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aesthyuckic · 2 months

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🩹🎐 ditto!┊͙✧˖*°࿐

inspired by sabrina the teenage witch and ditto by new jeans :) tw: hurt comfort?? word count: 2.25k

“Have you ever been to the North Star?”

“What?” Haechan asked back in response, taking his attention off the vegetables he was cutting in the kitchen. “No, why?”

“Our soul stones reside there.” You shrugged.

He rolled his eyes before he went back to what he was doing, “They should be called twin stones not soul stones. Twin flames are our other halves and soulmates are people we knew in previous lives.”

“Okay, fair but don’t you think they’re interesting?”

You knew he always got upset at the mix up between twin flames and soul stones, it was something you found endearing. Truthfully, you didn’t know until he told it to you and that was another thing you loved about him. He always taught you more which fed your natural curiosity.

“I guess.” He shrugged. “But I’ve had no reason to go there. I’d be testing rocks for hours and I feel like I’d just be disappointed by it.”

“You have no one in mind?” You asked with your chin on your hands as you looked at him from the couch.

“Of course I do.” He responded.

And for some reason, there was a twinge at a few of your heart strings that stung as deeply as the cold. The pain flashed for a moment in your eyes and it was luck for you, his back was to you so it went unnoticed by your friend.

“Why haven’t you gone to test it then?” You inquired further.

“I’m afraid.” He admitted while putting down the knife, the vegetable laid in pieces on the cutting board. “What if they don’t fit together perfectly like they’re meant to?”

“Then there’s someone else that you’re meant to be with.” You answered rather gleefully.

“I don’t think I’d like to know that. I rather live in a blissful state of what could be. Why do you want to go so bad?”

“I know you’re smart, Hyuck. It’s because I have someone in mind. Duh!”

You fell back on the couch as he was prepping the food once more. There was that twinge again, only not in your heart but his own. The sound of the knife hitting the board cease for a moment before it began again.

He didn’t like the idea much like you didn’t either of having people in your lives that you hadn’t mentioned to one another. You’re meant to be best friends but best friends tell each other about the people you’re interested in. Neither of you had mentioned that person in passing with one another. The both of hadn’t assumed that it had been for good reasons.

The hurt subsided but lingered in the quietness of the room. It became heavy and overwhelming. You shot up from the couch.

“We should go together.” You suggested.

Before he could say anything, you were up and dragging him out of the kitchen by his wrist.

“The food!” Haechan pointed out.

“It’s be here when we get back.” You said, swiftly.

“The stones will still be there after we eat!” He whined.

“You know how when I want to do something, nothing else matters until I do the thing I want. It’ll be quick, promise.”

He couldn’t say no to you. It was impossible whether it was because you made him too weak to do so or because you were too stubborn to get your own way. You were already up the stairs to your linen closet, intent on where to go with the boy tailing behind you. As soon as the door slammed behind the both of you. A flash of mist and light engulf you for only a moment to reveal the change of location. Everything around you was various shades of glowing blue, most notably a periwinkle color. Shards of crystal surrounded the both of you, multiple halves of stones were cascaded through out the labyrinth of the star.

The grip on his wrist loosen as you looked around, confused. The boy seemed lost as well.

“How are we going to find the stones?” He mumbled.

He strayed from you while he avoided the sharpen formations as he walked around to look at the countless stones.

“Haechan-“ You called.

It was no use though, he was already around the corner of the wall. You don’t even think he heard you which you rolled your eyes at before turning around. As soon as you turned, a shard suddenly popped up out of the ground startling a brief scream and a rapidly beating heart from you. It spoke to you.

“Welcome to North Star system. How may I help you?” It said, robotically, indicating it was an automated system.

“Are you okay?!” Haechan yelled, a hint of worry in his voice.

“I’m fine!” You answered. “I thought… I saw a bug or something… Have you found anything?”

“Not yet!” He shouted. “I’ll let you know if I do.”

There was relief in you when you heard his footsteps start again and get farther from you. You bent down slightly to say your full name into the point of the shard. You looked behind you one last time before going back to quickly add another.

“And Lee Donghyuck.” You whispered.

It was silent for a second. Nothing moved and you began to wonder if it has heard you. Then the frustration and disappointment came to set in as everything stayed the same. Out of nowhere, a circular block of clear crystal came up from the ground with two blue boxes sat next to each other. The shard in front of you disappeared into the ground once more to reveal a path toward what you sought after.

Frozen in place, a moment you had dreamed and thought about since you found about the North Star was presented right in front of you. Fear replace the frustration you felt prior. Did you really want to know? There was a dilemma in you and felt like a hypocrite to the words you spoke earlier to your friend.

Hesitantly, you stepped forward and approached the pedestal. You went with the box on your left first and opened it to reveal one half. It glowed in your palm and a moving image of you appeared in it. You did the same with second box, it glowed in your other palm and Donghyuck appeared in. You smiled at it, rubbing your thumb over the cool surface of his stone. The question arose again, did you really want to know? Of course you did. You found yourself moving the two halves closer together. Time seemed to only slow down the closer they got to each other as a breath got caught in your throat. Only a few more centimeters…

“What are you doing?” A voice rang in your ear, breath fanning your hair.

You were frozen in place as everything stopped. It was unclear if he was angry or not because he most certainly could see the little image of him moving in the confines of the rock. You turned around rather quickly, quivering before him.

Haechan didn’t look angry but the tone was not as sweet and soft as usual which set something off in you. Uncontrollably, tears started to form in your eyes. You tried to blink them away but it only seemed to encourage them as they started to fall down your cheeks and fogged up your vision.

His stone fell to the floor while you kept the grip on your own so much tighter. His gaze seemed to soften at your reaction. You back away from him in an attempt to find a wall you could disappear into. It was not worth an attempt as you were too weak to actually use your own magic in that moment and you found yourself sinking into a ball against the barrier. You hid your tear stained face in your arms so you couldn’t see him pick up the stone and put in his pocket. He came running and dropped to your side within seconds of it.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He reassured, the soft and sweet tone was back with a hint of huskiness to it. “If crying makes you feel better, that’s fine but if you’re crying because you think I’m upset, please don’t do that… I’m not.”

He hated that he was reason behind your tears. Maybe it wouldn’t just been better if he had shut up and walked away. He wrapped an arm around you, gently to not startle you. He could feel you shake. He frowned at himself. Like he deserved to have his soul stone fit yours. You peeked up from your arms, eyes red with tears threatening to spill once more.

“I’m sorry.” You apologized. “I know I ruined everything.”

You referred to the friendship and shook his head rather quickly after your words, “No, don’t do that. I fucked up I should’ve just… not pulled that bullshit. I’m sorry… I just wanted to show you something cool I found out about the stones. You didn’t ruin anything.”

Not anything he didn’t want ‘ruined’ anyway. Haechan stroked your hair with a sweet but apologetic smile in an effort to comfort you. It took everything in him to not verbalize the confession sitting on the tip of his tongue. His arm left your shoulder only to go to your hand. Warmth encapsulated your own as he kept a firm grip on it. His other hand left your hair to pull out the stone from his pocket.

“You wanted to know, right?” He cooed as he held it out between the two of you.

The tears stopped and you regained your composure. Your grip loosened on your own stone as you brought it up to match his. Instead of centimeters, it was inches apart. Both you seemed rather hesitant to bring them closer to one another.

“Now or never?” He murmured.

You looked each other in the eyes. A softness and a type of vulnerability could be seen. You nodded at him before you turned your attention back to scene in front of you two. The stones stayed lit in both of your hands are moved to fit them together. It seemed to take ages for them to connect but in the final second it felt like it fused together like magnets would. A burst of light came as soon as the stones touched. You squinted your eyes from the sudden light that dissipated after a moment.

Then there you two were, in the stone, coming together across the boundary of the crack of each to meet in the middle for a kiss. Seeing it made the apples of your cheeks heat up and then you heard a laugh in your ear.

“What?” You asked. “Why are you laughing?”

“I was afraid for nothing.” He smiled before looking up at you.

“I was the one you had in mind?!” You exclaimed as you shoved his shoulder, playfully.

“I know you can be a bit air-headed at times but you can’t possibly be this dumb…”

“You’re a big dummy too if we’re going to talk about it.”

“We’re not.”

You couldn’t ask him what he meant before his hands were on your waist pulling you into his body. The completed soul stone went flying out of your hands at the movement, sliding across the floor. It made you gasp, yet they stuck to each other like glue.

“That’s the thing I wanted to tell you.” He whispered in your ear while a hand reached up to move a few standards of hair out of your face. “Once they’re together, they can’t be separated.”

His hand came down to caress the side of your face and pull you back to look at him. Your heart started to race just looking at him in the eye now, knowing his feelings. The silence was no longer awkward but suffocating.

“You’ll have to stop me now if you don’t want me to kiss you.” He confessed.

“I can’t.” You admitted.

You moved forward, closing the tension filled gap between the two of you similarly to the soul stones. The suffocating feeling was gone and you felt like you breath again. So full of passion and lost in it, you let out a sigh that had Haechan smiling into the kiss. Your hand went to the back of his neck in effort to bring him closer and deepen the kiss. His body now has you pinned against the fall. It would’ve continued if he hadn’t had to come up to breath for a moment. He stayed so close in front of you, looking down at your lips.

“We might be here longer than anticipated.” He laughed, smugly.

“We can’t.” You blushed. “If people show up and find us making out on the floor I’d be mortified…”

“I’m sure it happens here all the time with the other witches and warlocks.” He replied. “With far worse acts if I’m being honest.”

His words resulted in him getting smacked on the shoulder once more. He played hurt as he rubbed his shoulder.

“Okay, I won’t kiss you ever again.” He lied as he went to turn away.

You responded by yanking him back by the collar of his coat. His lips were against yours once more as now hovered over you. One hand supported himself over you while the other came up to zap you out of there. Whatever you wanted was what he wanted at the end of day.

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the-bar-sinister · 4 days

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Save me, chessmaster!

So I saw a post today about how there's a certain character who, when viewed from the typical POV of the series protagonist, seems very put together, cool and aloof. But then, when we see material from the actual character's POV we learn that they're secretly, actually a dork.

The character in question specifically was Miles Edegworth, but the post got me thinking again on a topic that's been needling the back of my mind for a few months. And that's that this is the case with a certain type of character across the board.

Let's call him (it can be a her or a they, but it's usually a him) The Chessmaster. The Chessmaster is a character who is introduced to us from the point of view of a protagonist who is impressed by him, but doesn't understand how he thinks. The protagonist either adores and hero-worships the Chessmaster, or some aspect of him, or else despises him and puts him on a pedestal of villainy. Sherlock Holmes is the most visible heroic example of this (and Moriarty usually falls into it in derivative material as well).

Either way, we are not privy to the Chessmaster's thoughts through the protagonist. If the protagonist ascribes a certain way of thinking to the character, there is generally some obvious flaw in their understanding of that, because we'll see the Chessmaster take actions that confuse the protagonist, and don't mesh with the motivations and values the protagonist ascribes to the Chessmaster. The protagonist usually sees the Chessmaster as he (probably) wants to be seen– dignified, aloof, mysterious, in control at all times. More god, perhaps, than man.

And that's how we the audience are used to seeing the Chessmaster.

But here's the problem. Nobody (nobody who isn't actually a god anyway) is like this all the time, and certainly nobody is like this all the time in their own head.

So if we shift POV from the usual protagonist to make the Chessmaster our POV protagonist, suddenly our understanding of the Chessmaster sharply shifts.

He's not just a man who keeps control on a situation no matter what, and solves problems with flashes of insight. He's a man who struggles. He's a man who has stray thoughts. He's a man who is sometimes– god forbid– wrong; even if he manages to make sure those times when he is wrong don't show outside of his head.

Not only that, everyone has their tender, flexible moments. They say that everyone is the hero in their own mind, so of course the Chessmaster will see himself perhaps as acting in ways that are kind, or attempting to be nice– even when outwardly the actions that stem from these thoughts aren't perceived that way by others.

So, suddenly we have a character who, even if they are acting outwardly the same as they always do when viewed by the protagonist, our insight into their internal process of how they got there is foreign to the reader. It seems, perhaps, out of character. Or even disappointing. Like the protagonist himself, seeing and understanding the Chessmaster as a human being removes the mystique of the character, removes the godhood.

Suddenly he's not the all knowing chessmaster, he's a guy who wants a sandwich.

And I've come to understand that you need to be very careful with this– especially in the realm of fanfiction.

If you decide to start writing from the POV of the Chessmaster character, it's entirely possible that your audience– used to seeing them from the adoring POV of the protagonist– will be disappointed and find them out of character.

If you want to keep the veil and mystique up of the Chessmaster character, you have to keep him at a step removed. You have to keep seeing him through the eyes of someone who is impressed by him.

Or suddenly he's just a guy. Maybe even a silly guy.

And for some people that spoils it.

#writer problems #writeblr #writblr #on writing #sherlock holmes #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #archive of our own #ao3 #miles edgeworth #kristoph gavin #villain f/o #villains #💻🔪#albert wesker

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twojackals · 9 months

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Schrodinger's box

I think I'm probably lucky that I had already come to the conclusion abdication was necessary for Tamara Siuda and that I predicted it was going to happen eventually (because it means I don't have to suffer through the same devastation and confusion others are feeling) -- but I admit, I did not think it would happen "within a week or two" of all this talk I've been doing.

Still, I can't say I'm not interested and even happy by the development. That's not a dig at Tamara -- this will be good for her too -- it's just that this is the only gateway left to change in the House of Netjer, and the fact that the door is finally opening... well it does leave me with cautious optimism.

Extremely cautious though, because according to the announcement, ""this change means we will need to have community-wide conversations about what we want to do next and how we want to do it", but… will it happen?

HoN / KO is known for its lack of transparency as I've said before. They shy away from discussing anything with the community at large in meaningful ways, save for the Shemsu Ankhs (there are things I would love to discuss on this topic in particular, but I can't). But even though conversations tended to feel directionless and spiral in circles.

What would make me happy is if Tamara joins the Discord server and starts talking directly with all of the people she was meant to be leading this whole time. The forums are nice, but the interaction would be best supported by real, timely interactive communication. And contrary to the announcement, of which parts boil down to a blame-game and do still annoy me ("You just don't understand Kingship" -- not verbatim), I still think the problem with Tamara Siuda and Kemetic Orthodoxy was never the 'King' component, but the 'leadership' one that should have gone with it.

The idea that we simply don't 'understand' Kingship in today's age is actually true to some degree, but I would summarize the problem differently: that the idea of Kingship should have evolved into something new and more relevant, but was refused the space to do so.

But King / Nisut was never the biggest problem, it was just a label indicative of a leadership issue with a spiritual leader who was so far removed from their community, they literally talked about how much they hated their own Discord server and alluded to the fact that we should basically all go back to IRC / AOL or maybe get off the internet entirely. Mind you, it's not like all of these problems don't occur outside of the internet, either.

Barring that time machine, maybe it's time to bite the bullet and simply become an accessible component to make conversation happen?

"This power now lies fully in your hands. I could not pass it along to anyone more worthy" -- I didn't realize we had become worthy at some point. To be clear, Tamara loves this community deeply, but has always been exasperated by its inability to self-regulate -- people repeatedly acting like little children and bullies with no regard for each other or Ma'at no matter how much they scream Her name. And the fact that she's taken so little time to actually talk to us directly, I can't imagine why we're suddenly worthy of choosing our own direction now.

I still think an organization like this needs a leader, a point of direction. The Board of Directors is a bureaucratic nightmare (but a necessary one from a legal entity state), and while some of the Priests are amazing, others are... confusing, I'm going to use the word confusing here for lack of a better term. Can control of the House be turned over to the general community, and what would that look like?

I think it would look like a disaster in some ways, because Tamara was always right: this community can't self-regulate, and that means it needs a directional star to guide them. I don't think the best option was ever for Tamara to leave the House (and to my knowledge, she isn't). It was just to abdicate from the ridiculous idea of King and then take an additional step toward being the community-accessible leader she absolutely could be. But I'm not sure if that last part is now happening or not.

There could be amazing things in store for KO and the House, or it could turn into a nightmare. We're on the borderline, or maybe we're inside good old Schrodinger's box.

By the way: I'm still pro-Kemetic Orthodoxy and pro-House of Netjer. I know most people would see otherwise, but I'm really rooting for this organization that still has a huge piece of my heart to succeed.

#kemet #kemetic orthodoxy #personal #blog #update #kemetic #kemeticism #religion #spirituality #organized religion #spiritual journey

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dedkake · 2 years

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5 fictober 5+1 october 2022 challenge drabble sets + 1 extra drabble

iii. october 13-18 | fictober | angstober | who we once were, t, .6k

“I don’t want you to do that,” Sumner says, as if John needs to be told he’s worthless to know it. He’s not about to forget a single one of his failures, not even out here in the unknown.

below or on ao3: five au teams that messed up and one that got it just right

“I don’t want you to do that,” Sumner says, as if John needs to be told he’s worthless to know it. He’s not about to forget a single one of his failures, not even out here in the unknown.

“Don’t do that,” Elizabeth says. Rodney knows he’s useless in all the ways that matter out here. His brain’s only going to get them so far when they abandon the city.

“Stop it,” Bates says. Aiden understands that he isn’t experienced enough for this, not yet. Out here in Pegasus, he’s never going to have the chance to prove himself, either.

- -

Ronon puts his hand on his blaster. It’s been years, but he still remembers how Teyla had been so still, lifeless on the floor of Michael’s lab when they’d found her.

But here she is again, beautiful, confused, cautious, alive where she sits.

Sheppard’s as far back from the replicator bed as possible when he says, “Teyla.”

“Colonel,” Teyla says. She sounds like herself. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” Sheppard says, but shakes his head, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “No. I don’t know.”

This mistake is going to bite them in the ass, and Ronon bets it’ll be soon.

- - -

“What are you doing?” Sheppard asks, his head rolling to track Rodney.

“It’s okay,” Rodney says, his throat tight.

There’s a Marine at the door, Lieutenant Forbes maybe, but Rodney isn’t about to leave.

Sheppard winces as his blood is drawn. “What’s happening?”

“You have unique genes, Mr. Sheppard,” Carson says, but Sheppard’s still looking at Rodney.

“The President just needed to ensure your cooperation,” Rodney says, stepping forward. He places a hand on Sheppard’s shoulder. A month ago they’d been sharing a bed, but here he is, party to Sheppard’s detainment.

Ford raises his gun. “Hands off the prisoner.”

- - - -

Teyla’s in the infirmary and despite Lorne’s assurances, John knows it’s his fault. He shouldn’t be on missions. He should never have left Earth at all.

McKay pulls him closer, but it makes John’s stomach turn.

“You’re looking, but you don’t see,” John says.

“I told you not to talk to the Wraith,” McKay murmurs, kissing him too gently.

John closes his eyes, imagines the Wraith sliding between his thoughts, imagines how it would feel to have his life drained, imagines lying in the desert, waiting to die. The Wraith is the only one who knows exactly what John’s worth.

- - - - -

“Are you serious? Twelve percent?” Rodney shoves the ZPM unceremoniously into his case. They all know that won’t be nearly enough, not with the Enemy on the doorstep.

John has his gun on the priest by the door. Once, they might have bartered for the ZPM, worked with the people of this planet to reach a mutual accord. Maybe, someday, they’ll be able to afford such niceties again.

“We are not who we once were,” Teyla says, switching positions with John, letting him take point for their retreat.

Ronon pushes Rodney past her. “Yeah, well, we ran out of time.”

Rather than the peace and quiet she’s looking for, Elizabeth finds Sheppard in the lab.

“I don’t know how they did it,” Sheppard says, glaring at the whiteboard.

“John,” Elizabeth says. “I don’t think this is your problem. Not anymore.”

Sheppard doesn’t look at her, keeps staring at the board. “He should’ve died,” he says, like he’s angry at Rod for returning.

He’s not really angry, of course. Elizabeth isn’t either. She doesn’t know how they would’ve survived the gap Rod left behind.

“Go to the party,” Elizabeth says, steering Sheppard toward the door. “Maybe you’ll find some answers there.”

also on ao3

#stargate atlantis #team fam #fictober22 #angstober2022 #my fic #octoberdrabbles #see if you can name the alt verse #i guess there's mcshep in there #but it's not very important

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alyjojo · 10 months

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July 🕶 2023 Monthly - Aquarius

Whole of your energy: The Hermit

Well…you’re just not going to like me much this month 😆 That’s okay, it happens with every sign periodically. This whole reading is rooted in healing trauma (probably) and unconscious impulses or behaviors inside of you that cause you to sabotage yourself and your relationships. I’m being told to be honest about this, so ok…I did a first reading for you, laid everything out, and scoffed at it, because it was too good, with a lot of confusion from you, because you were suspicious, and nothing in this reading made any sense. Very romantic, very fairy tale, happily ever after. No numbers connected everything, the oracles were off, it didn’t flow like my readings normally do - or at all. You were completely not into it, suspicious, confused. Zero flow, a surface level reflection with no depth. My guides know how I work bear with me lol, it mirrors you 💯 I heard “now put it back and redo it”. Which I don’t do, ever, I never try to force or manipulate anything, I just read what I get. So I was so bothereddddd, but did it, because “control” or something, and then this reading came out, coming for you directly and flowing as it normally does. It describes the exact same energy, in a different way so that now I can tell how you’re the sabotager, because your person is madly in love with you and plans on forever, period.

Your lack of trust or being overly suspicious of GOOD things is a problem, not a strength. Well. It’s a strength if you’re surrounded by thieves, liars, stalkers and crazy people, but you’re not. You have someone genuinely crazy about you, and you’re pushing them away. The Hermit is an energy of going inside of yourself to work these issues out, you’ll be needing to. 5 Swords is conflicts, mind games, proving a point, needing to be right, no matter what damage it costs others. You’re having to figure out what you want, but you project that on other people like they don’t know what they want, and then wound them in some way before they can do it to you. You’re safer alone, in your mind, and that’s a trauma response to something deeper that needs healing. I’m not a counselor so…that is someone that could really help you work through this better than me, I just read cards & energy 🧡 They’re online and everything these days, it’s easier. Pants are optional 😊

What’s going on in July:

4 Wands:

Either you had a very serious relationship in the past that ended, or this may be some level of family trauma and abandonment. I say something with so much depth & pain in such a textbook sort of way, I know, I’m sorry 😣 You do too… You have healed from this situation, in your conscious mind, but the responses from you in emotional situations seem to mirror this one, like you expect all relationships to operate or end like this one has, and that’s not the case. It’s a repeated message here that whatever your experience is - it’s moot with this person. Throw it out, you’re starting from scratch. Easier said than done right, but pretend you’ve never done this before and you may be pleasantly surprised, is more where Spirit is going with it.

6 Swords:

You could have literally moved away from a toxic family situation, 6 Swords is your energy and can indicate moving homes, states, countries, or just emotionally moving on. The person in this card packs their swords (lessons), and their family on board this boat, moving from choppy waters and 5 Swords pain/conflict, to smoother waters, peace, and calm. Both Aquarius energies. 8 Cups in the row before is similar, and also connected to this 4 Wands, a home, family, relationship. Either you left or someone else did, but it’s changed your life…for the better. Eventually. After the pain, mourning, heartbreak, healing, you’ve moved on. Taking that step to move on has changed everything for you and has put you on a path to your destiny 😎, where The Magician shows you being able to create anything you want for yourself.

Ace of Pentacles:

This opportunity comes in the form of a person that’s coming towards you now, however you meet them idk. King of Wands, this is someone that’s going to help you heal, they could be a soulmate. They wholeheartedly choose YOU, there are no other options…or they probably do have options, being Wands, but they don’t even pay them any mind because they’re crazy in love with you, period. Being this King, they’ll come to you, they act first, they chase what they want. You only have to be open to what they’re offering you, and 2 Cups shows you love them too. But. You’re messing it up! With your isms. Isms may vary 🙏 Which I don’t see scaring them off by any means, it’s just making a lovely situation more chaotic and mind gamey, harsh words possibly being said from a place of trauma or redirected past bs, like why? What does that benefit you? That’s why you’re needing to be in Hermit this month. Spirit is like Aqua, go to your room and think about what you’ve done. Or are doing*

Knight of Cups:

This person is asking you out, taking you out, doing whatever they can to show you that you mean a lot to them. And you’re like “meh”. Why are you like “meh”? You don’t believe them! You’re reading the situation from a brain space, not a heart space, they’re full of passion and love for you and you’re over here analyzing every action to death, looking for a flaw. What’s the catch? That was what your whole first reading was. Perfect relationship, full of love, and you were like what’s the catch? When are they going to flip the script and play me for a fool? They’re just going to hurt me. Stop that 🛑, it may have applied in the past, but with this person, there is no catch. They’re the catch 😁

4 Cups:

You still haven’t figured it out through July, but this card is a minor arcana, most of them are, so you can decide to learn or heal this whenever you do. 4 Cups is apathy, dissatisfaction, not really believing this person, not taking their offers, just in your chair like “hmph” while they’re offering you a boba tea 🧋And you love boba tea so it’s just flat out stubbornness really. Apply to whatever you do love, they’re offering it. The Empress clarifies, showing this situation is cause for you to grow, but first you have to accept…love. 8 Swords is the advice I pulled…release yourself from this self sabotaging attitude and situation. Sure, you could be alone. Forever. Or, 2 Cups, you love this person too. Whaaat are you doing? Take the tea, thank them, and let them know it! Maybe make them some tea too, they’re being awfully patient about this for anyone that would come up as Wands 😆 More time does need to be spent in this Hermit energy, so you can sort your feelings and place them appropriately. What about this person has caused doubt in you? I think you’ll find most of what your feeling isn’t even about them, it’s just existing in you & you’re projecting on them. Because The Empress shows up, these could be deep family wounds, needing to break generational curses and traumas. Needing to choose yourself, how do you think, how do you react, how do you WANT to be or what would you change in your family dynamic if you could? What feels like a repeat in your life that you feel doomed to live? You can choose to consciously NOT do that. I think this person only wants to help you with this, or they’re being sent to you to trigger it so you will do it on your own, either way. You both show up as Kings, it can be romantic or platonic and you both just love each other, could also be someone in the family that totally gets it and you in a way most people couldn’t fathom.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Aquarius, Pisces, Gemini, Libra, Cancer, Scorpio & Virgo

Oracles: ✨

68 - Analyze

Your time is well spent analyzing, but only up to where you become too attached to any particular outcome.

78 - Recharge

When the pace of life becomes to hectic, know to slow down, be mindful, and go with the flow.

22 Transformation 🦋

This situation you’re currently in is acting as a catalyst for a major transformation, either within yourself as a whole, or in some aspect of your life. Don’t try to second guess yourself, or beat yourself up, and there’s no use questioning or having regrets. Many of your issues and situations are not anything to be upset about. You are the one who infuses drama and chaos into the situation. This is an opportunity to grow and learn, rarely do these opportunities come when/how we feel they should, nor do they maintain a status quo or keep us within our comfort zones. Be thankful for this opportunity to transform and heal to a better and higher vibration.

We enter into July as:

Rose Without Thorns 🌹:

“It is time to face my true feelings.”

You are most fortunate. As we mature, we learn that to enjoy the beauty of a rose, we must occasionally risk getting pricked by a thorn. You are not facing “the same situation”, this is the dawn of feelings being awakened and a new truth being born. You’re being presented with a different way to live. Trust you will know what to do. Stay open. Time changes us all if we’re lucky, it’s time to surrender and make the change. The best incentive to change is often love.

What is to be learned in July:

The Carrot Colored Cloak 🥕:

“Don’t quit before the miracle!”

You are being told that changing your direction at this time is not wise. We never know where our miracles lie in the path, often just beyond the boundary of our faith. You may not see it, but it lies ahead. When we do the work that is chosen for us, we are serving a higher order, and if we stop we upset the balance of our lives. Stick with it and have blind faith, an exciting change is coming. You must press on in the direction of your vision, what you’re working for will come to fruition.

Orange may be a lucky color 🧡

#aquarius tarot reading #monthly tarot #July 2023 #aquarius #tarot #tarotblr

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ithatangel · 2 years

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aside from part 2 of iswm coming out tomorrow I might as well take this moment to ramble a bit into the void

y'know, back when part 1 was just a couple days away I was always felt this rush of anxiety and excitement... mostly anxiety however. I didn't knew why, but I had always felt this fear of missing out on almost everything the show would have to offer, for so long I have been nothing but a lurker on social media and only recently have I been trying to create more content and actually publish it, I was desperate to try and grasp a feeling of contributing something for the community I was in and feeling that I mattered.

I suppose that was the reason why I created that flowchart in the first place. A good chunk of people were gonna do it. Why not give my twist at it? Give it a a bit of a visual flair while I'm at it.

Part 1 came and went... and everything went okay. Sure I missed one ending in my chaos of building the board, and yeah... I was bummed since I rushed through everything like a dumbass,

like seriously I missed the dream ending because I assumed both choices before that led to the same fake "ending" just because I saw the same "go towards the light" segment without watching the whole way through that's how dumbass we're talking about jesus christ kill me-

in the end you could say my mind was a bit paranoid, I wouldn't blame you either though I never really dissected a piece of media from top to bottom before, so I guess that earns it a brownie point for the fear of new experiences...?

with part 2 coming up tomorrow I'm not as afraid anymore and I'm looking forward towards whatever the hell mark's cooked up in there, seeing this as this is also possibly the finale of the wkm saga, I'll cross my fingers for the best that could happen

...one last thing... so uh... I made a fan art of the teaser once and Mark reblogged when I was asleep at the time...

Did I lose my shit when I found out? Ye..

Was I happy? Ye.

...I obviously didn't EXPECT that-! no No nO NoOPaROO maybe I'm just tired with a cold and on vacation to top it off, not to mention had to get through a fever beforehand... but overtime I grew more confused more than anything... don't get me wrong, the painting itself was nice in my opinion but in my eyes I felt as if I didn't entirely capture the creep factor with the corpses... don't get me wrong I'm happy that my idol finally noticed me after me being a lurker for so long but... I just can't seem to understand what makes it so special enough to be reblogged, what does he see in that piece that I don't see?

...Am I trying to dig too deep for an answer that isn't there?

#markiplier #iswm #in space with markiplier #iswm trailer #mark fischbach #ramble ramble roo #markimoo #rambling is... sorta good for the soul?#is it?#someone tell me #please

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absolutelynotclassicusernam-blog · 2 years

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Some Scattered Thoughts on Religion

Hi. Okay. (Is that how I started my last personal post too? Very possibly.) So I’ve been reading and reblogging and adding to some Judaism/religion-related posts recently, and after the most recent one, I thought I should maybe take some time to get my head on straight about what Judaism actually is for me.

God, where do I even begin? So. My great-grandparents, probably, across the board Orthodox. For those of you who don’t know, those are the traditionalists. Always wear hats or headscarves, don’t drive on Saturday, consider wearing a T-shirt and shorts in summer to be immodest, don’t believe in birth control, marrying outside the faith is grounds for disownment, who even knows what they would make of me being gay. There’s more to it than that, of course, but the point is: they’re straitlaced, all about the rules. My mom’s parents and siblings: Conservative. More relaxed about what exactly is allowed, but still a little bit patriarchal, still a little bit wary of outsiders, still very attached to the Correct Way to observe rituals.

Then we have my parents. My mom was raised Conservative but in her ‘20s went to India in search of herself and discovered Buddhist philosophy. My dad’s parents were the rebels of their families; they bar mitzvahed their sons but that was pretty much it. They didn’t believe in God, and neither does he. One aunt straight-up converted to Unitarianism, one uncle is still technically Jewish but married a Catholic woman and raised his kids Catholic, and I have no idea what my third uncle believes. When my parents met and fell in love, my mom kind of believed in everything and my dad kind of believed in nothing where religion was concerned, but they both believed in building a kinder, more fair world, and so...well, I don’t know exactly what they hammered out before I was born, but what it resulted in was raising three daughters in a small hippie town.

All this in one family. You see why I get confused when I hear Christians talking about their different sects like they’re completely different religions?

I was raised on Shabbat, the High Holidays, Hannukah and Pesach, mixed together with words like “enlightenment”, “lovingkindness”, and “Dharma”, neo-pagan rituals that may or may not have been stolen from the various cultures where they originated (I still have some questions about that), and in the Waldorf preschool I attended, some kinda-sorta Christian concepts of angels and heavens. In my earliest years, anything could be true, and there’s part of me that still feels that way.

Things got weird when I started public elementary school. The good thing about growing up way out in the country: lots and lots of space to play. The bad thing about it: not a whole lot of Jews. Or Buddhists, or neopagans, or even particularly poetic Christians, for that matter. (This is my experience. I do not say it is everybody’s.) Suddenly I was thrown into a world of really stringent rules, a world of really blatant American exceptionalism (not fun for a dual citizen whose parents have always stressed that all humans were equal) and thinly veiled Christian exceptionalism. I also started being the voracious reader I still am, which led to me coming to my parents a lot crying about this or that injustice I had just discovered existed, which required them to reassure me, among other things, that sin did not exist and hell did not exist. At some point I must have asked about Jesus. I think I by that point had enough of a concept of the world to come to my own conclusion that either all or no human beings are the children of God, but that it couldn’t be right for one to be singled out. I remember my mom affirming that Jesus was a great teacher, but that she didn’t believe he was the son of God either.

Um...let’s see. Pretty isolated elementary school life, one part due to the above and one part due to my being neurodivergent and very, very shy. In middle school, I moved to a more diverse school, and I was so used to being the only Jewish kid that when I first encountered others, I thought they were making fun of me. I had my bat mitzvah, which I enjoyed but in which I also made a point of stressing that I did not think I was superior to anyone else for being Jewish. (A courtesy that had not always been extended to me.)

During these years, there was also on-and-off war in Israel and Palestine, and while my parents worked hard for peace, other members of my family were...less invested. All my cousins fought in the Israeli Army. They have never told me exactly what they were required to do there, and I have never asked. Then one of my cousins got married, to a non-Jewish woman, and...well, he didn’t get disowned. But my grandmother, who I love with all my heart, was weird about it initially. Shortly thereafter, I came out, and while most of my family embraced me, I was afraid they wouldn’t.

During most of high school, I drifted away from religion somewhat. I had a lot of other stuff going on--coming out, being diagnosed with anxiety. I also felt quite guilty about my family’s role in the Palestinian occupation as I learned more about it, and that kind of made it hard to take pride in being Jewish.

Then, in college, I discovered my fellow Tumblr Jews. Not that I didn’t have other Jewish people in my life in this time, but most of them were family or elders, with whom I didn’t agree on everything. Even after coming to a school where there were other Jews, most of my life I have either been the only Jew, full-stop, in my friend group(s), or the only practicing one. I don’t know why. But what I do know is that Tumblr Jews opened up a new world to me--a world in which questioning everything was not only okay to do as a Jew, but an intrinsic part of the practice. A world in which the point was not to have blind faith in God, but to wrestle with the idea of God, to wrestle with whether there even is a God. A world in which the priority is not what happens after you die, but what you do with the life you’re living right now.

So...in conclusion, here I am, and I have been thinking more about my Jewish identity again, and I am just kind of trying to figure it out. I love our traditions. Even if I don’t agree with the exact wording of all the Hebrew prayers, I still love to sing them because they’re what I grew up on. And I understand why other Jews can be defensive of those traditions. Some sects of Christianity and some individual practitioners like to put them down, and others like to twist them around for their own uses, and that makes me angry too. On the other hand, I still believe in the emphasis on equality and kindness my parents taught me. At our family celebrations (and at the celebrations of the Reform synagogue we attend, although I have been told this is unusual), all are welcome. We come together not around the concept of God, but around the concepts of family, community, gratitude, and setting intentions to make the world a better place. If someone comes in and is rude or hurtful, of course we’ll deal with it, but to the best of my knowledge we’ve never had to. To the best of my knowledge, people come to us with an open heart, and we receive them with an open heart.

I think the long and short of it is that I really like being part-Jew-part-Buddhist-part-pagan (although again, I still have questions about exactly what practices there are appropriate for me to take part in), with a little atheism and agnosticism thrown in. As Leonard Cohen famously said, “maybe there’s a God above”. I think I like the mystery of it. I think I like the possibility that everyone is right. And some religious things maybe feel righter to me than others, but that doesn’t mean that those other things aren’t righter to other people.

I don’t promise to never get angry about Christians who disrespect our traditions. I wish I could, but I know I’d be lying. But the core tenet that my parents raised me on is that if there is a God, we are all equal before Them. And as I continue to explore, I just want to take a moment to center myself in that. Religion can be cool and fun and beautiful and enriching, but if it’s not helping me to be my best, kindest, wisest self, if kindness and fairness to myself and to other human beings is not the center of it all, there’s no point. If my fellow Tumblr Jews are right, that may be a very Jewish thing of me to say. I hope it is.

So...yeah. I’ve written a lot here, and I so very much do not have all the answers about anything. But if I am going to be reblogging things about religion in general and Judaism specifically, I just kind of wanted to let you know where I’m at. I so very much do not speak for other Jews. But this is who I am, or at least who I’m trying to be.

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kiwicopia · 3 months

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Hello may I request a match up for Jujutsu Kaisen and Genshin Impact please? :) I’m a straight female and my pronouns are she/her.

I’m very shy, distant, quiet, and a little awkward. Basically a huge introvert at first. However, once I get to know you better or I at least see that you’re comfortable around me, I’ll get comfortable as well :) And once that happens, you could say I become slightly more extroverted. I get louder, laugh more, and am overall less shy, distant, quiet, and awkward. I’m also very sensitive and have tons of trouble speaking up for myself. When getting yelled at or just insulted, I try and act unbothered but I think everyone knows that I’m holding in my tears at that point… (it’s really embarrassing ok don’t judge 🫠) But one thing I can say is that I’m somewhat funny. When I feel comfortable around people or just someone, I usually let more witty and funny comments out. The same goes for when I’m like shy Y’know? Its just that it’s much more less cause the last thing I want is awkward silence. Hobbies I have are photography, gaming, golfing, bowling, board games, jigsaw puzzles, and listening to music! My appearance usually consists of grey sweatpants, grey sweatshirt, and black boots— it’s usually my go to outfit since it’s pretty comfortable. At home, my hair is tied in a low ponytail. Outside however, my hair is let down. I let my hair down outside because I’m hella insecure about my side profile. I have a round face, curtain bangs, eye-bags, black hair, and really dark brown eyes :) some people say they look soulless but idk 🤷‍��️ I think the only thing that’s preventing my eyes look completely soulless is the fact that I commonly express myself through reactions. I also tend to speak using a lot of “uh” or “um” because if usually when I don’t say those two words, I end up mixing up my words and my whole sentence just ends up sounding confusing 😬 As for what I’d like to do during Valentine’s Day, I think I’d prefer just staying indoors and having a comfy and stress-free day. Like a day where we don’t worry about anything and we just stay at home and vibe 😋

Your personalities may differ, but that's honestly what drew Satoru towards you in the first place. Yes, yes, there was a bit of teasing here and there, but all of his words were genuine, in terms of his feelings for you. He's a mean what he says kind of guy, so when he says that he has feelings for you, he means it. Satoru doesn't mind how sensitive you are, but he absolutely hates it if anyone badgers you to the point of making you cry. He won't stand for that at all. He's a gentle man, caring and sometimes a little clingy. He'll spend Valentine's Day with you indoors, where no one can bother either of you. It also gives him a chance to love and kiss you in ways he's been craving to. Peppering his lips here and there, whispering words of praise and worship, listing all the reasons as to why he loves you. It's such a perfect moment and day.

Ayato finds your personality to be quite adorable. Such a cute and shy little thing you are, and whom he has taken quite the liking to. Being one of Ayaka's friends, it was only a matter of time before you grew to be his, and then so much more. He doesn't mind your sensitive side and finds it quite endearing, yet he won't hesitate to tell off anyone who dares to yell at you or make you cry. As busy of a man that he is, Ayato still makes time to spend with you, and today is no exception. He had planned it for months. The staff had been ushered away, leaving the two of you alone to rest in his chambers. You're both nothing but a comfortable pile of legs and arms wrapped securely around one another, enjoying the other's presence. At least until Ayato initiates a little more. Just some sweet kisses along your neck as he tells you just how much he loves you, in the words of poems. You're his little cherry blossom, and he will do anything and everything to keep you happy.

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jujutsu kaisen gojo #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #genshin impact #genshin impact ayato #kamisato ayato #genshin ayato #ayato kamisato #valentines day #matchups #kiwicopia matches

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peachmercury6 · 4 months

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Metamorphosis {Goblin Slayer x OC}

Pairing: Goblin Slayer x Fem!OC

Summary: Em is a mage with a past she either repressed or cannot remember. When she foolishly joins a porcelain ranked group to defeat goblins, things go awry until she meets Goblin Slayer.

Words: 2,747

Chapter 1: The Cave

“Em, you must run. Forget about me,” the woman said, her hands on Em’s face. “Just run.” Em shook her head in response which only made the woman more frustrated. “Remember what I said before…? How running away doesn’t help matters? Well, this time, it does.” She removed her gloves from her hands, caressing Em’s cheek.

Em woke up, drenched in sweat from her forehead to her neck. She started trembling. Just remembering that night specifically made her ill. She sat back in her bed, trying to process the nightmare for a moment. I haven’t dreamt of her in a long time, she thought, remembering the woman’s face well. Her mother.

She had long black hair, like Em’s that she wore in a bun most of the time. During the night of the goblin invasion, she forced Em to run away while she stayed back, despite protesting she wanted to stay with her mother. In the end, the only thing she remembered was the fire in the village, and the sound of people’s screams getting further away. Water Town did not help her. They only brought her to an orphanage.

Em decided enough was enough. She leapt straight out of bed that morning. Her Mentor, who sipped on her tea, waited for her at the kitchen table. “Morning, my ugly one,” her Mentor said, as she finished the last bit of her drink. She scowled, hating when she was called that, but it was how the damn woman was since she started training Em. “You know what today is?”

“No,” Em said, leaning against the wall, and crossing her arms.

“The day I set you free.”

Em blinked. “Wait… you’re –”

“You want experience? Go out and become an Adventurer.” Her Mentor pointed toward the door; a smile etched on her lips.

“You – I thought you said I wasn’t ready.”

“Did I? Well, we will have to see about that.” Em was a little confused. The other day her Mentor lectured her about how Em was not ready to engage in combat. “You know how spells work, don’t you?” Em hesitated but nodded. “Then get a move on.” She was practically shoved out the door with a small baggage of potions for health, and mana.

She might have just said ‘don’t let the door hit you on the way out’, Em thought, sighing. Her best bet was to head to Water Town, since it was the closest, but it was still an hour away. She kept looking back at the home she lived in with her Mentor, watching as it grew further and further away. It was once a silo before it became their ‘home’. Maybe she should not have looked back so often but apart of her wished her Mentor would have come out and told her she was joking. No such luck.

Em made it to Water Town in one piece. Her stomach was growling, as she had not yet eaten since she was kicked out with such haste. She’d need to go on an adventure and earn money on her own. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she thought.

She walked into the Guild Hall, surprised to see so many Adventurers in a line, or in a group talking to each other about the current quests on the board. She wasn’t even sure what she was supposed to do at first until she noticed a girl with long blonde hair – no older than fifteen, approach the counter, saying she wanted to become an Adventurer. Maybe I do that? She thought.

She stood in line, waiting for her turn. It went by slower than expected, but she did eventually get to the front, where she was greeted by a young woman with blonde hair, wearing a side braid over her shoulder. “Hello there! How can I help you?” the woman asked, smiling.

“I… I… was wondering how I become an Adventurer?” Em said, a bit shyly. She could hear a few laughs from people behind her, but she ignored them.

“Oh, wonderful! You just need to fill these forms and then I will review it.”

Em nodded. She filled out the form quickly enough, making sure her writing was legible enough. She handed the form back the woman. “Ah, your name is Em?” She nodded. “And you’re… a mage I see. Where did you learn your skills?”

“My mentor taught me fire and lightning magic,” Em said. “I have been learning since I was twelve.”

“And how old are you now?”

“Twenty.”

She nodded again. She got up from her desk and came back with a tag. It had the words ‘porcelain’ engraved on it. The woman explained everything, from what the ranks meant on the necklace to how Adventurers rank up within the Guild. “And if you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate. You can call me Guild Girl.”

Em smiled at her. “Thank you, Miss.”

Now she needed to figure out what quest to take on the board. She looked at it for a bit, not sure if she should fight a dragon or if she should start with fighting rats in the sewers. “What a choice to make,” she muttered, scratching her head.

“Hey – you!” someone said behind her. Em turned around, seeing a boy with brown hair with a sword behind him. He was wearing good armor for his rank. “Are you porcelain, too?” Behind him was a girl with black hair in a ponytail, and a red-haired mage with a wizard hat on her head. The same blonde girl was also with them as well.

Em nodded. “I am. Why?”

“We need more people in our group, would you like to join us?”

“Sure, but what are you guys?”

“Warrior,” he said. He pointed to the black-haired female. “That’s fighter, and beside her is Female Mage, and… Priestess, right?” He glanced at the blonde-haired girl, who nodded at him.

“You guys have a mage? I am also a mage.”

The female mage scoffed at her. “You are a mage?” she said in disbelief. “I never saw you in the academy!”

“I didn’t train in the academy,” Em replied, now a bit annoyed.

“But you know magic, right?” Warrior asked.

“Yeah, I do. Fire and lightning. So far.” Female Wizard rolled her eyes. Em ignored her.

“Well, more the merrier. Welcome aboard… uh – what’s your name?”

“Em.”

They approached Guild Girl, handing in their quest. Apparently, Warrior wanted to fight goblins as it was the easiest of all the quests. Guild girl seemed a little hesitant for some reason but told them the information they needed to know.

There is five of us. How bad can it be? Em thought.

The group was merry although Priestess seemed a bit nervous. Em understood her anxiety, especially if this was also her first quest in the Guild Hall. Fighter seemed to be on good terms with Warrior and Wizard. Did they know each other before? Why would they need two porcelain ranks to help them? You could never be too careful…

They entered the cave without hesitation. Wizard and Priestess both had torches to light up the dark cave.

At one point Warrior and Fighter were talking when they stopped in front of a strange construct in front of them… What appeared as a banner with a skull on top of it or… a totem? Who or what the skull belonged to; nobody knew. “A goblin sex toy?” it was Warrior who spoke.

Em raised her eyebrow at the term. “What the hell is a goblin sex toy?!” she exclaimed.

He shrugged. “Who knows.”

Wizard was becoming impatient. She urged the group to keep going, even nudging at Priestess who was muttering a prayer. Em stuck close with them, trying her best not to panic despite the weird totem they just saw.

The stench in the cave was getting worse as they went further into it. Em could not put her finger on why, but it smelled familiar. Like corpses. Like… death. A flashback to her running from her small village and looking back at the flames. Em shook her head, although it sent a chill down her spine.

“Quit staring into space,” Wizard snapped at her. “Or you’ll get us all killed.”

Em quickly got out of it. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just keep moving.”

Priestess was looking behind them frequently. Wizard glared at her, frowning. “What? Is there something on my face?”

The young girl shook her head. “N-No, I thought I heard something behind us.” Em turned around, stopping her movements. She listened to what Priestess might have heard. Several sounds of… something running towards them.

“Now listen,” Wizard said. “We’ve been going straight as an arrow since we entered this cave, right? What could possibly be behind us?!”

Em’s eyes widened, spotting several goblins behind them. All of them raced towards the group in a matter of seconds. Before she could react, Wizard conjured a fire spell aiming directly at the goblins, but it was too late. Goblins pushed her down. Priestess backed away, screaming, while Em followed her. The goblins destroyed Wizard’s staff without batting an eye. What do I do?

One of the goblins stabbed Wizard in the stomach, causing her to scream in agony. No. I have to do something. “Stay away!” she screamed, conjuring a fireball in her hands and throwing it at them. However, the fireball bounced off the cave ceiling. Any other fire spell might hurt Wizard in the process.

Em pushed the goblins off Wizard or at least tried, to, only for them to come after her as well. Just in time, Warrior jumped in, swinging his sword at them, and cutting at least one or two Goblins. Either way, they were distracted by him. Em rushed to Wizard, kneeling beside her. “It’ll be okay – “Em tried to say. “Priestess, can you heal her?”

Priestess nodded, as Fighter urged her to use her magic quickly while she helped Warrior fight the goblins. Em held Wizard’s hand tightly. “Don’t worry, you’re safe – we will protect you,” she said, but even she was not sure of her own words.

She glanced at Warrior fighting the goblins. He was really going at it, but when he swung his sword, its tip hit the cave’s ceiling. The goblins didn’t even hesitate. They butchered him as he laid there screaming for mercy. Em covered her mouth, trembling in fear with Priestess.

“You three run!” Fighter shouted.

Em knew Wizard would die if she did not receive any healing. She took out one of her healing potions, using it on the injured Wizard. That, and combined with Priestess’ magic, it could work and live to see another day. “O Earth Mother abounding in Mercy…” Priestess began chanting, as Em squeezed Wizard’s hand.

Fighter was already on the goblins, punching and kicking anyone that came her way. She was a formidable fighter, and she seemed angry from Warrior’s death. But was it enough? All Em could do was watch as Fighter attempted to kick a much bigger, and stronger goblin, only for it to stop her foot in motion. The goblin sent her flying into the wall, rendering her weak as the rest of the goblins tore her clothes off.

She shouted at the three of them to run. Em didn’t know what to do. She helped Wizard up with Priestess. Wizard appeared weak still, on the verge of death. Priestess laid her down, trying to chant another spell, when something hit her in the back.

Em used the flames from the torches they carried, watching as the flames were absorbed through her fingertips without hurting her. She made sure each goblin got a fistful of flames to the face. But it stopped abruptly, and she was thrown to the ground, a goblin’s hands around her throat. She gasped for air, her hands grabbing a solid item beside her. A rock. Perfect. She hit the goblin choking her in the head.

But now she and Priestess were in the corner, unable to do anything as more and more goblins approached them. She held the young girl’s hand tightly. “I won’t let them hurt you,” Em said to her.

Priestess cried out for her as Em approached the goblins, shouting for her to get back. She was ready for them. In a matter of seconds one of the goblins attacked her, pushing her against the wall and rendering her unconscious.

I can’t do anything. Em was surrounded by complete and utter darkness. Was she dead? She looked around. Where was Priestess…? And Wizard? And Fighter? No… were they all… dead? She called out for them, but nobody answered her. There were no goblins either. She was alone. Em felt a hand touch her shoulder and she jumped, seeing her mother, exactly as she saw her before her death. “You need to wake up.”

“Mother?” she whispered.

“It’s not your time.”

And she woke up, this time not alone. Priestess kneeled beside her, tending to Wizard’s injuries, but she heard another voice – a deeper voice. There was a man dressed in complete silver armor, urging Priestess not to bother healing Wizard. Priestess protested but Wizard seemed to be able to agree with the armored man.

“Please… kill me,” Wizard whispered.

“No!” Em exclaimed, to both Priestess and the armored man’s surprise. “There’s still time – we can save her.”

“She’s too far gone,” the armored man said.

Em glared at him for a moment. She didn’t know who he was or how he found them… but she was not going to allow him to kill Wizard.

“She’s been poisoned,” he continued, and without further words, he used his own sword to plunge it into Wizard’s body. Em jumped, shocked by what he just did.

“Why the hell did you do that for?!” Em exclaimed at him. “Who do you think you are?”

“Goblin Slayer,” he replied.

Em looked to Priestess, wondering what happened while she was out. “He saved us,” Priestess told her. “The Goblins are gone now.”

“Yes,” Goblin Slayer replied nonchalantly. Em stared at Fighter, who had her clothes completely ripped off. Em took off her cloak, placing it over Fighter. What happened to her? Was Fighter… Em’s eyes widened, as she put two and two together. She heard stories of what Goblins do to women, but she shrugged it off as a mere urban legend to scare children. What is going on? She thought.

She clenched her jaw as Priestess explained more about the situation. Em helped Fighter up to her feet, slowly guiding her out of the cave with Priestess and Goblin Slayer. She couldn’t believe he killed Wizard without any sort of remorse or second thought, but he did save her, Priestess and Fighter. “Are you okay?” Em asked Priestess, even though inside she knew the girl was far from okay.

“I’m fine,” she replied. “I’m glad we made it out.”

“Me too.”

Goblin Slayer was quiet the whole journey back to Water Town, and if he did respond, it was usually a one worded answer. “You have experience in fighting goblins?” she asked him, wondering if he would talk to her.

“Yes,” he said. “For about five years.”

Priestess seemed amazed by it, her eyes widening like a child meeting her idol. Em was impressed but she tried not to let him know.

In Water Town, Priestess made sure Fighter got the help she needed, while Em and Goblin Slayer headed back to the Guild Hall. Guild Girl smiled at them at first. “You… you’re back,” she said to Em. “Where are the others?”

Em sighed. “They didn’t make it except for Priestess, Fighter and I.”

Guild Girl nodded, her smile faltering. “I’m sorry. You completed the quest, right?”

She pointed at Goblin Slayer, who towered over her. “Thanks to him, yes,” Em said.

“I’m glad,” she said. She handed them their payment, which wasn’t a lot but enough for Em to finally eat something.

She parted ways with Goblin Slayer, not paying much mind to him, although she was grateful for what he did for her in the cave. She wished she had been conscious to at least help them fight off the goblins but it was too late. The damage was done. Maybe we will meet again one of these days, Em thought, deciding to head back home.

She had a bone to pick with her Mentor.

#goblin slayer #goblin slayer priestess #priestess #goblin slayer fanfic #goblin slayer x oc #goblin slayer x fem!oc #goblin slayer fanfiction #goblin slayer manga #goblin slayer anime #Kagyu Kumo

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the-trinket-witch · 10 months

Text

Practically Perfect Ch. 6

(Ch 7|Ch 5|Ch 1)

"So you pass between sides of the field to score goals based on how far it had been moved before...Someone gets tackled?!" Albert repeated. Yuu had spent the evening and following morning explaining to both Grim and Albert the concept of 'American Football'. "Seems a bit more contact than I'd prefer in a sport."

The three continued breakfast until a knock at the door interrupted. A ghost poked their head in, through the wall, to relay the message.

"Uhhh, it's Headmaster Crowley~ he's sitting in the lounge when you can~"

Yuu grimaced, Albert also knowing all too well by now Crowley's presence meant additional work.

"Ah-there you all are. I have a request-see it like...an exchange. You provide me some intel about a string of accidents happening around campus, in exchange, I continue to provide you lodgings without charge. You're more than welcome to join as well, Mr. Eastwind-you still have board tuition to pay but I could allow this month be...shall we say 'waived' if you were to assist your dormmates in this matter."

The three exchanged knowing but resigned glances, sighing in agreement.

"Wait though! How do we know these are part of somethin' bigger and not like… People just being clumsy, being all excited for the tournament and all?" Grim asked.

"That's what one would assume on first glance, but with 10 already injured just this year, it can't be ignored. I sadly don't have any evidence to say so, but that's why I'm here!"

"Myehhh this doesn't sound like any of our business anyway-we can't even play!"

"If you could shed light on these occurrences, there may be a way I may be able to pull some strings, to allow your dorm to compete," Crowley offered.

Al watched both Grim and Yuu's eyes shine at the prospect. Yuu halted though to ask where they'd be able to get enough players to even qualify.

"Fret not! I'm a gracious headmaster so you can rest assured I will uphold my end of this little bargain of ours~"

—--

The three took the day to check the infirmary, the student there giving his testimony about his trip down the stairs, another splashing himself and others with boiling potion, and one more seemed to overstretch and possibly tore something. Yuu took notes, Grim asked the questions, and Albert tried piecing things together. The trio made their way back to their dorm, at one point Al accidentally collided with a familiar beastman. Apologies were exchanged and they were on their way.

“They all just sound clumsy, I still don’t know what the big deal is,” Grim concluded. A knock at the door announced Ace.

They filled him in on the situation, but with an extra head there didn’t seem to be any more headway. Al contemplated it more, emptying his pockets for the afternoon, to find the contents of the left: missing. He let out a quick sound of surprise, but immediately began smirking.

“What’s so funny?” Ace wondered.

“Oh, I must have had either a hole in my pocket earlier, or someone’s got sticky fingers on campus. I had some change for laundry and a couple of cat treats for Lucius, but they’ve all disappeared. If it was taken I’m sure they’re probably surprised to find not a wallet but pet treats.” Al smiled. “Just tells me keeping my billfold and phone up here was a wise choice,” he patted at a spot on his jacket.

They all looked a little confused, but their wonder broke at the sound of someone barging into the dorm.

“GUYS-This is bad!” Deuce skid into the lounge, “Clover got hurt on the stairs!”

>I couldn’t imagine him being clumsy…

>He doesn’t seem the type to get wrapped up in excitement…

The group trekked to Heartslabyul to find Cater already in the middle of helping Trey.

“Hey kids-How’re yall doing?” Cater started in.

“We’re fine, but what about Trey?” Ace demanded.

“I’m all right-just a fumble on the stairs. I’m fine but this foot’s a little banged up. I’m probably gonna be in crutches for a hot minute. Though probably too long for me to keep on the Magift Team this year.” Trey explained.

Riddle barged in, completely at the ready, to help.

“If there’s anything you need, please ask. This is all my fault…” Riddle seemed about on the verge of tears.

“Will do, but hey, hey, hey; don’t beat yourself up! You had a spill and I was there, thankfully to catch you.”

“What?!” Albert interrupted. “Sorry, Riddle, but you also had an issue on the stairs?”

“Like Trey said, he caught me before I could fall, but…I do feel guilty it resulted in this.”

“If it helps, permit me to offer any assistance I can. This is starting to sound a lot more suspicious now that it’s happening so close to home…”

Cater interrupted, “Speaking of-how about we give Trey some space to recoup-lemme meet you downstairs.”

That was the group’s signal to leave. Once downstairs, he corralled everyone to the lounge.

“I didn’t wanna say anything about it in front of ‘im, but I’m getting the feeling it’s pretty sus, too,” Cater whispered.

“What do you mean?” Riddle asked.

“Well, we’ve been investigating all these spills and accidents, this one being the latest…This is really looking more orchestrated. But how?” Albert replied.

“Not sure how-but look at all who’re getting hurt: All players, or at least contenders, for the Magift Tournament.”

“Do you think somebody’s got a hit out on the other competitors?” Ace asked.

“Possibly-This tournament can make or break someone’s prospects with sponsors,” Riddle noted. “To that end: I’m going to help, too. The problem, first off, seems to be catching the culprit in the act,” Riddle announced.

“Ok, but like, How?” Grim yowled.

“WAIT-A Stakeout!” Ace and Deuce concluded together.

>I can go with that…

>But who do we think is going to be targeted next?

“I got a few ideas, let’s get goin’ and we can go down the list,” Cater said with a flip of his phone-already on Magicam.

—---

“First Stop: Pomefiore!”

“Riddle, please remind me who the dorm leader was here?” Albert asked, “I don’t think I met him at the meeting earlier.”

“Oh, Vil Schoenheit. I believe, though, we are looking for his second-in-command: Rook Hunt.”

“He’s the dude with the bob and the hat. There he is,” Cater pointed out. They watched the two older students chiding another, smaller, student.

“Nyehh, doesn’t look real strong to me,” Grim muttered. “Let's check somewhere else…”

Cater led them to the central courtyard, where they eyed a couple of heads of teal hair.

“There they are. ‘Cater Check’ says we might have a possibility Octavinelle’s Leech Twins might get targeted.”

“Ya sure? They’re huge!” Ace noted. “Ya don’t think they’ll be able to hold their own against somebody trying to get them hurt?”

“I’d for sure save them for last-especially that Floyd, there. That’s the one people especially try steering clear of,” Riddle mentioned with a shudder. His voice must have carried just far enough, as the more disheveled of the two turned towards the group. A toothy grin erupted at the sight of someone in the group, as he began a march over.

��GOLDFISHIE~” he yelled.

“Dammit, he saw me!” Riddle cursed, ducking behind Albert. He poked his head back out, “I told you not to call me that! I don’t even know how you came up with it, anyway!”

“Cause you’re tiny and red like a lil goldfish~” he lilted. “Neh, a flamin’ cat? Mind if I give it a good squeeze?” a dark glint shown in his bicolored eyes. The smiling maw of his seemed to grow wider at the thought. “Maybe Shrimpy? A shrimp like you might be real easy to squeeze.” Yuu didn’t make any attempt at hiding the back-step they took, also behind Albert.

“Ah, Heartslabyul’s dorm all together? A reconnaissance mission, I assume?” The other twin asked, slithering up from behind the first. “Mind if we troubled you the reason you’re all trying to spy on us?”

Ace noted the creepiness of the more collected one’s expression, as cold as it still seemed with a feigned smile.

“Our apologies, gentlemen,” Albert piped up. “We didn’t mean to give the assumption of us ‘spying’ on either of you. We’ve actually been doing candid interviews! Could we take a moment of your time?” it wasn't technically a lie, as the mention of what the interview was for didn't need addressed.

Riddle made a confused sound, but Al made a motion behind him to signal the group to leave. They took the hint and slowly started backing up.

“So, gents, If you’d prefer we can make our way this way, or we can find a nice patch of grass to start this interview…” He made motions to turn them away from the band.

“Ehh, new face here-you talk a bunch. Ya want us to talk? How ‘bout we play tag, we catch you: I get to squeeze ya and get’cha to shut up.” The one designated as Floyd growled. He in turn laid a large hand over Al’s head, further emphasizing their height difference.

“Watch our step; in time I believe we could actually come to be friends, but if you insist on ‘tag’ for a chat...” Al started before disappearing from between the two, reappearing a couple feet ahead of them. “Then I believe that makes you both ‘It’.”

The two made confused glances between themselves, the spot Albert was, landing on where he stood currently. They stared back, teeth bare, with the gaze of two predators smelling blood in the water. In a quick flash the two were on the move. It caught Albert by surprise, but the moment he sensed they were about to touch him, he paused his time to move to another spot, and resumed; for them he vanished before they could grab him, only for him to appear a few meters in another direction. A couple more confused looks between the two and they set off in their new trajectory. This continued for a couple of minutes, affording the rest of the troupe to flee. They kept pace with their target, getting closer to him each time, which concerned Al. He’d never had someone anticipate where he’d blip back in. An instance Floyd made a grasp at the air. Albert had blipped back in only to find the time resuming to his pursuer grasping out directly where he had stood.

“There ya are-ya can’t hide from these noses~” He warned.

Albert’s heart skipped a beat as he felt the other man’s skin on his throat, before pausing time once more. He made a quick trek to one of the balconies before resuming time, allowing himself to catch his breath and resteady his nerves.

“Sorry, you two, but if you don’t have time for an interview, I simply must be on my way, then! Lovely to meet you!” He shouted from the second floor before trotting away.

#albert eastwind #azul ashengrotto #floyd leech #jade leech #practically perfect fanfic #twisted wonderland #twst oc

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the-letter-horror-lover · 2 years

Text

I wonder who will be my first kiss...

Will it be Boruto?

Hey! Stop! Stop! Stop! I shake my head. Oh my gosh! I am ridiculous for imagining such a thing! I shouldn't be thinking about it!

Ugh!

"You okay, Sarada?"

"H-Huh? Y-Yeah! He-He-He!" I respond.

"Um." She is not convinced I know but good thing she did not insist. I am kind of relieved.

"This is the best day, Sarada!" Cho-Cho utters enthusiastically.

"Yeah. I am looking forward to new movies of Mr. Martin," I answer back.

"Well, see you on Monday," she says goodbye to me and we separate ways.

"First kiss..."

"Results are out!"

I hear one of my classmate's shout and everyone runs to the bulletin board to see the results of the Preliminary Examination. I go to see it too.

"I hope I did not screw it up," I keep my fingers crossed.

"Sarada! Come over here!" Cho-Cho yells at me.

I walk in her direction. I try to pass through the heavy crowd. Yeah, everyone's very excited.

"Congratulations! You're still tied up with Boruto on the top spot," she happily informs me.

"Yeah, thank goodness!" I feel relieved. I saw Boruto smiling while talking to Yodo and Tsubaki. I bet they are congratulating him.

"I made it on the top ten!" Cho-Cho screams.

"Congratulations, Cho-Cho!" I tell her with a smile on my lips.

"It's a celebration!" she yells and everyone agrees.

"Congratulations, Sarada!" Denki congratulates me.

"Thank you, congratulations for being on the top two, Denki," I see him flush and nod at me.

"Hey, Sarada. Look at this," she tells me and points her finger at the bottom of the list.

"It's Kawaki at the bottom," she continues.

He failed most of the tests. Well, it's karma. That jerk never apologizes for his mistakes.

"I wonder what happened to him," Cho-Cho utters.

"It's none of our business," I say though I feel bad for him.

Some are congratulating one another and some are sympathizing with others.

"Look at him, he is all alone," Cho-Cho comments. I just watch him walk away.

"I regret to tell you that some of you did not pass the preliminary examinations and still need improvements," our adviser reveals.

"Kawaki, I don't know what's the matter. You failed most of the tests and in fact, you only passed two subjects out of ten," she continues.

I look at the jerk and he seems not interested in listening. How rude.

"Now, I have decided to assign someone to help you out with your failing grades."

Oh? Like a personal tutor, huh? He has got special treatments.

"I am willing to help Kawaki out," Yodo volunteers. The whole class says, "What?" to her.

"Hey, what?" she frowns.

"I'm sorry Yodo but I have already picked someone to do the job," our adviser tells her.

"And who's that?" she smirks.

"Of course, the top student of this class," she reveals.

That means it's either Boruto or...

Me?

I noticed that Boruto was surprised too.

"I actually picked Sarada to help him out."

What?

"Me?" I point to myself.

What the hell me?

No way!

7Chapter 11

"Me?" I point to myself still can't believe what our adviser said just now.

Everyone looks at me with a confused face. They all are twitching their brows. I too am surprised and confused about what's going on.

"Yes," she confirms.

No way! What kind of hell I have come to?

"W-Why me though?" I ask. I don't know if it's proper to question our adviser for her decisions.

"Well, you are the top student in the whole Senior High School department and besides, Boruto's going to help out some students in Room 12-D," she explains.

"I see," I mutter.

How lucky the 12-D students are.

Everyone starts to make indistinct chats. The buzz in my ears.

"Is there any problem, Sarada?" she asks me.

"Ah. Um... No-no," I utter. She looks confused.

"I'm fine. I don't need help from a dork."

The jerk says and coldly looks at me and our eyes meet. He is annoying, damn annoying.

"Kawaki, that's rude. I am trying to pick the best person to help you with your failing grades," she berates him.

"I can handle it," he keeps insisting.

"No, that's an order from me. Whether you like it or not, Sarada will accompany you and help you with our lessons," she commands.

"Tch," he murmurs.

"Otherwise, you want to get to a new school," she adds. The jerk has become more annoyed.

"Any objections from you two?" she asks us switching her stares from me to the jerk.

"No," we say in unison. We have no choice I guess.

"Well, the tutorial will not start today but a week before the mid-term exams," she states.

"Phew," I sigh.

"If the time comes, it's up to you where or when you are going to conduct the tutorial. You two must talk about it and must have uniform decisions," she reminds.

"And take note, no fighting. Sarada, I am expecting results from you," she looks at me with high expectations. Now, I can feel the pressure on my shoulders.

I don't know if we will work out together. I think we won't and I hope we will.

"We have a new activity as part of your next lesson in literature and you will be going to perform it next week," she says and everyone pays attention.

"I wonder what is that," Cho-Cho whispers beside me.

I shrug and focus my eyes on the front.

"You will be doing a play which entitles, Snow White and the Seven dwarfs," she exposes.

"Huh?!" I can hear my classmates say simultaneously. Not interested.

"Hey, what is that nonchalant expression on your face?" she frowns.

"A play?" I utter joyously and they all look at me.

"W-What?!" I snap.

"You sure are weird. I never heard such an enthusiastic voice in the class after hearing this lame play announcement," Tsubaki comments while gazing at me.

What's wrong with the play though? It's very cool.

"Tsubaki, the play is not to be criticized by you. It is an activity you need to perform. It's in the curriculum," our adviser scolds her.

"Whatever," she rolls her eyes.

What a brat!

A glance at Boruto and he looks neutral about it. Some look fine and some look disinterested.

Then I come to glance at the jerk and he is flipping on the pages of the book and just like the others, he is not interested as well. Well, who cares about him?

"Class, be quiet, please. I am not done yet," and everyone goes silent.

"We will have an audition for the lead roles which are Snow White and the Prince this afternoon. After the audition for the lead roles we will have a selection of the seven dwarfs and the antagonist," she continues.

"I will play the role of Snow White," I hear Yodo whisper. I secretly glanced at her and she is actually talking to Tsubaki who has lost interest in everything and constantly gapes.

"I wonder if she will be chosen," Cho-Cho remarks.

"Don't underestimate her, Cho-Cho," I tell her.

"To encourage you more, those who will be chosen as Snow White and the Prince will have a chance to be part of the Drama Club instantly without undergoing audition from the council," she adds.

I think my ears tingle upon hearing the details. I let out an abrupt smile. I didn't expect it to slip off from my mouth.

"Okay, that's all for today. I am expecting you to come to the auditions this afternoon," she says and packs up her things, and leaves the classroom immediately.

Indistinct chatters take place straight off.

"Sarada, my stomach aches already," she says while gently rubs her tummy. She meant she is hungry.

I give her a wry smile. So, we go to the canteen. She orders a burger, fries, and drinks and I only have a burger and a drink.

"I know you're going to the auditions later so I won't bother to ask," she says. I laugh at her statement. Cho-Cho already knew what's on my mind.

"I am more encouraged when it's actually my ticket to the Drama Club," I say while smiling.

She takes a bite from her burger, munches it, and swallowed it up before speaking.

"You'll go for the role of Snow White?" she furrows.

"Of course, being one of the dwarfs won't suit me I guess," I narrow my eyes looking at her.

"Being the witch will work on you too," she remarks. I don't know if she is being sarcastic or what.

"Cho-Cho...?!" I almost scold her.

"Just saying, you know. I'll just cheer you up then," she says then winks to me.

I grab from her fries before speaking.

"Do you think I will make it?" I ask almost whispering.

"Sarada, the genius will not make it into the auditions? I doubt it," she says then munches on her burger.

My best friend doesn't fail me. She's the best girl ever.

"Besides, your dream is to be an actress, right?" she says and looks at me.

"Yeah," I nod as a sign of my confirmation.

"This will be the first step and a preparation for that dream," she says and smiles.

"I think you're right. So I better give the best I can here," I say optimistically.

"Um..." she hums.

"What's wrong?" I ask her. She looks like something is bothering her.

"I'm happy that you already know what you want in the future and I am here still don't know what to do with my life after Senior High School," she says and shrugs.

"It's fine. You still have plenty of time to think about it and I believe there is no rushing in choosing the path you want to take in the future," I tell her.

"I think you're right," she says and sighs.

"By the way, are you sure you want to help Kawaki out?" she adds.

"I have no choice," I am helpless.

"Well, you can tell our adviser if you don't want it as soon as possible, or else it will cause you trouble," she suggests.

"I think I can handle it. I don't want to disappoint our adviser. She has set her expectations on me already and it's not good if she knows that we are not on good terms," I explain.

"Okay. I am just worried you will get in trouble dealing with him," she is concerned about me and it is so sweet of her.

"I know he hates me and I do too but I need to do this to stop the worst-case scenario that is threatening me already," I tell her. She nods as if to say she understands it and she gets back to her snack.

"Do you think Boruto will audition for the role of the Prince?"

I almost puke at her question. I think my face turns red after hearing his name.

"I hope so," I mutter I know my cheeks flush.

"I wonder if he will audition too," she murmurs.

"Who are you referring to?" I ask. I am confused.

"H-Huh?!" she stutters. I think she's hiding something from me.

"So, you have heard that?" she startles.

"Yes," I straightforwardly tell her.

"O-Oh, um..." she mutter.

"Are you hiding something from me?" I ask. I can't help it.

"Well, no," she answers.

"Then tell me what's on your mind right now," I demand.

"I am just wondering if you have finished your love letter for Boruto," she states.

"Why would you bring that just now?" I snap. Why would she change the subject from her to me now?

"I am thinking of writing one too," she reveals.

"Heh?! For whom is that?" I ask in shock.

"Um..." she murmurs.

"Hey, Cho-Cho tell me," I say and she waves to me telling me to get my ear near her lips.

So, I lean over to hear what she's going to whisper in my ear and she confesses something that makes me (OoO) that's my reaction.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? It's a secret," she says gesturing to me to keep quiet. I nod but I still cannot believe it.

Okay, I won't tell you because she said it's a secret. You'll know soon and that's for sure though.

"When that happened?" I ask and she whispers in my ear again.

"Oh my..." I utter in disbelief.

"I think I like him," she says while her cheeks blush.

"Now we're even," I chuckle.

"We are exchanging messages after class or in the night before I go to bed that's my daily routine now and it's damn addictive," she says.

"Hm. You are exchanging messages yet you want to give him a letter why would not you tell him on the phone then?" I suggest.

"Idiot, you really are unromantic," she tells me while poking my forehead. She then grabs her phone from her pocket and starts playing with the key chains hanging from it.

"Well, that's more convenient than wasting time writing on a paper though," I tell her.

"You are smart and dense and dumb," she says.

"Hey, that's harsh you know?" I pout in front of her.

"Giving someone you like a letter feels more romantic and special than sending them text messages. You can feel the sincerity of the sender and the feelings he put through composing words and sentences to get to your heart," she explains.

I don't have any idea about what she is saying. I have not received letters from anyone my entire life nor have I given someone a letter and this is why I struggle to write Boruto one.

"I don't understand completely but I have picked up some points," I reply.

"You really are an idiot when it comes to stuff like this," she says while shaking her head.

"Well, I think we need to give our all to make the best love letters for someone we like," I tell her.

"Yeah," she nods and we laugh together.

"But for now, you need to prepare for the auditions or Yodo will take the spot," she reminds me.

"You're right."

"Alright, thank you Yodo," the drama club adviser says and Yodo goes down with a smile on her face. I think she's really confident that she'll be going to play the role of Snow White. Well, she is good but I should not lose to her.

"Up next is Sarada," she calls out to me.

I immediately stand when I was called out by the adviser and leaves to the stage.

"Good luck, Sarada," Cho-Cho cheers for me before I completely leave her side.

I nod as a response to her. I take a deep sigh before coming up to the stage.

"Are you ready now?" the adviser asks and I nod. I still have cold feet and when I look at the crowd my knight in shining armor appears, it's Boruto who just arrived and sits down on the vacant seat.

My heart beats fast. I don't know if I am still auditioning for the role of Snow White or I am competing in the triathlon. I really feel weird every time he is around or near me.

I sigh before responding to the adviser.

"Yes!"

"Go Sarada!" I hear Cho-Cho cheers for me.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop!" I say when the birds attack the old woman. She is carrying a basket full of apples. She stops at the house. Maybe needs help.

"Thank you so much, young lady," she says.

"Where have you been?" I ask her.

"I came from the forest and got some magical apples," she responds.

"Magical apples?" I repeat. She nods.

"These apples can grant your wishes," she explains.

"Really? How is that possible?" I ask while my eyes are wide open.

"Eat this apple and you can wish after," she says.

"Wow," I utter in amazement.

"Here. This is to repay your kindness," she says while offering an apple to me.

I accept it and look closely at it. It looks so beautiful that I want to taste it.

"Have a bite and all your wishes will come true," she tells me. I am bewitched by its beauty and I can't help myself and get a bite. Suddenly, I feel dizzy and everything turns black and...

"Okay, cut!"

The adviser says and I bow my head.

"Good job, Sarada. Thank you. Next is Namida," she says and I leave the stage straightway. I run in Cho-Cho's direction.

"That was excellent, Sarada!" she remarks and hugs me.

"Thank you," I say with a smile on my lips.

"That was great, Sarada."

My heart races again after hearing a very familiar voice. I turn to face him.

"T-Thank you, Boruto," I stutter and I think my face flush.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"H-Huh?! Yes! Are you going to audition too?" I change the subject.

"Yeah," his brief reply.

"For the role of Prince?" I can't help myself but ask.

"Yes. Well, I want to give it a shot," he smiles.

Cho-Cho nudges me on my side. I swallowed all the fluids in my mouth before speaking to him again.

"I see. Good luck," I say. I am nervous.

"Thank you," he says and waves goodbye to us.

"I know you are crossing your fingers right now," Cho-Cho says.

"That's not true," I refuse.

"Hmm..." she hums suspiciously.

If I'll be chosen as Snow White then I want Boruto to be the Prince.

"Good morning class," our adviser greets us upon entering the classroom.

"Good morning," we greet back.

She raises a piece of paper.

What's that?

"Here are the results of the auditions," she reveals.

And the whole class respond with "Wow!" simultaneously.

"Now, let's see who's Snow White," Cho-Cho says.

"I want to reveal the seven dwarfs first," she starts.

"Grumpy is Iwabe," she starts with Grumpy.

"What? I should be the Prince!" Iwabe complains.

"Shut up Iwabe! You are not suited to be my Prince," Yodo says then flips her hair.

The jerk would be the best suit for Grumpy though.

"Silence please!" she needs to remind them.

"Sleepy is Shikadai."

Very well, Shikadai usually sleeps during class.

"Doc is Inojin."

"Happy is Denki."

"Bashful is Lee."

"Dopey is Dae."

"And Sneezy is Don."

No way! They are crazy dwarfs.

"It's time for the cruel Queen," she reveals.

"Who will it be?" I utter.

"The cruel Queen is Yodo," she says.

"What?!" Yodo exclaims.

"I am Snow White in this play and not the ugly Queen," she refuses. Iwabe and the rest laugh at her.

"Shut up you jerks!" she yells.

"Keep quiet please!" our adviser slams the table and everyone silences.

"This selection is based on the Drama Club's criteria so there's nothing you can do," she says and everyone calms down. Yodo is still pouting and hasn't accepted the results.

"If you don't like the selection then you can complain to the Drama Club or fail this subject," she adds and no one ever speaks.

"Let's continue," she says again.

"As for Snow White..."

I feel nervous again. Tsubaki, Namida, and Wasabi are not mentioned yet maybe—

"Snow White is Sarada," she cuts me midway.

I bite my lower lip after hearing my name. Cho-Cho hugs me uttering indistinct words. And indistinct chatter takes over the classroom. My mind is nailed on the announcement that I am playing the role of Snow White.

"And the Prince is..."

I am back to my senses after hearing the word Prince. I have heard Mitsuki auditioned for the role too.

Who will it be?

"The role of the Prince will be played by..."

My heart starts to race again. Cold sweats drop from my forehead.

Who will it be?

"The Prince is Boruto," she continues.

Oh my...

Does anyone want to slap me? I think I'm dreaming.

"Sarada..." Cho-Cho shakes me. I look at her and give her a (*o*) face.

"I can't believe what I have heard," I utter.

"No way!" Yodo says all so mad.

"Namida is the narrator," our adviser adds.

"Wasabi is the scriptwriter and Tsubaki is the floor director," she continues to enumerate everyone's roles.

"The rest of the class are the facilitators."

Indistinct chatter starts to echo inside the classroom.

"Aye! It's Boruto and Sarada," Cho-Cho giggles.

I think my cheeks flush again. I secretly glanced at Boruto. He is smiling while talking to Mitsuki.

"Boruto is my Prince..." I thought.

"The practice will start this afternoon, same time and place, and everyone must be there, understood?" she demands.

"Yes!" we respond in chorus.

"Okay, let's start our lesson today," she continues and everyone flips on the pages of the book to where we stopped yesterday.

After an hour, the bell rings and it's break time. Cho-Cho and I go to the canteen to get something to eat.

We settle after the serving of our snacks. We sat facing each other. After a few seconds, her mobile phone beeps. She immediately grabs it from her pocket and taps on its screen.

She started tapping continuously on the screen like she is typing a long message.

"Was that him?" I ask. My curiosity again. She did not respond. I pout at her while she is busy typing a message for him.

I confirmed that it is him when she is unconsciously smiling like an idiot. I am not jealous or something, okay?

"Cho-Cho, let's eat," I tell her.

"Okay," she replies then puts her phone on the table.

I start munching on my sandwich and sip on my soda after. She does the same thing.

Another beep from her phone and she suddenly gets fluster. She checks who texted her and she again is smiling like an idiot.

I think I'll be watching her smiling stupidly like that until the break is over. I exasperatedly look at her while I am sipping on my soda. She seems not to notice my presence.

"I'll go ahead, Cho-Cho. I'm done with my snack," I say and stand up from my seat.

"Hey, wait!" she tries to stop me.

I look at her while still pouting.

"I haven't finished my snack yet," she states.

"Of course, you could not finish it because you're busy chatting with a friend," I say and I turn my back at her.

"Hey, Sarada wait up. I'm sorry okay?" she says and I think she follows me.

"Is everyone here?" our adviser asks when the time for the practice comes.

"Yes!"

"Namida and Wasabi, come over here for a minute," she calls out to them while we are patiently waiting for our roles to be executed.

She seems to instruct them about what to do.

"Facilitators, come over," she adds and a group of five people walk in her direction and take note that includes the jerk.

As what she did to Namida and Wasabi, she seems to instruct the five too.

"Alright then, before we start, can we clean this place first? It's a little messy and dusty in here. The room has not been used for a while," she says gesturing to the floor.

"Okay!" we say at the same time.

We started from sweeping the floor to wiping the dusty windows. We put the tables and chairs on the side so we can occupy the rest of the room.

As soon as we finished, our adviser calls out to us, actors. She is with Namida and Wasabi.

"Wasabi has finished the script and Namida is ready for the narrative," she informs us.

We nod as a response to her.

"Tsubaki and Kawaki, come here," she calls out to them. I can see how dull his expression is. Not interested at all.

"I have witnessed Tsubaki's skills in the directory and she was the assistant director of the Beauty and the Beast play during the Winter Festival last year and it was a success. And for Kawaki, I assigned him to assist Tsubaki in this play," she explains.

Tsubaki was the one who had lost interest in the play and even criticized it yet she is the floor director?

Maybe she doesn't like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or she's too annoyed with the plays already? Well, I have guessed. I don't know the reason at all.

"What?" the jerk snaps.

"Is there any problem?" she asks him.

"I don't have any idea about the play and it's not my subject of interest at all," he explains.

"It's okay Kawaki. You'll just assist Tsubaki in the flow of the play. All you need to do is follow what she has to say," she tells him about his role.

"Like her watchdog?" the jerk sarcastically says.

"Kawaki! That's not what I meant," she almost scolds him.

"Whatever," he says and turns on his side.

Our adviser sighs and shakes her head.

"Here are the scripts," Wasabi says and hands over the script to all the casts of the play.

"You read them first and see how you put the words into action," Namida says while smiling.

I smile at Wasabi after I received the script from her. I flip on the pages, it's actually a ten pages script.

"Memorize your lines, okay?" Wasabi reminds us.

"What we are going to do this afternoon is to familiarize ourselves with your roles and to scrutinize the script," our adviser says.

"Okay," we respond.

"Alright, let's start," she adds and we settle at the center of the room. We form a circle sitting beside each other and our adviser is standing in front of us.

We discuss each role first then the flow of the plot. Tsubaki explains what we should do and who will appear first, what will be the first scene, and what will be the last.

"Tsubaki is awesome!" Cho-Cho comments.

"Yeah, being the director of this play suits her best," I agree with her comment.

"Are you ready?" she asks me.

"Um... not yet. I have to memorize my lines and prepare my acting tonight," I answer.

Cho-Cho is one of the facilitators. She did not audition for any of the roles though. She said, she just wanted to eat and I laughed at her.

"Okay, that is all for today and we will start our practice after class tomorrow at 4 o'clock sharp right here, don't be late," our adviser announces.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Hey, you keep staring at your phone since then," I tell Cho-Cho. She keeps staring at it like she is waiting for a call or a text message. We are heading home at the moment.

"Hmm... I am just wondering why he hasn't texted me yet. It feels weird," she replies.

"Maybe something came up like his phone has shut down, or it's in a silent mode or—"

"Okay, stop! I don't want to overthink," she cuts me off from speaking.

"You are sure addicted to his messages. What does he send you by the way?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Hmm. He is making poems and he sends them to me," she responds.

"Huh? I didn't know he is kind of poetic. What I know about him is he is a quiet type," I remark.

"Well, he told me he wants to be a poet in the future," she reveals.

"Really?" I ask in amazement.

"Yes," she confirms.

"Oh cool, I think he likes literature so much," I guess.

"He does and I like his poems," she responds.

"You seem to know a lot about him already," I tease her.

"Not really. It's just that we sometimes talk about personal things like our dreams, hobbies, and many more," she states.

"Now, I am really jealous of you," I say.

"You should not. Nothing is going on between us," she says and her eyes gloom.

"What do you mean?" I ask because I am a little worried about her sudden change of expression.

"He said that he wanted to focus on his studies first so he could achieve his dreams in the future and that only means I will keep my feelings for him until then," she says and tears are in the corners of her eyes.

"So what about the letter?" I ask.

"I decided to still write him one but I will keep it until the time comes," she says.

I never thought Cho-Cho would be this madly in love with him. What if Boruto is like him too?

"Don't tell me you'll wait until eternity?" I ask.

"Stupid! Of course not! I will give him the letter when I am ready then it's up to him if he will accept it or reject me," she says and smiles bitterly.

She is so brave. Cho-Cho has always been so strong. If I were in her place, I would have been on my knees crying.

"Are you okay with that?" I ask.

"And why not? We will not know until we try, right? And besides, it's an advantage for me so I can move on with my life, forget about my feelings for him, and maybe it will come back one day and we can be together in the end. How is that?" she confidently says.

"That's too painful to bear," I utter.

"Yes it is, but we should not give up on them or there must be one person who is meant to be with us in the end and not with the people we like now. We never know what will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, and in the coming months and years. Let's just wait and see," she says a lot that I could say that she is a different person now and not my best friend that I used to know.

"You're too deep but..."

"All you have said were right. Boruto might not be the one for me in the end but I cannot regret not telling him about what I feel for him," I say.

"That's right. Therefore, we still need to write down our feelings on a piece of paper and send it to them," she says and winks.

"Getting along with him makes you realize a lot of things, Cho-Cho," I tell her.

"I can tell that he is mature enough to understand the things around him. He thinks like a real man now. From what I have read from a book, 'get a man who has dreams for his life is in the right path," she says. Well, that's kind of true.

'A man with dreams, huh?' I repeat in my mind.

I wanted to know what is Boruto's dream.

"Alright, cut!" Tsubaki says and we stop doing what she told us to do for the scene.

"Is it okay?" I ask her.

"Good job there, Sarada," she says.

We are in the part where Snow White enjoys cooking the food of the seven dwarfs when she found their cute house and the little men were out for the mine.

"Thank you," I tell her.

"Okay, let's have a break first. The next scene will be the seven dwarfs find out that Snow White is in their house," she says and she turns to face Kawaki and talks to him. The jerk is not paying attention at all.

"You did a great job there, Sarada," Cho-Cho makes me lose sight of the jerk.

"Thank you," I respond. She shows me a paper and she opens it, it has snacks inside.

"Shall we?" she says while rolling her eyes. I laugh at her and we settle on the vacant seats and enjoy our snack. Everyone's having their snacks too while memorizing their lines.

After the twenty minutes break, we get back to work again.

"The last scene before the ending is the Prince kisses Snow White and breaks the spell," Tsubaki says.

"H-Huh?" I utter.

Boruto will kiss me in this scene? Well, we are not going to kiss each other, for real. Kissing is prohibited though.

But I don't know if I can withstand him being so close to me especially since his face will be so close to me during the kissing scene.

"Are okay, Sarada?" Tsubaki asks in confusion. I glance at Boruto and he has the same expression as Tsubaki.

"Y-Yeah," I stutter.

What the hell were you thinking, Sarada? I am pathetic (T-T)

"Okay, shall we start?" Tsubaki asks and we both nod. I am very nervous, to be honest.

It is Boruto for cat's sake!

I lay on the bed provided for the scene. Then Boruto enters the picture.

"Oh, my beautiful Princess. It is so sad to see you sleeping on this bed for years and not hearing your beautiful voice like the singing birds in the forest..." he starts with his line. He is kneeling in front of me.

I can feel my whole body trembles as he is moving closer to me.

"It came to my knowledge that the true love's first kiss will break the spell cast to you by the cruel Queen," he continues.

He leans over to me, a few inches away from my face. I think my cheeks turn red.

"Now, I will end the Queen's truculence and free you from the spell," he says and his face moves closer to me, approximately an inches away.

It's the kissing scene!

I think my heart will break out from my chest. It is beating so fast and I bet Boruto can hear it.

Calm down, Sarada.

Tsubaki, cut this scene off already or I will die at any moment...

"Cut!" Tsubaki shouts and I feel relieved.

Boruto's face slowly moves away from me. I can hear the claps and yells from the crowd.

"You did a great job there, Boruto, Sarada," Tsubaki says and everyone applauds. I stand next to Boruto.

Cho-Cho dashes in our direction.

"Oh my...Sarada!" she yells and hugs me tight.

"Cho-Cho..." I utter.

"I'm so happy for you," she tells me and smiles.

"Thank you," I am grateful to Cho-Cho for supporting me.

"I think everyone's ready for tomorrow's event," Tsubaki says joyously.

Oh yes. The big day is tomorrow and we are ready.

"Let's call it a day. You guys really did a great job. Rest well tonight and be ready for the real show tomorrow. Goodbye," our adviser waves and leaves us right away.

I am very excited about tomorrow. I'll be part of the Drama Club soon. I can't wait for that moment to come.

"What about the costume? Where are the shoes? Where is Sarada's headdress?"

Cho-Cho is in panic mode. As the facilitator, she is readying our costumes to be used later.

"Give me the curtains," Iwabe orders, and Dae gives them immediately.

"What do you think of the decorations?" Do they look good?" Denki and Lee are in-charge.

"So, are you ready, Namida?" Wasabi asks her.

"Yes," Namida replies and nods.

"Kawaki, focus the camera on this spot before the play starts, okay?" Tsubaki tells Kawaki and he seems to be nice today.

I am watching them prepare for the play this afternoon. Everyone is busy and I am here watching them do all the work. Tsubaki and our adviser do not want me to engage with the preparations. They want me to relax.

"Hey Boruto, can you put these stickers up there? The wall's too high I can't reach it," Dae asks for Boruto's help.

"Sure," he replies and climbs up the ladder and puts the stickers in their right places.

When Boruto's about to step down, he accidentally slips on the ladder and falls.

"Ahhhh!" he shouts.

"Boruto!"

Everyone rushes in his direction. Even I rush too. I am worried, so damn worried.

"My leg hurts!" he is in pain.

"Call the nurse, please!" I shout.

"Y-Yes!" Lee startles and immediately runs to the clinic.

"Boruto, hang in there. Everything's going to be fine," our adviser assures him.

"I-I can't move my leg," he says almost crying.

"Boruto..." I utter in dismay.

"T-The play..." he struggles to talk.

"Don't worry about the play, we need to attend your safety first," our adviser tells him.

"I...I think... I won't make it..." he says and he prickles in pain.

The nurses came rushing with a stretcher and they slowly put Boruto on and rush him back to the clinic.

Boruto...

I hope he is going to be okay.

The play...

I don't know if it will still be happening...

"If Boruto won't make it by the time of the play, we need to pick someone as his replacement..."

No way...

The room was silent after Boruto was rushed to the clinic. Everyone's worried about his leg. Our adviser panics when she realized that the Prince is in a bad shape and nobody's going to take his place if he fails to show up this afternoon. We still need to hear a thing from the clinic before the time comes.

"I need to go and check on Boruto's situation I'll be back right away," she says and grabs her bag from the chair and left for the clinic. We are watching her back until it fades.

"I wonder if Boruto's going to make it on time," Tsubaki feebles. Everyone has a sad and worried face.

"Sarada..." Cho-Cho calls and I keep silent. I don't know what to say anyway. My chest turns heavy and my feet seem so tired that I can't move them to make at least a single step.

"Whether Boruto's going to make it or not, the show must go on," Tsubaki says and everyone agrees.

Well, it should but who will replace him if he won't make it? That's a big question mark in my head. I think my brain will burst from overthinking. I don't know what to do now.

"You know what, Cho-Cho? I am almost there for being a part of the drama club yet this happens. How unfortunate I could be?" I tell her sulking. She rubs my back with her palm to comfort me. I still feel so heavy.

Everyone gets back to their work as nothing has happened. They are still positive that Boruto will show up in no time with a smiling face, assuring us that everything will be okay.

"Sarada, don't stress yourself out. We don't like having an exhausted Snow White or else you will switch places with Yodo," Wasabi teases me and I laugh at her statement. Namida then grabs my hands and smiles at me.

"Don't worry. Everything will fall into place. Let's wait for our adviser to come back and proceed to what we must do," Namida's sweet voice is reassuring. It makes my heart relax and calm. I think I look very affected that they all noticed and give words of encouragement.

I smile at her and I think I have recharged a bit. I turn on my left and Cho-Cho was there smiling at me. I am grateful that I got such wonderful friends. I don't know what to do without them especially my best friend, Cho-Cho.

Wasabi and Namida say their goodbyes as they still have some important things to do and told me not to overthink before they leave. Cho-Cho has never left my side and keeps telling me stories to keep me occupied. She gives me jokes so I could laugh and forget about the bad things not until our adviser returns and gives us an update about Boruto's condition.

"Sorry, but Boruto would not make it for the play this afternoon. The doctor advised him to be confined at the hospital for further tests. He doesn't look so good. His ankle is swollen and he barely moves his leg. I really feel sorry for him. Let's pray for his fast recovery," she tells.

Everyone has been saddened by the news. Our shoulders drop. Indistinct chatter takes over the room and it makes me feel awful. What should we do now?

"We need to choose a replacement for Boruto real quick. We are running out of time. The play starts at 1 o'clock and it's twenty-nine past eleven and we are not done yet with the preparations," she utters while keeping her composure steady. I know our adviser is in panic from the unexpected accident. She is our adviser and she is responsible for everything and for what happened to Boruto.

"Everybody listen up. The show must go on no matter what. I promised Boruto that this play must succeed even without him. He knew that everyone worked hard for it and he doesn't want all your efforts to be in vain. To whoever be chosen to be his replacement, he wants him to do his best for this play that's his only injunction," she adds.

Everyone is encouraged after hearing everything from our adviser. I think everyone owes Boruto for this one. This is one of the very important parts of our lesson in the literature that we must pass.

"But who is going to play the role of the Prince?" Wasabi asks.

"Now, that is the problem. We lack back-ups. Mitsuki has been called for a contest earlier and there is no more qualified person to take the role," our adviser hopelessly says and it feels very sad.

"The role of the Prince is very simple and his lines are brief and not that hard to memorize. His appearance is quick at the beginning and his next and last appearance would be at the end of the play," Tsubaki comments.

"So do you have any recommendations as to whom is going to play the role of the Prince?" Namida asks her.

"Actually, I have someone in mind," Tsubaki rubs her nose and turns her head a little as if she is insinuating something.

"I recommend Kawaki to take Boruto's place," she is confident when she said it.

"What?!" we all say at the same time.

"You can't be serious," the jerk comments.

"I am serious though," Tsubaki says unwaveringly.

"I am not doing that stupid fantasy of yours," the jerk scoffs.

"Are you sure about that, Tsubaki?" our adviser worries if Tsubaki isn't joking when she said that.

"I am. Kawaki knows everything. He is my assistant, remember?" she says while rolling her eyes. Well, if he was paying attention I think he knows everything but with the kind of attitude he has? There is no chance.

"I am not doing that nonsense just pick someone else," the jerk refuses and aims to walk away but our adviser stops him from his tracks.

"Kawaki, this activity is for the whole class. You can't be selfish and act stubborn. Your grades will be based on your performance here. What you get is what everyone gets, do you understand?" she tries to convince him but I know he is stubborn and a jerk, but we are running out of time and no one is going to take Boruto's place.

"I am not doing it," he says and walks away.

"Hey, Kawaki!" Tsubaki tries to stop him but he is unstoppable.

"No way. How could he be so selfish? That bastard needs a punch on his face," Iwabe annoyingly says and Denki tries to calm him down. He clenches his fist and he is serious about punching his face.

"No fighting!" our adviser stops everyone from talking and her palms rest on her forehead. She seems to be worn out with all of the mess. She sits down on the chair and takes a sigh.

"I don't know what to do anymore," she utters in a slow voice. I feel sorry for all the headaches we have caused her, from Boruto being injured to the jerk so stubborn and obstructive.

"I will try to talk to him again. Maybe he will give yes as an answer this time," Tsubaki tries to light up the mood a bit. She seems so hook with the play, well she should. Our grades depend on her compelling communication skill.

An hour later...

"Tsubaki, is Kawaki going to show up?" our adviser asks her. The tension can be heard in her voice. The play is about to start in a few minutes and I am behind her waiting for Tsubaki's response. I was all dressed up and ready for the play but I don't know if the jerk is going to replace Boruto.

"He did not respond to me when I asked him the second time around, but I have told him something that will make him show up. I am pretty sure he will," she confidently says.

"Oh, what a relief," our adviser utters and her hands landed on her chest gesturing of being relieved.

I sigh and get back to the dressing room to where Cho-Cho is. I think everything's okay now. Tsubaki seems so cool with Kawaki.

"You look great, Sarada," Cho-Cho compliments me and I think I blush. She barely compliments me. Oh, I sound like a hypocrite. She always compliments me not on how I look but on other things.

"Thank you," I tell her.

"You look okay now," she notices. I think my face tells it all. I look tensed and problematic earlier when Tsubaki hasn't told us that she made a way to make the jerk come.

"Well, I'm kind of relieved," I honestly tell her and she furrows.

"So, Kawaki finally says yes?" she sounds excited while confirming.

"Somehow. I'm not sure, but he needs to show up or else I will kill him," that sounds exaggerated and Cho-Cho's face gets shocked.

"T-That's frightening," she stammers. I don't know why she reacted that way. I was just kidding, but I will never forgive that jerk if he does not show up later.

"Well, this play must be successful no matter what, Cho-Cho. This is my way to the Drama Club that I dreamed about all this time," I tell her, and she did not utter a word.

"I am expecting him to come and I am already looking forward to entering the Drama Club," I say and act like daydreaming. I can't wait to be closer to my dreams. It's my first step, one step at a time.

"Sarada, get ready. We are about to start," Tsubaki shouts and immediately leaves.

"The jerk isn't here yet," I murmur, and Cho-Cho moves closer to my side.

"Are you sure he is going to come?" Cho-Cho asks with furrow brows.

"Tsubaki was so confident that he will come, maybe..." I say and I think I stammer when I utter the words.

Namida's voice echoes in the room as she starts to narrate and it's my time to show up in a minute. I suddenly feel nervous and I can't help it.

"Good luck, Sarada," Cho-Cho cheers me up before I go to start my script and to show up to the crowd.

When I look at the crowd, the Drama Club Council is there. I feel edgier. My anxiety turns into courage when the memory of my ticket to the club crossed my mind.

I try to impress them and they seem entertained with my performance. I keep myself focused on my role, my script, and my acting and with the impression of the council on me.

"Where is Kawaki?"

I slightly hear someone mention his name from backstage.

So, he hasn't been here yet?

I try to focus on my performance but I can't help myself from thinking that he is not showing up whenever. After this scene, it's going to be his.

I glance backstage and Cho-Cho was there with a gloomy face. She shakes her head as if to say the jerk is not going to show up.

"The Prince hears her sing when he roams around the forest and he is bewildered by her angelic voice..." Namida narrates.

"He slowly walks in Snow White's direction with cautious steps to not notice him..." she continues to narrate, she is also waiting for the jerk to show up from backstage but nobody's walking out.

"Please show up..."

#boruto #boruto fanfiction

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slytherbun · 3 years

Text

wildflower

pairing: cedric diggory x hufflepuff!reader

summary: you weren't too sure what to think when a new eye candy transfers to hogwarts and becomes the new seeker of the hufflepuff's quidditch team but you realize in time that he is all of what you hoped for.

word count: 3.7k

tags: @specialagentsoftie

note: so this is all just a bunch fluff. i'm not sure how i feel about it in terms of cringey and hope y'all like it! figured i'd post this anyways either way though lol. i made up the way reader and cedric met at hogwarts so, it's non-canon from the movie.

another note: italics are flashbacks! :)

it was cold.

you could see everybody’s breath in the air outside and knew it was a crime to be out and about now with freezing and chilly weather.

the snow outside coated the ground by inches and the black coats zippered up and wrapped around you only helped so much. you were the type to freeze easily and the climate at hogwarts didn't help your situation at all.

minutes ago before you walked outside, you knocked on the door to his dorm after surveying the hufflepuff’s common room and noticed there weren't very many people around. and when cedric opened the door after you rapped on it a few times—he took in the view of your body wrapped around your blanket before pulling you into his room.

pathetically enough, you were shivering in the halls even with your mitten covered hands stuffed in the pockets of your coat. you weren't about to admit the doubled up socks on each of your feet either underneath the knee-length boots you wore today.

"are you cold?" cedric successfully taunted you when you reached your arm out of the pocket of your jacket and then under the blanket to slap his arm. he hissed and glared your way playfully while rubbing his arm dramatically.

you shrugged with a smirk on your lips and he plopped down onto his soft bed. “don’t get too comfortable.” he suggested when noticing you trying to sneakily get underneath his covers.

“what i’d do for one of those thermal blankets the muggles use.” you sighed dreamingly while watching him walk towards his closet.

“imagine having a postal company deliver the package to hogwarts? dumbledore would have an aneurysm.” cedric replied and you couldn’t help yourself when imagining the scenario playing out in your mind.

he turned to the side to admire your smile while you were a little distracted while pulling out a coat. then he closed the closet up and walked back over, holding it in your direction to offer an extra to put over your body. you gladly took it with a smile. "thanks ced."

cedric backed up a few steps and brushed a hand through his brunette hair. not being able to help himself he joked, “can’t have you walking around with your blanket wrapped around you. your height already makes you look so adorable.”

you got off from the bed when he exaggerated with your blanket in hand and scoffed. cedric bit his lip nervously while continuing to back up before he felt the wall pressed against him.

he rubbed the back of his nervously while you held the blanket up to his height and above your own head. “i’m just kidding.” he gulped before you took it and put it over his face.

when he tugged it down from his face he spotted you innocently standing by the door with his jacket around you. “i was going to leave it here anyway. just put it on the bed and i’ll come get it later after we get back.”

while you zippered it up you noticed this particular jacket was the one that you often saw him wearing before he ended up buying a new one for the upcoming winter that you were suffering in now.

and it was longer than the one you had previously put on about twenty minutes ago so, you couldn't argue with him on that steal.

"alright.” he laughed and added with a more serious tone. “oh and by the way—you don't need to thank me. you're my best friend, wildflower."

today was the first quidditch match of the season and you were sitting at the edge of your seat in anticipation. the hufflepuffs didn't score well last season and you were hoping they wouldn't come out with last place again for the year.

y/g/b/f (your girl best friend) sat down on the stands next to you with an umbrella in her hands. you turned and looked at it with a confused face. but she just smiled at your contemplating thoughts and looked up at the sky once before supplying you with an answer.

“well it looks bright now but i have a feeling it’ll rain later.” she always had a suspicion for when it was going to rain or snow and you never second guessed her because every single time she was right.

“did you know we’re having a new seeker play on the team today? i believe he’s going to be captain too if he plays his cards right this game.” she asked. you didn’t know that.

“wait is he the new guy everybody is talking about? i heard the rumors but you know how they are. i didn’t want to take it seriously until i saw it with my own eyes.” you stated and she nodded.

“yeah he’s a transfer i think but i’m not too sure. his name is cedric diggory though.” after her reply, you glanced around the stands to see if anybody had diggory signs for the game but with no avail you sighed. before you could respond you felt a few droplets on your shoulder.

your friend gave you a smart-ass grin and popped out the umbrella to hold it over the both of you. “guess we’ll see how good he is.” you mumbled before seeing the players come up to the playing area with their brooms.

butterbeer was pretty popular during the winter season. many students from school usually went and got some to help regulate their body temperature and keep warm.

everybody else must have gotten the same memo because you were inside the three broomsticks now for some butterbeer and it was crowded.

almost every table was filled with peers and that’s probably why you didn’t see many people in the school. with just one glance around the area, you could already tell the divided area’s of where each school was seated right away.

your tables were to the left area, the slytherins must have come earlier because they grabbed the back ones, some of the ravenclaw’s were off to the right, while harry and the other gryffindor’s had the middle area.

cedric nudged your side to grab your attention and nodded towards the hufflepuff area. “want to grab us some seats and i’ll get the drinks?” he asked and you nodded. “sure, could you get me a snack too if you don’t mind?”

he smiled and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “i suppose i could.” cedric walked away with a wink and you shook your head knowing he was just humoring you.

little did you know he already had planned to get you something else even before the two of you left the dorms. it had gotten to the point where asking him for little things hadn’t bothered you because you reciprocated all of the time.

but sometimes cedric would give you little excuses when it was your turn to pay, just so he could end up paying for whatever you guys were having or getting. he always spoiled you.

"ah the golden girl is here." hermione scoffed and watched you walk towards the hufflepuff area. your other best friend was seated already and started talking to you when you sat.

the brunette from the red colored house didn't particularly dislike you since you were always nice. sometimes you chatted with her while working on a project that you were paired for. then other times you gave her a soft smile when catching her eye while walking in the halls towards your next class.

she definitely couldn’t help but respect and admire you.

but the reason she didn’t put herself out there and try to befriend you was because you were one of the girls known in school for your smartness, quick reflexes, and witty attitude.

when people from school talked about you and referred to you as the golden girl instead of your name most of the time—it wasn’t that you were golden per-say but the fact that it matched up perfectly with the school’s color that you sorted it.

hufflepuff was known for its represented yellow color.

and there’s no doubt about it that hermione was also known around the school. but, she felt it was for all of the wrong reasons. despite not having it any other way as one of harry's best friends, she wondered if not for him that in an alternate lifetime that she would be you.

“why is she wearing cedrics jacket?” ron asked after following hermione’s stare. harry thumped him on the back of his head and then shook his own. “why does it matter?” the one with a thunderbolt on his forehead replied.

“well it is interesting, isn’t it?” the brunette said in defense of ron’s question. the one who didn’t seem curious at all took a sip of the butterbeer in front of him.

he licked his lips, thinking then replied to them with a response. “i mean it’s not our business but it is an odd find now that you pointed it out. maybe he’s just being friendly?”

“as if! cedric has had a crush on y/n since he met her. she’s just oblivious to it all,” she paused and tapped her chin. “—or is she?” ron gasped at her accusation but took a sip of his own drink before she could hear his outburst.

harry noticed her getting riled up once again and sighed. “well i don’t know what else to say. maybe you should just introduce yourself already and ask her instead of me.” he shrugged and hoped to end the conversation there.

you knew exactly who cedric diggory was when he swiftly passed by the hufflepuff area during the game. of course, he was wearing yellow.

the game has been going on for a decent amount of time now and he was stacking up the scores on the quidditch board—easily passing by the score of the gryffindor’s team.

cedric was undoubtedly the new eye candy for the whole school with the gasps and ‘awes’ from the other girls sitting in the stand. your friend was so busy watching harry that she didn’t catch the commotion.

you didn’t really pay attention to him to get a good glance at his face so, you thought he was just another arrogant rich boy and rolled your eyes.

what you didn’t notice was the way it was like a slow-motion love at first sight situation for him when he went by. since it stopped raining through the middle of the game he was able to catch a quick view of you.

the week wasn’t done yet so it was possible he’d be seeing more of you in another class he hadn’t had yet. and cedric hoped you were because he couldn’t help but look over in your direction throughout the game to catch another glimpse of your face.

it was still humid outside and you tried wiping your makeup a few minutes ago since it was under your eyes now, but you only smudged it further. your robe was drenched with your wavy and half-dried hair now lying down the back of it.

but he didn’t care what you thought about yourself because he knew without a doubt that you were the prettiest girl there.

“cedric’s looking pretty good today.” y/g/b/f voiced for the first time today. you played with the napkin in your hand while trying to get a glimpse of cedric.

“i don’t think you would know even if he was—since you spend all your time looking at harry.” cedric was up to the counter now waiting for your butterbeer and food.

“uh huh. don’t think i haven’t admired cedric before from afar though.” after a moment of not answering her, y/g/b/f noticed that you weren’t paying attention. you knew exactly what she was hinting towards.

cedric did look good.

his hair had that ‘just woken up’ style to it and he always managed to look even more attractive then he should have. the yellow scarf wrapped around his neck was the one that came with every hufflepuff’s supplied uniform clothing.

he usually wore it when you sat with him in potions on a chilly morning and you caught yourself wanting to take it off of him and wear it sometimes.

he always smelled good and it comforted you in ways a best friend shouldn’t have the ability to.

you seemed to have let your guard down and stared longer then you should have which confirmed what y/g/b/f already knew. “i knew it!” she chuckled and stated more loudly than the last comment to snap you out of the zoned out state you were in.

“know what?” you asked while placing the napkin back down on your table.

cedric was reaching the table and you wanted the conversation to end quickly. you usually dragged out conversation topics like this so you had time to think of another one to distract her with. but, she always found a way to circle it back around again.

you had to shut it down before he could hear, already knowing exactly what she wanted to talk about again.

“i’ll tell you later before our curfew.” y/g/b/f smirked and you sighed knowing she would in fact take the time out of her night to find you before bed. lucky you.

“hey y/g/b/f. how has your day been?” he asked your other friend while sitting down and placing your refreshments in front of you and then doing the same with his.

she grinned at you then glanced over at him, “pretty good i guess if it wasn’t for this weather i would say great. how about you? and how’d you manage to get this one out?” she gestured towards you, causing you to roll your eyes.

here we go again.

you were walking down the path back to the hogwarts dorms with y/g/b/f and some others. there was going to be a small celebration in the hufflepuff’s common room and other students were trying to hurry back without raising suspicions with any professors nearby.

“hey, i’ll be right back y/n/n. i see luna and i’m going to go ask her if she has a hair tie.” she said and pointed to the curly knots that she had on her shoulders.

you nodded and continued along the path while she walked over to the other side. it was quiet for a moment and you surveyed the peaceful area, a few feet over in the grass was a small patch of flowers.

you were about to take a quick look at them before feeling someone tap your shoulder. it was sudden and you couldn’t help but quickly move to the side and form a fist. you were about to throw it but stopped when you stared wide-eyed at the person who scared you.

cedric felt awful and only after he startled you did he realize that you were looking off in the distance of the area. the way you jumped though seemed that you were quick on your feet and he couldn’t help but smirk at the new name he had for you.

“hey i’m sorry for startling you wildflower but i just wanted to introduce myself. i’m cedric diggory.” he introduced with a panty-dropping smile.

you weren’t sure if it was some kind of joke so you treaded carefully. “uh it’s okay, it’s my fault really for not paying attention but i’m y/n y/l/n. nice to meet you ced.”

cedric held out his hand for you to shake and you took it, giving him a firm shake. after you let go he smirked and questioned. “ced, huh?”

he crouched down to pick up a flower that you were looking at earlier and it reminded you to ask, “wildflower, huh?” you met his statement equally and folded your arms together so they were across your chest to look more tough.

his cheeks tinted a minor shade of pink and tried to hide his embarrassment by ducking down and ignoring your question. instead he glanced back up to tuck a hair behind your ear and then placed the flower there.

“yes, wildflower.”

and how could you argue with him when he was being so sweet?

the two of you made it back to the common room after an hour of eating, then chatting with cedric and your other best friend. he was sitting on the bed with you sitting next to him.

you’ve been sitting for only about a minute or so—only enough time to shrug off your jackets and place them on the desk chair between that time after walking back to his dorm.

“would you like to lay down for a few minutes?” cedric asked when he noticed the tiredness shown clear as day on your face.

“sure” you agreed and you laid down while he shook your blanket out for the two of you to use. his eyebrows scrunched together when he realized it wouldn’t make much of a difference in comfort with how small it was.

you chuckled watching him trying to maneuver it around and he glanced your way with a smirk of defeat. “hmm, seems this blanket is a little small. would you like to go under the covers?”

cedric was giving into what you wanted earlier before the two of you left and he knew that too. the three broomsticks' food was delicious as always and you just wanted to relax for a few minutes after getting teased by your friend.

he grinned watching you get comfortable after the both of you were situated under the sheets and yellow comforter. there was a hufflepuff patch ironed onto it and you rubbed your thumb over it while laying down.

it wasn’t that awkward since you’ve fallen asleep in his arms a couple of times before already. class exams were frustrating and took a lot out of the students so he took comfort in you and vice versa when there was some down time during the weekends throughout the school year.

with an arm around you—he pulled you close to the point where you could feel his warm breath along your neck. “i don’t think you realize how much i treasure these moments y/n/n.”

he spoke breathlessly and you gulped slowly. you were dumbfounded with how seriously he said that. as if it had some kind of hidden meaning behind it. “me too.” you agreed and wondered if he would leave it at that.

but you knew better and cedric never left well alone when he wanted to get a point across. he turned your body slowly with the arm he had around your middle and you faced him with confusion.

he glanced down once before looking back up and continued on with his confession while staring into your doe eyes—a color he deemed his favorite the day that he met you.

“i’ve been fighting myself for a while on whether or not i should tell you this because i didn’t want my feelings to ruin our friendship. i’d rather be your friend than not be a part of your life at all. and i always look forward to seeing you e-everyday.” he paused when his voice cracked.

after cedric cleared his throat he continued, “and i totally understand if you don’t share the same feelings with me but i just couldn’t go on another day without telling you how i—” you cut him off by leaning in and brushing your lips against his.

he moved closer on the bed, so his skin was touching yours. cedric wanted to get as close to you as he possibly could. your hand swept through his brunette curls and you surprised him by tugging it.

he never knew what you were going to do and his friends teased him that you were a wildcard, to which he’d correct them and say you were his wildflower.

cedric smirked into the kiss and you groaned knowing he was being a smart-ass. but in return, he shocked you when he placed a hand delicately on your cheek to cup it rather softly.

he rubbed your cheek while your hand massaged his curls and then moved them downwards to the nape of his neck.

cedric pushed the hair back from your neck with his hand and then placed it back so his thumb splayed across on your cheek in a loving gesture. and you only wanted him closer after feeling sensitive about the whole astonishment that still had you stunned to the core.

you tugged the collar of his shirt and he pulled away with puffy, red lips and a smile. “what’s wrong?”

“i don’t know, i’m just emotional.” you voiced squeakily and full of embarrassment about it. cedric shook his head and before patting his chest, he held up the comforter over the both of you and let the minimal cold air in.

“oh, baby it’s okay. come here and let's cuddle a little before curfew.”

you bit the bottom of your lip and nodded, giving him a smile in return to the one he gave you and then crawled onto him. “i think i like baby better.” you voiced and laid on his chest with your head over his heartbeat.

he let go of the comforter when he noticed you were settled and tugged it firmly around both of your bodies. “better then what?” he asked.

“wildflower.” you admitted and hummed nervously while awaiting his response. you felt cedric shake his head and he put his arms around your body so you were pressed firmly against him before he kissed your forehead.

“you’ll always be my wildflower.” you closed your eyes after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek in response.

after a moment of laying back down you could feel his chest rising up and down in an odd pattern so, you put your head up to see him laughing again at you.

“what now?” you questioned trying to keep a serious facial expression but failing when he grinned.

“guess you got what you wanted, hmm?” cedric said—referring to the fact that you were finally under the comforters and you smirked.

“of course i always do. including finally getting you, ced.”

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saintqueer · 3 years

Note

About the rad louies and stuff. I am a larrie, I love H&L but I wasn't expecting this level of stunting from Harry at this point and it makes me sad. This is kind of a cry for help because the last think I want is to think bad about Harry, but sometines I'm genuinely concerned... would he give up all of his creative ambitions just to be with him? I hate the ladies man he is trying to sell AGAIN, and many harries, larries, directioners don't like it either, so Harry WHY? :( Please don't be mad

hey babyyy,

i'm not mad! i don't blame you for being sad and confused. i'm not a discourse blog and i don't plan to become one (despite my last few posts, sorry!) but i want to answer this because this is such a hard time in the fandom and we could all use some comfort.

it's fair to say none of us were expecting this level of stunting after 2019 and 2020. but i think it is important to emphasize that just because he is no longer as tightly controlled as he was as a teenager, does not mean he likes stunting. this stunt was not his idea. he was not sitting in a board room going "hey guys what if i make out with olivia on a yacht, that'd be so fun!" he is a closeted gay man who has to do some ridiculous stuff to maintain his closet and to be successful in the music industry and now hollywood.

now, you say you "hate the ladies man he is trying to sell again." i want to be very clear here, he, himself, is not and never has tried to sell this. this image was pushed upon him incessantly at the tender age of 16 (when he was a LITERAL child) and he was buried deep in that image by 1d's team and the tabloid media for eight years straight. while in 1d he pushed back on this image as much as he possibly could. he hates this image and he had no choice in it. just listen to Don't Let Me Go, listen to Something Great, listen to Two Ghosts, and if you need further reassurance of something recent: listen to Falling!!!!! watch the Falling music video! what do you think he is talking about when he says "what if i'm someone i don't want around?" the image of "the drink in my wandering hands." i see Harry far more in his music than i do in his pap pictures or than i do in HSHQ. i cannot picture someone writing those songs who is not incredibly self-aware, good intentioned, and deeply deeply loving.

yes, we hate this stunt. yes, it is bringing back some of the narrative that haunted us during 1d of the womanizer. yes, we are all slightly confused as to why he agreed to it after what looked like a serious image rebranding in 2019. we do NOT have the answers. i simply don't know, anon. BUT i am not going to start questioning who Harry is and how he wishes to be seen. and, honestly, that takes some faith right now. especially after yachtgate 2.0. but i am happy to say it is not blind faith because Harry is still Harry. i am going to pull out the big guns and attach fimq's video "The Womanizer." perspective is important and it hasn't been a very long time in the grand scheme of things since fimq made this video. re-watch this or watch it for the first time and tell me who the real Harry is:

i think it's easier to vilify harry for rads because 1) his uber success and 2) he distanced himself very purposefully once the band went on hiatus. i highly suspect harry did so for his mental health and likely after working through some serious trauma in therapy. it's easier to think someone's a villain when you rely on tabloid fodder. i don't believe tabloid fodder about louis, so why would i about harry? just because i have less access to him, doesn't mean he's now a different person from the one i've grown to know.

harry's success means all the stunts are in your face but louis still has a whole ass beard and child. and he talked about that child and beard during promo in 2020! i don't think he is any less brave or good because of that. so it'd be cruel to say so of harry. closeting is never the fault of the closeted person. no matter how famous and successful.

and, finally, your question of would he still give up all his creative ambitions just to be with louis referencing what i said in my post which harkened to IICF. well, i think that question is moot. i think they likely determined a long time ago, 2015 or 2016, that both of them did not want the other to give up their ambitions for the other. and gladly so because that would not make for a very healthy or happy relationship. they decided they could stick together and still support each other's dreams; that they could survive the closeting if they had each other. it's a measure of love to say you would give up everything if they asked you too. but assuming louis loved/loves harry just as much, do you think he would even entertain the idea of allowing harry to give up on his dreams of singing, writing music, acting, being a gender-fucking fashion icon? nahhhh!!! would you let your partner do that? so to answer your question... i think harry still loves louis just as much as he did when he wrote IICF, probably even more now. do i think his ambition is a hindrance to his love for louis? no, not at all. i think louis is the biggest harrie there is, just like i think harry is the biggest louie.

okay, i think i've gone on long enough. i hope i've brought you some comfort in some way, anon. and i apologize to anyone who has to scroll past this fucking novel. but i think i needed this chat just as much as anon did. harry is a good and beautiful princess even when he is harder to access!

if you're not already all discoursed out, anon, i will leave you with two posts that i felt were helpful to my thinking recently. this post about bravery and being generous to closeted individuals. and this post about closeting and coming out. also, i hope you did watch that fimq video, it's an important reminder for all of us right now!

this is officially the end of my apparent anti-rad manifesto.

#my anti-rad manifesto #discourse #sorry this is so long dudes #i swear i am NOT becoming a discourse blog #assassinate me if i do #hope i helped anon #sending you love and don't forget harry loves you a lot #fandom dynamics #fimq #anon #ask

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malereader-inserts · 3 years

Text

Listen Here, Boy Wonder

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairing: Aaron Hotchner & Male!Reader Summary: Just a quiet boy not knowing how to feel Word Count: 1,346 Request: Hello, I was wondering if you could do a fic with Hotch where he doesnt want another agent on his team (almost like with Emily) but then the new kid stays later than Hotch and arrives earlier somehow even though Hotch tends to sleep on his couch in the office like every second day.

Warnings: description of injuries.

A/n: TBH this isn’t the best I could do

It’s not like Hotch was opposed to having another team member on the team, it was just the fact that it could possibly be another Spencer. The new member, already welcomed by the rest of the team, was only aged twenty-two. The agency had recommended him and his grades in the final year were the best, being in the top percentage.

It’s not that he wasn’t going to welcome him, he’s the team leader, he has to be welcoming. But, any good profiler could see that Hotch was not pleased.

“Play nice, Aaron,” Rossi says, standing at the doorway, “He’s a good kid, you know, and if you actually took time to see - he’s actually an angel.”

So, despite his annoyance, he could see how much the team had adored their new addition. One thing he had noticed before anyone else was that you were constantly at work. He nods his good morning, at half-seven, to see you writing up your report. Hotch also nods his good nights, seeing you sign your name off - usually around half eleven.

But, you’re at work most of the day, and you don’t seem like you’re tired. You don’t carry yourself a hot flask of coffee, unlike someone who must have caffeine in their system (cough spencer cough). You were often seen with a big bottle of water, Hotch had to pat you on the back for that - at least you kept yourself hydrated.

Then again, he doesn’t know how hard the FBI training has been lately and perhaps you’ve just kept up with their rules and regulations. Hotch got more curious with the new quiet boy who seems to light up when Morgan ruffles your hair, or how the ladies laugh when you make an off-hand comment that was either snidey or snarky.

Hotch had to admit that you were truly showing what you were capable of, when Spencer reveals a crucial part in the investigation, as one other person would praise Spencer as usual.

“Oh, I didn’t find it, (Y/n) did.”

They all look at you, your cheeks flare with embarrassment, “It was kinda obvious, I shouldn’t take credit.”

“No,” Hotch says, raising an eyebrow at you, “You did good, (L/n). Rossi, Morgan with me.”

As Hotch leaves the room with Morgan, Rossi turns to you with a twinkle in his eyes, “That means he likes you, kid.”

Hotch didn’t know how to bring you out of the shell, by now, you were in the team for a good six months. You were still that quiet boy when he first started to work there, still making amazing an observation to the investigation, still seen with only water and never caffeine - though now you’ve started to appear every now and then with an energy drink.

Hotch and everyone else tried to get you out of work situations, asking if you want to go to the bar after work, it’s a Friday night and you have the weekend to chill. Rossi would try to host cooking nights, suggested by Hotch.

“Why should I do that?”

“Because, Dave, we still need to get (Y/n)’s out of his shell.”

“You care about the kid!”

“I-” Rossi smirks as Hotch rolls his eyes, “He’s part of the team and he’s the youngest, of course, I care.”

Though, nothing of Hotch’s attempt seems to break through to you. Until now. Hotch doesn’t know how he ended up here, but at least he wasn’t alone, he just wished he had better company. It’s not that he didn’t like you, in fact, he came to terms to actually warm up to you - even making sure you’re okay. You’re an adult, he’s aware of that, but like all other members of the team - he was concerned.

And whilst you were good company, he wishes you didn’t have to deal with the trauma you’ll get from getting kidnapped during an individual.

“I’m okay,” You say, “I’m not hurt at all, luckily.”

Hotch nodded, “That’s good.”

It’s been days in a small little cell, you and Hotch both know that your team is very much trying to get them back. After all, you were the youngest team member and you have so much life to get through - they were protective of you because you were just a quiet boy. And they couldn’t just strand their great team leader.

Yet, days were starting to merge and you were getting restless, at least it gave you and Hotch some forced bonding time. After a while, you just have to talk or you’ll go insane, so you rattled your team leader’s ear off. Not that he minded, in fact, it was relaxing that you actually didn’t mind talking, but you chose to be quiet.

“Is he coming back?”

You and him sat up straight, your kidnapper, or the unsub was what you exactly theorised. You were a smart boy, so the days you were here in a small dirty cell you watched your unsub. He was still new to being a serial murderer, he was still unsure about what to do.

So when he pointed his knife at Hotch, you kicked in your plan. You body slammed the unsub shouting at Hotch to get out, Hotch was hesitant before bolting it out, you called out after him that you’ll make your way out too.

“We’ll find him,” Emily reassures Hotch, who was holding an ice pack to his temple, “He might be quiet, but we know he’s a tough kid.”

Hotch worked relentlessly, even when the team told him that he should take a break, he didn’t want to stop until you were found alive. The team tried to do their best in finding you, they were waking up earlier and going to sleep later - collating all they could.

It had been a week since Hotch managed to escape and he owes you his life for saving him. He was the only one awake, though when he looks at the clock, he can see that the rest of the team will arrive in half an hour.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Hotch snaps his head up before twirling on his heel, to see you with a black eye, your temple seemed to patched with stitching and bandaged up. You were holding an energy drink, your non-dominate arm was in a sling. You had bruises on your jaw and strangulation marks.

“What’s all this?” You asked, Hotch noticed you had a limp as you look at the information on the board and scattered on the table, “Were you trying to find me?”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well, I don’t know,” You shrugged your shoulder, “I guess I didn’t think I mattered that much.”

“Of course you matter,” Hotch says and for once you were taken aback to hear such desperation in his voice, “you’re part of the team, you’re the youngest of us. Family protects family.”

“We’re...family?” You tilted your head.

You see, you saw Hotch as a strict and level headed man - he sticks to the rules and regulations. He wasn’t the most approachable person and yet to see him react so differently. You look up to see soft caring eyes, as he motions for you to sit down at least - you are injured and he has taken that to consideration.

“Of course, the moment you joined the team, you were family so no matter how quiet you were and you didn’t want to open up. The team and I never saw you any different than the boy wonder. You were family the moment you introduced yourself.”

“I don’t get it,” You were confused, genuinely, “Why?”

“Because we love you and you have our backs, we’re going to have your back.”

“You will?”

“Of course.”

You had knitted your eyebrows together as you were pondering how to click the pieces together, Hotch knew that a little heart to heart between you two won’t sink in right away. But, he gave you a reassuring smile, telling you, if you ever forget - we’re always there to remind you.

#Criminal Minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x male reader #x male reader #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner x male reader

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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

Text

Sugar, Spice, and a Heart to Entice

AKA: Jango Fett speedruns a romance with someone who should be his enemy. (It's okay. We know he makes bad choices.)

Note: Ahsoka uses the pseudonym "Ashla" in this fic. Warnings: slavery, references to drug use, crude sex jokes, undressing of an unconscious person (for medical reasons)

----

The girl that they shove into the chains next to him is... worrying.

(Well, probably a girl--he'll adjust later if it turns out he's wrong.)

She's not that much younger than him, he thinks. It's hard to tell, with the way her skin is taut over muscle and bone, too little water and too little sleep, and probably not enough food for whatever labor she's been doing. He's also, admittedly, not great at gauging ages in the first place, and certainly not for Togruta. Still, he thinks it's safe to say that they're close in age, and that she's probably younger than him.

She's lucky, by some measure. The spice ship is terrible, but it's probably better than the fate tog girls are usually subject to in this industry. They're hazardous conditions, and violent ones, but Jango's yet to see a slave here stripped of their clothing for anything other than a whipping.

He thinks it's probably a matter of money. That kind of violation lowers the profit margins, he imagines. Spice is more lucrative than anything, and pain is a better motivator than... well.

So she's lucky, by that measure, and that measure alone.

They clap her in bindings before he even sees her, even though she's unconscious, and bring her sometime in the night cycle. Jango doesn't have a lot of pity left in him, but some goes out to her. He won't say she's too young for this, because nobody is ever old enough for slavery, nor do slavers have any compunctions about selling babes in arms, but Jango would wager she's already led a hard life.

She's fairly covered, but what little is visible shows enough old battle wounds that he can't imagine she's stayed off of battlefields. He knows how to read a Togruta's markings for stress history, too, and hers tell a story. Her facial marks are thin and delicate, and he'd say they're certainly more complex than the average; the striation on her lekku and montrals is thin and jagged, like marble. It's pretty enough, but it's also a sign of the fact that her life has likely been anything but easy. Some of it might be genetics, and he hopes it is, but with the scars he can see... he doubts it's much.

"Keep that one alive," the overseer orders, eyes on Jango and hand gesturing at the tog girl.

He leaves.

Jango isn't sure what they're hoping to get out of putting her with him. The room is built for four, yes, but they usually don't try to have anyone share with Jango. Maybe they ran out of room, or just assumed Jango was the most likely to know field medicine, or just figured there wouldn't be any trouble until she woke.

As he gets closer, his confusion grows. The tog's got burns all over, ugly ones that aren't going to heal cleanly without bacta. They're going to get infected, as likely as not. He hasn't got much besides water in here, but the overseer's left behind a box of what looks like bandages. If he's lucky, there's burn cream in there.

(He's not lucky.)

He works slowly, careful of every movement. He builds up a story in his head as he does, based on the wounds he finds and what he starts to notice of the clothing. He can't see all the details, not in what little light he has, but there's plenty to notice.

He hadn't realized, with how dim it is, but most of what she's got on as an outer layer is hardened leather, real leather, not synth. There are attachment points for armor at the shoulders and hips, and he thinks he sees signs of wear for vambraces and greaves. She's no Mando'verde, not with how he can see that the fabric at her torso and upper legs is intended to stay light and flexible and uncovered, but the crafting of the leather layers is familiar. He thinks she might have contacts among Mando armorers.

She might even wear beskar, if she's impressed the right person.

The wounds are recent, and unfamiliar, and he thinks she was probably fought into chains, rather than bought in them. She's a captive, not a purchase, or maybe... maybe they just found an unconscious woman, and decided that she was worth keeping.

He thinks she lost a fight, or won but with great injuries, and just... stumbled off and collapsed. He gets the feeling no one on board the ship could have fought this woman, except for himself. It's not based on much, not until he can see her move, but he's got good instincts for that sort of thing.

Jango keeps his assessment of her torso quick and clinical, not even bothering to mentally apologize for stripping her bare. This is medical, and he's not a doctor, not even a field medic, but he's professional nonetheless. Even though there's nothing in the box but bandages, not even the burn cream he'd hoped for, he'd still rather know if there's a broken rib to worry about. He doesn't want to wait for her to wake up and then find out she's got a punctured lung, even if he can't do anything about it. He finds bruising, but... he thinks that if anything is broken, it's hairline at most.

Lucky, he thinks again, in the unluckiest situations.

She doesn't wake that cycle. It's all he can do to get some water in her, dripped into her mouth in a trickle, but it's something.

----

When the Togruta girl wakes up, it's sudden. Jango is wiping down her lekku with a wet cloth in hopes of staving off a fever, kneeling next to the bunk. She opens her eyes, stiffens with a sharp breath, and then twists off the bed. Before he's fully processed this, her legs are up and around his neck, and then he's being wrenched to the side and onto the filthy ground, cheek grinding down into the grit. He feels a bony knee press into his spine, and the growl of a predator.

"Where am I?" the tog girl demands.

"Spice ship," he says, and oh but this place has ruined him for fights; he's having trouble breathing from whatever she's done to him, and she doesn't even have the use of her hands. "Deep space. You're in the slave cells. Don't mess with the collar, it'll explode if you try to remove it."

"Spice refinery?" she repeats, sounding completely baffled. He gives her a second to process, but she blindsides him. "Someone got me in their hands and they went for spice slavery?"

"As opposed to..." he really hopes she gets off soon.

She doesn't answer him immediately, and he can't get a look at her face. He gets his arms out to the sides, plants them to the floor, and shoves back. She doesn't fall off, but she does slide to the side to sit on the floor.

The expression she's got is best described as 'shell-shocked,' he thinks.

"You don't know me," she says, faint and confused. He shakes his head; he's pretty sure he'd have recognized her if he'd known her at all, given the time he's spent cleaning her wounds and trying to keep her alive. She laughs, breathless and a tad hysterical. "You don't--fuck. You don't know me. That's... great. Okay. Okay, I can work with that. Don't know how they missed it, but okay."

"Bounty on your head?" he guesses.

She smiles, thin and unpleasant. "Something like that."

"Thought as much. You're built like a fighter." He intends it as a compliment, but he doesn't think she takes it as one.

"I've never had a choice otherwise," she says, and when she next looks around, it's to find a place to sit. She pushes herself up to the thin mattress of the cot behind her, and Jango mirrors her on the cot across the room. It's not his bed, technically, but it's not like there's anyone to complain. She frowns at him; it's not a rude look, he thinks, but an attempt to put something unfamiliar in place. "What legion were you with?"

He blinks at her. He's been part of an army, but never one that big. "Legion?"

"Were you with special forces?" she tries again. "Or--wait, did you even get off Kamino before--"

"I'm not whoever you think I am," he tells her. "None of that means anything to me. I know what a legion is, but I've never had reason to be part of one."

"But you're..." she trails off, brow furrowed. "I guess just a similar face, then."

"To who?"

"The clones?" she hazards, as if that clears anything at all up. "I have no idea where we are; maybe the war holos never made it out far enough for you to know what they looked like..."

"Which war?" he asks, because he feels like he'd probably have heard of a war that used clones, especially one that had enough holos spread around for this woman to expect him to know what the clones in question look like.

"The... the clone war," she says hesitantly. "With the Separatists?"

None of that means anything to him.

It must show in his face, because her brow furrows, and her eyes go wide in a way he doesn't like. He can't tell if her skin's losing color or anything, but he's pretty sure the curl at the tip of one lek is a sign of anxiety. He's not sure how to help, but part of him already decided he liked this woman, just on the suspicion that she was friendly to Mandalorians.

(It's been a solid year and a half since Jango has had anything approaching a friend. He may be, subconsciously, a little desperate.)

"What's your name?" she asks, voice pitching in discomfort, and tight as a garotte.

"Jango Fett."

She closes her eyes, clenches her jaw, and... he can't see, can't know if she's trembling, but he thinks she is. She lets her head fall back against the wall, and breathes in sharply. It's a shaky breath, and he doesn't like that much, either.

"Fuck," she repeats. "No wonder--fuck."

He gives her a few seconds, but she doesn't elaborate. He asks another question instead. "Do I get to know your name?"

Her eyes crack open, and then she sits up straight and looks him over. Her lips purse, and she comes to some decision, though he's at a loss for what. "Call me Ashla. She/her, if you'd rather stick to Basic."

Fake name. Alright. She mentioned a bounty, so it's probably about that.

"Well met, Ashla."

She laughs, empty and painful. She swears in a mix of Huttese and Mando'a, and a few languages he doesn't even recognize. The Core accent on her Mando'a is strong, but he thinks whoever taught her might have been from Concord Dawn.

"How old are you, if you don't--"

"I'm twenty-one," she says. He was right; she's only two years younger than him. "At least... fuck, okay. What's the date?"

He tells her, and she screws up her brow and mouths something to herself. He's not entirely sure what.

"How long ago was..." she trails off.

"Was what?"

She presses a hand over her eyes. "I don't know what year it is."

Ah. Well, he can help with that much. He tells her that, too.

Ashla drops her hand. She visibly mulls it over, eyes on the underside of the bunk above her. He has no idea what she's thinking.

"Why aren't there other people in this room?"

"Weak ones couldn't sleep because I'm 'too intimidating,' and the rest kept trying to throw their weight around." He shrugs at the look she points his way. "I'm not dumb enough to start a fight with a bomb around my neck, but I'm not letting someone knock me around so they can earn a reputation."

She purses her lips, but lets it lie. "You let me take you down, then?"

"You had the advantage of surprise," he says, and doesn't bother to list every other advantage. She's better fed than he is, has spent less time in spice-suffused air, was unconscious and resting while he was awake to keep an eye on her fever. He's got the feeling she already knows.

When she speaks again, it's low and in fluent Mando'a, heavily accented though it may be.

"You'd get out of here eventually," she tells him, eyes half shut. "But you'll get out faster with my help, Mand'alor."

His stomach twists.

----

"They are either very stupid, or very cheap," Ashla mutters a day later, when he's supposedly helping her change some bandages. It gives him the excuse of leaning in close.

"Probably the former," he says.

She grins, and then stiffens and hisses out a low breath as he pours some of the stolen whiskey over one of the burns. It's not a real disinfectant, but it's the best they've got at the moment. Jango still isn't sure how she managed to get it from the overseers without them noticing, but he's quickly gotten the gist that she's a fair shot sneakier than he is.

"What did they do?" he asks, and she huffs out a laugh.

"I need you to promise you won't try to kill me," she says, and he stills.

She seems to be waiting on his response. Great. "That's not an auspicious start, Ashla."

"Eh, I've survived more than my fair share of people trying to kill me. No offense, bro, but I could take you," she says.

She's probably right in their current circumstances. "Let's hear it."

"I left the Jedi Order when I was seventeen."

The whiskey bottle slips from his fingers.

An invisible hand catches it, and it settles quietly on the floor of their cell. No guards will come running. It's a damning sight, for him.

A Jedi.

A Jedi who--who left.

Jedi committed Galidraan, but she left three years before that, but she was--was--

She has her back to him, trusting.

Or just arrogant.

She phrased it that way on purpose, phrased it so he'd know she left before he--before--

"I was framed by my friend for a terrorist attack," she says, and he can't find his voice to tell her to stop talking. "And sentenced to death by a non-Jedi military tribunal for it. By the time they figured out I wasn't guilty, I'd already been kicked out."

He forces his hands to his knees, grips at the bones that are too close to the skin, and orders himself to breathe.

Ashla turns on the spot, blinks at him. "I'm telling you this because it's how we're going to get out."

"Your people killed mine."

"I wasn't a Jedi when Galidraan happened," she says. There's more she wants to say, he's sure, but she keeps the words locked behind her teeth. That might be a good thing.

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?"

"Only for long enough to get out of here," she tells him. She shrugs, easy as anything. She's done this before, maybe. "Trust me, I have plenty of reasons to hate you, too, but I'm a little more concerned about getting this ship taken into custody, and having all the slaves freed."

"And you can just... make that happen."

"I told you, they're either stupid or skint," she says, with that same disarming grin. "I had lightsabers on me, and they kept them on the ship. They haven't drugged me since I woke up. They put me in normal cuffs, Jango."

He hates the way his name sounds on her tongue.

He hates the fact that he sees her plan already.

"You don't even need me," he points out, resisting the urge to try to kill her here and now. He doesn't have his armor. He doesn't have weapons. He's good, but she's got the Force and thighs that can crush a bantha skull.

"I'm not exactly... legit," she admits with a grimace. "Once you're back in Mandalorian space, you at least have an identity. People that will give you a place to stay. A chain code."

"And you don't."

She smiles, brittle. "Give me a week to scope out what I need and get us out of here, and maybe I'll explain."

A week. Fine.

And once they're out of here, and he has a blaster and a meal and a good night's sleep, he'll handle her.

----

He hates the fact that he likes her, still. People had already noticed, even just one day in. The first time someone notices he's giving Ashla the cold shoulder in the workroom, they joke at him about her not putting out. He's known her one day, and they think--

He stops the thought in its tracks.

Jango doesn't start fights here, but he is tempted.

"Oh, he wouldn't dare," Ashla simpers, sweet as spun sugar. "I bite."

She smiles, every pearly white tooth on display. The fangs near glint in the light. She eyes the speaker, squeezes the tool in her hand. Her tendons strain, but the metal bends with a creak.

The overseer shouts for them to get back to work.

Jango steps closer to her, lets his elbows brush against hers, and glares off anyone that tries to get too close.

"I don't need protection," she mutters to him from the corner of her mouth.

"I keep my word," he replies, hating himself for it.

He said he'd have her back. He may hate what she is, but... she left the Order. She's not a Jedi anymore. If he thinks it enough, he can believe it.

----

There's always a camaraderie in shared suffering. Jango is aware of this, and he feels his fondness for Ashla grow against his better judgment. They're both slaves on a spice ship, and he can't change that. It makes him tolerate her more than he sensibly should.

She acts like a Mando soldier, sometimes. She's not at all like Haat Mando'ade, but she knows some of the jokes that Mandalorians grow up with. She walks like a woman used to beskar'gam. She knows a drinking song or two.

(They don't waste the whiskey. It's for injuries, not intoxication.)

"I had brothers, once," she tells him, late at night. "A lot of them. They had a Mandalorian parent, sort of, but he'd never seen fit to really... let them have the culture. I lost them all, mostly to slave chips, and a few to just normal deaths, but... I learned what I could about Mandalore, after, for their sake. In their memory."

It's not a terrible reason, he thinks.

"Irony for you to end up in chains, then," he mumbles, and she barks out a sharp laugh.

"Tradition, more like," she says, and explains before he can ask for her to keep talking. "My... teacher was born a slave, and I... have a suspicion he ended up back in chains after we lost contact. His teacher was enslaved at least twice that I know of."

"Shitty tradition," he says, because there's nothing else he can think of.

"Could be worse," she tells him. This time, she doesn't elaborate.

----

He likes her more than he should.

----

He likes her so, so, so much more than he should.

----

She steals datachips when nobody's looking, using the Force instead of her fingers. She wraps dismissal around her like a cloak to access computer terminals without anyone but Jango noticing. She slips spice into the drinks held by guards and overseers.

She moves through the ship like smoke, in the dim lights of the false night.

Someone notices. Someone always notices, in Jango's experience, but they have no idea who's doing it. They lock down the cells for the sleep cycle, turn down the temperature, leave all the slaves shivering in their beds.

He pulls Ashla into his cot without hesitation, fits their bodies together to conserve heat, and ignores the rest. They're both soldiers; there's no shame in survival for those like them. The lekku at her back drapes over his neck like a scarf, and he almost wants to laugh.

He's pathetic. His men would be so damn disappointed in him, sharing bunk with a Jedi.

"You're thinking too loud," she mumbles, shifting somehow closer. The chill clings, creeping in through the thin clothes and thinner blanket, but he feels like it's bearable with Ashla here.

----

When they enact the plan, it's so much quieter than Jango would have run it. Ashla holds his hands in the early morning, before anyone is awake, and smiles. When she closes her eyes, sinking into a light meditation, the collar around her neck just... comes apart. Nuts and bolts and curves of metal float about her like a wretched parody of the mobile hanging above an infant's crib, and then land quietly on the nearest cot. When she opens her eyes, hazy and distant, she looks at his throat, and frees him with a thought.

It's a heady thing, freedom.

"Come along, Fett," she goads, almost crooning the words, backing out of the cell with his hands in hers. Nobody is awake yet, or at least they shouldn't be. Her words curl in the air like something cloyingly too-sweet, and he's sure it's her way of trying to piss him off. It's only working a little. "We've work to do."

Said work involves slipping past guards with a Jedi's timing, commanding them to sleep with a whisper and a poke to the forehead, and drugging the ones that she claims are resistant to Jedi tricks. The work is, as such, mostly hers to do. They hide the bodies, but the alarm goes off by the time they get to the weapons locker.

That's fine, because the weapons locker is where they were headed.

"Oh, hell yes," she hisses through a grit-tooth grin, and a matched pair of lightsabers float to her. Jango turns off the energy field by the time they reach her, and she hooks them onto her belt. Beskar plating follows, exactly the pieces that Jango had guessed from wear and tear. It's real beskar, too, not even an alloy, and Jango doesn't ask the questions on the tip of his tongue. She straps it on in practiced movements, without hesitation and almost without thought.

"See anything better than what you got off the guards?" she asks him. "Or did they all take the best blasters for themselves?"

"The latter," he says.

(His eyes trace over the armor she wears, and while she does wear it well... he's jealous.)

(He misses his armor.)

(Envy is unbecoming of anyone, but he thinks he can be afforded a little leeway.)

There are people in the hall by the time they exit, a dozen blasters at the ready.

The people in the hall are... not a problem.

Ashla had called it the Sword and Shield maneuver, when walking him through her experiences working in a Mando/Jetii team. He'd laughed, because the saber was the shield. She'd smiled at him, and he'd cursed himself for it.

If he'd had his armor, they'd have been able to move forward as a pair of unstoppable monsters. As it stands, they're... still doing that, really, just a tad slower.

"You're a Jedi!" one of them shouts. "You're supposed to be diplomats! You're not supposed to kill!"

Jango could laugh at that horrible, horrible lie.

"I am no Jedi," Ashla says, and the words cut through the air like something she's said a million times, and will say a million more.

Jango could do a lot with that line, tucked away in his memories for later.

There's a moment, though, where they're stuck at one end of a hallway, and the door to the bridge is just on the other side, and Ashla grins at him, a challenge in every inch of her body, and asks, "You wanna see something cool?"

He can't help it.

"You planning to show off, Jedi?" He can say the word without flinching, and it's... absurd. It's absurd. What in all the hells is she doing to him?

(He's been told that war makes for strange bedfellows, but he's long known that trauma does the same.)

He takes cover when she moves, and oh, does she move.

Ashla's a whirlwind, dangerous as anything and beautiful in her careful, precise violence. She knocks people out, more often than not, but there's more then one dead body left in her wake. It appeals to something in him. She flips and twists and throws people with the Force. She slices and kicks, and smacks people across the face with the blasters she lifts of their comrades. She headbutts at least two people, and then jumps to bounce off the ceiling and back down so she can land feet first on an enemy.

He hopes he'll get his common sense back when he's had time to put himself together, because the sight of those sabers doesn't make him flinch. After all he's been through, after all his nightmares, it really should. The sound alone should have him shivery and shooting.

Maybe there's just too much spice in the air.

A head drops to the floor in a different direction from the body it had previously been attached to. Jango's throat goes dry in response.

When Ashla stands at the end of the hall, a saber in each hand and the floor behind her littered in both bodies breathing and bodies bereft of life, she looks back at him over her shoulder. She deactivates her swords, and smirks. She's smug, and she makes smug look very, very good.

"So," she says. "Verdict?"

Fuck.

----

The bridge is easy enough to handle. They land the ship on a Republic planet, one with relevant authorities and at least some reputation for actually handling things with a degree of kindness and transparency. Ashla does the talking, letting Jango lurk behind her. She lies.

"Half-truths," she later tells him, in a low voice. The smile she wears is amused and self-assured, just a twist at the corner, and the slightest of pouts. He can't see it, when she leans in to murmur in his ear. "I certainly used to be a Jedi. They don't need to know this wasn't an officially-sanctioned infiltration."

Her breath hits lightly against his ear, and he wants--he wants--

"Have a comm code for any old friends?" Ashla asks, stepping away. Her face twists unpleasantly. Frustration, he's sure. "I've got credits, but no contacts."

He eyes the little pack she's got around her waist. "Stole that from the slavers?"

"We'll consider it payment for services rendered," she tells him, with an impish grin Jango wants to kiss off of her face, because apparently he's kriffing suicidal and wants to bed a Jedi. "I'll give you most of it, if you want. Call it the two years of backpay they owed you."

He snorts before he can stop himself. "Just one year, sorry."

"Oh, it's hazard pay," she insists, blinking innocently. "Dangerous conditions having been what they were, of course."

She presses a comm--probably also stolen--and a few credits into his hand, then loops her arm through his. She sets off at a lazy walk, ignoring the people who stare at them with distaste and disgust. "We'll find a hotel. We'll shower, with real water, and fancy soaps, and a little sonic just for the clothes. I'll run out and get you a basic outfit, and then we can go shopping, and once that's done, and you've had a chance to comm a companion, we can reunite you with your buddies, and you can go hunting for your armor, and I'll split and--"

"Stay."

She tilts her head at him, though she doesn't stop walking, and he feels his face burn. He hopes it's not visible. She hums lowly. He can't learn anything from it. "You hate Jedi, though, and I might not really be one anymore, but I'm still more Jedi than not."

"You wear beskar and speak Mando'a," he says. "You helped the Mand'alor. You're halfway to being one of mine already."

"One of yours, huh?" she mutters, eyes somewhere distant. He doesn't know what it is that she's seeing, but he's gotten used to it. "Alright, let's have this conversation again after you've had some sleep and clothes and a good meal, yeah?"

He can take that compromise.

----

"What do you mean, you're from the future?!"

#Jangosoka #time travel #Jango Fett #Ahsoka Tano #slavery tw #drugs tw #Phoenix Posts #I wrote this on a whim a few days ago but didn't get it edited until today #anyway have a nonsense

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