#so if i wrote anything badly or did something offensive PLEASE let me know

[ishipgenfics]

The Silence of A Dream

Dream does not speak when he breaks out of his cell, nor when he condemns Alex Burgess to an eternity of nightmares. Not Nightmares, he notes. None respond to his call. He does not note his silence. He has other things on his mind.

He makes it to the Dreaming-- but barely. The waters are swift and rough, the currents of the minds barely obeying his commands. It tries to pull him where it may, and it takes all of his strength to hang on.

He washes up at Lucienne's feet. He opens his mouth to try to explain, to try and tell her what has happened, to apologize for being gone for so long, to ask for aid--

But nothing comes out.

He runs over his body, heedless of Lucienne's attempts to pull him along, and her pleads to, 'Say something, Lord, please.' There is nothing wrong with his vocal cords, and anyway, he should be able to just project words in his own realm. But the idea of spoken words, of giving in...

(They'll take everything. You'll give in and they'll take everything, everything you have everything you are don't speak don't speak don't speak--)

He knows that there are other reasons dreamers do not speak. Differences in the mind, stress. Trauma.

Dream's fists tighten, nails digging into his palms. Why is he this weak? He is not traumatized, he is not broken. He is Endless. He doesn't even have a brain.

And yet, he cannot force himself to speak a single word.

Could he still sign? Would his hands form the motions, or was this yet another way his body would betray him?

He plannted himself firm in the soil of the Dreaming, ignoring Lucienne's continued attempts to drag him forward. With a flurry of hands, he spelled out her name.

... alright. At least he had not been stripped of all forms of communication.

There was no response from his Librarian. Strange. His creations understood all forms of language, just as he did.

He tried again. L-U-C-I-E-N-N-E?

"I'm sorry my Lord," Lucienne said. "I don't understand you.

He had forgotten. It had been so long that he had forgotten Lucienne was not one of his creations. She had been human, once, and then one of his ravens. She did not share the gifts he had given to his Dreams and Nightmares.

... this was going to be a problem.

#nonverbal dream #i'm not nonverbal #so if i wrote anything badly or did something offensive PLEASE let me know #reblog #fanfiction #story #story snippet #sign language #dream should probably be signing in BSL #but i don't know BSL #so y'know #we're going with ASL instead #he's an immortal being whatever #he probably wasn't speaking English to Nada anyway #it's just like that for show purposes #so this is ASL #for writing purposes #internalized abliesm #the sandman

[anystalker707]

Dolled up [2/2]

Pairing: Vinsmoke Sanji x [male, amab] Reader Summary: Sanji wants another encounter with you. Tags: He wears pretty lingeries / Demanding, but he's a bottom / He's gets eaten out / Just a princess / a PILLOW princess

Requested by anon [I LOVE how you wrote ‘dolled up’ with sanji and i was wondering if you could do part 2 to that? If not then just another sanji x top male readers fine! You don’t have to do it btw! Ty and have an awesome day!] A/n: thanks sm for your request <33 i hope you have a great day, dear!

[PART 1]

MASTERLIST

          Sanji had noticed your persistent presence and gaze upon him. You eyed him differently after he showed up in your cabin for a midnight surprise, as if you were all the time picturing him wearing that lingerie under his normal clothes. There was something else, but he couldn’t quite get what it was.

Were you trying to figure something out about him? Studying him? He wasn’t really sure about it, but he didn’t feel like facing it directly. Some sort of superiority had been granted to Sanji the moment he found out how lost you were for him, and he wouldn’t throw it all away now. He loved the way your breath would hitch whenever he reached for something on the higher parts of the cabinets, making his shirt ride up just enough… It was good knowing he had such power.

“Excuse me,” you whispered, suddenly popping Sanji out of his bubble of thoughts and placing the ground under his feet again. Your hands were firm around his waist, gently moving him to the side so that you could walk past him and grab something from the fridge. He couldn’t even focus, mind going blank the moment your hands grabbed his waist and set him aside, so he looked down and let his hair fall more over his face in the hope it would cover his blush. Thankfully, you didn’t notice anything.

Sanji wanted the attention so badly, but he also didn’t want to be the one to give in first. This feeling bubbled up under his skin as the days passed; a presentment, though he didn’t know what for. At least until it was time for his night watch, that is.

Everything needed to be in the right measurement, and it lacked something, though Sanji wasn’t sure what. A quiet hum escaped his lips as he licked the sauce from his finger, shifting his weight to one of his legs with a soft sigh. He was a little sleepy and tired, but it was nothing he couldn’t endure. With a sigh, he was about to reach for a jar when he stopped midway.

Arms wrapped warmly around Sanji’s waist, soon accompanied by a presence behind him. It didn’t take him a lot of thought to know who it was, and his heart fluttered at the same moment.

“Doll,” you whispered right next to Sanji’s ear, making his skin rise in shivers at the same time it heated up. “My princess.”

“Yours?” Sanji whispered back almost too quickly, in a mocking tone. He wasn’t reaching for the jar anymore, only resting both of his hands on the countertop this time. The fact you were there, finally interacting directly with him and touching him without restraints, somehow managed to calm down a tension that bubbled up inside him previously. It melted away in a pleasing feeling that still carried an anxious edge.

“Of course,” you whispered with a soft chuckle, nuzzling the crook of Sanji’s neck and having fun with the way his skin rose in shivers. “I thought I’d claim you before anyone else. Am I so wrong for doing that, or did I get the wrong message? Were you just using me the other day?”

Sanji couldn’t help but sigh at your assumptions, pausing as he glanced back to raise an eyebrow at you before he shook his head to himself. Your gaze remained the same before his vague response.

“You’re difficult,” Sanji muttered, smirking at the way you gasped in offense.

“Oh, I’m the difficult one here?” You clicked your tongue and kissed Sanji’s shoulder through his shirt, inhaling the cologne he used��it was floral, in soft notes that could be caught under the smell of cigarettes and something else, stronger on the back of his neck. Also through the thin fabric of his button-up, your fingers worked on his waist, caressing and looking for something. “You’ve been avoiding me the whole week. Do you know how lonely I’ve been?”

Sanji felt a sense of pride swell in his chest at the fact that you recognized his distance—that you missed his presence and felt miserable because of that. He exhaled, smiling. “Oh? So were you having fun with your hand instead?”

“Why would I when I have you?” You scoffed, and your words sent a sparkle down Sanji’s spine that ended in the warmth that started forming in his lower stomach. His cheeks heated up a little, and he had to look down, trying to contain the smile that fought to form on his face. “Or are you bored? Maybe I just got the wrong idea.” Your touch became lighter at the same moment you paused, but Sanji promptly placed his hands over yours and tugged on your hands to wrap your arms tighter around his torso while he leaned back against you, with his head on your shoulder. It was enough to have your heart going wild in your chest.

“Don’t be silly.” Sanji chuckled, turning his head enough to plant a kiss on your cheek.

A smile stretched across your face according to how you relaxed, tightening your arms around him before nuzzling the crook of his neck with a soft hum. Sanji’s fingers laced with yours, warm palms pressed to the back of your hands as he relaxed into your touches, sighing softly. It was nice to just be with him like that; your heart felt out of place with the unusual amount of happiness it felt, almost making you feel dizzy while pulling Sanji closer, wanting more of him.

Sanji gasped barely audibly as he felt your grip tighten around him, your forearms sinking just under his ribs, but still let you have that moment before he turned around to face you with his arms around your neck. “You know, I was kinda waiting for you,” he whispered as his index finger traced circles into your shoulder.

The new tone made you raise an eyebrow, studying Sanji’s apparently innocent expression as he eyed you from under his eyelashes with that small smile tugging on his lips. It was hard to resist, making something stir in your lower stomach, even more so when his fingers pressed to the back of your neck and rubbed against the skin soothingly. Since when did he have such power over you…? Well, it didn’t matter at the moment; you kept looking into his visible blue eye while he smiled and leaned in.

A familiar taste of lip balm was present on Sanji’s lips, which gave you an idea of the whereabouts of your lost lip balm, hinting at the bearings of your favorite shirt and a ring. Either way, every other thought aside from Sanji himself was erased from your mind the moment he deepened the kiss and tugged on your bottom lip with his teeth. His eyes were half-lidded, eyeing you with entertainment and the full knowledge of what he was doing.

“My dear, mon amour,” he mumbled against your lips in a soft pleading tone that you couldn’t resist.

          Nothing would happen if you two left the night watch for a while, right? You two weren’t near any island, in the first place, and it would be hard seeing Sunny in the dark, so there was nothing to worry about. The thoughts were buried in the back of your mind by the time you climbed on top of Sanji and pressed your lips to his, feeling the mattress shift under your knees as you opened up a space between his legs.

Sanji’s breath escaped his throat in short intervals that were permeated by gasps for air whenever there was a small break from the kisses. His arms wrapped around your neck, holding you closer as his legs wrapped around your waist, and he arched his back, sending both of you groaning when your hips ground together.

Aside from knowing his way around, Sanji knew you, and maybe a little too well. He knew which way he had to kiss you to have you whimpering into his mouth, and kept kissing you until you ran out of air. Entertainment played in his eyes while observing you try to catch your breath, faces just centimeters away from each other. There was a soft hum as he caressed your cheeks with gentle fingers before kissing your lips in a soft kiss that didn’t last longer than a couple of seconds.

You sat back on your legs, bottom lip between your teeth while your fingers carefully unbuttoned his shirt, slowly letting his torso come into view, all while Sanji lay there as if you were just doing the bare minimum for him. A small smile remained on his lips as he observed you, and you couldn’t help but get a little lost in him. He looked so beautiful like that, hair messy, hands above his head, cheeks with a light red tone…

A sigh escaped your lips as you finally pulled the light blue fabric away and there was a lingerie top you’d never seen before. The bralette was made of a thin and soft peach-colored lace with white satin details.

“Sanji,” you practically moaned, pressing a kiss to the exposed skin on his chest above the bra and below the delicate silver chain he used around his neck with a small gem as a pendant. You thought about gifting him a pendant with the initial of your first name so that he could use it around his neck, but you decided to keep it as a mental note for later, focusing on how his soft skin felt under your lips.

Sanji’s chest rose and fell with a deep sigh, and he hummed in response to your touches, placing a hand on the back of your head to gently caress your hair and keep you close. A soft groan escaped your lips as you started nipping on his skin with firm hands around his waist, holding tightly as if to pull him even closer because it just wasn’t possible to get enough of him.

You nuzzled into Sanji’s bra, tugging on it just enough to expose his nipple so that you could latch your lips around it. As his nipple slowly hardened under your touch, Sanji whimpered, placing more pressure on the back of your head, so you complied—your tongue ran around the bud before you started sucking on it with a soft groan, relishing how Sanji’s moans grew louder once you started using your teeth.

“Fuck,” Sanji groaned as he arched his back, only relaxing back against the bed when you finally let go of his chest with a final lick across his nipple. His face was a brighter shade of red now, and his pupils were blown—your cock twitched the moment his eyes met yours, and you started moving again.

It was messy, but Sanji still helped you get undressed, taking off your shirt while you unbuckled your belt, but he didn’t undress himself, no. He waited for you to do it, going to the maximum of helping you a little by lifting his body off the bed, nothing more.

“I see you like my lingerie,” Sanji said with a sense of pride, grinning wide.

You paused and just raised an eyebrow at Sanji, without giving him much attention to his statement—it was obvious you liked his lacy garments, the way they suited his body so perfectly and gave him an extra touch of delicacy. It made you infatuated, clouding your thoughts whenever you looked at him or thought about him wearing them.

“You planned this?” You raised an eyebrow, slipping your hands under his panties so that you could cup his ass cheeks. “Or do you just go around wearing lingerie on a daily basis, princess?”

Sanji couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips, cupping your face lovingly. “Yes to both. The thing is that I like wearing the special ones for you.”

You smiled, sighing while giving his ass a squeeze—he moaned in response, arching his back as his legs wrapped around your waist again, but his cock met no friction, much to his displeasure. “So pretty,” you breathed and kissed along Sanji’s shoulder while your fingers kneaded on the fat of his ass until soft whimpers escaped his lips, though it wasn’t much of a hard task.

Reluctantly, you pulled a hand away from Sanji to reach for the lube in the bedside table, quickly retrieving it.

“On your stomach,” you said with a soft slap on his thigh, which caused him to groan softly before he turned over, allowing you to adjust a pillow under his hips. He was such a princess, indeed, a fucking pillow princess who didn’t want to do any work today, but you didn’t mind. You’d manhandle him around if he wanted to.

You knelt between Sanji’s spread legs, taking a while to observe him, taking note of the contrast between the delicate clothes and his muscular fame, his plump ass. How could he be so perfect? A soft sigh escaped your lips as you pressed a kiss to his lower back before gently tugging his panties to the side, just enough to expose his hole, while you tugged on one of his butt cheeks.

The cold lube fell against the warm skin, making Sanji gasp and squirm a little in anticipation, glancing over his shoulder to take a look at you, but your focus was somewhere else. Your thumb circled his fluttering entrance, spreading the lube around and earning yourself a quiet sound from Sanji that stretched itself for longer when your thumb pressed past the ring of muscles, spreading the wetness into his hole.

“Mmph, darling,” Sanji whispered as he arched his back a little bit, attempting to push his hips back into your finger, but it wasn’t of much use; your goal wasn’t to please him yet, just to spread the lube. He grabbed one of your pillows to hug, folding it in half to also give his face a good place to rest.

Silence filled the room for a moment, but it was just a matter of seconds before Sanji let out another quiet sound. His hole twitched when your tongue pressed to it, tasting the sweetness of the lube along with Sanji’s taste itself. It took a while, but he finally started relaxing, groaning into the pillow as your tongue lapped at him. Since there weren’t many opportunities in which you could have privacy with anyone on the ship—or even had the time for it—, you took your time licking along his hole, pressing your tongue flat to the fluttering skin without enough strength to actually penetrate him.

Sanji’s whimpers were muffled, but not inaudible, loud enough to reach your ears and make the arousal rise within you. Finally, though, your lips were closed around the flushed entrance and sucking with enough intensity to draw a moan from him.

“Good,” Sanji whispered, though cutting himself off when he felt your tongue finally pushing inside him, lapping at his insides in a very welcome intrusion. He tightened his fingers around the pillow, arching his back as he sought more pleasure, which you seemed very eager to provide him. Not only your tongue, but the way your hands kept a firm grip on his ass and the back of his thigh also had him melting, cock twitching and leaking inside the tight panties.

The consistent rhythm of the shallow thrusts of your tongue was enough to cloud Sanji’s thoughts, making him start getting lost in the pleasure you were able to provide him. He whimpered and hugged the pillow closer to himself when your tongue glided inside him just the right way.

Despite the pleasure that it brought both of you, your jaw started complaining about the straining; a sharp pain started tugging on your muscles until you were forced to pull back, moving your chin from side to side in a small massage while eyeing his glistening hole.

Sanji didn’t have time for complaining before your tongue was replaced by a couple of fingers; he let out a long, dragged moan while his hips squirmed under your touch, and he didn’t seem to mind the replacement. His skin rose in shivers at the same time his walls tightened around your fingers when your lips ran along his ass cheek, kissing and nipping on the soft skin at the same time your fingers worked at a slow pace inside him.

Your cock was painfully hard, dripping between your legs, but your desire to keep satisfying Sanji like that was bigger than the will to indulge in your own needs. Soft moans came from Sanji as he squirmed, arching his back and almost getting off the position if you weren’t holding him in place, though he became more still when your tongue worked along the rim of his hole as your fingers reached deep inside him. His breath hitched, and with the way he squeezed around you, it was obvious he was close.

The moans that came from Sanji were louder and longer until a particular one caught in his throat, and he came, slick walls clenching around your fingers until they were spasming with the afterglow, and he whimpered at how the overstimulation threatened to take over.

You would give him a break first, but your curiosity got the best of you; before Sanji could even catch his breath, you were making him turn over and tugging on the waistband of his panties. The sight was mouthwatering, and your cock ached as it throbbed more. Sanji’s cock was still half hard, messily covered in fresh cum and confined inside those small panties.

“Fuck, I’m down bad for you,” you moaned.

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

#one piece #opla #one piece live action #vinsmoke sanji #x reader #x male reader #sanji x reader #sanji x male reader #one piece x male reader #one piece x reader #imagine #oneshot #scenario #fan fic #fan fiction

[fuck-customers]

I need to say something here. There is a growing issue that I need to address. This blog is here so that retail workers (or food workers, or really anyone that deals with the public) can have a safe space to vent. More and more there are those of you that like to comment on posts defending the customer.

For example…

Someone complains that they hate having to take boob, underwear, or sock money because it’s gross and moist.

Pretty valid complaint in my opinion. But yet people will go into the comments and say “well climate change is a thing and the world is getting hotter and it’s not the customers fault their money got sweaty.” Totally invalidating that persons gripe.

This is a vent blog. A safe space. Not a space for the people that post to be afraid to complain that the customers blue shirt is tacky only to be told it’s a silly complaint and they should feel bad because someone’s shirt color bothered them. WHO THE FUCK CARES?!? If a customer wearing a blue shirt made the cashier have a bad day that is a totally valid gripe for that person to post about because it lets them get it off their chest and move on. LET THEM HAVE THAT! Is it really hurting you so badly that you have to make them feel badly about not liking the color blue?

I’m not saying let people be racist, ablest, ageist, or whatever please let me know if anything like that slips past me when I’m tired or in a lupus fog brain moment so I can remove it and or ban people.

But like today for an example let the person complain that their customer was looking at a paper with 10 numbers on it kept only saying 9. Who cares what the underlying cause is. It’s aggravating in the moment when it happens (and yes it happens. To people of all ages no matter what the cause is it happens) and the cashier is allowed to be annoyed by it in the moment. And they are allowed to post about that annoyance on this blog. (I myself went “omg I hate that too” when I first read it. Mainly because I have been in retail over 30 years and I’ve seen a LOT of shit in my day.)

Another example is last month or so there was a post about someone who complained about a customer who said they had a credit card but wanted to pay cash in a change shortage. That is aggravating. I have been aggravated about that in the past when there wasn’t a change shortage mainly because I worked an 15 hour shift and was tired and didn’t want to put the mental energy into counting change back. But whatever the reason is that person that submitted that is allowed to feel aggravated in the moment and is allowed to post about it here.

There was a person that posted a reason why the customer might have done what they did. OK and? That’s not the focus of this blog. I told them that in the comments and asked that they be respectful. They wrote me a paragraph in the comments about their point of view of why the customer acted the way they did and I should be respectful of their point of view. Again not the focus of this blog. I reminded them of that and got another paragraph. So I blocked the person. They went on a rant on their blog doubling down on their reasons why the customer acted the way they did. Listing points why I was wrong. So I reblogged it (to my personal blog to not create drama here) explaining each point and how it was not respectful to the person who posted or this blog. They also took exception to a word used that about half the people on this blog use saying it was misogynistic. And yes while some people see it that way the majority of people here have said it’s evolved to encompass all genders and I know this because I took exception to this word when I first joined the blog and holy shitballs was there outcry to my action. At the time both Mandie and Abby told me to let people use that word on this blog. I mentioned that in response to their objection. They blocked me and I had a bunch of hate sent anon to my personal blog.

Long story short is if someone’s post isn’t offensive then please just let them vent in peace and stop trying to defend the customers here.

-Rodney

[sunmoonandeddie]

who you are and who you’ve been

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

word count: 8,490

summary: Sometimes love takes a little longer to find you.

warnings: SMUT.  Mention of past abusive relationship, drinking, swearing.

a/n:  Thank you so much to @zeilenkrieg for commissioning this and being so patient while I wrote it!!

“Mama!  Mama!  You here?”

You sighed as you looked up from your coffee, seeing your daughter coming through the living room.  She had on that pair of daisy dukes that she stole from your wardrobe—the ones you used to wear in the heat of summer, a white shirt tied to let the sun on your tummy.  You used to scandalize your own mama with that outfit… 

You had argued with her that she had worn the same kind of outfit back in the seventies, and that vintage was in.  But she liked to wear hers with cowboy boots and you preferred it with a good pair of sneakers.

God, you missed being young…  Your twenties had been absolutely wild, even if they had started out with that horrible pandemic in 2020.

You still washed your hands after touching almost anything.  An instinct that never went away.

That year and the couple years before had been… insane.  But at least it incited real change in the world.  The people had learned from their mistakes, at least for now.

History did have a habit of repeating itself.  Humans were fickle, forgetful creatures like that.

“Yes, honey bun?” You said as you stood up, moving to hug her.

At thirty-seven years old, she was the only good thing that ever came out of your marriage.  That, and knowing how to wash blood out of clothing.

The only problem was that by the time you’d finally left him, you had no friends left.  You were in your forties by then, with no family besides your daughter, and no friends left to speak of.  You hadn’t even had Facebook at the time to keep in touch with old schoolmates from university.  And by then, what was the point?  They were all leading completely different lives and probably hadn’t spared you a thought in at least a decade.

“When’s the last time you left the house?” She asked, her hands on her hips in a stance that reminded you so much of yourself that it scared you.

Now that… that was hard to answer…  You honestly didn’t think you’d be able to remember.  You got practically everything delivered, you worked from home… 

Shaking your thoughts away, you shot her a look.  “I’m fine right where I am.”

“Your doctor called and said you haven’t been taking your medication.”

“Fuckin’ snitch,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes as you turned back to the window, staring down at the now cold coffee.

Josephine rolled her eyes.  “He said you haven’t picked up your refill in over two months.”  She came over to stand next to you, staring out the window with you for a long time.  “Mama, you’ve gotta take your medicine…  You remember what happened last time…”

Ah, yes, the infamous incident.

Which was an incident in a long line of incidents.

There had been a… few times when you’d stopped taking your medication—either intentionally or simply because you had forgotten—and it had resulted in a stay in the psych ward at the local hospital.  It had happened far too many times for your daughter to not be in contact with your doctor so she would be informed if you had stopped getting your refills.

You didn’t blame her, of course.  But it did make you feel like a horrible mother.  One who couldn’t even take care of herself to the point where your daughter had to.

“Yes, I remember last time,” you sighed, staring at a cardinal.  “You know, my mama used to tell me that if you see a cardinal, a loved one who’s passed is visiting you…”

“Mama, I signed you up for a seniors’ social club.”

You blinked.

And then, you blinked again.

You turned to look at your daughter, disbelief written all over your face.  “No the fuck you did not.  I swear to all that is holy, Josephine Ann, if you signed me up for one of those… those… pre-death support groups, I’ll tan your hide!”  You gasped as some of your coffee splashed onto your sweatshirt.  “I brought you into this world, and I sure as hell can take you out of it!”

“You’ve been saying that since I was two,” She said, taking your arm and guiding you to sit down at the kitchen table.  “And it’s not a pre-death support group.  I feel like that’s offensive somewhere so make sure you don’t go running around the group saying that.”  Josephine used a paper napkin to dab at the coffee on your sweatshirt, muttering about throwing it into the wash and getting you a new one.

This was what you meant by your daughter taking care of you.

“Josie, really, I can get my own sweatshirt.”

“Doesn’t mean you gotta,” she said as she came back with a new one, helping you change.

Sometimes you felt like she thought you were a hundred years old.

“Honestly, mama…  I just want you to be happy…  You should have friends.  You shouldn’t be cooped up in this house all day, all the time.”

“What do I need friends for when I’ve got you?  And Danny?” You asked.

But you had been hit with the sudden reality that except for Josephine and her girlfriend, you were alone.  Completely, and utterly, alone.  Hell, they were the only people you had ever invited over to the tiny one bedroom you owned.

Repairmen didn’t count because they were there to do a job, not keep you company.

God, you had wanted more than this, once upon a time.  You had once had dreams, of maybe being a writer and making the New York Times’ Bestsellers List, of a husband who adored you and brought you flowers every Friday, of lazy Sundays eating waffles on the couch with the love of your life.

But life didn’t end up the way you had dreamed it.  There were no book signings or meetings with editors… there were no gardenias… and there was no smell of waffles and syrup.

And you’d made your peace with that.

Sort of.

Josephine’s arms wrapped around you as she rested her head against yours.  Like a mirror of yourself, she was, from her face down to her toes.

Thank god.  She didn’t deserve to have to look in the mirror and see reflections of her father.

“Will you at least try it?” She asked gently, her hand running up and down your arm, her freshly manicured nails tickling your skin.  “It’s not like a pre-death support group, as you call it…  It’s for seniors or people who are approaching seniority and are still active and want to go out and have fun, but maybe need some friends to do it with.  Please?”

And how could you say no when she wanted something so badly?

“Alright,” you said after a moment.  “I’ll go once.  And if it’s horrible, I’m not going back.  And I’m gonna tell Danny how you forced me to meet a bunch of strangers.”

She squealed excitedly, running off to your bedroom and going through your closet.  “Okay, the first thing the group is doing is having a first meeting at a bar, and we’re gonna get you all done up.”

Oh, good.  She was going all in.

“When’s the first meeting?” You asked as you sat on the bed, leaning back on your hands as you watched her.

“Tonight.”

Uh.  What?

“TONIGHT?!” You shouted in shock as you jumped up.  “What?!  You didn’t think to ask me about this a few days ago?!”

She snorted, picking out a few tops that you hadn’t worn in what felt like decades.  “I signed you up this morning, I didn’t know about it a few days ago.”

You watched in exasperation as she threw article after article of clothing onto the bed for you to try on.  “I don’t think I need to wear four pairs of jeans to a bar,” you said, beginning to pick up a few of the pieces.

Josephine gave you a look as she continued.  “Considering how long it’s been since you’ve been out, I think it’s fair that some of these might not fit anymore.”

Well, you had lost some weight…  Not necessarily in a healthy way, but she was right.

In the end, she ended up shoving you into the bathroom and forced you to do a full shower—which meant body and hair.

You hadn’t even gone to such lengths when you were going on your first date with her father.

She spent hours on your hair and makeup, chattering away excitedly about the vacation her and Danny were planning.  A South American cruise.

Josephine had never married, never had kids.  Never wanted to after seeing what her daddy had put you through.  It left a sour taste in her mouth, and even though it was legal now, her and her girlfriend hadn’t breathed a word of a wedding.

Though, you suppose they had a common law marriage at that point, if lesbians were included in it.

“Perfect,” she said as she got you to slip on an old jacket of yours that was a little too big.  “Come on.  I’ll drive you and pick you up.”

“Oh, honestly,” you snorted as you grabbed the purse Josephine had shoved all your things into.  “You’d think I could take an Uber.”

The bar wasn’t what you had expected when she had first told you that’s where the meeting was going to be held.  The last bars you’d been to had practically been nightclubs.

But this was… upscale.  Sophisticated.

Now you understood just why she had put so much work into making you look presentable.

It didn’t look like anyone else was there yet, even though most of the patrons were around your age, so you took a seat at the bar, the group’s site pulled up on your phone.

“What can I get for you, miss?” The bartender asked as he set down a coaster in front of you.

A snort erupts from your throat as you look at him.  “You always call women as old as me miss?”

“Oh, come on, you’re a catch,” he said, shooting you a playful wink.  “My dad’s single, you know.  If you were… looking.”

“Thank you, but I’m not,” you said gently, your cheeks flushed.  “Can I get a Manhattan?”

The bartender nodded, gracefully backing off the subject of you possibly dating his father.  And barely a minute and a half later, there’s a perfectly made Manhattan set on your coaster.

You’d barely taken a sip before someone came up beside you.  “Do you have Macallan’s 18 Year Sherry Oak?” A man asked.  At the bartenders confirmation, he hummed.  “Can I get a double on the rocks?”

The bartender dropped a large ball of ice into a glass before pouring two shots of whiskey over it and handing it to the man.

“Macallan’s, huh?” You said softly, your heart pounding.  Josephine had told you to make friends.  That was the whole point of this, even if the man wasn’t part of the social club you’d been forced into.  “You know your whiskeys.”

The tall man took a seat beside you, his eyes boring into the side of your face.  You hadn’t dared look at him yet.  “I’ve always preferred those who choose a Manhattan over a martini any day.”

“And why is that?” You asked, finally looking up at him.

And oh, you wished you hadn’t.  He was… stunning.  The very definition of male beauty.  His salt and pepper hair reminded you of the photos of the men in the forties…  The 1940s, that is.  Blue eyes so striking that you lost your breath, and broad shoulders that you knew would haunt your dreams.  He was wearing a glove on his left hand for some reason, but you didn’t linger on it too long.

But at least he was at least your age, if not a little older.  You’d die if you’d just sort of flirted with a twenty-something asshole who just bought expensive whiskeys for the sake of buying expensive whiskeys to show that he had money to blow.

“Martini drinkers think they’ll get some kind of award for their choice of drink,” he said, “as though choosing a drink that generally tastes like shit is some kind of accomplishment.  Unless you’re just taking a shot, a drink should taste good.”  He looked you up and down, letting his pretty blues linger on your lips.  There were faint crow feet at the corners of his eyes, but they just seemed to make him even more handsome.  “And a Manhattan doesn’t need a fancy whiskey.  It is steady and sure even with the cheapest five dollar bottle you can get from a gas station.  Someone whose drink of choice is a Manhattan is sure of who they are and what they want.”

You hadn’t felt this hot under a man’s gaze in decades.  “Really?”  Swallowing around the lump in your throat, you took another sip of your drink to buy you a moment.

“Mmm…”  He stole one of the two cherries from your drink, biting it off the stem.  You were transfixed as he slipped the stem into his mouth, sticking his tongue out about thirty seconds later with a perfect cherry stem knot on display.  “Really.  I’m James.  What’s your name?”

Butterflies filled your stomach as you gave him your name.  God, you felt like you were sixteen again and being flirted with for the first time.

His eyes flicked down to your open phone that rested on the bar, the social club’s page still up.  “You’re here for the meeting, too?”

“Um…  Yes,” you said, ducking your head.

“But, doll…”  He leaned towards you, a charming smile on his lips.  “You don’t look a day over thirty-five.  Are you sure you’re a senior?”

Blinking, your mouth hung open in a soft o.  “Are you planning on flirting with every woman in the club like this?”

James looked around dramatically, his gloved hand resting over his heart.  “A club?!  Is that what you call this place?” He asked, mockingly serious.  “Damn, what does that make all those dirty, gross places these young kids go to now?  Brothels?”

For some reason, you felt comfortable enough to shove his shoulder, surprised a little at the feeling of metal under his jacket sleeve.

For the first time, he looked a bit… uncomfortable.  He had flinched a bit, his bright eyes focused surely on his drink.  “Um…”

“You’re the Winter Soldier.  James Barnes,” you said curiously, your head tilting to the side as you looked at him.  “I thought I recognized you from somewhere.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Mmhm,” you drawled, taking the cherry left in your drink and biting it off in a way that you hoped was alluring.  “Though, I gotta say, it is a bit awkward to meet the man I wrote two papers about in high school.”

Shit, his laugh was beautiful.  Everything about him was beautiful.  Like Apollo or something...

James’s head was thrown back in laughter.  His cheeks were flushed, his eyes squeezed shut.  “Did you actually write two papers about me?” He asked as he tried to catch his breath.  At your nod, he smirked, leaning in close again.  “What did you write about?  How devilishly handsome I am?”

You couldn’t believe you were saying this.  “I mean, I can show you the papers and actually let you read them, but they’re at my place.”

Before he could pick his jaw up off the ground, there were other seniors in the group coming up to greet you.  Your throat was dry as the Sahara as you turned to face them, plastering on a smile as you tried to ignore the heated gaze on your face and the way he licked his lips.

The meeting was… long.  Boring.

Or at least, that’s how it felt when you had James’s dark, sultry eyes on you the entire goddamn time.

Mind fuzzy, you vaguely remembered agreeing to come to the next meeting, and even signing up for a hiking trip they were taking the next weekend.

As you headed outside, you felt Bucky’s hand slip into yours, his long, calloused fingers intertwining with yours.  “So…  Am I gonna get to come over and… read those papers?” He murmured, his lips brushing against your ear.

God, you could practically feel yourself bursting into flames.  You weren’t gonna survive.

Thank god your daughter had forced you into a full shower.

But what about how dirty your house was sure to be?

“Um…  Y-Yeah,” you said as you turned to look at him.  “But, my daughter is gonna be driving me home…  I don’t want her to know I’ve got someone coming over.  She’s nosey.  Real…  Real nosey.”

“Of course, darlin,’” he chuckled.  “Here, why don’t I give you my phone number, and you shoot me a text with your address when you’re ready for me to come over?”

Your head was swirling as you got into your daughter’s car, your phone burning a hole in your purse.

“How was it?” Josephine asked nervously once you got about halfway home.  She couldn’t tell from the look on your face.  “Did you like it?”

“Hm?  Yeah.”  Swallowing, you shot a text to James with your name, telling him you’d text him when it was all clear.

“Are you gonna go again?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

She seemed both dissatisfied and pleased by your vague answers.  At least you were getting out of the house.

Once you got home and said goodbye, it was a mad dash to ensure that your house was clean as could be.  Josie had put in some work while you’d been gone, it seemed.  She’d done the dishes and the laundry, as well as dusted.

Thank fuck.

You struggled for a solid twenty minutes to put fresh sheets and pillowcases on the bed, lighting two candles and placing them in a manner that you hoped seemed natural.

“Shit,” you cursed as you smelled under your arms.

Okay, quick body shower.  It seemed all that flirting had made you a tiny bit sweaty.

You turned the water to scalding and scrubbed your body down, exfoliating and using your best scented body wash.

And to be quite frank, you’d never shaved your lady bits as quick as that.

As you texted him your address and that it was safe to come over, you pulled on your clothing from the bar (though, you did put on nicer, matching lingerie underneath.)  By the time he’d gotten there, you’d downed two shots of tequila for a bit of liquid courage and had poured yourself a glass of wine.

“Hey, baby doll,” he said, a crooked grin on his face as you welcomed him inside.  His glove had been abandoned, and black metal fingers lined with gold glittered in the light.  “Woah…  You know, I wasn’t sure how your place was gonna look, but this is very… you.”

“Oh, really?” You asked as you offered him a glass of wine, which he gratefully took.  “How so?”

“I don’t know,” he chuckled as he swirled the deep red liquid in its glass.  “It’s cozy.  Sweet.”

Your throat was dry as you watched his adam’s apple bob as he took a drink.  “Um… so those papers…”

Bucky whispered your name, moving closer to you as he set the wine glass down on the counter.  “Baby girl, I’m not really here for the papers, am I?” He asked as your back hit the island.  “If I am…  If I am, then just tell me, and I’ll stop this.”  His slightly chapped lips ghosted against yours like the tease he was.  “Am I here just for the papers?”

“No,” you breathed out, before pressing your lips against his in a firm kiss at last.  His breath was minty and cool, with just a touch of the wine you’d been sharing, like he’d brushed his teeth before coming over just like you had.

Could it be possible he was just as nervous as you were?

But he was perfect?  Why the hell would he be nervous?

Your thoughts were cut short as he reached down, his hands firmly grabbing your ass as he lifted you up and set you on the counter.  “That’s a good girl,” he growled as he kissed down your neck, his hands working at your blouse.  “Couldn’t stop thinking about you during that whole stupid fucking meeting.  Just wanted to kiss you.  Just wanted to… to touch you.”  He pulled back, kissing you fiercely as his hands moved from your blouse to hold your face again.  “You gonna let me touch you, angel?”

A whine escaped your throat as you nodded, desperately yanking at his shirt.  Once it was off, you didn’t hesitate to run your hands over the broad planes of his chest.  He wasn’t quite as toned as you remembered from when you were younger, when you used to (occasionally) stalk (lightly) his social media accounts.  There’d been so many pictures of him on vacation with the other Avengers… all tanned and toned…

But you liked this better.  There was a softness to him now, a gentleness.

You were so distracted by his physique that you didn’t notice he’d gotten your shirt and bra off until the cold air hit your chest.  “Fuck,” you mumbled as his lips found your neck, trailing down to your breasts.

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been kissed, let alone the last time you’d had such… attention.

Especially when his hands worked your pants off and he stood between your legs, moaning as his fingers tickled your thighs.  “You’re so beautiful,” he said as his lips wrapped around one nipple, suckling at it and teasing until it was diamond hard, and he moved on to the other.

Gotta be fair, after all.

“James…”

“Fuck, baby girl…  Never been with a woman as beautiful as you,” he growled, kissing down your tummy.  “You’re not making it out of here without orgasming at least twice,” he warned jokingly.  He was half bent over in front of the island, watching in wonder as he slowly pulled your silk panties down your legs and revealed your aching core to him.

“I-If you’re not comfortable standing like that, w-we can move somewhere else,” you stammered, suddenly growing self conscious.  What if he thought your pussy was weird?  Granted, you’d overcome thinking that when you were in your early twenties, after learning that each one looked different.

But he was born in the forties.

But that meant he’d probably seen an exponential amount of pussies!

Oh, god, there was no way you’d have anywhere near as much experience as him.  The only person you’d ever been with was your ex husband, and he wasn’t exactly the paradigm of lovers.

“Hey.”

You refocused with a shake of your head, your eyes meeting James’s.  “Yes?”

“You’re in your head,” he said softly, his forehead resting against yours as he slowly ran his fingers along your sensitive folds.  “There’s no need…  It’s just you and me, okay?  And you’re absolutely perfect.”

Your heart was melting inside your chest as you nodded, stealing a tentative kiss.  “Okay…  Just you and me.”

James nipped at your lower lip as he lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his waist.  “Come on.  I don’t want our first time to be on a kitchen counter.  Though I make no promises I won’t help christen every inch of this house after,” he said with a playful growl.

You whispered directions to your bedroom as he held you tight to his chest, his lips finding purchase on your neck.  “And here I thought you said the super soldier serum was wearing off,” you joked.

The man snorted as he pushed you up against the hallway wall.  “Trust me, doll, no lack of super soldier serum is gonna stop me from fucking you right,” he said, his voice husky and deep.

Before you could even open your mouth to reply, two thick fingers were slipping inside of you to slowly tease your cunt, his lips ghosting over yours.  “Does that feel good, sweetheart?”

You couldn’t find it in you to be embarrassed at the whimper that fell from your lips.  “Y-Yes.  Yes.  Please, I need more, James…”

James smiled into the kisses he’d been giving you.  “I’ll give you everything you want.”

“That’s a tall order.”  You threaded your fingers through his hair, shivering at the way his metal fingers dug into the plumpness of your ass.  “You sure you can fill it?”

He doesn’t respond with words, growling as he kisses you fiercely, carrying you to the bedroom.  You don’t have time to think before he’s crawling over you and kissing up your tummy to your lips.  “I need to be inside you,” He whispered as he stroked his length.

“Please…  Don’t wanna wait anymore,” you said.  Vaguely, you’re aware of the twinge in your knees from all the physical activity, and you knew you’d be sore as hell in the morning.

Fucking worth it, though.

James didn’t hesitate to line himself up, the head of his cock pressing against your entrance.  When he finally pushed in, unison moans fill the air.

“I…  I haven’t done this in… so long,” you finally admitted as he slowly pushed in more, taking his time.  Eyes locked, your mouth fell open in a soft ‘o’ as he bottomed out, his hips meeting yours.  “Oh, fuck…”

“Then I better do a real good job fucking you right.”

You weren’t quite sure how long you two lasted, but you do know he manages to pull three orgasms out of you in the space of just a few hours.  There’s snack and water breaks in between rounds, his cool metal hand running up and down your spine to cool you down as you two whisper in the dim light of your desk lamp.

You can’t remember a time that you’d felt so at peace.

A spark had been lit inside your chest as you two laid there in bed, legs intertwined.  Both of you were quiet, his fingers moving to caress your cheek.

There were no words that needed to be said.

His sea blue eyes are sparkling in the dim light, and your hand runs over the sharp stubble that lines his jaw.  It had certainly marked up your neck.

“I had intended on asking you on a date,” he said quietly as his hand found yours, bringing it to his mouth.  Chapped lips kissed each of your knuckles like you were something precious, something to behold.  “I didn’t think the five minutes or so before the meeting counted…  But I’d still like to take you on that date, if you’ll let me.”

“That sounds nice,” you said, a grin twinging at the corners of your lips.

“Yeah?” He asked, sitting up a bit as his fingers brushed against your forehead.

“Yeah.”  A giggle escaped your lips as he playfully tackled you, starting yet another round as his hips rolled down against yours.

The next morning, you woke up alone.  The sheets beside you were mussed, though the space James had been occupying was still a bit warm.

Jazz music floated down the hall, through the cracked door, and you could vaguely hear the clinking of pans.

It took you a minute to gather the will to get yourself out of bed and find your robe, but you finally did it.  As your feet hit the ground and you pushed yourself to a stand, you winced.

You had been right about feeling it in your knees.

You forced yourself to walk smoothly down the hall, despite how much it hurt.  Embarrassing yourself in front of James was the last fucking thing you wanted to do.

He was in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove and humming along with the old jazz song playing on the Bluetooth speaker.  He had a pan full of pancake batter in front of him, a whole stack he’d already made on the side.

Standing in the doorway, you couldn’t help but grin as you watched him.  He’s so handsome… and he seemed so at home in your kitchen.  In your home.

Maybe he’d like to move in…

You shook your head, knowing that it’s already too much.

But the thought was nice.

Him in his pajamas, making coffee…  Him in your shower…  Him in your bed every night…  

Yeah.  It’s a really, really nice thought.

“Hi.”

James jumped, his eyes wide as he whirled round to face you.  “Hi.  I thought I had another thirty minutes before I had to go and wake you up,” he said.  “I’m making pancakes.  For you.  For us.”  His cheeks flushed, turning a bright red as he turned back to the pan to quickly flip the pancake.  “I hope you don’t mind that I used your flour and shit…”

“Oh, no, I…  I almost never cook,” you admitted as you moved over to stand next to him, watching as he made two more pancakes.

As he carried the huge plate to the kitchen island, he teasingly grabbed your ass and squeezed.  “Maybe I’ll have to stay the night more often, if only so you get a homemade breakfast.”

It was sweet, and domestic, and somewhat terrifying.

You hadn’t had a man do anything for you like this since you were in your twenties, when your husband was still sweet and loving.

But even so, this was somehow better than anytime your husband made his famous burritos.

Maybe because James’s cooking actually tasted good.

Your first date was to a movie, a drive in.  Something that’s designed to be vintage but really just looked cheesy as all hell.

But it’s perfect.  Perfect and cheesy and romantic.

Your only complaint was that he didn’t kiss you at the door when he dropped you off.  He pressed his lips to your cheek and whispered a goodnight, and that was it.

It took two more dates within the same week for him to kiss you again.

Bright and early on the next Saturday morning, he knocked on your door, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“I figured I should make up for you having to be up so early with this,” he said as he came inside, kissing you quick before moving to put the flowers in a vase.

At this point, he knew your house almost as well as you did.  It felt good, when you two moved around like you were part of a team.

“Have you gotten your coffee this morning?” You asked, already pouring two travel mugs full of the good stuff.

He came up behind you, kissing your shoulder.  “I have, but you know I’ll never say no to more, doll.”

The rest of the group eyed you curiously as you got out of the same car, a few elbow nudges and whispers in the air.

“At least I know no old ass dickheads are gonna come hit on my girlfriend,” James growled in your ear, his calloused flesh hand squeezing your hip.

“Jamie…,” you whined, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.  No one had ever claimed you in such a way that made you feel so desired and… and worthy.

James made you feel worthy.

Which is something you’d only ever really gotten from your daughter.

It sent a bolt of arousal through you, and you were tempted to drag him back to the car so you could bring him right back home and do something about it.

Also…  Girlfriend?  Were you his girlfriend now?  Officially?

That just made you wanna find somewhere to fuck him even more.

But alas, you pushed the thought away as the lot of you boarded one of those white airport vans that took you out of the city to the closest state park.

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed out as you stared out the window, forehead pressed to the cool glass.  The morning air was a bit chillier than it had been lately, signaling the coming onslaught of winter.

Maybe Bucky would wanna make hot cocoa together… go sledding…  Would him, Josephine, and Danny would all come over for Christmas and New Years and—

Would he even want to meet Josephine?

Would Josie wanna meet him?

She had no idea that you’d found a—A boyfriend?

“Not as beautiful as you,” Bucky murmured against the shell of your ear as his vibranium fingers intertwined with yours and squeezed.  His stubble tickled your neck as he rested his head on your shoulder, watching the passing scenery with you.  “I’m really glad I met you, doll…”

“Me, too,” you said, grinning as you squeezed his hand back and leaned your head against his.

It was strange, falling so hard for someone so quick after everything you’d been through.

But you had a gut feeling.  One that you had never had with your ex husband.

James was a good one.  A really, really good one.

That reminded you.

When were you meant to tell him about all the shit you’d been through?

Despite the amount of time you had spent together already, you hadn’t found the courage for it.

Soon, you decided.

But first, you had to get through the damn hike.

Bucky was glued to your side the entire time, even though you were a lot worse at hiking than he was.  He would hold your hand, guiding you anytime there was a fallen tree or a creek.  His blue eyes were soft as he murmured encouragement, quietly praising your every move.

It was intoxicating.

So when you two fell behind from the group, watching them go around a curve and down a hill, you dragged James behind a large rock formation.

“Baby doll?  Darling, what the hell are you doing?” He laughed as you pressed a fierce kiss to his lips.

“Can’t a girl be spontaneous?” You teased as you dropped to your knees, ignoring the way a twig was poking into your left knee.  “Need to taste you.”

His eyes locked on you as you worked at his jeans, getting them down and off, his nails scratching at your scalp as he got a good grip on your head.  “Fuck…  Are you really this needy for me, angel?  Fuck, you’re so god damn gorgeous…  Look at you.”

Your heart pounded against your rib cage as you finally freed his length, a grin on your lips as you wrapped your hand around him and slowly stroked him.

Bucky’s eyes rolled back as your mouth wrapped around the head of his cock.  “Fucking shit…  Good girl…  Suck me off real good, baby.”

The group probably would notice your absence, not that you particularly cared.

Not when you had your man so weak for you.  And all you’d had to do was get on your knees.

His metal and flesh hands guided you to take more of him in, going at a slow pace so as not to hurt you.  He was so big there was no way you’d get all of him down your throat but what you couldn’t take in your mouth, you pleasured with your hands.

Pleasuring your partner like this was addicting.  You’d never felt the desire—no, the incessant need—to please your ex husband.  All you could think about was getting Bucky off, making him feel so good that he couldn’t see or walk straight.

You choked around him as you took him as deep as possible, your eyes glassy.  When you popped off, you stroked him as you moved down to carefully suck at his balls, fighting a grin as he gasped, his hips stuttering.  Before he could orgasm, you took him back in your mouth, wanting to swallow him down.

“Fuck, fuck—  Oh, shit…  Baby—  I’m gonna…  I’m gonna—”  Bucky broke off with a shout as he came, spilling down your throat.  His large hands stroked your cheeks as you swallowed all of it, barring the little bit that had gotten on your lower lip.  “You did so good, darling,” he cooed as he helped you stand, pressing you against the rock behind him as he kissed you.  “Are you okay?  I didn’t hurt you, right?”

“No, you didn’t,” you said, a faint smile on your lips as you helped him put himself back away.  “You were perfect, James…”

When you finally caught up to the group, a few of the others shot you knowing looks.

But Bucky just had a satisfied smirk on his lips, his hand tightly intertwined with yours even as you flushed in embarrassment.

“Once we get home, it’s your turn,” he whispered in your ear as you all headed back for the van.

Your relationship with James was… wonderful.

It was easy in a way you’d never had before.

Within just two months, he was living at your house almost full time, to the point where you’d been thinking about asking him to move in.

It was like you two were magnets.  Even when you both had work to do, you did it in the same room, slowly gravitating towards each other until you were sitting close, your foot running up his calf.

And he’d gotten you to start writing.

“It’s your dream, doll.  You’re never too old to chase your dreams,” he said one night as you two laid in bed.  His metal fingers were tracing shapes on your spine, a chill from the cracked window ruffling his sweaty hair.  “If you don’t mind me asking…  Why did you stop in the first place?”

Ah.

The conversation you’d been avoiding for so long.

Sitting up, you pressed your hands to your face as you tried to find the words to say.  “Um…  I was married before…  I know you know, but, uh…”  Your fingers fiddled together nervously.  You swallowed around the lump in your throat.  “My husband…  He wasn’t…  He wasn’t nice.  At all.”

Bucky immediately sat up behind you, his vibranium hand resting flat on your back to reassure you that he was there, and to give you something to focus on while you spoke.  He didn’t need to speak for you to know.  He was there and he wasn’t running.

“I married him young… and I had Josephine young…  He’d always been so… possessive, but I just considered it protective,” you continued, pulling strength from his touch to keep on going.  You needed to tell him this.  You needed him to understand.  “Then after Josie was born, he started getting violent.  He’d always been mean, but he’d never hit me until after I gave birth…”

James was tense behind you, slowly scooting over so he could wrap his arms around you, his legs resting on either side of yours as he held you.  He needed you close.  Needed to know you were safe in his arms and that man was long gone.

“Put me in the hospital a few times…  He at least didn’t do it in front of Josie.  That’s the one thing I asked of him that he listened to.”  You couldn’t help but snort as you slowly relaxed back against him.  “She always thought all the bruises and shit was just a side effect of how clumsy I am…  But she came home one day during college, to surprise us…  She walked in on him holding a frying pan above his head, about to swing again.  She jumped in between us and told him if he ever touched me again, she’d kill him.”  You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding as his lips pressed to your bare shoulder.  It was soothing, feeling his skin against yours.  “She moved me out of that house and into her apartment, helped me get the divorce, get back on my feet…”

“Remind me to tell Josephine thank you,” he said quietly as he squeezed you close.  “Thank you for telling me, doll…  I…  I can’t imagine how hard that was…  But he’ll never touch you again.  No one will ever touch you again if you don’t want it.”

“I know.”

He nuzzled into your hair, breathing in the scent of your shampoo.  “I love you.  So much…”

A peace settled over you as you rested your head back against his, allowing yourself to truly fall into him, to relax.  “And I love you…”

After that night, Bucky slept over at your place five to six nights a week, only going home to get more clothes and do his laundry really, even though you’d told him a million times he could do it at your place.

“Wake up, sweetheart,” he murmured in your ear one morning, pushing your hair away from your face.  “Time to get up…  I’ve got breakfast ready for you…”

Groaning, you tried to pull him down for more cuddle time, but he wasn’t having it.  He always woke up before you, too many years a soldier coming into play.  He’d go for a run and make breakfast before waking you up.

“Come on, doll,” he chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to your lips as he got you to sit up, your vision blurry from sleep still.  “Medicine,” he said, pressing your pills into your palm and putting a glass of water in your other. 

Ever since he’d found out about your prescriptions and how you had a hard time remembering to take them, he’d taken it upon himself to make sure you did, every morning and night without fail.

“What’d you make this morning?” You asked sleepily after swallowing your pills, letting him pull you to your feet.  His t-shirt clung to you as you followed him down the hall.  Your hand was tucked into his as you rounded the corner to the kitchen.

What neither of you had heard was the sound of the front door opening.

“Mama?!  What the hell?!” Josephine demanded, standing in the kitchen with Danny right behind her.  “Who the fuck is this?!  What is he doing here?!”

Oh.

Yeah.

You’d neglected to tell your daughter, afraid of how she might take it.

“Hello.  I’m James.  Or Bucky,” your boyfriend said as he held out his hand to you, clearly unashamed and standing his ground even though he was only wearing a pair of pajama pants.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Your daughter repeated angrily, ignoring his hand.

“Josie,” Danny began, trying to soothe her.

But your daughter was nothing but determined when she was in her protective mode.

Before you could open your mouth, Bucky supplied, “I’m her boyfriend.”

You felt a flush coming over you as she stared at the two of you, slack-jawed.  “He is,” you said, wrapping both of your arms around his metal one.  You were so nervous, you were shaking.

“When did this happen?!” She demanded, beginning to pace back and forth around the kitchen.

“Um…  The first meeting at the bar… for the club,” you said.  Seeing her so upset made your anxiety spike, and you knew James could feel it, could hear the way your heart rate increased exponentially.

Josephine whirled on you, her eyes—so much like yours—wide with disbelief.  No.  Betrayal.  “You’ve been seeing someone for almost three months and you didn’t tell me?”

“I…”  Tears pricked your eyes as you tightened your grip on Bucky’s arm.  This was not the way you wanted them meeting to go.  “I was scared… of how you’d react…”

At that moment, Bucky turned to meet your eyes, his forehead almost pressing against yours.  “Darling, I feel like this is a conversation you two should have alone, yeah?  So I’m gonna take—Danny, right?  Yeah—Danny to the living room with some coffee so we can get to know each other, okay?”

After a nod, and a squeeze of his hand, he got two mugs of coffee and led your daughter’s girlfriend to the living room.  You could see them sitting down from the corner of your eyes, but you were much too focused on Josephine.

“Mama, I—”

“I love him,” you said, before she could say anything more.

Her eyes were shining, locked on you as she waited for you to speak.  In her gut, she knew this was something you needed to get out.

“I love him more than I’ve ever loved a man.  More than I loved your father,” you whispered, your voice cracking.  “And I know…  I know you’re as protective as you are because you saw how he treated me.  You saw how much I hid that he was hurting you, but Jamie isn’t like that.”  Your fingers fiddled as you tried to keep yourself from pacing.  “He’s kind and adoring and gentle and…  and he loves me.  More than I thought anyone could ever love me.  And I know you feel like you need to take care of me and I am so grateful.  And I still need you.  Everyday.  But Bucky…  I love him.  I love him and he loves me and we take care of each other.”

Josephine reached out, slowly taking your hands in hers.  “He…  He makes you happy?  He takes care of you and you’re safe?” She asked, voice trembling as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Yeah.  He takes real good care of me,” you insisted with a weak laugh.  “And I’ve never been so happy before, honey.  I promise.”

“Okay…,” she said, taking a deep breath.  “I’m still giving him the shovel talk.”

Bucky looked up as Josephine entered the living room, looking much calmer.  He wasn’t sure what you’d said, but it had seemed to placate her for the time being.

“Can we talk outside?” She asked him, keeping her chin high.

God, she looked so much like you.

He nodded stiffly, getting to his feet and leaving his mug behind as he followed her to the front door and out onto the porch.  The former super soldier watched as she paced back and forth, biting her thumb.  “I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said finally, breaking the silence.

Josie stopped in her tracks, listening quietly.

“Your mama loves you something fierce.”  Nervously rubbing his hands on his pajama pants, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so nervous meeting a girl’s family.

Though, he supposed it was a bit different when it was meeting your girlfriend’s daughter.

“And I love her.”

Your daughter, your mini me, stared him directly in the eyes.  “I’m sure she’s told you about my father.  What he did.”

“She did.”

“So you know that if you put one fucking foot out of line, I’ll filet you?”

“I do.”

She eyed him for a long moment.  “What are you in this for?  What’s the long term?” She asked.  “I’ve heard of elders just… settling for someone because they don’t wanna be alone in their twilight years.  Is that what this is?”

Bucky tried really hard not to feel a little bit offended.  He wasn’t that old.  “I’ve been alive since 1917,” he said slowly.  “I have no doubt you know who I am.  But I’ve been alive a hundred and something years, and I’ve never met someone who makes me feel the way your mom does.”  His heart clenched inside his chest as he thought of you, seeing your shy smile in the mornings, how you clung to him when you went out in public, the sound of your voice as you read an excerpt of your writing to him, so nervous about what he would think.  “And I…  I can say that everything I’ve been through…  Everything I’ve ever been through was worth it, because I got to meet her.  And I get to be hers for the years I have left.”

She looked absolutely speechless.  “Good,” she said, coughing to clear her throat.  “Good.  I just…  I can’t see her get hurt again.  Not after everything.”

“Trust me, I don’t plan to,” he said, his mouth dry.  “I…  I actually have something to ask you about…  Been waiting to meet you to talk to you about it…”

Inside, you paced the kitchen and living room, going back and forth and back and forth, sometimes moving to the window to try to hear what they were saying.  But they were keeping it all very hushed.

“It’s gonna be fine, mama,” Danny said, standing up and moving to wrap her arms around you.  “Josie’ll see how much you two love each other, and it’ll be fine.  She’s just gotta have her protective moment.  You know how she is.”

Sniffling, you hugged her tightly.  “I shouldn’t have kept it from her for so long…  I was just so nervous…  They both…  They both mean the world to me.”  You paused, snorting.  “I knew you’d approve of him.  I wasn’t so worried about you.”

“Oh, please, the way that man looked at you?” She said, laughing as she kissed your forehead.  “Mama, there’s no way in hell that man would ever hurt you.  He looks at you like you’re his entire universe.”

Heart warm, you glanced towards the front door, wishing they’d just come inside already.  “I’ve never felt something like this…  But fuck, if the whole shit show that’s my life wasn’t worth it for him…  I wouldn’t change a thing, as long as it means I get to end up with him.”

You broke out of her grasp as the front door opened and they came back inside, looking relaxed and even… happy?  “Well?  You aren’t gonna kill him?” You asked Josie as you moved to James, heart racing.

“Nah…,” she said, giving him what seemed like a secretive smile.  “As far as dads go…  He’d be pretty nice to have.”

“What?” You said, brows furrowing as you looked between the two of them.

Bucky chuckled, winking at Josephine as he led you to the stove where breakfast was still waiting, making you waddle as his arms wrapped around you from behind.  “Don’t worry your pretty head about it, baby doll.  It’s all good.”

You still couldn’t help but feel like the two were planning something as he made your plate for you, cutting up your pancakes and filling up your coffee.  “Why do I feel like you two are gonna end up ganging up on me?”

“Oh, come on, mama,” Josephine said with a smirk on her face.  Her and Danny had made their own plates and joined you and Bucky in the living room.  “How could you ever accuse us of such a thing?”

“Yeah,” James said as he fed you a bite of pancake.  “How could you ever accuse us of such a thing?” He asked, before leaning in and stealing a kiss.  “I love you.”

You’d never felt more relaxed, surrounded by the people you loved the most in the world.  What you’d said to Josephine had been true.

“I love you more,” you said, leaning back in for another kiss.

You’d never been so happy.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader

[kitkatopinions]

So let me ask you this.

Since you're a RWDE person.

How the heck did people claim that Miles and Kerry were "threatened" into writing Bumbleby over Blacksun on Twitter when multiple RT RWBY comics all portray Bumbleby, and the Writers and VAs are shown to be fans?

I just think the RWDE community is making stuff up again...like how they claim that Adam Taurus or Ironwood suffered "Character assassination" when we literally see them getting criticized for bad behavior in their first appearances, and even comics by RWBY involving Adam show him to be wicked and self-interested

Okay, so I have two questions for you in response to this ask, and I'm not trying to pick a fight, so please don't take offense. But first off, have you seen my bio?

I know I've said in a recent post that I try to avoid debates, and I've made it pretty clear that I'm not interested in that. Idk, maybe you thought fielding your questions and giving explanations wasn't quite a debate? But I am kind of flashing back to running a 'pro character' side blog once upon a time, and someone sending me an unprompted ask telling me to 'convince them of why they should like the character,' and I was like "....No????" XD

The second thing for me to ask is: Why are you asking me to explain something that other people said in regards to MKEK being 'forced' into Bumbleby? If you knew my posts, you'd know that I've said repeatedly that I think Bumbleby makes sense as a ship and I don't care if that's what they've decided to go with even if I think how they've handled and written for it is badly done and even if I preferred other ships. I don't think they were 'forced' into it, so... I can't explain to you why other people apparently think they were forced into it. They aren't me and I might not even know them as a mutual.

As for Adam and Ironwood, I'm not interested in writing a huge analysis or anything atm, and at the very least you just said 'it's like when people say this' instead of directing questions to me, so I'm not gonna get into it. You can feel free to cruise through the pro Ironwood tag in my blog specifically though if you're interested in my opinions on him (again, I'm not interested in debate, so please don't start arguments over whatever you might see.) I've made plenty of IW posts about my various thoughts and feelings about him and I'm not out here just pretending to think the writers wrote him badly for no reason and 'making stuff up.'

But yeah, all in all... I don't actually have much to say. I don't feel like defending opinions that aren't mine or trying to explain why someone would say that when I have no clue who did say it. But if I could leave you with a friendly suggestion: I wouldn't chalk up things to 'the RWDE community' as a general whole when I definitely haven't seen this particular 'MKEK were forced into this against their will' take in the tag for months at least and it isn't a popular opinion amongst RWDE. I'm in the RWDE tag every day and there's possibly like two blogs I have on block that might have said that, but the RWDE people I have as mutuals who post in the tag certainly aren't suggesting on this website that MKEK have been forced against their will into adding Bumbleby content, so it kinda just feels... weird?

#rwde #anti rwby #rwby criticism #anti bumbleby #pro ironwood

[hyuniebaby]

Summer Love

Pairings: Chanyeol x Y/N

Song reference/inspiration: August by Taylor Swift

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Angst

A/N: So I've been listening to Taylor Swift a lot these days and I literally just found out about The Teenage Love Triangle thing in her Folklore album. It gave me inspiration to write this. 😄 It's been a while since I wrote for EXO so here's my first EXO fanfic for 2021! I hope I did Taylor Swift's song justice. Please let me know your thoughts~

You could hear the loud music playing at the club from a block away. You really didn’t plan on going out at all, too tired from your shift at the yogurt shop that you worked part time at. But your friends were insistent.

“God, I need a break,” you messaged your friends, ranting about how work was tiring. If there was one thing you learned about your work, it was that people come flooding in at the shop for frozen yogurt every summer. You couldn’t blame them for it, of course. The heat was unbearable, people would buy anything cold to beat the heat.

“Then let’s go to the club tonight!” Krystal messaged back.

You groaned. You should’ve expected she was going to say that. But the “break” you meant was more of “needing more time to rest” than a “I need a fucking drink.”

You were about to explain to her that you weren’t in the mood to drink but the rest of your friends had already agreed with her. You closed the group chat and massaged your head.

You knew your friends like the back of your hand so you expected them to give you reasons why you should go clubbing with them. Hell, they would probably even make a powerpoint presentation to convince you. And you have to ready yourself for that level of extra, hence, the head massage.

But your friends knew you the same way you knew them so when you didn’t reply after two minutes, they came to the conclusion that you didn’t want to go. You were, after all, the person who always replied instantly — whenever, wherever. Even at work, that’s why they have your schedule so they can avoid messaging you during your shifts.  

By the third minute of silence, yes, you counted , a series of messages flooded your phone. As expected, their messages were reasons why you should go to the club with them. One, it was summer so there’s no school work to catch up on. Two, you don’t have work the next day so there’s no need to worry about getting a hangover. Three, alcohol, that’s enough explanation.

You snorted at that.

They listed plenty more reasons but the one that convinced you was that you haven’t seen them in a while since summer break started. So without reading more of their reasons, you replied with a simple, “Ugh, fine.”

When you entered the club, you immediately scanned the area to look for your group of friends. But instead of finding them, your breath hitched as your eyes locked with someone else. He was tall and gorgeous. And hot. Yeah, definitely hot. You shamelessly ogle at his form. From his silver locks to the chain necklaces he was adorned with to the thin white sleeveless shirt he was wearing that was tucked in his denim pants. It was like he wasn’t even trying with his style yet he looked tempting.

And if there’s one known fact about you, it was that you lacked self control.

If you knew you’d find a guy like him that night, you would’ve worn the short black dress you owned or your favorite red satin dress, instead of the gold mini dress you were wearing.

There was nothing really wrong about the dress you’re wearing. It fits you like a glove and it shows a generous amount of skin, but it screams sophistication and elegance. Something that was the opposite of you, but you liked to play pretend sometimes.

But still, red and black were the sexiest colors. Both sexually alluring — arousing, even. And those were what you needed him to see, to feel.

By the time you had shifted your eyes to look back up his handsome face, you saw that his eyes were still traveling over your body.

Okay, maybe gold was fine.

Before anything else could happen, however, Krystal, Lia, and Rose had tackled you in a hug. You wanted to roll your eyes at them. Talk about perfect timing. They started chattering off about how they missed you, oblivious to your encounter with the man.

Before they could whisk you off to the table they claimed, you stole another glance at the hot stranger. His eyes were still on you and you couldn’t stop the small smirk that crept into your face.

Your friends shared stories about what happened to them since summer break started, meanwhile you ranted about your work and how hectic it had been. As the conversation continued, alcohol came and went. Overall, it was fun hanging out with your over-the-top friends.

Every now and then you look at the hot stranger. You were tempted to just get up and go directly to him and just kiss him but not now when he was finally graced with the presence of his friend. Not now when your friends were still there with you.

Not yet.

When your friends got borderline drunk, they stood up and went to the dance floor. You knew then that they weren’t going to come back.

They were always like that when they got a hold of the liquid courage. By the time they’d dance off, they would find a man to spend the night with and not bother to say goodbye. And then the next thing you’ll know, they’ll be updating you on the group chat about how their night went. That’s what always happens every time you all go out clubbing so you were quite used to it.

You waved them off as they made their way to the dance floor. You downed another drink and found yourself looking over at the location of the hot stranger once again.

You watched as his friend got up and left him when he saw your friends heading to the dance floor. He’s probably interested in one of them. Or all of them. You didn’t know. You didn’t care.

Despite the distance, you could almost hear the sigh of relief your hot stranger released. Yes, you claimed him already. When he lost sight of his friend on the crowded dance floor, he immediately snapped his head to your direction. You smirked as he did so.

You made your way towards him. You could tell he was entranced with your body. The lust was written all over his face.

“Hey, stranger,” you greeted as you sat beside him. Your dress had hitched up and you didn’t bother adjusting it. Why would you when he was eyeing your legs like that? Like he’s one breath away to opening them up.

Once he’s gotten his fill on the sight of your legs, his eyes once again traveled the entirety of your body before settling his eyes on your face.

If only it wasn’t indecent to take him then and there, ugh.

“Chanyeol,” he introduced himself as he placed a kiss on your hand.

You hummed and told him your name, “So Chanyeol, I noticed you looked a little bit bored a while ago,” then you leaned in and whispered to his ear, “don’t you want to do something fun?”

He tilted his head so that his lips touched your neck when he talked and then placed his hand on your thigh, “My place is just around the corner,” was his answer.

He gave your leg a little squeeze before offering his hand to help you stand up.

The next thing you knew, he was fervently kissing you after he shut the door to his room. He tasted like cigarettes but also something sweet that you just can’t name. But the taste doesn’t really matter to you, what matters was how he was using his lips. And, god, was he good at using his lips.

His hands wandered around your body while yours trailed over his toned chest and abs. He grabbed your butt and slammed you to the door, bringing his erection closer to your pussy.

You instinctively rubbed against him, moaning at the much needed friction. He brought his lips to your neck and nibbled your sensitive skin.

Then he slipped his hand under your skirt, feeling your damp panties.

“Please Chanyeol,” you moaned.

“Please what?”

“Please touch me.”

“Are you sure?”

You huffed but said, “Never have I ever been so sure.”

He moved your panties to the side and slid a finger in you. “You’re so wet, babe,” he said as he pumped his finger in and out of you.

“Chanyeol, hng, more.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He added another finger while you cursed at how good it felt. He was leaving kisses all over your neck, you were pretty sure you’d be painted with reds and purples by the end of the night.

You were in a daze but you weren’t just going to let him do all the work. Your hands quickly went on to undo his belt and his pants. You freed his hard shaft from the offensive garment and gave it a few strokes. Then you spit on your palm and finally gave the attention his cock deserved.

“Fuck, that feels so good,” he mewled.

You went back to kissing him after his statement. It was like there was an unspoken agreement between the two of you — both of you wanted to get on the bed — so he carried you there, never once pulling away from the kiss.

As your bum touches his mattress, he immediately strips himself of his clothes while you shimmied out of your dress.

You were able to remove only your dress when he locked his lips with you once again. He laid you down on the bed, his left hand groping your breast.

When he pulled back, he took his time in scanning your body. You bit your lip to prevent a whine from the sudden lack of contact.

“You’re so sexy, babe. I want to fuck you so badly.”

“Then do it, Chanyeol.” You looked up at him.

The sight was something to behold. Chanyeol on top of you, naked — his skin glistening with sweat, and the light makes him look perfect. His muscles were flexing as he breathed. The sight increased your arousal by tenfold.

You rubbed your cunt to his shaft to grab his attention since he was back to ogling your body. The action snapped him out of his trance and he quickly unhooked your bra and removed your panties, throwing them somewhere in the room. He took your right nipple in his mouth and sucked while he squeezed your left boob. On reflex, you arched your back as he gave attention to your breasts. He shifted between your two mounds. You moaned in delight from the sensation.

Once he was satisfied with his work, he abruptly inserted two fingers to your core. You cried at the sudden intrusion. He expertly fingered you. You closed your eyes and relished on the way he was making you feel.

You felt him shift but he didn’t stop the onslaught to your cunt so you paid no attention to this. You released a whimper when all of a sudden he slipped his fingers out of you. You peeked at him, ready to scold him because he pulled out just when you were about to cum. But what greeted you was the view of Chanyeol putting on a condom.

“Sorry babe, I couldn’t wait anymore. I need to be inside you,” he said, not a hint of regret in his tone.

You gulped as you saw his big, veiny cock. “I’m going to fuck you so hard,” he promised.

Then he shoved his dick to your pussy. “You’re so fucking tight.”

You grit your teeth, he was big and you felt so full. He waited a while for you to adjust to his size when he bottomed out.

“Fuck me, Chanyeol,” you begged.

The moment the words slipped out of your mouth, he obliged and pounded into you. His thrusts were so powerful that you couldn’t help but moan and gasp. He shifted a little, the position let him adjust his pace to a much faster one.

Lewd, sinful noises came out of your mouth as he fucked you hard, fulfilling his promise. “Who’s making you feel this good?” He asked cockily.

“Y-you are,” you stuttered.

“Say my name.”

“Cha-Chanyeol. Fuck. You make m-me feel so g-good Chanyeol.”

He was driving you to your climax so fast from his ministrations. You were clenching on his cock the closer you got to your release. His hand found its way to your clit and he rubbed it.

You spasmed as you reached your high. Chanyeol was quick to follow after a few harsh thrusts. After he came, he stood up to throw the used condom and grabbed a wet towel to clean you up. He was so gentle at doing it and you found yourself closing your eyes at how relaxing it was. The tiredness from work and the sex caught up with you. You didn’t even intend to sleep yet, but when you closed your eyes, nothing stopped you from falling asleep.

Chanyeol was nice enough not to kick you out after the sexual encounter. You thank the gods above that you woke up before Chanyeol did, because you knew it would be too awkward if he woke up before you. This was supposed to be a one night stand after all.

You slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake Chanyeol from his slumber. You quickly put on your clothes, well, as fast as your aching body could anyway. You tiptoed out of his room and left.

There wasn’t any need to write a note for him or whatever. Sure, the sex was good, amazing even, but you know nothing about him aside from his name and address. He could be a completely different person when he’s sober, you’ll never really know.

But fate had other plans for the two of you.

It was a week after that event that you saw Chanyeol again. You were driving home, taking in the view of the city. He was walking slowly, seemingly lost in thought, under the streetlights two blocks away from the yogurt shop you worked at.

You debated on whether or not to call him. He looked quite distant and lonely. If you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings, you wouldn’t have thought that it was Chanyeol.

This Chanyeol looked the opposite of the Chanyeol you met at the club. There wasn’t any trace of cockiness. Even the smile you saw that he easily gave away to his friend was gone.

As if your body has a mind of its own, you found yourself pulling up and rolling down the window, “Chanyeol!”

He whipped his head to look at you, shocked. It kind of seemed like he saw a ghost. You chuckled.

“Get in, let’s drive!”

Normally, you wouldn’t be doing this. Chanyeol was a stranger after all, but oddly, he did feel familiar.

He looked reluctant but eventually he gave in. The car ride was quiet. You didn’t mind though, you like the silence so you didn’t attempt to break it.

Initially, you didn’t have any destination in mind, you were just driving aimlessly. You thought you were making random turns but then you realized you were going to the quieter parts of the city and into the location you’d always go to when you were feeling blue. It was fitting, Chanyeol did look like a darker shade of blue after all and no, you weren’t talking about his physical appearance.

You stopped your car by the cliff overlooking the city. There, everything looked small and less overwhelming. When you were there, it always made you feel like your problems were trivial things and it calmed you down.

You stepped out of the car, sat on the hood and watched as the sun set. The sun was giving the busy city a golden glow.

After a few minutes, Chanyeol got out of the car as well and sat beside you, taking in the view of the city. For the first time since you picked him up, a genuine smile had made its way into his face.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, never taking his sight away from the beautiful view.

You looked over at him, his features looked like he was relaxed. His blue faded and changed into a warm yellow. He looked better like that.

“Yeah, no problem.”

The both of you stayed there until the sky had turned black and it was the city lights’ turn to shine.

“Come on, Chanyeol, let’s head back.”

“Right.”

You were a block away from Chanyeol’s flat when he spoke up again. “Sorry I took up your time.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t have anything to do anyway,” you said nonchalantly.

By the time you reached his place, you turned to him, “So—”

You didn’t even get to finish whatever you were about to say when he cupped your face and kissed you. You were surprised but you kissed back anyway. And just like the first time you met him, you ended up tangled in his sheets, begging him to fuck you.

The third time you met him it was probably the hottest day of summer. You were in the mall to cool down. You’d rather be there than use the air conditioner in your room and take extra shifts to pay for the electricity.

You were wandering inside the mall, just looking through different shops and avoiding any crowded area in general.

“What are you doing?”

You got startled at the sudden sound.

“Chanyeol? What the fuck, I almost dropped this mug because of you!” You exclaimed.

He chuckled, “Sorry. It’s just that I noticed you looked a little bored.”

Oh, so he was using your lines now. You raised your brow and crossed your arms, waiting for what he’s going to say next. But the action only emphasized your breasts and of course Chanyeol just had to look.

“Don’t you want to do something fun?”

You smirked, “Only if it doesn’t involve sweating.”

“I can work with that.”

And work with that he did. You ended up being bent over under the shower as he fucked you relentlessly.

The only difference with this encounter from the rest was the piece of paper you found in the pocket of your shorts. Scribbled there was his number and a simple “Thank you.”

You didn’t even hesitate to message him as soon as you found it. He replied in an instant and surprisingly, he was pretty decent to talk with. You don’t talk about the nights of passion, but you do talk about yourselves.

For the first time since you met him, he was shedding his layers, and this time, these layers weren’t his clothes.

The next time you met up, it was intentional. One day he called, “Meet me behind the mall.” He didn’t have to ask twice, you’d go regardless.

By the time he arrived, he was riding a motorcycle. He shook his head as he removed his helmet. Then he ruffled his silver hair.

God, he was attractive.

“Hop in, babe,” he said as he hands you another helmet.

You grinned. It was your first time to ride a motorcycle and you couldn’t stop your excitement from showing.

He drove to an abandoned parking lot and for a moment you were confused. “What are we doing here?”

“Don’t you want to do something fun?” He smirked.

Your eyes widened. You definitely didn’t want to do that here.

He only laughed at your reaction. “I’m kidding! I mean, technically, I’m not.”

Your brows had furrowed. “Huh?”

“I’ll teach you how to ride this baby,” he said as he patted his motorcycle, “It’ll be fun.”

You squealed. “Really?”

He rolled his eyes but he had a faint smile, “Yeah.”

Chanyeol was a great teacher, but you liked to tease him so you purposely acted like you couldn’t understand him. You could tell his patience was wearing thin after two hours of him teaching you to no fruition.

“Okay, okay, let me try. Like, alone now,” you said.

He frowned, obviously unimpressed with your statement. Of course, he’d react that way, it was his baby, you just might crash it.

“I promise I’ll do my best,” you pleaded.

“Fine,” he reluctantly said.

“Thank you!”

You grinned at him as you got ready while he only pouted. But the pout had been replaced with a look of surprise when you finally rode and drove his bike.

And by the end of the day, his motorcycle wasn’t the only thing you got to ride.

The next few times you met up, you always ended up beneath him. But there were also days when he’d take you out — to a diner that was barely visited by people, to an arcade somewhere downtown, to the cliff overlooking the city.

Dates with Chanyeol were fun and weren’t overwhelming at all. He never brought you to places with too many crowds. It was intimate, the moments were shared between only the two of you.

It got to a point where you basically spent everyday with him. You would even cancel plans with your friends, just waiting for his call. Before you knew it, you were falling for him.

What sealed your feelings was the time he brought you to their beach house where you both spent the day swimming and chasing each other around.

“I want you,” he said as the night came.

Wanting was enough for you.

By the time you were both panting after the sexual activity, he turned his back to you and looked out the window, his facial expression as calm as the sea. You thought you had him then. You thought he was yours and you were his.

That is until you saw him at a record shop. You were there first, scanning through sections, looking for the 5 Seconds of Summer CD you wanted to purchase for so long. You paid no attention to your surroundings, too busy with your task.

And then you heard Chanyeol’s name being mentioned by a guy. Curiously, you hid behind a shelf and peeked. Chanyeol was there and you unconsciously smiled at the sight of him.

“Chanyeol, dude, be honest, are you seeing Y/N?”

Chanyeol looked confused. “Who’s Y/N?”

Your heart dropped at his answer.

“Don’t act so clueless.”

“I don’t know any Y/N.” He looked genuinely at a loss.

“Inez told me she saw you and Y/N at the arcade a couple of weeks ago. Did you even break up with your girlfriend?”

Your vision was already blurry when he said he didn’t know you but you tensed up at his friend’s question.

Chanyeol has a girlfriend?

You didn’t bother staying there to listen in to their conversation anymore. Your tears had already started falling so you quickly rushed out of the shop, keeping your head down low.

There were a lot of thoughts running through your mind.

“Chanyeol didn’t know my name… Is that why he only called me babe or kitten?”

“Chanyeol has a girlfriend and he cheated on her with me.”

“Was his girlfriend the reason why he only brought you out to secluded areas? Meeting only behind the mall? Driving to the quieter parts of the city to hang out?”

You were so frustrated at him and at yourself. You let him charm you. You let him worm his way into your heart. You let him make you fall in love.

So much for summer love.

#chanyeol x reader #chanyeol x you #chanyeol smut #chanyeol angst #chanyeol fluff #chanyeol fanfic #chanyeol fanfiction #exo smut #exo angst #exo fluff #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #park chanyeol #exo chanyeol

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Heya!! Kip here! The @memorabiliazine preorders have just shipped, which means we can share our pieces now! I wrote this piece back in February, after theorizing about the presence of Robbie's Telescope being present in the Royal Tech Lab in Age of Calamity. So without further a do, here be my little essay/fic on some old ruins, or more specifically, its:

Cause of Destruction

The storm had come too late. Thankfully, it was all devastated.

She continued to run from the screaming.

The Sheikah woman headed for the hills, brittle trees littering the eastern side of the Lindor mountain side. If she hurried, she could meet up with the others who had—

A distant crack of thunder melded with the collapse of stone; she makes the mistake of glancing back.

In the greater horizon, the shadow of Hyrule Castle looms over a conquered dusk. A shrill cry—something between a roar and a whine—escapes from the cloudy malice beast that enshrouds the Hylian monument. But that was just the backdrop, the canvas for contrast. Closer still, in the billowing grass of North Hyrule Plain, the stormy winds cut through fog and smoke like a dagger.

In the opened wound, the faint silhouette of a building glows.

Blue.

Blue.

Blue.

She keeps running.

The color might have at one point been appealing—the symbol of the Royals, the pleasant hue that cloaked a perfect morning. But tonight it just haunted her...chased her...reminded her of the terrible deed that was done.

A horse came over the hills.

“HEY!” a man shouted, mounted on a grey horse. “MA’AM! HALT, PLEASE!”

Crap. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, clutched her limp, burned arm, and kept moving. I just need to reach the trees.

But the chase seemed over before it had even started. When she had first started running from the blue, some wandering captain had stopped her to ask what was wrong. There was a strange kindness in his striking eyes, a forgein concept in this land now stricken with grief, death, and paranoia. In her haste—and possibly shame of what she had done—she had just pushed the captain away and fled. Very inconspicuous…good job me.

Now it seems he had found her again. Any other day she might have commended him for his kindness in checking with some random Sheikah, during the end of the world no less.

But tonight, well...there’s a sliver of her that might have preferred death.

The woman tripped on a divet in the earth, crashing down on one of her badly burned legs, and hissed at the pain. The rain had muddied the path, and was staining her once white clothes a disgusting marron. The pounding of hooves grew closer, until they halted right next to her ears.

A pair of leather boots crashed into the mud.

“Ma’am, don’t get up. You’re injured. Please.”

The clang of metal armour accompanies the voice. Oh he was a captain alright, equipped well for the apocalypse. His metalspear and armour adorned in—

She looks up.

Blue.

A slight frown.

The man tries to help her to her feet, watching to not clutch on the wounds on her right side. “Whatcha doing all the way out here? The nearest settlement is a ways away.” The captain lifts up one of her arms, and his eyes widen just a bit. “Dammit...those burns look bad. We might getcha some aid...there’s a laboratory place nearby that I’m heading by, just due east and—”

“...Lab?” The woman can’t help but wonder aloud. No...you idiot, you can’t be serious.

The captain smiles again. “See now, that’s why I was so eager to catch your attention. You’re running in the wrong direction.” He points in the direction she was running towards. “Up where you’re going is just mountains. There’s a fancy smancy lab a bit south that could help patch you up better than—”

“If you head to that lab, you’ll die.” She lets the words linger for a moment. “Unless, of course, that was the desired plan for the evening.” The woman laughs to herself, but the sound is empty and dry.

He frowns. “...What?”

She’s silent, gears turning in her head. Goddess...how do I say this without—

She points east, the rain pattering on her outstretched sleeve. “Tell me, Captain. What do you see over there?”

The man pauses, his face contort with confusion. He follows her hand and stares at the blue.

“...North Hyrule Plain. Some building glowing blue over there…I’m assuming that’s the techno-wizz from the L—”

“Lab, yes. That would be the Royal Ancient Lab. Though I’m afraid it’s not glowing from ‘techno-wizz’ or anything of that sort, dear captain.”

She crosses her arms, turning to look away from the blue and hugging her knees. “It’s currently burning to the ground.”

An ugly pause, as the man seems to take a moment to digest this. He flickers his gaze between the Sheikah and the distant blue building.

“I-It’s...It’s raining though—”

“Blue flame, I’m afraid, is a bit more resistant. Plus, it’s been burning long before the storm came through.”

“What...I…” The captain sits next to her, plopping into the mud in disbelief. “I was really thinking that...why would…”

He turns to her, his eyes are stormy grey, with faint specks of blue, like embers. The captain’s tone is gravely serious. “Miss, why was that lab destroyed?”

The question catches her off guard. Her jaw’s clenched, but she breaks their staring contest and hides her surprise with a shrug. “Same reason as every other disaster today. Calamity Ganon destroyed it.”

There’s a crack of thunder, and the ground shudders at her lie.

“...No.” the man mumbles.

“Look, I know it’s a lot to process—”

“No, I mean,” he stands, hand reaching for his back, “that’s not what actually happened, is it ma’am?”

Crap. The Sheikah holds her hands in the air. “If this is about me shoving you earlier, I was just a bit—”

“Aw now don’tcha worry about that, I took no personal offense.” He scratches the blond stubble on his chin.

“Now the thing that I do find some mighty fine offense to, is the fact that there’s a good lick of a chance that I’m currently speaking to an arsonist traitor.”

There’s a BOOM, and in the distance, another large piece of the Royal Lab collapses into the earth. The blue grows brighter.

“Me? What in the name of Hylia are you—”

“Let’s not play dumb, ma’am. Trust me, I’m a sucker for some pleasantries and small talk, though I’m afraid addressing the fact that you burned down the nearest safe haven for miles is gonna take priority here.”

The Sheikah woman just fumes, attempting to get up in the captain’s face. “How DARE you accuse me of—”

She’s cut off by the shing of metal cutting through air. The captain twirls the spear on his back and points the end right at her neck, resting just below her chin. She scowls, but puts her hands in the air.

“You just don’t understan—”

“That’s a mighty fine torch you got there…” He clicks his tongue.

Both hands grip his spear steady, ready to pierce flesh at any moment. The captain gestures with a wink to the torch attached to her waist. It seems to still smolder slightly with faint blue embers.

The captain looks between the torch, and the blue fire in the horizon.

“Yes, a mighty fine torch indeed.” He presses the spear tip a bit further forward.

“And it’s glowing a familiar color.”

Cause of Destruction

An Analysis of the Destruction of the Royal Ancient Lab

By Dr. J Kippers

(But please, Kippers was my father, call me Kip)

So heroes are a thing, huh? Who’da thunk it! One minute, I’m continuing my travels, studying some cool rocks and bricks in Hyrule Field. Then the next, a giant malice pig appears and fights some teenage boy wielding a glowing stick. I definitely wasn’t cowering behind the ruins of a garrison bathroom while that all happened, and I definitely was doing some cool badass fighting moves with my...pen, to help that knight and save the world and stuff. Makes for a pretty cool story, yeah? HA, Traysi would kill for it…

But enough of my daring, slightly exaggerated, exploits. It’s been a few weeks since the world’s settled down from the Calamity’s defeat, which means I had prime time to settle back into my hometown, and put my years of travel and research to paper!

I spent the majority of my life studying the history of Hyrule as it fell to the Calamity 100 years ago...and with the world now revitalizing, it’s just prime time to get myself out there! Research wise, that is!

At first, I didn’t really know what to write, cause WOW there’s just so many topics to choose from. Plus there’s a lot on the line here, gotta make a good impression for whatever new kingdom that Princess Zelda’s got planned. She seems the scholarly type, yeah? I’m thinking I could snag some Hyrule history teach’ position at a rebuilt university or something… Princess has got an awful lot of focus on the reconstruction of different village ruins. Which is fair, cause who better to know how to rebuild these places than the people who were alive to see them in their prime!

And you see, that’s where my journey of knowledge began! People with first hand knowledge of the events of distant past are alive? OH a historian’s dream…my soul swells in happiness. Plus, I also got my researcher brain a-tingling. My dad’s friend’s cousin’s neighbor’s grandma’s dog’s breeder knew Dr. Robbie back in the day, so Sheikah tech is basically in my blood.

With these passions rejuvenated I had my goal! Publish some revolutionary new theory that combined my awesome knowledge for history, archeology, and tech! And what better place to see that than, (duh) the Royal Ancient Lab Ruins.

Now, there doesn’t seem to be much in these ruins…it’s absolutely barren. No weapons or treasures to be seen. Just your run-of-the-mill ruined ruins, destroyed long ago by the Calamity. And that was the end of the story.

At least that’s what I thought until I did a little more digging. See, as I was doing some additional research, I stumbled upon this old history/research book stored in the Kakariko archive. I have no idea where it came from...it’s titled...C-Caa...Creation? Creating? Creating a...Cham...it’s kinda faded and hard to read. But anyhow, this weird little history book was written by some guy named “Nine-tendons.” If someone out there has a copy feel free to hit me up, but for today’s sake title and author don’t really matter. The point is, one of the quotes in that book describes the ruins like this:

Royal Ancient Lab Ruins

It is thought that these ruins represent the ancient relic research facility that was under the direct rule of Hyrule Castle, but only the outer walls remain. There is no trace of the building’s interior, let alone any research materials.

The thoroughness of its destruction feels intentional. [Page 396, Cr_ating a Champ___, Nint__do.]

Now I’m not too familiar with the work of whoever Mr. Nin-Ten-doves is, but I strangely trust their word on the topic wholeheartedly. Call it a feeling from the divine if you must, but they’re right! It seems so much more obvious in hindsight.

My adventures into the other various ruins across Hyrule always gave me something to work with. The world is just crafted for exploration. Old treasure chests, weird rocks with a tiny talking tree fairy underneath. Hell, even a monster or two was always happy to inhabit even the smallest of ruins I’ve entered. Yet, there is absolutely nothing of prominence to be seen at the ruins of the Royal Ancient Lab. And I’ve double, triple, and quintuple-checked!

Why are there no rusted weapons...or treasures...or any records or evidence of anything, other than some crude stone walls and a rock? That kind of destruction is just unnecessarily absolute, even for the Calamity.

According to detailed drawings/notes I have in my records of Historical Works during the Age of Calamity (HW AOC for short), the Royal Ancient Lab was nearly three stories tall, with a royal blue ceiling, complete with a basement level, and an upper telescope! With even the smallest of structures (like simple ranch and village ruins) still standing today with plenty of artifacts, why is as great a structure as the Royal Lab so desolate?

Intentional, intentional, intentional...that word ran through my head for days, weeks, months even. Why would the Royal Ancient Lab be destroyed intentionally? Did the Calamity see it as that major a threat? No, that wouldn’t make sense, the movements of Calamity Ganon that day clearly show his intention to use the Sheikah power against the people of Hyrule. An Ancient Lab would be a major benefit, if anything…

So, surprising as it may be, the current prime suspect for the destruction of this lab would actually be…

The Sheikah just glares. “Well...what gave it away?

He shrugged his shoulders with a half smile. “Deductive reasoning, with a hint of some good ol’ luck perhaps.”

“Listen, I know this looks bad, but you have to understand—”

“Oh I understand quite well alright.” The captain gives a wink. “I try to be humble, but Mama always did say I was the smartest cookie she knew.”

He rests the end of his spear on her collarbone, the threat clearly still present, but it gives him the freedom to pace and wipe rain for his soaked blonde hair.

“See I know that Calamity Ganon’s corrupted every bit of Sheikah tech from here to Lurelin. I know that he’s been targeting Hylian settlements. ‘Seen it myself when some monsters and Guardians destroyed my regiment and post at Maritta Exchange, just a bit north from here. I know that the only reason the other settlements, like the Rito and Zora, are still standing is because Ganon’s focusing all his forces on finding and killing the Hylian Champion and the princess. And finally I know that because of that, there is not a Guardian or monster around for many a mile. I mean, just lookie over there.”

The woman turns her head, and sure enough, the plains are barren of all life. No movement of machine or beast or person.

“And now my assumption was—and do pardon me if my monologue is redundant to your traitor ears—that the nearest place of safety would be this royal laboratory of technology. It’s Sheikah run, so it wouldn’t be immediately targeted. Plus the last thing the Calamity would want is for his personal army of destruction to be...well, destroyed. Ifs I was them evil cloud demon thing, I woulda wanted the lab with all my corrupted techno babble soldiers to be kept in peak condition. However…”

The captain turns to the right, staring at the blazing blue building in the distance. “...That does not seem to be the case.”

The Sheikah opens her mouth to speak, but he holds up the spear again. “Now I’m thinking, the only reason someone would go about destroying that lab, would perhaps be to kill some people, no?”

“We didn’t—”

“Getting rid of the people who could possibly reverse the Guardian corruption...now I suppose that might be a good evil plan.”

“It was for the be—”

“Ma’am I’m all about looking on the bright side of things, but,” the captain flicks his head in the direction of the blue, “This ain’t exactly the light a’ hope I was wanting.”

“Maybe not, but—”

“So,who are ya? Yiga?”

“No, it’s—”

“Solo treason then. You getting revenge on someone ‘round here? A noble? The King? Or perhaps you’re just the sadistic type with the whole—”

“NO!”

The outburst surprises the both of them, and he hold the spear to ner neck firmly. Another crack of thunder reminds them of the silence that’s endured. The Sheikah finally sighs.

“Perhaps by definition I am an arsonist and a traitor, but for one thing, I wasn’t alone.”

The man’s eyes shine curiously, but she continues.

“I will gladly die alongside them, as my actions have only been for the benefit of Hyrule.”

The rain’s tempo quickens as she gets on her feet, but the captain doesn’t strike. She stares him down, eyes hidden behind strands of white hair.

“My name is Atsuko, a devoted researcher at the Royal Lab, and you may kill me if you think it just.”

Ok, now I know what you’re all thinking. You’re thinking “Kip! Why are you writing this official research paper like some drunken bar rant? How the hell are you gonna get noticed at this rate?” or “Kip! The hell are you thinking?? Sheikah destroying the Ancient Lab makes absolutely no sense?!”

So to that I say, firstly, uhhh you’re welcome for not being a boring posh, snobby lecturer.(Learned to value a personality over fancy words; lessons my granddad).

As for the latter, you are quite wrong my dear friend, quite wrong indeed. It makes an absolute butt-load of sense, and I’m gonna prove it was them, here and now! I mean that’s...kinda the whole point of an essay, yeah?

My fellow archeology, history, and tech lovers, not only do I know who is responsible for the Royal Lab’s destruction, but I know the true reason why and how! Let us start at the beginning!

What exactly is the lab, and what was its purpose? Well, as the name implies, it was a Sheikah-run laboratory under the hand of the royal family that researched and experimented with Ancient technology. Again, looking at references in HW AOC, I can place not only Guardian models and Ancient weaponry at the lab, but also the existence of blue flame lamps that seemingly powered the facility.

As we all know, it’s tough to mess around with Ancient parts without blue flame, which is the prime energy source for the Ancient Sheikah. Such are the existence of today’s Hateno and Akkala tech labs, located near blue flame furnaces. However! This brings into question exactly why the Royal Lab was constructed where it was…

There are only three places in all of Hyrule with natural blue flame deposits, or otherwise called “Ancient Furnaces.” That would be in Hateno, Akkala, and within Hyrule Castle itself. So why is the Royal Tech Lab so far from these Ancient Furnaces?

To answer this question, might I direct your attention towards explosions. That’s right folks, I’m talking bombs! (Please take this moment to imagine me creating an accompanying explosive sound effect with my mouth)

Some time ago, as I was analyzing the blue flame lamps in Deep Akkala, I ran into that hero of legend face to face! Nice guy, quiet and charming type. Smelled strangely like apples and burnt guts.

Long story short, I traded my entire supply of Hot-Footed Frogs and arrows for a chance to mess with his Sheikah Slate for a bit.

So during that brief period of research, I discovered that while Sheikah tech is usually well controlled—with bomb runes only going off on command by the push of a button—there is an exception! Bomb runes instantly react with blue flame, just one touch and they’ll instantly explode! Try it out yourself! Er, well. Ok, maybe not. Don’t do that, legally I’m not responsible. Plus, it’s not like any of you folk out there have access to bomb runes or a Sheikah Slate that you can play around and test it out for yourself like it’s some virtual game that you can switch around in your hands.

Bomb runes are giant bundles of compact Sheikah tech. When in contact with a pure blue flame, they go boom. The process with the Sheikah Slate must simplify this process with a remote button, but as I’ve discovered, the process can be hastened by chucking a torch around.

I call this phenomenon of blue flame reacting destructively with Sheikah technology a “blue combustion!” I’m creative, I know.

I imagine, any experimentation with weapons that harness, compress, or just generally mess with Sheikah tech and lasers, must be conducted in an environment that prevents blue combustion. You don’t want pure blue flame touching stuff. Otherwise you go kaboom.

Now I couldn’t get a hold of Dr. Robbie or Director Purah myself, something about how they “don’t know who the heck” I am, and “you’re trespassing please get off it’s private property,” or something of the sort, I’m not really sure. But even without their testimonies, you’ll notice that their large tech labs are constructed a distance away from the actual Ancient Furnace. They aren’t right beside it. If they were, you risk losing a limb to a blue combustion. That is also why blue flame lamps exist: to stagger the distance between the flames. And thus is why the Royal Lab isn’t nearby an Ancient Furnace.

Yet even so, the distance the Royal Lab has from an Ancient Furnace might still stump you, because even compared to the Akkala and Hateno labs, it is very very far. But here’s the kicker, my dear curious readers and poor editor, the reason for this extreme distance is because during its prime, the Royal Ancient Lab housed a large portion of the Guardian army and weaponry. It needed more distance because its contents accumulated a much larger space. I can prove this not only by descriptions shown in HW AOC, but also by notes/drawings shown in the archive called the Backgrounds of Technological Wonders, or BOTW for short.

Both these sources show that while Guardians were tested and stationed in Hyrule Castle, the number of Guardians at the castle was probably only in the one hundred mark or less. Now that may seem like a lot, but remember, hundreds of Guardians were dug up, as especially shown in the famous Sheikah tapestry of 10,000 years ago. Arguably even thousands, considering that tapestry is a simplification.

So if we can only account for only a portion of the Guardian population at Hyrule Castle, where are the rest? Scattered across different garrisons perhaps, sure. But they’d mainly be in the facility where each of the Guardians were constructed and given power, the place full of the most talented Sheikah researchers, a location that would still be in decent proximity, but still a safe distance from the castle should an emergency arise: the Royal Ancient Tech Lab. That’s where most of Guardians are.

Now, why is this important? Why did I just spend a few paragraphs talking about blue flames and Guardians and locations when this is about the lab’s destruction and demise?

It’s because this is my sure fire way to prove to you that the Calamity did not destroy the Royal Lab.

The Royal Ancient Lab was constructed specifically to create the best Guardians and technology to beat the Calamity with.

It would have been constructed specifically to avoid any fatal blue combustion accidents.

And it sure as hell wouldn’t have been purposefully destroyed by the Calamity, the one entity who would benefit from its existence.

The lab was decimated by a blue combustion, no question. There isn’t anything as powerful as it that could destroy a place so completely. And now knowing the factors surrounding the lab itself, we know that if it was destroyed by a combustion, it was not because of an accident.

It could only have been done purposefully, by the only people who would know the Royal Lab’s weaknesses.

It could only have been brought down by the Sheikah researchers.

So now, the questions of exactly how and why remain.

The captain just stands and ponders.

“Ma’am, I must confess that I don’t find the science of the destruction nearly as interesting as exactly what made you decide to do it.”

“It’s like I said,” Atsuko clutches her burned arm, “It wasn’t just me. Really, now, you’re too kind to give me so much credit.”

The spear end moves closer to her neck. “Alright alright alright, sorry, pal. Look I have no idea if you’re even believing all this right now, but you have to trust me that our actions were of the best intentions.”

The captain smirks. “Do tell?”

According to BOTW, the Ancient Arrow was developed by Dr. Robbie as one of the most powerful means of combating the Calamity itself. In fact, according to research I’ve found in that CAC book by Mint-en-do, I can place the exact time for the development of this weapon, which I can use to glean information about it’s properties.

Ancient Arrow

Perhaps forty or fifty years after the day of the Great Calamity Robbie, the lead Guardian researcher, created the first weapon that was effective against the mechanical monsters: the ancient arrow... Flames come out from the burner like bit [of the Ancient Arrow] and form a blade. [Page 388 and 178, Cr_ating a Champ___, Nint__do.]

The arrow instantly vaporizes whatever it comes into contact with, tearing apart the subject by the molecule, and sending them to non-existence. The description of the weapon implies that it is the pure energy of a blue flame, and built quite differently than other Sheikah weapons.

And the difference definitely shows. I’ve handled a few of these puppies myself, and let me tell you, they get the job done. While an Ancient sword or axe will certainly do some damage, a single Ancient Arrow can take out a Guardian, or even a Lynel in one hit. I heard that they could even do major damage to Dark Beast Ganon itself!

Now, why do I bring this up? Because this Ancient Arrow proves that the Sheikah 100 years ago knew about the dangers of blue combustion.

An Ancient Arrow is clearly the result of intensive research into blue combustion, it is literally a pure blue flame on a stick pumped up with some Ancient Tech. It vaporizes whatever matter it touches and it ceases to exist.

Hmm...would be a fine explanation as to why the nearly three stories worth of stone and ceiling in the Royal Lab no longer can be found.

And why wasn’t the Ancient Arrow developed sooner? It’s because no one thought to purposefully cause an event that would destroy everything until they were forced to on the actual day of the Calamity. It’s because it took even the most brilliant of scientists half a century to even contain a feat of destruction into a single arrowtip? Yes...when you lay out the facts like that, it seems to make sense on the timeline.

Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Back to the question of “why?” Let me rewind to an earlier point. Where are the thousands of Guardians in Hyrule?

Yes, a good hundred or so could be found in Hyrule Castle, and the majority were in the Royal Ancient Lab. But today, where are they? Records in BOTW cite only 157 Guardian remains in all of Hyrule. 157. How? That’s impossible. Witnesses and notes in HW AOC prove that much, much more existed. And what’s more is that we know that the majority of those Guardians were at the Royal Lab, but there are no Guardians, active or otherwise, to be found there. There is nothing.

It’s almost as if all those Guardians were vaporized, they ceased to exist one day.

And you know what.

They did.

(Please take this time to imagine me winking)

There’s some theme or metaphor here about the Royal Ancient Lab, constructed in the blues of the Royal family, ironically being destroyed by the blue combustion—but what do I look like, a writer? Find your own secret to life, here’s the blunt of it.

The Sheikah knew about the dangers a blue combustion could do, but on the day of the Calamity, they used that knowledge for the better. Seeing the corrupted Guardians in the distant castle, it is my belief that the researchers there purposefully brought the blue flames—that they had so carefully separated outside in the lanterns—in contact with Ancient Technology. Things not only went kaboom, but the actual matter ceased to exist. A giant Ancient Arrow.

Thousands of Guardians, hundreds of blades and weapons, and honestly, probably even lives, were gone in an instant. The only remains of the carnage would be the aftermath of blue flames that spread across the remains of the outer walls.

The Sheikah did this because it would save the most lives. That’s hundreds and thousands of Guardians and machines that wouldn’t fall into Ganon’s clutches, hundreds of souls saved. Did you know that today Hyrule Ridge, the home of the Royal Lab, has zero Guardians? Did you know that the lands near it, Hebra and Tabantha, have the lowest Guardian sightings in all of Hyrule? Even less than the Gerudo Desert. And I cite this all based on my hours of research and facts laid out by BOTW, HW AOC, and the divine work by Mr. Nin-ten-do

But even beyond that, how do I know, in absolute 600% certainty that the Sheikah were in complete control of this destruction? How am I so sure that the Sheikah that day had fully planned the intentional obliviation of their lab?

It’s because...I lied earlier.

There is actually one relic that survived. One little monument of the Royal Ancient Lab Ruins. One object giving physical proof of this theory.

One artifact that would have been impossible to preserve if the Sheikah hadn’t planned it all. I mentioned it briefly before, if you paid attention. Yes! This object is present in both the Royal Lab, and a tech lab of today. You could see it for yourself, if you pay a visit to my dad’s friend’s cousin’s neighbor’s grandma’s dog’s breeder’s Sheikah researcher pal...

“Dr. Robbie’s telescope.” Atsuko pointed to the scattered trees in upper Lindor, “Some other scientists took it up there to preserve it. It’s the only reason we were able to see the initial Guardian corrupting in the distant castle, and how we were able to adapt to the situation and act so quickly.”

The captain glanced at the western mountain. “So you were running up there to meet with them?”

“The wilderness is pretty safe at the moment. And we’re hoping eventually we could take the telescope to another lab where we could possibly continue research. I mean just today from the combustion, Dr. Robbie had this idea for some fancy Sheikah dagger to kill Guardians.”

Silence.

“OK listen, that’s...that’s all I’ve got. You can head up there and confirm the story, or just kill me now, take your pick. Waiting for judgement here.”

More silence. The rain falls harder.

“...I’m—”

“You can call me Cian.” The captain does a little bow. “Captain Cian Kippers, at your leisure.”

Atsuko raises an eyebrow. “Like the color—?”

“Sp-Spelled differently! There’s an “i” in there, and perhaps it’s ironic to the situation, but I figured if we’re gonna be traveling up there together you should have the courtesy of knowing my name.”

She just sputters for a moment. “So...you—”

“I trust your heart—I like to think I’m good with character—and I believe you’re a good person doing your best in the world. As unfortunate as circumstances may have been.” He twirls his spear before fitting it on his back. Cian extends a hand to her which she takes. “People like that are getting rarer by the hour, so I don’t think I should be adding to the death count.”

“So…” she gets on her feet, cocking her head, “You...you believe me then?”

He chuckles. “Well, I didn’t kill you did I?”

Atsuko laughs quietly. “Your mistake…”

“...No.” Cian places a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiles, as if to say that somehow everything was gonna be alright.

“My intention.”

#Memorabilia zine #botw zine #botw theory #botw fanfiction #botw #breath of the wild #legend of zelda botw #loz botw

[whatifxwereyou]

Firestorm Part 12: Chongqing

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 2021 Liu Kang x Reader

And now for an interlude where you go shopping with Chen and Lao. It goes just about exactly as you expect until Lao becomes serious Lao. You needed this.

A/N: longer chapter but had a blast writing it! enjoy, friendos.

Start From the Beginning << Previous Chapter Next Chapter >> Chapter Index

Chongqing was overwhelmingly loud and bustling. Your trio couldn’t have stood out more amongst the crowds of the busy shopping district. Kung Lao with his hat and tunic, Chen in her simple robes, you dressed like a vampire. Black had become your new favorite wardrobe color. The ink didn’t stain it quite as badly.

The perpetual lump in your throat was going to drive you completely mad. You’d never felt this kind of anxiety before. In fact, you had been used to being the butt of every joke in your hometown. Wherever you went people would stare. But you’d never actually put any of them in danger before. This was different.

It felt like you were wrapped tight in explosives and had to pretend you were normal while walking through a busy street. No one noticed you was explosive. Kung Lao seemed pleased to be out and about with you in the world. Chen stood next to him, scowling at Kung Lao for whatever reason. You had enough to deal with without trying to understand what Chen was mad about. Chen grabbed your wrist and checked your pulse. You sighed heavily and looked away. She’d done that twice since you’d left.

“It’s not going to get any slower.” You whispered and Chen looked to you disapprovingly, then wrote something down in her little book. “We really don’t have to do this.” This was about the seventieth time you’d said that this morning. Kung Lao had insisted you run your errand. “It’s a stupid little errand and it seems silly.”

“We’re already here, Y/N. Don’t stress so much.”

“Yeah, but we’re going to Andong soon and I can get what I need there. Really. There’s way too many people here.” The dangerous scenarios that repeated in your head were wild. Chen then stepped back and Kung Lao smiled brightly at you. He was confident as ever for a man who you’d maimed just the other day.

“It’s just a few hours, Y/N. Just the two of us.” He rested his hand gently on your shoulder. Chen cleared her throat behind you and Kung Lao’s smile fell. “And her I guess.”

“As rude as ever, Kung Lao.”

“That’s Master Kung Lao and if I didn’t have to bring someone who could handle Y/N’s health issues if they creep up then I wouldn’t have.”

“Well, you had to. Sorry to break up your romantic day out, Master Kung Lao.” Chen bowed but the sneer on her face was priceless.

“Romantic? No, no, no.” You thought this couldn’t be further from romantic. A trip to the biggest city in China to get birth control was more like a bad dream. At least right now. Maybe it was a little funny but only if everyone came out of it unscathed.

“Where to first?” Kung Lao looped his arm in yours and guided you down the road slowly. With a heavy sigh you gestured down the street.

“Anywhere. Even a drugstore would do.”

“What could you possibly need from a drugstore that we don’t have at the Temple?” Chen had volumes to say on the matter but was being on her best behavior.

“I’m sure Y/N has her reasons.” Kung Lao defended you and then leaned closer to whisper. “…but what do you need?”

“It is no one’s business.”

“Wow, defensive.” Kung Lao grinned. Chen pointed at him and nodded to agree.

“Lady stuff. Okay?” An easy answer to make Kung Lao stop asking you questions.

“Oh.” Both Chen and Kung Lao seemed disappointed that it wasn’t something more exciting.

“It was bound to come up eventually.” Chen narrowed her eyes suspiciously. You were grateful that Chen didn’t seem nearly as bold in front of Kung Lao.

“This is suddenly a much less exciting trip.”

“What did you think I needed to buy, Lao?”

“Clothes? Lady… things?” He looked you over from head to toe and your jaw dropped. You stopped your walk and pulled your arm away from his, resting your hands on your hips. Chen was trying very hard not to laugh, face turned away but beat red with effort.

“Are you implying that you thought I had invited you to come shopping for lingerie with me?” You gestured to yourself. Chen was now failing at her task of not laughing. She was open mouth wheezing, bent over with one hand on her knee.

“I feel like that’s something I would excel at.”

“I think that you would be the exact opposite of helpful.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous, Y/N.” Kung Lao grinned, delighted that he’d managed to turn your face red. Chen was practically crying tears of happiness.

“And just what would you do if I took you into a lingerie store, hmm? I’m calling your bluff.” You tapped your foot expectantly and Kung Lao stiffened up. If he wanted to tease you then you would tease him right back, Chen be damned. He stuttered, ran his tongue over his teeth, but then grinned and pointed a finger at you with no words to back it up. “That’s what I thought.”

“If that’s a challenge Y/N, then you’re on.”

“Are you sure? Tall man, already standing out like a sore thumb with that hat, towering above a store full of women shopping for lacy underthings? Really sure you want to do that?”

“I uh…”

“Because it will be awkward. Not the fun, sexy thing that you think it’s going to be.” You were winning and rather happy about it.

“I can’t breathe, you two have to stop.” Chen was coughing with laughter. You patted her on the back.

“At least someone thinks we’re funny.”

“Not for the reasons you’re thinking.” You muttered and then gave Chen another smack on the back and then cleared your throat. Chen wiped her eyes. “I do need clothes but it’s not urgent. And I’m not underwear shopping with you, Kung Lao. No offense.”

“We’re here so you should get what you need while we are. I’ll just be the creep standing outside the store.” Kung Lao slipped his arm around yours again and then led you further down the street, eyeing the shops. You had to dart between people as you walked and being in this big of a crowd made you visibly uncomfortable.

“We should get this over with quickly.” You didn’t mean to sound like you didn’t want to spend time with him. You were uncomfortable but only partially because you were out with Kung Lao and Chen.

“Come on, Y/N. Relax a little.”

“It’s dangerous to be around this many people.” There was no point in dancing around the truth. They didn’t seem to take you seriously. How many times had you wounded Kung Lao and Liu Kang? These were men that you cared about deeply. Unusually tough men with magic powers. Imagine what kind of damage you would do to Chen if you lost it. And the ten people who had just walked past you! You shivered at the thought. Chen patted your shoulder comfortingly then drifted behind you and Kung Lao as if to try and alleviate your worry.

“Try not to think about it.”

“Really? I… let’s just get it over with.” You laughed in disbelief. You wouldn’t ruin their mood just because you were nervous of what could be. Kung Lao led you into the massive store on the corner. It was a towering building. Just inside there was a sign along the wall listing each level and what was sold on them. This floor was convenience. The floors above were separated like a department store.

You pulled your arm free of Kung Lao’s and meandered through the aisles. There was a pharmacy at the far end. Yes, your target. You stopped in the middle of the aisle and frowned. You didn’t have a prescription. Damnit. What had you been thinking? None of this was working out the way you’d wanted it to. It was comically bad! You laughed at yourself and Kung Lao furrowed his brow next to you.

“What’s wrong? You okay?”

“Yeah. It just struck me how weird it is to be shopping with you like life is normal.”

“I do it all the time.”

“Does it ever stop being weird?” You had been lying and Kung Lao hadn’t noticed. Score one for you.

“People stared and pointed at you all the time when we were kids. I can’t imagine that changed much after I left. You can’t possibly feel weird about it now.”

“Well, there’s a man standing next to me with a big weapon-y hat and… we stand out in a different way. Plus I’m dangerous.” You nudged him. Kung Lao grinned.

“I’m happy to stand out next to you.”

“You’re so corny.” You pointed to the next aisle. “Lady things. My mission. You coming?” You dared him.

“Ugh, no. I’m going to go look at literally anything else. Ruining all my fun…” Kung Lao teased, patting your shoulder before walking in the opposite direction. Good. Chen was nowhere to be found. She’d probably been distracted by something or another. Good. She’d needed to get out too. With a sigh of relief, you made your way to the pharmacy counter instead of the next aisle. The woman behind it looked so tired that you thought maybe she was a prisoner there.

“Picking up?”

“Actually… and I know this is going to come across at stupid but… I’m from out of town and I’ve forgotten my birth control.” You lied. You sounded like you were lying. It was so terrible. You were the worst! You’d used all your lying skills up for the day. Thankfully, the pharmacist seemed so tired that she either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “I know that usually I can’t get it without a prescription but I was hoping there was something I could pay for outright over the counter, maybe?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. The only thing I have over the counter is for the morning after.” She was surprisingly sympathetic for someone who was most definitely not paid enough. “I can call your doctor’s office and see if they’ll fax over a prescription if you like.” That was helpful except that you were supposed to be dead so that didn’t work out.

“No, no. I don’t have a primary care doctor here and…”

“Oh, I can call just about anywhere.”

“That’s nice, um… no, it’s okay. Thank you though. I’ll take some of the morning after stuff if you have it.” You sighed heavily. It was better than nothing. You tried to figure out a way to sneak into a doctor that day but it didn’t seem possible without completely abandoning Chen and Kung Lao. Maybe you would be able to do it later with Liu. Ugh, you didn’t want to wait that long. Your face flushed just thinking about it. You couldn’t wait to share this story with Liu later. It was hilarious. You paid for the medication which you asked to be double bagged. When you turned around, you found Chen standing behind you, hands on her hips, a smile on her face.

“I knew it.”

“You knew what?” You tried to play it cool but your face had immediately turned red and betrayed you. Chen tapped the bag and the burning in your cheeks intensified. “What? My hormones are being whacky.”

“Bull. You’re a terrible liar. I knew something was up. You are trying to be prepared before sleeping with one of those boys. Or both if you’re smart. Trying not to get pregnant, right?” Chen pointed an accusatory finger at you but her eyes were sparkling with joy. The woman behind the counter was now watching you with delight.

“Shush! Quiet!” You grabbed Chen’s arm and pulled her further from the pharmacy counter. “Please.”

“If you don’t tell me I’ll get louder. Kung Lao isn’t that far away, you know.”

“Fucking fine, you are mean, Kung Lao was right.”

“I love when you curse.”

“You are the worst…”

“Yeah, I know, the worst monk.” Chen brushed off the insult. “Tell me! It’s been ages since I’ve had anything juicy.”

“Fine. Yeah, I wanted to try and get some birth control. But I’m a moron for… numerous reasons. I forgot that I needed a prescription. So this whole embarrassing and stressful trip was next to pointless.”

“You should have told me, Y/N. I work in the infirmary. You’re not the only girl in the temple who needs birth control. Some of the hormones in there are crazy. I’ll get you some when we get back.”

“…well, now I feel bad. That was nice.”

“If you didn’t buy birth control then what did you buy?” Chen narrowed her eyes suspiciously then in a flash snatched the bag from your hands before it could be pulled to safety. She stepped back toward the pharmacy counter out of your reach and then looked into the bag. “Y/N! You dirty girl!” She grinned. You yanked the bag back from her. “You slept with one of them and didn’t tell me?” Your face was so red you thought you might explode. There were no words, just embarrassment. You weren’t the one who was a gossip, this should not have been surprising. “By the way? You should buy some tampons to cover your tracks. I keep those in the temple too, by the way. You really should have just saved yourself the trouble and just talked to me.” You felt more and more like a moron. You deserved this. Your shaming had been earned. “Did you have unprotected sex with one of them? Here I was thinking that you were never gonna spread your legs and…”

“Wow, wow… okay shush… this is a rollercoaster and I need off.”

“You didn’t have to make this trip. All you had to do was talk to me.”

“Yeah, so you can have your weird vicarious fantasy.”

“Obviously.”

“And you’d help with the Plan B, huh?”

“Maybe. Did you sleep with Kung Lao? Bareback? Really? You want to breed with that?” Chen seemed to be considering if this were a viable option and you wanted to bash your head repeatedly into the wall until you were unconscious to escape this embarrassment. “I mean, I guess that wouldn’t be the worst thing but you…”

“No! No I did not.” You were practically squealing.

“Oh.” Chen grinned from ear to ear and your face dropped. “So it was Liu Kang then.” Your face was so hot you were practically suffocating. It was not nearly as fun as the kind of suffocation being with Liu Kang had provided. The woman behind the counter was listening to you with rapt attention but pretended to go back to work when she realized she was caught.

“You have got to be quieter.” You walked away from Chen, down the aisle, grabbed a box of tampons then paid for it at the pharmacy counter. Then you shoved it deep in your bag. Chen was grinning so wide that you thought she looked deranged. Before you could say anything further on the matter Kung Lao joined you from the other end of the aisle.

“Oh, good. You look done. I was bored.” He looked you over and narrowed his eyes. “Your face is red.”

“Uh… hot in here, right?” You fanned yourself and Chen snorted with laughter. This had to have been Chen’s dream come true, short of walking in on you with one of them.

“…that woman is staring at me.” Kung Lao whispered, stepping closer to you, and nodding toward the pharmacist.

“It’s the hat, I’m sure. Didn’t notice.” Every word was a struggle to say without bursting into laughter. You then grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the pharmacy counter. He slowed you down, pulled his hand free, and then slipped his arm around your waist lazily.

“I was thinking that we could grab something to eat if you’re up for it. I’m hungry.” Thankfully Kung Lao hadn’t needed any answers. Chen joined you, walking on the other side of you. “There’s a pretty good sushi place around here if I remember correctly.”

“Do you think it’s responsible for me to sit in a restaurant?” You were in disbelief but at least your face was finally cooling down.

“You’re still allowed to live, Y/N.” Kung Lao’s grin finally fell.

“Yeah, live a little.” Chen added. You could practically see the devil horns sprouting on her head.

“You guys don’t… get it.” You pulled away from Kung Lao and stopped your walk, turning to face them.

“I really don’t.” Kung Lao pouted and then mouthed that he was hungry. For sushi.

“Look at yourself, Kung Lao.” You gestured to him. “You’re bruised to hell.”

“Bloodied too.” Kung Lao seemed proud of it.

“Wouldn’t know. He never comes to the infirmary unless he’s dragged there. Even then, he’s the worst.”

“I’m only the worst because you’re so mean.”

“Is that reason? Because if that were the reason then it would only be me dreading you visiting the infirmary.”

“I’m… going upstairs to buy some clothes. You can keep bickering and I’ll think about food.” You turned away and walked to the stairwell around the corner. You breathed a sigh of relief to be away from people and then fanned your still red face. Only seconds later, Chen and Kung Lao joined you. They were still bickering. The permanent look of disgust on Kung Lao’s face as they argued about his health was hilarious.

Let them argue. You walked up to the next floor and found it was women’s clothing. You searched the rack for some staples. Now that you thought about it, you really did want to buy some lingerie but you couldn’t dream of doing that with those two breathing down your neck. Instead, you focused on staples. You found a few things to sleep in, more pants, cute black shirts. Black was your new aesthetic, apparently. You couldn’t help but think that you were beginning to dress like the witch that everyone in your hometown had accused you of being. It was a little comical.

Kung Lao stood next to you and Chen disappeared in the stacks. You were trying not to laugh at how annoyed he looked. He shoved his hands into his pockets and then peered over your shoulder, purposely trying to catch your gaze and distract you.

“Yes?” You turned toward him.

“None of this is lingerie. Boring.”

“Wow, so funny.” You rolled your eyes but smiled. You gave him a hard time but it really was fun to be out and about with him. He made you laugh. This experience was stressful for too many reasons but he managed to make it a little less nerve racking.

“I’m sorry for being a dick about this.” Kung Lao rocked on the balls of his feet, avoiding your eyes. “I know that you’re afraid of hurting people. I’m just… used to deflecting everything with humor. Tried to ease the tension and made it worse. And your friend being here isn’t making it easier. I swear she has it out for me.”

“She does seem to.” You smiled sympathetically. Now that you thought about it, Chen had tried to tell you something a few days ago. It felt like a lifetime since then. Maybe her attitude had something to do with that.

“I was kind of hoping that we could find some alone time. I could sneak you into a movie.” That sweet smile was back and you had to avert your eyes. It was a cute idea but it also made your stomach drop.

“That’s probably not safe unless we’re the only ones in the theater.” The weight of your truth made your knees buckle. “Maybe after we figure this out.”

“I figured that’s what you’d say.” It was Kung Lao’s turn to look disappointed. “Maybe Liu is right to worry about you.” He slipped his arm around you again. “It’s going to be okay, Y/N.” Was it though? They really didn’t get it.

“I could explode with ink right now and you would be impaled.” You placed the clothing you’d picked up back on the shelf. Shopping didn’t seem so important anymore. Kung Lao cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “Those women walking behind us? Dead. The damage I’d do to the store and the employees would be irreparable. You’d be incapacitated if not dead. Who knows who else I’d hurt? I’d never forgive myself, Kung Lao. I don’t think anyone has really thought through the danger that I truly pose. Raiden seems to be the only one who gets it.” You didn’t like having this conversation with anyone, especially Kung Lao.

“Y/N… I…”

“Chen’s so busy teasing me about you and Liu that she forgets how dangerous this is. You… it’s sweet. You’re so confident that we’re going to figure this out and that we can handle whatever happens but one wrong move? And you’re dead.” You knew it was harsh to talk like that but you thought about it constantly. “You were confident about it in the arena too and look what happened, I…” You were upset and you didn’t want to be upset.

“Hey, hey…” Kung Lao placed his hand on your cheek to stop you from going on. Brow furrowed he pushed your hair away from your face. “Take a breath.” You did. It helped a little. He urged his hands to your shoulders and then down your arms. “I know all of that. I really do. I don’t mean to be dismissive… but I can’t help but think you have to take the risks. You can’t just hide away forever.”

“Am I hidden, Kung Lao? We are in… arguably the biggest city in the world. I’m here. Just… cut me some slack for being nervous. This is a new anxiety for me and I am learning to deal with it.”

“I don’t want you to stop living because of this. I want to make sure you still have fun.”

“I’m not worried about that! I’m not worried about having fun…” What did that have to do with anything?

“I know. And that worries me.” Kung Lao seemed exasperated. “This is so much stress and it’s going to eat you alive. Come on. Come with me.” He took your hand and started through the aisles.

“I’m shopping, Kung Lao.”

“It can wait.” He led you through the store and to the elevators. Pulling you inside, he pressed the button for the top floor. Your heart was suddenly racing. Kung Lao had been flirting on and off all day but this was different. You and Liu hadn’t drawn any lines in the sand about what you were but you knew she wanted to be with him. Don’t overthink it. That was all you had to do.

The elevator dinged and you walked onto the top floor that was filled with various appliances. Lao led you into the stairwell and you climbed the last staircase that led onto the roof. He pushed open the door and then walked with you to the edge of the building. A railing had been installed to keep people safe and there was a garden in dire need of watering. From there you could see much of the city. The air wasn’t exactly clear that day but it was still breathtaking. You hadn’t seen that much life in a long time. You leaned against the railing and watched the world below as it passed by. The wind howled that high up and whipped hair around.

“Everyone’s afraid of something. Every single one of those people down there.” Kung Lao had his arms folded on the railing, chin resting against them next to you.

“That’s true. But not everyone could kill the people they care about with the things that frighten them.”

“Maybe some can. Who are we to say?” He joked but then leaned up from where he’d rested his chin. “Y/N?”

“What, Lao?”

“I’ve been thinking and…” He hesitated but leaned one arm on the railing as he turned to face you.

“What is it?” You turned but felt your heart instantly leap into your throat. He took a step closer and towered over you. Panic. Sudden panic. Your first instinct was to stop him and tell him about Liu but nothing came out. The idea of hurting him was crippling. Part of you loved Kung Lao. You’d always loved him. You’d had a love affair without having ever been together. But this was different. He pushed your hair away from your face again, hand brushing gently down your cheek and then beneath your chin.

“You’re really special. You know that, right?”

That hadn’t been what you’d expected. What did he mean? And why?

“I’m sure that you feel as cursed as I tease you about being but… you’re special. Not everyone could handle the weight of what you’re dealing with. And not everyone would be responsible with it. Most people wouldn’t be, I think.” Kung Lao smiled. “Think of the kind of villain you could be. If you were to side with Outworld with this… insane power you have? The destruction that you’d be capable of… look, I’m not trying to convince you to do crimes, I’m just trying to say that you’re special. And you should know that.”

“Lao, I…” You furrowed your brow because through this whole thing you hadn’t thought of yourself as capable or special. But there Kung Lao was, rearranging everything in your head. How had he seen it but you hadn’t? Maybe you’d been given this gift and this curse for a reason. Maybe it was because you could handle it when others wouldn’t have been able to. His thumb brushed against your chin and then traced up your jaw. Okay, now he was going to try and kiss you. The mood was right but you kept thinking about Liu Kang and how deeply you’d fallen for him.

Then the door opened behind you.

Chen.

“Did you two really abandon me to have a romantic moment on the roof? Leaving me wandering the store in search of you for an hour?” She huffed and puffed but had several bags on her arm. She had enjoyed shopping at least. “I said to myself, I bet they’re on the roof. Having a romantic moment. Just had to sneak away. And here you are. Having a romantic moment. As predicted. Unbelievable.”

You took a step back and wiped your face, embarrassed. Kung Lao pulled off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, and then replaced it again.

“Sorry. I got in my head. Needed to breathe.” Your face was red again.

“Sure, breathing is what that was.”

“I’m not sorry. Wish you’d been lost looking for us for a few more minutes.” Kung Lao sounded arrogant even as he slipped his arm around your shoulder and led you back toward the stairwell.

“Not at all surprising!” Chen called after you before joining you.

“Stop arguing. You’re making my head hurt.”

“But Y/N…”

“If you stop arguing, I will agree to get sushi.”

Chen and Kung Lao exchanged a glance and came to a silent agreement with a nod.

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 2021 #kung lao #liu kang #liu kang x reader #fanfic #drabble #fluff #mk movie #arcana #female reader #reader insert #liu kang x you #drama #romance #fanfiction #ludi lin #max huang #liu kang/you #the oncoming storm #angst #firestorm #slow burn #mk kung lao #mk liu kang #mortal kombat fanfic #mk fanfic #mortal kombat fanfiction

[jinkicake]

Street Rat Shigaraki

You bump into your old childhood friend who you last saw when you were five. Much to your confusion, he looks as if he hasn’t aged a day.

Or

Shigaraki gets hit by a quirk that reverts him back into a young boy.

Shigaraki x Childhood friend!Reader

THIS HAS SEMI-SPOILERS. Just a little bit of Shigaraki’s childhood/background but it’s not that much other than his real name, I think.

I wrote this after reading chapter 235 (I think?), my heart was destroyed, my poor baby. Sigh. So many people sleep on Shigaraki, once my baby boy discovers lotion and chapstick... whew it’ll be over for you all!

WC- 1,757

~~~

The bag of groceries rests under your arm as you continue to walk through the less than busy street. It’s early enough in the afternoon that there are only a few people on the street, one of them being a small child. He seems alone and you walk up to him, crouching down to get eye level with him.

“Are you okay honey? Where are your parents?” You ask but your eyes widen as he looks up at you. This kid is the splitting image of your lost childhood friend, it almost feels like a joke. “Tenko?” At this, his red eyes glance into your own before tilting his head to look at your features.

“(Y/N)?” He smiles and stands up before running into your legs. Your mind is being torn apart as you stare down at the young Tenko, wondering how the hell he hadn’t aged a day.

“What are you doing out here?” You ask him softly before picking him up in your arms, he only shrugs in response. “Here, let’s go to my apartment and I can try to figure something out.” You hold him tightly flushed against your hip, trying to ignore how his tiny hands bunch up in your sweater. In your mind you try to come up with an answer, try to figure out why the hell your old childhood friend was delivered straight to your feet.

-

“We have to find him!” Twice cries dramatically before turning another way. “No the fuck we don’t!” He yells at himself and the villains in the bar don’t even glance at him.

“Hasn’t that freak show been on the streets since he was a kid? I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Dabi mutters, staring at his drink, clearly having no interest in the subject at hand.

“Shigaraki wasn’t even hit that badly, it should only last a day or two!” Toga informs a very-worried Kurogiri.

“We need to split up and try to find him.” A collective amount of groans are heard around the room.

-

“So what were you doing on the street?” You ask the small boy sitting in your lap, the two of you on the train towards your apartment.

“I don’t know,” He frowns and his chubby cheeks puff up as he tries to think. “looking for you?”  A wide smile takes up his face as he looks up at you and you pinch his cheeks.

“Tenko how do you even remember me?!” You coo, smiling softly down at the small boy. “It’s been so long.” A sad smile appears on your face as he shrugs once more and leans against your chest. “Are you finally a hero? Remember how you liked All Might.” You tease and ruffle his dark hair, his small fist grasps your shirt in return.

“I still want to be!” He pushes and you watch him with a fond smile, as you run your eyes over him again you notice the dry skin on his neck. Gently your fingers brush against it and he winces in response.

“I have some lotion at my house okay, don’t worry I’ll take care of you again!” You promise and pick him up before getting off the train. “Just like I did when we were younger~”

As you walk through the station you lift him up higher in your arms so he rests against your chest, one arm wrapped around his back and the other under his bottom.

“We are almost at my house honey!” You rub your nose against his and laugh at the squeals of delight squirming past his lips.

“What are the odds that's him?” Toga watches as you carry the small child as she rests against the wall of the empty station, a knife twirling in her hands.

“I know those beady red eyes anywhere.” Dabi mummers before walking over to you. “Hey, doll.” He smoothly calls out, using the same voice he uses to corner easy prey. You stiffen and slowly turn around, clutching the child in your hands as the unfamiliar man walks up to you. “Cute kid.” Dabi comments, trying to test the waters, before Toga blows it all to shit.

“That's ours, give him back.” She reaches her hands out and tries to grab at Tenko, causing you to freeze her in place.

“Please leave us alone.” You try softly and take a step back from the two villains. Your hand softly holds the back of Tenko’s head as you try to hide him away from them. “You’re trying to tell me this child is yours?” You turn to the man in disbelief, irritation heavy in your voice.

“That is exactly what we are telling you, he’s our friend, hit by a de-aging quirk.” Dabi nearly gags on the word ‘friend’ as he tries to explain it to you. You simply shake your head.

“Tenko wouldn’t be associated with bad people like you, no offense.” You huff under your breath and take another step back.

“Tenko?” The dark-haired man peers at the child before rolling his eyes. “Just let me see him, I’ll prove it to you.”

“Tenko,” You move the squirming child in your arms to face the man in front of you, still protectively holding him against you. “do you know this man?” The small child looks at Dabi before shaking his head furiously, squirming to try to hide in your arms again.

“Must have affected his mind too.” The man comments and you narrow your eyes at him.

“I don’t believe you, please leave us alone.” Your eyes harden and he freezes in front of you. Quickly you up your pace and walk towards your apartment, knowing that the villains will be able to move within five minutes, less than that, depending on their strength. As soon as you make it to your apartment building you let out a sigh and slow down your pace before getting to your door. When you walk in you place your bags on the counter and walk over to the cabinet.

“Do you want anything?” You look down at the small boy and he points at the packet of crackers. “Mmm okay but not too many because I don’t want to spoil your appetite.” You place him on the counter and hand him the bag, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. Grimacing at how greasy his hair is.

“When is the last time you took a shower?” You mutter and start putting away all the groceries. When you finally finish you gently scoop the boy in your arms and bring him to your bathroom. “You’re taking a bath.”

There isn’t even room for discussion as you start to fill the tub and search under your sink for the gentle-skin products you own. Once the tub is filled and the water is a nice medium temperature you place him in, using the bucket you have to wet his hair. As you wash through his hair you frown at how dirty he looks. “What happened to you Tenko?” You murmur and his eyes slowly close at the feelings of your hands in his hair. After his bath, you dress him in the washed clothes your nephew had left behind. “Okay come on.”

“No.” Tenko frowns stubbornly, shaking his head as you show him the lotion.

“Come on, it’ll make you feel better.” You try to persuade him and he sticks his nose out. “We can eat dinner after we do this.” You offer and he finally lets you, before you put the lotion on his skin you warm it up by rubbing it between your fingers. “Okay.” Gently your hands rub circles onto his neck, lathering the medicinal lotion on the dry sky. “Such a good boy.” You praise and he smiles at the affection. This feels a dream, your heart swelling at your old friend.

Later that evening it’s dark and you’re dozing off in your bed, the small boy pressed to your chest with your arms tightly wrapped around him. You feel scared that you’ll lose him again, scared to lose someone who promised to always protect you. Softly a faint ‘pop’ echos throughout the room and you feel a much larger body pressed against your own. Still, your eyes flutter shut as you rest your face into a head of fluffy hair.

When you wake up a few hours later and blink the sleep out of your eyes, your mind fully registers the stranger sleeping in your bed. With a horrific gasp, you jump back off the bed, out of his arms, and land flat on your back on the floor.

“Who the hell are you?!” You screech from the floor, staring at the grown man now resting in your bed. The grown man who, not seconds ago, had his face pressed against your chest. His messy light blue hair flicks out of his face while he rubs his eyes, blinking slowly as he looks around the room.

“I haven’t slept that well in a long time.” He groans, falling back against your pillows and your eyes widen at the familiar red eyes.

“Tenko?” You crawl back onto the bed, resting on your knees as you peer down at him. “W-what happened?”

“Got hit by a villains quirk and turned into a kid.” He grumbles against the pillow, his body instantly relaxing as he teeters on the edge of sleep. “Also my names not Tenko, it’s Tomura.”

“Did you change your name?” You lay back down next to him, staring at his sleep-deprived face. Already you want to grab more lotion and some chapstick for the poor boy.

“You could say that.” You let out a hum and continue to run your eyes over him, he looks familiar you just can’t put your finger on it. Maybe you’ve seen him before?

“It’s been like twenty years, huh?” You comment and he doesn’t respond. “I’m glad I bumped into you and got to see you again, sweet Tenko.” Gently you rest your own face against your pillow, finding yourself fast asleep too quickly, not feeling Shigaraki’s pinky wrap around your own.

When your childhood friend disappears the next day, you realize why he looked so familiar. You can only watch in horror as the news publicly displays newfound information on the group known as the League of Villains. The light blue hair on-screen makes your chest ache and betrayal flood your veins to the point that your eyes begin to water.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me."

#shigaraki tomura x reader #shigaraki x reader #mha fanfiction #shimura tenko x reader #mha x reader #shigaraki tomura

[raevenlywrites]

The Ties That Bind 17 of ???

I collapsed languidly into the bath, more thankful than I could say that Elanor had started preparing it when I landed at the Keep. A bath, a change of clothes, and moment to feel like myself was the best welcome home I could have possibly asked for. The only way it might have at all been improved on was if I’d had time to wash my hair. A solid week since we’d left for the Mistari. Maybe more. The days were all starting to blur together, and their accumulated grime clung to me. If only the weight of everything else that had happened in those days could be so easily lifted.

Elanor sat behind me, working scented powders through my hair. The familiarity of the ritual soothed me even more than the heat of the blessedly still warm tub. How many hours had we passed like this, talking and gossiping, her fingers working on my hair or with a needle, her words working on the threads of my thoughts.

“You are a wonder, Elanor. There are no words.”

She laughed and scratched at my scalp, earning her a soft murmur of appreciation.

“I’m still your lady in waiting. And that’s all I’ve doing these past few days. Waiting.”

She said the last with a not so subtle hint in her tone. I joined in her laugh, feeling better about things than I had in days. Talks with Elanor had a way to making everything seem less dire.

“I’m sorry you’ve been kept out of the loop, dear friend. You’re right; there is much to talk about.”

I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath through my nose, trying to gather my thoughts. The soft scents of the water made me sleepy; we’d tried many herbs and flowers of the years in attempts to soothe away my bad dreams. I wondered now if our attempts had only ever succeeded in keeping me asleep, locking me in my nightmares rather than banishing them. I still hadn’t quite come to terms with my apparent sleeping through Zane Cobriana flying madly up to my room those few nights ago.

Nor with my best friend doing said flying.

“I still cant’ believe you snuck Zane up into my room,” I muttered, sinking lower into the bath. “Isn’t that treason or something?”

Elanor’s fingers stilled. I rolled my face up to look at her, shocked to see the dismay on her face.

“Elanor! Elanor, I’m kidding!” I reached to take one of her hands in mine, sloshing water. “Please, it was a joke. I’m not angry. Without you...”

There was no way to know what events might or might not have been set in motion. Perhaps Zane would have been mad enough to scale the Keep walls by hand--or more sensibly, surrender himself like his sister Irene had. I had no doubt Zane would have found a way, so determined he was to end this war. Determined enough to marry himself off to a hawk. My toes curled at the thought. I pushed them aside and focused on my distressed friend.

“We’re all going to have to do drastic things to end this war. Mad things. I’m not angry with you. Just... surprised.”

The look Elanor gave me was so full of grief it took my breath away. It looked so alien on the familiar avian face. It looked too much like Zane, and Adelina, as they’d grieved over the loss of Gregory.

“Dani, you have no idea how scared I was. Zane... he’s very charismatic, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

I nodded, my expression caught between a laugh and a wince. Charismatic seemed an understatement.

“It just all seemed so reasonable, with my aunts’ story of his convalescing in their home, and his words about how you’d tried to work things out at the Mistari, and if he could just see you--“

She cut off, shaking her head. “It feels so stupid now, after the fact. You’re right; it was treasonous. It scares me to know that I could do such a thing. To anyone, let alone to you, Dani. I... I just can’t believe.”

I squeezed her hand, wishing I hadn’t started this conversation while I was in the bath. I wanted to put an arm around her, reassure her that she was still one of my dearest friends. Instead I lay there wet and naked and awkward, wondering how to offer comfort. In times of hurt or grief, I would sing. But to the best of my knowledge, there was no lullaby or ballad for revolutionaries.

“Zane spoke to me of Fate,” I said slowly, trying to see the words before they came out of my mouth. I was going on instinct, and as I’d learned recently, that could sometimes just make things worse.

“He told me Fate brought him to your aunts’ house, and I believe he’s right. Maybe what possessed you wasn’t serpent wiles, but the gears of something larger than any of us.”

I gave up on decorum and decided I wanted out of this tub. “Help me dry off, and let me fill you in on all you’ve missed.” Brightening, I remembered a particular bit of gossip that would certainly lift her mood. “And you can give me some advice on how to proceed with Rei--now that we’ve kissed.”

He girlish squeal was exactly the effect I’d hoped for, and my bubbly, dreamy, daring Elanor was back. I told her of Rei backing me before my mother and all but naming himself my alastair, of the rush and confusion of our first kiss, how badly I wished I hadn’t made such a decision now, with the serpiente en route for peace talks.

“I’m sure that’s what urged his hand,” Elanor said as she did up the laces at my back. Nearly all of my formal gowns had laces for the demi-wings of my third form. “What with Zane galloping in on a big black horse and asking for your hand.”

“He didn’t ask for my hand,” I shot back, already tired of quelling that rumor before it had even properly circulated. “The Mistari suggested it as an option. Zane and I haven’t had a chance to discuss anything else.”

Elanor snorted but I didn’t let her voice whatever goading point she was about to make.

“Did you know he gave that horse to your aunts? His and Adelina’s. ‘For all the trouble’, apparently.”

Elanor gasped. “That’s-- those horses must be worth a fortune! Gods, and probably cost a fortune to upkeep. Do you think he’ll be offended if they sell them?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea?” Slyly, I added, “Why don’t you ask him when he gets here?”

We lost ourselves in giddy laughter, needing the release. It was so good to laugh with Elanor while she dressed me for the assembly. Almost good enough to distract me from my nerves.

Of course, my mother coming in to strategize about said assembly pretty undid it all that in a matter of seconds. - Sitting in my ante room, ignoring the tea that Elanor poured before quietly retreating, my mother and I were getting no where.

“You can’t be mad about this, mother. You’re the one who pulled us from the neutral lands we’d already agreed to meet on. What other options were exactly left for us? You made it clear you wouldn’t tolerate us camping in the woods.”

“Danica-- you know why-- that isn’t the point. The point is what exactly do you plan to do with him now. Here. In the heart of your kingdom?”

I resisted the urge to rub at my temples. Instead, I allowed myself a different breech of decorum: honestly speaking my mind.

“I wish all this had happened after I’d taken the throne.”

My mother sighed and nodded. “Agreed. Things would be so much simpler if Rei was already your alastair. Then maybe the Disa might have suggested something useful--or at least something less offensive.” It was my turn to sigh.

“Mother, Zane is a perfectly fine gentlemen--“

“He’s a serpent--“

“Who has not once raised a hand against me. Do you understand that, mother? The sheer number of times he could have ended my life by now--“

“That is hardly reassuring, Shardae.”

I grit my teeth. What I wanted to do was scream. What I did was take another careful breath.

“I need you to back me on this, mother. We need to present a united front, one that is in control and unafraid. If we’re seen to flinch around the serpiente, this will never work. The citizenry will panic and the Keep will be bathed in blood in a matter of moments.”

It was one of our most sacred tennets that blood never be spilled within the Keep. Even meat was prepared off the grounds and brought in, to keep the heart of our kingdom free of death. It was at the foundation of our wards, and utterly unthinkable that anyone would dare break the taboo within its walls.

Just as unthinkable as a cobra marrying a hawk.

My mother straightened, and I could almost see her pulling her reserve back into place around herself.

“Of course. We will do whatever it takes to keep our halls secure.”

Hardly a reassuring phrasing, but it would have to do.

“So. What are your plans for introducing this visiting dignitary to your court?”

The Ties That Bind Tag list: @thehellinsideyourhead @therecouldbecolorsandlove @adventuresofacreesty @writing-with-melon @rainydaydarling @faithfire

Raev’s Gen Tag List (should I tag you guys in this? It IS a thing I wrote. I’m gonna say yes unless you guys are like “no of course not we’re sick of hearing about your stupid fic for a twenty year old book XD)

No one has complained yet so yall gonna keep getting tagged :P

List is currently: @lordkingsmith @writinglyra @drbibliophile @mperialscribe @adie-dee @lexiklecksi @theramwrites @writinginslowmotion @raenawrites @apollon-arium @anika-writes @faithfire @thehellinsideyourhead @adventuresofacreesty

#raev does fic #hawksong fic #the ties that bind fic #the kiesha'ra #kiesha'ra fic #my writing #danica shardae #zane cobriana #anderios #hawksong

[hermannsthumb]

Gonna request some camb0y newt who has Hermann as a regular follower who may or may not be requesting used clothing from Newt...😳

this one is less h0rny and more dumb and I died every time I typed newt’s screen name but (ALSO THE FACT THAT TUMBLR KEPT BLOCKING THIS MESSAGE....unbelievable) 18+/not sfw below cut

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

The whole thing only started because of the kaijus.

It seems foolish to place the blame on them, considering the severity of the damage they’ve caused in every other aspect of life, but it’s the truth. Hermann was never brilliant at romance even in the best of times; he never knew quite the right words to say, or quite the right way to kiss, and certainly not how to keep men interested enough to come back for more than a date or two. Then the end of the world came, and the jaeger program ate up what little free time Hermann had, and dating simply fell to the very lowest tier of his priorities. He had work to do. He had lives to save.

Unfortunately, his libido continued to run rampant.

Masturbation could only get one so far, though Hermann was undeterred and tried almost anything: dildos, vibrators, expensive lubricant, a paid subscription to a high-quality pornography website. He cancelled this after a week, when he realized none of its featured men--though undeniably good-looking--fit his particular area of interest. Besides, it was far too impersonal. Hermann did not like spending half of his time watching a video or scrolling through a photo gallery wondering what that man was doing now, or whether or not he’d enjoyed himself, or what he was like in person... In a fit of desperation, Hermann picked up a subscription to another website that promised live men 24/7. And, well. To make a long story short, Hermann is pretty sure he’s in love.

The object of his affections is twenty-something and stocky, a good few inches shorter than Hermann (he’d wager, anyway), with a chestful of tattoos and a voice that’s almost high enough to be grating. Hermann has seen his face only fleetingly, but it’s enough for him to know it’s a highly agreeable one. He’s got a nice sense of humor, seems intelligent enough, and the glimpses Hermann’s caught of the bedroom he streams from (at the perfect time of day, late enough that Hermann’s inhibitions are entirely nonexistent) indicate a healthy love of science fiction. 

Hermann is mostly in love with him because of how good of a show he puts on, though. Where Hermann fails in his use of dildos or vibrators and other nonsense, the man succeeds, and indeed excels, and he’s endlessly creative with dressing in lace and other funny little costumes. It makes for some very inspired jerking off on Hermann’s end. More importantly, it makes for a calming of his libido.

Hermann doesn’t know his real name, only his chosen screen name, though it doesn’t really matter: kaijulover69 is most certainly the man of his dreams.

Well. Nobody’s perfect.

“Tonight’s stream is dedicated to a very special fan for all his support,” kaijulover69 begins. He’s wrapped in a bathrobe, though Hermann has a feeling he knows what’s beneath it, and he flushes pleasantly with warmth at what’s soon to come. “And for what I’m wearing right now. You know who you are. Thanks again, dude!”

His lips are just visible on camera, and he grins coquettishly before slipping the sleeve off his right shoulder. Then the left. “That very same fan requested a strip tease tonight,” he continues, “and--well, I’ll let the rest be a surprise, huh?”

The belt is undone. The robe slips down to the bed, revealing the object of Hermann’s affections clad in nothing but a rather small pair of lacy black undergarments. (And a bloody expensive pair, at that--cost a third of Hermann’s weekly salary. It’s worth it.) You look very attractive, Hermann types encouragingly into the chat box, and hope it’s visible between the pleads for kaijulover69 to flash his face or pull his genitalia out already. 

He doesn’t appear to see any of them. “My week was pretty lame,” he continues. He begins to idly run his hands up and down his bare chest; Hermann mirrors the action on his own, enjoying the shiver he manages to elicit from himself even through two layers of shirt and sweater. “Work stuff has been kicking my ass. And--” His fingers falter. “Well, there’s this guy I really like, and we’ve kinda been...seeing each other, but I just found out he’s actually seeing someone else. So I guess it’s like, I realized I’ve been making all this shit up in my head?”

Who would ever turn down such a marvelous specimen of human? Hermann’s temper flares with a mingling of both righteous offense on the man’s behalf and a little bit of jealousy that he’s not the one who’s so captured his heart. He would like to knock some sense into them, whoever they are.

“But you don’t care about that,” he says, and forces a laugh. “You want to see me mess these up, don’t you?”

His hand drifts down to his panties, and he gives himself a squeeze through them.

“Please,” Hermann says happily, though he knows there’s no one to hear.

------

There’s an email from Newton waiting for him in his inbox the next morning. No subject.

Hey, dude-

Sorry I left you hanging yesterday. I was just a little shocked. Not shocked that you have a partner or whatever, of course you do, that’s totally normal, just that you never told me about them until now. I read over your latest article, and I just wanted to say what an utter load of--

“Hmph,” Hermann says, and quickly scrolls up and away from Newton’s annoying little rant.

Even as he does so, he feels a pang of guilt he doesn’t quite understand. Newton is shocked he has a partner: so what? And, er, so what if that partner isn’t quite as real as Hermann is pretending? The question came at him fast, and unexpected, and so very quickly into the switch from letter correspondence to email; kaijulover69 on his mind, Hermann panicked and wrote yes, I do have someone in my life. It’s not entirely a lie. Though Hermann holds no illusions about the nature of their dynamic, the man has certainly taken up the same amount of Hermann’s time and money that a real partner would. And besides--it’s easier. Less messy. Newton would probably try to set Hermann up with someone, or pester him about his sex life, or even--God forbid--try to offer him advice. (Once I blew a guy in the bathroom of this shitty dive bar, try that, he told Hermann a few weeks ago, and I always take my dates to the aquarium so I can talk about shit and look smart.) 

It’s also helpful in dissuading Hermann from his daydreams and illusions of dating not kaijulover69, but Newton; that, he fears, is an even grander pipe dream.

He skims Newton’s--rather poor--critique of his work, ignoring entirely his comments on Hermann’s partner, and types up a fast rebuttal. Kaijulover69 has another stream tonight, and he doesn't want to miss it.

--------

“The trick,” kaijulover69 pants, “is to just, uh, relax your muscles as much as possible. It’s easier when you’ve got someone doing it for you, obviously, but...”

His chosen method of masturbation tonight is a frightfully large tentacle dildo, wider and longer than any prick Hermann’s seen in his life. Hermann’s not sure if such a dildo would fit inside him; he’s not even sure if it’s going to fit inside kaijulover69. The man is rather compact. It’s stopped about halfway into his body, and even from the rather distant angle Hermann can tell it’s stretching him tight. 

“...I might’ve jumped the gun a little,” the man says, and bursts out into breathy laughter. “Should’ve, uh, should’ve gotten the smaller size. Or worked up to this one.” He works another centimeter into himself before his body goes taut. “Go--go big or go home, I guess?”

One hand moving steadily around his prick, Hermann uses the other to type an encouraging message: Excellent effort.

Kaijulover69 pulls the dildo out to the thinnest section, then once he relaxes, begins a rhythm of short, shallow thrusts. Each time, it goes in a little deeper. It’s very good to watch, and listen to as well; his little gasps, the creaks of his bedsprings, the spread of his legs widening. Hermann briefly considers how badly he would like to be the one pushing it into him and dragging out those sounds, and is surprised to find himself orgasming.

He tips generously once the stream is over: he does like to consider himself some sort of gentleman, and he likes seeing how excited it gets kaijulover69.

-------

The package arrives on an entirely ordinary Tuesday some three weeks later. Autumn has come, bringing with it a rather heavy series of rains, and Hermann is drenched and shivering when he finally ducks into the relative warmth of his flat. The knowledge of what the box tucked under his arm contains warms him considerably; he rented a P.O. Box for one reason and one reason exactly, not even daring to have his name attached to it. It’s gauche, he knows, but--isn’t it a bit like recycling? Kaijulover69 gets a fresh, exciting outfit from Hermann, and Hermann gets it back after he’s--well.

Hermann needs to unwind somehow. There’s nothing wrong with it!

The black lace undergarments are wrapped neatly up inside the box, with a sweet little pink bow on top. Attached to that is a simple handwritten card: To my number one fan! ❤️ There’s plenty more where this came from...

Simple, and innocently flirty. And so familiar it makes Hermann’s blood run cold.

“It’s not possible,” he says.

And yet--isn’t it? Hermann’s never seen his face--either of their faces--and the screen name--

There is no return address on the package, but a frantic search of its wrappings reveals its origin: stamped in black ink over frog-themed postage is BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. “No, no,” Hermann mutters to himself, even as he reminds himself (unhelpfully) that plenty of people are from Boston. He tosses it to the bed and clacks over to his desk, clutching the card so tightly it crumples. Newton’s letters are all in the top drawer--he just needs--

The handwriting is a perfect match.

“Bugger,” Hermann groans.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous #not sfw ////

[lost-in-the-spectrum]

What is the Asperger-Syndrome?

Friends of the sun shine…

This is gonna be my very first tumblr post in English about a very personal and important topic I’d like to write about. You see the title and think ‘I heard of that, I know what it is’? Then f*ck you because you don’t.

 First of all: My name is Helli, I am 25 years old and I’ve got the Asperger-Syndrome, now a days also known as Autism-Spectrum-Disorder. I’ve been suffering of bullying, misunderstanding, being let down and being unheard, being treated differently and badly just because I’ve behaved specifically during the spectrum and its issues. I was an introvert, a daydreamer, a comic- and video game geek... especially the last point might be an information where you go like ‘huh, that is actually cool’ but well... years ago it wasn’t. I was a nerd for others and nerds were meant to be uncool and unpopulare for a quite long time. Unfair? Yes, it is. But do you think anyone did care those days? No.

 Anyways, before I start to tell you something about this syndrome – and before I do the same mistake as I did 5 years ago making a video for my German YouTube channel to talk about it – I’d like to mention that all I tell you in this post is only ABOUT ME. Every autistic person is DIFFERENT and not everyone got the same issues or strengths as me. So please before you drop every autistic person in one box which I accidently did in the video I mentioned before, please remember: THIS IS JUST ABOUT ME. Yet I will drop some general informations about that syndrome as well. And maybe you recognize yourselves or other people and friends, maybe you’re autistic yourself then let me know in every possible way you want.

 What is the Asperger-Syndrom (medical)?

It is a profound developmental disorder with issues in social communicating, correct interpretation of facial expressions and gesturing. People with the Asperger-Syndrome are most of the time hardly interested in any topic but create a special huge interest in certain topics. Most of them are, like with me, video games and comics, computer and technology in general, sometimes even different kinds of science or arts. In some individual cases people with this syndrome are incredibly good at mathematics or speaking (linguistically gifted) but at the same time these people are not able to do other simple things. Me as an example: Never mind how much I practised, how good the teacher was, I always wrote bad exams in mathematics even tho I understood what I did in the homeworks before and even in some very simple exercises I do the one or other mistake. BUT even tho I’ve hardly read a book in my life because – I am not gonna lie – books (novels) are uninteresting for me I am very good at speaking, writing, formulating, describing things (...) I am pretty good at articulating myself. So I eventually belong to these people who are linguistically gifted. I can only tell that my dad – a former German teacher – is even kinda impressed about my way of speaking because I – as I have already told – hardly hold a book in my hands. I only remember three novels I’ve read in my whole life and those books where lucky to be interesting enough for me.

 Anyways... those are the main signs and behaviors of people with this syndrome. Of course the Asperger-Syndrome is not the only disorder. The spectrum is pretty huge and includes many other Autism-Disorders. Not only other names but also syndromes with the same name but with some little deviations in behavior and ‘gifts’. So while I have not such a huge problem with maybe speaking with people and explaining them how I feel and see the world (as long as they give me the chance to do so) other people with the same syndrome might have big issues in formulating and ordering their feelings, describing them etc. While I really want to become an educater and work with children and teenagers to help them on the right way – I even want to work in special institutions for people with depressions and other conditions – other people with the Asperger-Syndrome completely avoid people and social contact or at least prefer jobs where they can be for their own.

 These are only some examples for the issues or strengths people with this syndrome have to deal with. Other examples – where I can relate – are these...

Being not interested in other     children as a child and prefering to play on their own.

Misunderstanding things and     informations which are said because these people sometimes have an own way     to say and describe these things.

Being unable to use the correct     facial expressions to a certain feeling as well as misunderstanding them     on other people. – almost the same issue which they have with told things.

Unable to be flexible and     spontanious, prefering to know appointments and meetings at least one day     earlier, even tho it is spending time on the beach with friends.

Mostly having a strict day     structure and plan and having issues to change them.

Sometimes not interested in     other people but in objects. I for example am more imperessed of a note     book having a nice cover than of a handsome man.

Most of the time for their own     and focused on their own life, problems etc. Which you can mix up very     easily with ‘just being day dreaming’ Which seems egoistic to other     people.

Sometimes not even able to show     emotions or at least they have a limited number of emotions on stock.

They often do things everytime     on the one and same way – Much alike this day structure thing – and while     other people get bored very quickly by that people with this syndrom     actually love it to know what’s coming next and that it is everyday the     same. (This is because these people really want to have the ultimate     control on everything they do.)

 Now we come to the points which some autistic people can relate but indeed not everyone of them:

 Having a bad ‘inter navigation’     which means that they’re pretty bad at reading maps, finding a simple way     even tho there are signs and shields telling them where to go and even tho     someone once walked the way together with them. (I am one of them. Other     Autists are pretty good at navigation and geography.)

Reminding information or images     by first sight (photographic mind, like the boy who flew over a city with     a helicopter and drew the whole city down only by viewing it once.)

Being able to solve a mathematic     exercise in their head within 30 seconds or less.

Having a higher IQ from 113 up     to 200, also known as ‘extremly gifted’ (unfortunately not everyone... I’ve     met some people...)

Being very tidy, ordered and     hygenic. (also not everyone. For example me: I am captain Chaos.)

Being very sensitive if it’s     about smell, flavor, feeling, light, noises etc. (I’ve got only some     noises which freak me out and sometimes I can’t deal with the sun light     because it is just way to bright for me. That’s why some autistic people     always use noise-cancelling headphones or sunglasses.)

Having issues with being in a     relationship including love and sex life. (Not me: I have got a boyfriend     without Autism and we come along pretty well actually. We do also fight     like ‘normal’ people. There is hardly a difference. Yet there are some     other kinds of people.)

 There are also autistic people who behave much more extreme than the examples I’ve written down. Some of them still ‘belong’ to the Asperger-Spectrum, others already drift into the ‘Kanner-Spectrum’ which is known as the ‘Autism’ which comes up to our minds when we hear about it. It’s the ultimate image most of the people still have when they hear about ‘Autism’: Swinging around on the chair or floor and not noticing anyone speaking to them: caught in their ‘own world’. Behaving uneasy, having no respect or not accepting distance. Some of them even’d like to touch your ‘private zone’ because they think it is interesting but don’t understand that it is not okay – or even sexual harassment – to do so. Hurting themselves by hitting their head against the wall – for example – if they’re told to do what they don’t want to. In general known as easily provocating people, aggressive and having no control over their own actions.

 This is a completely other topic tho. So if you’d like to have a list with examples and definitions of different Autism-Spectrums, just let me know!

 Now: What is the Asperger-Syndrome for me?

Even tho some ‘

social justice warriors

’ or other autistic people will hate me for that I tell you what it is for me: A disorder and a disability and also an other view of life.

Are disorders and disabilities bad for me? Is it bad and wrong to call Autism like that? No. Why? Because people are used to use these words as offenses or general in a negative point? Sry, that’s not my problem. If these people seriously yell at me calling my own Autism as disorder and disability, because they find it bad and discrimanting - because their definition of it is negative - then those people are discriminating – not me - because they think disabled people with a disorder are negative in some way and that’s why it’s wrong to call them like that. This is discriminating and hurting by these people and they do anything with this attitude except something good.

Autism is a disorder. Autism is a disability. This is a fact and this doesn’t make us to worse or less valuable people than others. If you really automatically think my disability makes myself less valuable to others it means to me that you think it is something negative too and this is discriminating! Never mind how you try to turn it.

 So why is it a disability and disorder besides the medical fact that it is? 1st I am disabled in social communication. Never mind how good I probably am in articulating myself and formulating things, I still don’t now how to start a conversation, how to get to know someone, not even how to meet people. In fact I am even nervous about meeting new people, being in a room with strange new people with whom I am supposed to work closer in future is a bit hard for me. I am incredibly insecure, especially because of my bullying experience.

I hate having small-talk or being unnecessary ‘polite’ ... like not saying the total truth about something and lie a little bit instead to make people not feel uncomfortable which is wrong in my opinion. But that’s how society works. And while people without Autism know how ‘the cookie crumbles’ and they have no issues with behaving like this I feel uneasy about it and as honest I am with my words and thoughts, so am I with my feelings which means that I can’t hide it when I’m feeling uneasy. Society feels uneasy about me feeling uneasy because these ‘simple’ society actions. You see where this goes.

 2nd I have issues with reading faces and recognizing voices. That means I can’t always tell if a person is angry, annoyed, okay or happy and I can’t tell by the person’s voice if he or she is angry, stressed, annoyed, sad, anything like this which is usually also a special key to some kind of social communication. All I can do is ask if he or she is okay or what’s the matter but I have met many people in my life and some of them think that it should be so obvious how they feel that I must be a silly cunt to not notice it. Or maybe worse: they think I don’t care and I pretend to care to make people think that I am a good person but in fact I am ignorant. Yes, that’s what some people once thought of me.

 3rd I am disabled to have a normal everyday life in – for example - summer time when it is hot outside. It’s not like just being done because it’s so warm and I am sweating, no. People who know me well have seen me during hot summer times and I am absolutely useless. I am like totally done, almost dead if you really want to know. In case that I go outside because the temperatures are not too hot and I am able to move in the sun (and because I need food, you know, don’t wanna starve) there is an other problem: the sun light. I go out, the sun and its light burns down on me and suddenly I hardly see a thing, everything I watch shines in a horrible bright light and literally blends me. I need to wear sunglasses for that, sometimes even in the late afternoon when the sun light isn’t that bright anymore. Even then, because my Autism is also a kind of ‘high sensibility’ if it’s about sun light or certain kind of noises and sounds. In addition I am not always able to handle stress and busy situations. Stress knocks me out sometimes and it’s not like just being stressed, no. Sometimes I start crying. I’m having an overload, a so-called meltdown (which is also something I’d like to write about in an other post) which means I am crying for hours and having a mental and emotional break down. All the emotions I actually felt for a quite long time and which I’ve held back because I know that in these situations these emotions would make them worse... all these emotions, sometimes including emotions I think I didn’t even know that they exist, are coming out. It’s like me being a huge frozen mointain, completely made of ice, the emotions which come out because of the stress are getting hot and making my frozen shell melt and break down... I am literally a frozen vulcano who explodes with all its emotions. Now tell me: do you think I could work in a stressy job for eight or more hours a day without having these break downs?

 To the question why it is a disorder: No person has got the right to decide what’s normal and what’s not. But comparing my issues and my behavior in certain situations because of my condition to the behavior of other people without this condition, it is definitely a disorder. When it comes to the situations I am disable to handle ... it is like me being a television which loses its signal right within a good television show. I have literally no signal in these moments. I am having a disruption. Do you say your television is not having a disruption then? ‘It is not having a disruption, it is just special.’ God damn, that sounds kinda discrimanting, doesn’t it?

 I am disabled. I’m having a disorder. But that doesn’t make me to a bad person and less valuable than anyone else. You know, I can learn, how to communicate. I can learn, what to do in stressy situations. I can learn to read expressions, learn and study different expressions or the sound of voices in different emotions. I can learn this all.

Disability is a medical fact for me. It describes or is a ‘name’ for the issues we have. I will always be disabled like – even tho this is an extreme example, don’t blame me for that, please – a person who’s sitting in the wheel chair because he or she lost his or her leg in an accident, in a war, anything like that. BUT as this person can learn to walk with a prothesis so they won’t be stopped at all, so I can and will learn to communicate and manage my life and find my place in this world. I will always be disabled but I’ll never be impaired. I don’t wanna be changed or even pitied, I want to be accepted and luckily there are people who accept and also love me the exact way I am.

 I really want to mention again: please, don’t blame or hate me for comparing me with a person who lost a leg and has to sit in the wheel chair... I know this life is worse and it is horrible and not really comparable with my disorder. But I just want to make a point.

Autism is an other way of to be and even tho there are so many different autistic people everyone of ‘us’ is different and when you know one autistic person then you know exactly one. Only one. Meet more of us and you’ll know who we really are.

 I hope you took the time to read it all and that I could explain at least a little to you what the Asperger-Syndrome is. There are some informations in the internet and in some books, medical facts and experiences as well as personal ones, blogs like this or even youtube channels. Feel free to check them all out but please educate yourself correctly and stop putting us all in a box.

 Thanks for reading. Good bye!

#autism #autism spectrum condition #autism spectrum disorder #autism spectrum #asperger #aspergers #asperger syndrome #lost in the spectrum #enlightenment #education

[alphaketoglutaricacid]

@onehithero said: also we know theres at least some actual animals besides gadoll liek the scorpion n cows tht show up for a sec in ep 1 so tankers hav tht going for them re: food sources ..SORRY FOR RAMBLING SO MUCH deca dence essay got sleeper agent activated

onehithero said: i rly like what usaid abt kabu from natsumes pov too but i cannot form a half cohernet thought abt tht one

onehithero said: ALSO ALSO i think its interesting how the ep 8 conversation w minato is i think the only time kabu talks abt being jealous of humans being able to choose their own paths

onehithero said: also how minatos convinced hes like a good lil cog in the machine yet hes done 50 things tht wuld get him labeled as a bug but he just ignores all tht. the both of them can be so disconnected w reality

onehithero said: like minato didnt know abt 1)natsume 2) how the system has made kabu so severely depressed n he culdnt put up w it anymore.n minato continues pushing the just go along w the system shit he doesnt understand tht he was contributing to kabus misery.. n bc of tht kabu doesnt trust minato enough to tell him abt natsume for so long but then he goes n asks smth so big of him as go against the system

onehithero said: thinks abt how kabu n minato r obviously so important to each other but minato understands him less n less over time & kabu kinda already knew its risky to confide in minato like minato did know abt pipe which was a long time ago but he didnt know abt natsume til kabu was already sacrifing himself for her sake. n yet kabu then goes n tries to get him on his side anyway cuz he wants tht so badly..

onehithero said: OMG OMG CHEWS THESE WORDS SLOWLY N THROUGHLY SO DELICIOUS THANK U THANK U u get it u understand i love reading n writing essay lengh responses abt deca dence & again u just hit the nail on the head w this

Please let me know if this @ u 8 times and sorry if it did.  I will reply under this readmore but i love this enthusiasm! I like discussing this stuff so if u want keep it coming. I wanna understand deca dence better and i think i will by sharing ideas w other ppl. 

I think kabu and minatos relationship  is as good as it is because theres clearly a lot of mutual love and respect between them even when they don’t understand each other and thats why minato still runs after him when he hears kabu going suicide mission lets go baby. I think its interesting that minato was like ready to lie down and accept getting mass scrapped until he hears kabu go im about to be hilarious and hes like actually living and staying alive sounds great actually forget what i said about it being over.   you are so right about kabu and trust and natsume. I will always cherish episode 5 where kabu gives this big rousing speech about how natsume inspired him and saved his life and minatos there like ..who? ..what?? I think they may not be used to hiding things from each other. Also I think them drifting apart mirrors natsume and feis drifting apart tho I think while feis the instigator on that side kabus more on his side and minato like natsume is like wondering what in da world is going on. I think someone else wrote about this better than I can.

I do think minato does know kabus severely depressed because theres this line in ep 4 where he puts his hand on kabu and says like you’ve toiled enough at that awful job. and also in episode 11 when he and kabu talk and kabu says he was in a similar place as minato now in that he was waiting every day to be scrapped minato has no reaction until kabu says but that bug saved me. I think he knows kabus very depressed but he does not know how to address it cuz the system never gives either of them the tools or options for it. Though also I feel the system discourages meaningful relationships between the cyborgs so I think what minato and kabu have is likely pretty rare. Kabu donetello and turkey also fought together for a long time but turkey turns on donetello in a second even tho they fought together, he was his number two, and they were in prison together, and were pretty much all they got and donetello kills him in turn. I also think minato probably knew because he’s empathetic. Like I’m not sure about compassion but he’s very good at understanding where other ppl are and how to meet them in the middle so both parties get something they want. That’s how he got all the gamers to collect the old deca dence parts. Not by cashing in on ppl doing the right thing but by framing it as the final mission. He gets his lgbt community center coworkers for fight with him one last time by appealing to their sense of duty. He got the system to put kabu in jail instead of getting scrapped when Mikey got scrapped for a lesser offense. The list goes on. A tangent but I think the fact he acknowledges the living conditions of the humans are gonna get worse if nothing’s done even tho he’s apathetic at best towards them shows even when the system tries to mold the cyborgs into the roles it wants, sometimes the traits they have just keep on going despite themselves. I’m gonna stop myself before I go into jill and this theme but I’m gonna talk about it someday. So I think its more likely than not he knew but he didn’t know how to navigate around it also because it’s heavily implied he’s going thru the same thing and I think kabu might genuinely have no idea Bc kabu lacks empathy but his heart... is huge. When he hears minato express his feelings of not knowing what he wants he instantly tries to reach out and explain minatos not alone in what he feels. This is why they’re good foils. while kabu moves past where he was in the start where he states he does not intend to oppose the system and his compliance while also trying to do the bare minimum drives him to suicide, and finds the willpower and a reason to live and rebel against the system through his connection to other people (first natsume , he hangs out w kurenai sometimes too, and then with the jail robots). Meanwhile minato whos stuck in his literal ivory tower (it’s a Metaphor) never makes any of these connections. It’s the irony of kabu working at a armor repair job giving him some ability to connect w others vs minatos higher position isolating him from everyone else. I think kabu living amongst the ppl he harmed drove him to give up on life quicker, while minato being far apart shielded him from rlly having to see the effects of his actions I think he was headed a lil slower in the same direction. I think we’re led to believe minatos okay where he is but I think towards the end it’s clear minato has spent most of the series also in a bad place. I think he views things very similarly to kabu in that he wants to use what power he does have to protect the ppl he cares about similar to how initially kabu tried to just convince natsume to quit several times and he was like whatever at the rest of the humans who are natsumes comrades dying but he chooses to put it all on the line and try for some systemic change when he sees natsumes determination to fight. Also I think minato holds very little loyalty to the system cuz he doesn’t only like breaks 1000 rules for kabu (the hypocrisy) but he also looks the other way a lot. For example, when he overheard the top rankers talk about limiters he’s like I’ll pretend I don’t hear it also turn on private mode next time and he doesn’t berate them for considering cheating. Also donetello has been using an illegal avatar to climb to S rank again (isn’t it interesting that even after the ranked system is abolished something similar took its place). And his avatar looks the same as it did when minato worked with the guy. There’s probably like not that many ppl in s rank. And he calls himself donetello. Minato knows he’s supposed to be in jail but does he tell anyone? He’s like well.. that looks like someone else’s problem if they notice *goes and vapes* it’s so funny how little minato cares but it’s also not funny Bc some of minatos cruelest actions and things he’s complicit in are born not outta malice but apathy to everything. I think it shows (tangent number 4?) how the systems use of excessive force is counter productive cuz neither minato nor kabu are willing to report anything to disrupt the order Bc neither of them think the level of punishment is warranted. I also think that minato is probably the first person kabu really opens up to about why on a personal level he feels the system needs to be destroyed after Ep 7 is really interesting. It really speaks to how deep their [mutual and not platonic relationship I don’t know how to label ] is. I also think that he admits to minato that he envies human is rlly interesting and would like to hear what u have to think! I think it’s interesting that what really sets minato off is kabu saying he wants to choose for himself and also wants other cyborgs to have that freedom and I think it’s one of the few times we see minato get genuinely angry and have it not stem from worry. Tangent 5 I’m really extrapolating here but I think it’s very likely given how high up minato is that he likely knows of several cyborgs that rebelled against the system for similar reasons as kabu and knows how it ends and I think it probably feeds into his defeatist attitude. I think his role in the system must really kill whatever grasp of whatever minato has cuz he constantly has to act like it’s almost the end of the world and he’s strapped for resources all the time for like decades and decades of having to fake that type of desperation to entertain ur player base and cuz ur also on tv to entertain the general populace to distract them from their soul sucking jobs. I think that’s gotta mess with his perception of himself and also his ability to see that struggle as real and genuine. I think that’s also gotta be hard cuz he seems like out of his whole fuck we r under attack persona he seems like he’s a lil closed off but generally chill and somewhat upbeat to ppl who know him and he just wants to be isabella from animal crossing. I got really off track here. I think what really gets me is their relationship is built on knowing each other so well and so long , and how it’s managed to survive and persist through all this tragedy. They really mutually respect and love each other and that’s why kabu let’s minato walk away from his revolution even tho it compromises everything he works for. It’s why minato ultimently accepts kabus willingness to die for a tanker even tho he really doesn’t get it at all and it means it’s goodbye forever. But it’s still not enough to save either of them. Minato can’t save kabu from trying to passively starving himself to death and I’m not sure if kabu even knows where minato is at mentally. Sometimes no matter how close u are to someone there r things u miss and things u can’t help each other with. Even tho the two resolve to fight and then die together cuz this seems like the best choice Bc the system they were born into offers no alternatives, the deca dence doesn’t even activate without the help of other ppl. I think it shows one relationship cant support all that weight. In the end it is through their bonds with other ppl that gets them to an ending where they both survive when they decided alone their only option is death. Also u are so right about the other animals existing I totally forgot ty I cannot believe I forgot about the scorpion which calls to natsumes hairstyle which is a visual gag on how natsumes a bug and how like a scorpion, although unassuming, and fucking kill u, just like how her trying to get her boss to open up eventually leads to the whole thing toppling down. I also have a lot of thoughts about natsume but I’m still thinking of them and thinking hard Bc sometimes she becomes kabus inspiration Pinterest board and I don’t like that. When she shines she really shines but it starts getting sloppy towards the end so I have to think a lil longer about it. Okay I’m done. Also it’s kinda hard for me to look like I’m agreeing to ur points and nodding in this format but I really appreciate ur thoughts and will try to convey this. Maybe by formatting as a response to each of ur replies next time

[hidelaney]

Hi Delaney!

Ah, yes the quarantine. It’s getting to me. Definitely. Suddenly I have no office to go to. But it’s good, I think. Make the CEO realize the upper management has no literal reasons to keep us in the office. Like at all. Seriously, everyone from my team is working from home and the level of productivity is actually better. Because guess what? Not having people breathing down our necks is SUPER helpful. So HA!

Okay, about Larry Stylinson. You’re right, I did fall into YouTube Blackhole. And Twitter. And I just watched 1D San Siro concert. By watching, I mean I actually paused the work I’m doing and looked at the screen while it played. Admittedly I was also doing chores but! It wasn’t just background music! It counted!

When I said I could put Larry Stylinson in a microwave and be done with it, I mean the theories and compilation videos are so readily available and easy to digest like, comparable to instant meals.

It’s so neatly packaged, too. Like, I was introduced to Larry Stylinson basically yesterday. Now I could recite the storyline in my head whenever I please. Or when I want to please you, in this case.

Let’s see if I can get it all summarized down here. FYI, I’m borrowing your assumption that Taylor was in on it the whole time. And Eleanor, too. Because I actually know of her existence now! Character discovery! Except they’re real people so I feel the need to point out that I’m making all the assumptions all over the place. I’m doing this for you, my dear Delaney.

Keep in mind that we all need character growths and personal developments when I make non-flattering assumptions toward your favorite people here, ok?

First up! HS & TL met in a toilet.

Now it’s debatable whether it was during an X-Factor audition or Battle of the Bands. For the sake’s of my next argument, I’m going with they knew each other before X-Factor. Likely during their time in White Eskimo and The Rogue, respectively. Their (unconfirmed?) first words to each other were ‘Oops!’ & ‘Hi’

Up next, the X-Factor audition and getting put together in a band.

So here is where I kind of needed my first assumption for this to work. Their chemistry was so obviously through the roof. It made so much sense if they were already sort-of friends and then got put together in a band. Plus, I don’t think the way Louis jumped into Harry’s arms is something a relative stranger would do. And if they only knew each other out of everyone there, it’s no wonder they were both so apparently clingy and codependent. It’s like a situation where both of them went ‘I have no idea what’s gonna happen next, but at least I know you and you know me. So we’re bestie now. No take back!”

And then there’re video diaries, twitter cams, radio interviews, and other broadcasting media they appeared in. These need no explanation because you’ve probably seen all of them and I have functioning ears and eyes. So, yes, I saw videos of them being all disgustingly cute all over the place. During the so-called ‘Fetus’ phase (a wording which I personally find rather disturbing, no offense to your anatomy textbooks or anything.) They’re so sweet. Especially whenever there’s a mention of how they moved in and lived together. Their interactions must’ve been responsible for so many tooth cavities. So many aww-worthy moments. On stage, on screen, behind the scenes, potato cams. Basically everywhere in front of everyone.

Then 1D blew up and were well on their way to become their label’s biggest and brightest BCG-metrix star. It’s not hard to see why investors’d be invested (lol) in employing every marketing strategy possible to keep 1D in the spotlight.

There’s a twofold marketing exploitation to Larry Stylinson that I see from miles away.

Hard sell the heteronormative version of the boys. (To capture major market shares)

Never had Harry or Louis explicitly confirm nor deny their relationship status. (To capture additional market shares with queerbaiting)

But let’s say Harry and Louis were actually together and making 1) too difficult to achieve. Otherwise this whole thing falls apart like a wet house of cards.

Thus, here came what I’d like to call ‘dousing a fire with gasoline’. This is where there’s a sudden drop of their interactions in public and Larry Stylinson isn’t a cutesy smashup name of two boys who got along like a house on fire anymore. This is the part where a ship turned into a full fledged conspiracy theory. And it’s MEGA COOL WICKED awesome.

I say this in the nicest way possible. A tragedy is the grandest form of entertainments. Misery loves having friends.

Also, I’d like to say this. I’m having fun thinking of this as a fictional arc. Because I still feel like it will shatter my heart in to a million pieces if anything resembling what I write next was true.

Since breaking into US market was the Kickstarter into a global one, to the US 1D went.

This was where the heavy closeting got way more difficult to handle. Elounor had the excuse of Eleanor being a private citizen and therefore should be left alone for the most part. Haylor was the complete opposite. Taylor Swift was and still is an American Sweetheart. Harry Styles might have been the most famous British Harry if it weren’t for a (former?) prince and a wizard. (Seriously, we should not call any of our hypothetical future children ‘Harry’ unless you thought ‘Albus Severus Potter’ was a good idea. Poor kiddo.)

The saddest part about Harry Styles public image was how reminiscent of Emma Watson it felt. The minute they turned eighteen, their media portrayals immediately became hyper-sexualized. Suddenly, they left the human zoo into an open hunting game. Famous lives are terrifying.

Anyhow, say, Taylor Swift knew what the US music industry was like. She’s been playing the long game for quite some time. She got to know Harry and then became rather protective of him. Her conclusion was that ‘hyping up Haylor’ would: 1) increase media exposure for both Taylor and 1D which would translate to bigger channels of revenue for all involved, 2) hold the speculation about Harry’s sexual orientation at bay because, as horrible as it sounds, gays don’t sell in America.

This one fit nicely with your ‘Out of the Woods’ interpretation. Taylor wasn’t just spending time with Harry. She was actively enforcing the lock on the closet. Which explains why Louis seemed to resent Taylor quite obviously and quite a lot. His own heteronormative scripts with Eleanor had been relatively tame. Harry’s whirlwind series of romances in public had only just begun.

As Harry started gaining a womanizer reputation in earnest, so did the Almost-Subtle Couple Tattoo Sprees.

If ‘Always in my heart @Harry_Styles . Yours sincerely, Louis’ tweet was a sign that circumstances were about to go south for them. The tattoos were signs that the circumstances had already gone to shit. The tragic package had been shipped, signed, and delivered.

This is where non-flattering assumptions rise to the surface. I think 1D had been overworked past the point of exhaustion. Self-destruction as a coping mechanism became rather prevalent and pervasive within the band. The boys gleefully collected regrets as a new favorite pastime, some more than others. Consequences were nipping at their heels.

Then Zayn left right in the middle of a world tour and all hell broke loose.

Here comes the biggest Assumption Affair!

Louis and Liam, the last to release their solo debut albums, were the most prominent songwriters for the band. I’m not going to go on about Liam because I’m here to give you Larry Stylinson. And this is already way too long as it is. But, needless to say, the first discussion of a prospective solo career probably hit them the hardest.

If each song they wrote was a battle scar, Louis was still bleeding for the band when Harry, of all people, brought up the idea of a hiatus and solo careers. Realizing how many songs Harry already had waiting in the back catalogue must’ve felt like a slap in the face. Or a punch in the gut. Whichever you think is worse/more dramatic. I’m not picky.

Remember self-destruction as coping mechanism? What about relationship-destruction as coping mechanism? Louis cheated and had a baby with someone else. Infidelity at its finest.

ALERT! THIS IS A NEON SIGN OF ASSUMPTION AFFAIR! Please don’t kill me. I told you I was gonna make unflattering assumptions toward your favorite people. I just did as I promised!!! *run for cover*

Anyway...

I’m gonna take you back a little. I mentioned earlier how Eleanor was a private citizen and therefore should be left alone. At times when Louis desperately needed to be left alone, Elounor makes so much sense. If she’s a PR-only girlfriend, she’s a stellar employee. If it’s not just a PR thing, she’s as forgiving as a saint. Just, if it’s Harry and Louis, they likely both messed up and hurt each other badly. If it’s Louis and Eleanor,... I mean... Have you seen a meme where you misspell a word so badly that the autocorrect goes, ‘I don’t know what to tell you, man’?... Louis would be that misspelled word and Eleanor would be the very best autocorrect that practically brute force through every word in the Oxford AND Urban dictionary to find out what that word was. If that’s who she is, then bless her soul. However, for the sake of this argument, we will proceed with the assumption that she’s the star employee of the decade.

Losing loved ones and grieving for them are inevitable parts of human lives. Nothing put more things into perspectives than losing someone so fundamentally dear to you. When I heard Louis Tomlinson’s ‘Two of Us’ for the first time, I remembered walking through an actual forest my grandpa planted for us because he wanted to make sure his great grandkids would have a nice home to grow up in. Do you remember when you called and told me that he died the night I got on my first solo international flight ten months after the fact? I wanted to hate you for keeping something this big a secret from me. I wanted to hate everybody at home for that. But then you told me that it was what my grandpa had wanted. That he didn’t want me to be a sad sack of an exchange student. That you decided to not listen to my parents and call to tell me just before I was due home. So that I’d have time to feel hurt about being lied to. So that I could get all the angry words out. So that I wouldn’t scream at my parents when I got home and learnt the truth. So that you could take the brunt of my grief instead.

I just took a break to have a little cry. Where was I? Oh, yeah. You did the best you could for me when I lost my grandpa. I still managed to effectively shut you out for months. Just because you were the messenger of the bad news. What I’m trying to say is that grief changes people. It changed me. For the worst for a bit. And then for the better once I came to term with what it means to me. There’s a quote from Rosamund Lupton that sums it up neatly.

“Grief is love turned into an eternal missing.”

I guess this is the part where I connected the dots back to Harry and Louis. Well, their music definitely give grief different names. Both albums talk about coming to term with it and moving forward. Every songs they wrote could be woven to fit the narrative of Larry Stylinson and events surrounding them. If you buy the theory, then the good news is both Fine Line & Walls seemed to have a positive ending. One thing I know for sure, though, is that no matter how convincing a conspiracy theory maybe, it could all be built upon a faulty assumption. I’d probably have a way easier time disregarding Elouner if I didn’t have you as a solid proof in my life that, yes, people like the best autocorrect exists. It’s funny how I feel no hesitation at all in categorizing Haylor as a calculated move. Because in my head that’s just par for the course in business. And it genuinely terrifies me in a way. Who the hell I could’ve become if it weren’t for you knocking me off the ground and pouring kindness on me.

I know I skipped a lot of stuff. Missing names like Caroline, Danielle, Kendall, Freddie, Camille, Xander, etc. But HS and LT have a decade of history on public record and, frankly, my interest ran out four paragraphs ago. So just let me conclude this.

I think it’s tiring, spending this much time speculating on someone else’s relationship history. I must admit that I had to get it out of my chest because it was way too interesting to let go off. But now, I feel like I’m just going to stream Heartbreak Weather and listen to ‘No Judgement’ on repeat. Nile is my favorite non-problematic celebrity. I could spell his name so wrong and it probably won’t be an issue as long as I politely say, “Sorry, Mr Niall Horan”

This quarantine clearly leaves me with too much time on my hands.

Virtual hugs and kisses

Your Incredible Sasha 😘

#larry stylinson #haylor #elounor #aimh ​theory #larry #i hope you like this #in this essay i will...

[allicekitty13]

Remembering Sunday: Chapter 1

Read On Ao3

Read On FFN

It was dark and chilly as Jasper hurriedly ran into the park where Alice sat on the swingset wishing he'd thought to grab her a jacket; she must have been cold clad in just a t-shirt and ripped jeans. She swung slowly back and forth, halfheartedly dragging her feet through the dirt beneath her. Jasper slowed to a walk with his small, scared friend finally in sight. Just hours ago, they'd received word that not only was she being 'allowed' to go back home, but she was also leaving that night. 

With an hour to go before the car would arrive to transport her back to Seattle, back to her father, Alice had disappeared. Jasper knew precisely where she had gone, the small park just a mile from the house. They found it shortly after Alice had come to stay with The Cullen's; it was located just off a rarely used trail almost hidden behind the tall hemlock trees. On occasion, they met there sneaking out at night to talk, both knowing exactly where to find the other when life got too heavy. He hadn't said anything to his aunt, uncle, or sister; he preferred to keep the space a secret. Besides, he knew she needed some time alone to process the abrupt change. 

"Alice," He called out when he was just a few feet from her causing the girl to turn and greet him with a melancholy smile that didn't quite reach her fearful eyes. He waited patiently for her indication for him to approach, only coming closer when he received a nod from the girl.

"It's just not fair." She'd lamented as he leaned against one of the steel poles that made up the swings' structure. "I don't care if he's completed whatever the fuck guidelines or therapy or whatever. He's not going to change, I give it a month, and everything will go back to the same. You know that just as well as I do."

She probably wasn't wrong; his experiences with his own mother had proved that pattern. "Well, write to Rose and me. If it gets bad, I'll let Carlisle know."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the autumn breeze blow fallen leaves across the playground. She finally broke the silence. "Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Stay in touch, please. I'm going to miss you so much, promise you'll write, text, e-mail, call. Fax if you have to. Just don't disappear; I couldn't handle that." Her words came out soft and pleading.

"I swear, Alice."

"I should probably go back now, shouldn't I?"

"Probably." He agreed against his own desires if there was anything he could do to prolong her stay. To keep it just the two of them in that small park, he would do it. Sadly, he was only a fourteen-year-old boy helpless to the ways of the system. No matter how much he loved her, there was nothing he could do. 

Alice rose from the swing, moving across the park to stand on the seat of a picnic bench. "Come here first." He followed curiously, unsure what she was doing. He stopped just in front of her, eye-level for once. "I want to kiss you, goodbye... if that's okay?"

He nodded in affirmation, heart racing as she leaned in, pecking him sweetly on the lips. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. They'd hugged, cuddled, kissed on the cheek. But this was their first real kiss, long and sweet, both communicating the unspoken feelings they shared. She pulled away, leaving him breathless before taking a deep, resigned sigh as she jumped down from the bench, grabbed his hand, and led them both into the night back to the Cullen residence. To her fate.

Jasper's eyes snapped open, jarred awake by the blaring beeping of his alarm. He quickly slapped the large button to silence the offensive clock before throwing an arm over his eyes. Today was the day, Alice Brandon was returning to Forks high, so of course, he'd dreamed of their last encounter. He was excited to see her again; he'd missed her like crazy over the past three years. Hardly a week went by when Alice didn't interrupt his thoughts. He wanted so badly to know why she'd never responded to his attempts at contact. Why all of his letters had been sent back. Jasper kept every one hidden away in a shoebox under his bed. After a year of this, he'd finally given up; he still wrote to her from time to time but never mailed them. 

Alice had been the one person in his life to understand him, his past, his complicated relationship with Coleen- he couldn't bring himself to call her his mother. She'd been patient, and understanding knew how to relate to his emotions without making things about herself. She was fun to be around, always ready for a crazy scheme with the cutest radiant smile that lit up her entire face and made her blue eyes sparkle. So while excited, he was also worried. It was impossible to know what to expect from seeing her again. 

Fully dressed, he stared at himself in his bedroom mirror, taking deep breaths in an attempt to ease the nervous sick feeling in his stomach. A light knocking sound on his doorframe broke him from his concentration. Knowing it was time to go, he followed Rosalie downstairs, tentatively ready to face whatever the day had in store. 

----

It was time for lunch, the school day halfway through, and he hadn't seen her at all yet. He'd looked out for her in the halls, stared at the door in all of the classes they would potentially share, hoping she would walk through the door. He'd begun to wonder if she'd maybe been avoiding him. But as he entered the cafeteria with his friend Emmett to see her sitting between Edythe and Bella at their usual table, he was hit with a wave of relief. What better time to catch up than the most social time of the day. Jasper snuck occasional looks to the table as he absentmindedly collected a random assortment of food onto his plate in the lunch line. A process that took entirely too long for his liking.

Finally, lunch tray in hand, he made his way over to the table, settling into the open seat next to Rosalie. Jasper wasn't certain what he'd been expecting. He didn't think after three years she'd rush over, and they would resume their relationship as they'd left it three years ago. It was a significant chunk of time; they'd certainly both grown and changed. Maybe he'd expected her to greet him with fondness, to see if he wanted to catch up.

The reality, however, had been the furthest possibility from his mind. Alice glared, her eyes full of fury, and lips curled in disgust when she caught sight of him. He could never have fathomed she would slam her slice of pizza onto her lunch tray before storming out of the cafeteria.

He stared at the empty space where she'd just been with knitted brows, more confused than he'd ever been in his life. He'd known they wouldn't immediately be best friends, but he hadn't expected her to outright hostile. Ignoring the varied expressions of his friends and sibling group, Edythe with her mouth hanging open. Emmet was holding back laughter, likely a stress reaction to the intense display. Rosalie biting her lip, debating if she should follow after the girl. He focused on Bella Swan, who played with the peas on her plate, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. 

"Bella..." He tentatively opened, "Do you happen to know what I did to Alice?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy," The girl sheepishly responded, still staring down at her plate. "I've tried telling her you're not a bad person, but it's no use. I was barely able to convince her to give Edythe a chance. I wanted to warn you... but I didn't have a chance, and Edythe refuses to get involved. I'm sorry, Jasper."  

#jasper hale #alice cullen #Jalice #Twilight #Hopefully this answers some questions and raises some new ones <3

[azulafangligo]

Flameo! This is my first post for @azulaweek and on tumblr overall. I wrote some fanfic for day 1.

Second chance

It was a warm, sunny day in the Fire Nation. The streets around the Royal Palace were crowded with hundreds of people, cheering and applauding. Apparently the Crown Princess returned from a mission and the citizens were welcoming her home. Chan didn't really care. He was, of course, loyal to the Fire Lord and the princess like all civilians and soldiers, but he didn't worship them or anything like other fanatics did. They were the leaders of their nation, leading them to glory, prosperity and happiness. He respected them and appreciated their efforts, but that was it. He would bow before them if he had to, but he wasn't interested at all in seeing them or knowing anything about them. He didn't have any interest in politics or in the leadership of the country, even though his father was an admiral and all he did in the little free time he had with his family was chatter about the war and about politics. Chan made his way through the crowds, pushing and shoving when someone didn't get out of the way. He was going to meet with Ruon-Jian and some of his other friends at a restaurant a few blocks away. If he could get there. There's so many people here! I'll take me at least a day to get there! he thought, frustrated.

"Excuse me," he told a man in front of him who was obstructing his way. Chan feigned a cough to get his attention.

"Excuse me!" he said again. That was it. He shoved the man aside and continued walking.

"Hey, watch it!" the person said. Chan rolled his eyes in annoyance and didn't turn back. After more swimming through the unending waves of people, his mind took him back to the night when he kissed that girl on Ember Island. A weak had passed since that party where she and her friends destroyed the stuff in his house. His father had been so mad and punished him severely. He thought he'd never hear the end of that one. He barely managed to leave home for a couple of hours and come here. That girl had gotten him into a lot of trouble and she'd also sacred him with her firebending and all that "We will be the strongest couple in the universe! We'll dominate the Earth." thing. Like really, what was that all about? But, even so, he couldn't manage to get her out of his mind. He was always thinking about her. He wanted to forget her, he really did, but he couldn't. She was stunning. He'd never seen a girl more beautiful than her and he had quite a lot of experience if he did say so himself. He should be angry at her, but when he thought about the destroyed house, the only thing that came to mind was her sweet, soft kiss. That moment when their lips touched had been magical. Chan had to admit that, at least to himself. I'm stupid… and crazy, but… I love her. She creeped me out, but I think I kinda like that in a way… and I just can't be mad at her for getting me punished and yelled at by dad. Well, that doesn't matter now. She didn't even tell me her name and I'll never see her again. Besides, she seemed like someone who really cared about her image. I embarrassed her by leaving her, even though no one saw that. He started feeling very regretful. What he'd give to see her again, to be able to talk to her and ask for a second chance. And this crowd is too loud and it's suffocating. I can barely hear my own thoughts. The Royal Palace was about a dozen metres away to his right. Horrible moment to be there with all this agitation.

"Here comes the princess!" someone in front of Chan yelled. His ears were suffering horribly as the cheers got even louder. Beyond the sea of heads before him, he saw the princess's palanquin. The servants caring it stopped in front of the palace gates as they were opening. A man came to the side of the palanquin to greet the princess. He was a highly decorated officer by the looks of his uniform, probably a colonel or general. The princess raised the curtain to salute him back… Chan couldn't believe it. It's her! It's her! But… how? She didn't tell me she was the princess. This is impossible! I almost got together with the Fire Lord's daughter! I'm surprised she didn't kill me for leaving her… She was pretty far away, but he was sure it was her. Without thinking, Chan rushed ahead, almost knocking down the people in front of him and getting a few not-exactly-nice words in return. He ran forward, toward her, pushing and shoving everyone in his way. He almost reached her, just a few metres… Suddenly, he was almost knocked off his feet as a royal guard pushed him back in line with the others.

"Keep the distance," he said commandingly.

"But I have to talk to the princess! Please," Chan stepped forward, only for the soldier to shove him back again.

"Stay in line, citizen. I'm not telling you nicely again."

"Please, I need to-," Chan began

"Yeah, yeah, everyone wants to talk to the princess, I know," the guard cut him off. It was too late-the gates were closing behind the palanquin. That's it. That was the only occasion to say sorry and tell her how I feel. I'll never be able to talk to her again… He felt hopeless and he hated it. He hated that stupid guard, but, after all, the man was only doing his job, and Chan had to admit he did look like just another crazy fan of the Royal family.

Now the masses of citizens were beginning to dissipate. The guard that stopped Chan for talking to princess Azula-he finally knew her name now-as well as the other soldiers, were also moving away and positioning themselves at the gate to guard it.

Well, he was late already late for the lunch with his friends, but he wasn't a punctual person anyway. Now that he was starting to think about it, running like that toward the princess and trying to pass by that guard had been really reckless… and crazy. He should just forget it. He'd gotten what he'd asked for, he can't deny that. But… the princess? I'm the son of an admiral, that's a really big deal, but I'm nothing compared to her… HeHe hated giving up, accepting defeat. He should just be grateful she didn't kill him on Ember Island for leaving her completely alone on that balcony, during the night. I should just go to the restaurant, meet with my friends and forget all about this. She's the Fire Lord's daughter… and I already dumped her. How could have I been such an idiot? Not only that she's pretty much one of the most important and powerful people ever, but… she's wonderful. I love her. I really do. I missed the chance to be together with such a beautiful girl. She still scared him. Even more so now. But, he had to admit it made her very interesting and unique from all the other girls he went out with. That was really great. A normal person would back away from trying to get involved in a relationship with the princess. But if anything love did, it was making people not normal at all. This could, and probably would, end very badly, but Chan was a ladies man. He wasn't going to give up on the princess. If anyone could charm her, it was him.

Chan entered the restaurant and scanned the large room. Ruon-Jian and the others were sitting at a table in the far right corner. As he reached them, Yuo, the joker of the group, smiled sarcastically at him and said, "You're early."

"Hello to you too," Chan said, also sarcastically. "Man, it's a mess in the city. The princess returned and everyone was looming on the streets. I could barely breathe between all those people. Not to mention all their screaming and applauding."

"Yeah, that's why we came here earlier," Rua, the most cheerful of them. She was a beautiful girl, but Chan only thought of her as a friend. He'd known her since they were five years old. "We already ordered for you," she continued and gestured toward a bowl with noodles and vegetables in front of the empty seat next to Tuya, the most talented and creative of the group. She was a great singer, but she was also interested in fashion.

"Thanks," Chan said as he sat down to eat. "Guys, I gotta tell you something," he said. All of them turned their attention toward him, curiosity covering their faces.

"Do you remember that girl I kissed at the Ember Island party last week?" Chan asked.

"Sure," Ruon-Jian asked, raising his eyebrows. "The one that destroyed your house with her friends and scared all of us outta there. Pretty hard to forget her. Didn't you say she creeped you out with her firebending and all that nonsense about ruling the word. How crazy is that? I heard a lot of weird stuff, but never anything like that."

"Well, you're right," Chan admitted, "but, I can't stop thinking about her. I really love her. Oh, and she's the Crown Princess. The Fire Lord's daughter. That's why she said all that stuff about dominating the planet." All of them were shocked and stared in surprise and disbelief. Yuo spit the food he was chewing on the floor.

"What?" he said. "Princess Azula? At our party? And you almost got together with her? And then dumped her? Wow, your an idiot, Chan. She's like the richest, most influential person in the world! If she had a boyfriend, man, that guy would become prince at some point and could have everything he wanted.

"I know, I know," Chan said. "But my family has a lot of money too and I have pretty much everything I want, or at least I did before dad almost threw me out after the house was ruined. The point is, her status is great, but that's not why I want to be with her. I love her and I'm starting to think that a girl who can scare me like she did is pretty cool."

"Chan, you're out of your mind," Ruon-Jian said bluntly. "I know you think you can get any girl you want," he glanced at Rua and Tuya, "no offense. Anyway, you can't be together with the princess. You're lucky she even noticed you, not to mention liking you and not killing you for leaving her. You broke her heart and she still let you live. Man, she must've really been in love with you and all you did was-"

"Ok, ok!" Chan cut him off, annoyed. "I know I screwed up, but maybe she still has feelings for me. I mean, letting me walk away with my head above my shoulders after that is a big deal."

"I agree with Ruon-Jian," Tuya said. "I'm sorry to say it, but it's a horrible idea and you're gonna end up dead."

"Forget her," Yuo said. "They're right. It's not gonna turn out well."

"I can't," Chan said frustrated. "What you're saying is true, but I just can't stop thinking about her. I have to try talking to her."

"She's going to kill you," Rua said."Come on, Chan, we're your friends. We wouldn't want anything like that to happen to you."

"I wouldn't want that either, but I can't help it. I need to go to her, apologise and tell her how I feel."

"I'm telling you again," Ruon-Jian replied, "if you go to her, you're dead. And what are you gonna do anyway? Call her name at the palace doors?"

"I don't know," Chan said. "Maybe."

The sun shone high in the cloudless morning sky. Zuko didn't sleep well at all. He couldn't forget what he did in Ba Sing Se to his uncle. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself uncle was a traitor, he couldn't escape his… his guilt. Uncle Iroh's face when he decided to join Azula always came before his eyes when he tried to sleep. And it wasn't an angry face-it was far worse. It was a sad, disappointed face. But that was in the past. He shouldn't let that ruin the present. It was a beautiful day and the best part was that he was going to see Mai today and spend some nice time with her. Azula and him would meet her and Ty Lee at Mai's house. She'd help him forget all these miserable feelings. Zuko hadn't seen Azula this morning. She was probably still sleeping, but they agreed with Mai and Ty Lee to meet them in half an hour. He didn't want to be late when he'd see his girlfriend. The prince was ready to go. He just needed to wake Azula up.

Zuko walked through a couple of corridors until he reached his sister's room. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside, realising he had been right. Azula was sleeping soundly. He walked to the side of her bed and looked at her face for a few seconds. Her expression was so calm and innocent. Zuko smiled at his sleeping sister. Even after all the things she'd done to him, he still loved her and cared about her. He felt a little sorry to wake her up, but he had to, so he tapped her gently on the shoulder and said softly, "Wake up, Azula. We have to go."

She half opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Good morning, Zuzu," she said with a muffled voice as she was rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning," he said. "How did you sleep?"

"Really good, though I could've done without you waking me up," Azula answered yawning. "I'll go get dressed and put some makeup on."

"I'll wait for you at the palace gates," he said and started toward the door.

As Zuko left her room, Azula slowly got up from her bed and stretched her back a little. The princess had slept deeply and was well rested, ready to start her day. She stretched her back a little and stepped toward the wardrobe, opening it and taking out a kimono. She put it on and tied her hair. Then, she got to the mirror, washed her face and put makeup on her eyelashes. She blinked twice, making sure it was perfect and headed out.

It wasn't a very long way to the gates, but it wasn't short either. She enjoyed taking a breath of fresh air as she entered the front yard and continued toward the palace entrance. The sun rays were bathing her face and hair. They were so warm and gentle. She closed her eyes for a moment and just stood there under the sun's caress. It was very pleasant and relaxing. After a few moments though, she started walking again.

At the gates, there were eight servants waiting and two palanquins. Zuko was already seated in his, so Azula entered hers and pulled the curtains.

Chan reached the Royal Palace's gates. He knew he wouldn't be allowed to talk to Azula, so he wrote her a letter. He'll ask a guard to give it to her. Normally, no soldier would agree, but Chan will use his father's name so a firebender would do him a favour. He'd also bought her a very expensive and exotic necklace. It was a remarkable example of wonderful craftsmanship. The gold it was made of matched her beautiful, bright eyes perfectly and the red jewels it was decorated with would fit perfectly with her red clothes. Well, everyone in the Fire Nation wore red clothing, but the point is the necklace would be perfect for Azula. Chan was aware that she had access to the most expensive necklaces and jewelry in the world, but the one he bought her wasn't pretty close to the top.

There were four Imperial Firebenders at the gates led by an officer. Chan could tell he was a lieutenant, because his chest and shoulder armour was black. Other officers in the Royal Procession had more or less black and gold on their armour, depending on their rank.

Chan took two more steps before the lieutenant came forward.

"That's close enough, citizen. Turn back now," he said holding his palm forward.

"Hello," Chan began. "I would like to-"

"I said turn back," the lieutenant cut him off, in a louder and menacing tone. He quickly took a fighting stance as did the soldiers behind him.

Chan swallowed hard. These men were frightening and deadly, but he wouldn't back away. At least not until he did everything he could.

"Please, I need your help. My dad's an admiral and-"

"That's great, kid, but I don't really care. Get him out of here," the lieutenant ordered and motioned toward his soldiers. Two of the man passed him by and grabbed Chan's arms tightly. They started walking away from the gate and dragging him after them.

"Please! I need you to give this letter and necklace to the princess!" Chan said. He was struggling to get free, but the firebenders' grip was to firm, even for a strong man like him. "Everyone wants to give gifts to the princess. Don't you people get it? The Royal Family doesn't have time for your nonsense," the lieutenant said mockingly. Chan was beginning to lose any hope of making it up to Azula when suddenly the palace gates opened. The lieutenant and the other two guards turned to see who was coming out and immediately bowed before two palanquins carried by servants.

Chan felt a rush of happiness as he thought that Azula was likely in one of the two palanquins. The curtains from both carriages were lifted and both passengers looked confused outside. He was glad to see one of the two to be Azula and surprised that the other was that guy he and Ruon-Jian kicked out of the house during the party. Azula did say he was her brother after all. Oh dear, I threw the Fire Prince out of my house… and he didn't kill me on the spot either. Man, these two are the members of the Royal Family and had been kind and I was a jerk to them. I acted horribly. Even if they got me into trouble. He started to think he should just be grateful he wasn't dead and leave, but no. This was his chance. He'd take it.

"What's going on here?" the prince asked, annoyed.

"Prince, princess," the lieutenant greeted them. Chan couldn't see the man's expression behind his helmet, but he sounded anxious. He had to smile at that. Now that rude idiot became a respectful servant. "My men are taking this stupid citizen a few streets away from the palace. Just another fan who wanted to speak with you, princess. Like you had time to waste on something like this."

"That's Chan from the party at Ember Island," Zuko told Azula, a note of contempt in his voice.

Azula stared at Chan in surprise. She couldn't believe it. She was surprised he was stupid and defiant enough to come to the palace and demand to see her. It was unacceptable. Azula felt a powerful rush of anger run through her. The princess was outraged by his insolence. How dare he come here? No people are allowed in the palace, especially him after what he did… He humiliated me! I… really felt something for him. It was the first time I ever fell in love. And he just left me, the princess of the Fire Nation and a perfect girl whom every men would yearn to be together with! How ungrateful could he be! He stained my image! I should've killed him then and there, but I let him walk away, because I still loved him for a short while. And now he has the guts to come here? This shouldn't go unpunished.

The guards were continuing to drag Cahn away.

"Princess Azula, please hear me out! I'm so sorry about what I did. I was an idiot. I love you and I came to ask for your forgiveness."

Those last words touched a sore point. The images of how he left her on, that balcony, alone, were replaying through her mind. She pretended to laugh at his stupid jokes as Ty Lee had told her. Then, she said his arms looked very strong and they kissed.

Azula was now staring at a random spot, her eyes very distant as she was deep in thought and unaware of what was happening around her anymore.

Chan told her she was pretty. No one had ever made her such an honest and selfless compliment. Her father complimented her often, but that was because she was the perfect daughter for him. It was the least he could do and he still said those things only as long as she met his expectations. She always will, but his praise wasn't coming from an unconditionally loving and caring parent. Mai and Ty Lee also complimented her, but as friends. It was very different from the words of a lover, who would appreciate her far more and in a special way.

She had been really happy to hear Chan say that. That sensation, plus the exhilarating idea of someone loving her and wanting to make a couple with her got her carried away and she said they'd rule the world together. Maybe it hadn't been the best thing to say, but she just couldn't control what she said, only thinking about how great she was feeling. However, it really had been the best thing someone could offer you and that fool just got scared by a few words and a little fire. Pathetic.

In a corner of her mind, Azula was aware that Zuko had just asked her a question, but she couldn't hear him as she kept following her line of thought.

Chan should've thanked her bowing. This made her really angry, but also sad. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but he'd broke her heart that night and she suffered. It didn't that the feeling only lasted for a short time. It had been horrible. Maybe worse than even having to see everyday that mom loved Zuko more…

"Azula?" Zuko asked. Suddenly, she woke up from her reverie and shook her head.

"What?" she replied confusedly.

"I asked you what you want done with him," he said, nodding toward Chan. "His here for you, so it's your decision."

"I made a wrong choice and I regret it," Chan continued. The guards had dragged him about ten metres from the gate already and he kept struggling to get free, even though it was useless. "I can't stop thinking about you. I was so ungrateful for the opportunity to spend time with you and thank you for not killing me. I'm so sorry! Please, give me a second chance!"

Azula shouldn't even think about it. She already moved on and he didn't deserve anything. The princess was still surprised he dared to come here in the first place. She should probably order the firebenders to kill him, or do it herself. Azula opened her mouth to give the order, but something stopped her from speaking. She saw Chan's expression. He was pretty far from her, but she could read him well enough. To her disbelief, there was only truth in his eyes. He was honest with what he was saying. He… really loved her. No, my mind is playing tricks on me. It's impossible. But maybe… this is what I want to see? It doesn't matter, he's lying. He can't be telling the truth. If he loved me he wouldn't have left me. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself Chan was lying, she couldn't. She wanted to believe he was just faking. She didn't want to get hurt again. He was just playing with her. Of course he wanted to be with her, she was the princess.

"You're lying! You're a filthy liar! Sure you love me. Anything to be the princess's boyfriend. You just care about my status," she was trying to be calm, but she couldn't hold back her surge of anger.

"No, I don't care about that. My family is reach. I have everything I want. Why would I need more? I want to be with you because of how you are-amazing-not who you are," Chan said.

"Don't you think you've done her enough harm?" Zuko cut in."You had your chance and you missed it. Leave and never come back here again!"

Azula didn't need Zuko to stand up for her, but… she liked it in a way. There was a chance that, even with all his flaws and weaknesses and with the fact that he was inferior to her, he still cared about her. Zuzu really loved her. I may be better than him at everything, but maybe he isn't that pathetic after all. Thinking back to the current situation, she had to admit Chan had a point. Although she'd be surprised if his parents still fed him after what she, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee did to his house-Azula had to smile at that memory-he had a point. His parents probably forgave him and he was just punished. This was just temporary and he'd get all the money and things he wants again in the near future. Azula didn't want to be hurt again and she couldn't believe her decision. It's stupid. It doesn't make any sense, but… I'll hear what this peasant has to say. Somewhere deep down, she knew she still loved him and wanted him to be honest, but she despised these feelings. Love makes you weak. I don't need it. I have my friends and that's enough. I could also do without them if I had to. Still, my heart keeps telling me to hear him out and I can't make it shut up… I just want this to be over with.

"Guards, release him," Azula said. The two men immediately let Chan go.

"Thank you," he said. "Again, I apologise-"

"Shut up already," she told him. Her eyes were closed and she put to fingers on her temple in a sign of tiredness.

"I guess I'll just leave you two alone," Zuko said. "I'll tell Mai and Ty Lee you're busy. The servants caring his palanquin started walking away from the palace. Azula exited hers amd motioned the servants caring it to go back inside.

"Come inside," she told Chan.

Chan followed Azula into a big, exoticly decorated room. He could see what looked like the most comfortable furniture in the world.

"I… I brought you these." He showed her the letter and the necklace. Before he could say another word, Azula grabbed Chan's collar and slammed him hard into the wall. He was shocked by her sudden movement and by her sheer strength. He worked out a lot and was very strong and also taller than her, yet she easily pushed him. This made her even more impressive. And scarier. She made a small flame from her palm and held it threateningly at Chan's neck, while keeping the other hand on his collar.

"You broke my heart! You humiliated me! You left me like I was just another one of those brainless girls you go on dates with! How dare you! And more than that, how dare you come to me after what you did? You're my and my father's servant like everyone else in this country. How insolent and arrogant could you be to even consider coming to our palace, lowly peasant?" she said. He noticed Azula's face was red with anger and she was frowning. She was right about him, though.

"I've been thinking about you everyday after the party. At first you creeped me out, but then I realised how cool your power and ambition make you. Never seen a girl like you before. I began to realise I was fool to leave you. I've been a jerk. I didn't appreciate the wonderful chance to be your boyfriend. I regret that decision more than anything I've done in my life. I know citizens aren't allowed to come to the palace, but I couldn't stand not being with you. I really began to miss you. Thank you and your brother for not ending me in a couple of flames after abandoning you and kicking him out of my house. I… I had no idea who you were."

"Oh, so if I'd told you I'm the Fire Lord's daughter you would have behaved differently? You're not doing a good job of making me forgive you," Azula told him sarcastically, bringing her hand with the flame closer to his face. Chan could feel it's heat and knew that it was a centimetre away from burnishing his face.

"What I'm trying to say is that knowing you were the princess would have helped me understand how fortunate I was to meet you. But you're not just the Crown Princess, wonderful for who you are. You're so beautiful and smart and I enjoyed spending time with you at the party. You're really interesting. You are a no-nonsense, strong and confident person and I'd like to get to know you better. I've already told you this, but I love you. From the bottom of my heart."

After hearing those words, Azula's frown was gone as her features relaxed. Instead, a wave of sadness covered her face. She extinguished the flame coming out of her hand and let him go.

"You're the first person I fell in love with. I wanted you to be my boyfriend and all you did was make me suffer. You don't deserve me. You're nothing." Azula folded her arms and looked away from him with an indifferent expression.

"I don't know what else I could say or how I could show you how sorry I am for letting you down. All I can say is, my life would be miserable without you and I'll never forgive myself for losing you. I'll feel regret and desperation for years to come, perhaps for ever. I'd live horribly and pitifully, even with another girlfriend. Azula, I need you," Chan said humbly. The princess still wasn't looking at him, but something in his voice, the sincerity or perhaps the humbleness, made her turn her head and look him in the eye. He really… needs me to be happy? If I don't forgive him, would that really brake him? Countless servants, soldiers and the rest of the population of the Fire Nation have humiliated themselves before me, because they were respectful and scared, but Chan is doing it out of love. True, selfless love. He may be a dullard, but he actually cares about me.

"No one told me things like these before. I've never heard something nicer, not even from my parents." She heard a hint of sorrow in her own voice after saying that. Her family life wasn't great at all, but this wasn't the time to think about that. "I say you deserve a second chance." Without thinking, she stepped closer to Chan and noticed he was doing the same. Their gazes were locked. He put his arms around her and their lips touched in a sweet, gentle kiss. They parted after almost a minute.

"I'm the most fortunate man in the world," he said, smiling.

"Yeah, you are," Azula said, smiling back at him.

"I wanted to give you this letter, but I guess it's not the case anymore. Also, I bought you this necklace. It's one of the most expensive ones on the market. I figured I'd either give you this or a bouquet of fire lilies. I decided the necklace is a more convincing apology gift," Chan told the princess, handing her the necklace. She took it and looked at it.

"Well, I've seen better, but it's not bad. Not at all." She chuckled as she put on the necklace. "Thanks."

"It fits you perfectly," Chan said. "You look great," he passed. "I know you were supposed to meet with your friends and that this is all out of a sudden, but would you like to go with me to Ember Island? It's pretty far, but we can be back tomorrow."

"Mai, Ty Lee and my brother can wait. I'll spare a day to go with you to Ember Island."

The weather was perfect on Ember Island during that afternoon. It was very sunny and the sky was as blue as the ocean ahead.

Azula and Chan were sitting on two mattresses, staring at the wonderful scenery before them. He put his right arm around her shoulders. They stayed there silently for a long time. There was no need for words. They just enjoyed the time spent together. After a while, Azula started to speak.

"You know, I didn't get much love as a kid. Mom loved my brother more and while I was, and still am, my dad's favourite, he rarely gave me any attention." She hesitated. "He expects so much of me and while I'm more than up to the challenge, sometimes it's hard to just catch my breath. I'm just happy I found someone who does show me he loves and cares about me."

"I do care about you," he began, "but it must be frustrating to live like that. Don't you have moments when you just break down under all that stress? You're really though if you can stand it."

"I deal very well with it, actually. I got used to, I guess."

"Well, you have me now and I don't expect anything from you. I love you just like that."

"I love you too," Azula said. She really did and she was glad she gave him the opportunity to make up for his mistake.

Chan noticed she seemed a little upset.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine," the princess replied. "It's just… maybe I am a little stressed." Azula found it pretty hard to talk about her feelings. For years she'd been used to keeping everything to herself. There were things she didn't even discuss with Mai and Ty Lee. However, Chan was encouraging her to talk about what was on her mind and she admitted it could do her good. There's no harm in trying. "All my life I've been struggling to be the best, to be perfect. I know I sound like an old woman, but I think I'm a little tired."

"That's fine," Chan said. He got up from the mattress and sat down behind Azula, putting his hands on her shoulders. "We're here to relax. You are pretty tensed. Do you think some massage could help?"

"It's worth a try," she told him as she lay down on the mattress.

"Try to relax and think about our surroundings, like the ocean, the sun, the birds' songs."

As Chan placed his hands on her back, Azula felt his kind and gentle touch. She hadn't experienced anything like that before, but it was very pleasant. As Chan was massaging her back, she concentrated at everything around her: the bright sun, the feeling of it's warm rays on her skin, the pure blue sky at which she could stare for hours and the slow, wide movements of the waves. Azula liked the smell of the ocean as well. It was an unusual odour, the scent of the salt making it special and enjoyable. The princess could hear the birds singing around them. They made beautiful sounds as peaceful as the splashing of the waves against the shore. It was really relaxing to hear this and Chan's massage was also helping a lot. Azula felt so good, she forgot about everything else besides his touch and what she was hearing. She felt very calm and relaxed.

After a while it became hard to focus. The princess was starting to lose awareness of what was around her and soon, she couldn't keep her eyelids open anymore. Azula felt her eyes close as she fell asleep.

Azula's skin was so soft and Chan felt a sudden rise of temperature minutes ago when he started massaging her and he was still feeling it now. He began sweating as well. He was aware that, while it was very warm outside, he was feeling like this because he enjoyed touching her very much.

"Do you feel better?" Chan asked her. She didn't say anything. "Azula?" he said again, putting his hand on her left shoulder and giving her a nudge. She still didn't say anything. He looked at her face and noticed that her eyes were closed and she was sleeping peacefully. Wow. That means she really liked my massage. She was so relaxed that she fell asleep.

Chan turned Azula with her back on the mattress and put his arms around her, the princess's head resting on his right shoulder. He looked at her beautiful face with soft features and caressed her on the top of her head. I'm the luckiest man in the world. I have the best girlfriend ever, he thought joyfully. He just sat there, his girlfriend in his arms as he stared at the ocean. He didn't need anything else. He felt great with Azula and spending time her was all he wanted.

After sometime, an hour or two, Chan had no idea, the princess opened her eyes. She seemed a little confused.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Yeah. You looked so calm and peaceful. This means you felt good and that my massage was good as well."

Azula chuckled at that joke. Far better than the sand jokes she thought.

They kissed again, passionately, for minutes as the sun was beginning to set and they both felt it's last rays on their cheeks.

Azula was standing in the living room of Mai's house with her, Zuko and Ty Lee. She was thinking how great she felt yesterday with Chan and she was looking forward for the next time.

"So, how did it go with Chan?" Mai asked.

"It was good," Azula said, trying to sound neutral. She didn't want to show other people her side that loved Chan. It was only for him and it would make her weak. Even in front of her friends and brother.

"I'm actually surprised you gave him a second chance," Mai continued. "I wouldn't."

"Well, he proved me his feelings are true, even if he made a wrong step at first."

"It's good you found someone you like," Zuko said as he put his hand around Mai's shoulders. They smiled at each other.

Normally, Azula would find that gross and wouldn't hold back from telling them just that, but being together with Chan changed her perspective on showing affection to another person.

"You must like him a lot," Ty Lee told Azula, smiling.

"He's, uh, not bad. I guess he's kind of handsome," she was speaking fast with uncertain words, not knowing what to say and stuttering. She looked away as she felt her heart beating very fast and her face warm. She knew she was blushing. Azula was always sure of herself and always spoke clearly, never stuttering. The princess was even a little shy now. All these scared her. I'm not like this. I'm strong and confident. Always. She was annoyed with herself. But with these pathetic reactions came the wonderful feeling of having a loving boyfriend. It's funny how love makes me timid and confused. Chan is the only one who should see me like this. I have to control my emotions around others.

"Azula, you're blushing," Ty Lee said, chuckling

"I'm not!" Azula replied, raising her voice and frowning.

"Just relax, it's nothing to be ashamed. Love is amazing."

"Shut up! I'm not blushing!" the princess yelled.

Ty Lee suddenly became sad and hurt that her friend shouted at her.

That's what she deserves for mocking me. She should be thankful I didn't throw flames at her.

"Azula, calm down," Zuko told her. "She didn't do anything wrong."

The princess gritted her teeth.

"I'm sure you'd be just as neutral if I picked on you for spending time with Mai," she said.

Zuko frowned but didn't say anything. He didn't want to escalate the fight, though he would reply to her if she continued. The best thing to do was to just let Azula say what she had to say and then they'd all get over this.

"Let's forget this," Ty Lee said.

After a few seconds, Azula felt her anger dissipate. I guess I've just proved how I feel about Chan by yelling.

"Just don't ask me private stuff again," she said.

"I won't. I promise," Ty Lee said, her smile reappearing on her face.

#Azula Week 2020 #romance #azulaweek2020 #Day1 #Fanfiction