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#// hell i'm sure they probably went together down there a lot to help the common folks between part 1 and part 3-6
nifolution · 2 years
Text
Letters 3
Pairing: Steve Rogers & Reader, Steve Rogers & Peggy Carter
Summary: Steve is living his perfect life with Peggy after the war. What will happen when he runs into the woman that broke his heart during it?
Warnings: Heartbreak, Angst, Manipulation, lies, threats, arguments, mentions of conception, allusion of smut
A/N: This is a revised copy of my oc fic. It is still written in 3rd person. Steve was rescued from the Valkyrie crash. He became a world hero and came back home with Peggy to start his life. No stealing, no reposts, no translations, no feeding to AIs. Comments, reblogs and likes are always welcome and appreciated.
Chapter 2 Series Masterlist     Main Masterlist
Chapter 3
Steve didn’t dare return to Y/N’s apartment, but he continued seeing her at the Sunrise. Her anger didn’t last, although he had to suffer through cold eggs a few times. Regardless of his food’s temperature, he left large tips. If she wouldn’t take it, he’d slip the money into her apron when she wasn’t looking. Sometimes she would try to sneakily return the cash, which only resulted in him leaving her an even bigger amount. 
Learning she was working late again, Steve decided to show up as the cafe was closing so he could make sure she got home okay. He watched her and another waitress tidy up the dining area. When the other woman left, Y/N stayed behind. Curious, he slipped in, careful not to ruin the wet floor. Steve walked into the back, and spotted her at the sink, washing dishes. 
Y/N looked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps, rolling her eyes when she saw him. “You're not supposed to be back here.” 
He offered a half smile at her attitude, “Where's the dishwasher?” 
“Jerry went home early for his wife’s birthday. I'm filling in.”
Thinking better of it, he withheld a lecture about working late by herself and not locking the front door. Instead, he removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and began to help wash the large pile of dishes. She didn’t argue, meaning she was dog-tired. Steve was glad he could be here for her, keep her safe and get her home quicker. He smirked as she scratched her nose, leaving a streak of tiny bubbles on her face. Some things never change.
Y/N froze as Steve reached over to wipe the foamy trail off her, his feather light touch causing goosebumps down her body, like so many times in the past. She closed her eyes and pinched her lips together, pushing the feeling away. Blinking, she passed him the next glass, “If only the newspapers could see their Captain America now, washing dishes like us common folk."
“I used to help you all the time.”
“Yeah, but that was the old Steve. The new you probably gets waited on hand and foot.”
“Eh, not exactly,” Steve disagreed. “Peggy has an important job that keeps her away from home a lot. So most of the cooking and cleaning is left to me.” There was too much truth there, so many hours he spent alone trying to find something to do with himself. He did his best to keep the house in tip top shape, ready for company at a moment's notice, the way Peggy liked it. “Don't let that bit of classified information get around. I have an image to uphold,” he half joked. Steve watched Y/N from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction. Her eyebrows furrowed, he couldn’t tell what was going on inside her head. 
“You never used to care what others thought, only what was right.” She turned to him, concerned. Had he really changed that much. 
He shrugged, “Things are different; I have duties, people need me. The pressure to be Captain America is there the moment I step out my front door. There's interviews, military events, upcoming recruiting tours,” his jaw hardened. “It's not enough that a war just ended, they want to prepare for the next one… autograph signings… laundromat openings.” Steve unsuccessfully tried to laugh it off. “Hell you witnessed it, I can’t even order coffee without someone shaking my hand or wanting me to sign something.”
Y/N didn't see the humor in it. “When do you get to just be Steve?”
How was he supposed to answer that? “That’s a good question.” Steve tried to find the right response. He exhaled, sounding defeated and bitter, “Not often enough… Who’s Steve anyway? There's only room for Captain America, I have to play the part.” His fists clenched under the soapy water. “After everything I'm back to being a dancing monkey. Only in a better uniform.”
A mischievous smile grew on her face, “I kinda liked the tights.” She laughed when he countered by flicking water at her. The rest of the job was completed in comfortable silence. 
The air outside was considerably colder when they left the cafe. Due to the late hour, Steve offered her a ride. It wasn’t safe for her to travel alone. Y/N refused, it was only a few blocks and not the first time she had to walk at this time of night. It quickly became apparent that he was not taking no for an answer, so she compromised, he would walk her home. 
He saw Y/N shove her shivering hands deep in her pockets, trying to keep the chill off them. She had forgotten her gloves. Steve took her hands, but she pulled away. “You don’t have to be so difficult all the time.” He once more covered her cold hands with his, brought them up to his lips and blew to warm them.
Y/N had thought there was no love left in her. Not for him nor anyone else. And yet the more he came around, the more she doubted. Feeling his familiar hot breath ghosting over her skin, she met his eyes and choked back a sob. She was fooling herself, she still loved him terribly.  
As he escorted her, a group of men passed by. Steve put his arm around her protectively. He'd always been the strongest man she ever knew. His new muscles did not make a lick of difference in his behavior. Y/N allowed it for only a minute before shaking him off. It hurt too much to have him hold her so close. 
Steve sighed at the rejection. “Do you remember when we met?” He smiled when she nodded. “I was about twelve years old and saw you being hassled by some boys. Honestly you were holding your own before I showed up, but I had to help. Couldn't walk away. They beat me up and stole my shoes before backing off.” He never regretted intervening, it was the right thing to do. 
“And then you, ever the gentleman, walked me home. I felt so bad you were roughed up. I couldn't afford to buy you new shoes, so I made you new socks, seeing as how yours were ruined from taking me home. I should have made you two.” 
“Hey, those socks kept me warm for a long time.” They became his favorite piece of clothing. He was completely taken with the girl with messy hair and fire in her eyes. The one who looked at him differently. His mom encouraged him for years to ask her out, but he kept finding excuses not to. He wished she was around to see him get the girl he pined after for so long. He wished she was there to help him through his first real heartbreak at Y/N’s hands. 
She moved in closer, soaking up the heat emanating from him. “You were my hero, you deserved more.”
“I was no hero back then. Just a dumb kid, stunted and pathetic. No one saw me.” 
“I did… So did Bucky and your mom.” It baffled her that he thought that way. Did he not feel loved by them? He was such a wonderful person, he had to know how cherished he was. 
Steve scoffed, “Well they’re gone now. And you and I…” He looked away, “Well that didn't work out, did it.” Shit, he was getting hot under the collar. Breathing deeply he continued forward, trying to calm down.
No other words were spoken until they reached her apartment building. A question Y/N had wanted to ask him since his reappearance, “What happened over there, with Bucky? His sister refused to believe he was really gone because there wasn’t a body. His family buried an empty coffin.” She stopped before ‘and you weren't there’ left her mouth.
His face hardened, "He fell…” Steve’s voice became monotone, “I was ordered not to attempt recovery. It would have been a waste of manpower for a single soldier." Peggy convinced him it was a pointless waste of time and resources. That crying over the loss was an insult to his friend's memory. He doesn’t say that watching Bucky fall away from him, terrified and screaming, was the worst moment of his life. He won’t tell her how much he wished it was him instead.
Y/N couldn’t believe her ears. “That's not like you at all. It's not just a soldier, it's Bucky. He deserved to come home, have a proper burial. At least to give his family some closure. How could they just decide he wasnt worth finding?” 
Steve stepped away from her, squaring his shoulders. She meant how could he decide that. “You wouldn't understand, you weren't there. It's my fault he's dead, is that what you want to hear? I put him there, I put him in danger and I couldn't protect him.” His anger morphed into sorrow as he spoke. His voice sounded tiny and broken, “I couldn't reach him. I couldn’t… All this strength and I couldn't hold onto him. You don't think I wanted to go back…. I didn’t want to leave him there.” 
Her eyes were glassy as she reached out for him, trying to provide comfort. “Steve, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wasn't accusing you of anything, I swear. I know how much Bucky meant to you. I know you would have brought him home if you could. I’m sorry, I'm so sorry.” She rubbed his arm, waiting for a sign it was alright to hug him. Y/N regretted bringing it up, she had no idea that’s what happened and seeing Steve this distressed was like a stab to her own heart. “If you want to come upstairs and talk, I promise I'll listen? 
He sniffed and took another step away. “Don't make me any promises. We both know you wont keep them.”
Y/N’s empathy vanished in a flash. “I wont keep them? You’re one to talk. What about your promises to me? Our life after the war. You lied, you didn’t come back to me, you came back with her.” She sneered at him, shaking her head in disgust. “What a dream you're living now. Married to the love of your life, America's couple, your faces gracing every newspaper. The absolute best woman by your side so you don't have to be embarrassed by me. As you said, Captain America deserves the best and that's never going to be me.”
“Don't put words in my mouth.”
“I'm not, that was exactly what you wrote in your letter. Go back to your perfect wife and your perfect home and your perfect stinkin’ life and leave me alone! Stop torturing me by acting like you still care. I can't be around you without feeling like my heart is being crushed inside my chest. I don't need to be rescued. I don't need Captain America. JUST LEAVE!”
Steve had his own venom to spit, “If this is how you acted with Frederick, I can understand why he broke it off with you.”
She threw her hands up, “What are you even saying? I don't know anyone by that name. There's never been anyone but you. You must be thinking of one of your other girlfriends. Who knows how many you had while away.”
“Please, you know I'm not like that. There was only you until Peggy.”
Y/N nodded, eyebrows raised, “Yeah… Peggy. Always Peggy. Goodnight, Captain.” She turned and entered the building, not sparing him a second glance.
Steve could tell something was wrong. Their stories were not matching. He wanted to follow her and sort it out, but decided against it. Too hurt and angry to have the conversation they desperately needed. They couldn’t hear each other through their grief. Both mourning the loss of Bucky and the loss of each other. Of the could have beens and the should have beens. Of the life they were meant to have together. The life he now shared with someone else.
Chapter 4
A/N: Originally there were 2 letters in every chapter of this fic. However, I decided to ditch the romantic letters in the middle and keep only the letters in the first and last chapters. I think their once sweet and caring relationship is easy enough to imagine without having to read their love letters.
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niffala · 2 years
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Letters (Pt. 3)
Warnings: heartbreak, angst, arguments
A/N: Reader insert version found here. No stealing, no reposts, no translations, no feeding to AIs. Comments, reblogs and likes are always welcome and appreciated. 
Chapter 2 Series Masterlist Main Masterlist
Chapter 3
Steve didn’t dare return to Anne’s apartment, but he continued seeing her at the Sunrise. Her anger didn’t last, although he had to suffer through cold eggs a few times. Regardless of his food’s temperature, he left large tips. If she wouldn’t take it, he’d slip the money into her apron when she wasn’t looking. Sometimes she would try to sneakily return the cash, which only resulted in him leaving her an even bigger amount. 
Learning she was working late again, Steve decided to show up as the cafe was closing so he could make sure she got home okay. He watched her and another waitress tidy up the dining area. When the other woman left, Anne stayed behind. Curious, he slipped in, careful not to ruin the wet floor. Steve walked into the back, and spotted her at the sink, washing dishes. 
Anne looked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps, rolling her eyes when she saw him. “You're not supposed to be back here.” 
He offered a half smile at her attitude, “Where's the dishwasher?” 
“Jerry went home early for his wife’s birthday. I'm filling in.”
Thinking better of it, he withheld a lecture about working late by herself and not locking the front door. Instead, he removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and began to help wash the large pile of dishes. She didn’t argue, meaning she was dog-tired. Steve was glad he could be here for her, keep her safe and get her home quicker. He smirked each time she blew stray hair out of her face. Some things never change.
Anne froze as Steve reached over to tuck the offending strand behind her ear, his feather light touch causing goosebumps down her body, like so many times in the past. She closed her eyes and pinched her lips together, pushing the feeling away. Blinking, she passed him the next glass, “If only the newspapers could see their Captain America now, washing dishes like us common folk."
“I used to help you all the time.”
“Yeah, but that was the old Steve. The new you probably gets waited on hand and foot.”
“Eh, not exactly,” Steve disagreed. “Peggy has an important job that keeps her away from home a lot. So most of the cooking and cleaning is left to me.” There was too much truth there, so many hours he spent alone trying to find something to do with himself. He did his best to keep the house in tip top shape, ready for company at a moment's notice, the way Peggy liked it. “Don't let that bit of classified information get around. I have an image to uphold,” he half joked. Steve watched Anne from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction. Her eyebrows furrowed, he couldn’t tell what was going on inside her head. 
“You never used to care what others thought, only what was right.” She turned to him, concerned. Had he really changed that much. 
He shrugged, “Things are different; I have duties, people need me. The pressure to be Captain America is there the moment I step out my front door. There's interviews, military events, upcoming recruiting tours,” his jaw hardened. “It's not enough that a war just ended, they want to prepare for the next one… autograph signings… laundromat openings.” Steve unsuccessfully tried to laugh it off. “Hell you witnessed it, I can’t even order coffee without someone shaking my hand or wanting me to sign something.”
Anne didn't see the humor in it. “When do you get to just be Steve?”
How was he supposed to answer that? “That’s a good question.” Steve tried to find the right response. He exhaled, sounding defeated and bitter, “Not often enough… Who’s Steve anyway? There's only room for Captain America, I have to play the part.” His fists clenched under the soapy water. “After everything I'm back to being a dancing monkey. Only in a better uniform.”
A mischievous smile grew on her face, “I kinda liked the tights.” She laughed when he countered by flicking water at her. The rest of the job was completed in comfortable silence. 
The air outside was considerably colder when they left the cafe. Due to the late hour, Steve offered her a ride. It wasn’t safe for her to travel alone. Anne refused, it was only a few blocks and not the first time she had to walk at this time of night. It quickly became apparent that he was not taking no for an answer, so she compromised, he would walk her home. 
He saw Anne shove her shivering hands deep in her pockets, trying to keep the chill off them. She had forgotten her gloves. Steve took her hands, but she pulled away. “You don’t have to be so difficult all the time.” He once more covered her cold hands with his, brought them up to his lips and blew to warm them.
Anne had thought there was no love left in her. Not for him nor anyone else. And yet the more he came around, the more she doubted. Feeling his familiar hot breath ghosting over her skin, she met his eyes and choked back a sob. She was fooling herself, she still loved him terribly.  
As he escorted her, a group of men passed by. Steve put his arm around her protectively. He'd always been the strongest man she ever knew. His new muscles did not make a lick of difference in his behavior. Anne allowed it for only a minute before shaking him off. It hurt too much to have him hold her so close. 
Steve sighed at the rejection. “Do you remember when we met?” He smiled when she nodded. “I was about twelve years old and saw you being hassled by some boys. Honestly you were holding your own before I showed up, but I had to help. Couldn't walk away. They beat me up and stole my shoes before backing off.” He never regretted intervening, it was the right thing to do. 
“And then you, ever the gentleman, walked me home. I felt so bad you were roughed up. I couldn't afford to buy you new shoes, so I made you new socks, seeing as how yours were ruined from taking me home. I should have made you two.” 
“Hey, those socks kept me warm for a long time.” They became his favorite piece of clothing. He was completely taken with the girl with messy hair and fire in her eyes. The one who looked at him differently. His mom encouraged him for years to ask her out, but he kept finding excuses not to. He wished she was around to see him get the girl he pined after for so long. He wished she was there to help him through his first real heartbreak at Anne’s hands. 
She moved in closer, soaking up the heat emanating from him. “You were my hero, you deserved more.”
“I was no hero back then. Just a dumb kid, stunted and pathetic. No one saw me.” 
“I did… So did Bucky and your mom.” It baffled her that he thought that way. Did he not feel loved by them? He was such a wonderful person, he had to know how cherished he was. 
Steve scoffed, “Well they’re gone now. And you and I…” He looked away, “Well that didn't work out, did it.” Shit, he was getting hot under the collar. Breathing deeply he continued forward, trying to calm down.
No other words were spoken until they reached her apartment building. A question Anne had wanted to ask him since his reappearance, “What happened over there, with Bucky? His sister refused to believe he was really gone because there wasn’t a body. His family buried an empty coffin.” She stopped before ‘and you weren't there’ left her mouth.
His face hardened, "He fell…” Steve’s voice became monotone, “I was ordered not to attempt recovery. It would have been a waste of manpower for a single soldier." Peggy convinced him it was a pointless waste of time and resources. That crying over the loss was an insult to his friend's memory. He doesn’t say that watching Bucky fall away from him, terrified and screaming, was the worst moment of his life. He won’t tell her how much he wished it was him instead.
Anne couldn’t believe her ears. “That's not like you at all. It's not just a soldier, it's Bucky. He deserved to come home, have a proper burial. At least to give his family some closure. How could they just decide he wasnt worth finding?” 
Steve stepped away from her, squaring his shoulders. She meant how could he decide that. “You wouldn't understand, you weren't there. It's my fault he's dead, is that what you want to hear? I put him there, I put him in danger and I couldn't protect him.” His anger morphed into sorrow as he spoke. His voice sounded tiny and broken, “I couldn't reach him. I couldn’t… All this strength and I couldn't hold onto him. You don't think I wanted to go back…. I didn’t want to leave him there.” 
Her eyes were glassy as she reached out for him, trying to provide comfort. “Steve, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wasn't accusing you of anything, I swear. I know how much Bucky meant to you. I know you would have brought him home if you could. I’m sorry, I'm so sorry.” She rubbed his arm, waiting for a sign it was alright to hug him. Anne regretted bringing it up, she had no idea that’s what happened and seeing Steve this distressed was like a stab to her own heart. “If you want to come upstairs and talk, I promise I'll listen? 
He sniffed and took another step away. “Don't make me any promises. We both know you wont keep them.”
Anne’s empathy vanished in a flash. “I wont keep them? You’re one to talk. What about your promises to me? Our life after the war. You lied, you didn’t come back to me, you came back with her.” She sneered at him, shaking her head in disgust. “What a dream you're living now. Married to the love of your life, America's couple, your faces gracing every newspaper. The absolute best woman by your side so you don't have to be embarrassed by me. As you said, Captain America deserves the best and that's never going to be me.”
“Don't put words in my mouth.”
“I'm not, that was exactly what you wrote in your letter. Go back to your perfect wife and your perfect home and your perfect stinkin’ life and leave me alone! Stop torturing me by acting like you still care. I can't be around you without feeling like my heart is being crushed inside my chest. I don't need to be rescued. I don't need Captain America. JUST LEAVE!”
Steve had his own venom to spit, “If this is how you acted with Frederick, I can understand why he broke it off with you.”
She threw her hands up, “What are you even saying? I don't know anyone by that name. There's never been anyone but you. You must be thinking of one of your other girlfriends. Who knows how many you had while away.”
“Please, you know I'm not like that. There was only you until Peggy.”
Anne nodded, eyebrows raised, “Yeah… Peggy. Always Peggy. Goodnight, Captain.” She turned and entered the building, not sparing him a second glance.
Steve could tell something was wrong. Their stories were not matching. He wanted to follow her and sort it out, but decided against it. Too hurt and angry to have the conversation they desperately needed. They couldn’t hear each other through their grief. Both mourning the loss of Bucky and the loss of each other. Of the could have beens and the should have beens. Of the life they were meant to have together. The life he now shared with someone else.
Chapter 4
A/N: Originally there were 2 letters in every chapter of this fic. However, I decided to ditch the romantic letters in the middle and keep only the letters in the first and last chapters. I think their once sweet and caring relationship is easy enough to imagine without having to read their love letters.
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mautlie · 3 years
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hehe edward brainrot (: so i’m ramblin!! it got a lot longer than i expected and it’s a bit of a mess, but to spare u all, it’s under the cut! 
one of my favorite base convos in fe10 is this one from chapter 3-13. i won’t be bringing up the full convo, but i think this section really speaks out on one of my favorite things about edward as a character. when he’s introduced, he’s gives off the impression that he’s your standard fe myrmidon type who is reckless, loves to fight, and he’s living every day to fight. but this conversation proves that vibe wrong entirely.
Leonardo: Say, Edward. We’ve been fighting really hard for quite a while now, haven’t we? Edward: Yeah, I guess so. The war of emancipation, the war against the Laguz Alliance, and now against the apostle’s army. One after another, just like that. Leonardo: The world can’t always be like this. These wars seem so pointless. All I want is to be able to live in Daein, peacefully and in freedom. Edward: Yeah. The military is a pretty strange place. Hey, I have an idea! Once this battle is over, I’ll quit the army and go home. Leonardo: What about Micaiah and the others? Are you going to abandon them? Edward: What? No way! I’ll just have to talk them into leaving with me! And if that catches on, all the soldiers will leave, and then there can’t be a war. And then Daein will have peace again! Leonardo: You know, I don’t think it’s that simple. But your plan sounds good to me, Edward. Edward: See? You know it’s smart. First, you and I will leave. Together, we can tackle any obstacle!
( Chapter 3-13 Base Conversation: Veterans )
edward has absolutely no qualms about leaving the army. he doesn’t like war, he doesn’t like fighting, and he only fights in daein’s military because he wants to help out the people he cares about. he helped form the dawn brigade because he was upset at the begnion occupation force and his end goal is and always has been to bring peace. he wants to see the people he loves enjoying their lives, and while he knew force was necessary against the begnion occupation forces, the war between the laguz alliance and begnion’s army feels like it has an alternative route to it.
after all, in this conflict, daein has no stake in it — at least, from edward’s point of view as someone who’s being left in the dark about daein’s political situation. if daein isn’t actually gaining anything from this fight, then it’s better to just figure out a way to demilitarize the country. 
we see time and time again in the game that edward cares the world for micaiah. from the beginning, we see edward blindly follow micaiah simply because he trusts her to always be right:
Edward: Oh, man… Where is this prince, anyway? I wanna go home to Nevassa. Leonardo: A long-lost prince of Daein? Who even knows if he really exists… Edward: Of course he does! Leonardo: How do you know? Do you have any proof? Edward: Simple. Micaiah told us we should look for the prince. So, it’s gotta be true! 
( Chapter 1-5 Base Conversation: Dawn Brigade )
it’s hardly any concrete proof, but he’s says it with such confidence. we also even see a little inkling in that extremely early game convo of how edward longs to be home where his fellow townsfolk are, when he nonchalantly expresses how he wishes to go back to nevassa, the closest thing he has to a hometown. and then later when micaiah is giving him caladbolg, we see this exchange:
Micaiah: Um… Listen, Edward, this war… Daein really shouldn’t be… Edward: Huh? Shouldn’t be what? Micaiah: Oh, never mind. It’s nothing. Forget I said anything. Edward: OK, sure. Um, Micaiah? Look, I don’t know anything about kings, or nobles, or anything else like that. But you’re fighting because you believe it’s what’s best for Daein, right? And, well, that’s good enough for me. I’m with you, no matter what. Micaiah: Oh, Edward…
( Chapter 3-6 Base Conversation: Edward )
and in the 3-13 convo, leonardo explicitly calls to attention how edward would be leaving behind micaiah, and edward is quick to state that he would never. yet, despite the depth of his loyalty to micaiah, edward’s ending is this:
Blade of Justice – Edward
Edward lived as a common townsman, despite the queen’s wishes. He would often visit the keep to bring good news.
the queen in this instance is micaiah. despite micaiah asking edward to stay behind in daein’s court, edward refuses so he can return to being a common townsman. micaiah is one of the only people who could ever sway him, yet he rejects her wish for him to remain with her in the palace, showcasing how much edward’s desire was never to fight. even when leonardo, edward’s best friend, remains in the military post-game, edward knows that’s not the place that will make him happy and that their goals are different now.
edward, at heart, is not a fighter. he doesn’t wish to be a soldier nor even a mercenary and would happily give up the way of the blade. he doesn’t give it up because someone else wants him to, but because he’s following his own heart, and i love him so, so much. 
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Text
Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader.
Warnings: Being tired and some fluff
Summary: Since Peter has been busy with his Superhero extracurricular activities, he's behind on homework and has to stay up late to finish it. He's also tried as hell. Y/N offers to help.
_____
Requests are open
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Your boyfriend was looking tired as ever and you knew that couldn't be healthy. Not this many days in a row. You were getting worried.
"Babe," you questioned, going to hold his hand. He turned to look at you and held your hand tightly. "Yeah?"
"Have you been sleeping okay? You look tired." You explained, stepping closer to run one hand down his face, caressing his cheek. Close up, the dark marks under his eyes were evident.
He sighed. "Probably not as well as I could be." He admitted. You gave him a sympathetic look and kissed his nose.
"Come over to my place tonight, get an early night." You offered. He shook his head. "I would love to Y/N, really, but I have so much work to catch up on."
You knew that Mr. Stark was a business man, but you didn't expect him to run your partner into the ground with so much stuff he couldn't sleep properly and missed school work.
You two went off to class, you taking extra notes for Peter and making sure all the work you had was up to date. You couldn't let the poor guy swim in that sea of crap alone. You had to help. He was your boyfriend, your partner, you were in this together.
At lunch he fell asleep on his arms, so you took care of his things, packing up his bags, getting extra books from his locker and slipping in the notes you made from class. Being a fast writer, it wasn't a trouble for you. You left Ned to watch over him as you did all of this.
You let. him to sleep a little while longer before waking him to go to class. Only a few more lessons and he could take an afternoon nap.
"Babe, I'm fine, really." He insisted as you two made your way up to Chemistry.
"I would beg to differ." Ned chimed in. "You're a mess man, let your girlfriend help you out a little." He clapped Peter on the back. "You can miss one day." He said, and the way he spoke those last words made you feel like there was something else behind them that you couldn't quiet understand just yet.
You took the train home with Peter, just to make sure he didn't fall asleep on the train and miss going home because that would truly ruin everything.
"Common Babe, up to my place, lets go." You pulled him off the train and towards tour apartment building which was a couple blocks from his. "Y/N, I really need to catch up with work and-" you cut him off. "That's exactly why I'm dragging you to my place Pete. I know you sleep better when I'm around, you can't deny that." He's cheeks flushed slightly but he didn't object.
"Good. You're going to take a nap while I set out a small plan for the work you need to catch up. It's a lot but if I stay up with you tonight we can get it all done."
Peter looked at you with soft eyes and a gentle smile. "What on earth did I do to deserve someone like you." He muttered. You pulled him up to your place. "Not too sure, but you have some sleeping to catch up on my dear." As soon as you got into the apartment, you handed him a sandwich your Mom had made and sent him to sleep on your bed, he knew better than to complain so he thanked you and your mom, before removing his shoes and jacket to climb into bed. He finished the sandwich with a Fury, seeing as he didn't have lunch earlier and within a few minutes, he was out like a light. You kissed his temple lovingly and collected his bag, going to work in the dining room so as to not disturb him.
"Why is your boyfriend sleeping at three in the afternoon?" Your Mom asked, coming to stand behind you, placing a hand in your shoulder. "He's not sleeping well at the moment and has a lot of work to catch up on. I'm just helping him." You shrug.
"And your work?" Your mom prodded.
"I finished it in class so I could help out Peter." She nodded and kissed the top of your head. "Okay dear, don't sleep too late. I love you." You answered back and got to setting up a schedule. If you guys started with Maths, Science and Biology, you could end with Spanish, English and whatever else he missed later. Getting the easiest things out of the way first would be best.
With a plan in place, you got yourself some food, set out out the work books and your notes before removing your shoes to climb in bed with Peter.
A little afternoon nap with your boyfriend couldn't hurt. You made sure to check that Peter had told his aunt about him staying here and sure enough, he had forgotten, so you text May on his phone, explaining the situation and she sent back a heart, thanking you. Everything ready for later, you climbed in bed, Peter in his sleepy state immediately moved over and pulled you into his chest burying his face in your neck, breathing softly. You set an alarm on your phone for eight pm and happily fell asleep.
When the alarm went off, you stretched and got out of bed, Peter was waking up beside you and he smiled.
"I think that's the best I've slept in ages." You grinned back at him.
"I'm glad my love, but we have to get to work. We have roughly four hours get all your work done and then get back to sleep for school tomorrow." He nodded and followed you into the dining room. Your mom was in the living room reading, so you sat him down and explained the plan. "Whoa, okay. Thank you so much Y/N, I really appreciate it." He said. You nodded and sat beside him. You shared a quick kiss before getting started.
Peter grasped concepts really easily and that made going through each subject a much smoother task than anticipated. By the time your mom was in bed, you guys just had two subjects left to finish.
"Work on that, I'm going to get us a snack." You say quietly, getting to your feet. He nodded diligently and kept going. You came back with some chips and two candy bars.
"A little treat for doing so well." You joked. Peter chuckled and thanked you, eating the snacks while finishing up the second last subject.
At twenty past twelve that night, all of Peter's work was caught up and up to date, your notes were stuck into the book at the back so he could admire your handwriting. You thought it was a sweet sentiment. "You always make your notes so pretty." He insisted as you ushered him to your room. You thanked him, gave him a kiss goodnight and crawled into bed, still wearing your daytime clothes. Peter held you against his chest and breathed carefully.
"Thank you for everything love, you've helped so much." You nodded and held his arms over your torso. "I love you Peter, I'm always going to help where I can." He kissed your temple and snuggled into the bed, both of you slipping into a warm and comfortable sleep
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fireflykaizoku · 3 years
Note
Hey!! I'm obsessed with your soulmates swap aus, really i love them they're so good i can't even explain 😭
Could i ask you one with kid but no one can really see they exchanged bodies 'cause they are literally the same? Like y/n has the same character as kid so they seems literally the same as always and it's quite a problem.
Thank you if you do, have a nice day 💕
helloo anon my love! ❤ i'm so so glad you like them! i'm sorry i took long, by the way! but here it is, and i hope you like it! have a nice day ❤
— What are you looking at? — you snapped at someone at the bar. That person was looking at you for you don’t even know how long.
— (Y/N), calm down. It’s your birthday, don’t stress trying to fight again. — one of your friends asked, holding your arm. — Just leave it.
You sighed, taking a sip of your drink. It was easy for you to get irritated and start a fight, you had quite a temper, and honestly, you don’t know how your friends put up with you. The only reason why you didn’t get into more fights, it was because of them.
— I swear, your soulmate better be someone calm. — another friend giggled. — Imagine if they have that temper.
— It’d be a chaos. — you laughed, forgetting about the fight you almost started before. — But I guess the world couldn’t handle a couple like that. I hope they’re level headed.
It was late when you went back home, and you fell asleep right after, hoping you wouldn’t have a hangover the next morning.
Your peaceful slumber got interrupted with a loud bang on the door. Since when your roommate got so aggressive? You barely had time to open your eyes, and realize you were sitting on a chair, in front of a desk, in a room that wasn’t yours. It smelled like oil and metal. What an awful time to switch bodies with your soulmate.
You knew it’d happen eventually, but it wasn’t something you looked forward to, unlike your friends who acted as if it was such an event.
— Kid, the ship just docked. — someone said. — We’ll go get some supplies and head to a bar.
— Go away! — you screamed, still in shock while looking at that body which obviously wasn’t yours.
The man had scars on his chest and right arm, while apparently he didn’t have his left arm, replaced with a heavy mechanical one. You looked at the long coat over your shoulder, the vest and his pants and couldn’t help laughing at his fashion taste. How tacky.
— What a clown. — you whispered to yourself, still laughing. — Out of all people, this is my soulmate? How lucky…
You got up and headed to a bathroom, maybe when you washed your face and actually felt awake, you could find a solution to switch back and go home. Looking at the broken and dirty mirror, your soulmate was very attractive. He had red hair, no eyebrows, a scar on the left side of his face, and goggles. He’s someone you’d look at if you saw him at a bar.
— Now, how do I find him? — you asked yourself. — Well, if he’s in my body, I’ll call my house. I’m sure there’s a den den mushi here somewhere.
When you left the bathroom, you tried to find the transponder snail. It took a while, walking from room to room, but you finally spotted one in what seemed to be the captain’s bedroom. You started calling your house, hoping that your soulmate would answer.
— What?! — the man answered. — If you’re the person who is in my body, you better find a way to switch back.
— Look, I’m not happy with this situation either. I want to go back to my body, so what do we do now?
He sighed, obviously as annoyed as you were.
— I’m the captain of this ship, so you tell my crew to come here to your island so we can switch back. Don’t let people know what’s going on, I don’t want anyone to know about that. I have a damn reputation.
— Are you even that relevant? — you laughed.
— Watch it, just because you’re my soulmate it doesn’t mean you can talk to me like that.
You rolled your eyes, hanging up before replying. First, you went to the kitchen, feeling thirsty. Luckily they had some beer. You took one, and soon enough, you found one of the crew members that stayed on the ship. You demanded to go to your island quick.
— We need to go there. It’s important, and don’t ask any questions, I’ll be working on something or whatever.
You went back to Kid’s workshop, slamming the door behind you. Being in another body was annoying. You didn't know who this person was, you were far from home, and his mechanical arm was so heavy it was bothering you.
When a tall blonde man wearing a mask knocked on the door, opening it right after, you just told him to go away, threatening to throw something at him if he didn’t leave. After that, everyone left you alone.
The only time when anyone knocked on the door after that, was the next morning, when someone said they arrived at the destination.
Finally!
— I’ll be back soon. I don’t want neither of you following me around, got it? — you asked and the crew nodded.
You left the ship, going towards your house. And when the door opened you saw your figure, which was very weird.
— Took you long enough! — he said with a frown. — How do we switch back now?
— I should’ve know you don’t understand about soulmates. — you sighed. — We need to kiss.
— Is that all? — he seemed surprised, thinking it was too easy to be true. — Then let’s kiss now!
— It’s not a simple kiss, you fool. It’s a kiss when we’re in love, which it’s probably not going to happen, so we need to figure something out.
Kid yelled, complained, cussed, and finally accepted how things really were. You two tried to talk without bickering on each other, trying to think of another solution. And after a long discussion, with you yelling at him, both decided that you needed to stay with him on the Victoria Punk until you could switch back.
The crew kept whispering, curious about who was that small person that their Captain just brought to the ship. Maybe an affair? A new member or an ally? No one dared to ask him directly, though, especially since he was in a bad mood.
Kid still didn’t want the crew to know, even though Killer was smart enough and could probably help. You spent many times together at his workshop, seeing him work while you complained you were bored. At night, you two agreed that sleeping in his room would be the best. The red haired man let you keep the bed, saying he didn’t want his body to be sick or in pain, apparently. Whenever his mechanical arm got too heavy, he tried to ease the weight or help you take it off.
Eventually, you had longer conversations with him, seeing you two had a lot in common, surprisingly.
The showers were a little weird, especially during the first few times, when he kept saying your body was very hot, making you feel flustered for the first time in your life. But after a while, it just felt normal.
It has been almost a month since you two met. The ship had docked and everyone was at a bar. A man was flirting with you, or well, with Kid, while thinking it was you. Indeed, you used to draw attention from people when you went out, and you forgot about that until a man was approaching Eustass, complimenting his beautiful looks.
Feeling annoyed, and perhaps even a little jealous thinking that other men wanted you, he got up from his sit and pulled you into a kiss. Of course, the crew had their eyes open. Who knew the mysterious person Kid brought was that straightforward, and who knew their captain would let someone steal a kiss from him.
The kiss wasn’t romantic or cute. It was full of passion and desire, it was unexpected and possessive, as if he was saying “you’re mine”. He bit your lip, and it felt like he was claiming you. Honestly, it was a good feeling, as if you’ve been waiting, without even knowing, for him to make this first move.
You felt butterflies, something you’ve never felt before.
When you opened your eyes, you saw his figure towering over you, and a grin that wouldn’t leave his face so soon. He pulled you closer, making it clear that you were his. He didn’t even ask, but your answer would be “yes” anyway.
— I can’t believe we finally switched back. — he laughed, flexing his arm. — I missed my body.
The crew gasped.
— Switch back? — Heat asked. — Wait, you were in (Y/N)’s body this whole time? And (Y/N) was in your body?
— I must say, I’m surprised. I couldn’t notice any difference. — Killer said. — You two are very alike.
At first, you two seemed offended until realizing the masked man was actually right. You two has the same personality, and it wasn’t what you expected your soulmate to be. Someone peaceful and quiet would be fun, but someone who could raise a little hell with you could be even better.
— You’re annoying sometimes, but I want you to sail with me anyway. — he said gently lifting your chin with his index finger, still with his signature smirk on his face.
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saphirered · 3 years
Note
Heyo! Saw you wanted some individual character requests! I'm a sucker for Grog, and there isn't enough out there for him, so I was wondering if you could do a Grog x Sorceress!reader where the reader doesn't think grog would have a reason to like her since she isn't a melee fighter. Thank you so much!
P.s. Your writing is amazing, and I always love reading your works! ❤️
Thank you for the request! I'm glad you like my writing and hope you enjoy this one! Turned out a bit longer than I intended but that means more content. Anyway, Enjoy! 😘
Seated on the stone balustrade feet dangling over the edge looking over the city in front of you you twiddle your thumbs. You needed a moment away from everyone to sort your mind on your own. There’s a solitude in the dark clouds looming above and the first drops of rain signalling an oncoming storm and it’s never failed you before. Even while there’s no one around, you can confide in such storms knowing your words will be heard but carried away upon the wind and drowned out by the rain and thunder. A good storm won’t judge or hold a grudge. It will simply accept and listen. So here you’ll stay speaking your worries into the abyss and hope for some clarity or ease of mind and heart.
Back inside Grog sits on one side of the table, Scanlan at the other. They hold their respective tankards at the ready as the gnome counts down. By the end of the countdown they swing back their drinks finishing them as fast as they can being cheered on by the rest of Vox Machina and other witnesses to this drinking game. Grog’s determined to win this. While he’s pretty sure his tankard is actually a bucket with a handle, it’s more to scale compared to the gnome’s. Ale spills over the sides of Scanlan’s drink but Grog keeps it neat. No wasting ale after all.
With one last big chug Grog finishes the drink, slams it down on the table roaring in victory as the table shakes beneath his hit. Scanlan puts the remainder of his drink down on the table wiping his face disappointed. Grog looks around the crowd. Some are happy celebrating with him, others pass over money to the happy people for paying up on whatever amount they lost in their bets. How could they even consider Scanlan would win. He’s the best of the best after all and no one can out drink the all mighty Grog. He doesn’t spot you among the crowd and the victory doesn’t feel as sweet anymore. He really hoped you could have seen this one. Where had you gone?
Before Grog can get up and go find you he’s given a refill and the next challenger approaches. New bets are placed, Vex massages his shoulders giving him a pep talk and noting how he’s been making her a lot of money so better keep it up. He doesn’t want to disappoint his friends. One more game. Then he’ll go find you wherever you went.
The next game comes along, and another, and another but he’s done. No more games. When another challenger approaches and the game starts he doesn’t pick up the tankard and pushes away from the table. People ask him what the hell he’s doing but he ignores them. They’ve kept him long enough so he just up and walks before they can stop him. Grog leaves the room but Pike follows behind him worried for her buddy. He never refuses a good ale or a challenge, let alone the two combined.
“Grog? Grog, wait up!” Pike rushes after him leaving the banquet hall behind. Determined Grog still keeps walking but slows down his pace enough to let Pike catch up with him.
“Where are you going? There’s still plenty of ale to be drunk!” Pike reaches for the goliath’s hand to pull him to a stop. He does and turns to face Pike.
“I think I’ve had enough.” Grog says and Pike gasps. Never, never does Grog think he’s had enough to drink. Something must be wrong with him. Is he ill? Does he have a fever? Did someone poison her buddy’s drink? She might go on a war path if someone did and ruined his fun! But Grog seems okay. Physically that is. He’s fine.
“Do you know where she went?” Grog asks, maybe Pike can help him find you and maybe she can talk to you why you left. He doesn’t think you’d want to talk to him about that kind of stuff and while he’d consider himself a good listener, if something’s really up Pike always knows what to do. She can help.
“Who?”
“The pretty sorceress.” Grog states as a matter of fact and it is. Anyone who dares say otherwise clearly need some of those glass thingies Percy keeps on his nose and make him look smart.
“Oh, I don’t know Grog. She left to go get some fresh air.” Pike searches her mind to see where you might have gone. There’s a few places that come to mind but it’s all narrowed down to just the one when thunder rumbles through the sky. She knows exactly where you went and by the looks of it so does Grog.
Grog knows there’s only one place you really love to watch a storm unfold. You’ve told him before and you’ve even watched some storms together there. He shares a look with Pike and picks up his step going where he knows you’ll be, still dragging pike behind. When she doesn’t move fast enough he swings her up on his shoulders, running up the steps as far as they’ll take him, dodging a torch and pushing aside a guard here and there.
Then around the corner he sees you. Feet dangling over the edge, a single push away from what could possibly be a death drop, hand outstretched catching the rain with a sad smile on your face. You’re absolutely gorgeous. More alluring than anyone ever could. If he could paint, Grog would make sure this moment would be captured for eternity just so he would never forget. Maybe he can get some money from Vex to hire a painter? If Scanlan did it, why shouldn’t he?
You’re seated alone at the top of the tower. Lightning flashes through the clouds, sometimes branching down to strike the ground be it mountain or forest, you’re in a valley of safety surrounded by the storm. The drops of rain hit your outstretched arm extended beyond the cover of the overhanging. Cold as they are to the touch you watch them glide around your arm with movement until they too, continue their descend.
“…Sometimes I wish I would just have the courage but I don’t.” You speak into the skies. A burst of lightning strikes in the mountains, the sound echoing and even this high up you can feel the slight tremor of the ground. You know a storm is no sentient being but you read it like a reply no less and continue.
“I’m not a fighter. I don’t know how to wield a sword or an axe. I can barely lift one. We have such vastly different lives. Grog’s got no reason to like me in any way.” Thunder strikes again you smile briefly. You’ve come to terms you’ll always like Grog and your feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated. The only reason you’re even spending time together in the first place is because you’re both involved with Vox Machina in one way or another. You’ve got hardly anything in common so if you hadn’t met through them Grog probably wouldn’t even have thought about you twice.
That may sound sad and you’re thankful for getting to know him but Grog has his own life and interests so why should he bother indulging you in yours. He’s already not a big fan of magic and you won’t bother attempting to teach him. It’s not like it’s any interesting stuff and he’d probably be bored out of his mind the entire time. Then again, the theoretics of magic might just not be your strong suit either. It’s more of a natural born gift.
Grog gets this weird feeling in his chest as if he’s been hit by something and it’s being twisted. Kind of like when he got shot by an arrow and Pike had to remove it. It’s not a good feeling. Checking for injury just to make sure he’s fine. It’s clear to him he feels this on the inside; his heart bleeds a little for you. You shouldn’t think that way. He likes you. He likes you a lot actually so you couldn’t be more wrong. Pike nudges him to set her down. He does as they remain around the corner, leaving you unaware of their presence.
“Go talk to her.” Pike whispers and Grog panics for a brief second. How is he even supposed to do this? What is he supposed to say? He doesn’t know how this psychology stuff works. That’s what Pike’s for. If people feel sad they often come to her, talk about their worries and problems and then they feel better. How’s he supposed to do that? He’s not Pike.
“She needs you, Grog. I know you like her and she needs you. Go talk to her.” Pike nudges him on into your direction. The goliath isn’t physically moved by her effort but he does move. If Pike says you need him, if you really need him then he’ll be there. Looking over his shoulder one last time to ask Pike for some advise she’s already half way down the stairs leaving you with him. Grog thinks hard for a moment but thinking isn’t his strong suit either so he’ll do what he always does; face the problem head on.
A throat clears behind you and you almost slip from the fright it gave you. A heavy step rushes forward and an arm wraps around your waist pulling you back before you can fall. You’d have spells to save you in case you did fall but you’d rather not and are grateful for your valiant saviour. The bare arm wrapped around your waist is covered in tattoos, markings and scars and engulfs the majority of your middle. It doesn’t take a fool to know this arm belongs to Grog Strongjaw himself.
Flustered you allow the goliath to pull you back onto solid ground and off the balustrade entirely before he lets go of you, making sure you’re right on your feet. How much of your conversation with the skies did he hear? Did he hear anything at all? Grog steps back and stares at his boots. He doesn’t only appear to be more embarrassed than you feel but also apologetic.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Please don’t fall again and please don’t be angry at me.” Grog closes his eyes tightly afraid you might be mad at him as he was the cause of you almost experiencing a death drop. You’re basically gods but if we’ve learned anything from Keyleth; that doesn’t save you from a splat.
You step forward grab one of his hands in yours drawing his attention. With your index finger you tilt his chin up just enough so he’s looking at you and not over you. These gestures are enough for Grog to open his eyes. When there’s no look of anger on your face the tension in his body falls away just slightly. There’s still some rigidness from nerves but he’s closer to usual Grog.
“Chin up, big guy. You saved me too. I’m not mad.” You smile and the smile is returned. The air is still somewhat awkward so you decided you best get this over with and clear it up.
“How much did you hear?” You ask. The blush rushing to Grog’s cheeks and frantic glancing around to make sure no one else is here to witness it tells you he heard enough.
With a deep sigh you step back to the balustrade sitting down upon it once more but now to face Grog instead of the sky, your hair blowing lightly in the breeze, the rain and occasional illuminated sky behind you leave him staring yet again forgetting your question. He’s just captivated but you calling his name snaps him out of it. Saved it. Still got it. As long as he doesn’t turn to ‘drunk Keyleth’ levels he’ll consider it a win.
“I-uhhhh…. Why don’t you think I like you?” Grog twiddles his thumbs rocking back and forth from his tiptoes to his heels in anticipation of your answer. He knows he heard you tell the sky but he wants to be sure because if he gave you any reason to believe he didn’t like you, he did do something wrong. He’ll pick you over any of those other fools down stairs. He might just even pick you over the best ale. He’d already picked you over the ale he’d been offered. If that isn’t testament to his fondness of you, then what is?
“Ah, so you did hear that. I just- I think-. Ugh, why is this so hard?” You try to express your reasons but words are difficult and feelings even more so to describe yet still you try. Grog waits patiently either way.
“Do you think we would have been friends were it not for our lives being tied together as they are now?” You ask the dreaded question. You don’t even know if you really want the answer afraid that it may break any semblance of hope you had somewhere in your mind. Grog’s brow furrows, deep in thought but mostly confusion.
“Of course we would be. Why wouldn’t we?”
“Because I’m not like you. I’m not a fighter. I stay back with my spells and incantations while you run in axe swinging taking down anyone in your path. I read while you train. I sit around in my tower watching the skies while you go out and drink the town dry looking for a fight to enjoy. I could never do what you do and I do not dare to assume you’d have any interest in doing what I do.” The thoughts and feelings find words. A tension lifts from your chest like a breath you didn’t know you were holding just by speaking your mind to the goliath in question.
Grog knows damn well you’re not a fighter in the traditional sense. No steel or arrows for you but that does not mean you’re not a fighter in your own right. If he’s learned anything a fighter comes in many shapes and forms and you fit the description perfectly. You’ve shown determination and strength, courage against all odds and immense skill. You are a fighter.
“When I run into danger kicking ass who’s had my back every time?�� Grog asks. There’s a harshness and authority in his voice indicating he’s leading somewhere and you better answer.
“We all have-“ Grog cuts you off.
“No. You have had my back every time.” He corrects. “Who comes watch me train, throwing spells to keep me on my toes? Who does it while reading her books completing not one but two tasks at the same time?”
“I do.” You admit.
“And who helps me kick ass in bar fights? Who cheers me on or joins me in any gamble or drinking game? Who is the best drinking buddy? You are. Now, who spends time with you watching storms whenever they occur up here in the tower or anywhere else?”
“You… do…” Grog’s right.
“I like to spend time with you because I like you. I don’t care you don’t swing an axe. That firestorm you do works just the same and looks way more badass. I’m not the smartest but I know two of the same are not always useful and can be too much. What are you going to do with two when you only need one. You need difference so they compitry- complitarity- colmpli-“ Grog struggles with that word. He’s heard Percy use it in a similar context but why is it such a difficult word to recall. He still tries and just hopes you’ll get what he’s trying to say.
“Complimentary?” You ask. You fear Grog might get himself a migraine if he tries any harder. You still don’t think that’s the correct use of the word but you get it. He’s trying to lift your spirits and it’s working.
“That one. Yes. Complimentary. I don’t just like you, I love you for who you are. You’re special and being different makes you special.” Grog admits he tries to fight the heat rising to his cheeks from admitting what he did but when he sees your smile grow, that’s enough to push his pride aside and let it be. Maybe he can do this thing Pike usually does after all? Maybe not unless it’s you. When he tells you he loves you he means it. When he has to say it to the likes of Vax he’d rather eat his own boots for lunch.
You gesture with your hand and beckon the goliath over to come closer. You rise to stand on the edge of the balustrade and wrap your arms around Grog’s neck holding him close. You feel his arms wrap around you in turn and pull you closer to where your feet barely touch the stone.
“Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.” You pull back to look Grog in the eyes as he still holds onto you and take his cheeks between your hands giving him a quick kiss. Grog’s eyes light up and lifts you up higher offering you a kiss of his own. Sweet and short and filled with glee. He sets you back down on your feet but doesn’t let go of you yet.
“Do you want to go back downstairs? Last I checked there was a drinking game going on? Should we show them what we’re made off?” You grin and the proud look on Grog’s face tells you enough to know exactly what you’re talking about.
“Let me tell you the tale of my grand victories-“ Grog starts as he begins leading you back down the stairs, arm wrapped around your shoulders pulling you into his side as you walk.
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bobohu4eva · 3 years
Text
Pink Lace - Chapter 5
Characters: Baekhyun x Reader
Genre: College AU, stripper AU, fluff, smut, slow burn
Summary: Baekhyun, a philosophy professor with mysterious wealth, got himself completely fucked over a girl who can’t let him into her life.
Word count: 4k
Warnings: sex work, mentions of sexual assault, adult themes/situations, eventual smut
Tag list: @smolbeanmika @leave-me-in-the-summertime @totallynerdstuff @bbhmystar @nana-banana @kimyhappy @thegreatandi @geniusloey @deligxt @baekswifey @bbhyun506 @lovebuginlove @bellamendoza @baekyeonoreo @bobohumyonlyboo
Masterlist
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After your conversation with Baekhyun Monday evening Tuesday was spent desperately trying to get Baekhyun off your mind, with little success. He’d asked you if you liked him like that, and you couldn’t tell him no. Hell, you knew in the back of your mind that the answer was definitely yes, you just couldn’t bring yourself to say it to his face. 
As much as you did like him, the prospect of starting something with a customer who was also your professor was still terrifying. What if you two got together and people found out? Or what if things started to go south and you were still stuck with him as your teacher? 
Despite your other schoolwork, and cleaning basically everything you possibly could, your mind just kept racing with every different possible scenario for if you did tell Baekhyun how you felt. And most of them were quite unpleasant. He could lose his job, you could make class absolute hell for yourself if things didn’t go well, and so on. Different possibilities played themselves out in your mind over and over, and there was little you could do to stop it. 
However the thoughts that stuck with you the most were the ones where things didn’t end badly. Thoughts of his arms around you, his comforting words whispered in your ear, and the gentle touches of his pretty hands on your skin. As much as you fought it, the attraction was there. 
The way your mind bounced between thoughts was stressful to no end. Every time you tried reasoning with yourself, you just thought about how good he made you feel when you were alone together. 
Baekhyun was always so willing to be vulnerable with you, it made you feel appreciated. He was so open about his feelings, and honest with his intentions towards you that it made it difficult to push him away. You wanted to be able to show him the same kind of vulnerability as well, but the possibilities if you did still frightened you too much. 
You knew you wouldn’t be able to go on like this forever, sooner or later you had to figure out what to say to him. 
Your essay was plaguing you as well. You’d tried to start it on several occasions, but Plato’s writing was so old timey and incomprehensible you didn’t even know where to start. It also didn’t help that every time you tried to start writing, all you could think about was what Baekhyun would think. The idea of turning a shitty paper in for him to read and grade made you feel sick. You knew you were shooting yourself in the foot putting it off but you just couldn’t bring yourself to start it either. 
“You’ve cleaned everything in the apartment. Twice. What’s with you today y/n?” Mia asked as she walked out of her bedroom and into the common area, finding you once again wiping down all the surfaces in the kitchen. 
“I’m trying to distract myself, was that not obvious?” You knew what was coming next. 
“Baekhyun still on your mind?” 
Yes. He was. In every possible way, good and bad, and you couldn’t stop it. 
“I think I do like him.” 
“See! I knew it!” You rolled your eyes at her. “Anything exciting happen yesterday? Did you decide to keep the money?” She asked, sitting down at the dining room table, you sitting down across from her. 
 “I’m keeping it, I tried giving it back but he told me some stuff and turns out he doesn’t need it after all.” 
“So he IS rich?!” 
“Yeah... although not from anything cool or fun. His rich parents died recently.” 
“Oh shit, that sucks. That must’ve been an awkward conversation.” 
“Not really. I don’t know why but talking to him is getting easier and easier. I even stayed after he told me I could go.”
“You really must like him then, damn. Can’t blame you though, he is hot.” You shot her an angry look but you both knew she was right. “So what are you gonna do about it?” 
“Do about what?” 
“You liking him. He obviously likes you a lot too, so what happens next?” 
“Nothing. He’s my professor.” 
The look she shot you next said something reminiscent of ‘are you fucking serious’.
 ���Oh come on y/n this guy is hot, and rich, and super into you. Even if he is your professor you can’t pass up a fling at least.” 
“And when it ends? What then? Or if someone finds out he’s fucking a student? He’d lose his job and it would be my fault.” 
“No, it would be his fault, and he’s rich anyway so it wouldn’t even matter.” 
You thought back to your last conversation with Baekhyun, and what he said about his parents. Even if he did choose to risk it for you, the thought of him losing a job that meant so much to him still didn’t sit right with you. 
“It would matter to me. Either way I don’t want other students shit talking me either. If my classmates found out there was something between us it would be hell.” 
“All I'm hearing right now, is that you just need to not get caught. The semester is only 16 weeks, as long as nothing gets out while you’re in his class nothing too bad can happen. You just have to be careful.”  
You thought about it, and she wasn’t exactly wrong. As long as nothing got out while you were his student, nothing too bad could happen. 
“He won’t lose his job if people find out we’re together later on when I’m not his student anymore, right?” 
Mia shrugged. “He doesn’t hold any power over you anymore then so I don’t see why he’d get in any trouble. People might just think it’s weird since he’s older. How old is he anyway? He looks young.” 
“I’m not exactly sure... Somewhere around 30? Late 20s maybe? I should ask him.” 
“Yeah you should. I still have homework I need to do, I should get back to that.” She said before getting herself a glass of water and retreating back to her bedroom. 
~
The next morning you were exhausted. You hadn’t gotten much sleep because of everything that was going through your head. You wanted Baekhyun, and he wanted you, but there was still too much risk involved. But part of you kept thinking about what Mia had said as well. Could a fling really be that bad? 
You were nervous to see him too. You still hadn’t given him an answer to his question, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to dodge it forever. Lying seemed like a decent option, but you knew with how honest and vulnerable Baekhyun always was with you, you wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to lie to him. Especially when you did want something more with him, you were just scared. 
As philosophy class drew closer and closer you felt uneasy. You felt bad seeing Baekhyun again without giving him an answer, but you didn’t know how or what to say. You only hoped he wouldn’t press you for it. 
Class went by and you didn’t speak to him. He didn’t keep you after either, which was a relief. You had been hoping he’d at least go over some stuff that would help you on your essay, but you had no such luck, and you needed it done by midnight if you wanted any credit. 
When you got home you cursed yourself for procrastinating so much, but you had other homework too and you knew you’d be able to focus on that better, so you started it first. 
Eventually your mind got sucked into your physics assignment, and you forgot about Baekhyun and the essay, too focused on the task at hand. 
By the time you were done with your other assignments it was 8pm. Four hours until you had to submit your essay. One hour went by just reading and rereading the text you were supposed to write about. Another was wasted on an intro paragraph you kept deleting, because you still couldn’t understand the text. When 10pm hit, and you started to panic.  
You realized that you weren’t going to be able to do it. Your mind was now in freak out mode and you couldn’t concentrate anyway. Either the paper wasn’t getting turned in at all, or you needed to do something fast. In any other class you would’ve BS-ed  your way through it to turn at least something in, but you just couldn’t do that knowing Baekhyun was going to read it. You weren’t going to be able to submit it that night, but you needed to at least contact him and explain so he wouldn’t think you were stupid. 
By 10:30 you found yourself scrolling through your contacts, staring at his name. You’d thought about emailing him, but he probably wouldn’t see until morning and you didn’t have that much time. 
In hindsight you probably would’ve been fine to just send an email and try to get an extension, but the combination of anxiety over your grade and wanting to talk to him had his name in your phone looking better and better. 
So you called. 
Your nerves were on fire as you waited for him to hopefully pick up. Was this stupid? Would he even answer? Worst of all, what if he was disappointed in you for not being able to do the assignment?
After a few rings, he picked up. “Hello?” 
“Hi Baekhyun, it’s y/n.” 
“Y/n? Are you alright what’s going on?” You could hear the concern in his voice even over the phone, and you remembered why he gave you his number in the first place. 
“I- I can’t do the essay.” You felt your voice shake, before unloading all your grievances in one breath “I read the thing a million times and I still have no idea what it’s about and I put it off until tonight cause it was making me so anxious but I still can’t focus and now it’s too late and I don’t know what to do and I’m freaking out.” 
You heard him sigh. “Slow down, It’s okay, I know it’s a difficult assignment. Have you at least started?” 
“No..” You felt tears swelling in your eyes, threatening to spill and you’re sure he can hear it in your voice even over the phone. “Can I just skip this one? I tried to start it so many times but I don’t know how to analyze something I can’t even understand.” You choked out. 
“Y/n...” You could tell he was thinking of what to do. He probably shouldn’t give you special treatment, and you knew that but right now you hoped he would just give in. Unfortunately you had no such luck. “I’m sorry but I can’t let you just not do it. It would make it too obvious that I’m treating you differently than other students.”
“Then can you at least help me? Or give me more time? Please?” You begged.
“I’m still in my office. I can help you if you meet me here.” 
You felt your palms get sweaty and your heart beat faster at the idea of going to his office again after what had happened last time, especially this late at night and in such a fragile state. 
“O-okay. I’ll be there in 10. Bye.” You said, hanging up before he could respond.
Quickly you got on some shoes and drove yourself to the building his office was located in. Last time you’d been in there he’d asked you about your feelings for him, and now you had to go back. You told yourself to just focus on getting the essay done, but the thought still hung around in the back of your mind as you walked down the hall towards Baekhyun’s office. You felt jittery and embarrassed, but you needed to do this for your grade.
After taking a few deep breaths to ready yourself, you knocked on the door, and heard a muffled “Come in” from the other side, so you let yourself in. Baekhyun was sitting at his desk, which was covered in papers you assumed he’d been grading. Instead of the nicer clothes he would usually wear during lecture, he was just wearing a black t shirt and sweats now. 
“You know you scared the shit out of me when you called. I thought you were in danger or something.” He said to you as you sat down in front of him. “I really didn’t think you’d call me over school work.” 
“I’m sorry..” 
“It’s okay! I’m not mad or anything, just surprised. What part of the text are you having trouble with?” 
“All of it...” You felt your lip starting to quiver. “I’m sorry I know this sounds so stupid and you probably think I’m just trying to take advantage of how you like me but I promise it’s not like that.” You said, looking down and fidgeting with your hands, trying to hide the frustration on your face.
Baekhyun crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, smiling. “I never said I thought that. I told you it’s not an easy assignment, it’s ok if you’re having trouble. Plato can be difficult especially for people who aren’t used to reading things that old.” 
“I should’ve at least started earlier...” 
“Probably, but it’s too late to dwell on that now. Let’s just try to go over the reading together, yeah?” You nodded. 
He moved his chair to your side of the desk before opening your textbook to the reading for the essay. 
“So the first thing that makes The Ring of Gyges so confusing is that you don’t really know who’s talking. Basically it’s a conversation between Plato and his brother Glaucon where they’re discussing justice, and it’s actually Glaucon speaking for most of it, not Plato.” 
You were listening to what he was saying of course, but you were still distracted by the proximity. Baekhyun was sitting right next to you now, arms almost touching. The only other time the two of you got that close was at the club. And you did not need to be thinking about that while he was explaining your assignment to you. 
“Are you following me so far?” 
Your eyes immediately shot up from the book to meet his, and you quickly nodded. Having him look you in the eyes again like that made your face feel hot.
“Glaucon argues that people only peruse justice for the benefits of it, and not because they actually want to be good people. He uses the example of a ring that grants it’s user invisibility, therefore allowing them to do unjust things like steal without being caught. He tells Plato a story about a man who finds such a ring and uses it do overthrow the king.”
You groaned. “It still doesn’t make sense though, what does some story about a stupid ring have to do with justice?” 
“Well, if you were given the ability to steal and deceive people for your own benefit, without ever having to worry about getting caught, wouldn’t you do it too?” You stayed silent. “Basically, what you need to understand is what Glaucon is arguing. He’s saying that doing good deeds isn’t a part of human nature, and everyone would behave unjustly if they knew they would never get caught. Therefore, justice is something people pursue not out of want, but out of fear of the consequences if they don’t.”  
All you could do was stare at him. It was infuriating how attractive he sounded while explaining it to you. 
“Do you have a bit of a better idea what to write about now? Remember it’s only two pages, so don’t stress too much.” 
You snapped yourself out of your thoughts. “Yeah, it makes a bit more sense now... do I still need to finish it tonight or?” 
“Friday. Just email it to me by midnight on Friday and I won’t count it late.” He said, smiling again. 
“Thank you for doing this, I’m sorry it was so late and everything.”
Baekhyun just chucked, “You know if it’s you I don’t mind. You could keep me here all night with questions and I wouldn’t stop you. But you understand now, right?” 
The way he was smiling at you now along with the closeness was making you slightly dizzy. 
“I think so, Glaucon is basically saying that injustice is better than justice then right? Because everyone would do unjust things if they’d always get away with it.” 
Baekhyun nodded. 
“So according to him the best way to live life would be to do things you know are wrong, but without being caught.” 
“Exactly. See, I knew you were smart, y/n.” A smirk had made its way onto his face as he spoke. 
You couldn’t help connecting what he was saying to what you were feeling inside towards him. You wanted him, and you knew it was wrong, but how could you deny it to yourself when it felt so right? 
“Baekhyun...” You asked, hesitantly. “D-do you think it’s okay to do things you know are wrong, as long as no one finds out?”
“I think it depends what you’re talking about.” He answered, now looking you in the eyes again with intensity. “I would never kill anyone, for any reason, even if I knew I could get away with it. But, if I really wanted something, I think I would take it.” 
You were hyperaware of how his eyes were now scanning your face, lingering on your lips. “Take what?”
A hand made contact with your thigh, slowly moving up until he stopped, right below the hem of your shorts. His thumb drew soft circles on the sensitive inner flesh, giving you goosebumps. 
“I know you feel it too, you want this, don’t you?” Baekhyun asked, now moving a stand of hair out of your face. He let his hand rest on the back of your neck, keeping you facing towards him. 
Your heart felt like it was about to short circuit from how fast it was beating. Your palms were sweaty and you could feel yourself shaking slightly. The way his thumb stroked your neck beneath your ear made you shiver, and you knew he saw. All you could do was stare back at him, dumbfounded. Any words you tried to get out stuck in your throat. He was right, you did want it. Now more than ever. 
“Tell me you don’t want this. Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you right now. I dare you.” He said, running his thumb over your bottom lip, eyes fixed on how it trembled beneath his touch. He was slowly moving your face closer his, but you didn’t stop him. 
Your silence told Baekhyun all he needed to know, and his lips quickly found yours. Immediately you let yourself melt into the kiss. You felt your whole body buzzing, finally getting what it had wanted for so long. His lips felt unbelievably soft against yours, moving in a slow rhythm as his other hand came up from your thigh to cup your face as well. You wrapped your arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, letting it become messier and more desperate. 
“I like you” you pulled away just enough to whisper “so fucking much.” You felt him grin into the kiss as your lips met again. 
He tasted like strawberries, and you felt high as your lips kept crashing together with more and more need. Your whole body felt like it was set on fire and simultaneously dunked in an ice bath, every nerve vibrating with want.    
When Baekhyun pulled your bottom lip gently between his teeth you let out a soft moan, and he started to lose it. He broke the kiss, standing up and pulling with him, before backing you up against the wall, a hand on either side of your head. 
“Sweetheart, don’t push me” He breathed, and started peppering kisses along the side of your neck, from under your ear down to your collarbone, sucking and biting on the way. 
Trapped between him and the wall, you felt weak and breathless. Your brain was in overdrive and you gasped at his ministrations, hands burying themselves in his soft hair.  His hands had traveled down to your waist, holding you against him tightly.
“Baekhyun” You breathed out, rubbing your thighs together as he sucked on a particularly sensitive spot. 
“Fuck, y/n. Don’t say that.” He forced the words out through gritted teeth.
His body pressed you into the wall, and your arms wrapped around him pulling him into you even tighter. He was completely consuming your senses and your knees felt wobbly from the intensity of it all. He was already smothering your entire front, but you tried to pull him even closer regardless.
You felt something hard press into your hip as his mouth covered yours again, and this time you shamelessly moaned his name into his open mouth. 
Much to your disappointment, Baekhyun immediately detatched himself from you, backing up until his back hit the opposite wall of the office. You could see how turned on he was by the outline of his dick through his pants and the pained look in his face. 
“Fucking christ...” He said, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. You just watched from the other side of the room. He kept his eyes closed and you observed as his jaw clenched and unclenched before you heard him continue. “You have to go. If you don’t I’m gonna fuck you on my desk and I won’t be gentle.” 
Your throat went dry at his crude words, but you couldn’t deny your own arousal. You walked back towards him, reaching out to touch his chest which was now rising and falling rapidly, but he grabbed you before you could make contact. His grip on your wrist was so tight it was almost painful. His knuckles were white, and you could see a drop of sweat trickle down the side of his face. 
His eyes bore into your own with a stare that warned you not to try anything more. 
“I’m sorry y/n but you have to leave. Not tonight. Not like this.” With his free hand he grabbed your belongings off his desk, shoving them into your arms. 
Still speechless, he opened the door and pulled you outside before going back in and closing the door behind him. You stood and stared at his office door for a minute, recollecting yourself and processing what the hell had just happened. 
Eventually your shaky legs began making their way down the hallway, back towards your car. You were pretty sure a janitor saw you as you turned the corner just down the hall from Baekhyun’s office. You kept your head down, trying to hide your face best you could while hurrying past. 
Once you were sitting in your car, you slumped into the seat, mind still in a daze after what happened in Baekhyun’s office. You waited for your breathing and heartrate to slow down before you drove away. 
Baekhyun left shorty after you as well, unable to concentrate on anything but the sound of you moaning his name. He felt terrible for throwing you out of his office but he’d meant what he said. He didn’t want his first time to have you to be in his office, purely fueled by pent up lust. He wanted to give you more than that. 
More than anything, he just couldn’t believe he’d gotten what he’d wanted for the entire summer. It didn’t seem possible, but now it had happened. And you actually kissed him back. It felt too good to be true. He felt himself once again struggling to sleep, but this time because he was too excited. This time, he didn’t have to keep himself up wondering, he knew he had you. He just couldn’t wait to see what would happed now.
You on the other hand couldn’t stop worrying about that exact thing as you stared at the ceiling above your bed. What would happen now? The thoughts weren’t fearful anymore, there was just too many of them to shut your mind down enough to sleep. 
You’d finally allowed yourself to give into him, and there was no more turning back. 
Next Chapter
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lareinenoir · 3 years
Text
THE PURGE; Sanctuary C.E x black reader
PT III
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60 Days Until The Purge
THEN...
"I'll order take out. I know you like Thai-"
"Don't order anything. I'm actually not even hungry." You said as he took your bag and put it on his shoulder. "What?" He was looking at you weird and it made you frown.
"Where's the rest of your stuff?"
"You asked me to stay the night. That is my overnight bag." You replied folding your arms and walking over to the couch. Your hand touched your forehead and you sighed. You could still feel him looking at you as you tried to relax with your head leaned back. "After I tell Shonda about our situation, you're signing the papers."
"What do you mean-"
"You know what I mean." You shot back
"Ok, well theirs a lot to consider now." He motioned to your stomach and you sat up straight. "We're having a baby, now."
"No no no." You shook your head feeling your petty insides bubble a bit in sarcasm. "I'm having a baby. Me. Just me.”
"Obviously I want to be apart of our baby's life." Chris argued back and you frowned and scoffed. He put your bag down and crossed his arms as you brushed it off. "You can't seriously think I won't. V that's insane."
"You wanna know what's insane? You think you're gonna get anywhere near it. Why in the hell would I allow you and your broken promises anywhere near my child? Do you think I'm stupid? To make the same mistake twice!"
"Again? V what do you want me to do?" He asks throwing his hands up. "Acting is what I do, that's my job-"
"I don't care about that. I'm not asking you to chose your job or me-"
"It damn well near sounds like it. I would never make you choose." He countered back and you gripped your fists together.
"You may not have said it directly, but there have been many times where you have indirectly patronized me. I just found out I'm pregnant and I have been trying so hard to deal with it." you replied watching him pace back and forth and shake his head. "I have been getting the worst headaches, I can't keep any food down and I literally get lightheaded on set every single day because hiding my pregnancy has been a real joy ride." You replied sarcastically with a small chuckle
"What do you want me to do? I tell you to tell the producers, you get mad. I tell you to take a break, you get mad. I tell you to come over and you’re mad.” Chris said in disbelief. “I don't know what you want from me." He shrugs brushing the hair from his eyes.
"Not once since you found out have you asked me how I'm doing? My whole career is at risk I could lose my job. And you don't even seem to care.” You said
"V, I do care." He reached for your shoulder and you took in another breath. "I want you to stop worrying all the time. And you're right, I should be concerned more about you. I should be there for you-I should've been there for you in the beginning.��� He admitted and you folded your lips again.
Are For real this time? Should I let it go and move past it? Again? No because it'll start all over again.
"This baby is mine. This is a life changing thing that's happening, I can't let you ruin it too." You spoke
" I'm taking responsibility because this is something I want. Ok? Can't we find some common ground? You of all people should know what it's like to grow up without a father!"
"You know too!" You shouted back. Chris' dad had died when he was younger. He talked about him sometimes but not as much. "I'd rather have had my father six feet under then to have him choosing when it's convenient for him to show up!" You said with your foot down shaking your head.
"Forget the divorce. Me and you living here happily married for the years to come. Whats so bad about that? Why can't I have that? What's so wrong with the picture of two parents raising a child?" His voice was loud and he was getting frustrated. He didn't shout, but you could tell how passionate he was about it. He always wanted to be a daddy, a parent. "Huh?"
"It's not just about you!" You said stepping closer. "Because..." You shrugged feeling your eyes water as you suck in your cheeks. "I knew the kind of man I was marrying. So involved with his job it took him almost fifteen years to actually start dating. It's not about you or your career. This baby is all I have right now.”
He looked confused as he relaxed his brow and pinched the bridge of his nose. From two feet away you could feel his heartbeat and you felt a little bad for how foolish you probably looked. You still loved him, not like you ever stopped, but you remembered that you still loved him.
Because, it's not about me either anymore. You thought
"Forget the papers okay..." You said swallowing your own pride. "just forget it. You’re right. I want our child to have two parents who will love him unconditionally. But it has to stop, because it takes two. I can't have you with one foot in the door." You admitted
“Yeah yeah.” He nodded “yeah I get that. I’m not going anywhere.” Chris said and you walked forward and took his hand kissing his palm as you placed it on the side of your face. “I promise V.” He cups your face and stares into your eyes. His stubble poking at you a bit as you held his wrists.
“I love you.” You said with a small smile
“Still?” He laughed making you roll your eyes as you giggled a little. “I love you too. Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” He asks again
“Yes.” You nodded “now shut up and come take a nap with me.”
NOW....
CHRIS POV**
“Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!” I said throwing the phone on the couch. I had called five times and her phone went straight to voicemail.
“This is not a test, this is your Emergency Broadcast System. Announcing the commencement of the annual purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government. ALL Weapons have been authorized for use during the purge. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime (including murder) will be legal for 121 days. Police, fire, and Emergency Medical services will be unavailable until December 15, 12:00 o’clock midnight, when the purge concludes. Blessed be our new founding fathers and America... A nation reborn. May God be with you all.”
My tv was replayed the message nine more times before shutting off. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Today is august 15, Vanessa’s birthday is tomorrow which was when she’d be 17 weeks. We had marked it on the calendar together. More than half my wife’s pregnancy would be spent during the purge. I needed to find her!
I didn’t support the purge. Something about killing people to be “cleansed” just didn’t sit right in my gut. It made my heart ache thinking about the clean up at the end. I could bring Dodger, but he can only do so much. Maybe he could help track her scent. Grabbing my coat I folded my lips together.
“Fuck!” I shout
With what weapon? How was I going to run the streets looking for my wife without a gun? I loved the idea of owning one, but Vanessa made me swear not to bring one in the house if she was there. So I just dropped the idea. Looking in the kitchen I grabbed one of the Chef knives off the rack. Maybe this would be enough for now...
“Damnit!” I curse looking at Dodger. “She said she was at Topanga Park. Start there?” I asked, as if he’d answer back. I grabbed her bonnet from off the bathroom door handle and stuffed it in my backpack.
I didn’t hesitate l. I locked up everything and jumped inside my truck. Dodger sat on the passenger side and I felt my hands start to shake as I put my foot on the gas. I started to promise god I would go to church if he would keep her safe.
“I don’t even know if you’re even listening or you even care. I love her, I’ve been such and idiot and I don’t wanna lose her.” I looked at Dodger and he was sitting up straight. “I remember you didn’t like her. You wouldn’t let her anywhere near me, you bark and squeeze yourself in between us when we sat down in the room to watch movies.” I chuckle wiping the little tear that slipped from my eye “You stole one of her wigs too.”
“WHAT THE FUCK!” she shouted chasing you around the house. “DODGER GIVE IT BACK! COME BACK!”
We chased him around the house and Dodger thought it was some sort of game. We had been officially dating for a month. I had started laughing when I caught him and held her headband wig in my hand. She stood their with her arms folded while I petted his head and she rolled her eyes.
"I told you he doesn't like me." She said as I stood up and she took the wig from my hand.
"Come on, he's just getting used to you."
"I've been over here every day. Your dog hates me."
"What?" I tilted my head to the side and touch her nose with my index finger. "Deal breaker? If my dog doesn't like my girlfriend, I'm gonna dump her? Tell me where that makes sense."
She walked closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist looking up at the ceiling as I kissed her neck. "I guess you have a point." Vanessa sighed.
"He's just warming up to you that's all."
"What's stopping me from breaking up with you?"
"Over a dog?"
"This is his third assault against me. First it was tearing up my purse, then chewing up my crocs, not to mention the little shit I found inside of them. And now stealing my wig and playing cat and mouse." Said Vanessa as I rested my head on top of hers. "Luckily this is a backup wig."
“Aren’t you wearing one right now?” I asked
“Headband wig. And that wig your dog has destroyed,” she gave him the side eye “it was my favorite and expensive.” She gritted her teeth
“I’ll buy you another one.” I offered
She purses her lips and shook her head. “I don’t want you buying me anything. I’ll just break up with you. For real this time.”
"Fine then..." I baited her shrugging my shoulders. "Break up with me."
“Over a dog?” She frowns mocking me as I smile down at her and her eyebrows bend downward a little as she caressed my face. Her finger was gentle and she stood on her top toes and kissed my lips. “Never.”
...
I look over at Dodger and pat his head. "We'll find her. I know we will." I say trying to lift my spirits.
When we arrived to Topanga Park, it was a sight. I didn't even want to leave the truck. I felt my heart race a little more. "What the hell..."
In the middle of traffic-in between the cars were bodies. Dodger started barking at the train of blood that stained the streets. It was empty, but I could feel a heavy weight on my back. Walking behind me, next to me...it was all around me. I hadn't realized I had my hand over my mouth an nose, it was hard for me to breath as the stench of dead bodies. Dodger kept barking and that led to me chasing after him. I had her bonnet in one hand and I called after him.
I came to a halt when I came face to face with another person. He had Dodger in his hands and I felt my muscle tense up. He was tall and very familiar looking. I swallowed the lump in my throat and held the kitchen knife in my hand with a firm grip.
"Captain America?"
I tilted my head sideways and licked my lower lip narrowing my brow a little. "Yeah, give me the dog and we can go our separate ways. Ok?"
He nodded his head. He ran his fingers through his hair and put the dog down. I wasn't really concerned about who he was I was trying to prepare for a fight. He dropped his gun on the ground and held up his his hand.
"I'm not going to kill you. I'm looking for my wife." He said "She left her watch in that building." He pointed to the school and slowly pulled the watch from his pocket.
"In there?" I asked
"Yeah." He nodded, but I still couldn't shake the feeling I knew him from somewhere. "My name is Jared. My wife's name is Gianne, I'm pretty sure she was with someone else-are you looking for someone too? Maybe we could help each other. There was something written on the chalkboard in there, I wasn't something Gia would write, but she was here. All I wanna do is find her-"
"Supernatural?" I asked turning my head to the side. Vanessa loved that show. Whenever she had spare time she would watch it or on those many night she'd spend the night at my house we would watch it-well not really watch it. The Netflix and 'chill' was emphasized. "You said something about some sort of message on the wall?" I asked motioning with my hand. "what did it say?"
"um, CE equals BE or something like that." He shrugged
I laughed a little. Vanessa Evans plus Chris Evans equals Baby Evans. It was a stupid joke-an Easter egg if you will. Shonda put in the show on the whiteboard in one of our love scenes as a way to announce our pregnancy to the audience. She often left clues to the next episode in every episode except this one was not only in the show but in real life.
"Chris Evans." I say extending my hand out to him. I'm pretty sure he knew by the little smile playing on his face. He shook my hand and nodded his head.
"I know. I'm a big marvel fan, I know all your lines." Jared chuckled and then cleared his throat as he nervously laughed. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jared Padalecki - I know I said that already..."
I introduced him to Dodger and I felt a little more relaxed. I gathered that she was alive and we both came to the assumption that they were traveling together.
"Where do you think their headed?" I asked as we walked to his car which was tricked out and full of ammunition and guns. Not to mention government level protective gear.
"While I was in there, I picked up someone else. Heavy footed and big, traveling with dogs. Hair everywhere." He went on tossing me a bullet proof vest. "You heard of Sanctuary?"
"The safety place? Yeah, but it's hard to find. It's for people who get caught in the Purge right?"
He narrowed his brow and shook his head. "No." Said Jared sharply. "Sanctuary is a secret government funded task force. It started off as a conspiracy some myth to explain all the random disappearances throughout the year. It's a government project designed for population control." He went on
"Ok...what does that have anything to do with the Purge?"
"Everything. An organization designed to control the US population. We're talking Pro killers who were once on a leash, but when that horn sounded and the Purge began, they are just as free to kill anyone they want." Said Jared handing me an ipad. It was a list of celebrities. From pro athletes like Steph Curry and their immediate families to movie stars and singers like Rhianna and Tom Cruise. "There are rumors that they are hunting celebrities. The kardashians and Jenner's are fair game. If not the stars themselves then they choose their parents, brothers and sisters."
"And do what?" I asked quietly as I saw mine and Vanesssa picture
"Most get auctioned off to the highest bidder, I've also heard they kill them on the spot for money or bring them in to fight for the death. Bottom line, there is a bounty on our heads. During the Purge everyone is fair game, their is no protection."
"You're telling me she's out there being hunted by them right now?" I asked
“Possibly. The dog hair isn’t a breed we know. They are a combination of hunting canines, bloodhound, foxhound, Labrador retriever with the built and aggression of a something like a pit bull a Rottweiler.” Said Jared as I looked up from the iPad and gave it back. “You’re gonna need more than a kitchen knife. We find the dogs and the hunter and we’ll find them.”
He held a gun out to me and wiped my mouth with the palm of my hand trying to mentally prepare for what is to come."
“Do you believe in the Purge?” I asked still questioning why his car was full of weapons. “You kill people?”
He nodded his head. “Yes. I don’t believe in hiding or waiting for someone to kill me. We all have the right to Purge."
"What's stopping you from killing me?"
Jared sighed and shook his head. "I'm hunting them. I'm surviving and if you decide to threaten my survival, then I'll kill you." He went over to the driver side of his Ford charger. "Get in. Knowing Gia she is headed for Roberts hole."
"What's that?" I asked climbing in the passenger seat of the car.
“It’s a Cassino for celebrities. Jack Black owns it. It’s locked up right but open to his favorites during the Purge.”
“They’ll be there?”
“Relax.” He out his hand in my shoulder and looked at me as dodger sat in the back seat. “We will find them. You know how to shoot don’t you?” Jared raised his gun in the air and nodded my head.
I guess it wasn’t confidently and he chuckled. “Vanessa isn’t a fan of guns.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll practice. Ok?”
.
.
.
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A/N: Sorry it took so long😬 don’t hate me, please. Lol, I hope everyone is doing well and safe out here. If you wanna be tagged leave it in the ask box, Anyways…Untill next time!
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lexpressobean · 3 years
Text
Thoughts on Kikaichu as actual Parasites.
Knowing how skin and the body generally works on a medical level, the "hive" aspect of the Aburame clan really drives me crazy. 'Cause parasites are real, obviously, but the size of Kikaichu beetles makes absolutely no sense in comparison to irl skin parasites. At least not in a bee hive sort of way lol
rambling because my mind craves logic and I'm specializing as a wound care nurse but it's literally anime so what do I expect lol
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No, wounds don't freak me out, I'm more terrified of generally handling vomit and babies than I am a dehiscence of a 15cm long surgical site lol. The human body can literally take so much abuse before it really starts to give and try to alert you that you need help! And once you give it help, it really can come full circle to the wound 100% looking like it was never there. The body is an amazing thing <3
However the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word "parasite" is always going to be "tapeworm". That's not gonna change. However, kikaichu are not worms and CERTAINLY don't grow that fucking huge or live that long. (A tape worm can live long enough to graduate with a fucking PhD. Can you believe?) I haven't been exposed to any urgent situations involving parasites yet, however, the one I would compare a Kikaichu to that is (unfortunately) also common is the scabies mite.
Very briefly, scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) are technically a type of arachnid that grow no bigger than a bout 0.5mm in size, but CAN be seen with the naked eye if you're looking for them. They crawl around the skin and burrow specifically in the top layer of skin, called the epidermis. The epidermis is that protective layer of skin and can be between 0.5mm to 1.5mm thick depending on which part of the body you're looking at. After the epidermis, you have the dermal layer, which is where sweat glands, nerves, and capillaries are found. Scabie mites will not burrow that deep because they only burrow to lay their eggs and such. As they do this they can cause visible tunnels and other marks that can be mistaken for acne or other skin conditions if not properly identified. You'll most likely know because the itch is VERY BAD.
They're very easily spread by close contact and a scabies infestation needs to be treated with a prescribed pharmacological means.
However, kikaichu are definitely a lot bigger than 0.5mm. In the case of size, I would compare them at minimum to fruitflies/medflies, which grow up to 3-5mm and maximum to ladybugs 4-7mm.
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3-7mm > 0.5-1.5mm... obviously. And the holes which Kikaichu swarm out of that the audience has seen before are about a size comparable Shino's nostrils, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!!
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You're telling me those things were in his mouth?????????? S H I N O N O
That would mean, in realistic terms, the Kikaichu are fucking around in Shino's body to the bone and muscles and THAT'S A REALLY SCARY THOUGHT. Even just passing the epidermis to the dermis is alarming! Compared to the dry, protective epidermis that can and does take damage, the dermis can be 1-4mm thick depending on where you're looking and is where skin does it's business. All together that becomes 0.5-5.5mm of space BARELY big enough for a fruit fly do mess around in. It makes just enough sense in terms of THAT size, but last time I checked, having the skin penetrated to the dermal layer is just asking for infection to happen. You're first natural line of defense has been breeched, there's a pretty good chance you're gonna be bleeding (blood vessels) and general body fluids are going to be draining, which is bad for a multitude of reasons, and there's damage that gonna affect the nerves, and realistically this shit is going to be ABSOLUTELY painful if they're constantly manipulating those areas near nerves. These kinda of things CAN make new connections and things like that, sometimes damage is forever. (Case by case basis).
So my first thought to more or less "magically" solve the problem with anime logic, is that first of all, it's an anime and logic doesn't have to apply haha.
On a more sci-fi level, in which kikaichu are smaller than we've seen them shown, maybe they have been purposefully been allowed to burrow into the dermal layer of the skin at least because the blood vessels seem to be in direct contact with the chakra system. Kikaichu's prefered food is chakra, but they WILL mutiny and eat their respective Aburame from the inside out if they don't balance their chakra smartly. So it's safe to say Kikaichu are at least carnivorous as well, and so I only imagine these absolute nightmares would swarm their prey in the wild, and actively bite through and burrow into the body of the prey until they found the chakra system and went to town on that poor unfortunate soul. Eaten alive, how the hell did they "tame" them in the first friggin' place??
I like to think two things:
1) Kikaichu are passed down from parent to child, and the parent has control over the Kikaichu until they have been RIGOROUSLY trained for generations to comprehend that this baby/child isn't food, it's a new hive. If bees can comprehend time, Kikaichu can comprehend what an Aburame is. If they insist on trying to drain the babe or the babe just can't tolerate them, the parent takes the Kikaichu back and the babe is assigned another insect or position in general. Like hell they're gonna try to force a relationship like that.
2) As part of the successful symbiotic relationship, Kikaichu regularly debride the tunnels and borrows that they carve into their respective Aburame, and are naturally intuitive in avoiding as many nerves and blood vessels as possible. The chance of infection is never 0%, however, kikaichu are pretty good about taking care of their tunnels, and so it gives the Aburame more time to focus on their things, like increasing the amount if chakra in their system. To ensure that they stay healthy, Aburame are encouraged to eat as much protein and Vit C possible every day, whether it be meat, beans, lentils, eggs, oranges, tomatoes, or even supplements as times modernize. The dermis is living tissue and as long as debridement/tunneling is going on, it needs to be nourished as much as possible.
I don't know how the hell Aburame deal with the obvious drainage that would be coming from their bodies, assuming the dermal layer really is free game for the Kikaichu. But the magical solution is that... they don't? Because... drainage is minimal. The Kikaichu just do such a good job lol. Maybe they purposefully... carve entrances to be flappy, or they purposefully create pocket spaces underneath seemingly healed areas of skin to easily burst open when necessary. That's the biggest thing for me, leaking body fluids. There's no way around that shit besides straight up denial lol Maybe they wear a special kind of dressing underneath their clothes, or that's directly applied with their clothes. Maybe that's what that cute little backpack is filled with, who knows!!
Idk man. I'm sure the Aburame authority forces encourages many of their non-hive members to pursue medical nin training in order to give the clan more privacy in general too. All medics that claim the Aburame name are exclusively used by the Aburame Clan. A non-Aburame medic may end up healing tunnels and burrows that were meant to stay open because "oops" and now you have an X amount of insects possibly suffocating within a completely sealed pocket of the skin, and also now there's a very good chance that after those insects die, that whole area is gonna frickin' abscess and cause infection induced tunnels the longer it's left alone and GROSS THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! THERE IS A DELICATE, ORGANIZED, SELF-SUFFICENT PROCESS TO ALL THIS!! A PROCESS!!!
Like... the other ninja in the NartVerse can make as many jokes, jabs, and comments about the Aburame as they please (INO? BITCH??? but to be honest I still love her lol). But these MFers are constantly playing Russian Roulette with these high maintenance demon spawn from hell, and there are VERY little defences against Kikaichu, virtually none. Like the only thing I've ever seen actively thwart Kikaichu across all media is killing them with mass fire, countering them with large amounts of poison gas (both very exterminator like) or literally just feeding them chakra until they're so stupid full, they can't move, the little gluttons. As far as genjutsu, it's been stated that it's both effective and ineffective, so idk about that. But the Aburame are just SO set up to be the living breathing embodiment of Shinobi as defined by the NartVerse. They're whole clan culture relies on the threat of enemies. If they have no enemies, the whole relationship is an exhausting endeavor for literally no reason. It's not worth it if there's no one to fight or protect! But when there is a threat, you want them on YOUR side.
I suppose the best bet is to incapacitate the Aburame individual asap and the Kikaichu will tend the individual, making escape easier. But, if you DID manage to kill that Aburame right away, that particular Aburame's swarm is now suddenly without its food source and without restraint.
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What do you THINK is gonna happen, bro?? The second an Aburame loses their grip on their consciousness due to external influences, the bugs go bonkers because I'm pretty sure Kikaichu are simply persuaded to be in this relationship and have NO tolerance for bullshit like alcohol and overheating temps. If their Aburame dies, they probably cause just as much chaos as they would as a wild, unattended swarm. Then YOU BETTER HAVE fire or poison gas or SOMETHING handy. The only way to calm them down is to offer them chakra and a new host with equal or even more chakra reserves. Otherwise the mutineers must be eradicated.
And for serious... Like, any deeper and the kikaichu would be in the hypodermal/subcutaneous layer of the skin and that's where a lot of connective tissue is located. Let's NOT mess with that shit, shall we? NOT a good idea. It's called connective tissue for a reason first and foremost...
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keikakudori · 2 years
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(kicks door down) yo lu why the fuck did aizen devote so much time and effort to essentially grooming momo into a toy he could stab later on and threaten to 'grind her bones into dust' like maybe relax??? have a snickers instead??? why did he have it out for her. why did he take extra care in making sure she 'couldn't live without' him? his words. plus, why break her simply to then talk about how she broke because she admired him? he really coulda just. not. what's the reason(tm) other than him being an asshole with emotional constipation?
okay so cas decided that the meta for that moment is today so -- here we go.
alright alright alright so fun fact the end of hypnosis arc is genuinely one of my favorites and there are so many ways in which i want to break it apart. like, the shattering of illusions and everything and nevermind aizen's kudakero ( shatter ) command for his shikiai which both activates and deactivates it like goddamn where do i even begin with that in and of itself. that's a thing i could write a thesis about i'm not even joking like talk about the allegories and symbolism and i know there's no way i could coherently put it together right now.
anyways -- about momo.
momo is, and always has been ( along with toshiro ), a display of just how fucked up the seireitei and rukongai are in my opinion and probably in aizen's as well. here we see these two young shinigami ( i will not call them children despite how toshiro is drawn looking like his balls haven't dropped yet until the blood war and going by what he says in that, he chooses to look the way he does on purpose which is just a fun way of kubo making one last grab at the shota cashow imho ) who come from the first district of the rukongai. and the rukongai is, as we know, stacked in varying levels from district one to district eighty and we also know that the higher the number of a district, the more lawless it becomes.
we know through canon that an eightieth district is the worst of the worst; we know that rape and murder are common in an eightieth. rukia and renji come from the seventy-eighth district and they comment on how stealing is a common way of life there, nevermind murder and other things. we know that gin and rangiku came from a sixty-forth. we know that kaname comes from the rukongai. we know that izuru comes from the rukongai. we know that ikkaku and yumichika come from the rukongai. hell, even ukitake came from the rukongai. and unless you live in a first or second district? you're going to be living in a shithole. and the first district is the nicest of the lot. you have access to food, to housing, to people to help you and look after you.
so basically, the first district is the suburbs with the higher numbered districts becoming the rural areas and you have to wonder how many potential shinigami never make it to the seireitei because they starve or they're killed or any other number of things. like, if you have the power and all, you can become shinigami but all the same -- anyways, yeah, that aside -- let's break this down, shall we?
we know, per the anime, that momo's first glimpse of aizen was when he came to the academy ( though for what reason, we don't know ) and that was when gin was still his lieutenant. we also know, thanks to toshiro's words, that she was apparently interested him immediately from that point onwards and worked so hard to become part of the fifth division and to, furthermore, become his lieutenant when gin went on to become head of the third which was, as i've discussed with cas, no more than fifty or sixty years prior to the start of the series proper and gin became a captain either before byakuya ( like, RIGHT before ) or at the same time. which left a vacancy in place for aizen in terms of having a subordinate and that meant he had to take time to consider who would become his new fukutaichou but i have zero doubts that he didn't already have momo in mind when he saw gin become a captain.
i think aizen appointed momo five years after gin become captain, no more than ten, because he knew she was going to be useful. he could see it in her, her wish to be near him, but there's more to it than that. momo idolized aizen and, by all accounts, put him onto a pedestal. she had this vision of him which, admittedly, he played into. but the fact remains that she had this vision of aizen pre-conceived even before they ever properly met one another ( as we hear in that episode where she sees him at the academy when she's speaking of him to toshiro ) and that's ... something all its own that i really think should be looked at more often.
hell, we see that people are delighted to go to the fifth over a hundred years ago when nanao was looking at the squad placement boards and we see that someone is happy to enter the fifth because aizen's there and they call him, and i fucking quote, DREAMY. so this has been going on for a while, that people have this notion of aizen. which i think could've become galling for him over time.
now, i've said it before and i'll say it again -- aizen seduced momo. this was nothing but a deliberate, calculated act to make her buy more into the idea of his persona as a kind, gentle man. he deliberately used that perception of himself to his advantage where momo was concerned because, when it came down to it, it helped sell those plans for the defection from the seireitei beautifully. momo became the perfect patsy for aizen's endeavors and that's because, when it comes down to it, aizen has a strange sort of contempt for both momo and toshiro alike.
but, alternatively, we don't know about this contempt until the day of his betrayal. up until that point, things have been manipulated and worked over by aizen in many ways and we do see it before the revelation that aizen is still alive, such as when momo turned her weapon against toshiro. because aizen wrote a letter to momo, perhaps the very thing he was working on when she showed up to his rooms. because rangiku delivered that letter to her. because momo read it and believed that her friend could be capable of doing such a thing.
here, let's bring up those panels.
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now, this is one of those moments which stands out to me; aizen saying his last wish as a man and not as the captain of the fifth division. that he was pleading for momo's help. which, as we all know about aizen, is probably one of the biggest lies that he's ever said. aizen's completely capable of handling himself and doing what he needs to and we know that he was getting help here in these moments from gin and kaname. but the point is is that he was asking momo for this help which he didn't specify on beyond something that reads as "avenge me for being killed" going from this chapter and the dialogue involved. whatever the case, it was something he absolutely used against momo in feeding into her beliefs about him and it's probably one of the clearest moments that we see aizen's control and influence over momo. she's aiming her own weapon against her friend.
she's even crying here while she says this, speaking of aizen, and you can see just how deeply she's grieving his "death" in these moments alone. and in the next moment, she and toshiro are fighting with one another -- or more it's that momo is attacking toshiro who had his own interesting comment to make as well.
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yeah. the aizen you know, toshiro -- yeah. sure. okay there.
( only you didn't know him either-- )
 anyways, the point here is is that we see just how deeply subversive aizen was with momo, to the point where she absolutely believed the contents of that letter proclaiming that it was toshiro who had killed him. of course, mind you, she also believed it was gin who'd done so the day they discovered the "body" which, to be fair, i can't blame her for. ( i love you gin but you could be so fucking creepy at times that's just fact. ) that was, however, just a response to seeing gin there atop of hitsugaya's previous statement of warning momo to be careful around him - which, in this case, the blame for that one goes to toshiro because he planted the idea in her mind without meaning to, i know.  anyways, to get this back on track, aizen did this to momo. he deliberately put this line of training into her. was it an echo of what he himself had been through with shinji? possibly yes. shinji didn't treat aizen in the best of ways and it's commonly known and understood that the cycle of abuse can be perpetuated. we're not getting into that relationship right now but i do think it was very probably a factor. also, do keep in mind that aizen NEVER considered momo to be his fukutaichou. he never ONCE considered her in that light. we know this to be true because, well --
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( chances are that aizen still thinks this way, even after Deicide. also, gin looks pretty smug here. )
anyways, the point here is is that aizen held this odd contempt for momo. she idolized him. she worshiped him. she would do anything for him as we know and aizen, in his own words yes, said that he trained her to be unable to live without him. which is honestly something kind of horrifying. it's truly terrible what he did to her and i, for one, would absolutely love to break his balls for it. like there was no reason he needed to do all of what he did to momo. none. if anything, he should've respected her for being like him -- from the rukongai. but he didn't. aizen chose instead to use momo for his own purposes, seducing her and twisting her devotion up because it was perfect and just what he needed out of someone who was underneath his command.
but he did it anyways because he saw how much she idolized him and worshiped him and chose, instead, to merely twist that up and cultivate it until she would be what he wanted her to be; a pawn. a wind-up toy that he'd let loose until she'd run out of steam or was stopped by an external force. and as we see during the invasion of soul society segment, momo was very determined to make someone pay for killing her beloved captain to the point of escaping twice from confinement in order to try and get answers for what had happened.
and aizen's contempt for momo comes from, essentially, her never knowing what it's like to have to fight and survive. the overlying motif for aizen that we see consistently for him, again and again, is loneliness and solitude. we know he had two intimates in gin and kaname and we know that gin was the one person who was closest to aizen; so close, in fact, that gin is the one who killed him. we know this for fact because gin worked for it. gin was trusted in ways no one else ever was by aizen and it's something that speaks to me.
we know that aizen kept hunting for someone to see things the way he did, to have a companion or an equal and while i do believe that his wish or belief or whathaveyou became subconscious and buried in his heart because while he had gin at his side and in his life for over a hundred years ( and we're not going to touch on the intimacy between gin and aizen in this meta ), it was still there as we hear it from ichigo. his contempt for momo comes from the fact that for all of her worship of him, in a very real sense, she was trying to replace gin and that was probably part of it too.
aizen had chosen gin long ago and any replacement was not welcome.
but all the same, aizen didn't have to go as far as he did. he didn't need to speak of how she'd broken because he'd broken her. it was absolutely not necessary for him to do what he did but he did it anyways. because she didn't understand him and she never would. because she never knew what it was like to struggle or to starve, because she had a friend, because of how she never knew the real him. i think that it was the last reason which is probably part of the motivation here. a feeling of if you actually cared about me, then you would have gotten to know me. at the very core of things. it's just a lot of stuff and like so many things about aizen, there's a list of conflicting reasons and the duality and range for things.
on one level, aizen is contemptuous about momo because she never knew him. he's contemptuous because she saw only one facet of him and never understood him or knew him. he holds her in contempt because she was bright-eyed and naive and yet, he tried to treat her well when she did serve as his fukutaichou. yes, he disdained her but at the same time, he saw how hard she worked and much of his praise of her was absolutely genuine. but at the same time ...
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yeah. there's just so much to unpack here and aizen saw the way momo revered him and used it. he says to renji that he kept the useful students ( izuru and momo ) for himself and gin and sent renji away to another division. aizen saw how useful they would be when that happened, during the hollow raid which hit their class and made his choices accordingly.
though sometimes i do wonder what the fuck would've happened if momo had been gin's lieutenant instead and aizen had izuru under his command. like. i LITERALLY wonder sometimes how that would've gone down if aizen had had izuru to deal with instead and momo had been the one who'd gone to the third. that'd be really interesting to consider one day. either way, however -- yeah. he didn't need to go this far. he never needed to do that. as for his comment of grinding momo into dust or chopping her up into unrecognizable pieces to toshiro? that one i honestly attribute to psychological warfare as a result. like, a generous part of any battle really does come down to psychological attacks and beliefs and if you rattle your enemy, if you make him doubt, then it does affect the person in question.
we see this repeatedly with ichigo throughout the series where, when he's doubting himself, he grows weaker for it; hell, a generous part of his gaining mugetsu hinges entirely on his dealing with his having gone vasto lorde against ulquiorra, after all, and having to accept that that happened.
so i honestly think that aizen said that about momo to fuck with toshiro and i'm sure that's the angle he was playing here as well. it was his way of saying if you hadn't been fast enough, who knows what you might have found here? who knows what you could've seen if i had chosen to do this? to toshiro. which i think really does fit him very well. he wants toshiro to understand just how close things came to seeing momo's life being ended here. and that's not even getting into his comments to renji about what he was doing.
honestly, what it boils down to where momo is concerned is that aizen has a very strong sensation of this indifference and contempt for her and how she treated him. like, yes - he does think she was an excellent lieutenant. but she was not HIS lieutenant in the least. so, as a result of that feeling and that belief? it made it very easy for aizen to use her. he ripped off the rose-colored glasses that momo had on where he was concerned. in a very real way, aizen was shattering momo's illusions about him and revealing the cold truth that laid behind the beliefs that she held onto.
the really scary thing though?
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this is also part of aizen. this moment here where he apologizes for making her suffer, for stating that he can feel she's lost the weight? aizen is not just one thing or the other. he has that capacity for gentleness to him. he is perfectly capable of showing kindness and caring. he kept this persona up for over a hundred years, since we saw him acting this way during the turn back the pendulum arc and there is no way anyone can keep up such an act for so long without it becoming part of them - or, honestly, that that persona is part of them. and aizen showing that he has this range, of being able to be soft and gentle with others but in equal fashion being able to be absolutely cold and brutal with justification of sorts? it's all part of him. so these moments with momo are ALL parts of aizen.
but at the same time, at this moment, he was done with momo. this was nothing more than just him being terrible. he absolutely didn't need to do this at all. but at the same time, keep in mind that aizen STABS momo here and we see her, later, saying that she believes that it's possible that gin was forcing him to do this. aizen STABS THIS POOR YOUNG WOMAN AND SHE STILL BELIEVES HE HAS A REASON FOR IT.
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it's honestly so telling that, despite being stabbed by aizen and possibly hearing that he declared to toshiro that the only person whom has ever been his fukutaichou is gin, she still believed in him and thought that he was being forced into this. it's just so much and i really want to hug her a lot. i feel so sorry for momo in many, many ways. and aizen saw this bright young woman with so much potential and used her in the way that he did because he simply could use her in that way.
i don't think momo will ever fully recover from what aizen did to her; i genuinely believe she's always going to carry this with her forever. but i also am so damn proud of her for coming back from it too. seriously -- good for her. i love momo a lot.
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cerise-angel · 3 years
Text
Rumor - Na Jaemin
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College!Jaemin x Reader
Genre: Fluff, a little smutty, Coffee, Shower stuff, Bad roommates, cliché as hell.
Word count: 2060
Hi everyone!! Believe it or not I've been wanting to post this ever since Hot Souce, and finally I'm doing it! Let me know what you guys think, and yes I'm currently in NCT Dream hell.
Anyways, hope you enjoy it!
Constructive criticism is always apprecciated!
Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors, english is not my first language.
Thanks for reading!
The photo is from his IG, the editing is mine.
--------------------------------------------
Working on Saturday mornings really did piss you off. First you had to wake up at 7am, walk for about 10 quarters, change into that stupid skirt and apron and deal with your not so happy boss. You held back the urge of rolling your eyes when said boss came to talk to you.
“Table 04 is full. Is the kids from your college I guess?”
You looked into Table 04 direction. Oh God.
“Can’t someone else go? I’m kind of busy with the dishes.”
It wasn’t a lie. You really were cleaning the dishes. Ok you were almost finishing but there were other employees who were free and could have already went to Table 04. Your boss gave you a bored look.
“They asked for you.”
Shit. Feeling anxious you finished the dishes, trying to take the longest time. It took quite probably only 03 minutes though. You dried your hands on a cloth and tried to control your nerves before leaving the kitchen and heading for Table 04.
“Welcome to Cactus Coffee. How can I help you today?”
You voice sounded anxious and meek, and you hated yourself for that. You looked to the floor not being able to look at him in the yes.
“Good morning, Y/N. You should really wear skirts more often.”
You looked at Donghyuck and gave him a sarcastic smile. You really hated these uniforms, and you had asked multiple times to wear pants instead of the skirt, but your boss wouldn’t let you, because “it was against the franchise rules”.
“Yeah, you should too Donghyuck. Ready to order?”
He laughed at you, clearly enjoying.
“I want a medium latte.”
“Cool. You guys?”
Slowly all the boys ordered. A milky green tea for Mark, a cinnamon cappuccino for Jisung, a vanilla cold brew for Renjun, a strawberry Frappuccino for Jeno and a flat white for Chenle. You were almost leaving, relieved that he hadn’t talk to you, when Na Jaemin, oh so softly, tugged at your skirt.
“I want a white mocha please.”
You felt all the boys’ eyes glue to your face, waiting for your reaction. Your cheeks started to warm up and your palms and armpits to get sweaty. Jesus Christ. You answered back.
“Cool. Please don’t touch the skirt.”
You left as fast as you could, hearing Chenle’s and Donghyuck’s laugh at your antics.
Is not like you had a major crush on Jaemin. Is not that you hated him, or that you two had an unresolved romance. It would be a lot easier if you two already had a romance to start with. The thing is, you two had someone in common. Your roommate who was hooking up with Jaemin.
She never really tried to have a friendship or just a nice convivence with you. Since you moved to her apartment, she basically only talks to you to ask about the bills, or to ask you for help in Math. You cared a lot about it in the beginning, having tried multiple times to show her that you were open to her, initiating talks, baking cakes and all. She never really seemed to give a shit, so you stopped trying.
Things got even weirder between you two, on Thursday, while you were having a shower, Jaemin, thinking you were your roommate walked in. And you two had a shower together. And your roommate arrived and basically saw Jaemin drying your hair in the living room. And then she accused you of being a whore and three minutes later the whole campus thought that you had fucked Na Jaemin on the shower.
“Shit.” You muttered when you realized that you had done Jisung’s order wrong, for the third time. Thinking about what happened and trying to make a coffee clearly didn’t match. One of your coworkers, Ami, who knew about the whole story, came, like an angel, to help you.
“Y/n, I got this. You can stay at the dishes today if you want?”
You nodded smiling. Ami was really great at reading people, and since the whole bath situation she was helping you every time Jaemin, or one of his friends, or even your roommate came to the coffee. You stared at the clock in the wall, there were only more 2 hours to go. You could handle that.
-----------------------------------
When the clock hit 1 pm you were free. Staying at the dishes meant closing the coffee, so you took your time while checking the cashier, taking the trash, turning the lights off and making sure no one had puked in the bathroom. Slowly you took off your skirt, putting on some jeans and a sweatshirt. You sighed.
You didn’t want to go back to your dorm, to see your roommate who would so nicely, call you a bitch and leave. You two weren’t close before that, but this was even worse. You also didn’t want to stay at the park, since the last time it happened Jaemin appeared out of nowhere and you had to leave, simply because you didn’t know what to do.
Finally closing the door of the coffee you cursed at him.
“Fuck you Na Jaemin.”
Different of what your roommate thought, and what the whole campus thought, you and Jaemin did nothing but to actually share a shower. You kept thinking why in the world you didn’t kick him out when he got in. But he looked so soft and nice and he said you smelled like strawberries and washed your hair and you really couldn’t argue. It was a very nice shower.
“I’m sorry.”
You let out a small shriek when you heard his voice. Your brain was screaming “GO HOME” and that’s what you planned on doing. Except he tugged at your blouse, and you froze on place.
“I really should not have invaded your shower that day. And I should also have told your roommate that we didn’t do it, and the whole campus.”
It was true. The minute your roommate called you a whore, Jaemin stood up and left, leaving you alone with her screaming at you. You felt angry and ashamed.
“Yeah, you should have.”
Jaemin sighed.
“Can you please look at me? I’ve seen you naked already there nothing to be embarrassed of.”
That’s when you snap. You turn to him, anger filling your lungs and veins before you speak.
“I can’t look at you and there’s nothing to do with me being embarrassed or whatever. You literally went to my apartment every week to hookup with her, and then out of nowhere, for your fucking mistake of not asking who was in the shower, she hates me, to the point she told to fucking move out! Plus, the whole fucking college thinks I’ve slept with you and did that like a bad person, since you were sleeping with my roommate. I’m not embarrassed I’m fucking mad.”
Jaemin’s eyes widened after your sudden rant. The moment his mouth opened the talk back, started to rain. You didn’t move tho. He was complaining you didn’t look at him, well now you were. And now he was the one looking at his feet, embarrassed.
“I didn’t hook up with her every week. It was one time, and then in the morning you helped me to use the airfryer and, God, that’s literally the only reason I kept going back. I wanted to see you. I wanted to touch you. It was heaven to me every time you were around, and she wasn’t there to try to kiss me. I gave you all the possible hints, how the fuck can you be so oblivious?”
Now your eyes widened. You had notice that lots of times Jaemin would come before her. You two would watch some TV and eat nuggets. Sometimes he would flirt with you, or softly touch your knee, or play with your hair. But that was just the way he was to everyone, wasn’t? You looked at him, and now he was pissed. You looked at your shoes, rain starting to pour heavily now.
“Fuck, lets go to my place.”
“What? No. You go to your place, and I go to mine, goodbye.”
Jaemin grunted, pulling you closer to him.
“Your place is 10 blocks away, mine is 2. Stop being so fucking stubborn before you get hypothermia.”
You held back your words. He had a point.
------------------------------
His place was quite neat. You took your soaked shoes and he gave you a pair of slippers to walk around. Jeno was in the living room. You blushed.
“Jeno, I’m going to shower. Y/N too.”
Jeno only nodded, too fixated on the videogame to even listen properly.
You followed Jemin into his room, and after you close the door you spat.
“Im not going to shower with you again Na Jaemin. Don’t even think…”
He kissed you. His warm, soft lips were begging for your response, and after some moments you gave in. He sighed relieved while his hands descended to your waist pulling you closer against him. God if he could merge your body with his he would.
You put your hands on his chest, trying to get some distance so you could think, process and perhaps talk, but Jaemin wasn’t interested in that, pushing you against the door, pressing his warm body against yours.
You couldn’t resist anymore, so you finally put your hands on his shoulders, softly bringing them to his neck, then tugging at his hair. Jaemin moaned, pleased.
“Shower.”
You said softly, when his lips left yours. He nodded, hugging you and walking sloppily to the bathroom. His bathroom smelled like fennel soap, which you weren’t expecting. Jaemin slowed down, turning the shower on, and helping you get undressed. You felt your whole body getting hotter when his hands traced your spine.
“I’ve seen you like this before but is such a blessing that I can see it again.”
You had sure your legs had turned into slime at the very moment, but somehow you managed to keep yourself straight. Jaemin smiled at your flushed face and gestured towards the shower.
“Let me turn it on, it has a little secret to get warm water.”
You giggled. Jaemin turned on the shower and pulled you closer to him, below the hot water. His skin was a little cold, and in a bold moment, you decided to hug his back. You pressed yourself against his skin, feeling a little feverish. Jaemin felt goosebumps run through his body, and turned in your embrace, facing your glossy and now wet face.
Jaemin kissed you, softly and slowly, as if he were testing the waters. You put your hands on his neck, pulling him even closer, and he did the same, wrapping his arms on your waist. You started to feel dazed, the heat of the water and Jaemin working on you. His hands were everywhere, on your breasts, your waist, your back, your ass. Slowly, you started to do the same, touching him, gluing your lips to his neck, moaning his name.
You touched his member earning a low grunt in response. His hands went back to your ass, rubbing and squeezing it.
“Do you want to fuck me in the shower?”
Jaemin smiled, nodding eagerly. His hands, oh so slowly, made their way to your thighs, picking you up. You two were so close to actually doing it, then he slipped.
“Oh shit, shit.”
Jaemin dropped you, in a desperate attempt to not fall on his ass. You started laughing, and helped him to steady in place, admiring how adorable he looked frustrated, with his ears becoming hot red, and his face in a shy smile. He hugged you close, laughing with you.
“I think, we could just have a shower first.”
You agreed still smiling.
--------------------------------
“GODDAMN IT JAEMIN!!”
You felt Jaemin smiling before even looking at him. So, after you failed attempt of shower sex, you both had a slow hot shower. And the hot water kinda ran out. Jeno had finally discovered, which made him curse Jaemin.
“Should we do something about it?”
You asked turning on the bed to face him.
“Not really on my plans.”
“What is on your plans?”
Jaemin gave you the most satisfied look, his hands finding the way to the hem of your newly put on shirt.
“You.”
----
Thanks for reading!!
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toomanyfandoms02 · 4 years
Text
Jealousy // Draco Malfoy x Reader
Summary - Reader hangs out with her best friend Blaise and -Someone- gets jealous.
Word Count - 1k
Warnings - implies sex
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Jealousy was a common thing to experience from Draco. He was probably one of the most protective people I had ever met. So I was use to it.
But that didn't mean it made it any easier to deal with.
Besides Draco, Blaise Zambini was my best friend. It had been that way our whole lives. Our mum's were best friends and they even got pregnant with us around the same time. So we were bound to be close knit.
And it stayed that way.
I was currently sitting at the 3 Broomsticks with Blaise, sipping a mug of Butterbeer and laughing at some inside joke he had recited. Draco had said he wouldn't be able to make the Hogsmeade trip this weekend, he had to study for an upcoming Transfiguration exam. (He never really paid attention in that class.) So of course I told him that was fine, I would go alone.
But I happened to run into Blaise.
"So how's everything going with Draco? He seems a lot happier than he's been since we were little." He commented, snacking on his biscuit. I smiled at the question, I was glad he was *noticeably* happier with me.
"Things are going really well I think. I know how much of a dickhead he can be but he's never treated me with anything but respect."
"He's definitely got a soft spot with you that I don't think he has for anyone else." He nodded with a laugh, I thought so too.
We had spent the whole day together shopping, I even bought Draco a little present I thought he would like. With the help of Blaise.
After a few hours, we took a carriage back up to school together, mostly because I knew I would need help carrying my bags.
I was kind of a shop-aholic.
Blaise grabbed 3 of my 5 bags, helping me heave them to the Slytherin Common Room.
"Pure-blood." I said to the portrait, it promptly opened so we could drag in my bags of wasted money.
I saw Draco on the couch, a quill in one hand and a thick, (I assume Transfiguration textbook.) in the other. He looked up from it, eyebrows furrowing and lip twitching in the slightest.
"Hello Blaise." His voice sounded spiteful, as if he wasn't talking to one of his friends. Blaise smiled and waved awkwardly, setting the bags at my feet.
"Hi Draco." He looked back at me. "Thanks for hanging out with me today, it's been a while." He patted my shoulder, leaving for the dorms.
In an instant the textbook was shut loudly, making me nearly jump from my skin and hold my heart.
"Bloody hell Draco, what's wrong?"
"I thought you said you were going to Hogsmeade alone today." He pressed, folding his parchment into his book.
"I did go alone, but I ran into Blaise so we had a drink and did some shopping." I gestured to my pile. Then it clicked, he was making the face.
The face where his lip was slightly down turned, eyebrows furrowed only slightly. One eye brought into the slightest glare, but not enough to look angry. Just enough to look *jealous*.
"Wait a second, are you jealous?" His facial expression dropped, turning into wide eyes and red tinged ears.
"What? Of Blaise? Why would I be jealous of Zambini?" His words came out rushed and high pitched.
"Wow, you sound incredibly convincing." I laughed, grabbing his hands. "Theres no need to be jealous, Blaise and I are just friends, always have been, always will be."
"I'm not jealous!" He pouted aggressively, taking his hands from mine and crossing them at his chest. I dug my head between his arms so my head was on his chest, and hugged him.
"Sure you aren't." I giggled. His arms loosened and wrapped around me properly.
"I just felt bad that I couldn't spend the day with you, that's all. And he got to." His chin rested on my head.
"If it makes you feel better, I bought you something." I released from his grip, searching for a smaller bag. Once I located it I pulled the tiny box out with a smile and handed it to him.
"Here, open it." He gave a puzzled look before opening the box. It held a ring in the form of a coiled snake with shiny green eyes. He smiled at it, slipping it onto his ring finger.
"I love it Darling." He went to bring me in for a kiss but I stopped him.
"Wait! Look at the inside of it." He slipped it off, turning it in the light so he could read the engraved message.
*16-04-1996*
*Y/n*
He smiled widely, just staring at the small lettering.
*His Y/n*
"And I got a matching one." I showed him the inside, mine saying the same but instead, his name. "Now we can carry a little piece of eachother everywhere." I commented. This time I let him bring me in for a kiss, lightly grabbing my jaw and tracing it.
"Blaise helped me pick it out." I said between kisses.
"Don't talk about him while I'm kissing you." He laughed breathily onto my lips, pulling me into his lap on the couch with him.
"Then who should I talk about?" I giggled, teasing him. He flipped us so he was hovering over me on the cold leather.
"Who do you think?" He replied intimidatingly, those icy eyes boring into my soul.
"You tell me!" I sat up and pecked his lips. He gave a playful eyeroll and came down to me, passionately kissing me. He ran his hands through my hair and down my body. His mouth now trailing kisses down my jaw and neck.
"Do you think we should move this to my room?" He whispered against my neck.
"Probably dimwit." I lightly shoved him off of me, getting up from the couch and grabbing him by his tie. "Wouldn't want to get caught by a poor first year." I laughed, beginning to pull him up the stairs.
"I don't even care, as long as I'm with you." He said in a dreamy voice.
"Oh sush Malfoy." I scolded as I shut the door to his dorm.
*Man am I in for it tonight.*
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veliseraptor · 3 years
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So this is in NO WAY PRESSURING, get to this whenever you're bored and have nothing better to do, but I (have still not watched The Untamed) would love to hear any disorganized rambles around your fic 'Punitive Measures', like your thoughts while writing it, how you view Xue Yang's fight/flight/freeze instinct, and/or where you would take the plot if you ever came back to it (again, not pressuring, I'm not asking for a sequel, I'm asking for director's commentary. Also I know the mysterious flute was implying Wei Wuxian, I know that much and not much more.) It's a really fun, quick fic that I enjoy reading through while I keep circling around your longer, more intimidating stories. I aspire to write like you.
oh boy, well, I don't know that I ever have nothing to do but here I am answering this ask anyway, because I like talking about my fic even if I get self-conscious about it.
this entire fic falls solidly into the genre of fic I write that is legitimately just “I’m gonna fuck up this character I love because it’ll be fun and I love to do that” and then just kinda...went for it. actually harder than I was initially planning! my vague sense of what I was going to do with this fic didn’t have Xue Yang down an eye at the end of it.
but when inspiration strikes, what’s a girl to do, etc.
I actually thought recently about writing a sequel to this fic (or, well, continuing into the AU it started, more like) because the concept of Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang being bloodthirsty vengeance brethren is a very good one for me, personally, and at the point their paths would be intersecting in this AU a more plausible one than it would be at pretty much any other time (I would argue, at least in CQLverse). And that’s where I think this would be going. Because Xue Yang would see Wei Wuxian, in his bloodiest frame of mind, powered up with a gorgeous flute of bad vibes and go “fuck yes” even if he wasn’t in a place where he really needed the help.
The question I had was whether Wei Wuxian would be interested in accepting company, and I feel like Xue Yang on that front could be convincing. And the way that the latter would both enable and egg on all the former’s darkest fantasies and impulses...I’m just saying, Wen Chao and everyone he has ever known is in for a very bad time, possibly even worse than they already were.
I invite you to picture in this AU the part where Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji find not just darker and edgier Wei Wuxian at the end of their scavenger hunt but darker and edgier Wei Wuxian with a friend. A familiar friend! Now down an eye and practically picking his teeth with Wen Chao’s finger bones. :D
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since you asked for disorganized rambling I went back to reread and I’ll give you some director’s commentary on a few things
And he’d kind of hoped Wen Ruohan would be too busy figuring out how to deal with his brewing war to dedicate much attention to looking for one absent retainer. And even if he did, Xue Yang had sort of figured that finding him would fall to Wen Chao, who’d probably struggle to find his own ass with two hands.
kicking off this director’s commentary with Xue Yang’s brutal assessment of the competency of Wen Chao.
tbh one of my favorite things about CQL’s involving Xue Yang in the whole Sunshot storyline, despite the merry hell it plays with timeline stuff later, is how obviously little regard Xue Yang has for the Wens, even when they’re at the height of their power. He shows Wen Ruohan himself very little respect, and I can’t imagine anyone else getting more (except maybe Wen Qing, because Wen Qing is competent and if nothing else Xue Yang can respect competency).
and he just like. ditches them. walks out! promises to deliver very powerful magical artifact, and then gets what he wants and is like “smell ya later, peace” and they never catch him.
that’s just a kind of gutsiness and casual disregard for very powerful people that I really both love and respect about Xue Yang. and also that he has in common with Xiao Xingchen, tbh. and Song Lan (though him I think to a slightly lesser degree, partly because he has a little more tact and sense of societal norms as something relevant to be thinking about)! they can all vibe on that.
They took Jiangzai. Well. One of the Wen disciples took Jiangzai in the stomach and Xue Yang didn’t get it back.
this isn’t an important line or anything. I just like it a lot.
Wen Chao gestured again and he went down in a hail of fists and feet. Xue Yang tucked his chin down to protect his throat, curled his hands into his chest, and drew up his knees to guard his stomach.
He knew how this worked. Sure, it’d been a while since someone had beat him like this, but the lessons stuck. It was almost boring, really. If Wen Chao was going to play torture games then he could at least do Xue Yang the favor of trying to be creative.
He checked out the part of his brain that registered pain as anything other than a thing that was happening and focused instead on opportunities. Weaknesses in his assailants. Escape routes. Getting away would be the first thing. Nice if he could take a piece of Wen Chao with him on the way out - arm, or maybe even a head - but the priority was freedom and survival.
okay, this I feel like cuts into some of what you were talking about regarding Xue Yang’s fight/flight instinct, and also a lot of what if, I was feeling pretentious, I feel like this fic is digging into on a level under “what if I just tortured Xue Yang a whole bunch,” which is something about the relationship Xue Yang has to (a) pain and (b) his own body. Specifically, the relative indifference he has toward both. Or...not indifference, exactly, because it’s not like he’s enjoying himself, it still hurts. It’s just...expected.
unremarkable.
which is a lot of what I was trying to convey with Xue Yang’s narration during the whole torture sequence, with the commentary on methodology and how things are mundane or boring, because the suffering itself is mundane! as far as Xue Yang is concerned that’s exactly what suffering is! other peoples’, for sure, which is part of why it doesn’t matter, but also his own.
the world hurts and that’s just how it is and you learn how to cope with that. pain as...a thing that [is] happening.
I also, since you mentioned the fight/flight instinct, think a lot about how Xue Yang is, while he’s very proud and very stubborn, absolutely not someone to pick fights (in general) that he knows he can’t win. Xue Yang will almost always be on the side of “run and come back another day” over “stand and fight when all is lost.” survival, first and foremost.
which feeds into the weird paradox that I kind of hint toward at the end of this fic about Xue Yang as someone who has a definite death drive, who is profoundly obsessed with his own death in a lot of ways, and simultaneously is attached to staying alive above pretty much all else.
“Snap and snarl all you want,” he said. “You’re not going anywhere. And the only part of you I need intact is your tongue, so you can tell me where you hid the Yin Metal you promised. Everything else is optional.”
A prickle of fear rolled down Xue Yang’s spine and he flicked it away, baring his teeth.
I actually do think that, even before they get around to hand-specific trauma, permanent mutilation is one of those things that still scares Xue Yang. which is a short list! there isn’t much that actually either gets to or scares him, but I think the prospect of (further) mutilation does, because I think Xue Yang is very...acutely aware of the fact that his physical capability is a major factor in what has kept him alive and what, in all likelihood, is going to keep him alive moving forward. anything that threatens that capability, that limits him in terms of strength or mobility or otherwise has a disabling effect, is consequently going to be a short road to death, and Xue Yang would much rather die painfully fighting than die as a consequence of not being able to take care of himself.
for Xue Yang, the idea of a return to the kind of helplessness that is tied to his trauma is one of the worst possible prospects to contemplate. in my head this is exacerbated further by the fact that I figure Xue Yang didn’t get much if any medical care post hand incident, meaning that the recovery period was absolutely nightmarish and a whole stretch of time beyond the event itself where Xue Yang was struggling to survive because he’d been damaged.
in some ways I think that period of time probably did more to shape Xue Yang than the moment itself.
Wen Chao grabbed one of the branding irons from a disciple’s belt and pressed it to his stomach. That hurt. More. He clamped his back teeth together so he didn’t make any sound, absorbed the burn, owned it. His. You only hurt if you were alive. And anything you survived made you stronger.
Not that this was actually going to make him stronger. It was probably just going to make him dead. But then again, the worse this went the more resentment he’d have built up. He could use that. Would.
Dead didn’t have to mean finished.
obviously this is pulled almost direct from what Wei Wuxian himself says to Wen Chao. deliberate echoes based on character parallels! we love those.
and yeah, again here about Xue Yang and his relationship to pain, but in a less mundane way this time where it’s about pain as a tool, pain as something he can use. which is another thing about coping, I think - when pain and suffering are a regular part of your life, one way to deal with that can be to convert it into having some kind of purpose or benefit.
which in this case it definitely can. Xue Yang is definitely someone who, I think, has thought a lot about trying to arrange it so he becomes a ghost after he dies. or at least has thought a lot about what he’d do after dying to the person who killed him. 
and when you’re a necromancer by trade death really isn’t the end of the line anymore, just the start of a something new. Xue Yang’s relationship to life itself: about as jacked up as his relationships in general.
He felt the snap of bone in his teeth. Pain shooting up the side of his hand, all the way to his wrist, and Xue Yang couldn’t keep himself still enough not to try to wrench himself away. He swallowed his scream and turned it into a laugh. It was funny, wasn’t it? Funny, that he was back here, again. It wasn’t as bad, though. He knew how to take pain, how to breathe it in, make it part of himself, later turn it outwards magnified tenfold. They were old friends. Practically lovers. 
two things here:
1. the thread throughout this fic of Xue Yang making things funny so he can deal with them, here brought to you by reliving trauma! because it’s funny! right? laugh about it! just fucking hilarious.
I have a thing about characters basically deciding for themselves to make very unfunny situations funny because it makes them less awful.
2. and look, now he can deal with it better this time! he’s Learned. :) :) :)
Everything splintered. Splintered like bones under a wheel, and first thing he tried to struggle to get away but that just hurt worse and then old old old instincts kicked in and he went still, limp, dead.
“Did he faint?”
Someone nudged him with their foot. One part of him roared to grab that foot and rip it off along with the leg it was attached to. Immediately the same thing that’d made him play dead told him to wait.
at an end point where fighting is impossible and running is also impossible, the only thing left to do is play dead and wait it out. this is very much, in my head, a reversion to a tactic Xue Yang hasn’t used in a very long time and does not want to be using now, because it is absolutely the recourse of the extraordinarily helpless with no way out.
which he has been! and is now, but he really really really doesn’t want to be. Xue Yang has built his life around not being that, ever again.
but here it’s not a move he makes planning to turn it around the way he does, not at first. he gets there, but when he first does it I think it is literally just instinct that goes enough is enough and shuts down.
Wen Chao, Wen Chao, Xue Yang thought. My body’s going to give out before I do.
someone should remind me at some point maybe (or not) to write something coherent about my Xue Yang vs. his own body thoughts. specifically the way that, while Xue Yang is very physical and very grounded, I think he has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with his own body, actually. not completely! he definitely respects what it can do for him! but I think he also treats it a little as a slightly separate entity that’s capable of betraying him rather than as a fully integrated part of himself.
not always! but it’s a little bit there. this idea that sometimes his body, and its capacity to be hurt or damaged, is a weakness that he’d like to be able to forgo entirely, if only it wouldn’t mean losing all the good things about having a body. and that’s present here in this line, for me, where he thinks about himself and his body as slightly separate, and his body as something weaker than its Xue Yang core.
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freakingbellam · 3 years
Text
Timeless (HP & HOO crossover x reader)
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Synopsis: What would you say if I told you that Hogwarts and Camp Half-Blood are not so far apart? Yeah, Gale and Y/n would also say this is crazy. But these two girls are about to discover that even though they are far apart, the magic that surrounds them is the same. After all, what do a time travel, a fearful prophecy and a Titan about to resurrect, have in common? Certainly more than you can imagine.
Paring: Apollo x reader
Warnings: None, I guess.
Reader: Percy's step sister! reader
Word count: 1.7k
A / N: escreve o que quiser (notas da autora)
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September 2010, New York - USA
Y/n would be lying if she said she didn’t cry like a baby when she saw Argo II return to Camp Half-Blood. She had been forbidden to help in the battle against the giants, but she was nevertheless not full at Camp. After the near invasion of Camp Jupiter and Reyna's visit, things got messed up there.
But the best part of the return of the other demigods was seeing Percy again. He looked extremely exhausted, but happy to be back in one piece. Y/n hugged him for so long that Percy almost fell asleep in her arms.
The boy was welcomed with all the frenzy he deserved, entitled to a hearty banquet and a visit from his father, along with a very tearful Sally and a relieved Paul.
Tyson had been absolutely thrilled to see his older brother talking to his friends by the fire, which glowed high and yellow, mirroring the emotion of the half-bloods.
Despite being as happy as the others, and maybe even more so, Y/n retired a little earlier that night. She didn't walk long before her absence was noticed.
‘Mingling with the shadows? I thought this was my own thing.” The girl smiled at Nico di Angelo, who walked over to her with his hands in the pockets of his aviator jacket, which was still too big for him.
“I'm going to sleep, Nico.” She explained, continuing her way to Cabin 3. “It was a day full of emotions, I'm tired.”
Nico nodded, walking beside her. Y/n always found it fun to be the same size as Nico, but now she realized that he was a few inches taller than she was.
“Are you okay?” she asked, bringing up the subject.
“I think so.” Nico replied, looking surprised by his own conclusion. “Maybe things get better for me from now on.”
“I'm sure it will.” Y/n opened an encouraging smile. Because he was the son of Hades, Nico suffered more than all the other demigods, which worried the girl. She hadn't seen him since the war of the Titans, but she talked to Percy during her mission and discovered things she didn't want to discover.
She looked at Nico. For the first time in his life, his face looked serene, as if his problems were gone. Y/n realized that it would be better not to go into details about the problems he went through. She did not want to end his joy.
“Di Angelo!” someone called, running up to them. Y/n turned to find Will Solace smiling like a ray of sunshine. “Hi Y/n!”
“Will.” She smiled. When looking at Nico, she noticed a pink tint on his cheeks and held her laugh. “Can you take care of Nico for me? I need to go to sleep but he doesn't want to leave.”
Will smiled, realizing what she meant. Nico looked at her with anger and indignation, but he didn't seem against the idea.
“Certainly.” The blonde took a step forward. “Have a good night!”
“You too.” She raised an eyebrow at Nico and walked back to her cabin.
She was still smiling when she passed Hecate's cabin, which looked darker than ever. Her smile wilted. She had always been a little afraid of the goddess's children since she found herself a half-blood and moved to camp. But that night, something seemed comforting in the hideous darkness of the cabin. Unable to contain the impulse that occurred to her, Y/n went up on the porch and went through the open door. None of the goddess's children were there, they were probably still at the stake celebrating, they always loved a good party.
Y/n didn't know exactly what she expected to find inside, but she certainly wasn't ready for what she saw. She had never entered the cabin since she had never been invited and it didn't feel right to enter without an invitation like she did now. But what she found was an absolute void. No bunk beds, bathroom, closet or chest. Nothing for the basic comfort of teenagers. All that was inside was a torch on the floor with a brown leather-bound notebook beside it.
“Take it” A whisper said, and Y/n knelt down to better analyze the notebook.
“Who...?” She started the question, but knew at the time that she had no need to finish it. Hecate was there. “Are you hiding in the shadows?”
There was a harsh laugh, but Y/n couldn't tell where it came from. It was as if the goddess moved in every particle of air around her.
“I heard that Poseidon's children were mocking, but seeing that feat face to face is much more fun. Ares definitely didn't say enough about it.”
“I don't think he has any reason to boast about it.” She commented, but her body was tense. Something about the goddess made her feel that bad things would happen any second.
“Take the notebook.” She asked, seeming to feel the girl's tension. “Take it and bring my girl back.”
“What does that mean?” Y/n asked, but never got an answer.
After several minutes, she finally let herself be overcome by curiosity, put the notebook under her arm and ran out of the cabin.
Y/n spent a few days without touching the notebook, which was comfortably resting on the small table in her cabin. Percy asked several times what the notebook was and why Y/n didn't move it, but the girl always answered the same thing. "It's just a silly notebook." She was afraid to open it and end up triggering something she couldn't control.
Percy and the others had just returned from a massacre battle with irreparable losses, she didn't want to leave anyone alarmed by something as stupid as a leather notebook.
Y/n tried to distract herself. She would swim in the lake, duel with Percy in the arena, ask Tyson to teach her something in the forges, help Chiron with pending camp, talk about the biggest zucchinis with Rachel, encourage Annabeth to talk nonstop about architecture, sometimes make her repeat everything he had said in Greek, but nothing seemed to get her thoughts out of the notebook. Instead of being distracted, she got some scars from the duels, burns from the forges and throbbing ears, but nothing erased the notebook.
Tired of trying, Y/n returned to the cabin and spent several minutes looking at the problem. She would get up a few times, making a move to pick it up, but soon she would go back to sitting on bed. When she finally thought she would be brave enough to end the trip, someone knocked on the door.
Changing her course, Y/n opened the door to the blond, smug figure.
Y/n and Apollo had spent a lot of time together a few months before, not that any of them had a chance to do the opposite. He had helped her save the Camp when everyone seemed too busy saving the world. Now she was no longer able to get rid of the sun god, who suddenly appeared in her cabin. At least now he had learned to knock on the door before entering.
“Good afternoon, beautiful lady.” He smiled, breaking into the cottage before Y/n had a chance to expel him. “What do you do locked in that cabin?”
“Apollo, seriously, now is not the best time.”
“Every hour is the best time for Apollo!” He smiled at her and Y/n found herself unable to say no to him. The god had that effect on her, but she couldn't explain why. She just went back to bed and sighed.
“What happened, Sunshine?” he asked, now more serious.
Y/n pointed to the notebook, like a child pointing out the bully who was mistreating her. Pausing to think, it was almost the same.
Apollo's gaze followed Y/n 's finger until it stopped at the Hecate symbol on the cover of the notebook, and he froze.
“What's it?”
“That notebook.” He got up and picked up it, playing with it in his hands. “I saw Hecate with another of his once many years ago. I asked her what they were, but she cast a spell on me that prevented me from speaking for two months. Where did you find it?”
“I found him at her cabin.” The girl admitted, unable to lie to the closest friend she had at the camp until that moment. “I heard Hecate ask me to take him away. I didn't understand what she expects me to do.”
“Write.” He suggested, after long minutes of silence.
“I’m sorry?” Y/n looked at him, confused. “What if something bad happens, Apollo? I don't know if I want to find out.”
The god smiled gently, taking the book to the girl and handing it over, along with a blue ballpoint pen. Y/n hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the pen and opening the notebook. But she didn't do much more than that, as the words “Owned by G. J. W.” they magically appeared on the first leaf, in a strange black ink.
Y/n looked at Apollo for help, but he just shrugged and encouraged her to write something below. "G. J. W.? This notebook is mine, and my name has none of those letters!”
Before she had a chance to tell Apollo how ridiculous it was, the notebook replied.
G: "Who are you?"
Y: “Y/n Y/l/n, are you?”
G: "Gale Wright"
Y: “How the hell am I talking to you through my notebook? Where you are from?"
G: “England. I'm a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, how about you? What school of magic do you belong to? ”
Y: "I'm not going to any magic school, I'm from New York, there's no such thing here!"
G: "I thought the United States school of magic was Ilvermorny"
Y: "I am not a witch!"
G: "Oh by Merlin, are you a muggle?"
Y: "Look, I may not be a witch but you don't have to curse me!"
G: “Muggle is a term for non-wizards ... But if you are not a witch, how can you talk to me? This notebook is bewitched, only those who have contact with magic could see it ”
Y: "I didn't know that the notebook was enchanted until now ... I didn't even know about the existence of a school of magic, wizards, yes, now schools? No, things are very different here"
G: "Different how?"
Y: "I am a camper at Camp Half-Blood"
G: "And what would that be?"
Y: "Well, a camp for demigods, of course!"
Y/n waited, but nothing else happened. She looked up at Apollo, who looked as upset as she was.
“School of Magic and Witchcraft of... Hogwarts?” She asked, hoping that Apollo would say something to her.
“I've heard of that school. Hecate loves to talk about how she has an entire chain of schools that teach children to do what she does. She is very proud of it.” He explained, taking the notebook from Y/n and examining the last conversation. “I just didn't think it was real at all. All the gods think it's Hecate's invention, but no one has ever tried to prove it.”
“Well, I think we just did that.” Y/n joked, but was far from feeling the fun of the situation, because, there in front of her, there was a problem. Perhaps a much bigger problem than she imagined.
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oikawaplssteponme · 3 years
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PART 3 | previously: part 2 | masterlist
pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem! reader
ratings/warnings: swearing, fighting
synopsis: When UA’s hot heads, Katsuki Bakugou and you, are forced to put your hatred for each other aside and plan the third year Prom, things end up getting a little heated...
a/n: hello friends, i hope you all are doing well<3 taglist is open so just lmk if you’d like to be added :)) enjoy xx
three: sorry
You sat through the rest of class, watching your classmates battle each other. You wrapped up the cut on your arm and you were good to go. When the school day was finally finished, you headed back to your dorm and changed out of your uniform and into something more comfortable. You began to head down to the basement when you came across Todoroki.
“Hey Shoto, sorry about that,” you said nervously, pointing to the bandaid on his cheek.
“Don’t worry about it. You put up a good fight and looks like I got you too ,” he replied.
“Barely. You better beat me next time,” you smiled. He nodded.
“Don’t worry, I will.” You and Shoto parted your ways and you went down to the basement. The door was propped open. Bakugou was flipping through the folder that Aizawa had given you both.
“Hey…” you said. He didn’t look at you.
“So uh, how should we split up the work?” You asked. He still ignored you. Getting annoyed at this point, you snatched the folder from him.
“HEY-“
“Listen, you were the one who said you wanted to split up the work for this fucking dance so we have to talk in order to have that happen. What’s going on? You seem more pissed off than usual,” you complained. Bakugou looked at you, gritting his teeth.
“I’m fine dumbass. Just tired,” he mumbled.
“Sure you are.” You grabbed a stool and sat next to Bakugou. He rolled his eyes.
“Well damn you don’t need to be that close to me,” he said. You sighed, losing your patience.
“Bakugou, we both need to take a look at the papers. If I could I would be on the other side of the world to stay away from you.”
“Whatever.”
You looked down at the list of everything that needed to get done.
“Okay so for starters we should order the stuff that will take longer to get here. That would probably be decorations and stuff like that,” you said.
“We’d need to pick a theme before we order decorations,” replied Bakugou.
“Oh true. Okay um, any ideas?” You asked. Bakugou got up, walked over to a box, and pulled out 3 magazines. He sat back down.
“The theme packs that are crossed out are ones that have already been used. The themes circled are the ones within our budget. And the ones with check marks are the themes that we could get but we would have to cut back on other stuff to pay for it,” explained Bakugou. Your eyes widened.
“Did you organize this?”
“Yeah. I did it after class.”
“Woah…”
“ITS NOT A BIG DEAL I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DONT MAKE FOOLS OF OURSLEVES PLANING THIS DUMB DANCE!”
“Okay okay. I just didn’t think you cared.”
“I can not care and still want to do it right. Remember if we do a shit job Aizawa’s gonna fail us or something.”
I forgot about that part.
“Okay well which of them do you like best?” You asked. Bakugou opened up the second catalog and turned a few pages. He pointed to a theme.
“This ones okay...I guess,” he whispered. You peered over at the theme, a smile creeping onto your face.
“I like that one too,” you said. Bakugou looked at you.
“Really?”
“Yeah, and its within our budget, so I think it’s a good choice.”
Bakugou cleared his throat.
“Cool um, I’ll grab a laptop so we can place the order.” Bakugou got up abruptly and walked upstairs.
Is he always in a hurry?
~
As you waited for Bakugou to get back, you began compiling a list of the work you would need to do. You decided to take more of the creative lead and began putting together a design for the tickets. You wanted it to match the theme that you and Bakugou had chosen.
“You can draw?” said Bakugou, peaking over your shoulder. You jumped.
“Jesus shithead you can’t just scare me like that,” you said, hitting his arm. Bakugou rolled his eyes.
“I thought you were only good at one thing,” he muttered. You turned to look at him.
“And what might that one thing be?”
“Combat.”
“So you admit I’m a good fighter.” Bakugou got flustered.
“NO I'M JUST SAYING YOU DON'T TOTALLY SUCK ASS,” he replied, “I’m still better though.”
“Well I hate to break it to you Bakugou but I’m a girl of many talents. So yes I can draw. Can’t you cook or something?”
Bakugou’s eyes widened.
“How’d you know that?”
“I remember from the training camp. You helped cook almost every meal,” you explained.
“Can we not talk about the camp,” he whispered. Your chest got heavy.
“Shit um I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s fine just drop it,” he said firmly. You nodded.
“Um, did you place the order?” You asked quietly.
“What does it look like I’m doing,” huffed Bakugou.
“Yeah sorry.”
“Why do you apologize so damn much?”
“I-I uh, sorry, wait no-” you stuttered out. Bakugou continued typing.
“You should save sorry’s for when they actually matter,” he muttered. You tilted your head.
“So they don’t always matter?”
“Well if you say the word so damn much it just becomes another useless word. Then when you actually mean it, it’s pointless,” he explained. You never really thought about it like that.
“I guess you’re right. Then I’m totally not sorry,” you joked. Bakugou let out a small chuckle.
“Okay nerd, keep drawing your stupid ticket.”
“ITS NOT STUPID!”
~
You and Bakugou worked in silence for the rest of the time you spent in the basement. You checked the time.
“We’ve been down here for like 2 hours. I feel like that’s enough for today,” you said. Bakugou looked up from his laptop.
“Uh yeah. Just let me place this last order,” he said. You nodded and began to pack up your stuff.
“Do you have the keys?” You asked. Bakugou nodded and fished the keys out of his pocket. Bakugou grabbed his things.
“Let’s go dumbass,” he said. You sighed and trailed behind him as you walked up the stairs.
The two of you went back to the dorms and saw your friends socializing in the common area.
“There you two are! We lost you after class,” said Mina, waving the two of you over.
“Yeah well party planning awaits. It’s a lot of work for just two people,” you explained, taking a seat.
“Damn right it is,” mumbled Bakugou.
“How’s the planning going?” asked Kirishima. You looked at Bakugou and smiled.
“Bakugou is having so much fun planning. He even picked the theme for the dance,” you said.
“SHUT UP-”
“Wait what’s the theme?” asked Mina excitedly.
“It’s a surprise,” you insisted.
“Just to clarify, Y/N is just shit at planning so I’m having to do more work,” chimed in Bakugou.
“I KNOW YOU DIDNT JUST-” You stood up but before you could go over to him, Iida had grabbed your arm, stopping you from going any farther. You huffed.
“Anyway, how’s your side Deku?” You asked. Deku had a bandage around his stomach, most likely from your doing earlier during training.
“Oh I’m all good! Recovery Girl definitely knows what she’s doing,” he smiled nervously.
“Yeah well I’m sor-, I mean uh, I hope you feel better anyway,” you replied, “you got me pretty good too Deku, so I guess we’re even,” you joked. You lifted up part of your shirt to show the bruise that Izuku had given you from his punch from earlier.
“OH MY GOSH Y/N I‘M SO SORRY!” panicked Izuku. You laughed.
“Don’t worry about it. Makes me look like a total badass,” you smiled.
“Sure it does,” mumbled Bakugou. You gave him the side eye.
“What the hell is your problem today?” You asked, crossing your arms. Bakugou stayed silent.
“God you are such a piece of shit,” you huffed. Bakugou stood up and walked over to you. He gripped the collar of your shirt, pulling you towards him.
“SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!”
Your blood began to boil. You kicked Bakugou in the stomach to get him to let go but his grip was so tight on you that he ripped the collar of your shirt, causing the two of you to fall to the ground. You pinned his hands down.
“TELL ME TO SHUT UP ONE MORE DAMN TIME KATSUKI! I FUCKING DARE YOU!”
“Stop this at once!” ordered Iida but neither of you listened. Bakugou flipped you onto your back, almost knocking the wind out of you. He then pinned you down as well. Bakugou leaned in to look you dead in the eyes.
“Shut. Up.”
That was it. That was all you needed to be pushed over the edge. You were pissed. Words couldn’t describe your hatred for Katsuki Bakugou.
“THAT'S IT!” Before you even realized it, you were already generating a small bond to hit Bakugou with.
“Y/N NO!” yelled Deku. Just as you were about to throw it at him, Kirishima had grabbed Bakugou off of you and Deku had pulled you towards him.
“BOTH OF YOU! THIS HAS TO STOP!” Shouted Iida. Your breath was heavy as you looked at Bakugou. Kirishima had let go of him but Deku still had his grip on you.
“LET ME AT HIM! I AM SO SICK OF YOU KATSUKI!” You yelled, beginning to struggle from Deku’s arms.
“Fuck off princess. I’m going to bed,” said Bakugou, turning around and leaving.
“YOU OWE ME A NEW DAMN SHIRT!” You shouted at him but he didn’t turn to look at you.
“And here I thought the two of you were finally getting along…” mumbled Iida.
I thought so too.
[taglist OPEN: @vangoghpoets @vangoghmusings @bokutory @complimentaryhugsgirl @cloudswritings @kriswu46 @neodnyl @evivn1 @jazzylove @mileven-reddie @whalerus @misssugarless @random-fandom-girl-24 @fanfiction-and-stress @ushiwakatrash @minhoswife @addictofsupernatural @the-shota-king-masayuki ]
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piratewithvigor · 3 years
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Stars
Chapter 1: 1971
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Kane's steadiest relationship through his life was always to the stars
(This fic is 4 chapters, inspired by this fic by @old-no7, approximately 5000 words and written in a 24-hour binge. It'll eventually also be posted to AO3, but I'm sleepy rn, so not right now)
He’d been waiting for that night for two weeks. Marking the days off on a little scrap of paper his brother had written up for him. 14 little boxes to put an X through when he woke up every morning. His brother had been forbidden from partaking in their little ritual until after he finished writing his chemistry test and Kane knew better to stay outside alone. So he waited and he helped his brother study. In later years, when they recollected those weeks, his brother would admit that if anything, even less studying had been done when Kane was insisting to help. He tried to quiz his brother on vocabulary, which might have been helpful if Kane could read the terms or the definitions. Or knew what exactly chemistry was. But his brother appreciated the effort.
Kane had spent almost the entire day of the test in the window of the parlor, kneeling on the itchy red couch. It was a nice enough couch when they had funerals happening, since those were the days Kane had to wear long pants, but the rest of the time, when he was in shorts, the fabric itched his legs, so he didn’t like the couch much. But he put up with it that day. Mother wouldn’t let him move any of the furniture or sit on the windowsill, so he put up with the itch.
Mother said his brother would return when the old grandfather clock rang exactly four times. Kane considered himself a good counter. He could make it as far as twenty without any help, since that was how many fingers and toes he had, but he had trouble remembering what came after. It didn’t matter that day anyway. The grandfather clock never rang more than twelve times (that was all fingers and two toes) and was on eight rings by the time Kane was woken up and told to get ready for the day.
Making sure he counted each and every ring was hard work. By the time he’d counted four and not a single one more, he was almost too sleepy to figure out right away that it meant his brother would be walking up the lane any second. The only way he did figure it out was by seeing the long black coat of his brother blowing gently through the wind at the bottom of the hill. He was off the itchy red couch and out the front door before he even had time to yell to his mother where he was going.
His brother was far more focused on keeping his hat from blowing away in the wind to see Kane coming at him like a bat out of hell. He only just grabbed onto it as Kane captured him in a tight hug around his middle.
“You wrote your test today, right? So tonight we can sleep outside?” Kane asked, already knowing the answers, but just wanting finalised confirmation. His brother blew some curly red strands out of his eyes.
“Yes, Kane, I did do well on my test. Thank you for asking so politely,” he chuckled as he squirmed out of the hug. Kane huffed his annoyance quietly.
“Sorry. We’re still sleeping outside tonight, right?”
“We can head out as soon as we trade my bookbag for the tent inside.”
The next couple minutes were a battle of the brothers as Kane tried to drag his brother up the hill to the house as fast as possible and his brother trying to hold Kane back, just to wind him up for his own amusement. Eventually, even his brother couldn’t hide his excitement for the evening anymore.
It was the first year where their father was letting them go out by themselves. They’d each gotten training to defend themselves against some of the more common beasts of the Valley. Kane was trusted with a hunting knife after proving himself capable enough of getting a good shot in while also understanding the dangers the knife could possess. His brother, being older, had already been taken hunting twice. He didn’t like killing things, but their father was confident that if push came to shove, he could bring himself to kill pretty much anything in the name of keeping Kane safe.
After kissing their mother goodbye for the evening and receiving a final quick quiz on what to do and what not to do when faced with danger from their father, each boy picked up their packs and started on the trail into the woods. Kane had both the food and his sleeping bag slung over his shoulders, and if it had been any other night, he would have probably begun complaining from the weight. Sandwiches had never seemed so heavy before, or maybe his brother was just taking them to a place really far away. They did most of their exploring together, but Kane knew there were some places he’d never been before. Either because they were too far away for his little legs to walk to or because they involved crossing the river and his brother hadn’t been quite tall enough to lift Kane over the water yet. Wet feet was one of their first warnings: if they couldn’t cross the river with dry feet when safe, they wouldn’t be able to make it across if they ever faced danger.
“Are we going to the river?” Kane eventually piped up, hoping to disguise the ache in his shoulders and his feet.
“What?”
“The river. Are we crossing it?”
“Maybe when you’re bigger. Not today.”
“Then where are we going?”
“Somewhere special.”
“How special?”
“Kane, do you ever stop talking?”
By the time they stopped bickering, Kane realized they hadn’t been walking for likely a minute or more. They were in a small clearing of grass and a few rocks scattered around. Surrounded by trees on all sides, but there was still a patch of sky overhead.
“Do you know how to set up the tent by yourself?” His brother asked, shaking Kane from his admirings of their location.
“No, but I can put together the poles,” he offered. He was good at poles. Just wasn’t tall enough to put up the tent with them, but he’d never say so out loud.
“Do that. I want to gather some firewood while it’s still light out. Have your knife on you?” Kane pulled out the hunting knife from the leather case their mother had made and showed it off proudly. “Good. Don’t lose it. I’m not going far, but just in case-”
“Can’t I come with you? I wanna get some firewood too.”
“What for?”
“So I can have my own fire.”
“You can light the big one. We need the tent up before it gets dark. It’ll be faster if we each do one chore.”
Kane nodded and tried his best not to pout. He’d wanted his own fire to play with, but if his brother was letting him set the big one, that would be okay too. Besides, putting up the tent was an important job. Being trusted to assemble the poles properly was more than he usually did on these trips. But with only two of them going, there’d be lots more work for each of them. As his brother set out to find the firewood, Kane decided that not only would he assemble the poles, he’d even find the right place for each of them to slide into the tent fabric. Then all that would have to be done was push it up and stake it down. Easy-peasy.
He was sliding in the last pole when he heard the tell-tale dropping of firewood behind him and jumped up.
“Tent’s ready to be put up,” he explained proudly. His brother lifted an eyebrow uncertainly.
“You sure you’ve got them in the right spots?”
“Yup!”
“Positive?”
“Yes!”
“And if we try to put it up and they’re not?”
“They will be!”
To Kane’s credit, they were, surprisingly, all absolutely correct. The tent went up in no time at all. With an overexcited use of matches and dry wood, the fire was almost faster. By the time the sun was down over the Valley and the night air quietly screeched with the calls of bugs and other assorted beasts, both boys were picking at their ham sandwiches and lying back in the grass to look upwards.
“Tell me a story,” Kane quietly requested, as if he didn’t want to disturb the world around them.
“A story?”
“Yeah, like Father does every year. About the stars.”
“You mean the constellations?” He chuckled a little and pushed some hair out of his face. “Kane, my brain’s so full of chemistry right now, I hardly remembered the way here.”
“C’mon!” It was tradition. A story by the fireside. He wasn’t letting his brother get off that easy with such a lame excuse.
“Okay, okay, I’ll come up with something.” He went quiet for a few moments before lifting one of his arms to the heavens. “You see that star there?”
“Which one?”
“The big one.”
“They’re all big. Father says they’re as big as the sun.”
“Okay, the one that looks bigger because it's the closest.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“That one’s me.”
“How come you get to be a star?”
“You’re a star too, Kane. See the reddish-looking one?”
“Right beside the big one?”
“Exactly. Stars are born and they die all the time.”
“Just like people.”
“Right, just like people. When we die, those stars are going to disappear.”
“Are they brothers too?”
“Of course. Stars can be brothers just like people.”
“Do they get along?”
“Most of the time. Sometimes they fight and they don’t look like they’re as close together, but they always make up. Always.”
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