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#like now I understand the potential danger and that I was lucky
kebriones · 22 days
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Stranger danger and all that but when I was 9 years old wandering the streets for hours to avoid my abusive alcoholic grandmother at home, it was a random strange old man who fed me salami along with his stray cats. Shout out to mr George I hope he's doing well. I knew to be wary of strangers but it was Snacks™ plus nice smiling person who didn't ask me why i was hanging out with dirty stray cats under his balcony by myself or scold me or shout or anything.
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nicksbestie · 3 months
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hi! could you write one where reader is struggling with a fear food and chris helps her through it? extra fluff and gentle praise? thank you!!
Fear Food - C. Sturniolo
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Summary : Recovery is hard, but your loving boyfriend is always there to help you <3
Warnings : Descriptions of disordered eating, mental health struggles
Word Count : 1005
Pairing : Chris Sturniolo/Reader (romantic)
A/N : I loved this req <3 ty so much for being my first Sturniolo fic req!!
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Mental health is an incredibly challenging thing, and when specific parts of it wreaked havoc on your life, it was even more difficult to bounce back from that. All mental health issues were challenging, but some of them had affected you more than anything. You had spent a long time dealing with an aggressive eating disorder, and even years later, you were still recovering from the effects of it, and still going through difficult patches in your life. You considered yourself in the healing process, and lucky for the fact that you had made it out of the most dangerous portion of it, but that didn’t mean that it was completely gone. 
You still had a lot to recover from, a lot of misconstrued thoughts and ideas that hadn’t completely left you yet, but you were slowly getting there. However, that meant that there were still a lot of things that had the potential to send you back into a dark spiral, and that included a lot of fear foods that you hadn’t gotten back into the habit of eating without letting yourself slip back into a bad moment. You were slowly tackling them, trying a new one every so often, because it took a lot of courage and could take a lot out of you to try and overcome that. 
You had a good support system now, and didn’t feel as alone as you did when you were in the depths of your disorder. And you made sure that you never took them for granted, because they were a big part of the reason that you kept going and kept trying to get better, kept continuing on that path of healing. Your boyfriend and his family had rallied around you from the second that they had found out, knowing that you didn’t have that support system from your own family, and they had never let you feel alone in your struggles. Your struggles weren’t broadcasted, of course, but you were supported in every way that they possibly could, despite not completely understanding what you were going through. 
Your boyfriend had promised with his entire heart that he was never going to let you go through anything like this on your own, and that he was going to do everything possible to keep you from having to deal with it at all, no matter what he had to do. And he had upheld that promise with everything in him, making sure that he was always next to you when you needed him, a comforting hand holding yours if it was necessary, a gentle reminder that he was always there for you. He was an absolutely amazing human being, and sometimes you had no idea how you had managed to be so incredibly lucky. He was nothing short of an angel, and he did everything he could for you, no matter what he had to sacrifice. 
He had kept that promise, and was still continuing to keep it, as he sat next to you at the kitchen table, a hand gently caressing the back of yours with his thumb, arm wrapped around your shoulders as he side hugged you close to him. You weren’t speaking very much, simply staring at the drink in front of you, quietly building up the courage to move towards it. You had gone out for dinner, and Chris had gently suggested going out for milkshakes afterwards. You had been a little anxious about it at first, and he had promised that it wouldn’t be a big deal if you didn’t want to go, and he would only do what you were comfortable with. However, he also knew that you were trying to tackle another fear food soon, and this seemed like one that he could definitely tackle with you. Eventually, after thinking about it for a while, you agreed, still a little tentative, but willing to try it with him by your side. 
You had gotten the smallest size, not quite ready for anything more than that, and you had decided to take it home instead of eating it there, since the ice cream shop wasn’t too far, and you’d feel safer in a familiar setting. So that was how you got to this point, silently trying to work up the courage to actually drink the shake before it melted too much. Chris was kind, soft with you, speaking for the both of you as his arm around your shoulders helped you stay grounded. 
“I know it’s terrifying, baby, but you can do it. If you don’t want it, or aren’t ready, we can put it in the freezer and try again another day.” 
You shook your head, sighing before reaching for the cup. 
“No, I do want it, it’s just… I’m anxious about it. But I want it.” 
He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of your head, sliding the cup forward to meet your hand. 
“I understand that. You deserve this, honey. You don’t have to finish it if it’s too much for you, we can always save it. Your body deserves this, baby.” 
You really didn’t know how you had been so lucky to win such a supportive boyfriend, one who told you that you were strong, perfect, and amazing multiple times a day, but you hoped on everything that you’d get to keep him around permanently. Finally starting to drink the milkshake you’d gotten, the smile that broke out on Chris’ face was enough to make you smile back at him. 
You didn’t finish it, but you drank about half, and when you decided you were done with it for the night, Chris set it in the freezer before coming back to the table. 
Placing his hands on either side of your face, he pressed a kiss to your forehead before pressing one to your lips, moving one hand to hold your own. 
“I am so proud of you.” 
Quickly kissing him back before pulling off, your smile stayed on your face. 
“Me too. Thank you.”
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theroundbartable · 16 days
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True loves kiss scenario but with a twist.
Arthur is sleeping Beauty (naturally) and Uther has declared that any princess who'll wake Arthur will be rewarded handsomly.
Merlin: I think I know how to wake him
Uther: how? Spill it boy?
Merlin: well, it IS true loves kiss... And I happen to have an inkling who might be in love with him, BUT I will only help under a few conditions.
Uther: *growling* I could just have anyone in this kingdom kiss him and figure it out like that
Merlin: yes, because that won't stirr trouble
Uther: urgh, fine. What do you want?
Merlin: I want you to accept that person as Arthur's potential partner. Regardless of station or ... Or whatever you may think is wrong with them. Don't kill them for their attempt to help.
Uther: ... What?
Merlin: And I want you to accept whoever Arthur chooses for himself after this, no matter the consequences, the law... Or Potential embarrassment to the crown. Even if he chooses against them, chooses another, it will remain his choice and his alone.
Uther: ...
Merlin: what do you say?
Uther: you could have asked for gold, land, a wife, you could have asked for knighthood and title, heck, even just your own horse... But you choose my son's happiness? Why?
Merlin: give me your word.
Uther: *stunned* ... You have my word
*Merlin kisses Arthur and Arthur wakes*
Arthur: *smiling dopely* Merlin? *Realization* MERLIN! What the -
Uther: oh
Arthur : father!!!
Merlin: I can explain
Arthur: what the ever living - father, I swear I -
Uther: I know exactly what's going on. Merlin, I understand now, I gave you my word. Good luck *leaves*
Arthur: did he just -
Merlin: i lied to you, Arthur. When I said I wanted to move on, when I broke up with you, I lied. I couldn't bear being with you, knowing it was temporary. That someone else would always have you trapped. You told me I was the love of your life, so - I helped
Arthur: huh?
Merlin: I gave you a love potion that you would only wake if your true love kisses you
Arthur: you drugged me?
Merlin: yes. To set you free
Arthur: but - you fucking DRUGGED ME!
Merlin: I bargained with Uther to accept only whoever you choose for yourself in love in exchange for waking you. I understand if you're mad at me for the drug but I feared you wouldn't love me anymore if I told you and I couldn't risk that you wouldn't wake up. I never blamed you for the rules you were stuck in but it broke my heart to see you struggle with it and I - I just wish for that choice to be yours. *Takes deep breath* you can hate me now if you wish but I don't regret what I did.
Arthur: Merlin, you - idiot! That was dangerous!
Merlin: I couldn't just stand by and mope while your dad trapped you in a marriage with someone else! You would have been miserable!
Arthur: you could have been caught! You could be DEAD for what you did! Even just for asking all that nonsense!
Merlin: Uther Pendragon always keeps his word
Arthur: gosh damn it, Merlin, you're lucky I love you
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not-my-final-account · 4 months
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By the way, head cannon that Fright Knight speaks about himself in his head in third person when he feels more like a knight than a human/sentient so yeah.
-
Fright Knight accidentally adopts his King, emotionally at least. It wasn’t his fault! His king was bruised so he asked and he was getting bullied, and his parents didn’t do anything and they were ghost hunters who want to kill and study him! Fright Knight had never thought he would be co-parenting with ghost hunters, lucky he had a human form. With a bit of help from Clockwork and Pandora Fright Knight was know King Phantoms legal god father, he was claiming custody if King Phantoms parents found out he was Phantom and reacted negatively; honestly he probably should right now given how many expamples of neglect he already had, but King Phantom was happy. Now let Fright Knight explain how he got here:
Fright Knight is used to Pariah Dark who is no doubt abusive in one way or another. Fright Knight is used to not moving a hair when his king orders him to stop. Fright Knight is used to a horrible king with a cold heart that knows no bounds to its selfishness.
When King Phantom comes Fright Knight assumes it will be the same.
King Phantom is not the same. It takes a few months but Fright Knight realised that King Phantom veiws him as an equal. As a person not a servant. This only makes Fright Knight more loyal to him, he thinks he would stay with King Phantom even if he got dethroned. His king had a heart of gold that put others before itself, while this had gotten King Phantom into a lot of trouble Fright Knight dared say that… he liked the change.
He was so used to installing fear into the people he meets, or being the one scared in Pariah Darks case, that he was confused when King Phantom seemed to do neither. King Phantom even asked if he had eaten and then brought him something called a Nasty Burger when he said he had not (Fright Knight did not know why they were called ‘Nasty’ they tasted adequate).
King Phantom was so young, being King was not a burden he should be forced to carry! Fright Knight was shocked to realise how many burdens a literal infant (in ghost terms anyways) had been forced to carry. And King Phantom was a kind and fair ruler, perhaps too mercyful for his own good Fright Knight mused.
Fright Knight is forever loyal to his kind King and has grown to care for him outside of a knight wanting to protect the king. So when King Phantom walked into a small lair he had made in his castle, with bruises on the side of his face and arm, Fright Knight decided to find who did this and give them a little tap with his sword, anyone who would hurt King Phantom deserved the fear Fright Knight would install in them. “Who did this?” Fright Knight asked, King Phantom glanced up then to the bruises on his arm
“Oh this? Dash bullies me pretty much every day, he got a bad test score.” King Phantom mentioned. King Phantom had told Fright Knight to understand a situation before jumping to conclusions to stop potentially dangerous misunderstandings
“Why would you change his test score?” Fright Knight asked
“I didn’t. He just likes to take things out on me and got partically mad today, hit me with a tray then shoved me in a locker and got my late to class. It wasn’t my locker which was just plain annoying.” King Phantom said, Fright Knight picked up his sword
“Where does Dash live?” he asked.
“Fright Knight! I’ve told you not to kill -or trap on their worst fears- people, even if they’ve mean to me.” King Phantom said.
“Understood. I will not go after Dash.” Fright Knight said, King Phantom nodded happily and that made not hurting Dash worth it (for now). However there were other parts of King Phantoms sentance that set off alarms “Your parents don’t do anything?” Fright Knight asked, he shifted to his human form (the king had made and gifted him a small amulet that allowed this, for when Fright Knight needed to see or be with King Phantom but could not be seen as Fright Knight. He had dark skin, dreadlocked hair, tatoos down his arms and usually wore sweatpants with armour hidden underneath them and depending on the situation either a hoodie also with hidden armour or just a black singlet.) and sat down on the bed next to the king
“They don’t notice.” King Phantom said gloomily. Fright Knights eyes wet wide and glowed blue
“What?!” he asked
“Their busy hunting ghosts.” King Phantom explained
“Hunting ghosts- to help you?” I asked
“No. They’ve been ghost hunters for years before they had me. They want to capture me actually and ‘tear the ghost boy apart molecule by molecule’.” King Phantom said
“Any other family you stay with?” I asked hopefully
“Well you know how Jazz my sister is nice, but she can’t move out yet. And Vlad is my uncle-” King Phantom started
“My appologies for interupting but Plasmius is your uncle?!” I asked
“Yeah I know! He keeps scolding me about my grades while we’re fighting! He knows full well that inbetween Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom and King Phantom I barely have time to study!” King Phantom said, I was already planning out people to take over some less important kingly duties
“I am talking to your parents.” I announced as I stood up
“What?! No! The cousin excuse only works so many times and at least even if he looked like a ghost Dan is the same ethnicity-”
“I’m sorry, your parents care so little they don’t even realise that the people you brang home are not your cousins?” I asked in horror, King Phantom paused
“Well, yeah. When you put it that way it sounds bad.” he said. I walked out the door and through a portal, walking straight into the Fenton house and pretending to be a friendly out-of-towner with an intrest in ghost hunting looking for teachers and a place to stay. My name was going to be Frie Getgi Ver, pronounced Fry Get-gi ver so fright giver, if they didn’t notice that they were truely horrible parents.
Part 1 | Part 2 (not written yet)
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mymoodwriting · 2 months
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13.2k, vampires, witches, magic, threats of death, blood, cocky behavior, teasing, workholic, abuse, workplace abuse, verbal abuse, lack of sleep, stress, work related stress, fluff, near-death experience, character death & resurrection, blood drinking, biting (@starillusion13 @peanutpinet)
“We should get a Queen?”
“What?” Johnny questioned. “Why all of a sudden?”
“I mean, there are a lot of benefits to having a Queen.”
“We’re doing just fine.”
“I’m just saying… it would be kinda cool.”
“Then go tell Taeyong.”
“I don’t know if he’d like the idea. It’s a whole thing, and we’d have to find a witch willing to do the spell. I doubt it’d be cheap too.”
“What wouldn’t be cheap?”
Doyoung walked into the living room, taking a seat on one of the couches and letting out a relaxing sigh. Blood still stained his lips, but he was quick to lick away the remains.
“Haechan was saying we should get a Queen.” Johnny stated. “And it definitely wouldn’t be cheap.”
“Why would we get a Queen? We don’t need one.”
“But it would make our lives easier.” Haechan remarked. “And we’d be more powerful.”
“It’s dangerous.” Doyoung reminded. “Although it’s not entirely a bad idea.”
A moment later the door opened and the others piled in. They just had dinner and now needed to let the blood settle down.
“Taeyong…”
“Hm? What is it, Haechan, still hungry?”
“I… kinda… but I was wondering… wouldn’t it be a good idea to get a Queen?”
“Wait, why would we need a Queen?” Yuta asked. “What’s that all about?”
“A Queen can be very beneficial for a nest. A source of power and blood.” Taeil explained. “With one we wouldn’t need to hunt as much, and our hunger would be better satiated. We’d be able to blend in with humans a lot better too.”
“That sounds great, so why don’t we have a Queen?”
“Well as you can see a nest doesn’t just have one. We’d need a witch to perform a ritual, and that itself is dangerous.”
“Well, I like the idea.” Jungwoo admitted. “I’m down to give it a shot.”
“I second that.” Mark added.
“Did you all not hear about how this is dangerous?” Jaehyun reminded. 
“How dangerous can it really be?”
“We can wind up dead if this doesn’t work.” Johnny said. “Why do you think it’s not a common thing among vampires? Whole nests end up dead in pursuit of a Queen.”
“Shouldn’t we at least take a vote on this?” Doyoung questioned. “It doesn’t seem like everyone is opposed to this deadly idea.”
“Sure.” Taeyong agreed. “We can do this anonymously.”
The boys wrote down their choice on a piece of paper and added it into an empty glass. Taeyong was the one to count the votes afterwards. Lucky for them their numbers were odd so there would be no tie.
“Before I check the votes, are we all going to be okay with whatever the outcome is?” Taeyong questioned. “We could potentially end up dead.”
“Considering we’re immortal beings.” Mark said. “The threat of death seems more like a challenge than something to fear.”
“I swear, how did I end up with you guys?”
Taeyong pulled out the pieces of paper one by one and showed the others, placing it in one of two piles. In the end, the majority voted yes to embarking on this dangerous endeavor. The first step would be finding a powerful witch. Fortunately Taeyong knew of one, so they could at least deal with that hard part. The next night they made their way to a witches coven. It wasn’t common for both their kinds to meet, or to be friends, but Taeyong was an outlier.
“Irene, it’s so good to see you.” Taeyong embraced the witch in a hug. “How are the girls?”
“We’re doing well. I was quite surprised by your message though. What could you possibly need from me?”
“My nest and I want a Queen.”
“Ah, you’re serious?”
“Yes. Is that something you could help me with? I understand if-”
“It’s your nest on the line. If you’re serious about this then I won’t stop you. Besides, what other witch can you trust with such a spell.”
“Thanks.”
“Come on now. You’re all invited in.”
The boys entered the house, being mindful of their surroundings. Irene led them down to the basement where she had all her ingredients and the space for performing spells. While Irene gathered her ingredients, and had her girls help, she spoke of what came next.
“Do you know what this spell entails?”
“No idea.” Haechan answered.
“But you are aware of its dangers, right? You could end up dead.”
“Since this isn’t common, we don’t know much about it.” Jaehyun said. “I wouldn’t mind you enlightening us on the situation.”
“Of course. You see what makes this spell so dangerous, and the whole Queen thing in general, is that you are bonding your very being to another. The spell basically fractures your soul and in order to complete it you must find a Queen. If you don’t, well, you end up dead.”
“How long do we have?” Taeil asked. “Once the spell is done?”
“About a week.”
“Seriously? That’s not so bad.” Mark commented. “How is it that a nest winds up dead because of this?”
“Oh, you think it’s easy? You better get that idea out of your head or you will end up dead.”
Irene had one of her girls draw symbols on the floor while she began to mix ingredients. She had the boys sit down in a semi circle.
“And you’re all sure you want to do this? Cause once I cast this spell there is no undoing it. Even once you find your Queen, you can never remove her.”
“We understand.” Taeyong confirmed. “There is no going back once we do this. So you can proceed.”
“Alright. First, I need you all to spill your blood into this bowl.”
One of the girls handed over the bowl with a knife, and the boys passed it down the line. It wasn’t exactly sanitary, but with their healing capabilities it wasn’t an issue.
“As I mentioned before, this spell will weaken you. The first day or so you won’t feel it, but afterwards you will. Your hunger will disappear, and sunlight will be more of an issue for you. What you need to do within that week, before you lose all your strength, is to find your Queen and feed her the potion that is created as a result of this spell.”
“Why do you make it sound like it’s so difficult to find a Queen?” Jungwoo questioned.
“Because it is. You can’t just pick any random person to fulfill the role. They must be compatible with you, all of you.”
“Oh.”
“Which is honestly the most difficult part of all of this. Once the spell is complete I can point you in the right direction of your Queen, but unfortunately I cannot give you a name or address. Time is of the essence, and you must be swift.”
“If you can’t give us a name, then how exactly are we supposed to find our Queen?” Yuta wondered. “This sounds like a wild goose chase.”
“I’m afraid I don’t really have an answer for that. I’m not a vampire with a Queen, but from what I’ve heard you’ll know when you find the one.”
“Pretty vague, don’t you think?”
“If you don’t wish to attempt this, I can stop here.”
“No. We continue.” Taeyong stated. “Now that we have more details of the dangers, we’ll make sure to act accordingly.”
“Very well.”
The bowl was returned to Irene and she mixed up the contents once more. When she finished she had it placed between her and the vampires. The girls sat beside her, and Irene began the spell.
“Last chance to back out.” Irene commented. 
“We got this.”
“Okay. This will hurt you as we begin, so bear with me.”
The candles that had been set up were suddenly lit and all other light sources were turned off. The girls began chanting, and when they opened their eyes there was nothing but a white glow. As far as they knew nothing was really happening, that is until they began to feel a pain in their chest. It felt like someone was ripping out their heart, but there was no way to stop the feeling. The fire from the candles grew in size, beginning to combine with the other flames. For a moment they were all blinded by the light of the fire, and then it all seemed to travel to the bowl, burning the contents into ash. Or at least that’s what they thought. 
Once the fire was gone the candle light went out, and all the other lights turned on. The boys could take a normal breath as the pain in their chest began to subside. Irene paid them no mind as she took the bowl and poured its contents into a small vial. She swirled it around for a bit before placing it in a small box and grabbing the bowl, returning to the others. Her girls pulled out a map and set it down on the floor. Irene lifted up the bowl and cast another spell before pouring out the remaining contents onto the map. The strange crimson liquid stained the map for a moment before it began moving. It created a small circle on the map and spelled out the name of the marked location.
“That is where you can find your Queen.” Irene held out the box to Taeyong. “When you do find them, they need to drink the contents of this vial, and then you need to stop their heart.”
“What?”
“What? Did you think your Queen was going to be human? No, no, they need to become a vampire like you, and you know how that process works. Once they turn, you must all drink from them in order to complete the ritual. All this must be done within a week. Understood?”
“Yeah, we got it.” Taeyong took the box. “I guess we should get going.”
“Indeed. And one last thing, Taeyong.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t die.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
🖤
For the time being they felt no different than their usual selves, although the clock was ticking. The trip to their destination wasn’t a long one, but they lost half a day. Vampires wouldn’t burn in the sunlight, unless they were exposed to it for too long. Thankfully they arrived during the night, not having to worry about anything but the task at hand. They found themselves in a small little city, a few skyscrapers painting the skyline. It was a beautiful place, but the size was a bit concerning. Their Queen was here, but they had no idea where to start.
“So, what should we do first?”
Haechan was the first to step out of the car, stretching his limbs and getting some fresh air. The hyungs had already picked out a hotel to stay at, getting the penthouse suite, now they just needed to check in. Haechan took in the sights, enjoying the view around him, and thus not aware of his surroundings. As he took a few steps back he wound up crashing into someone. Papers scattered to the floor, and both parties fell to the ground.
“Fuck, watch where you’re going.” Haechan hissed.
“Sorry, so sorry, you’re not hurt are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Haechan noticed a young girl frantically picking up the papers. She didn’t even look at Haechan as she apologized. This pissed him off, but before he could make a comment the girl winced, grabbing her hand and revealing a small paper cut. He saw a dot of blood bloom on her finger, and then he caught a whiff of her scent. 
“Oh…”
“I’m so sorry, but I really have to go.” The girl sucked on her finger for a moment before scrambling to get all her papers and stand up. “Sorry again.”
Haechan watched as the girl rushed into the hotel, disappearing from view. He was still on the ground, staring down the path she had gone. Mark soon came over and helped him get back on his feet.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s her.”
“What?”
“That girl… she’s the one…”
“What girl?”
“The one that just went into the hotel… she’s our Queen.”
“What nonsense is he spewing now?” Johnny said. “We just got here.”
“Listen to me, it’s her.”
“How do you know?” Doyoung questioned. “Or are you just jumping to conclusions?”
“I’m telling you, it’s her. Whoever she is, her blood, her scent, it’s calling to me… I have to go after her.”
“Easy there.” Taeil came over to grab Haechan. “You were just a rude prick to her, so I doubt she wants to see your face. And I’m pretty sure you’re just hungry.”
“Our hunger is practically nonexistent now. I’m not entirely hungry for her blood, but for her… although I wouldn’t mind a taste either.”
“Well, you’re not going after her.” Taeyong stated. “Some of the others can follow this lead of yours and the rest of us will check in.”
“But-”
“I’m not going to repeat myself.”
The boys all got their things and made their way into the hotel. Although Haechan was more focused on following the sweet scent. He wandered off just a bit before Johnny grabbed him, but it did provide answers. A sign in front of the hotel ballroom stated that there would be a fashion show there in three days. People were coming in and out of the room, meaning things were getting set up, and Haechan was certain the girl he had run into was in there.
“She’s there. I know it.”
“If you say so, but you don’t get to go.”
“Please, please, I’ll behave.”
“Taeyong already told you no. Now come on.”
Johnny informed the others about Haechan’s discovery, and his theory. With all that said Taeyong decided he’d investigate this, taking Yuta and Jaehyun with him while the rest checked in and took their bags upstairs. The trio made their way over to the ballroom entrance, sneaking inside when no one was looking. Once inside they could see that the stage was being set up, along with the tables and chairs. No one paid them attention, at least not at first. Since they were just standing around it was assumed they hadn’t been given a task yet.
“You three, what are you doing?”
“Oh, don’t mind us dear.” Taeyong compelled. “We’re just looking around.”
“If you’re not here to help with the show, then leave.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“The person in charge of this show. Everything has to be perfect, so if you’re not going to help, leave.”
“I-”
“Now!”
The girl snapped, startling all of them, and pointing at the door. That’s when they noticed the bandaid on her finger, confirming she was the one Haechan had spoken of. Although what had Taeyong and the others perplexed was her immunity to their powers. It could just be a side effect of the spell, but they couldn’t be sure that was the case. She started ushering them out when another voice spoke up.
“Y/n, what are you doing!?”
You quickly turned around to face your boss, Vevee, with a big smile on your face. She walked over to where you were and you began to explain.
“I was just kicking out these intruders. Everything is still going according to schedule, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Is that so?”
“You must be in charge.” Taeyong spoke, stepping up to introduce himself. “I’m Taeyong, I was hoping to meet you.”
“And you are?”
“Here to help. I see you’re having a fashion show, and I have some wonderful models for you.”
“Do you now?”
“Yes. Let me introduce Jaehyun and Yuta.” Taeyong gestured to the other two. “Of course I have a few other models, but they’re up in the penthouse.”
“Ah, so you’re the one who stole the penthouse suite from me.”
“Apologies, but I need the best for my models.”
“Vevee, we already have models for the show.” You interrupted. “We don’t need anymore.”
“A few more won’t hurt.” Taeyong compelled. “Right?”
“… you are right, why don’t you bring down your boys tomorrow morning. It will be easier to see if they’re any good once the stage is set and they can walk the runway.”
“Of course. I’ll return in the morning.”
“Vevee.” You said. “We-”
“That’s enough. This is my show, now get back to work.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Vevee offered Taeyong a smile before returning her attention to the stage being set, giving out some directions. You were glaring daggers at this Taeyong guy with his dumb models. He only gave you a smirk in return. Things may have worked out for him, but you knew you were gonna get an earful about this later.
“I’ll see you later, y/n.” Taeyong smiled.
“Fuck off.”
Taeyong left with the other two in tow. It wasn’t until they were in the elevator going up that they questioned what Taeyong had done. He said he’d explain once they gathered with the others. It seemed the rest were settling in well, and Taeyong gathered them all in the living room, gazing out at the skyline while he waited.
“So, how did it go?” Haechan questioned. “Did you find her? Was I right?”
“Maybe…”
“Yes!”
“Wait, what?” Johnny stated. “Are you kidding me?”
“No, but there was something about this girl. My compulsion didn’t work on her. I thought maybe it was because of the spell, but my power did work on her boss.”
“Don’t forget to tell them about the other thing.” Yuta mentioned.
“What other thing?” Doyoung asked. “What did you do?”
“Tomorrow morning you’re going to walk the runway, see if this lady likes you for her show.”
“What! Why!?”
“This y/n girl is working the show. So if we’re a part of it too, it will give us a reason to be around her. I’m not sure if she is the one, but we need to get more information. Even if it’s not her, participating in this fashion show will allow us to mingle with many other individuals in the city, making it easier to find our Queen.”
“I always wanted to walk a runway.” Jungwoo commented. “I’m down.”
“Then we’re in agreement. You all better be on your best behavior.”
“We will.”
🖤
Come morning the boys made their way down to the ballroom. The boss was nowhere to be seen, but they quickly found you as you were glaring at them from the stage area. Taeyong merely smiled and waved, deciding to help himself to the snack table with the others. He knew it would be best to socialize with all the other staff members, but before he could say anything he began to overhear some gossip.
“Did you hear what y/n did last night?”
“No, what happened?”
“She was trying to kick out these guys, and said this was her show.”
“No way.”
“Right? I mean, she’s not technically wrong. She does everything for Vevee, this practically is her show.”
“Sh! If the boss hears you-”
“Vevee won’t be here until, like, noon. Besides, she won’t take it out on us. You know Vevee blames y/n for everything. She got scolded over not getting the penthouse suite, and then for trying to get rid of those potential models. I swear, I don’t know how that girl puts up with such a boss.”
“I guess the pay is good.”
“I don’t think any amount of money is enough for being Vevee’s personal assistant.” 
“That’s true. Let’s get back to the green room, those models should be here soon, and I heard they’re hot.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to meet them.”
After overhearing that Taeyong glanced back over to the stage, seeing you give direction on light placement, speaking into a headset as well, and then answering the questions of the other employees that came up to you. If he didn’t know otherwise he would think you were in charge, especially since the real boss was nowhere to be found.
“Ya! Mr. Intruder.”
Taeyong didn’t realize you were talking to him until you walked down the runway to get closer to him, yelling and waving your arms around. He put on a cocky smile and walked over.
“Yes?”
“Get your boytoys to the green room for hair and makeup. There are some test outfits they can wear, so I want them ready to go in twenty minutes.”
“And where is your boss?”
“Upstairs sleeping. Any other stupid questions?”
“You don’t like me much, do you?”
“What made you think otherwise? Now go. You’re down to nineteen minutes.”
You gave Taeyong a fake smile and got back to the others, continuing where you left off. Knowing Vevee her alarm was probably going off, so she would be down soon. You still remembered how she fought you about staying at the hotel, especially since it wouldn’t be the penthouse suite. You had to put your foot down though, knowing she’d be hella late if she was at her own place, and at least like this you knew where to find her in case of emergencies. Or you could easily get her out of bed yourself. For now, you’d give her the benefit of doubt and hope she came down on her own.
🖤
Taeyong gathered his boys and went to the green room. There were plenty of others around, but he paid them no mind. A few of the stylists around took the boys, starting to get their measurements and figuring out what outfit to put them in. One almost got him, but he wasn’t a model for the runway. He wandered around a bit, taking in the other models, and looking at the official outfits for the show. Last night he had done a bit of research, getting more information about this Vevee. The lady had quite the reputation. Her work was widely praised, although it wasn’t easy to get kindness from her, even if it was fake. Taeyong might not have gotten the chance to be here if not for his powers. Which reminded him.
“You, pretty girl, get me an iced americano, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
He needed to test his powers a bit more, just to make sure if last night was a fluke or something. A while later he returned to the others, finding them seated as they were getting the last few touches of makeup. 
“Alright, models, please make your way to the stage for the test run.” You came to the green room, barking out orders. “Let’s move. This isn’t the big show but you all better act like it.”
“I was wondering where you were.” Taeyong commented. “I wanted you to do my hair and makeup.”
“I’m not a stylist.”
“Are you sure? It seems like you can do every job here.”
“Just get your guys to the stage.”
“Of course.”
You didn’t hang around the green room for too long, returning to the main stage and feeling relief upon seeing Vevee present. You quickly went to get her a coffee before approaching.
“Where are the models?”
“They’re backstage right now. Shall we start a test run?”
“Yes. I need to see who actually knows how to do their job.”
“Of course.” 
You spoke into your headset to give backstage the green light on starting the test run. The lights went down and the first model walked down the runway. You stood by Vevee’s side, examining the models as well to make sure everything went smoothly. For the most part you knew who was on stage as you had worked with these models before, but when you saw Taeyong’s boys you were a bit taken aback. You didn’t care much for them, but now that you were really seeing them, you were quite stunned by their beauty. This wasn’t even rehearsal, but they were good, and you hated it.
“So, what do you think Vevee?”
“Get them all on the stage, now.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Through your headset you told backstage to have the models come onto the stage. Vevee looked them over, pointing at the ones she wanted gone. All the new boys remained on stage to your disappointment. 
“Alright. I want outfits fitted for them.”
“Yes, Vevee. I’ll grab a handful for the promotional shoots as well.”
“Might I volunteer my boys.” Taeyong suggested. “Some new faces should draw attention.”
“I’m against the idea.” You stated. “It’s better to stick with models we’ve used before as people recognize them and trust them.”
“On the contrary. Something new will entice others to come. Besides, you have to admit all my boys are quite the face card.”
“Vevee-”
“That is an excellent idea. Y/n, have the boys prepped for the shoot.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I’m off then, I have a lunch engagement. You can handle everything here, right y/n?”
“Yes, Vevee.”
“I’ll stop by tonight for a proper rehearsal.”
“We’ll see you then.”
You only threw a glare at Taeyong before ordering the models back and following them. A few things needed to be changed, and you needed the stylist to prepare the new boys. Taeyong stayed with the boys, but then he got curious as to where you were, so he went off to find you. He asked around, being told you were in one of the green rooms. He knocked before entering, going to a few rooms before finding the one. He found you leaning against the wall, the smell of coffee in the air.
“I see you finally got a break.”
Taeyong didn’t get a response, figuring you were ignoring him, which wasn’t a first. He approached you, placing a hand on your shoulder when the cup of coffee suddenly fell from your hand. It spilled to the floor and you started to slide down the wall. He quickly caught you, seeing that you were passed out.
“Y/n?”
“Hm… what the fuck!”
You opened your eyes and came face to face with Taeyong. You screamed and shoved him away from you. For a moment you lost balance but were able to catch yourself.
“What are you doing here!?”
“I was looking for you.” Taeyong explained. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You-”
“What do you want?”
“I… are you okay? Looking at you now, you seem exhausted.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“You were sleeping standing up.”
“A quick power nap.”
“Did you even sleep last night?”
“No, I pulled an all-nighter to get things properly set up for today. Then I had to be back here for the final touches and to make sure Vevee woke up on time. I swear, she drives me insane sometimes. She kept fighting me about staying at the hotel, but I needed her to be here since she couldn’t possibly be late if she was so close to the event space. And- why am I even telling you all this. Are your boys done with hair and makeup?”
“How are you even functioning right now?”
“I’ll take that as you don’t know, so now I gotta go look into it myself. Move.”
“Y/n.” Taeyong grabbed your arm. “Go to sleep.”
“Fuck off!”
“How… you’re only hurting yourself if you keep doing this! Vevee-”
“Took me in after I graduated, when I had nothing! She gave me a job and helped me build myself up from scratch! So don’t you dare question me! You’re working for her too now, so we’re in the same boat.”
“But-”
“Don’t act like you care about me or something, you’re just here for a paycheck. Now leave me alone. Gosh, I’m gonna need to get someone to clean this room now.”
You pulled yourself out of Taeyong’s grasp and left the room as you called for maintenance to clean up the spilled coffee. You checked the time, needing to check on the models. Taeyong stayed put, once again left in shock over how his powers didn’t work on you, but also worried about the state he had found you in. He didn’t even notice until now how much you actually did, and how you weren’t really credited for any of it. He was just having fun by teasing you, but maybe he needed a different approach.
“Is everyone almost done?”
You went to the green room where the models were, glancing at each one to make sure they were ready. The photography crew would be here soon and you would have to focus on them while they set up so the models had to be ready. Everything was still on schedule, so you were at least grateful for that. You told the stylists to bring the models out to the stage once done. You then ducked out to make sure the photoshoot area was set up and met up with the crew once they showed up. You made sure everything was set up well, and then took note when the models arrived. They were quite intrigued by the new faces, but of course whatever Vevee wanted, she got. Although the photographer didn’t seem to mind the new boys.
“How do I look?”
Haechan couldn’t help but approach you, feeling exceptionally handsome today. You only rolled your eyes at the question.
“Presentable, now pay attention.”
“To what?”
“The shoot. You’re new models, I doubt you’ve done this stuff before.”
“I’ve never been a model either, but I’m a natural at it.”
“What?”
“Don’t you agree.”
“I swear you’re all just trouble.”
“Only to you.”
“Honestly. So if you’re not models then- Ya!” You ran over to Yuta, taking the drink out of his hand. “What are you doing!?”
“Huh?”
“You just got your makeup done, why are you drinking?”
“It’s just water.”
“Yeah, and now I need to touch up your fucken lips. None of you are professionals.”
You went over to one of the stylists lingering around, dragging Yuta with you. The stylist handed over the kit they had and you found the match for Yuta’s color. You immediately began to touch up his color.
“Is there something you can’t do?”
“Keep you all in line apparently. Don’t fuck up your makeup again, got it?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“So, can I buy you a drink later?”
“No.”
“Please. When do you get off work?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“Go on now, you’re next.”
You dragged Yuta over to the shoot area, watching from the sidelines. Now you could take a breath cause being so close to that boy was making your face burn. Usually you kept yourself composed around the models, you had worked with them before, but all this new talent, it was taking you back to when you first started. It had been so fun to work alongside Vevee, setting up shows, taking part in every aspect so you could handle any emergency. Now everything was just a job, and it was exhausting. Still, seeing the final product was worth it.
“You know, I don’t think you actually had that coffee earlier.”
“So?”
“Here.” Taeyong held out a cup of coffee. “Maybe you can have some now.”
“Thanks.”
You didn’t want to accept anything from him, but the caffeine wouldn’t hurt. To your surprise it was your order, but you weren’t gonna ask how he knew that. Instead, you might as well get some information.
“May I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Who are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“None of your boys here have any experience as models, so you’re definitely not some sort of agency. I know Vevee only let you participate cause they’re good looking and-”
“You think my boys are good looking?”
“Why are you here? Cause as far as I’m concerned you somehow talked your way into this show, but it was never your intention to be a part of it.”
“Perceptive, aren’t you?”
“So I’m right.”
“Not exactly.”
“Then why are you here? What do you get out of this?”
“My boys and I came here looking for something.”
“Well I hope you find it, and fast, so you can get out of my life.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Very much.”
“When I find what I came for, I’ll let you know.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Y/n.” Jungwoo came over. “Can you touch up my makeup?”
“Go ask one of the stylists.”
“But I saw you fix up Yuta.”
“So?”
“Please, I want it to be you.”
“So you can do makeup.” Taeyong commented. “You’re a true ace, aren’t you?”
“Shut it. Jungwoo, go ask someone else.”
“But-”
“Let her drink her coffee, go on now.”
“Fine.”
You rolled your eyes when you saw Taeyong’s smirk. You wished you could walk away but you had to keep watch of everything. Once the shoot was over you were relieved, finally able to get away from the boys. Everything was done for the day, but you still had work to do. All the other employees checked in with you before leaving for the night. You were back in one of the green rooms, working on your laptop and going over the pictures from the shoot. You needed to pick the best ones to send over to marketing. The goal was to have the promotional period out by tomorrow morning, so it was going to be a long night.
🖤
“She doesn’t like us very much.” Jaehyun commented. “Are we sure it’s her?”
“We’re not.” Doyoung reminded. “But it seems likely.”
“Your powers still work on others, right?” Taeyong questioned. “I’ve had no problem compelling people today, but it never seems to work on y/n.”
“Oh, that’s a first.” Johnny mentioned. “Unless she has anti vampire measures.”
“I doubt it’s that.”
“We should take her out to dinner.” 
“Didn’t you already get rejected, Yuta?”
“Shut it.”
“You gonna try again?” Mark teased. “I doubt she’ll say yes.”
“Maybe not one-on-one, but all of us, like some company dinner.”
“She’s already suspicious.” Taeyong mentioned. “So I doubt she’ll wanna be near us.”
“Suspicious?” Taeil questioned. “Of what?”
“Us. She knows you’re not models, and is questioning our reason for being here.”
“Well, we don’t plan to stick around for long.” Jungwoo said. “So it’s fine.”
“It’s not considering she’s most likely our Queen. We need to get along with her, it’s in our best interest.”
“We need her to survive.” Haechan remarked. “We’re gonna turn her anyway.”
“And don’t you think it’d be better if we were on good terms before then. Or perhaps we can get her to agree to all this.”
“Oh, that would be good.”
“Exactly. So be nicer to her tomorrow, understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
Only a few actually slept that night. Vampires were mostly nocturnal creatures but things had been different the last few days. Taeyong stayed up, staring at the city and the night sky. Every day that passed was dangerous, but he was certain of his choice, he just wanted things to go well. Before sunrise Johnny and Jungwoo decided to head down to the ballroom to look around the show area before everyone else showed up. They messed around on stage for a bit before heading to the back. The outfits they had worn the other day were just for practice, so they were curious if the ones for the show were around somewhere. As they searched they came across an interesting and concerning sight.
“Y/n?”
The boys wound up finding you passed out at one of the tables in a green room, sleeping on your laptop. They carefully went to your side and shook you awake, accidentally startling you and making you jump out of your seat.
“What time is it! How did you get in here?”
“Easy, easy, we were just looking around.” Jungwoo explained. “It’s barely like five in the morning.”
“Five… good.”
You exhaled and sat back down, turning on your laptop to make sure you had finished everything last night. You had, which meant everything was still on schedule.
“What are you doing here so early?” Johnny asked. “Didn’t you go home last night?”
“No, I was busy.”
“Are you serious?”
“You didn’t answer my other question though, what are you two doing here? Rehearsals don’t start til eight.”
“Just curious, but since we found you, how about breakfast?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
“Okay. I wasn’t really asking. So either you come with us to have breakfast, or we’re gonna mess around rehearsal.”
You glared. “I’d call your bluff, but you guys don’t know Vevee, or care. So fine, but we can get the hotel breakfast, that way I’m not far from here.”
“That works for me.”
You really were reluctant to share a meal with these guys, but you couldn’t trust they’d behave today unless you did this for them. The three of you went to get breakfast, although when you tried to get coffee they didn’t let you, saying you had been drinking enough caffeine as of late. You complied and got some food. Even if you sat and ate with them you had no intention of making conversation, but it was hard to keep quiet.
“How many hours did you sleep?” Jungwoo wondered.
“Enough.”
“You should have at least slept on the couch. Probably more comfortable.”
“I’ll sleep after the show.”
“That’s not exactly better.” Johnny said. “You’re compromising your health.”
“And you care because?”
“It’s concerning.”
“I’m fine, so no need to worry.”
“Vevee runs you into the ground everyday, how can you-”
“I’m not talking about work with you.”
“Fine. In all honesty though, you do an amazing job.”
“What?”
“Seriously. You’re pretty talented all on your own. I’m sure today will go smoothly. I promise we won’t be trouble.”
“I’ll keep you to that.”
You were caught a bit off guard by the compliment, but you just wanted to finish eating and get back to the ballroom. You finished up first and excused yourself, ditching them and heading back to work. Once other staff members began to arrive you had them begin setting up and get ready for the models. Eventually Taeyong and his boys came down and you directed them all to the green room.
“Another busy day?”
“It’s always busy.”
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Yes, your boys blackmailed me.”
“What?”
“Forget it. Do you need something?”
“No, but if there’s anything I can do to help. I know rehearsals are important.”
“Oh… uh…”
“If you need anything from me just let me know. I’ll be with my boys in the green room.”
“Alright.”
You really weren’t expecting a one eighty on these boys, but maybe they weren’t entirely unprofessional. Still, you weren’t gonna dwell on that and just continue with the task at hand. You hoped everything would go well, but when you got notice that one of your stylists called in sick you knew things were gonna get complicated. You didn’t have any other choice, so you went to the green room and got a list of who still needed work done. Of course it had to be some of Taeyong’s boy. You could see all the smiles on their stupid faces when you grabbed the makeup but you didn’t say anything, they would.
“Ya, y/n gets to do my makeup.” Haechan cheered. “Best day ever.”
“Quiet down.”
“Yes ma’am.”
You focused on the makeup, occasionally stepping away when others asked for direction, but for the most part you were keeping on schedule. The boys complimented your work, glowing over the fact you had gotten them ready.
“Y/n.”
“What?”
“Is everything alright?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Well, you said you’re not a stylist.” Taeyong pointed out. “Yet you’ve been here.”
“One of my stylists called off today, and I don’t have anyone else.”
“Ah, sorry. Can I help in any way?”
“No, you just…”
You didn’t want to ask him for help, but you also knew it wouldn’t be the best idea to just take on extra tasks. You really hoped he just didn’t make a fuss with you later.
“Actually, the catering service should be arriving soon. Do you think you can have them set up in the same area as yesterday? You know where that is, right?”
“I do.”
“Cool. I’m on channel four if you have any questions. Just borrow a walkie from someone else.”
“Thank you.”
You could mentally check off that task and just continue with what you were doing. When another staff member brought up the catering team being here you just told them Taeyong had it handled but to check on him and let you know if you were needed. You didn’t hear back so that was a good sign, and you could rest assured knowing your staff could get some food.
“When did you learn to do makeup?” Doyoung asked. “You’re good.”
“Just something I needed to know to help Vevee.”
“Have you ever thought of being a stylist?”
“My job is more than that.”
“Yeah, but having a solid career choice isn’t bad.”
“I guess, but right now I need you to be perfect.”
“It’s just rehearsal.” Jaehyun remarked in the next chair over. “You don’t need to be perfect.”
“If you have that kind of mentality about rehearsals you’re not gonna make it as a model. Every show is important, and you need to treat it as such every time. That way when it really does matter, you’re not stressed but doing something you’re confident in. So please, treat today as if it was the actual show.”
“Wow, never thought of it that way. Is that how you see it?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll do my best today, promise.”
“You better.”
By the time you finished with makeup the runway was ready for rehearsal. You checked in with tech to make sure they knew their marks and then told everyone to be ready in ten. As you stepped out to the show area you saw Vevee sitting by the stage with a coffee in hand. She was chatting away and seemed to be in a good mood. You took a breath and made your way over.
“Hi, Vevee, glad you made it.”
“Ah, there you are. Is everything ready?”
“Yes. We’re gonna-”
“Then let’s start.”
“The team is-”
“Now.”
“Yes ma’am.”
You called to those backstage to start everything in the next handful of seconds. You knew they were all probably gonna scrambled for a moment but then the lights went down and the models began to walk the runway. You paid attention to them, making note of where to improve while also making sure Vevee was content. If she had any notes she’d let you know afterwards. You went through the whole show in silence, thankfully the music playing made things less awkward. While you seemed focused on the models, Taeyong kept his gaze on you. Despite everything you were still working, you didn’t even take a seat for this. Once the show was over Vevee got up to speak with you.
“The models need to exude more confidence and pride. They’re wearing Vevee originals, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for them.”
“I will let them know.”
“Tell the marketing team to send out more promos in the morning, and don’t use the same pictures twice.”
“Got it.”
“Very well, on another note, what were you thinking!?”
“I’m sorry, what-”
“You had Taeyong working! He’s just a representative of his company and you thought-”
“It was no trouble at all.” Taeyong cut in. “I offered and-”
“I’m so sorry about that. Y/n should have no problem managing on her own. There was no need for you to step in.”
“I-”
Taeyong noticed you desperately shaking your head and trying to tell him to stop talking. He wanted to defend you, but seeing the worry in your eyes made him step back.
“Apologies. I don’t mean to worry you.”
“Let the girl do her job, no need for you to break a sweat.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Now y/n.”
“Yes Vevee.”
“I want another rehearsal tomorrow before the show.”
“What? If we do another the staff would need to come in before sunrise, and it would have to happen along side-”
“I don’t care for the details, just do it.”
“Of course ma’am.”
“Alright. My work here is done. I have to get ready for tomorrow.”
“We’ll see you then ma’am.”
You gave Vevee a bow and didn’t move until you knew she was gone. Taeyong took a step towards you and then saw your legs give out on you. He quickly caught you and held you up. For a moment you allowed it before getting yourself together and pulling away from him.
“I’m fine.”
“Sorry about earlier, I thought-”
“It’s fine. We need to run the show again.”
“Again? But we-”
“I need to incorporate Vevee’s notes. It won’t take long.”
“Fine. But you need to eat first.”
“What?”
“You nearly fainted just now, and it’s lunch time for your staff too anyway.”
“Right, right…”
“Come on, you need to take a break too.”
“I said-”
“I’m not asking. Please, if you’re not gonna take care of yourself then let me do it.”
“I-”
“Let’s go.”
Without asking Taeyong took your hand and led you over to the food table. He got in line with you, still holding your hand. He made you hold your tray while he placed food on top of it, asking what you wanted and getting his own food in the process. Afterwards he sat down with you, getting you some water and telling you to ease off the caffeine. He even took your phone from you so you could actually eat. You didn’t say anything to him, and he didn’t pry you to talk. The rest of his boys eventually came to the table too, but you didn’t make conversation with them either. You just wanted to finish your food and get back to work. Although you knew Taeyong had a point. It was lunch time, no one besides you would be working.
After you finished eating you excused yourself, and thankfully Taeyong let you go. Once everyone was back you had the models get touched up and had staff prepare for another run. When Taeyong came over to you he asked where he could help but you just threw a glare his way. You weren’t gonna ask him for help again. Still, he stayed by your side as you ran the second rehearsal, talking to the models and the backstage crew. Taeyong had to admit you were quite good at being in charge. Everything went smoothly and everyone seemed to be having a good time. You were a bit ahead of your own schedule which was great, but next came the hard part. You gathered everyone and informed them that they needed to come in early for another rehearsal before the actual show.
The complaints came rolling in, but it was what Vevee wanted and there was no going against it. Since everyone had finished up early, you let them know that once they packed up their things they were free to go. They all seemed a bit upset, and you really felt guilty for it. You checked over everyone’s stations and then dismissed them. In the end it was just you, or so you thought. Taeyong and his crew were still hanging around, some up on the runway messing around. You were glad to see them smiling and having fun, but the day was over.
“You guys can go home, you know.”
“We know.” Taeil said. “We were waiting for you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Dinner and then we can take you home.”
“I’m good, thanks. There are still somethings I-”
“Nope.” Johnny cut in. “Tomorrow is the big day, you should eat well and then get some rest.”
“It’d be a waste to go home considering how early I need to be here in the morning.”
“Are you gonna sleep here then?”
“…”
“You’re kidding.”
“You guys can go.”
“You’re coming with us.” Mark stated. “You can’t stay here.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“Easy now.” Taeyong spoke up. “It’s really not a good idea for you to stay here, especially without eating.”
“I’ll order something in a bit.”
“How about I propose something else.”
“Like what?”
“Well, my boys and I are staying in the penthouse suite. So why don’t you come up with us, we can get room service, and you can crash on one of our beds. That way you can get some good sleep and not worry about being so far from the ballroom. How does that sound?”
“I don’t know.”
“You need to be well rested. Tomorrow is the big day. I’m just trying to help.”
“Fine, but if any of your guys try anything I swear.”
“We’ll all behave. Promise.”
“Alright. Let me just grab my laptop.”
The prospect of sleeping in an actual bed was really too tempting to pass, so you went up with the guys to the penthouse suite. You were stunned by the view, heading over to the window and looking out at the city. It seemed to be alive in its own way at night, and you had never seen it like this before. Taeyong brought you over a menu and you ordered yourself something, getting to work in the meantime. You ate as you worked, glad you were left alone as well. When you finished up you decided to take a shower, staying in a dress robe afterwards.
“Ready for bed!?”
You yelled as you stepped out of the bathroom, seeing that Yuta had been waiting outside for you. He quickly apologized for startling you.
“Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Cool. We have a room set aside for you. It’s all clean, so if you need anything else just let us know.”
“Thanks.”
“Sleep well.”
“I’ll try.”
🖤
To your own surprise you had no trouble falling asleep with a bunch of strangers just outside the door. Although to be fair you had locked the door just for your peace of mind. You woke to the sound of a knock at your door, getting up still half asleep. So when you opened the door you were a bit surprised to see Johnny. That startled you awake, and the boy apologized.
“I didn’t want to wake you, but I’m sure you’d give me an earful if you were late.”
“Yeah, I would. Thanks.”
“No problem. Breakfast is on the table. Come by and eat before you head down, okay?”
“I’ll be at the table soon.”
“Good.”
You dressed in your clothes from last night, planning to change when you went down. You left your show outfit there since you didn’t think you’d be going home at all, and you were right. Once dressed you joined the others at the table, greeting them. You were still a bit sleepy, but you ate nonetheless and then excused yourself. You reminded them what time you expected them down and then left. Today was the big day and everything had to be perfect. Of course you were the first one down there, starting to go over your checklist and preparing what you could. The staff knew what they had to do, so all they did was check in with you before going to work.
By seven the models began showing up, getting prepped. You had no time to chat with Taeyong or the others, and they knew not to bother you too much. Then came the decoration staff and you had to direct them. While you did that you also made sure to check with the tech crew as they set up the lights and everything. You needed them to be ready to run another rehearsal before nine. No one was really happy to be here early, but that was the job. Soon enough you ran through the whole show. Any notes you had for the models you mentioned then and there. Honestly you wish there wasn’t one last rehearsal causing all this made you anxious.
Once that was done you made sure the final bits of decoration were done and then greeted the wait staff. The drinks and food needed to be set out and staff had to be given directions as well. You knew what kind of people came to these events, so one had to be mentally prepared for the type of things they might overhear. Somehow you were managing all this without a break. You didn’t know that but someone had been keeping an eye on you all day. When lunch time rolled around Taeyong came up to you, taking your hand and dragging you over to the food table. You knew arguing with him was pointless, and you would have most likely skipped lunch if not for him.
You ate a bit, not wanting to get too full and feel sleepy later on. After this the final preparations needed to be done, and it would soon be time to start welcoming guests. Vevee wouldn’t be here until show time, but until then you were in charge. Meaning that as the host you would need to greet everyone that came through to make sure they were on the guest list and tell them about the night’s event. You got dressed before then, doing your own hair and makeup. You made sure you could hide a walkie on you and anything else you might need while still looking presentable.You’d be representing Vevee and her company, so you needed to be at your best.
“Wow… you look amazing.”
“Huh?” 
You were in the back, stepping out of one of the empty green rooms when you heard a voice. You looked over to see Jaehyun a few steps down the hall.
“Oh, yeah, thanks. You look good too, Vevee dressed us both.”
“Vevee picked your outfit?”
“Yeah. Not my first choice, but it’s nice. I gotta go, so behave and break a leg.”
“Thanks.”
Jaehyun watched you go for a moment before going off to find Taeyong. He found his hyung in the green room with the others. The event of the night has already begun and he probably should have mentioned this sooner but he has to be sure. Now he was.
“Taeyong.”
“Hm?”
“I can’t hear anyone’s heartbeat, except y/n’s.”
“What? When did you notice this?”
“When we got down here. Although I wasn’t sure what was going on since I was focused on getting ready and the rehearsal. Just now though I followed the only heartbeat I could hear and it led me to y/n.”
“Now that you mention it.” Taeil added. “I’m not picking up anyone’s scent. Although I am getting a faint whiff of y/n off Jaehyun.”
“What’s happening?”
“It’s the spell.” Taeyong reminded. “We’d lose our power as time went on. We’re close to death and it seems the last of our abilities are leading us to her.”
“Then it’s for sure her.” Haechan said. “Y/n is our queen.”
“Yeah.”
“Are we gonna do it tonight?”
“We don’t have much time left. Tonight would be good. Although we need to make sure the show goes well, understood?”
“Got it.”
As much as Taeyong might want to stay with his boys, he couldn’t. With their powers dwindling he was worried for them, but then again they didn’t have much of a bloodlust either. With guests beginning to arrive he had to be out with them, he was the representing face of his boys. While he made some light conversation he’d always glance your way, seeing you up front greeting all the guests and offering assistance to anyone who needed it. Now that he was really able to see you, even from afar, he was quite mesmerized by your beauty. For the first time in a long time he could look upon someone and see them as they are, and not food. You were his regardless, but this was an added level of amazement.
Once the lights got low you were on stage making the announcement that the show would begin soon and for everyone to take their seat. All the important guests had their assigned seats and so did the photographers. Taeyong was in the front row noticing he’d be sitting next to Vevee, although he didn’t see a seat for you. As the people began to settle down he couldn’t see a place for you. It was upsetting but at the same time he understood you were running the show, so you probably wouldn’t actually be able to enjoy it like everyone else. The show started and Taeyong believed it went beautifully. All those present seemed to be enjoying themselves, and he made slight conversation with Vevee about the models, including his own. 
Not once did he see you, but he could hear your heartbeat, knowing you were backstage. The end of the show was met with roaring applause, all the praise going to Vevee for her amazing designs and all her work. It left Taeyong with a faux smile and a butter taste knowing there was someone else who deserved more credit if not all of it. He wanted to go find you afterwards but he was dragged into conversations as other people wanted to work with him and his models. He has no interest but he couldn’t just disappear now. He had to wait until the very end, when everything was getting cleaned up. He found you then up on the runway, watching over the clean up.
“Great show.” Taeyong said as he walked the runway to you. “It was wonderful. You did a great job.”
“Thanks.” You smiled. “I’m just glad it’s over.”
“Are you finally gonna sleep?”
“For like a day at least before I have to get back to work.”
“What? You don’t get some time off after this?”
“Not really. There’s always something else going on.”
“That’s not really fair.”
“It’s the job.”
“Then how about dinner? No, wait, it’s really late and I’m sure you won’t be leaving soon, so how about breakfast, the day after tomorrow that is. Before you return to work.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Cool. I should probably give you my number so that way we can keep in touch.”
“Sure. Here you go.”
Taeyong took your phone and added his number in, sending himself a message to make sure he had your number. He handed it back to you, giving you a smile.
“You know, there is something I need to talk with you about.”
“What is it?”
“Not here, but in private. I’ll save it for breakfast.”
“I never said I would go.”
“But I hope you will.”
“I-”
“What’s this?” Vevee walked down the runway. “Having a private conversation I see.”
“Nothing like that Vevee.” You assured. “Congratulations on another successful show.”
“Of course it was a success, you know I’m the best.”
“Precisely.”
“Y/n did a lot to help prepare the show tonight.” Taeyong mentioned. “She deserves some time off.”
“Taeyong.”
“Ah, so is that it?” Vevee questioned. “This whole time you’ve offered to do her job for her, and now you’re even trying to give her credit for my show and get her some time off? Are you trying to take y/n away from me?”
“Vevee, I would never-”
“You can have her.”
“… what… Vevee-”
“If she needs help to do her job, and has to have someone else fight battles for her, then she’s no longer as good as she used to be. So if you want something old and worn go ahead, I won’t stop you.”
“Vevee…”
“Go on now, do as you please.”
You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. After everything you had done, your boss was so quick to discard you. This didn’t make any sense, but for Vevee the conversation was over. You followed her as she turned back, fumbling with your words and trying to figure out what to say. Taeyong intended to do the same, realizing what he had done only to have you throw a death glare his way and make him stop. That would be his mistake. 
You kept trying to talk to Vevee about this but she wasn’t listening. Without really meaning to you grabbed her arm, pleading with her, but your actions upset her. Instead she wound up shoving you away, which in turn had you stumble back towards the edge of the runway. Taeyong could see what was about to happen, intending to use his power to get to you, regardless of him exposing himself, but when he took a step he realized he couldn’t move fast enough. Instead he could only watch as you fell off the runway, crashing into the chairs below. Soon enough the smell of blood, your blood, hit him.
“Y/n!”
“Oh dear, she must be drunk.” Vevee remarked. “Useless girl.”
Taeyong ran over, jumping down and noticing the blood pooling around your head. He was panicking, and soon enough the rest of his members came over, the smell of blood calling them. You felt dizzy, and you could barely make out your surroundings. The voices around you sounded far away, but you could feel someone holding you.
“What happened!?” Doyoung questioned. “What did you do?”
“It wasn’t me, it was that bitch.” Taeyong explained. “She pushed y/n off the runway.”
“Her heartbeat is slow.” Yuta mentioned. “We need to get her to a hospital.”
“Right… right…”
Taeyong picked you up in his arms, Mark using his jacket to cradle your head. They all made it to the elevator, intending to go down, but Johnny merely shut the elevator doors and kept them that way.
“Johnny, what are you doing!?” Haechan said. “She’s losing blood.”
“We can’t take her to the hospital.”
“What?”
“If we take her to the hospital the doctors will take her from us, and we’ll have no way of reaching her. What if she dies? Her life isn’t the only one on the line right now.”
“We don’t know that she’ll die.”
“Even if she lives, we don’t have that much time left.”
“You-”
“He’s right.” Taeyong interrupted. “I… I watched her fall… I couldn’t reach her… none of us have much time… Johnny, take her.”
Johnny did as he was told, hitting the button for the penthouse suite before taking you in his arms. Taeyong pulled out a small box from his coat pocket, getting out the vial that contained all their blood. He couldn’t be gentle with you in this state, forcing your mouth open and carefully pouring the contents of the vial down your throat. You choked on it a bit, but it was important you drank it all. When the elevator chimed they were in their suite, completely alone.
“What do we do now?” Mark questioned.
“We make her comfortable.” Taeyong stated. “This could drag on or be over in a few minutes.”
“… it’s cold…” You mumbled. “… it hurts… my head…”
“Sh, sh, it’s going to be okay.” Jaehyun cooed. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
“… hm…”
Despite knowing you’d survive, it still hurt them not being able to do anything to help. Johnny took you to the bedroom, laying you down. A moment later Haechan and Taeil came in, doing their best to clean you up and keep you comfortable. You didn’t seem to be in much pain, which was a relief, but they all kind of felt guilty. Truth was you had to die in order for them all to live, but this wasn’t how they imagined things to go. It was the last step, but so much had gotten in the way. They had to be better once you were back. They took turns tending to you all night, but by sunrise the penthouse was quiet. No one could hear the sound of your heartbeat.
“How long… until she wakes?” Yuta wondered. “What do we do until then?”
“We wait.” Taeyong stated. “This will be like any usual transition. It’s different for everyone. I do need some of you to get her some clothes, and others to run a warm bath to clean her up properly. She’s gonna be disoriented when she wakes up, and we all need to be on our best behavior.”
“Got it.”
They were all a bit awkward, never having cared for someone in such a manner. Jaehyun got a warm bath going, making sure they had the necessities to properly prepare you. Three of the others examined your clothes for sizes and went off to get you some new things. Two others went off to get the food you would need. By now they had about a day left before they’d meet their own end, but they were all more concerned with you above all else. They had cleaned up the room you were in, and carefully dressed you in some comfortable clothes. The hours really dragged on, but they just had to be patient.
🖤
You inhaled softly, your eyes fluttering open. There was a dryness in your throat, and a low ringing in your ear that was starting to get louder. You groaned as you sat up, wanting to get out of bed. At the moment your memories were hazy, but you needed to get something to drink. You managed to get your legs under you, although you were unsteady with every step. You leaned against the hall when you got out of the room, although the noises around you were getting louder and louder. You fell to your knees, placing your hands over your ears but it did little to help.
“Y/n! You’re awake.”
Doyoung found you curled up on the floor, glad to see you were up, but also worried upon seeing the state you were in.
“What’s wrong?”
“Loud… everything’s so loud…”
“Yeah, that tends to overwhelm you the most. Just focus on one thing for now, like your heartbeat. Try to drown everything else out except for that.”
You did your best to follow Doyoung’s directions as he kept chatting with you. It was difficult at first to really hone in on your own heartbeat, but slowly you managed, all the other sounds fading away. Although, once you really began to listen you realized how slow it was beating, and that was scaring you.
“Y/n, what’s wrong?”
“My heart… am I dying…”
“Uh, well… it’s complicated… do you remember the other night? After the show?”
“The show… I… I was…”
You didn’t know when the tears started falling, but they were present as a bunch of memories came rushing in. You screamed and grabbed your head, looking for the injury, the blood, but there was nothing. You seemed to be fine, but that was far from the truth. Doyoung wasn’t sure what to do at the moment, but he pulled you into his arms, holding you close and trying to sooth you, not wanting you to hurt yourself. By now you had attracted attention, and the others came by to see what was going on. Everyone was glad to see you up, but not in this state.
“Y/n, it’s okay, everything is okay.” Taeyong got down to your level. “You’re just fine.”
“She… she…”
“Sh, sh, you’re not hurt. Everything is alright now.”
“No… no… what happened? What’s going on? Everything… everything’s wrong, it’s wrong!”
“Why do you say that?”
“It’s so loud… and my throat hurts and… and… I’m supposed to be dead… aren’t I?”
“Y/n…”
“Please, just tell me what’s happening…”
Taeyong sighed. “You are dead, y/n.”
“… what…”
“You died the other night, you bled out. You wouldn’t make it to the hospital… so we brought you here instead… and we saved you…”
“Saved me…? Ha… how? You… you said…”
“I know it’s a lot but I can explain.”
“Why… why would you… why me…”
It was hard to accept the words you were being told, and it was getting difficult to breathe. You had lost focus, starting to get overwhelmed by all the sounds around you. It wasn’t long before you wound up passing out, making them all worry.
“Y/n!” Taeyong yelled. “Y/n!”
He gently grabbed your face, placing a finger under your nose to make sure you were breathing. Everything he had said probably got to you.
“Get her back to her room, and someone get her some food. She’ll wake up again soon.”
Haechan and Yuta went off to find you some food, and the others all got you back to bed. No one left the room, everyone waiting around for you to regain consciousness. The silence was driving them all mad, but upon hearing your whimper they grew still. You opened your eyes, seeing that you were in the same room as before. Nothing had changed, so this most likely wasn’t a dream. You slowly sat up, a bit startled when you saw all the other boys in the room.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Johnny asked. “Better?”
“It’s still loud…” You took a deep breath to focus your hearing, but your own heartbeat was still making you uneasy. “I’m… I’m really dead…”
“You died.” Jaehyun corrected. “But you’re not actually dead.”
“Then what am I…”
“Do you believe in vampires?”
“They’re not… real…”
“We very much are.”
“So… are you all…” You looked around the room. “… vampires… am I…?”
“Yes.” Mark confirmed. “You’re just like us.”
“… why…”
“What do you mean?”
“Why me… why did you save me? I… I don’t understand…”
“Because-”
“Let me be honest.” Taeyong cut in. “It’s always been you.”
“What?”
Despite everything being so new to you Taeyong wanted to be honest from the beginning. You had eternity together, and if not, you’d all go to the grave as one. He sat down at the edge of the bed, gently reaching over to take your hand in his.
“Remember how I told you we came here looking for something.”
“Yeah…”
“Well, that something was you.”
“… why…”
“You can call it destiny. We came to this place in search of a better life, and our journey led us to you. I honestly should have known from the start. A girl with fire like you, I don’t think I’d want anyone else.” Taeyong chuckled. “Truth is, we’re all connected through you now. We needed someone so we’d be reborn as something better, just like you.”
“Me…?”
“You are my queen now.” Taeyong kissed your hand. “Of course things are more complicated than they seem, but we’re here for you, and we will take care of you.”
“… a queen…”
“Just like a bee hive. We’re here for you. I really wanted to explain all this to you before but… we couldn’t just let you die, especially since we’d die with you.”
“What?”
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but there is still something else. In order for everything to be alright, we do need to drink your blood.”
“My… my blood?”
“Yes. I understand this is all still new to you, and the idea probably seems crazy, but as you get used to all this you’ll see that you’re far stronger than you can imagine. Stronger than us even.”
“… and if you don’t?”
“We’ll definitely die, and I’m pretty sure you will too…”
“Oh…”
“You don’t need to decide right now, but I do need-”
“Here.” You held out your wrist. “Let’s get it over with.”
“If you’re not-”
“I don’t want you guys to die.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, but this is gonna feel… weird.”
Taeyong grabbed your wrist, placing a gentle kiss on it before exposing his fangs and biting you. A loud gasp escaped your lips followed by a rush of euphoria. Your eyes were wide and you had your head thrown back a bit. You didn’t even realize when Taeyong had pulled away, not until he was reaching up to caress your cheek.
“How do you feel?”
“Definitely… weird…”
“I thought so, but you’re okay, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. You think you can do it again?”
“Sure.”
You were still a bit out of it, but you certainly felt another pair of fangs dig into your wrist. That same pleasurable feeling coarse through you again, and you wound up laying back on the bed. You felt a hand on your head, seeing Yuta smiling down at you.
“You still okay?”
“Hm…”
“You do need to eat too.”
“I’m not hungry…”
“You said your throat was dry earlier.”
“Oh yeah…”
“Come on. Let’s get you back up.”
Yuta helped you sit back up, making sure you were leaning against the headboard. You saw him bring a thermos to your lips. A strange scent hit your nose. It was something unfamiliar, but it smelled amazing. Yuta carefully tilted up the thermos, letting you get a taste of strange liquid. As soon as you had a drop on your tongue you grabbed the thermos and drank it all. It felt refreshing and invigorating. You wanted more, but the thermos was empty.
“Easy, easy. We have plenty more.”
“What is it?”
“What do you think, you’re a vampire.”
“Ah… blood… tastes better than I thought…”
All the boys seemed to laugh, and their easy going vibes were certainly putting you at ease. Everything was so new to you, but having them there made you feel better. You still didn’t quite understand this connection they mentioned, and what was in store for you down the line, but at least you weren’t scared. You had some more blood, and the others took turns biting you. Each one still felt just as amazing as the last. Afterwards they let you rest and you certainly slept the day away. You were a bit surprised to wake up later to find yourself alone, but you could hear noises just outside the door. The others were around, so you weren’t truly alone.
You carefully got out of bed, feeling a lot stronger than before. You managed to walk out of the room and made your way down the hall. As you stepped into the living room you noticed the sun shining in. It caught you a bit by surprise, but before you could really take it in you heard someone scream and then you were on the floor. Mark had tackled you to the ground, keeping you close while the two of you laid behind the couch. You had no idea what was going on and you were a bit too scared to ask. After the initial attack Mark was doting on you, making sure you were alright.
“You okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I’m fine… why did you…”
“You’re still a baby, the sun can hurt you.”
“The sun? It didn’t hurt though…”
“It didn’t?”
“No…”
You carefully pulled away from Mark, getting on your knees. You slowly lifted up your hand above the couch, feeling the sunlight against your skin. There was a bit of a tingle, but it definitely didn’t hurt. Mark was a bit stunned, getting up and helping you to your feet as well.
“I guess you’re a lot more powerful than I thought.”
“Sorry.”
“For what?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”
“You were just worried and looking out for me. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. You hungry?”
“Kinda…”
“Then let’s get you some food.”
You sat at the dining table as Mark got you some food. A few of the others joined you later on, Mark getting scolded once they learned about what he did. You assured everyone you were fine and there was no need to yell at the boy. Although, since they had your attention, there was something to discuss.
“Y/n.”
“Hm?”
“I know you’re still adjusting to everything, but it would be best if we took you home.”
“Home?”
“We only came here to find you.” Doyoung said. “And now that we did, it’s best we get you somewhere better suited for you as you start this new chapter with us.”
“I see…”
“It won’t be easy to just let everything go.” Jaehyun added. “But you have time.”
“I might, but not everything else.”
“We can stay a while longer, but it’s best we leave.” Taeyong mentioned. “We need to pack your things and-”
“I need to see her again.”
“No.”
“You don’t even-”
“Who else would you want to see at this point? I know who you’re talking about, and the answer is no.”
“You said I’m your queen, so you listen to me.”
“It’s our job to do what’s best for you, and seeing that bitch isn’t it.”
“I’m not gonna do anything. I just… I just want to see her one last time… please.”
“Fine, but not alone.”
“I understand.”
It kinda felt surreal, going back to your own place and packing your things. Your life had drastically changed in a matter of hours, and there was no going back. Even though it had been a couple of days since the whole incident, you knew exactly where Vevee would be. She wasn’t one to change her schedule, especially for someone like you. So Johnny, Haechan, and Taeyong accompanied you into a restaurant. Vevee always enjoyed her brunch meetings, if you could actually call them that. You didn’t worry about reservation or staff, you just walked in knowing the boys would deal with the other things.
“Vevee.”
It wasn’t hard to find your former boss, and you just walked up to the table. There was a lot you wanted to say, but in the moment you kinda locked up, and of course she spoke her mind.
“Ah, finally put yourself back together I see. Have you come to apologize? You left a mess at-”
“Are you fucken serious right now?”
“Language. You-”
“Shut up! You fucken killed me and you don’t even care? I guess your pathetic brain can’t even comprehend your actions.”
“Excuse me?” Vevee got up. “Watch your fucken tone with me.”
“Fuck you! You’re a terrible person, and you can’t do anything on your own. After that last show, I’m done. I quit.”
“You quit? Just like that?”
“Goodbye.”
Vevee scoffed. “You are never going to work in this industry. I-”
“I don’t care. I’m not even sure I want to, but if I ever do, I’ll do so over your dead body. Have a nice life.”
You walked away without another word, not caring to hear anything more. You may not have said everything you wanted to, but at least you made your peace. The boys were waiting for you, offering you comforting smiles. You followed them out to the car waiting. As you drove off you couldn’t help but look out the window and watch the city pass you by. This place was once your home, you gave it a lot of you, and now you were leaving. You didn’t think things would go down this way, but it wasn’t really a goodbye. You could come back here someday, but you’ll be very different, and the city itself might be different too.
“Are you alright?” Taeil asked. “Is there something else you need to do?”
“No, no, I’m just… I’ll be okay… right?”
“Of course. We’re here for you.”
“Thanks.”
87 notes · View notes
stwritings · 8 months
Text
I Warned You
Synopsis
The aftermath of Eddie and reader's night together following a bad drug trip. Requested part 2, you can read part 1 here!
What To Expect/Warnings
This is a rather heavy topic and potentially triggering to some so please proceed with caution. ♡
No use of y/n, smut, 18+!!!, toxic relationship, mentions of drug use & peer pressuring, alcohol consumption/intoxication, brief mentions of eating/description of food, anxiety/brief mention of panic attack, hurt/comfort, violence, angst, mutual pining, slight emotional & physical cheating (reader is aware of it and feels bad), happy ending.
Let me know if i missed anything! (also this is my first time writing smut so pls bare with me🥺)
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Dawn broke in the Munson's cozy home when the sound of the trailer door shutting stirred Eddie out of his sleep; his uncle had returned from work.
It took Eddie a few seconds to gather why he was laying on his back, seeing as he was normally a stomach sleeper. His body also seemed to be overheating, which was also cause for confusion. Post inspections of his surroundings quickly cleared up his confusion as he noticed the weight of her head on his chest, along with the heavy blanket draped on top of them. The trailer usually didn't offer much insulation from the cold outdoors, so this newfound warmth from her presence felt nice. The feeling was foreign, but nice nonetheless.
He lightly hummed in content and began shutting his eyes again before quickly snapping them wide open.
The events of the night prior came flooding back, dragging him out of the moment. A mournful feeling washed over him as he thought back on the state of fear and discomfort she was in. He still couldn't believe how little compassion or care was shown from her boyfriend. Was he even one bit worried about her unknown whereabouts? Her safety? For all he knew, his girlfriend could be in serious danger or worse... Sadly, Samuel didn't seem to care. He had shown his true colors that night, and they weren't pretty.
Despite this, Eddie couldn't help this gnawing feeling of guilt starting to build in the pit of his stomach. Samuel didn't deserve an ounce of sympathy, but Eddie was a good person, and he felt pretty scummy laying in bed with his girlfriend, no matter how pure his intentions were. He also worried about her reaction once she woke up, would she have any recollection of the events that had transpired? The last thing he wanted was for her to think he had taken advantage of her while in such a vulnerable state.
Not wanting to risk making her feel uncomfortable, he attempted to get out of bed by gently sliding from under her. After successfully freeing one of his arms, his efforts were overshadowed by her readjusting even closer to him, letting out a tranquil sigh once she was settled. Eddie froze, his prior discomfort regarding the situation had now worsened now that her body was tangled tightly around his. He briefly thought of waking her, but upon glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he figured he would let her sleep in some more. Besides, it was only 6 am.
_
Eddie stared at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity following his failed attempts at falling asleep. He laid in bed listening to the tv quietly playing from the living room and tried following along with whatever show Wayne had put on. He quickly gave up after a while, the volume being too low for him to understand anything. He gently leaned over to get a glimpse at the clock now reading 8:35 am. She was still fast asleep, not showing any sign of waking up soon. He figured he may as well relax a little and untense, accepting that he'd be there a while. He began lightly stroking her hair as his arm was once again trapped under her head. He thanked his lucky stars neither of them had been scheduled to work that weekend.
-
10:51 am
She began to gently stir awake, her eyes remaining closed. She fought to stay asleep for as long as she could, not wanting that feeling of serenity to fade. She leaned into the man embracing her, momentarily forgetting she had spent the night at Eddie's. She took in the feeling of him, appreciating his presence with all of her senses. His warm body holding her while his hand lightly caressed her head. His shallow sleepy breathing causing her head to gently rise as his chest did. His sweet yet musky scent filling the air. It was unbelievably comforting, the feeling overwhelming in the best way possible.
The moment was perfect, and she never wanted it to end.
She shifted slightly in an attempt to get closer to him, despite already having most of her body resting on his form. Her movements yielded the results she was hoping for as Eddie pulled her closer as his grip tightened lovingly. He sighed sleepily and hummed in content, the small reaction made her stomach flip. No longer able to fight her state of consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes scanning the room around her while being careful not to disturb Eddie with any harsh movements.
The reality of last night's events started to dawn on her, and she was quickly met with the feeling of her aching body. She was now painfully aware of the searing headache, along with her desperate need for water. This was far worse than any hangover she had felt before, granted, she had never done hard drugs before.
She felt like she was rotting from the inside; body, mind and spirit... She felt drained in every sense of the word, but especially mentally. The come down from whatever she had taken wasn't done messing with her yet, taking a toll on her well being well into the next day. There was an overwhelming sense of dread looming over her, one she couldn't seem to shake.
She knew there would be hell to face once she returned to her apartment, no matter how hard she'd try to keep the peace. She unintentionally tightened her grip on Eddie's shirt, her body becoming rigid. Unbeknownst to her, Eddie wasn't asleep but rather resting his eyes and was quick to notice her change in demeanor. Worried he was overstepping or making her uncomfortable, he loosened his hold and inched away slightly, tilting his head downwards to face her.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked, his tone low and husky.
His sudden words startled her slightly, her head snapping up to meet his gaze. She paused for a moment, admiring his face while taking in his beauty. It was almost unfair that he looked this lovely in the morning. His hair fell perfectly, only a few strands out of place. There was a shimmer in his eyes that she had never noticed before. He still had a few pillow markings on his face, most likely caused from sleeping on his face at some point in the night. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, his worried gaze softened into a warm smile of his own as he waited for her response.
"Hi" she whispered, unintentionally ignoring his previous inquiry.
"Hi" he responded while chuckling lightly.
They stared at one another for a few minutes, unsure of how to break the silence. Their faces were inches away from each other, her body still tangled with his. The air was thick with unspoken feelings becoming harder to ignore. They were both painfully aware of their longing for one another, trying to gage what their next move should be. Her morals were becoming greyer by the second, her feelings for Eddie taking precedent. Eddie on the other hand was hoping she would make the first move while cursing himself for thinking this way. For a brief moment, she came close to giving in, feeling her face begin to move closer to his. She reluctantly halted her movements, knowing in her heart that it was the right thing to do.
Eddie's heart just about stopped in that moment. He was so hopeful and it broke him to see her change of heart in real time. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, to cherish her for all she was worth. But it wasn't his place, and he certainly wouldn't be the one to bring up romantic feelings.
She began to withdraw from his hold, sitting up on the bed to face him. The feeling of loneliness found it's way back to her heart the moment she left his embrace. Eddie noticed her shift in behavior and began to worry he had in fact overstepped. He couldn't help but think that their friendship would forever be changed. He was plagued with a million questions, none of which he truly wanted the answers to. The biggest one being, what now? Does life resume as it once was with no mention of that evening? Would there always be these unresolved feelings that wouldn't be acknowledged? Eddie knew he would forever see her in a different light, unable to bare the mere mention of her boyfriend. It was all too much. All he could do was smile apologetically at her as they sat in silence. After a few seconds, the quietness in the room was growing uncomfortable and she felt obliged to speak. "I'm sorry about all that" she began.
"'Bout what?" he replied genuinely.
"Everything"
Her body was slightly slumped over now, eyes glued to her fingers she was picking at nervously. She wasn't sure how to elaborate on her apology. She was overcome by a massive wave of guilt, feeling as though she was letting everyone down. She knew Eddie had feelings for her, now more than ever, and it tore her up. Putting him through all this crap, subjecting him to Samuel's antics. She felt horrible, Eddie deserved nothing but the best and she was giving him the opposite.
Eddie didn't respond right away, unsure what to say. He instinctively reached out his hand to place it softly on top of hers in a comforting gesture. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
She sighed heavily, shutting her eyes tightly in an effort to suppress her tears forming involuntarily. "I shouldn't have stayed here..." she let out weakly.
Eddie's heart sank once again. "Look, I... I didn't mean to make things weird between us. I'm sorry if I did. I can drive you home now if you want?" he offered, trying his best not to sound crushed.
"Could you?" she asked, still unable to make eye contact.
"Of course, let me uh, let me get changed quick."
She nodded and began getting out of the bed, heading towards the bedroom door. Eddie was quick to stop her, not wanting to risk the possibility of Wayne being woken up. He offered for her to wait in his room as he excused himself to the bathroom after grabbing a fresh set of clothes. She nodded, plopping back down onto his bed.
As she waited in his bedroom alone, the dam broke. Tears began to spill from her eyes uncontrollably, her attempts at composure unsuccessful. Eddie returned to the bedroom quicker than anticipated, catching her off guard. Upon noticing her distress, he quickly crouched down in front of her just as he had the night before to try and mend whatever was causing her to be this upset.
She met his concerned eyes and noticed the amount of sincerity and love behind them. For whatever reason, this made her incredibly emotional. She had reached a breaking point and was now sobbing violently. It was the type of cry that makes a person fold over, wrapping their arms around themselves in an attempt at self-soothing.
"Oh.." he voiced in a broken tone. Eddie quickly wrapped his arms around her. He swiftly pulled her onto his lap, his previous posture being slightly awkward and hard on his knees. He began slowly rubbing her back in attempts to sooth her as she buried her face in his chest.
He hated seeing her this upset, no matter the reason. He never wanted to see it again, for the simple fact that it absolutely broke him. She was trembling in his arms from the force of her sobs, nearly hyperventilating. He whispered sweet nothings in an attempt to comfort her. A combination of 'you're safe', 'I've got you', 'it's gonna be okay', 'breathe', etc.
They remained in this position for well over 20 minutes, as she desperately tried to catch her breath. Once her sobbing had subsided, she slowly lifted her head off of him. She stared into the distance, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. Eddie brought his hand up to her face and slowly guided her to look at him.
"Hey..." he said softly, smiling meekly. With his hand still cupping her face, he started gently stroking his thumb on her damp cheek, trying to wipe away some of her tears. She took a few shaky breaths while attempting to return the smile. This panic attack had absolutely drained her and she was exhausted. Her body melted under his touch as she rested her head against his chest once more, wrapping her arms around him. He pulled her closer, placing one hand onto the back of her head, the other hand rubbing her back still.
"I'm sorry..." she muttered into his chest.
"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked once more.
She sighed at the thought, lifting her head off of his chest. "I don't know."
"Okay, why don't I get you some tissues?" he offered, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, that's a good start." she said, laughing lightly as she noticed Eddie's tear stained shirt.
"Alright. Be right back." he replied gently patting her back, signaling that she needed to get up in order for him to complete the task at hand. She got the message and moved off of him, sluggishly getting back into his bed. She wrapped the blankets around her head as she had the night before, seeking any form of comfort during Eddie's absence. He returned to the room quickly with the box of tissues, extending his arm out to hand them to her. She grabbed the box and began to blot at her face. Eddie remained standing while she freshened up, slowly pacing around his room, pretending to look at anything else. Once he thought he had heard the last blow of her nose, he turned towards her. "May I?" he asked while gesturing to the bed.
She nodded, silently giving him permission to climb in next to her. He sat up against the wall, wanting to give her space, while she sat opposite of him. "Could I stay here a little longer?" she asked quietly, her eyes once again fixed on her nails.
He smiled at her request. "You can stay as long as you like." he answered.
A shy grin formed on her face and she slowly crept closer to him, once again resting her head on his chest as she laid beside him. The room grew quiet, leaving Eddie with his thoughts. He understood that now, more than ever, comfort was what she needed most. He gently stroked her hair until she eventually fell asleep, undoubtedly exhausted from her intense emotions over the last 24 hours.
-
1:22 pm
Unaware that she had drifted off, she woke up once again curled up in Eddie's hold. She groggily lifted her head looking up at him only to be met with a warm smile.
"Afternoon." he greeted in a low voice, grinning as he admired her sleepy face. She hummed in response while rubbing her eyes. She contorted her body to get a view of the clock, noting the time. A sinking feeling rushed over her; she knew she had to get back to her appartement sooner than later. Her head fell back gently onto Eddie's chest, groaning in frustration. Eddie couldn't help but snicker at her grumpiness, she seemed to be feeling more like herself. Upon hearing him laugh, she raised her head off of his chest, leaning on her left shoulder for support as she looked up at him. He offered a warm smile, his eyes gleamed inquisitively as he waited for her to speak.
She found herself at a loss for words, once again enamored by the man mere inches from her. Her eyes kept darting from Eddie's eyes to his lips and it didn't go unnoticed. Eddie seemed visibly nervous now, his cheeks slowly turning into a light shade of pink as he waited in anticipation. She felt herself moving closer to him as if her body had a mind of it's own.
Impulsivity took over and before she could talk herself out of it, she closed the gap between them, softly kissing his lips. She withdrew almost instantly, realizing what she had just done. She moved away ever so slightly to analyze Eddie's face, desperately hoping that this wasn't a mistake. He stared at her, expressionless, unable to process what had just happened. He felt as though he had imagined the whole thing. He had to remind himself to breathe as he inhaled a big gulp of air while blinking rapidly.
She began to stutter while moving her body further from his on the opposite side of the bed. She stuttered, trying to formulate a sentence as she scolded herself for her reckless actions.
"I.. I'm so sorry Eddie... I shouldn't have done that. That was stu-"
Her words were interrupted by Eddie carefully leaning forward and placing a hand on the side of her face. He paused, gazing into her eyes lovingly then brought his other hand next to her on the bed to provide support as he leaned in. The moment she felt his lips on hers again, she felt immense relief. He kissed her with intent, but it wasn't aggressive. It was... loving.. longing. She felt like he had been waiting years to kiss her and that no person or other-worldly force could separate them in this moment.
As he gently broke away, they exchanged flustered gazes and chuckled excitedly. It had been a very long 24 hours, and this sweet moment was exactly what they needed. Eddie leaned back in to kiss her once more, this time with more passion and certainty. The force with which he kissed her made her arms give out, her body falling backwards onto the mattress. This didn't stop them but rather added fuel to the raging fire. The intensity of the kiss made for a few awkward mishaps of teeth clattering and unsynchronized movements, but they eventually found the perfect rhythm.
Her tongue danced it's way into his mouth, in a desperate search for his. This sudden action cause Eddie to gasp lightly as he obliged and reciprocated the movement with his own.
Eddie adjusted his body ever so slightly causing her to part her legs, inviting him to rest comfortably between them as they continued to kiss. The room was getting warmer, their actions growing more desperate. All these months of pent up longing was finally being released as they explored one another. Her hand had found it's way to his messy head of hair whilst his found her waist.
It had been a very long time since she had felt this level of intimacy or crave for someone and it was taking over her. Consuming her mind and clouding her better judgement. Their bodies began to shift simultaneously, both desperately seeking some sort of friction to relieve the building ache they were feeling for one another. She wrapped her legs around his hips, resulting in his body pressing up against hers.
She could feel Eddie's hot breath as he moved to kiss her neck, his hips stuttered as they lined up perfectly with her core. Even through the fabric of both of their pants, the feeling sent shivers down her spine. He was big, she could tell. A stifled moan escaped her lips but Eddie was quick to shush her with a kiss, suddenly remembering that his uncle was only a few feet away from them in the living room. He continued his movements, grinding against her core as she matched his pace. Her cheeks were flushed from the intensity of the moment, it was as if the whole room was spinning. She broke away from the kiss suddenly, breathing out Eddie's name as she did so. He froze for a moment, once again fearing he had crossed a line.
“I just…I don't want you to think that…that this is just….” she trailed off, sighing deeply in frustration. Of all the times she could be tongue tied, now was not the time! She closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to find the right words, then opened them in search of Eddie's sweet doe eyes, desperately wanting to convey sincerity. “I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, I just couldn’t…”
Eddie picked up on her intended words right away, smiling down at her as he nodded quickly. He felt relief along with a slight sense of validation. It was nice to know that he wasn't imagining this chemistry between them. And hearing that she felt the same as he did? Well, that just sent him over the moon. He began planting gentle kisses on her cheek before looking at her face once more. “I know, baby. I know... Me too.”
She returned the same excited smile he adorned and leaned up to kiss him once more. Her quick movement upwards coupled with Eddie's downward motion led to their teeth clanking together awkwardly. They both froze and began laughing at the silly moment. Her head fell back down onto the bed, and she brought her hand up to his face, gently rubbing her thumb along his cheek. Eddie closed his eyes and hummed, this sweet gesture of intimacy had him reeling.
"If this is gonna happen, i think we should..." she trailed off and paused before correcting her choice of words. "I want to do this right."
She always knew Eddie was a respectful man, a gentleman, but it never failed to make her heart skip a beat when he would display this type of character. At her words, he instantly withdrew from her hold, sitting upright in front of her as he ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his now, very, tight pants. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Yeah, of course, whatever you need." he assured lovingly, still flustered.
-
After quietly exiting the Munson residence and completing the half hour drive, they arrived at her apartment complex. She knew she couldn't stay with Samuel, nor did she want to, but she worried about returning home, even for the brief moment that it would take her to pack her essential belongings and end the relationship. She feared the worst reaction from him, but unfortunately, confrontation was inevitable. She wasn't sure how to go about doing it, she just knew that it had to be done.
She nervously opened the car door and smiled weakly at Eddie. He offered to come upstairs with her, but she knew that would only make things worse. He reluctantly obliged and waited in the car as she made her way to the entrance of the building, but not before giving him the appartement number just in case. She soon disappeared behind the closing doors of the elevator, hoping for the best.
As she reached her front door, she couldn't help but notice the blaring music coming from their unit. She reached for the doorknob, assuming she wouldn't be needing her key to unlock it and slowly pushed the door open. As expected, Samuel was home laying on their sofa with a nearly empty bottle of gin in hand. He didn't seem to notice her come in initially, so she took this opportunity to hurry off to their bedroom.
Fearing the worst, she felt it was best she end things with him in the morning when he wasn't intoxicated. She was hoping he had passed out on the sofa as he often did, and began to pack a bag as quietly and quickly as she could. Her hopes were quickly met with disappointment when she heard the bedroom door swing open and Samuel stumbling in.
"Nice of you to show up." he slurred, anger coating his tone. She didn't respond right away, which further aggravated him. "Where the fuck have you been?" he persisted.
"At a friend's." she lied, feeling it was best to bend the truth for her own safety.
"That's not what i'm asking." he spat, clearly referring to the unaccounted two days.
"Can we not do this right now? Let's talk in the morning when you've sobered up." she pleaded, knowing reasoning with him in this state was next to impossible.
"I'm fine, you know what isn't though?" he began, starting towards her aggressively. "Whoring yourself around and then showing up 2 days later acting like nothing happened."
His eyes with red with anger. He took another swig of the bottle before letting out a sinister laugh as he spoke. "Going home with some guy you met at the party? After everything I've done for you!"
He was mere inches from her face now, his hold on the liquor bottle tightening as he became angrier.
"You left me, Samuel!" she fired back, no longer able to suppress her emotions. "I wasn't okay, and you just left me! You didn't care. How long did it even take for you to realize I was gone?" Tears began to form in her eyes but she blinked them away, refusing to succumb to the hurt he had caused her.
"Oh my.. Don't fucking cry and try to turn this on me. You always do this." he yelled as he retreated to the living room, slamming the bedroom door behind him.
Her legs weakened and she sat back down on the bed feeling completely defeated. Her mind quickly went to Eddie, who was anxiously waiting for her downstairs, giving her some much needed strength to power through. She continued packing, grabbing her favorite articles of clothing and a few items in the bathroom before making her way to the living room to grab whatever valuables she had. Samuel was quick to notice, immediately stumbling up from the couch to confront her. "What the hell are you doing." he asked menacingly.
"Leaving you." she responded matter-of-factly as she kept packing.
Another dry evil laugh left his lips as he followed close behind, moving through their shared space. "That's funny." he said dryly.
"I'll be back tomorrow to pick up the rest of my stuff." she paused, turning to face him. "I'm done, Sam. I can't do this anymore."
Her words did nothing but anger him further. He stepped closer to her, grabbing her arm tightly. His nails digging into her flesh. She winced at the contact, thrashing her arm in an attempt to free herself from his grasp.
"You can threaten to leave me all you want but you know damn well you're not gonna find anyone that's willing to put up with your shit like I do. I give it a day, you'll come back." he growled lowly, roughly releasing her arm before taking a big swig from the bottle he was still holding.
"Keep telling yourself that." she muttered coldly under her breath as she retreated to the bedroom. She took a moment to catch her breath and examine her arm. Blue markings were already starting to form from his rough hand. Her eyes widened, Samuel had never laid a hand on her before so his sudden aggressive behavior was the final push, screaming at her to get out now. She hurried towards the front door and shrieked once she opened it when she bumped into someone's chest; Eddie.
Relief instantly washed over her and she flung her arms around his torso, embracing him into a tight hug. "I told you to wait in the car." she quietly whispered whilst holding onto him.
"I got worried, you were taking so long." he responded, kissing the top of her head.
Samuel overheard the commotion and began observing from the living room. The sight of his now ex-girlfriend embracing another man lit a fire under him. He made his way towards them, flinging the botte of gin mere inches from her head. It made contact with the wall and shattered, glass flying everywhere. A small shard ricocheted off of her face, drawing blood. Shock and adrenaline prevented her from feeling the cut, she was frozen in place as her eyes locked with Samuel's who was marching over to her. Eddie was quick to step in front of her, anger now prevalent on his face.
"Is this the guy you've been screwing?" he yelled without slowing his pace. He seemed unphased by Eddie's presence, trying to bypass him to get to her. Once face to face, Samuel tried to shove his way passed Eddie unsuccessfully given his smaller form. He tried shoving his way through again, growing more agitated at his failure to do so. In a final attempt, he used both of his hands to push Eddie in the chest, yelling out insults and trying to instigate a fight. Eddie pushed him back, causing him to stumble a few feet away.
"Cool it, alright. Before I beat the shit out of you." Eddie said sternly before leaning down to grab the duffle bag she had dropped while hugging him.
This gave Samuel a clear view of her, a frightened expression displayed on her face. She couldn't think of anything to say, fearing it would trigger a negative reaction from him. He starred at her with an icy expression, before retreating to the kitchen.
"Come on, let's go..." Eddie spoke softly, gently placing a hand on the small of her back guiding her out of the appartement. They stopped in their tracks as they heard more glass breaking from the kitchen. Against her better judgement, she slowly inched back into the entrance, Eddie following closely behind her.
Once in view of the kitchen, she could see the source of the racket. Samuel had picked up a baseball bat they kept by their balcony door and was smashing hanged pictures on the wall. Glass littered the floor along with broken picture frames.
"You did this!" he yelled. "You ruined us. You stupid bitch!"
He flung a slew of insults at her while smacking the bat against any fragile surface he came into contact with.
"Sam, please stop." she cried, her eyes filling with tears once more.
He ignored her request and continued on with his rampage, making his way towards the living room. He began hitting their shared stereo, the music that was still blaring began to distort until it ultimately stopped completely. She was frozen in place, horrified by his outburst. Eddie gently placed a hand on her shoulder, quietly suggesting they leave before things got any uglier. She obliged, a sob involuntarily escaping her lips.
They were halfway out the door, Eddie leading the way, when he heard the distinct sound of the bat smacking against the wall. Too close for comfort. He spun around as he heard her yelp out in pain and was met with rage. Samuel had made his way to them once more. This time, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her backwards while uttering threats as he forced her head inches from his face.
Now, Eddie wasn't a violent person. Contrary to popular belief, he had only ever gotten in a couple of fights, none of which he ever instigated. That being said, he was very protective of the people he loved, and god help anyone who dared threaten their safety or well being. In this moment, Eddie saw red. The pent up anger that had been building following the night of the party where he saw first hand the mistreatment she was facing, most likely on a day to day basis was all he could think about. The flood gates opened and without a moment of hesitation, he sprung into action. He hurried back into the apartment, carefully maneuvering past her and grabbing onto Samuel's shirt as he began hitting him with his free hand. Samuel's grip on her hair instantly released as he fell to the ground. Eddie dropped to his knees, his punches never slowing as he continued to hit him. Bringing a hand up to soothe the sore spot left from Samuel's harsh grasp, she watched on in shock.
"I warned you, you piece of shit!" he kept yelling in between punches. Samuel attempted to fight back at first, but it was no use. Eddie had overpowered him early on, and the sheer force behind each hit lead to a total knock out. It was the she felt she needed to step in.
"Eddie... stop..." she muttered quietly, still stunned by the scene unfolding before her.
He didn't stop though. He was in a anger-fueled trance that prevented him from hearing her words. He finally snapped out of it and spun around quickly after feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder. His fist was still clenched as he came back down to earth, a mixture of both his and Samuel's blood splayed over his knuckles. Once he registered who he was looking at, he lowered his fist. His pupils were blown out and he was out of breath. He turned to look at the damage he had caused and instantly felt remorse. Two punches would have been plenty, this was overkill.
From the looks of it, he had broken Samuel's nose and given him black eyes. His face was already starting to swell and he was out cold.
"Oh my god... I..." he stuttered, falling back on the heals of his feet. He was starring at the ground, shock painted on his face. She kneeled down next to Eddie and placed a hand onto his functional one in a gentle, comforting gesture.
"It's okay, he'll be fine. This isn't the first time he's gotten the shit kicked out of him." she reassured.
"But I..."
"You're okay, it's okay." she interrupted, speaking quietly, reassuringly. Her other hand met his cheek as she gently lifted his face to meet hers. His eyes, now glossy, met her gaze.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, noticing the cut on her cheek. He slowly brought his hand up to her face, being careful not to touch the open wound.
"Yeah... Yeah, im okay." she reassured him in a quiet, loving voice. "Can we please go?"
"Yeah um, what about...?" he trailed off motioning towards her ex boyfriends stilled body behind him.
She gently shook her head no as she stood, extending her arms in an offer to help Eddie up. He understood immediately. She had ran out of sympathy or care for Samuel, he was no longer her problem to fix.
-
Back at the trailer, they stumbled through the front door sluggishly, the adrenaline now fully worn off. They came face to face with Eddie's uncle who quicky sat up from the couch after seeing their disheveled states.
"Jesus..." he gasped under his breath while staring at Eddie. "Boy, you look like hell. What happened?" he asked, a confused but concerned look growing on his face. His eyes met hers and he instantly rose from the reclining sofa. "Let me get the first aid kit."
Eddie nodded in agreement, making his way to the sofa as she followed close behind him. Wayne returned with the small box of supplies, handing it to her.
"There you are, darlin'."
"Thank you Mr. Munson" she replied sweetly.
She began to work on patching up Eddie's hand, gently dabbing at his sore knuckles, attempting to remove the blood that had coagulated. Every wince of pain that came from her gentle touches was followed by soft apologies as she tried her best to remove most of the gunk from his hand. His skin was raw, and she quickly realized that most of the blood on his hand was actually his. His hand had swollen twice it's normal size, and she suspected he had broken a knuckle or two. If not, they were definitely bruised to the highest degree. She applied bandages once the cleaning process was complete and quietly excused herself to the bathroom.
The men stepped outside for a much needed cigarette and Eddie filled Wayne in on their hectic afternoon. He admitted to feeling guilty and despising how violent he had gotten, especially in front of her. He worried that his behavior may have altered the way she thought of him or that she might be afraid of him now.
"Boy, you and me both know that ain't never gon' happen. What you did back there was justified."
"You didn't see his face..." he responded while staring at his feet.
"Don't need to. Been in enough fights myself, kid. I reckon you beat him pretty good." he said while motioning to Eddie's mangled knuckles.
"Hell, I would have. Lost his damn mind thinkin' he can hit a lady..." he trailed off, shaking his head while bringing the cigarette to his mouth. "Look, you feelin' bad about it just proves that you're a good person. I wouldn't have, what does that say about me?"
A smile crept on Eddie's face at his uncle's words. He thought the world of him and could say with absolute certainty that he was a good character, despite his admission. "Thanks uncle."
"'Course. Now go check on your lil' lady, make sure she's alright." he ordered with care.
"She's not my lil' lady." Eddie smiled bashfully.
"Well you better go on and change that!" Wayne retorted sassily.
Eddie chuckled, brought his hand up to his uncle's shoulder to give it a pat and headed inside the trailer. He made his way towards the bathroom where the door was ajar. He lightly knocked, opening it after hearing her quietly grant him permission to enter. She was sitting on the edge of the bath tub when she looked up at him and smiled. He walked towards her, closing the toilet seat lid to sit on it.
"How you holdin' up?" he asked. She wasn't crying and appeared to be calm, which surprised him.
"Is it awful to say, good?" she spoke carefully, contorting her face slightly. "I don't know, it's like this massive weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. All this time i never realize how much he was weighing me down..." she trailed off, staring at her hands.
"No, i get it. Makes perfect sense." he spoke softly, matching her tone. His eyes never left her face, admiring her every feature including the newly added band-aid on her cheek. "How's your face?"
"S'fine, surface level cut."
"Good." he replied with care while staring adoringly into her eyes.
Their moment was interrupted by Wayne poking his head into the bathroom. "Sorry to interrupt, i'm fixin' to start on dinner soon, will you be joining us?"
She looked up at Eddie, seeking approval, not wanting to impose. He met her gaze with a warm inviting smile which she returned before turning to face his uncle. "If you don't mind..." she replied gratefully.
Wayne nodded before making his way to the kitchen to begin dinner preparations. They were once again left in each other's company and Eddie suggested they exit the bathroom to find a more spacious area to hangout in. She agreed, letting Eddie lead them to his bedroom, shutting the door behind them to give his uncle space in the kitchen. Wayne was a simple man who seldom said much, he especially enjoyed peace and quiet while he was cooking.
Once in the room, she settled on his bed as she had grown comfortable doing so while Eddie pulled out the chair by his desk to sit on. Despite everything they had been through in such a short period of time, he still worried about overstepping and wanted to ensure to respect her boundaries and give her space when really, he was burning with love and desire.
Unbeknownst to him, space was the last thing on her mind. Ever since Eddie had held her in his arms and demonstrated such gentle love and care, she had been craving it. Craving something she never knew she so desperately needed. His touch was something she had never felt before, it was electric. Without ever saying it, Eddie had showed her just how much he cared and had restored her faith in love. It wasn't until she felt his touch that she had realized just how awful her relationship with Samuel was, and how desperately she craved to be loved.
She gazed up at him, an involuntary smile creeping on her face when she noticed he had been observing her from across the room. She didn't want to waste any more time dwelling on the the past and decided to act upon her feelings.
"You comfy over there?" she asked playfully.
"You know, it's actually much more comfortable than it appears" he replied, using his legs as propellors, gently spinning the chair.
"You know what else is comfortable?"
"What's that?"
"Your bed." she quipped with a cheeky smile while patting the empty space next to her.
Eddie was quick to get up, making his way to the bed. He playfully stretched both of his arms the way an athlete would while warming up before a work out and dived into the bed next to her. The sheer force of his body hitting the mattress jolted her up slightly and she yelped. Eddie turned onto his side to face her, admiring her smile as she came down from the high of laughing. She was laying on her back, turning her face to look at him. "Hi." she said quietly.
"Hi" he repeated, a big dorky smile plastered on his face.
She shifted to her side, her body now facing his and pulled the covers up to her nose.
"Oh, gettin' shy on me now, are ya?" he teased.
"M'not!" she playfully snapped back, the blanket muffling her voice.
"So what's this about then? You get cold all of a sudden?"
"I like your bed, it's cozy." she replied closing her eyes and letting out a sigh.
Her words brought him back to the night she first stayed over. He couldn't stop thinking about how his presence alone helped to comfort her in her state of distress. The idea that someone he loved could potentially feel the same way was almost overwhelming. His stomach was constantly fluttering when she was around; he was lovestruck.
"What's your uncle cooking up for dinner?" she asked, interrupting his train of thought.
"Your guess is as good as mine, we never have guests so he's probably gonna try to show off his skills."
His response elicited a laugh. "Well whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be good." she paused, wanting to craft her next reply carefully. "Thank you for letting me stay here while I sort all this out."
"Of course..."
They exchanged loving eyes for a few moments before she inched her body closer to his in an attempt at cuddling. Eddie repositioned himself so he could pull her into a tight but comfortable hug. They laid together in comfortable silence until Wayne was overheard calling for them to come get some food.
They made their way to the kitchen, the smell of chicken parm prominent in the air made them realize just how hungry they were. She was pleased to see the delicious food waiting for her, not used to this kind of service at home.
"This looks amazing!" she exclaimed, quickly grabbing a plate.
Wayne politely shrugged off her compliment, muttering something about it being nothing special. Eddie refused to let his modesty cast a shadow on the quality of the meal, and reinforced her praise. This evoked a timid smile from his uncle, as he insisted they stop with the pleasantries and have a seat before the food got cold. Given that the dinner table only seated two, they made their way to the sofa to enjoy their meal allowing Wayne to sat at the table, facing the pair.
-
They sat in the living room for a solid half hour once they finished eating, continuously praising Wayne for the quality of their meal. She eventually got up with her and Eddie's plates and made her way towards the sink. She returned to retrieve Wayne's dish before being abruptly stopped.
"What do you think you're doin'?" Wayne protested, pulling his plate towards him and furrowing his brows.
"Oh, uh I was gonna do the dishes." she replied unsurely.
He hummed shaking his head in response. "You're a guest in our home, I certainly won't be havin' you doin' chores. Eddie can take care of those."
She turned to face the now less than pleased looking metal head grimacing over the sudden task he had been assigned. She stifled a laugh by pressing her lips together before looking at Wayne once more.
"It's the least I can do! Really, I'm happy to do it." she persisted sweetly. "Besides, don't you have to work tonight?'
Wayne reluctantly handed her the plate, thanking her while doing so. He gave Eddie an impressed look once she turned her back. His nephew had only ever brought home a couple of girls, but she was by far the most well-mannered one to date. He assumed Eddie had told her he worked nights at the plant, but having her take note of it and be so considerate of his schedule was much appreciated. He motioned with his head for Eddie to go help her tidy the kitchen, excusing himself to the bathroom to freshen up for work.
-
By the time the dishes were washed, Wayne was heading off to work while wishing them a good night. Eddie suggested they watch a movie which ended up being more difficult then either of them had anticipated. For the first time since they had known each other, they were met with a conflict; picking a movie. Eddie was a big fan of the horror and thriller genre, watching almost exclusively those types of films whereas she didn't care for that type at all. She enjoyed romcoms or westerns, two genres that happened to be Eddie's least favorite. Such a small clash in taste lead to a playful yet heated debate yielding little results.
"I'm telling you, if you just give this movie a chance i bet you'll enjoy it!" she stated with certainty.
"No way, I've seen my fair share of lame westerns no thanks to Wayne and they're all the same!! Old men in the desert shooting guns and riding around on horses. It's garbage!"
"It's classic." she corrected him. "And I could say the same about those scary movies you like so much. Why does being scared while watching a movie sound appealing to you, anyway?"
"It's exciting!! Keeps you on your toes!" he exclaimed.
"You know what else is exciting? Action movies, which, if i'm not mistaken, The Shadow Riders falls into that category..." she trailed off, her tone raising in a sing-songy way.
"No westerns." he insisted, punctuating each syllable.
"Fine." she sighed, snatching the remote from his hold. "What about The Breakfast Club? Have you ever seen it?"
"Nope, don't want to either." he replied stubbornly.
"Eddieeee...." she whined, collapsing dramatically on the couch. Her actions elicited a laugh from him as he snatched the remote back.
"Alright, alright. Let's see..." he trailed off as he scrolled through the catalogue. "Child's Play?"
"What's that about?" she mumbled, her face still buried in the sofa cushion.
"A murderous doll on a rampage." he stated matter-of-factly.
"Sure."
"Wait, really?" he exclaimed excitedly.
She lifted her head off the sofa before saying: "No." with a playful grin.
Eddie, now mimicking her prior dramatics went limp, sliding his body off of the couch and onto the floor letting out a pained grown. She laughed, joining him on the ground.
"This is brutal." he said while chuckling.
"Tell me about it. Got any games we could play instead?" she offered, admitting defeat in their attempts at compromising on a film to watch.
"We've got cards somewhere, let me have a look."
After a few minutes of searching random drawers in the dining area, he returned with a small deck of cards.
"Uh, this is all we have..." he offered timidly.
Upon observing the pack, her face lit up and she grinned wildly. "No way, Wizard?! I love that game!" she exclaimed.
"You do?" Eddie's smile was growing by the second. Next to D&D, Wizard was his favorite game to play. Truthfully, he was pleasantly surprised that she had even heard of it, let alone seemed to enjoy it as much as he did.
"Don't act so surprised." she retorted with feigned offence.
"No, it's just... I didn't think you were into this kind of stuff." he said, inadvertently blushing.
"Nerdy stuff?" she quipped. "Well, I've only ever played once... But I loved it!"
"Shall we play then?" he said excitedly while lightly shaking the deck of cards side to side.
"Let's do it, I ought to warn you though, I annihilated my friends last time." she provoked.
"Alright well I'll have you know, I've never lost a game, so..." he trailed off making a silly, challenging face.
"You're on." she playfully retorted.
-
A couple of hours and a few beers deep led the pair to lose interest in the card game. Eddie had won most of the matches anyway. They were sprawled out on the living room floor, deep in conversation when she suggested they move to a more comfortable spot, noting how sore her elbows were getting from propping herself up off the ground. Eddie agreed and guided them to his bedroom, feeling a bit tired himself.
Once in the room, Eddie gathered some clothes and excused himself to go change in the bathroom. This gave her time to pull out some sleep shorts and an oversized tee and get dressed herself. Once comfortable in bed, Eddie walked back into the bedroom wearing checkered pajama pants and a CCR band tee. She glanced at the shirt, then at his face with a cheeky grin.
"CCR, huh?" she playfully questioned, brows raised.
He paused for a moment, seemingly caught off guard by her comment. "They... You know, they're a good band!" he paused as he noticed her struggling to keep a straight face. "Shut up!" he exclaimed playfully while getting into bed.
She giggled before responding. "I never said they were bad! I just didn't take you as a fan!"
"Yeah, well... You can thank Wayne for that..." he chuckled while shaking his head, the memories of his uncle and him bonding over this genre of music came flooding back into his mind. She smiled at his response and got closer to him, her head once again finding it's way onto his chest. She pondered for a few minutes, then chose to speak up, not wanting Eddie to succumb to his tired state.
"Thank you... For everything." she said while her fingers traced patterns on his chest. He squeezed her shoulder lovingly in response and kissed the top of her head. A silence lingered in the room as the pair waited for one another to speak up. It wasn't awkward by any means but simply quiet, peaceful, as they both laid together.
Thoughts of Samuel began to plague her once more, until she felt Eddie's warm touch, rubbing her arm soothingly. She suddenly was brought back to the present, realizing that her ex boyfriend no longer had a hold over her. He could no longer dictate her actions or jeopardize her happiness. She felt her heart flutter, feeling a sense of newfound freedom and excitement washing over her. She gazed up at Eddie who returned a loving glance and smiled from cheek to cheek, blushing slightly. She felt a lump in her throat from excitement and pushed herself to make the leap. Fuck it.
She inched her body forward, close enough to give Eddie a sweet kiss on the cheek. She talked herself out of a proper kiss on the lips, wanting to gage his reaction first. As she pulled away, she once again looked at him sweetly and paused. The ball was now in his court.
Eddie couldn't believe this had all worked out in his favor. In both of their favors. He was so incredibly relieved that she was able to get away from Samuel, while selfishly praising every deity there was for giving him a sliver of hope that, maybe... Just maybe... He could get the girl. Eddie was so caught up in his thoughts that he just stared on, admiring her features. He finally snapped out of it when she leaned in once more, this time committing to his lips.
Despite having kissed before, this time felt different. The intensity of it grew rapidly, Eddie making quick work to sit up against the wall and help pull her up onto his lap. She straddled his thighs, trying her hardest to never break away from the kiss. Her hand found it's way to the nape of his neck, while the other was exploring his body, moving from his chest to his waist.
With the house being vacant apart from the both of them, Eddie was a lot more vocal that he had been earlier that day. His breathing quickened the more they kissed and small breathy moans began to escape his lips with every small rhythmic movement her hips would make. She snaked her hand under his shirt, making her way to his back. There, she lightly scratched it with her nails, resulting in an elongated groan from the riled up metal head. He took her face into his hands and began kissing her more intently, expertly slipping his tongue into her mouth. This warranted a positive reply from her as she grinded her hips harder against his now very hard cock. She retracted her hand from his backside and broke awake from the kiss, urgently working to remove Eddie's shirt. He obliged, hurriedly taking off the band tee and chucking it across the room. Before he could do the same to her top, she was already tossing it to the ground, exposing her breasts to him for the first time.
Like a deer in headlights, Eddie froze, his mouth hanging agape as he gazed upon what was, in his opinion, the prettiest set of tits he had ever seen in his life. She halted her movements, analyzing his reaction to her exposed chest and couldn't help but giggle at his frozen state.
"You okay?" she asked shyly.
Eddie blinked rapidly as he now looked her in the eyes. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry... I uh.. I mean, wow..."
She giggled once more at how flustered he was and leaned in to kiss him once more. She resumed her movements, earning a strained moan from Eddie as he kissed her passionately. His hands found their way to her chest, as he gently but firmly began to fondle. He winced slightly at the pain from his sore hand but desperately tried to ignore it. (Priorities, am I right?)
He broke away from her lips and began planting soft kisses on her neck. She sighed, moving her head back to expose more of the area. Eddie gently nibbled and sucked onto the sensitive spot, making sure to leave a mark. He grinned in the nape of her neck when she let out a near pornographic moan and grinded harder against him.
"Take these off." he instructed as he gently moved his hand to her thigh and tapped it.
"Only if you do." she responded playfully. She couldn't help but stare at Eddie's bare chest. His tattoos seemed to have been placed by the Gods. He was toned, especially in his arms and shoulders, though he had a small pudgy stomach that drove her crazy. She could feel her mouth watering and her eyes drowning in desire as she waited for him to undress. She was so caught up in her daze that she almost forgot their pact. It wasn't until Eddie started to shift away from her to gain access to his bottoms that she clued in and began removing her sleep shorts. She tossed the fabric onto the ground and settled on the bed once more, where her eyes found Eddie's now fully nude body. She could feel her eyes widen and her mouth salivate as she gazed upon his large member. Her ex boyfriend wasn't small by any means, but he definitely wasn't this big.
Eddie noticed her stunned state and began feeling self conscious but those thoughts only lasted a second, fading into oblivion as she moved towards him, gently pushing his chest down so he could rest against the wall once more. She made quick work of straddling him once and leaned in for another kiss. This one is slow, sensual, she wants to take her time. She feels insanely comfortable with him, which is very new and oh so intoxicating. By now, she can feel her arousal sticking to Eddie's thighs as she continues to rock back and forth against him, desperately seeking friction to relieve this ache in her core. Finally, her hips move upwards just enough, causing her heat to grind against Eddie's throbbing cock. A strained groan escapes his lips, forcing him to break away from the kiss.
"Honey, do you... Um.." he seems conflicted, debating whether or not he should finish that thought. She looks at him, trying her best to catch her breath as she waits for him to complete his sentence.
"Uh... fuck... I don't have condoms..." he says reluctantly, palming his forehead. He begins to shift backwards, clearly understanding that this unfortunate hitch in their desired plan shouldn't be ignored.
This hitch doesn't seem to phase her though, as she softly shakes her head and leans in for another kiss. "I don't care... Just pull out. Please, i need this." she desperately moans into his mouth.
Eddie is less than convinced, knowing that the responsible thing to do would be to post-pone their sexual activities until he can get proper protection. She moves to his neck, gently planting kisses before whispering in a needy tone into his ear: "I need you, Eddie... Please... Please fuck me"
Eddie never knew he had thing for begging until this moment, but apparently that was all it took for him to throw common sense out of the window. He groaned, half in lust, the other half in slight defeat as he knew how grave the consequences could be, but nevertheless he caved. He kissed her passionately, tangling his hand into her hair. His free hand found it's way to her ass, as he grabbed a fistful and gently squeezed. She lifted herself up onto her knees in response, readjusting so she could line herself up to his member. Once there, she began grinding her hips against him, transferring her slick onto him. Eddie already felt like he was gonna bust from the friction alone, but was holding on for dear life, not wanting this moment to be over one second too soon.
As though she had heard his thoughts, she gave him one more deep kiss before smiling excitedly, and lifting her hips up once more. Eddie took the hint and took his hard cock into his hand, stroking it a few times before lining it up to her entrance. As soon as he felt the tip begin to probe at her tight hole, his eyes shut tightly and a guttural moan left his mouth. He forced himself to open his eyes once more, not wanting to miss the girl of his dreams sinking down onto him in pure bliss and pleasure.
When she finally started to sink down on his length, she couldn't help the small gasp that escapes her lips. She froze momentarily as she presses her lips together. Eddie admires her, thinking she truly is a sight for sore eyes. He brings his hand up to gently caress her cheek while he stares at her beautiful features. Her brows are tightly knit and her eyes shut. He begins to trace along her cheek with his thumb in a comforting way. “You okay?” He asks in a hushed tone, as he patiently waits for her to resume her movements.
She snaps out of her meditation and looks down at him, shooting him a timid smile. “Sorry…M’not used to it”
Eddie cocks an eyebrow, unsure of the meaning behind her comment. “Oh, are you…uh..” he trails off, he can't imagine that he would be her first, unless her previous relationship just wasn't a sexual one...
She quickly realizes that her comment was misinterpreted and quickly acts to clarify. “No, god no…” she giggles before continuing. “I mean I’m not used to it being so big…” She sighs once more as she makes another attempt at lowering herself onto him, her eyes fluttering as she does.
Eddie can’t help but feel a huge rush of adrenaline as her words give him confidence. Soon enough, she begins moving once more causing him to groans while his head falls onto the pillow. His hand that was once holding her cheek falls by his side as he brings the other one to rest on her hip. He squeezes it encouragingly as she slowly, but finally sits perfectly on his entire length. She takes a moment to get used to the feeling. Eddie’s eyes sparkle with admiration as they dart from her beautiful face to her chest, slowly rising as she sighs in pleasure. She's grinding against him as she tries to get used to the feeling of being so full. Her nails that were resting on his chest begin to slowly drag along his skin as she lifts her body, only to slam it back down onto his. This causes Eddie to groan once more, only this time its much louder, needier. She smirks down at him and begins setting a slow but steady pace.
Her jaw becomes slack and her eyes gloss over as it is now her turn to admire the man below her. Though she had fantasized about this moment many times before, nothing compared to the present. Both of his hands had made their way to her hips, slowly guiding them to keep up with the pace she had set. Eddie’s low moans were music to her ears, but she craved more. She bent down to kiss him whilst still riding him at a steady pace. As she began to focus more on the kiss, her movements faltered slightly. Eddie took this as his cue to take over, snapping his hips upwards at a quicker pace. The sudden movement drew a lewd moan from her and she began to whine into the nape of his neck.
"Fuck, you feel so good sweetheart" he rasped as he continued to pound into her. "Been dreamin' about this..."
Her stomach fluttered as she processed his words and she moaned in response. Hearing Eddie being so vocal was a stark contrast to her previous relationship and it ignited a fire deep within her. She liked it. Alot. She was definitely the vocal type during sex as well, but always held back per her ex boyfriend's request to "tone it down". Given how vocal Eddie was, it just felt natural to do the same. She began moaning and whimpering more freely, as a way of testing out the waters. This seemed to be received well as Eddie responded with an even needier groan from hearing her. She planted a kiss on his neck before moving to regain control of the pace, returning to her previous position. She expertly rolled her hips with deep, slow movements. The friction caused by her clit brushing against his pubic bone was sending her over the edge. Eddie noticed right away as he felt her walls tighten and her legs get shakier.
'Yeah, that's it baby..." he encouraged breathily, admiring the way she moved on top of him. "Ride it out..."
"M'so close... Love feeling you..." she whimpered in a hushed, whiney tone.
Eddie swore he had died and gone to heaven, he was enamored by her beauty and so incredibly close himself, he was certain this had to be a dream. He adored seeing her in this position, so much so that he grew desperate to know how she would look underneath him. He swiftly halted her movements by placing both of his hands on her hips. "Let me get you there." he pleaded, quickly flipping her onto the bed and getting on top of her.
She spread her legs, allowing enough space for Eddie to settle between them. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then her lips as he, without warning, slid into her tight core once again. She sighed in pleasurable relief, the new position feeling amazingly unfamiliar. Eddie was quick to set a rapid pace, wanting to get her to where she so desperately wanted to be. The sound of his balls smacking against her ass along with whimpers and moans were echoing throughout Eddie's small home. Soon enough, she could feel the all too familiar ache begging to be released from her lower abdomen. Her breathing quickened as she chased the high. Eddie's bangs began to cling onto his forehead as small beads of sweat began to form. His arm muscles were very prominent as he propped himself up, fucking her senseless.
"Come on baby, cum for me." he encouraged breathily, feeling his own release fast approaching. He shifted his position slightly, hitting her g-spot perfectly, again and again. She moaned loudly, screwing her eyes shut as she felt her orgasm fast approaching.
"Fuck, Eddie! Right there!" she blubbered, struggling to get the words out between quick gasps.
Eddie took her words as a challenge and began fucking into her quicker and harder than before, desperate to see her come undone. His movements made her exclaim, expelling what little air was left from her lungs before she quickly took a sharp breath in.
"Ed's, I'm cumming!" she gasps, screwing her eyes shut. Eddie feels her tightened walls begin to spasm as her orgasm crashes into her. He continues to pound into her while she rides out the high, trying to get to his own release.
"I love you" she breathily whines, completely fucked out. Eddie's movements falter, and his rhythm slows. He can't comprehend what just happened. All he knows is that her words are actively pushing him over the edge. He moans while he reluctantly pulls out, spilling his seed into his hand as he pumps his dick a few times, letting out strained moans. A few seconds pass before he opens his eyes again and his knees give out from under him. His gazes falls upon her, laying on her back still, gazing at him lovingly while still catching her breath.
He returns a loving smile in her direction while chuckling lightly and shaking his head. He breathes in deeply then gets up to retrieve some well needed tissues from his desk. As the true gentleman he is, he prioritizes her comfort over his and gently cleans her up. She winces slightly over the sensitivity but thanked him nonetheless, blushing slightly. After tossing the used tissues into his small trash bin, he climbed into bed, tugging the blanket up so they could both be covered once again. They settled in bed, cuddling up to one another, despite how hot and humid the small bedroom had gotten from their heated night.
The feeling of discomfort grew, resulting in Eddie reluctantly getting out of bed to open the small window in his room. His hopes that the night would offer a cool breeze were met with satisfaction as he felt instant relief from the cracked window. He hurriedly got back into bed, desperate to feel her close once more.
As she lay on his chest, she was growing anxious at her spontaneous love confession mid-climax. She cursed herself, fearing that, despite how true her words were, they were spoken far too soon. She tried to muffle her overthinking thoughts, opting to sleep and deal with them tomorrow.
"Night Eds..." she quietly spoke, raising her head off of his chest to give him a small peck on his abdomen.
Goodnight... "he responded, squeezing her arm lovingly.
The room grew silent, long enough for her to start feeling drowsy, mere seconds away from slumber, when Eddie leaned over. He kissed the top of her head a few time then uttered ever so quietly: "I love you too, by the way."
_
the end
_
Thank you for being so kind & patient with me while i wrote this out!! I'm sorry it took so long, I hope you enjoyed it :")
Thoughts & comments are appreciated!♡
Tag List: @addie0ffset , @thatmultifandomlovingmf , @took-me-hours-to-steal-those , @basketcaseeeeee , @erinsingalong , @captainonaboat , @ghosttownwherenoonegoes , @bimbobaggins69 , @mygirlchaos , @mrsjellymunson
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kalevalakryze · 5 months
Text
Yhe'na Det Och'sa
Chapter Four: Oneh Marukki
Summary: The crystal is the heart of the blade.The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.The Force is the blade of the heart.All are intwined: the crystal, the blade, and the Jedi. We are one. Ahsoka Tano wished none of her experiences on anyone, but the galaxy was only growing more dangerous. The Empire is closing in, and there's only so many ways she can teach Shin to defend themselves. Now, three years after Shin joins the Fulcrum crew, it's time to teach her to create her own saber. If she can get past her Gathering on a hostile planet, crawling with Imperial mining operations. AO3 Link: Here! Word Count: 7,708 Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Notes: Don't forget all the art posted in this AU to this point is all thanks to the wonderful and amazing @somewillwin !
The morning of her gathering, Ahsoka had sat Shin down and laid out every detail over breakfast, much to Huyang’s chagrin, “The Empire has its clutches on this planet… are you sure your crystal is down there?”
Swallowing around a mouthful of sugary cereal, Shin nodded their head quickly. “Yeah, I’m sure.. It’s down there,” Ahsoka cast a worried gaze back to the war table, red dots speckled across the hologram, marking Imperial ships in the atmosphere, and several troop movements on the surface.
“Once you’re in the planet’s core, I can’t help you,”  Ahsoka warned, treading carefully; She didn’t want to scare Shin, but she also needed them to understand the dangers they would be heading into. Imperial starships surrounded the planets atmosphere, with transport ships moving to and from the surface, delivering materials and transporting troopers and miners back down.
“Approaching Vessel, hold position,” A deadpan voice rang over the speakers in the T-6’s cockpit. Huyang’s chair creaked as he moved to strengthen their cloaking signal. “The Ilum system has been blockaded, you are not permitted travel.” 
“This is three-three-seven-six, detachment eighty four of the Imperial Asteroid mining crew, we’ve been tasked with sector seven cresh below the surface of Ilum. Please advise with further instruction.” Ahsoka answered carefully into the communicator, passing along small echoes of a force suggestion through the weakened link. 
There was silence on the other end, and a small hand reached forward to take Ahsoka’s into their own, as a Star Destroyer slowly shifted in its place, further opening the gap that would give them room to pass. “Detachment eighty four, you are cleared to land on the surface. Report to your supervisory detail upon departure and detail your lack of efficiency in sending your codes immediately.”
“Yes sir,” The comms went silent as Ahsoka donned her hood and pushed the shuttle forward, thrusters catching as they entered the first wave of the planet’s gravitational pull. 
“Well that was certainly lucky!” Huyang exclaimed rather loudly in the heavy silence of the ship as the frozen planets surface came into view, snow pelting the transparisteel as they descended. 
“Luck had nothing to do with it,” The Togruta answered, suddenly solemn as she watched the planet. The Force, normally brimming with power, potential… greatness, and love was void of it all, like the Kyber was being removed from the planets core. But what for? Ahsoka could not even begin to fathom why the Imperials would need Kyber, they’d killed the Jedi, and many of the inquisitors relied on the Kyber of those they’d killed to bleed and wield against the people that the crystal had once been in service to protect. 
“Meht?” Shin questioned as she slid from the seat behind Huyang. Blue eyes brightened minimally when they turned to the brunette with white markings painted on their face, offering the love and compassion, the tether they knew Ahsoka needed so badly in this moment. The Togruta gathered up the small human into her arms, tucking them close into her lap as they approached a secluding landing pad. “Will you be okay?” Shin questioned, forehead pressing against the soft leathery feeling of her lek. “Yes, I’ll be alright, tazi unt. Thank you,” Warm lips pressed to the corner of a marking on their head. “Now let’s get you bundled up so you don’t freeze out there.”
Huyang set the ship down and worked on deploying their cloaking systems to work on the ground as Ahsoka helped Shin into the bundles of different layers to keep them warm, pulling a wool cap over their head to finish the job. “Meht, I can’t move,” Shin’s voice was muffled from all the layers, and Ahsoka couldn’t help but chuckle warmly at the sight of the lanky child in puffed up layers.
“Alright, alright here,” Enough layers were removed so the child could move properly, much to Ahsoka’s chagrin. “Do you remember what we’ve been practicing with the Force? How to keep yourself warm?” “Of course,” Their head nodded as a beaming smile tugged at lips, already chapped from the cool air making it past the filters. 
Ahsoka turned away from Shin by the door to double check the small leather bag she’d prepared the night before. “This should contain enough supplies to give you a few days if anything is to happen. We’ll need radio silence across comms and the Force, I can’t be certain that they won’t have radar running to pick up on comm signals, and… I’d rather not think of them having personnel that could sense the Force, either. 
“Yes, Master,” Shin took the provided satchel, tucking it carefully against their chest and using hooks in their outermost jacket to stop it from swinging wildly. “It’ll be just like we practiced, I’m sure of it,” She tried to ease some of Ahsoka’s anxieties as she secured a cortosis lined blade into a small holster along the inside of their calf. “Do not get too headstrong, Daaark grut. Impatience for victory will only show you how quickly the tides can turn to defeat,” Her fingers brushed over the warm cap on their head. “Be safe out there, and trust in the Force, little one.” Ahsoka moved so she could kneel before her youngling, taking their hands in her own as she retrieved her shoto from beneath her robes. “And don’t forget, I will be needing this back,” Homage to their first meeting, when she’d promised a sickly child that their salvation was far from some cruel trick. 
Small arms wrapped around her middle as Shin threw themselves at her, earning a warm laugh and a warmer hug in return for their efforts. “I will, Meht,” They grumbled into her stomach as she patted their head. 
“Lady Tano, we will need to move continuously to avoid Imperial Scanners, there are readings of Probe droids keeping near constant surveillance.” Huyang butted in from the cockpit, yellowed eyes focused on Master and Apprentice before him. 
“Thank you, Huyang. Any parting words?” She tucked Shin up under her arm and turned them both to face the suddenly apprehensive professor. 
“Come back safe, young Tano,” His eyes flickered in dim light, a feeling of somber recognition flooding his circuits. 
“I will, Huyang, thank you- You two stay together,” Then, quieter. “Someone needs to look after ‘soka till I get back,” This seemed to lift the old droids spirits as Ahsoka laughed and led them towards the lowering ramp. 
“Go on, get,” A gentle shove to their shoulder had the chuckling pre-teen shuffling down the ramp and into the cold. 
Shin was no stranger to sneaking around Imperial troops, except this time, there was something to lose. It had been years now, with Ahsoka and Huyang at their back, offering unending support and wisdom; She couldn’t let them down, this was their first operation alone, and if they were caught, there was always a sinking chance that the Empire could trace her back to the Fulcrum crew, especially with the paint carefully etched into their skin. 
She could hear the chatter just up ahead, a fire crackling and snow melted around the camp. The snowflakes didn’t fall as heavy here, so the young Initiate had to take longer strides to walk carefully in the footprints made by white plastoid covered troopers. 
“Did you hear they’re bringing more miners in?” A trooper began, vocoder crackling and old, despite the fact that Shin had noticed a transport full of newer armor being sent to the surface.
“It’s none of your concern, clone. The nearby officer spat. Even Shin winced in empathic anger at the way the soldier was addressed by his superior, though the trooper simply sighed and returned to the metal tin of caf he’d been warming over the fires. 
Shin’s boot stumbled in a patch of hardened snow, sinking them further than they were meant to go and causing a stumble. The brunette froze, just on the outskirts of the camp. The trooper was quick to pick up on the stumble, and yet, as a black, empty visor faced her, Shin did not feel the void Ahsoka had described the ‘clones’ as taking on towards the end of the war; They’d felt the warmth individual history of a man who’d once donned armor in brilliant teals and greens. 
Their eyes met through the helmet, though his hands did not itch towards his blaster once. “Commander, I’m going to begin my patrol early, just in case there’s any Rebels lurking about,” The trooper stood on aching joints; It was clear he was much older than his comrades, bundled inside of their tents on breaks. 
Their head jerked towards Shin, urging them onwards as he began his patrol, boots crunching in the snow and effectively covering their blunder as they scurrifed throught the blssedly empty cavern entrance. 
Pausing at the entrance, Shin’s head turned back. “May the force be with you,” They spoke into the silence, a sentiment that they had yet to understand the full extent of, but had seen psased beyond the Rebel leaders so often, it had become a second-nature to them. 
Progress was painfully slow as they slunk into the ruined caverns.. There were no maps for the labyrinth of icy tunnels, infested with Imperials that should have never been able to lay eyes on the ancient planet’s resource, much less mine it by the ton. 
Sticking to the shadows and following the pulsing thrum of the Force, Shin had done their best to avoid as many Imperial patrols as possible, though, as they crawled from a small access tunnel carved away for PIT droids, Shin found herself in a dangerous positon. Three troopers surrounded a water well in a near triangle, each seemng to be staring down separate crystalline corridors. 
“Ever think you’d get stuck guarding water?” A stormtrooper complained. “There’s no one here,”
“Quiet down, TK-Eight-Two-Four.” Another snapped, clearly an overheated hotshot, the leader of this poorly assembled squad. “These rebels are sneaky, if you are too confident, you could find yourself-” The force pushed against the hotshot, making it seem as if he’d stumbled in his uppity stupor. 
The other two stormtroopers were quick enough to stop what would have been a fatal stumble into the well below, and in the commotion, Shin was able to slink back, warmed by the cackling laughter from the trooper that had been snapped at. 
The cold seeped through their coat, though they found themselves adjusting rather quickly to the darkness that greeted them in untouched passages and enormous caverns. Their beath came out in misty puffs, dissipating in the air shortly after passing parched lips. “I can feel you,” The young apprentice whispered into the darkness, boots crunching to the stop in a cavern. 
The floor should have been unsteady, but with a few test taps, the child decided it was safe enough to walk further, to follow the siren song of the crystal that had been hers since its formation. 
A hum thrummed deep in the cavern, almost as if the world, the Force around her was breathing in beat with her own hammering lungs. The preteen lowered to their knees slowly- “You want me to go down there?” She whispered to the unresponsive world around her. There was a moments hesitation as Shin reached for the ground, feeling the sudden tension in the force like shockwaves up the length of each arm.
Her gloves were removed and stowed in the pack quickly, allowing the cold to bite at pale fingers and color the pink as she felt for the thread of connection that was attempting to reach out to her. “Show yourself… it’s alright… I won’t hurt you.” The youngling promised carefully. 
The closer their fingers got to the thick casing of ice below them, the closer her crystal death, the louder the tepid waters below roared, and the more intense her heart seemed to soar… so close!
The brush of her fingers against the ice sent her spiralling, though, noticeably; Shin was not greeted by the frozen water below. Instead, they were… stuck. Thousands of images slipped through her fingers, like a holovid sped up faster than any living creature could comprehend. 
Sorting through the distorted images of the thousands that had come before her, their voices muddled together in the echos of the force, voices that she could hear in Ahsoka's stories, to names she'd never spoken. "Your journey will not be free of trials and tribulations, little Tano," When they looked into the ice again, she could make out the shadows of a face. 
A Kedlorian with a breathing apparatus secured to his face. He seemed kind and familiar in a way Shin could not know. "But it is the will of the force that finds you here today, like it was the Force's will that your Mother found you on Ibaar." They bristled under the word choice, cheeks heating and making white paint stand out starkly on their face. 
A ripple in the force distorted the image. It felt... wrong. Like someone who had passed only in spirit, and was clinging onto the remains of physical life wrong. Still, the distorted presence beamed in it's hallowed glory, putting the youngling somewhat at ease. "You've gotta keep Snips safe for me, alright? Tell her she was right about me." 
But Shin could not focus on this long dead Jedi's words, the sound of splintering ice tried to shove her back into her own body once more, and from the view of someone not there, Shin could see herself from their eyes, and watched, unable to move, as deep cracks began to spiderweb across the floor. 
The Imperial drills were boring down on the planet, and the old Knight's presence seemed to destabalize whatever Light remained in the section. They found themselves back in their own body in a flash, in the same wrong words of this Jedi Knight. “Ahsoka, I would never let anyone hurt you… ever.”
In the last look they could gleam of the ice before it shattered, she saw yellowed eyes and burnt skin. When the ground broke, it was to the sound of deep, mechanical breathing and the sound of Ahsoka's voice, drenched in pain. "Anakin... I won't leave you... Not this time." 
“Then you will die.”
The water was cold as it enveloped Shin, shocking their small body as they struggled to find the surface, watching as dim lights grew darker the further they sank. The roar of water in their ears was drowned out by the sounds of the force, things they had no hopes of understanding. "I am the Sith!" "I am No Jedi. "Somehow, Palpatine survived. "You won't help?" "It seems the Padawan needs one more lesson." “The order is gone. The Dark Side Is About Survival. "I can help you..." Impatience for victory will guarantee defeat."
Their fingers brushed the surface of the water, yet they did not emerge in the caves. Instead, they felt themselves standing planetside, long grass tickling heavy metal armor bracketing  her knees. Her body felt too big, the armor weighed too much, and there was a nagging darkness in their mind. "We've been looking for this." She heard herself say, voice raspy like she'd been without water for days. The weight of a ball settled in her palm, though her body moved without consent to hand it off to a spindely droid built for combat  as a woman with purple hair approached apprehensively.
"What happened to you?" They voiced, golden eyes squinting as a green saber was ignited against them. Fear filled Shin's veins as a saber ignited in her own hand, scarlett light casting across the battlefield. Shock and horror ignited in her opponents eyes, but before they could focus, or.. Find out why… what, the scene changed. 
"I'm sorry," Wrong Shin whispered as the blade sunk into the soft skin of the womans' stomach, spires of their saber stopping just at the singed flesh that the red... orange? beam of plasma was tearing into. 
The image shifted again, this time, filling them with adrenaline. Bodies dropped smoothly with each swing of her blade, red plasma tearing through flesh as she took lives without a second thought. Behind them, they could hear heavy footsteps, could feel encouragement through a bond that felt wrong to the child's head. "Please!" A woman begged. With difficulty, Shin could feel their hand clenching tight around the air, the Force bent to their will, choking the life from the woman as she begged and writhed, hot tears streaking down her face until she was no more. 
It shifted once more, this time, to Ahsoka standing in front of them. This one, Shin thought, hurt most of all. "Surrender your weapon." She called to them, reaching across a chasm that felt too big. “Meht, what is going on?” She begged to ask, though her vocal chords would not respond as pain, anger, disappointment, and embarrassment burned their way up her throat, causing her lip to quiver and eyes to swing. How could it be like this, when just this morning, the child had sunk into their mother's arms with safety and love? How could Ahsoka look at her with pain and trepidation, regret and hope for someone better? What was she to become? 
A killer. Plain and simple. Her destiny was not to save others, like Ahsoka had. She was birthed onto this planet to further the story, to make the heroes rise. She was doomed for failure, but... she could be greater. All she had to do was give in... All she had to do was take the power that was being offered. They would never have to ask for help if they just-
A change in the narrative, the feeling of soft hands stroking against unfamiliarly scarred knuckles. Colorful starbirds and painted armor, whispers in Mando'a, the love of a mother. Leia's laughter that came when Shin asked questions the Princess found amusing. The promise of the Keldorian, Ahsoka's soft ‘tazi unt’ when she thought Shin wasn't listening. The feel of someone's forehead pressing against their own. The wet nose of an animal in her hand, seeking love and attention. "I've got to save you..." A boy called to a man, wrapped in the shell of a monster. "You already have..." The man behind the mask rasped, a man unredeemable by nature, but still found the light in the unstoppable nature of love. 
The surface of water broke. Wet fingers scrambled at the snowy expanse of solid ground. Several sets of hands tugged and pulled at her, helping her from the murky depths, grabbing at her arms and helping to haul a sopping, weighted down body into a soft pile of snow on the bank. When they had finally blinked water from their eyes, there was no one around, no footsteps in the snow, and surprisingly, even the drag of their feet to the pile seemed to be gone. 
From the corner of her eyes, a twinkle caught her vision, blue and shining, calling for her like meeting an old friend. Huyang had told her what to expect, when she found her crystal. The feeling of coming home wrapping around her, even as cold settled into her bones. The kyber was warm, even through her glove, as she carefully broke it from its icy spire. "It's you," She whispered to the object, teeth chattering as she tucked it close to her heart, just next to where Ahsoka's shoto sat concealed in the depths of the puffed jacket. The aged kyber sung out to Shin's as the cool metal touched the jagged kyber. It was warm and safe, free of harm from the Imperials. She could not save the rest of the kyber, and, with a rumble of the cavern around them, it was clear that they were not meant to. 
"I'm sorry," She called to the crystals that would not be found by Jedi. Crystals whose owners were already gone, trapped in the depths of the Dark, or those who had taken their place among the waves of the cosmic force all too soon. When the child turned from them, a shiver ran up her spine, one last message. The sound of a… laser activating in something huge, the sounds of rock and tectonic plates being torn to shreds. “I’m sorry… It’s just me,” They called, refusing to look back; they couldn’t look back, not when they felt the yellowed eyes of the monster staring into her back. 
The ramp was covered in snow and ice upon their return. Worn boots scrambled against the slippery surfaces as they struggled to the promise of warmth. A warm blue crystal kept their exhausted legs moving, heated even through the thick, damp gloves that were only useful for keeping the wind from cutting into near frost-bitten fingers. 
Their shoulder hit the durasteel door before the hydraulics could engage, creating a loud thump that echoed through the ship and their own body. When it finally opened, snow and cold air drifted into the warm and inviting space within. Home.
“ ‘did it,” The brunette remarked, proudly, extending their gloved hand towards the wide-eyed Togruta that was rising from her seat. 
“Shin, oh my makers-” Orange arms wrapped tight around them before the ground could catch them, Shin couldn’t help the way they selfishly sank further into the embrace as Ahsoka pulled them into the ship and let the door slam shut. 
“I did it,” They repeated proudly as Ahsoka carried them to the benches, only motioning at Huyang as he emerged from his workshop. 
“You did, tazi unt, I’m so proud of you,” Warm fingers danced down their face, warming the frozen streaks of paint where they cracked against small cheeks. “So proud… But why are you wet?” 
“Think I’m just cold, went swimming a few days ago, when I got it,” They replied sleepily, snuggling back into the blanket that hung onto the back of the couch, still warm from where Ahsoka had been using it to stave off the chill from her own shoulders. When silver eyes opened to meet lively blue, she couldn’t tell if the shock on her mother’s face was one of amusement, horror, or that they’d impressed her, with the way facial markings furrowed and dark lips parted until the artificial lights caught the white flash of fangs. 
“Gotal’ade,” She remarked instead, shaking her head as she worked to help Shin change into clothes that weren’t melting icicles into the fabric she’d put down to make the seats more comfortable. By the time Huyang returned, Ahsoka had Shin where they belonged, tucked safely up under her arm, dozing quietly as they turned the blue tinted kyber around in fingers that still shook from the cold. 
“Little Tano,” He greeted as two steaming bowls were placed in front of his sentient charges. Yellow lighted eyes dropped to the crystal in their hand, causing his head to turn. “You’ve found it.”
“Was there ever any doubt?” The Padawan snipped, shifting their weight on the bench so they were sitting on their knees to lean over the table and busy themselves with warm food.
Two sets of eyes watched Shin increadously, one, with white facial markings arched high, and the other slowly turning to look at the girl’s Master. For a droid who could not express emotion, the smugness that radiated off of him was almost enough to have the Togruta breaking out into laughter. 
“You know,” Huyang started as spoons scraped at the bottoms of bowls and his sentients were beginning to relax into the almost calm atmosphere. “When a Master accepts an Initiate as their Padawan…” He tried to steer the conversation, though received only identical blank stares from both women. “The Master will braid their Padawan’s hair, or form their silka beads, or, in cases, will help design the marking of Padawanship…” 
“Oh..” Ahsoka blinked, cheeks turning a deeper shade of orange in mild embarrassment. “My Master never… Well… We were in an active warzone.” She realized out loud, scratching her chin idly in thought, markings furrowed deeply as she tried to think back to the old memories on Christophis. “I think it was Master Plo and Master Ti who’d helped me, back then…” 
Before she knew it, Ahsoka was sitting on the floor with Shin tucked between her legs and Huyang supervising the unsteady twist and turn of dark hair in her fingers. “Makers, why is hair so-” She huffed in frustration as Shin’s fingers tapped idly along her knee. “How do humans do this,” She complained as a small band snapped and smacked into her finger, falling uselessly to Shin’s shoulder. 
“Do you want help?” Huyang teased, snapping metal fingers closed uselessly. Shin’s shoulders shook, though from lingering cold or laughter, she could not tell. 
“I got it,” The older woman grumbled, voice reverberating low in her chest as she squinted at the tufts of smooth hair in her fingers. 
“It hurts a human’s head, when you pull,” Padmé instructed, hand resting gently on Ahsoka’s hands, halting the rough movements of a wired up Padawan. “You must be gentle,” She reminded, thumb brushing over young knuckles, scarred from war. 
“I don’t-” The teenager huffed as she looked back to the mop of dark curls on her Master’s head. “Okay.. Yeah… I can do ‘gentle.’” Padmé’s warm laughter filled the apartment as Anakin winced back from another harsh tug.
“Hey! Easy, snips! I’m not a ball of yarn!”
“Well, you’re tangled like one, skyguy,” 
Huffing, Anakin shook his head like a wet tooka, forcibly removing explorative hands from his hair. “Here, let’s do Padmé’s. My head deserves a break,” 
Padmé’s hair had been softer, smoother, straighter, and under Anakin’s careful instruction, a long braid was woven under careful fingers. All the while, the young senator relaxed back into the Padawan, offering quiet tips and praise, or guiding her away when she almost tugged too hard. 
Blinking, Ahsoka stared down at the thin braid that rested in her fingers. The fabric of her pants was bunched up in a small fist, and even Huyang was watching her with a bewilderment that couldn’t fit their situation. “Did you feel that?” Shin whispered, though a wheeze in their chest shook Ahsoka from the shocked stupor. 
Releasing the braid and shaking away the weight of ghostly hands against clammy skin, Ahsoka reached to tug Shin back into her chest. “You’re burning up, Tazi unt,” She grumbled, lips pressing into a warm forehead. “We need to get you in bed,”
“But I gotta build my saber!” They argued, holding the glowing kyber to the lights to prove their point. “You promised!”
“Shin,” Ahsoka sighed softly, fingers brushing through their hair gently. “You will build your lightsaber, that I can promise, but I need you healthy, you won’t want to put off training once it’s made, and you need rest. Even a Jedi Master wouldn’t be able to accomplish what you just did without some rest.” 
The child in her arms pouted as she rose to her feet, though Ahsoka knew she’d won when they sunk into her arms, grumbling quietly in disdain. The logic was sound, and they knew they wanted to be at their best for their first lesson. 
“Huyang, can you grab a hydration tablet and the Polybiotic from the kit?” Ahsoka tossed over her shoulder as she ducked past the rising door of the small bunk room they’d cleared away for Shin. 
“Really?” They huffed as Ahsoka folded to tuck them into the blankets, propping pillows up under them as Huyang’s heavy feet clattered around the ship, finding the requested materials.
“Yes, really, Shin. You’re going to get sick from this, and I’d rather not have to rush you back to Kaeden hurt when we can prevent it,” She scolded, taking the supplies from Huyang the moment he’d returned. “Thank you,” Her head dipped to the professor as he passed the small container for the thick syrupy medicine over, holding it steady as Ahsoka filled it.
“It tastes like Bantha pee,”
“Now, how do you know what that tastes like?” A facial marking rose teasingly as the young Padawan’s hand smacked against her arm lightly. “Come on, bottoms up,” The cup was held to reluctant lips, earning a steely glare from her stubborn human. “Tazi Unt, it’ll be over in half a second, I promise. Come on,” She coaxed, frowning at the stubborn turn of their head. “Huyang…”
“On it,” The dancient droid clattered off again, though Shin’s head didn’t turn away from their fixed position in pouting at the wall. 
The glass of water he’d brought back had tiny particles floating in it, though the crushed sleep inducer went unnoticed by the youngling. “Here, you can drink some of this once you swallow it, and get the taste out faster, alright?” 
Another huff, shoulders sagging in defeat as they finally turned back to the older woman sitting across from her. Tiny hands took the offered cup reluctantly, and with one deep breath, the thick liquid was thrown back. Before they could even swallow, Shin was reaching for the glass in Huyang’s hands, swallowing the medicine before all bug chugging the clear liquid as fast as possible. “Easy, ad’ika!” A large hand moved to rub at their back as they sputtered.
“Can we never do that again? Thanks,” They rasped, shoulders sagging back as the glass was taken from their hands. Ahsoka chuckled warmly, dismissing Huyang with a warm smile and a nod of her head. 
“Meht?” The vulnerability was back, voice small as the half dose of sleep inducer began working through their already overtired system. “Will you stay with me..?” Even on their return trip, they’d avoided sleep, unsure if slumber would bring back the haze of memories and possibilities that they had yet to properly process… But Ahsoka would keep them safe from wrong Shin, and wrong  Jedi Knight, she was sure of it. 
“Of course, scooch over,” With some finagling, Shin managed to find space with the cool durasteel wall at their back, and the ever-present furnace of Ahsoka tucked up under their cheek. A small hand brushed against the soft leather of her Lek as Shin turned to press closer to her, fingers cold against warm skin. “Get some rest, du tunguma.”
It took so long for the cold to pass. The days that followed Shin’s return was full of tissues, fever, and a stubbornness that Ahsoka knew had driven her own Master wild, back in the day. They hadn’t been a fan of waiting, now that they had kyber safely in their own hands, never once allowing the crystal to leave their sight. 
“Have you been studying the different designs?” Ahsoka questioned on the fifth day. Shin was sat at the table, brows scrunched, paint freshly applied, and silver eyes focused intently on their datapad. Coming around the bench, Ahsoka’s fingers reached to press against their forehead and cheeks, thankful that they felt normal for a human. 
When Ahsoka attempted to lean around them to peer at the drawn out schematics, Shin was quick to shut off the screen. “Meht! It’s a surprise!” They scolded, cheeks puffed out as they pushed half-heartedly at Ahsoka’s arm as she came to sit beside them. 
Laughing, Ahsoka scooted over to offer them the privacy they needed. “Alright alright! I get it!” Then, dramatically puffing out her own lips, Ahsoka sighed heavily. “You got a crystal and now you don’t need me anymore-“ 
“You’re being dramatic,” Shin pointed out with a smile. Ahsoka dropped the act when she felt the toe of a soft boot poking against her leg. “I’ll always need you,” 
Laughing, Ahsoka reached under the table to bat their foot away from kicking at her. “Sure, sure,” 
“Just because you’re my master now…” The Padawan paused, suddenly worrying at their lip. “Well, that doesn’t mean…?” 
“Hey hey, don’t think like that,” Ahsoka sobered immediately, reaching across the table to grab their much smaller hand as it picked at the case on their datapad. “I will always be your mother. You’re stuck with me, little hunter,” 
Shin relaxed under the touch, turning Ahsoka’s hand in both of hers, soft thumbs pressing into the hardened skin from the years of lightsaber use. 
Before they could say anything, Huyang emerged from his workshop for the first time that day. “Padawan Tano,” Her head snapped to the side, beaming up at the ancient professor. “I believe I’ve gathered everything we need. Have you drafted your design?” 
“Mhm!” The brunette jumped up from the bench, gathering the datapad up in their arm as they all but ran the short distance. “We’ll be back, no peeking, meht!” 
“Of course, wouldn’t dream of it, tunguma!” 
“Did you grab the handgrip Senator Organa gave me?” Shin questioned as soon as the doors slid shut, peering at the workbenches that had been granted the light of day for the first time since Shin was brought on board. 
“I have, along with a lens assembly and the power cell from Lady Tano,” Huyang stepped around Shin, arms extending from his back and rifling through the thousands of different containers. “Have you brought the emitter from the temple?” 
“The temple..?” Brows furrowed, Shin allowed themselves to lean on one of his tool boxes. “Oh! It’s in the- hang on!” The Padawan scurried from the workspace, only offering Ahsoka a smile and a half wave before rushing off to the cockpit. 
Ahsoka should have been more concerned by the child rushing to the cockpit, and the sound of panels being moved and the ship’s wiring harnesses being moved, though… the crossword puzzle she’d been picking away at was just getting interesting, and Huyang could handle a hyper padawan for five minutes, right?
When Shin scurried back through, their hands were bunched around something wrapped in the outermost layer of their tunic, clutching it close to their chest to stop Ahsoka from seeing.
“Got it!” They whisper-yelled as the door slid shut behind them. The pieces they’d been gathering over the course of the last standard cycle were laid out on the workbench. 
“Excellent. And your Kyber?” 
“Right here!” A small chain rattled as they pulled the necklace that the crystal had been hanging on during their cold, unwilling to part with it even in sleep. 
The crystal was handed over and carefully removed. “Do you remember what we’ve spoken about?” 
“The crystal is the heart of the blade!” They beamed; the mantra had been taught over and over again, although Ahsoka had calmly redirected away from the Jedi, whether from the loss of her people, or the type of war they found themselves in, she’d been been as… intense as the Jedi Huyang may have respected before the Fall. 
“Do you recall the old saying? For the Jedi?” 
It took a moment for the young Padawan to wrack their brain for the response, chewing on their bottom lip in thought. “The Jedi are the crystal of the Force…? But, Huyang…”
“At the root of it all, young one, the Jedi are the heart of the Force… Your master sees this differently, and I can understand, but the Force will always remember them, they continue on in the cosmic Force of the universe around us, always. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. You are becoming one,” 
“Ahsoka is adamant on not being a Jedi,” Shin pointed out, nervously twisting the chain that held their kyber around their fingers. 
“She fails to see how true she has become. The Order was not what it once was when she was part of it, and… events had occurred that we can’t take back. But she will move forward, as will you.”
“I’m gonna help her.” Shin declared as Huyang pulled out a stool for them  to climb onto. “With everything both of you have taught me, she is a Jedi.” 
The voice box nestled in Huyang’s chest sparked almost warmly as he moved to arrange the pieces. “You’ll do what you must, after all, it is in your lineage…”
Shin Tano was far from a stranger when it came to meditation. While Ahsoka had trouble relaxing fully into the embrace of the Force, Shin could sink into the cosmic power and truly understand. They could feel each piece of their saber as they connected to them in the force.
 The hum of the handgrip that had been made by Alderaanian engineers, the mix of metals and rubbers that made the grip soft and sturdy, the white coating around it that would mold to her grip, over time. 
The emitter matrix that they’d collected while exploring an old Agricorps center, and the spires they’d plucked for the sole purpose of levelling out the weight of the hilt, ensuring it would be perfect for their preferred saber technique. 
Ahsoka had given them a power cell months prior to their gathering, tasking the young Initiate with fixing the cell themselves so it could one day power their own saber. Shin could recall warmly, as they felt the buzz of power inside the charged piece, that they’d completed the task by weeks end, and had only overloaded the circuits once. 
The lens assembly had also been a gift from Ahsoka, one that she’d seemed almost attached to. The metal was scuffed and damaged, as if they’d been pulled from a warzone. When Shin’s connection washed over the piece, it came with the ringing of klaxons, the vacuum of a ship being ripped from the sky, and the shouting of identical voices, none of which the youngling could differentiate from the other noise trapped in the silver alloy. 
“Don’t forget your activator and the power cell release cap,” Huyang’s voice filtered through their focus, reminding them of the parts they’d chosen from his vast array of lightsaber pieces. They’d been created decades ago, picked apart from battlefields and molded into something new, and now, as Shin’s hand raised towards each piece and rose them from the table, they would find their purpose once again in a new generation of Jedi lightsabers. 
Each piece fit together exactly as they’d dreamed, different materials fused together under the fine tuning of the Padawan’s command, twisting and turning under the twitch of small fingers until they clicked just right. 
They were unaware of how much time had passed when they found themselves back in their own body, hand dropping to the workbench with a new weight in it. The saber was heavy, strong, and perfectly balanced. “Huyang,” They called quietly, lips parted in awe as they turned on the stool. The droid, never too far away when a youngling had the chance to blow a hole in the ships hull, turning his head quickly. 
“Is it what you imagined?” He questioned as they slid off the stool, stumbling under the tingling sensation of legs that had fallen asleep. 
“It is…” Silver eyes darkened as they turned the saber in their hands… this was the same saber from the visions… was it a future she was fated to? It couldn’t be, as long as she had Ahsoka, she would write her own destiny. “It’s perfect,” They decided, fingers flexing around the sturdy grip as she beamed up at him.
“Would you like to ignite it now?”
“Nuh-uh, we gotta go show mom,” 
When the door slid open, they found Ahsoka resting peacefully at the table, knees tucked together under a warm blanket as she repaired a blaster hole in one of her favorite ponchos. “Meht!” Shin called excitedly as they ran to her, all but leaping over the open back of the bench to put themselves in the spot beside her, Saber much more carefully placed on the table once they’d settled. “I did it!” 
Blinking, Ahsoka took half a second to safely stow the needle and thread before turning to look first at Shin, and then the saber. “Oh!” Startled, Ahsoka peered at the weapon’s design. “Tell me about it?” Shin scrambled off the bench, taking their sber with them as Huyang came to perch on Ahsoka’s other side.
“So, the hilt was made on Alderaan, Bail helped me; It’s supposed to be for a speeder’s handlebars, and I asked about it last time, so he had one made! It’s so cool, and it’s really soft but also like- not,” They rambled, fingers dancing over the cool material as they explained it. “Huyang helped me with a few pieces too, besides the ones you gave me! It was kind of hard to find the perfect balance for Makashi, but with these-” They pressed the spires over the emitters into the soft pads of their fingers. “They balance it out perfectly!”
“Where is your activation switch?” Ahsoka questioned, peering at the metal disks that seemed wielded into the metal, unable to be moved, the Togruta couldn’t fathom how they would ignite their saber in a rush.
“Well… The Force, really, I haven’t tested it yet, but it should work… Is that okay?”
“Of course, of course! Tazi Unt, it is amazing! I’ve just never seen such a design.”
“Well…” Twwisting the weapon in their hands as nervousness prickled at their skin, Shin found themselves flexing their fingers into familiar material. “Huyang said that the force would…”
Ahsoka cuts them off with a warm smile. “It’s perfect, Shin. When I was a youngling, I redesigned my first saber hundreds of times in my head before my gathering. But when I made these-" The Togruta rose to her feet to gesture to the slim, chrome alloyed sabers on her hips. "They were something I'd only just felt in my dreams. I allowed the force to design the saber that would fit me, just as you've done now. And I'm so proud of you..."
Anxiety turned to bashfullness as Shin’s fingertip slid along the smooth metal of the round disc that cradled their emitter. Silence hung in the air, not entirely uncomfortable, but filling with the trepidation of actually igniting the saber. 
"Have you turned it on yet?" 
Shin looks terrified, but Ahsoka offers a lopsided smile. "Nothing bad will happen, promise. If Huyang has already cleared your power supply-" She wasn't too keen on the thought of cleaning up the remains of an exploded hilt, and while Huyang had found humor in it back in the day, she had to hope he would never do that to them.
 "Go on," She urges as Shin steps further back away from the table and steadies the hilt in her hands. Icy blue light flickers to light in a twitch of power that makes them lean back from the beam of plasma burning through the ozone around her. 
There's a mixture of amazement in her eyes, along with the childish disappointment at the color of the cylinders the plasma was pushed through. "Were you expecting something else" Ahsoka asks, mirth dancing in her tone as she steps behind her padawan and rests a hand on their shoulder. 
Shin's saber lowers as silver eyes flicker down to the sabers on Ahsoka's hips. Their lips twitch slightly and shoulders shrug under her hand. "I thought it would be..." 
"Let’s hope your kyber never has to suffer the same way mine has, Padawan... You do not need to experience the suffering it takes to turn into this," Though there is a warmth in her tone, that Shin would look up to her so much that they’d expected their own crystal to produce a blinding white blade was endearing. She’d just have to hope that the human would never be expected to face the blood stained brothers of the Kyber that resided in her own sabers. 
With a nudge of the force, the saber sank back into the hilt, the smell of burning plasma was cycled out from the filterers kicking on not a moment too soon. “So… How long was I in there, really? Huyang covered the chrono,” The young girl complained as she set her saber back on the table and clambered onto the bench of peer at Ahsoka’s needlework, taking over both her seat and blanket as the woman moved to brew a pot of tea.
“Certainly more than a few hours. How do you feel?” Ahsoka questioned as she rifled through cabinets for a wrapped package of leaves that Cody had once gifted her in celebration. They were old, though the packaging promised that the age would only enhance the flavors of the leaves. 
“Excited, really,” They decided as they picked up the needle and continued the stitchwork along the hole for Ahsoka. The thread was only slightly sloppier than Ahsoka’s, though they were getting better each time. “Kinda tired, but mostly excited.”
“It was approximately five hours and thirty nine minutes,” Huyang chimed in as he retrieved his own datapad from a compartment on his back. “Considering you did not add an activation switch, it’s remarkable that you did not take longer.”
“So… I exceeded expectations?” A self-assured smirk pulled at their lips as they pulled their saber from the corner of the table, slipping their finger through the chrome ring on the pommel to attach it to the belt on their waist. It would take time for them to get used to how much heavier it was compared to Ahsoka’s shoto, but they couldn’t wait to begin properly training. 
“Of course, tazi unt,” Ahsoka laughed warmly as she prepared the third stoop of the leaves, filling duracrete mugs with the golden ichor of perfectly aged leaves. “Here, try this one, as a treat. My grandmaster would always bring it out for celebrations,” 
The tea was warm and rich, it tasted like drinking the happiness of a day spent in the sun on Alderaan; Shin could understand why Ahsoka’s grandmaster would have brought it out, with what they knew. Something light when they were surrounded in the inky darkness that came with war. Silver eyes peered up at her mother, watching how tense shoulders relaxed and she seemed to find a peace in the taste as well. 
She would help Ahsoka become a Jedi again, just like she was doing for them. Shin was certain of it.
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stardustprompts · 1 year
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she who became the sun ( the radiant emperor #1 )  -   shelly parker-chan change tenses/pronouns as needed !!  some lines have been edited for clarity / length / ease of roleplaying  tw ;  death , war ,  violence , sexism
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‘they say there’s luck in names, and you’ve certainly had luck enough.’
'in my experience, lucky people tend to be the laziest.’
‘where’s the fun in suffering by yourself?’
‘you think you’re that good-looking everyone wants to see you?’
‘desire is the cause of all suffering.’
‘I don’t appreciate being made a puppet for another man’s dirty work.’
‘when I ask myself if future pain is worth it for this life I have now, I always find that it is.’
‘I always knew you had a strong will. but what’s unusual about you is that most strong willed people never understand that will alone isn’t enough to guarantee their survival.’
‘more so than will, survival depends upon an understanding of people and power.’
‘it isn’t strength, but knowledge, that will be our best tool for surviving these difficult times ahead.’
'undoubtedly, chaos brings danger. but there will be opportunities, too.’
‘it’s due to chaos that we’re living through a moment in which even ordinary men can aspire to greatness.’
‘are you going to stab me?’
‘you can’t pray away your fate.’
‘I was merciful. I let you live.’
‘you cause me trouble as well as shame.’
‘you disappoint me.’
‘any power with such comprehensive reach should be understood.’
‘any power with such comprehensive reach should be understood. perhaps especially if they’re on our side.’
‘in my father’s eyes, I’ll always be the failure.’
‘(name) is an easy person to love. the world loves him, and he loves the world, because everything in it has always gone right for him.’
‘you and (name) are two unlike things. don’t fool yourself that he can ever understand you.’
‘I know what it’s like to be humiliated.’
‘any kind of fool can stumble into success once or twice.’
‘you two are such a bad match. can’t you have a single conversation without fighting?’
‘can’t you have a single conversation without fighting?’
‘clever people know when to give in.’
‘if you join his side, you’ll regret it.’
‘how little lives are worth in this war. theirs and ours, both.’
‘you have a lot of feelings in you.’
‘to win a hundred victories, a hundred battles is not the pinnacle of skill. to subdue the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle of skill.’
‘what someone is means nothing about what kind of person they are. truth is in actions.’
‘I didn’t mean to kill. at first.’
‘I wanted to live, so I took a life.’
‘all that means is we have to make this life count.’
‘who did you become, when we were apart?’
‘I might not know you, but I know what you want.’
‘you’ve opened my eyes. there are so many more options than I thought.’
‘you saw something in me that I didn’t know myself.’
‘what kind of man bothers to see potential in a woman, and encourages her despite her own doubts?’
‘rest assured that the only reason I helped you is because it gets me closer to what I want.’
‘you know what’s worse than suffering? not suffering, because you’re not even alive to feel it.’
‘learn to want something for yourself. not what someone says you should want. not what you think you should want.’
‘don’t go through life thinking only of duty. when all we have are these brief spans between our nonexistences, why not make the most of the life you’re living now?’
‘why not make the most of the life you’re living now? the price is worth it.’
‘maybe your suffering is worth whatever it is you want to achieve. but mine wouldn’t be.’
‘that’s all past history. I never think of it.’
‘do you believe that? that one day we’ll be out of a job, because of peace?’
‘have the courage to take power for yourself! do you think it will come to you if you wait?’
‘do you actually believe the idiocy that comes out of your mouth?’
‘you never accepted me for who I am; you never even saw everything I did for you, all because I’m not like (name)!’
‘you always push everyone away. what do you find in it, the loneliness? I couldn’t bear it.’
‘you trust too much. I admire you for it. that you prefer to drawn people closer, rather than push them away. but it’ll get you hurt.’
‘the worst injury you can do to a man is shame him. he can never forget it.’
‘it must have been painful, learning that true wisdom lies in obedience.’
‘are you always thinking do little of me that my defeats seem inevitable?’
‘i’d have thought you’d be the last to cry about (name’s) fate. why can’t we just stand back and let it happen?’
‘so you’re going to save (name) from himself?’
‘and here I thought I was the only one who got manipulated by pretty girls.’
‘why are you lowering yourself by dirtying your hands like this? let someone else take care of this trash.’
‘you were only ever a pretender. you only sat on a pretend throne.’
‘why do we have to play these awful games? what for?’
‘what does anyone want but to be on top, untouchable?’
‘who do you think I am, to think I can make anything happen in my own life? i’m a woman.’
‘I know you don’t want that life. a different one isn’t impossible.’
‘you have something I don’t; you feel for others, even the ones you don’t like.’
‘you want me to believe you’re different. that you can give me something different. but how can I trust that? I can’t.’
‘are you fool enough to believe the future will match your dream of it, with no consideration of the reality of the situation?’
‘I don’t admit anything! I don’t need to! you’ve already made up your mind!’
‘you can’t reason with fools who refuse to see reason.’
‘he was right about you. you’re worthless. worse than that; a curse.’
‘there are people who say that grief will hurt as much as it’s worth.’
‘there are people who say that grief will hurt as much as it’s worth. and there is nothing worth more than a father.’
‘(name) would never put himself on the line for me, or anyone else. but you, you’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?’
‘i’ve wanted and struggled and suffered for that fate my whole life. I’m not going to stop now.’
‘you are trouble. I’ve never met anyone more trouble than you,’
‘are you so certain of the possibility of change? it seems to me the outcome is inevitable.’
‘what I want has nothing to do with who wins.’
‘every time the world turns its face from you, know it was because of me.’
‘stop blaming yourself and let yourself want it.’
‘stop blaming yourself and let yourself want it. i’ll give it to you.’
‘I have everything I need. whereas you, — you still need me.’
‘nobody expected anything of me. nobody ever cherished me.’
‘I cherish you.’
‘you think you understand me. but don’t forget it goes both ways. like knows like; like is connected to like. I understand you, too.’
‘pure emotions are the luxury of children and animals.’
‘more fool I am, to hope against hope for a change in his nature, that he might actually try to be useful.’
‘I presume you’re not here to kill me.’
‘you think you have power over me because you know a secret. but you don’t.’
‘how can something like that stop me, destroy me, when nothing else has?’
‘look at me and see the person who will win. the person who will rule.’
‘I presume you realize how much I dislike you. wasn’t the last where I said I wanted to kill you clear enough?’
‘you betray you ignorance in less than a sentence.’
‘how willing you were to think the worst of me. why aren’t you happier? i’m just being who you’ve always though I was. i’m giving you the ending you believed in.’
‘the times and means of our deaths have always been fixed, and this is yours.’
‘even the most shining future, if desired, will have suffering at its heart.’
‘i’ll follow you, as far as you want to go.’
‘I wasn’t born with the promise of greatness either. but I have it now. because I wanted it. because I’m strong, because I’ve struggled and suffered to become the person I need to me, and because I do want needs to be done.’
‘you said you’d be different. you lied to me.’
‘when you did this, did you even stop to think about how it might make me feel to bear witness for what you think is justified?’
‘I want what I want, and sometimes I’m going to have to do certain things to get it.’
‘you have two choices. you can rise with me, which I’d prefer. or if you don’t want what I want— you can leave.’
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telleroftime · 6 months
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I'm tired so here's some Treasure Planet x Reader longfic ideas before I take a nap. All are post-canon by the way:
Silver x Reader where Silver looks back on his life and tries to do something new with it. He no longer has a treasure planet to find and the only thing he's good at outside of pirating is cooking. So, he starts working at Reader's inn/restaurant. They're the only person that will take him in, though if that's because they're kind or desperate he does not know.
Silver x Reader where Silver, inspired by Jim, decides to try and settle down. A retirement sort of deal. He ends up finding a comfortable enough place on a fairly popular planet. The countryside would do him well though he yearns to sail again. The first time he meets Reader, the local blacksmith, is when he needs to get his arm fixed up. They are patient with him and confident enough to comment back their own offhand flirts. Slowly but surely, Silver gets comfortable and Reader is happy that such an exciting ex-pirate settled down in their town.
Silver x Reader where Reader is a teacher. The school they work at just so happens to hire a new cook, who just so happens to be a retired pirate. The two don't interact at first, but after Reader organises a story time for the children and Silver tells one of his own, Reader becomes completely enamoured. The two get along well as Reader helps out in the kitchens in their free time, if only to hear more of his stories.
Silver x Reader where Reader is a scholar. Though they weren't too keen on the cyborg suddenly working at their place of research - be that as a cook or some other not-so-scholarly job - they end up growing fond of the alien. They enjoy his charisma. Eventually, they even offer to sponsor him despite what their colleagues have to say about it. Silver has great stories and Reader knows that. It would be wasted potential otherwise, and the two bond over that.
Of course, because of his pirate background, Reader would have to teach him how to read and write. Well, at least better than the bare minimum. And who's to say no to cute study dates?
Silver x Reader where Reader owns a pub on one of the Etherium's more dangerous space stations. A space station that is known for how many pirates and corrupt politicians it harbours. With Silver's lacklustre lineup of previous jobs, he's lucky that Reader needed a bouncer. Looking at them, he assumed they were someone that would be easy to take advantage of - not that he would - but it turns out the saying it true: don't mess with the barkeep.
Scroop x Reader where Reader is the boss of a gambling den at one of the more notorious pirate strongholds. They just so happened to be in need of a bodyguard to keep the loud clientele in order, and who better to fill the role than someone who begrudgingly admitted to be part of Silver's crew. Well, at least before he was found floating in space that is.
He'd pretty much be 'scary dog privilege' incarnate, though that's not to say that the Reader would be weak. Someone has to keep him in his place, although someone also needs to keep him out of trouble.
Scroop x Reader where Reader is a farmer. They were just about to scare away the Etherium's whales that were floating too close to the small planet's atmosphere when they encountered the arachnid-like alien, unconscious and too cold to the touch. They take him back down and nurse him back to health. Scroop, now stranded with no real life to get back to, helps Reader on the farm. Though he isn't too keen on it.
Scroop could end up learning to relax a little. There is no one he need to perform to anymore. It's just him and Reader, and if he needs alone time with his own thoughts then that's okay too.
Scroop x Reader where Reader and their tribe find Scroop floating in space. He's not too keen on having woken up on a tropical-like planet, let alone in a place where he doesn't understand anyone. He's aggressive and the elders debate whether to just get rid of him. Reader, naturally, decides to keep him around. It takes a while to break through the language barrier, but eventually the relationships better. Scroop shows Reader how to uses a cutlass, Reader shows Scroop how to forage the planet's resources, and the two bond over that.
Scroop x Reader where Reader is a surgeon on a pirate ship. After Scroop's been floating in space he is lucky enough to be picked up by a different band of pirates. He's back to being his mean self, instantly being seen as an outcast that is only kept on board because of his good spacer skills. However, compared to what he was accustomed to when part of Silver's crew, he now has a Reader to deal with. Someone who isn't too happy about being disrespected.
Both would end up growing in the end. Reader, who previously had little skills in terms of ship duties, ends up being taught by Scroop. Well, less teaching and more following him around as if he had a choice. Scroop on the other hand would learn how to take care of others and of himself.
I haven't read this back yet so sorry if there's any errors.
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letterstoear · 7 months
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Welcome to my dorm~
Riddle Rosehearts:
Greetings, I’m Riddle Rosehearts, the Housewarden of Heartslabyul. I’m pleased to have you join Heartslabyul, now, shall we see your talents? Don’t hesitate to show your skills, whatever skills you have will be useful like the card soldiers who served the Queen of Hearts. Make sure you keep a close eye on all 810 rules of this dorm, if not, it’ll be off with your head.
Leona Kingscholar:
As per the usual customs, the name’s Leona Kingscholar, if you haven’t already guessed, I’m the Housewarden of Savanaclaw. Understand there’s only one rule to be followed, obey the king. Don’t worry the rule is easy to follow along with, just be careful not to anger your fellow classmates. You wouldn’t want an angry pack coming after you in the night. Well, that’s all I have to say, behave well herbivore.
Azul Ashengrotto:
Welcome ____________,
I, Azul Ashengrotto, will be your Housewarden here at Octavinelle. You’re truly lucky to be a part of Octavinelle, for if you encounter danger I’ll be at your service. Of course, it’s a Housewarden’s job to help those in need. So long as you’re able to pay the fee I see us having no trouble working together. Now then, have you gotten a good look at the Mostro Lounge?
Kalim Al Asim:
Hello! I’m Kalim Al Asim, I’ll be your Housewarden during your stay at NRC! Hey, don't be late to our first feast of the year. Everyone will be working hard to greet the new students. There’s going to be a parade and the Vice-Housewarden’s food is fantastic to eat. Don’t worry too much about all that stressful stuff, life should be a party! See you soon.
Vil Schoheint:
Pomefiore, the dorm of beauty and grace, it’s a pleasure to be a part of such a dorm. I, the Housewarden, Vil Schoheint make it clear to each student to follow the path of the Fairest Queen. Every inch of you will be polished to its fullest potential, I pray you won’t disappoint me. If you were to go against this path, well I’m sure you’ll be holding your breath if that time were to come. May your time here at Pomefiore be useful to you.
Idia Shroud:
I’m Idia Shroud your Housewarden for Ignihyde. I don’t really know how you’re going to be in this dorm but keep to yourself at this school. There’s a lot of bad people you could get mixed up with at this school. Just a warning. I guess if you wanna know more about our dorm you can just look it up on the internet. That’s all. Bye.
Malleus Draconia:
To my newest student,
I humbly greet you as Diasomnia’s Housewarden, I am Malleus Draconia. Our dorm is built on the spirit of the Thorn Fairy’s nobility. Here we welcome you with open arms, I am personally excited to greet you. If you’re interested, I encourage you to join the Gargoyle Research Society.
Grim:
Dear henchman,
Are you ready to serve the greatest mage of all time! Well, at Ramshackle we don’t have much, but it’s alright. Everyone once in a while our dorm gets a real big cleaning. Before that day comes, I guess you’ll be stuck sleeping on the couch. Anyway, I’m lookin’ forward to seeing your skills, maybe you’re even as good as me!
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pomplalamoose · 8 months
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hey omg I have this idea, could you maybe do headcanons (IF YOU WANT TO) abt enemies to lovers with Luke? Well, you can have it kinda be like a Mara Jade scenario where she needs to kill him but Luke doesn’t necessarily hate her. Honestly all up to you!
Hiii anon, thanks for your ask🩵 I really like the idea, so let's jump right into it!
• I find this to be a very interesting concept because there are so many possibilities how this could play out 
• across the galaxy there is a wide array of people that could have good reasons to hate Luke, even the ones that have never actually met him before 
• the reasons for said dislike can range from petty to understandable, depending wholly on whose side you are on
• imagine: you could be a fellow kid from Tatooine, having one sided beef with Luke because he was always the better pilot and shooting womp rats came to him easily, whereas you wanted nothing more than to beat him once but always failed 
• maybe Luke stole the love of your life right from underneath your nose without even realizing 
• maybe you hate him just because he made it off that hell hole of a planet and casually overthrew the Empire in the process 
• like, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN YOU and the jealousy is gnawing at you
• maybe you are a politician's assistant or the politician yourself and, because you can't stand Leia, hate Luke too, simply because they are related 
• possibly Luke's actions, unbeknownst to him, had a serious impact on your life; you are left reeling, trying your hardest to pick up the pieces left
• maybe you worked for Jabba and lost your job due to his death 
• alternatively you lost friends in the same battle that cost your boss his life 
• or maybe Jabba died before he could pay you your well deserved money
• and worse: you are responsible for caring for friends or family and now can't do that anymore because your employer is fucking dead
• maybe you had family or friends on the Death Star
• maybe you are part of what remains of the Empire 
• alternatively you could have been raised to hate and fight the Jedi, and now, that there is only one left, you want to end them one and for all
• either way: the only thing still keeping you from crumbling down, what keeps you going,  is the thought of revenge 
• no matter your motive, Luke will not hate you in return no matter what you do
• we have to be realistic here, that man didn't even hate his father and refused to kill the Emperor with his own hands
• so the whole enemy part is pretty much one sided, to him you are a slight annoyance at best 
• (additional reason to absolutely hate his guts)
• (personally I think it's hilarious but obviously you don't)
• there is nothing more infuriating than your sworn nemesis acknowledging your presence but not being really bothered by it 
• and why would he? 
• (going forward I'll assume your goal is to hurt him or possibly end his life)
• unless you have some serious outstanding skills, you wont be able to even get close enough to do any harm
• plus, it would be in your best interest to catch him alone, which in its own right is hardly implementable
• if you somehow get this far though, he will already know 
• it's basically impossible to sneak up on him, especially with murder on your mind 
• and taking on Luke wholly on your own? You wouldn't stand a chance 
• even though you could potentially be a trained fighter you are blinded by rage and thus not equipped to meet him at the same level he's on
• all of this, of course, doesn't mean that Luke would simply accept the way you keep trying to mess up him or his family 
• he might have developed lots of patience during his training and over the years but when the people he loves are in danger, he isn't playing around 
• (it doesn't matter that every single one of them is dangerous in their own right and can very well defend themselves)
• if you're lucky he only gets angry 
• but if you somehow manage to catch his interest and become subjected to his curiosity, you might as well turn yourself in straight away
• he will either make an effort to get you arrested, or alternatively, seek you out himself 
• abruptly the roles are going to be reversed; no longer will you be the hunter but instead the hunted 
• Luke will naturally want to know who you are and where you are from, what your occupation is or was and whether you are working alone 
• most importantly he'll want to hold you accountable for your actions 
• since he doesn't consider you a real threat he is able to take his time to methodically tire you out 
• he doesn't mind if you constantly manage to evade his grasp, he knows you will return again to try and hurt him
• eventually, if you like it or not, he'll get his chance to confront you 
• depending on your reaction, the results are different ones 
• if you insist on following your path, he'll see you punished according to your crimes
• if you're willing to engage in conversation/are reasonable enough, he will reach out, offer his help 
• you absolutely don't want to go to prison but his pity would make you feel similarly awful 
• it's easy to stoke hatred and to keep your anger burning when your target is, as far as you are concerned, a monster 
• however, coming face to face with Luke for the first time, you are thrown and your world, once again, is turned upside down 
• he is nothing like you imagined 
• he is kind, charming even, and not arrogant and blinded by pride, like you thought 
• above all he's so beautiful it hurts
• despite everything you did in order to bring him harm, he is ready to forgive you 
• and not only that: he offers his support, might even apologize and explain his point of view should you entrust him with the reason for your actions 
• while Luke does not expect you to do so, in fact doesn't demand anything, he still wants to come to an agreement 
• he's busy enough as it is and permanently keeping an eye out for you is, frankly, irritating 
• so what is it that you want? A stable job? A place to live? Money? Some other kind of compensation for what happened to you?
• it's hard to face the fact that maybe, just maybe, you were in the wrong all along 
• that he is, just like you, a survivor of the war and it's circumstances and did only what had to be done 
• (alternatively you are a Sith and want to admit to your faults even less)
• whatever the case, Luke will remain understanding and, should you refuse his help, won't judge you for it 
• if you promise to leave him and his family alone, he'll let you go
• it's all up to you and he won't pressure you into something your pride doesn't allow 
• he'll be happy to part ways peacefully, of course, but if that's not the case you'll still get your chance to stand by your word to not cross his path again 
• regretfully he does not disappear from your thoughts, no matter how much you try to forget about this embarassing encounter
• maybe you try to unfairly twist your interactions to make them fit your narrative
• it's not working though and with growing frustration you realize you want to, need to, see him again 
• only to accuse him of messing with your mind of course, no other reason (like taking a last look into his crystal blue eyes)
• if you can settle this once and for all, maybe he'll stop appearing in your dreams and leave you alone 
• surely this is all the doing of a Jedi and has nothing to do with a guilty conscience and a burning longing to be held in his arms
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ceterisparibus116 · 2 years
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Soo, how do you feel about She-hulk's finale?
oh, gosh. 😂
Jen taking control of her own story was EXCELLENT...in theory. In practice? I have two issues (one of which has two sub-issues).
The first issue is lack of setup. The second issue is...well, we'll get to the second issue.
With regard to setup, ask yourself this: what was the conflict introduced in Episode 1? A good story will hook readers with the main conflict (or at least hints of the main conflict) early on.
For example, in Daredevil, the third (3rd!) scene introduces the problem of human trafficking, which is being orchestrated by Fisk. The first episode continues to show us hints of Fisk's operations. Fisk's threat, and the threat of the other villains, even gets its own montage at the end of the first episode.
We also get hints, from the beginning, of Matt's internal conflict. In the second (2nd!!) scene, we see him wrestling with guilt as he asks for forgiveness for what he's "about to do." In the fourth (4th!!!) scene, we see hints of conflict between him and Foggy, as he lies to Foggy about what he was up to the night before. The lying comes up again with Karen, when Matt saves her in the mask without revealing his identity.
So by the end of the first episode of Daredevil, we have a good understanding of the external conflict (dealing with Fisk) and Matt's internal conflict (reconciling his morality and his choices, and lying to his friends).
Contrast this with She-Hulk. What conflicts do we see hinted at in the first episode of She-Hulk? We see her dealing with the effects of being a Hulk, we see her feeling misunderstood by Bruce about what being a Hulk means for her, and we see her desire to not have to transform into a Hulk, and the episode ends highlighting just how much her life is about to change now that she's gone public as a Hulk.
Where, in the first episode (...or the second episode, or the third...) do we get a hint that actually no, the conflict of She Hulk is whether Jennifer is in control of her own show?
The only thing I can think of are her remarks to the camera about "Don't forget whose show this is." But this, this, this is in the context of cameos. Cameos that aren't even a bother to Jennifer, except to the extent that fans get distracted by them and stop caring about her. In other words, it's not Jennifer resisting the writing. It's a conflict over a potential response from fans.
Once in a while, you get more pointed comments about the writing (such as when she was surprised to find that the episode with Matt didn't end after their night together), but at least at the beginning, during that crucial set-up period, the show absolutely did not convince me that Jennifer's conflict would be with the writers.
And...okay, just think about how awesome that would've been.
Like, imagine this: instead of Jennifer being frankly quite selfish with her powers (her "haha I'm so lucky I don't have to wear headphones at night unlike other women" comment is actually disgusting given that she didn't bother to go protect other women from the danger she was celebrating escaping), imagine a Jennifer who got her powers and immediately wanted to use them to help other people...only to find herself thwarted by demands of the plot. She keeps trying to circumvent it, only for the writing to get in her way again and again. Maybe initially she doesn't see it as anything insidious, but as time goes on, she starts to realize the writers are doing everything in their power to force her to just be a lawyer, and not help people as a Hulk.
Wouldn't that: a) make Jennifer a much more likeable and admirable character; b) give the finale much more impact; and c) give us a consistent conflict that could shift and expand over the course of all the episodes?
Okay, moving on. The other issue is more straightforward.
There's this thing in writing called "lampshading." Lampshading is when you call out potential flaws or hard-to-believe aspects of your own writing. The purpose of this is to reassure your audience that you, the storyteller, understand when something feels a little wonky. This is important for maintaining trust between the storyteller and the audience. The audience needs to believe that the storyteller can tell a good story, and that requires the storyteller to be able to recognize when parts of a story are a little...not great.
There are two problems with She-Hulk's use of lampshading.
First, lampshading is always dangerous. It always breaks the audience's immersion and reminds them that they're watching (or reading, etc.) a story that was written by someone else. Now, good lampshading does so strategically, often in order to maintain pacing or perhaps for comedic effect. The point is not to linger on whatever is being lampshaded; you acknowledge it because you must, and you move on as quickly as possible, so that the audience can get immersed again as soon as possible.
What you must never do when lampshading is lampshade something ridiculous that's key to your story. Because this will suspend your audience's belief in something that's key to your story.
Honestly, I think Defenders made this same mistake. Having Jessica highlight the absurdity of the Hand ninja stuff was actually having Jessica highlight the absurdity of the plot. Now instead of the audience laughing at some weird shenanigans in the story, we're laughing at the plot. Not great.
But at least Defenders had the respect for its audience and its storytelling required to not make fun of the climax - the heart of the story. Matt's self-sacrificial love for Elektra is "played straight" (as in, not lampshaded), and the emotional reactions of characters like Foggy, Karen, and Claire are likewise allowed to feel heavy and real - without any interjections to laugh about how weird the ninja stuff was.
She-Hulk, by contrast, lampshaded the absurdity of its own climax. Or, sort of. We got a second climax in her debate with Kevin. But the pre-climax, at least, was lampshaded horribly. The writers called out every sloppy writing choice they made in that moment. And this made me take a step back, metaphorically, from the whole story - including Jen. I had to ease back into the story during her debate with Kevin. But the impact of the debate with Kevin hinges in part on the audience feeling bad for Jennifer in having to deal with the sloppy writing. But by lampshading it, I no longer feel like I'm in the story with Jen feeling bad for her...I'm outside of the story, watching the bizarreness, and going "What the heck."
Imagine if, instead, the problem with the climax hadn't been terrible writing per se. Imagine if the problem hadn't been characters coming out of nowhere (like Tatiana and Bruce) and causing chaos. Imagine if instead, the climax had been generally feasible, with real emotional stakes...and the only "problem" was that Jennifer was saved by a man (like Bruce...who was there for legitimate reasons that were set-up earlier in the episode or, ideally, in a previous episode). Imagine if in that context, Jennifer goes and talks to Kevin and is like, "Wait, no. I'm saving myself. Also, I don't need a physical fight with scum. I'm going to beat them in court. Thanks, bye."
That would still give her that moment she needs of standing up to her creators, but it wouldn't require that moment to stand on the very wobbly shoulders of...well, sheer chaos in the scenes leading up to it.
The second issue with lampshading is just...ugh.
If you're self-aware enough to call bad writing what it is, shouldn't you also be self-aware enough to not write it that badly in the first place?
Frankly, it felt so lazy to me. As if the writers wrote something they knew was trash, and then called themselves ingenious for acknowledging it was trash. No, the ingenious thing would have been to write something that wasn't trash in the first place.
...Which they could have done so easily if Jennifer's conflict with the writers had been set up properly in the beginning.
And that's my rant.
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thebnha-auhoard · 1 year
Text
Busts through the door
Au where Personas exist in the MHA universe and all of Class 1-A slowly gets Personas over the course of their first year.
It is first to be said though that this is not the first time that someone was brought into the Velvet Room to fight against a threat endangering the world. It is not the first nor it will be the last.
This however, is perhaps the longest instance of Persona Users fighting a Threat and arguably the most dangerous one.
It should not be a surprise that humanity's downfall would come from a human. Though, many would go and argue that All For One is hardly human now. Instead more of a caricature of what is believed to be all the worst villains in media and blended together into a terrifyingly cruel and powerful man.
Across time, One For All users would take up arms and unlock their Persona to fight All For One in both the real and cognitive world, all passing down the Quirk in hopes for someone to beat All For One. At the same time, they pass down access to the Velvet Room and potential to unlock their Persona.
When All Might landed the final blow on All For One all those years ago, it was thought to be the end of the conflict and a final goodbye to the Velvet Room for quite some time.
That of course did not happen. All For One is somehow still alive, Yagi doesn't have a successor and can't quite use his Persona as he used to, and it is becoming apparent that this World is running out of time.
So Igor does what he does best, he looks at humanity, chooses one person, and invites them to the Velvet Room.
Ruin has once again threaten this world. And now, the world needs its tricksters to stop it.
------------
Shouta sighs. “I hope you all know the gravity of the situation.”
He flips through the papers. “Breaking and entering, Larceny, Vandalism, Computer Crime, Destruction of Property, Possession of Firearms, Involvement with the League of Villains, Obstruction of Justice, and Vigilantism. You all have a file and it’s going to affect all of your futures.”
He looks up at all of them. “Especially since all of you are heroes in training.”
The entirety of Class 1-A looked away from him. None of them particularly looked like the famed Phantom Thieves but it's always the ones you least expect.
Again, he sighs. "You all are incredibly lucky that you were allowed to be interrogated together. I don't know what Nedzu pulled to allow this but it's something that you should be grateful for."
Silence, before a quiet- "...Mei should be with us."
Shouta winces. "I am aware that Hatsume Mei is part of the Phantom Thieves but she was to be requested to be interrogated alone due to her separate crimes of both Vigilantism and illegal manufacturing of Support Equipment and Firearms. If you're worried for her then I want you all to know that Nedzu is making sure that the police won't arrest her for anything she didn't do and that she is getting a fair interrogation."
"How about Present Mic? What's going to happen to him?"
It takes all of Shouta's willpower to show nothing on his face. Hizashi is...What Hizashi did throughout the entire school year turned out to be a lot more than just "Figuring out who the Phantom Thieves actually were". He doesn't understand what Hizashi found and why he kept digging for more and why he continued to keep in touch with the people he did but he hopes- And he goddamn hopes that Hizashi did it for the right reasons.
There was a reason why he was here and not helping Tsukauchi with interrogation.
Instead of answering, he takes a deep breath. "Look, I can't help you if none of you say anything. And considering the present...circumstances of the world, you have to say something so that all of you may avoid jail time or worse. I can't guarantee that you'll still be able to attend this school, but I will try my best to protect all of you."
More silence.
"What about Shouto?" asks Kaminari. "What- What about him? He isn't here right now and- And I trust you Mr Aizawa I really do but we don't even know if he's-" Kaminari hiccups. "He got hurt really badly and we don't know what happened to him."
Kaminari looks at him with wide eyes. "Mr Aizawa is he-"
"He's recovering," he says immediately. "He's recovering and doctors are optimistic about him waking up soon."
Immediately, the entire class breath out a sigh of relief and god. That shouldn't happen. They shouldn't have to worry about their friend dying now. They shouldn't have to ever worry about their friend dying. He's trained them so that they can save people while also preventing their own deaths. So that this scenario will never happen to any of them.
So that someone doesn't have to see their best friend die in front of them.
Shouta can't help but wonder where it went wrong. When this year started, all of his kids were heroes in training, all promising, and all ready to do what was right.
Now he sits across from them interrogating them about Vigilantism and Association with the League.
"...Mr Aizawa?"
"Yes Midoriya?"
"I'm the Leader of the Phantom Thieves."
"Yes. You went and told us that the moment we first apprehended you all."
"Yeah. That also means I know how this started. And uh..." His student pulls on his sleeve. "Mr Aizawa, when do you think this started?"
Shouta thinks for a moment. "The Aldera Junior High Incident. A principal confessed all of his crimes regarding the mistreatment of students, bias towards Quirks, complacency towards bullying, and poor management of staff."
"Bingo. That's where it began. But uh- That was just our first successful mission. We had to go back and forth between it all so that we could succeed. To go and find a route to steal his Heart."
"And how, Midoriya did you manage to achieve that?"
For a moment, Shouta thinks Midoriya would close up again, that this was a piece of a puzzle that he had to figure out, but instead Midoriya talks.
"On my phone," he says. "There's an app. It's red and it has an eye in the middle of it. That's how me and Kacchan stole our former principal's Heart. That's how all of us were able to steal all the Hearts of our previous missions."
"...And how does that work?"
Midoriya leans back. "Mr Aizawa, I want you to first suspend all disbelief because if you don't then this is going to feel more confusing than it already is."
Shouta looks at his Class and sighs for what seems like the millionth time this hour. "I think considering the state of the world, I feel like I can believe anything at this point.
Midoriya nods and takes a deep breath. "That app is called the 'Metaverse App', and me and Kacchan got that app around our final months of our Second Year at Aldera Junior High."
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zombie-ghost · 1 month
Note
It won't select Kingdom for that involved in a radio I'm gonna change it and you can just go back and build a radio for a teacher and take to write teenager Emily Elliott's sweet voice inside each other you're smart and you don't understand I'll continue to speak to you which part and indulgent rhymes though she says he has since buzzed a procrastinate resonant need alternative I'm going to call one via when you be on usual brains so I'll keep you on slaughter live again keep explaining all of it and you get right danger I'm a lady Italy as
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Idk what this means, or if you're a spam bot (or just a regular bot) Since this makes no sense, but I'm responding to this in case this turns into an arg
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nalyra-dreaming · 10 months
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The marketing of iwtv leaves me discouraged, the show is publicized in few countries, bc the mayfair witches is a bad show with a bad audience and even so it is being distributed in my country in the biggest national streaming, I don't understand, it's the famous actress being protagonist?Because the story isn't that great, or should we dig deeper and risk saying it's bc of the extensive homo content that most of the general public wouldn't like?
I think their strategy is very much focused on the US which might be a bit baffling in the time of the internet, but... I mean, they are not the biggest studio and they are likely caught up in decades-old distribution contracts.
Which, now that cable is dying, can mean that they will slowly change all that (and they have said that they're restructuring).
AMC does not exactly hold back, as has SDCC shown, imho. They're just very, very US focused.
Which sucks, of course, and not in a good way, because this show could easily be much, much bigger. HOWEVER, I do think that AMC is in it for the long run, the books were simply a too big of an investment to waste, and they are planning the spin-offs etc after all.
In regards to MW, I've said it before, the show does have potential, and they know they have to work on it... however, it is also something a lot of people liked. Now, IWTV is on another level for a lot of people (myself included), but, again, that's not to say that people don't like MW... going by the statements AMC released they are pleased enough with the numbers! Which is GOOD!
And has been pointed out a while ago, AMC itself is not in any danger to go bankrupt... even if they're restructuring. (And they have opened their shop internationally, which is a start?!)
That said, of course the various countries'.... errrrr stance on homosexual relationships (and witchcraft while we're at it) DO play into distribution as well. Unfortunately.
All this said, the joint social media thingie AMC is running is a catastrophe. And the rebranding of the podcast, too.
BUT - give it some time. They're trying to build something big, by going slow and branching out. And we are lucky they are.
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fenmere · 7 months
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Sup! an ask about DID diagnosis: how is it ableist, and you've chosen not to go for it?
I dont think it can't be ableist and troublish, but i just want to know how exactly, to understand problems of systems better.
OK, thank you so much for asking! So.
The most direct and immediate problem we've run into regarding a DID diagnosis is that in both the U.S. and U.K. (and likely in other countries), it can be used to legally remove your rights as a human being. It can be used in court as evidence that you cannot give informed consent, which can be used to deny you access to medical care, custody of children, or even to force you into a conservatorship, among other dangers.
We are transgender. We were figuring out our plurality just between having been granted HRT and trying to get our surgery lined up. Our therapist was very worried for us, when we started talking about our amnesia, blackouts, and changes in personality, even though we were all in agreement that we needed transitional healthcare.
She resisted giving us a diagnosis of DID because it could potentially halt our transition. And we were able to demonstrate to her satisfaction that we had effectively integrated (not through final fusion, but through cooperation). So we both agreed to forgo that diagnosis.
We were lucky we got such a good counselor.
That's one way in which DID is ableist. The diagnosis can be used to deny patients of things they desperately need, or that they should have the right to access regardless.
The other way is how the diagnosis is conceptualized as a disorder to begin with.
It's maybe getting better as medical academia is getting a better understanding of it, but the original diagnosis of DID is a step back from Multiple Personality Disorder.
Part of the whole purpose of replacing MPD with DID was to deny the autonomy of alters and system members, and to refer to them as "dissociative identity states" rather than people. Which is not how most pluralities experience themselves.
But also, just at the very basis of it, both MPD and DID have been classified, studied, and defined almost solely by singlets. Not pluralities. Not people who are actually experiencing these things. So the diagnosis is rife with misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and bad assumptions.
And it's all based on the assumption that being a singlet is the default, healthy state of a human being, and that deviation from being a singlet is somehow disordered and wrong and needs to be fixed.
Sure, if someone experiences genuine distress at being plural, they should be able to seek help regarding it. And there is now language in the diagnosis to accommodate some of those who are not distressed by it. But it was originally rooted in that saneism, and most clinical professionals still exhibit it, and prove themselves to be dangerous to their patients and their patients' human rights.
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