cheeks, “you have to know that.” Bucky nods his head, he feels the salt from his own tears when he licks his lips. Her fingers grip his shirt as he presses his forehead to hers and he lets out a shaky breath.

“I love you,” Bucky breathed out and his lips brushed against hers.

“Bucky-“ his lips pressed against hers and her knees went weak, his arms circling her waist and holding her close.

It was hesitant, gentle and filled with love. But when her fingers tangled in the ends of his hair and he pulled her flush against him it changed. Hesitant turned to confident, gentle turned to rough and the love evolved into passion. Hands pulled and gripped at clothes until they were piles on the floor. Hair was pulled, moans and whimpers filled the room and moved through the hall, they pressed against the wall, were tangled in the sheets, deep sighs and murmurs of love and adoration only reserved for one another floated around them. Somewhere in the distance lightning cracked and thunder boomed, rain poured outside but it only added to the ambiance of it all.

~~~

“You can’t love him.” They stood at the mouth of the cave, her bag slung over her shoulder as he leaned against the stone.

“That’s a bit hypocritical of you to say isn’t it?” She narrowed her eyes at the god of thunder. How did he know, how did he always know when she was up to no good.

“If anything my warning should be the one you do listen to. Nothing but pain can come from loving a mortal.” They were good friends, had been for a long time. It’s what happens when you're around for so long, your lives tend to cross every now and then.

“He’s not just a mortal though. He doesn’t age like them, he doesn’t heal like them. He’s not just a mortal.” She kept telling her it was okay. Everything would be okay. He wasn’t a normal mortal. He loved her. She loved him.

“He’s not immortal either, he’s not like either of us.” Thor always ruined her fun. She can love him for now though can’t she? Does she not deserve this, she’d lived a thousand lives, she deserved to choose one for herself.

“Thor I thought you would understand,” Y/N rolled her eyes at her old friend, she mirrored his stance and crossed her arms as if to challenge him.

“I do. That’s the problem grey eyes, I understand too well. I do not want you to get hurt.” Thor looked at her with sympathy, he knew the hurt, he carried it with him. The pain that came with rejection. Thor loved midgardians but he knew how dangerous they were when it came to their feelings. He didn’t wish heartbreak to anyone, especially someone he cared about.

“You’re not my father,” her father, god of the sky, king of the gods. She wasn’t afraid of him, not as afraid as she should be as she prepares to go home.

“You are lucky it’s me and not him you’re talking to.”

“By now he already knows, if anything being here with you is just me procrastinating the inevitable.” She shrugged her shoulders at Thor who couldn’t help but roll his eyes in return.

“You can’t run away from this, you took an oath.”

“And what does that oath say about love? I’ve kept that oath for thousands of years. I’m sick of it.”

“And what if it’s not love, what if this blows up in your face?” Thor’s warnings came from his own experience and his own fears. He’d been left behind, he’d lost his family and all of those that were closest to him. She was an enigma, she didn’t see the risk of it all, the risk that came with loving someone who could be taken from you so easily.

“I’ve never wanted to break it before him, Thor. If that isn’t love...if wanting to go against what I’ve promised and what I’ve been told to believe because of him isn’t love...then I do not care for it.”

“He loves you.” It’s a fact that Thor states without even thinking about it. He saw the look in Bucky’s eyes when they talked to each other earlier in the week. He saw the way his body completely changed, his posture straightened, his shoulders relaxed, his eyes lit up. Bucky was in love.

“He sees me, Thor, he always saw me. He was never supposed to see me but he always did...does.” She smiles softly and looks deep into the cave, Thor can see it clear as day, so was she.

~~~

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