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chippedaxe · 3 years

Text

Shower Sex Hc's

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

Title: Shower Sex Hc's

Warnings: NSFW (Minors DNI), shower sex, coarse language, degrading names may be used, hair pulling, stomach bulge, orgasm denial etc.. (unedited btw)

Pronouns: They/Them non specified genitalia

Synopsis: Headcanons of how sex in the shower with these Mcyt's would go!

Word count: 2.2k

Note: No one requested this but it was an idea that needed to be written! This might be a very long post..

* I'm also still writing everyone's request, pls just be patient <3

If there’s any warnings that I’ve missed/ tags I need to fix/ anything in the fic that needs fixing then pls let me know !!

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c! Dream

- You were standing with your front facing the water, your eyes were closed and your face was buried in water. You were just trying to wash all the dirt off your skin when you suddenly got spooked, a large hand came up and caressed your side which made you jump a little "Huh??" you turned around and saw your hunky boyfriend there "Sorry, did I scare you?" He laughed at your shocked reaction.

"What're you doing in here?? I'm showering!" you exclaimed "So am I! What a coincidence!" He kissed your cheek and rubbed circles into your hips "Dream.. I'm trying to be clean!" you pushed him off you and he faked being hurt "Ouch.. You really hurt my feelings, what did I do to deserve this?" he gasped dramatically "Oh you shut up, you big baby!" you laugh at his silly antics.

Dream offers to wash your back for you and you reluctantly agree "No weird stuff?" you seem suspicious of his behavior "Weird stuff? From me? Never!" he scoffed at you, you already knew that you had made a mistake when he had said that. He squirted some liquid soap into his hand and began to run his hands over your back, it feels like a nice massage until he starts to get even lower.. His hands move down so they're now groping at your butt "Dream, that's a bit low" you growl at him.

"You've got me there, dear!" he chuckles as he continues to gently massage your ass "Are you seriously this horny? You can't even wait for me to clean up before touching me?" You furrowed your eyebrows "I'm horny for you, baby" Dream kissed you and wrapped his arms around your torso. You kissed him back and then moved your hands to feel up his chest, one hand slowly making its way down toward his stomach "You're so good to me, dear, couldn't have anyone better than you.." Dream huffed into your ear.

You took his cock in your hand and you pumped it a few times just so it'd get hard and then you slowly pushed it inside of you, you gasped as it stretched you out and made your legs shake "Oh fuck!" Dream groaned "H- hold me!" you dug your nails into his back as he started to thrust into you. You were already so close to cumming with how he was just railing into you "C- cumming!" you squealed "Already? Fuck! Me too!" Dream bit down on the back of his hand and started fucking you faster "Ah!" you came on his cock.

c! Sapnap

- You walked into the bathroom and saw the outline of Sapnap's figure through the curtain, you bit your lip and began to undress hastily. You dropped your pants to the ground and carefully snuck into the shower behind Sapnap, he didn't even notice until your hands snaked up to caress his chest "Ah.. Baby.." he softly moans as you rub his chest "Mind if I shower with you?" you smile.

“Just showering?" Sapnap smirked "Maybe not just showering" you blushed as you imagined what was going to come, "come here and I'll wash your body for you" Sapnap kissed your forehead. You moved towards him and passed the soap, Sapnap lathered his hands in soap before running his rough hands over your skin.

You let out a hitched moan when his hands brushed over your nipples, he let one of his hands travel down your stomach and to your nether regions "You're already wet? But baby, you didn't go under the water" Sapnap laughed "Don't tease me or I'll dry off and go take care of this myself" you hissed "You're right, sorry baby" he continued his actions and moved his hand to slowly finger you. You whined softly as his fingers thrusted in and out of you gently, your hips bucked against him and you started to grind yourself against his hand but he then pulled out without warning.

You whimpered and cried "Sap!" you pouted, he bent you over slightly and then lined himself up with your hole. You bit your lip in pleasure when he finally pushed in, he grunted as you clenched around his cock "Shit.. Baby, you feel so good!" Sapnap threw his head back and drilled into your sweet hole. You held onto the wall so that you didn't slip in the shower, you moved your hips against his, your free hand flew to cover your mouth.

His cock was absolutely wrecking you and you didn't wanna have to explain your screams of pleasure to the neighbors, Sapnap leaned forward and bit down lightly into your shoulder. You gasped and came with that action, Sapnap came not too long after. "Let's actually get clean now, aye?" Sapnap teased but then quickly had to catch you as your wobbly legs gave way.

c! George

- You offered to shower with George and he hesitated at first "What? Why would we shower together for? We have two bathrooms" George was confused "I could wash your back, maybe wash a little more.." you suggested "Like what?" George still didn't get the idea so you decided to just join him the next time he was showering. You threw your shirt over your head and wiggled off your pants, you then pulled back the curtain to reveal a scared and embarrassed George.

"H- Hey! This showers taken!!" George blushed and turned away "I know, I wanted to shower with you, is that okay?" you give him a hug and your naked bodies press together for just a moment "I- I guess!" George pries you off him and tries to hide away in the corner "George baby, don't you want me to wash you?" you pursed your lips together "I can do that myself!" George exclaimed "I could do it for you though.. I promise I'll be extra gentle" you smile up at him.

George groans and lets you do what you wish, you squeal and cover your hands in soap. You rub his arms first, you bite your lip as you subtly squeeze at his muscly forearm, you then start to caress and wash his torso and chest "George, you're so pretty" you coo as you rinse off the soap. You turn George around and then you start to get on your knees "What're you doing?" George asked you, you moved your hair out of the way and looked up at him "What does it look like? Cleaning you, dummy!" you smiled.

"H-hey no! I know you're doing something lewd!" George cried out as you gave the tip of his cock a little kiss, he grew hard right away and you grinned "You can tell me now if you want me to stop.." you tease him "N- no" George begins to speak "Aw, I've been forcing you into this.." you tease further and begin to stand up to leave but George unexpectedly pushes you down "Suck it" he growls, your eyes go wide at his sudden dominance.

You listen to him immediately, your lips parting and letting his cock push into your mouth. You suck on him gently and you let your tongue swirl around the tip "Fuck, that's real good.." George's hand travels to your hair and he carefully starts to guide your mouth, he wants to fuck your face so bad but he'll hold out on doing that. "Gonna cum.. Gonna shoot my seed down your throat, baby" George grunted and came into your mouth.

You swallowed his cum and pulled off his penis, you looked up at him and wiped your mouth "You think you can get away with teasing me? Get your ass over here and try not to slip" he stared you down.

c! Karl

- Karl wasn’t taking a shower and he was starting to really smell worry you a lot, you came up from behind and hugged him but pulled away when you smelt his odd scent “baby? Why’d you pull away?” He turned around “I wanted to ask if you’d like to shower with me!” You came up with an idea to get him to finally bathe.

“Shower with you? I’m not sure about that, our shower can be a bit cramped” Karl thought to himself “then I guess we’re gonna have to stand pretty close..” you hinted to him, his face blushed a bright red when he figured out what you meant “alright! W- we can do that!” Karl’s voice cracked as he agreed.

You met him in the bathroom, he was already in the shower and waiting for you. You pulled off your outfit of the day and then jumped in behind him, your hands both quickly reacting and covering both his mouth and his cock. He started to moan and whine as your hand pumped his cock “hmmmhn!” His voice was muffled by your hand.

“Baby, gonna cum?” You tease as your hand strokes him a little faster. He nods his head and humps your hand a little bit as he gets closer and closer, you then pull away just as he’s about to cum. “H-Huh??” He’s all whiny and pouting when you move your hands “only clean boys are allowed to cum, clean yourself smelly” you tease him.

c! Punz

- He asked you if you wanted to come shower with him, you had already known the sexual consequences of accepting his offer and you had accepted. Punz had bad intentions with you, he walked into the bathroom and started to strip himself immediately whilst you stood there and watched him "Aren't you gonna undress?" he glanced towards you "oh uh.. Yeah!" you gulped and took your clothes off.

- You got into the shower with him and he started to rinse himself off under the water "Aren't you gonna come here and get wet?" his words even sounded lewd, you shyly made your way over and got under the water. The water ran down your bodies "The water isn't on you properly, get closer like this" he pulls you in so now you two are basically entwined. Your crotch is brushing up against his and you're questioning how he isn't hard yet, you start to slowly grind up on him and you hope that he doesn't notice.

"Look at you being a whore, trying to get off when I was just trying to have a nice shower with you?" He teased, his hand reaching down to toy with your little hole. You whined against his slightly touches "ah.. Please fuck me.." you pawed at his body and he stood there nonchalantly. "You think you deserve it? I was just trying to shower and you started touching me" Punz teased you and crossed his arms.

You nodded desperately “fine, but you have to clean me up!” Punz pretends as if this wasn’t what he had planned, his cock was already hard from the moment he entered the bathroom. You bent over and allowed him to thrust his huge dick inside of you, you gasped and moaned out in pleasure as he was already going rough.

Punz dug his hands into your hip as his balls slapped your ass, his thrusting was making your legs hurt and your stomach bulge. You held onto your tummy and covered your mouth as you felt yourself already about to cum, you warned Punz by tapping the wall “g-hnnn..” your legs shook and you almost fell over when you had came.

c! Eret

- Eret joined you in the shower, her hands washing your hair carefully which made you go into a more blissful mood. You crooked your head back as she gently tugged, you moaned softly when he pulled on your hair by accident "sorry!" you shut your mouth and hoped he wouldn't tease you over that. "Did I hurt you??" Eret asked with a bit of a teasing undertone "N- no, that didn't hurt-" you began to say "Oh, so it felt good?" Eret smirked, you lowered your head and didn't answer.

Eret pulled on your hair again which made you let out a high pitched squeal "Ah!" it sounded almost pornographic, Eret chuckled lightly "I was just trying to wash your hair and here you are making my cock all hard" they showed off their hardened penis. You gulped nervously as you took in his length "shit" you thought to yourself "I'm sorry, please be gentle with me!" you pleaded "You say that as if I'm not normally gentle with you" Eret laughs.

Eret's hands squeeze your hips for a moment before lifting one of your legs up, she then slid their penis inside of your hole "Ah! Fuck!" you howled in pleasure "Does it feel good, baby?" Eret thrusted harshly inside of you. You nod your head as you're trying to keep your noises down "Why don't you speak up?" Eret teased as he started to thrust harder "Ah! F- Fuck! Eret! Eret! Eret!" you put your hands on the wall so that you wouldn't slip, you bit down on your lip as you found it harder to stay quiet.

"FUCK! I'm CUMMING!" you couldn't conceal your screams of pleasure as you came all over their cock, your hole clenched around him and she ended up coming just after you.

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#mcyt x reader smut #mcyt headcanons #mcyt x reader #mcyt smut #dream smp smut #dsmp smut

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zackcrazyvalentine · 3 years

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I hope i'm not late for the screenshots thingy!

Here's who i got!

(i got lucky cause Epel and Idia are my faves LMAO)

And for the theme, maybe them reacting to MC cooking them meals from their world? Or maybe them visiting MC's world with them? You choose!

(romantic btw!)

LET'S GET THIS BREAD!!! I'm sorry it took some time to get out

I'll do a half and half~

Let's go!

~ Other Worldly ~

With: Epel Felmier, Idia Shroud, Vil Schoenheit, Jack Howl, and MC

Them reacting to MC cooking food from their world, and visiting MC's world

First off, let me start by saying that a good 3/4 of these characters are super picky(? with their food, Vil and Idia being the most critical (according to what Master Chef events tell us)

Hope you have some super cooking skills and/or premium ingredients at hand! ^^''

Some headcanons didn't come out too romantic orz

🍎 Epel Felmier 🧹

Foreign dishes

Epel noticed the peculiar cooking going on in Ramshackle after visiting one time

While he may be critical of ingredients and overall resulting taste, Felmier is curious to try new things (specially if it's in big portions, unlike Pomefiore's dinners)

He approaches MC shily, asking if he could have a taste of what they were eating at the time

"Sure, no problem! In fact, let me cook some for you fresh!"

Before he could even protest to get them to stop, the Prefect already got to work

He tries to help, but MC shoots him down and tells him to patiently wait

Epel's appetite and curiosity are increasing with every second

Once the food's ready to be savored, he digs right in! And will provide some feedback about what he liked about it, what it reminds him of, and if needed be points out what he thinks it lacked

Eager to try out more of the food MC was accustomed to eating back in their world!

Visiting a far away land

EPEL IS PUMPED!!! FIELD TRIP TO A LAND HE'S NEVER SEEN OR HEAD ABOUT, UNLESS IT'S FROM MC'S MOUTH!!

He's eager to visit all the places his love adores! Make some memories and have a blast discovering the place such a wonderful person comes from

He wants to know how their two worlds differ, how a world without magic unfolds before his eyes

Let's be honest: this boy right here is excited to wreck havoc in supermarket and fast food places' parking lots. Y'all probably woke up at 3am once and decided to go scream and mess around at your nearest McDonald's parking lot

Please show him vine compilations, I'm positive Epel will love to get to know the humor of this world (although he once used a vine reference when talking with a cashier once, thinking it was common knowledge for everyone in MC's world)

Out of the four guys here, Epel is the one most open to improvised plans

Eager to try out any strange fruits and vegetables, interesting snacks and bizarre cookie flavors that catch his eye

"How can your world have such specific flavors? Rosemary garlic jalapeño bread chips? How???"

💀 Idia Shroud 💙

Foreign dishes

MC probably brought some of their homemade food over to Idia's dorm after getting concerned that this boy's diet heavily relies in junk food and sweets, and when he does eat it's a very small portion

So in MC comes and asks Idia if he would like to try some food they prepared, one of their favorite dishes

At first, Idia is very reluctant, saying how he doesn't feel hungry

But the Prefect has a trick under their sleeve: a crestfallen expression with an adorable pout

Seeing them having a meal on their own while occasionally sighing sadly has the flaming haired boy debating what he should do

Then a memory of Ortho's voice resounds in his skull: "Meals are typically shared between people to develop or strengthen a bond. If you want to win [Name]'s heart, you should take them out for dinner."

That and he can't deny the contents of that container in their hands look appetizing

Shroud finally accepts and brings you over to Ignihyde's kitchen to grab a couple of plates

He's hesitant, but takes a nice first bite of food. Chews it carefully as he analyses the taste, texture, consistency

"I've never tasted something like this before. What is it?"

"One of my favorite dishes, [food name]!"

Silence followed, "Huh? I-I'm afraid I have... never heard of it..." He said

"Yeah, Ace and Sebek said the same when I introduced them to it. Makes me believe this is something only seen back in my world."

A nice chat develops and, before they know it, the food's gone and Idia himself ate a nice amount of it

It's in the walk back to his dorm, when they're enveloped in a nice comfortable silence, pinkies entwined, that MC confesses they purposefully did all that out of concern for how much he eats

It ensues some light pushing-and-pulling around and tickling, him saying how that was a tactic well taught out, but also saying how he eats just fine and they shouldn't worry about that. You know, light banter between a loving couple

That dish ends up in Idia's list of favorites. He has asked Mc to bring it with them a couple of times when they hang out together and play games

Visiting a far away land

Frankly, he's curious and very nervous about this trip

MC of course is aware of Idia's dislike of crowds and being out in public, so they prepared a nice and calm trip for him

Visiting the less frequented parts of town, quiet cafés (cat cafés!! because those normally have controlled influx of costumers for the kitties' safety), couple of history museums, supermarkets late at night for snack runs, lots of staying at home to play a plethora of videogames and watch many anime series and movies

He's amazed at the variety of games MC's world has, and is also surprised by how some titles are similar to those he likes to play. Same goes for some anime series

While he appreciates how the Prefect tries to show him what their world and society there is like, he much more prefers their stay at home time

He gets to cuddle with them in their room! Their actual legit room with many memories of their life!

He may not look like it, but Idia likes to snoop around and ask what this or that photo, a toy or poster is about and what memories they hold

Honestly, Shroud came over to his lover's world to know about their life, not so much to learn about the world as a whole

Baby pictures, photo albums, the occasional video of their childhood, diaries and old Valentine's cards, he looks through and reads them all!

He will treasure every bit of information he learns about his partner and their life in this world. Probably takes one of their baby pictures with him back to Twisted Wonderland

👑 Vil Schoenheit 🍎

Foreign dishes

Vil is the hardest to convince to try your food out of this group, no doubt

He does know MC cooks, and knows that some of their dishes are uncommon, but the model has yet to asked them for a taste

It takes one brave "Do you want some?" for the model to finally have a taste of the food

He's very hesitant, you can see it clear in his expression, but it all fades away after the first bite

He will openly state if he likes it or not and why

"Perhaps you have other dishes that suit my fancy better? Come on, I want you to show me more."

He genuinely does want to taste more of those unique dishes

Visiting a far away land

Eager to take a little vacation to a world full of opportunities

I see Vil as someone who would like to visit the most prestigious places (though MC will have to tone it down and remind him they don't have an unlimited amount of money to spend)

Art museums and a couple theatre plays are his go-to, along with nice restaurants, popular cafés, and lovely parks to have a picnic on (he jumps into the idea of attending one of those outdoor cinema projections, those are probably his favorite because he gets to cuddle with his lover under the night sky while a movie plays)

He will want to learn about the history of MC's world and the way society, politics work there

He gets word of the horrible things that happened and the threat of climate change, human rights violations and he will want to take action to protest against it

Okay, but Vil will get along so well with the Prefect's younger siblings and mother/aunts/fem guardian if they have one

Get ready to have him judge favorite makeup products. Prefect better lead him away from the beauty and skincare sections of farmacias and supermarkets

All in all, having Vil over to their world allowed MC to visit many nice fancy-ish places and allowed them to enjoy some simple things they forgot

A wonderful person to have by your side in any world and universe~

🐺 Jack Howl 💛

Foreign dishes

With his fine sense of smell, Jack detected the food MC was preparing for their little date was something unfamiliar

"What's that? Something new?"

Yet MC tries to keep the surprise until the plates are presented and served

Seeing the smile on their face, Jack can't help but think that this dish will taste wonderful due to the love shining on their face

"This is [dish name], one of my favorites back in my world. Haven't seen it offered in the cafeteria, so I decided to try my hand and prepare it for you, Jackie!"

First bite, fluffy tail wagged. He compliments their cooking with a smile before diving in for a couple morsels

Jack isn't too picky, he enjoys food truthfully

I think he will be curious about the story behind the dish and why his love categorizes it as a favorite. Ingredients, techniques, tell him all about it!

I'm sure this boy will be happy to try more of the unique dishes found in a world ways away from his!

Visiting a far away land

A visit to his partner's world, huh? Well, Jack is certainly excited to see what sort of outdoor activities and exploring can be done in this new place!

Dates with Howl in the Prefect's world will consist of visiting natural parks, gardens, forest trails, perhaps do some fishing or bird watching

Jack grew up with snow as a constant. He would like to explore the winter sports scene in this foreign world (if MC lives somewhere with snow/with designated paces on which to practice said sports)

Aside from these outdoor sporty visits, the wolf would like to attend concerts or maybe a local team's game

However, he soon finds out these events aren't suited for his acute hearing (poor baby 😭)

So he's content with spending time inside MC's house, get to know their family a little, look through their family pictures, and have pleasant late afternoon walks in the nearby park

Something as simple as going out for icecream is tremendously pleasant with Jack by your side

(but poor MC if they aren't athletic or into nature because this big puppy will drag them to loooots of nature watching dates asdfg)

-- --

Ngl, this prompt was a little hard to fulfill. I'm well aware this isn't the most romantic, but hope it was enjoyable

Thank you for your request!

and sorry again for taking long

#zask #twisted wonderland #loading screen headcanons #epel felmier #idia shroud #vil schoenheit #jack howl #twst x reader #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader

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dw-writes · 3 years

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Celebrate Like a Stark - Howard Stark x GN!Reader

So!! I’ve been wanting to write this for a little bit, and, of course @lpwrites has the BEST headcanons in the WORLD, one of which is the focus of this little one shot (and is Jewish!Howard, so.) I hope you guys enjoy this!!! Let me know what you think! :D

“Alright, so, you know the rules.” Howard fixed his cufflinks – the Tiffany set, sterling silver with a blue button – and heaved a sigh. “Mingle, meet everyone, but don’t look anyone in the eye!”

“Right.”

“And if anyone says, “Oh, you’re Howard Stark, I thought you were shorter”, just sock ‘em,” he huffed.

You laughed behind him, covering your mouth to hide your massive grin when he turned to you. Then, he turned back to his double, and pointed a finger in his face. “What do you say when they say that?” Howard asked.

His double – a professional actor, funnily enough – straightened the cufflinks Howard had worked so hard to be perfect, and smirked. “I get that a lot,” he replied.

Howard smacked the man’s arm. “Good. You’ll do great.” He turned and took the coat that hung over your arm.

You smiled. “Thank you for doing this, Henry,” you said as you turned up the collar of your coat.

Henry, the man who looked so much like Howard that it often had you doing double-takes, smiled. “It’s not a problem. Especially with what Mr. Stark is payin’ me to do this,” he said. Howard snorted. “Oh!” Henry held out a hand as you started towards the back stairs. “Can I ask one favor?” he asked with a sheepish smile.

Howard puffed his cheeks, looking to the world like he was annoyed, but sighed and turned around. “Anything, kid,” he said.

Henry tugged at the lapels, looking down to hide the tint in his cheeks. Hearing ‘Kid’ from Howard often made him feel like a brother. It was a little weird. But he looked back up with a small, childish grin. “Think you can snag me some latkes?”

You scoffed impishly and looped an arm through Howard’s elbow. “No, because I’m gonna eat them all!”

“Aw, c’mon, don’t be stingy,” Henry whined.

You stuck your tongue out before disappearing down the stairs. Howard doubled-back to tell him that, yes, there would be extra latkes. You waited with a pout at the small side door. Howard only winked, shoved open the door, and whisked you out into the night, while Henry straightened his tie and sauntered down the stairs and into the Annual Stark Christmas Party with a dazzling grin.

Edwin sat behind the wheel, and Anna in the front passenger’s seat, when you and Howard hurried down to the car. Anna was clicking her tongue and turned around when you both slid into the back, bracing against seat when Edwin started to drive. “Howard Stark, I thought you were wearing the sweater you got tonight,” she chided.

Howard slumped in the seat next to you, shoving his hands in various pockets as he groaned, “Not you, too, Anna.”

You smiled. “He said, and I quote, that ‘I’m already seein’ Ma, why do I need to wear the sweater, too’.” You turned your head and rested it on Howard’s shoulder. “What did I say?”

Howard heaved a sigh. “I’d break her heart.”

“You’d break her heart,” you repeated.

Edwin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as Howard cursed under his breath and sat up, asking you in a hushed voice to check the pockets of your coat. “Sir, I believe you have the argument about wearing the sweater every year, and every year you end up wearing it,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, yeah,” Howard muttered, “Hey, Anna, be a dear, check your coat?”

“My coat?” she asked, sitting up to check her pockets.

“Yeah, I can’t find my—”

“Left breast pocket, sir,” Edwin cut in.

Howard patted the aforementioned pocket with a pout, then slumped back with a relieved sigh. “Got my yarmulke,” he checked off, dropping his hand on your thigh, “Got the love of my life,” he continued, pulling your hand up to his mouth to kiss the back of it, “And I got my family,” he added, nodding at Anna and Edwin, “Already the best damn Chanukah I could ask for and it hasn’t even started yet.”

“You say that every year,” droned three voices as all eyes focused on Howard for a moment.

His pouted deepened. “And I mean it every year!” he exclaimed. He slumped further in his seat. “Make a guy feel bad about it, why don’t ya?”

You pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek and smiled. “It’s out of love,” you whispered.

Howard turned his head, then laced his fingers with yours as a smirk crept across his face. “I’ll show you somethin’ that’s out of love,” he murmured. You hummed, and relaxed as he leaned in for a slow kiss.

Anna politely cleared her throat. Howard was hesitant to pull away, hovering a breath away as he sighed. Then, a hand slapped the window, and someone squealed, “Howie!”

Anna gasped. “Oh, Howard, you didn’t say that your cousins would be here!”

“Why wouldn’t they be here?” he asked with a grin, pulling the yarmulke into place. “They’re here every year!”

“Except last year,” Edwin corrected as he opened his door. Howard climbed over your lap with half an apology and scrambled out to meet the group of cousins that had gathered by the front door of the brownstone. You wheezed, rubbing a spot on your knee, and carefully climbed out of the car, mindful of the ice. “He didn’t even hear me, did he?” Edwin asked with a sigh.

You shook your head. “No.” Howard lifted the youngest of his cousins onto his back as everyone chattered at him, telling them about what they’re learning in school, or what they’re trying to make, or asking if he’s made anything new to show them. He beamed as he answered their questions, and you smiled as you watched him. The front door opened to more voices, and warm light, and the smell of cinnamon rolled into the street. The cousins all ran inside, and Edwin led Anna up the front stairs and through the door. You lingered on the stoop with Howard as he rolled his shoulder around.

“Gettin’ too old for that,” he murmured as he watched everyone settle in.

You shook your head. “You’re not old, Howie.”

He took your hand and gave it another kiss. “Too old for parties,” he commented with a smile. You rolled your eyes. “No schmoozing over the holiday for me.”

“For Howard Stark there is, not for Howie Schultz,” you corrected.

He tugged you close, resting his hand low on your back as you wrapped your free arm around him. “Right, this is, what, Henry’s fourth year?” he softly asked.

“Fifth,” you replied, using your entwined hands to brush a stray hair from his forehead, “The first year was the first year you invited me here with you.”

“Five years already?” he whispered, “Where did the time go, huh?”

“For what it’s worth, it’s been a wonderful five years,” you said. A smile slowly pulled up your lips. “I wouldn’t mind another five more.”

“Only five?” His eyebrow arched with his question. You rolled your eyes and pulled yourself from him embrace, finally stepping into the warm house. “What, do I only have ten years in me?” he asked after you. When your arms stretched out, you tugged on the hand you still held in your own and pulled him into the house. “Why not more? Let’s try twenty? Or thirty?”

“Howie, are you proposing?!” shouted a voice from the kitchen.

Howard groaned, which prompted you to burst into a fit of embarrassed laughter. As Howard shut the door, he shouted back, “Not now, Ma!”

#marvel #mcu #howard stark #dominic cooper #howard stark x reader #howard stark/reader #marvel reader insert #howard stark reader insert #toss a queue to your witcher

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maria-scribbles · 4 years

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glitter + crimson (let’s start a riot)//part five

summary: in the aftermath of hurricane agatha, the pogues are thrown into a mess none of them are ready to deal with. things that don’t exactly top sailor’s ‘fun things to do this summer’ list: surfing in the middle of a hurricane, getting punched in the face by a stupid kook, and stumbling upon a mystery that turns her and her friends into the damn scooby gang. when she said she wanted an exciting summer, she should’ve been more specific. 🙃

word count: 8.1k+ (it just keeps getting longer and longer 😅)

ship: jj maybank x oc (sailor flynn)

warnings n stuff: mentions of abuse/neglect/gambling addiction, child abandonment, anxiety, self-worth issues, jj being both soft af and hot for his best friend, weed usage, underage drinking, unresolved sexual tension, sailor being thirsty, swearing, guns, fighting, blood, that one trope where two characters only call each other by their nicknames/last names until they don’t because of ~reasons~ that makes me lose my shit every time (like a lot of the obx fandom, i also headcanon that jj stands for jesse james), references to the three stooges (jj=moe, pope=larry, and john b=curly and that’s a fact lmao), to all the boys i've loved before, avengers infinity war, and david attenborough, and a line heavily inspired/influenced by taylor swift's "dress" (a song that happens to be on the playlist for this series)

a/n: we’re finally entering canon territory, y’all (with a few tweaks, of course!) but i’m determined not to make this a rehash/retelling word for word of the show ‘cause that’s just no fun, so expect smaller pieces (vignettes, i guess?) of storytelling as i expand on canon with sailor and the rest of the pogues. think of it like a mixtape of sorts, but with words instead of music if that makes sense lol. this part originally covered episodes one and two but i wrote so much that i had to split it, so we're just covering most of episode one for now (i still can't even believe how much shit actually goes down in the pilot lol). i was veryyyy excited to write the kegger at the boneyard 'cause some ~juicy~ stuff happens there lol. fun fact: the title of this part is a term used by surfers to refer to getting up at the ass crack of dawn to hit the waves. as always, this is unbetaed so any mistakes are mine. enjoy!

gif credit to @jj-maybnks

~Masterlist~

part five: dawn patrol

The next morning, Hurricane Agatha hits the island with all the force of a knockout punch; the sound of rain pounding against the roof echoes impossibly loud throughout the Chateau but Sailor’s bewildered shriek is even louder.

“You’re gonna what the what?!”

John B shrugs as the stunned redhead, lounging on the couch, looks away from watching the storm and fixes him with a wide-eyed stare.

“I’m gonna surf the surge.”

“Hell yeah, bro!” JJ yells from his spot as her footrest, punching his fist in the air and she sends him an exasperated look, both at his enthusiastic encouragement of John B’s downright moronic idea and the fact that she already misses the feeling of his thumb drawing circles on her bare ankle.

“Are you two insane?”

“Possibly.” John B states, grinning when JJ follows that up with, “Absolutely.” The blond boy pushes Sailor’s legs off his lap as he stands which earns him another displeased scowl from the redhead. “Come on, Sail. Live a little.”

“Oh, I’ll live alright, but you idiots won’t,” She takes his offered hand, letting him pull her to her feet and then down the hall after John B as she continues, “because this is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”

“See, this is why we keep you around,” He replies, laughing when she dodges his attempt to ruffle her hair and dashes forward to beat him to the spare room. “We do something stupid, you and Kie read us the riot act. It’s tradition.”

Sailor grabs her long-sleeved rash vest -if she’s going to sit on the beach to keep an eye on these fools in the middle of a damn hurricane, at least she’ll wear something that offers a little bit of warmth- and heads to the bathroom to change. “Yeah, and then I’m there to patch you up when you inevitably hurt yourselves.”

“Can’t help that you have that healing touch.” His cheeky response floats through the closed door and she catches herself smiling -wide and just a little bit sappy- in the mirror.

After a quick detour to pick up Pope, who’s already drenched from sneaking out his window, the pogues (sans Kiara who never answered John B’s text in the group chat and, knowing her parents, was probably on hurricane lockdown) head to the beach, where the rugged gray surf hammers against the shore with unrelenting brutality. Sailor trails behind the others as they grab their boards and make a break for the water, blatantly ignoring the barriers that read ‘beach closed’ in large, impossible to miss letters. A few hundred feet down the coast, she can barely make out The Sandbar all boarded up for the storm and she thinks of her mother, wondering if she's riding it out inside or at home; either way Carmen's all alone and Sailor's stomach twists with guilt, both for letting her phone battery die so she didn't have to answer her calls and for leaving in the first place, even though it was the right thing to do for her damn sanity.

“These signs are here for a reason, guys!” She calls over the howling wind, squinting through the rain at the rough waves with her hands tapping uneasily against her thighs. Watching John B run into the ocean with reckless abandon (Pope following with a little more caution, thankfully) immediately puts her anxiety on edge so she sits down heavily on the wet sand, wrapping her arms around the knees pulled to her chest and looks up at the blond boy who stayed behind. “Aren’t you gonna join the other stooges?”

JJ shrugs at her question, glancing out toward their friends before dropping his board to the ground and taking a seat behind the trembling girl, his chest to her back. “This one can’t just leave you hanging out here all alone, lookin’ all sad and shit. It’s kind of pathetic.”

“Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special, J.” She smirks and scoots back in the sand, lips curling into a full-fledged smile when he lifts his arms to drape them over her shoulders. As he tucks her securely against his front, the warmth of his body helps ward off the biting chill of the rain, and so does the fact that he knows her so well, that he knows this is exactly what she needs to help calm the panicking butterflies in her stomach.

He leans close, lips brushing against the shell of her ear when he whispers his next words like a secret, low and just for her even when there’s no one around to hear them. “Trust me, Sail, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

She suddenly finds those butterflies in her stomach fluttering for a whole different reason.

The Chateau sits in complete darkness, the power having been knocked out since they returned from dropping Pope off at his house that afternoon. Sailor thinks it’s about ten at night as she lies on her back on the mattress of the sleeper sofa, listening to the wind rip through the trees outside with Binx curled up at her feet. The spare room was way too hot without a working fan, even after she braided her hair off to the side and changed into a crop top and shorts, so she and JJ had returned to the living room where it was cooler, if only by a little bit.

John B has already retreated to his room for the night; he’d been acting quieter than usual since their little adventure at the beach but between a lantern-lit dinner of semi-stale cereal and passing a joint around, she never got the chance to ask if he was okay before he made his escape. JJ lies beside her with his limbs all askew and from the slow rise and fall of his bare chest she’s 99% sure he’s out like a light until, out of the blue, he mutters into the stagnant air, “Can’t keep your eyes off me, huh?”

She blinks heavily -that weed must’ve hit her harder than she thought because she hadn’t even realized she’d been staring- when he lazily turns his head to stare back, a halcyon grin on his face and in the dark, his pupils are blown so wide she can barely see the blue of his irises. Her hand itches with a longing to sweep that one stubborn strand of hair away from his forehead but instead she blindly slides it to the left until she finds his and holds on tight; his fingers automatically lace with hers even as the space between his eyebrows furrows and the smile falls from his lips.

“Sail?”

“I don’t think my dad’s ever coming back.” The redhead’s mouth blurts before her brain can catch up, heavy words lingering like a storm cloud ready to downpour. The thought had been weighing on her heart for a while now, from when she’d first suspected it two months ago, and it feels bittersweet to finally admit it out loud, even when she hadn’t planned doing it.

Her bedmate is silent for a long time as he looks at her through the shadows and she focuses on the touch of his palm against hers instead of the awful mounting pressure behind her eyes -hadn’t she promised herself she was done crying over her dad?- until he asks quietly, “Why? I mean, good riddance 'cause he's kind of the worst, but why?"

“A feeling,” She murmurs around the sudden lump in her throat, biting the inside of her lip hard enough that she tastes the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. “He...he usually comes back after a month or two but this time it’s been almost five.” A bitter laugh escapes from her chest and she shakes her head. “I guess he finally decided he’s done dealing with my worthless ass.”

JJ’s eyes flash like lightning as he rolls over to face her, the hand not entwined with hers reaching up to cup her cheek. “Sail, shut up. Don’t you dare say that.”

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s true,” She says sharply, words acerbic and biting and full of a self-hatred that’s been poisoning her heart ever since she was old enough -eight and far, far too young- to discern the way her dad’s love for her was fickle at best, non-existent at worst. “I could’ve been a better daughter- a perfect daughter- and he might still be here and my mom wouldn't hate me. I should’ve tried harder-”

“Jesus Christ, Sailor!” He interrupts, calloused yet gentle thumb wiping away the tears she just now registers sliding down her cheeks and the shock of hearing her full name come from his mouth makes the rest of her vitriolic thoughts fly out the window. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

The image of him blurs through the darkness in shades of black and she closes her eyes, jaw clenched in an attempt to quell the tremble of her lip as he goes on in his low, soft voice, “You should’ve tried harder to do what, huh? What could you have possibly done better?”

She’s quiet for a long time, so long that her tears run dry and all that remains is smeared salt on her skin because she doesn’t have an answer. What could she have done? That terrible thought in her mind rears it’s ugly head again, the one that tells her she’s not good enough, that everything’s her fault because she doesn’t do enough, but when she asks it what more she can do, there’s no reply. There never is.

“Hey, look at me.” She hears the rustling of sheets and feels his fingers slip from hers before they come to rest on her cheek, both hands now cradling her face; she opens her eyes to find him hovering over her and the sheer lack of distance between them makes her heart skip a beat. “You...”

“What about me?” Her voice cracks as she speaks and in a mirror of her from earlier, JJ shakes his head, causing that stubborn strand of hair to once again fall into his eyes.

“I wish you’d see yourself the way I do.”

Her breath catches in her throat. “And how do you see me?”

“Fucking amazing.” He says simply and in the dark, she can barely see the flush slowly starting to creep up his neck. “Smart, brave, and loyal as hell. A beautiful badass who doesn’t take shit from anybody. A girl who listens when someone needs to be heard.”

The redhead stares up at him with wide green eyes as he goes on and on, listing all these wonderful little things that her traitorous mind has a hard time processing, let alone believing; he really thinks about her like this? “You care so damn much,” “You’re kind but not afraid speak out,” “You’re the one I trust the most.”

Her hand slowly releases its tight grip on the sheets and slides up his bare arm, feeling the heat of his skin under her palm as she touches his face, not trusting herself to speak because she’s so afraid of saying something dumb or stupid and ruining everything ('like I always do,' her mind echoes).

“You’re my best friend, Sailor, and yeah, you’re not perfect. You drink and you smoke weed and you don’t get straight As in school but fuck, you’re real and so not worthless.” He says each word with such conviction that its impossible not to believe him, as much as her brain screams at her not to. “And I want you to know that what your parents think of you doesn't matter at all, got it?"

Without warning, she flings her arms around his neck and JJ loses his balance, falling onto her with a soft oof of surprise but Sailor doesn’t even feel the extra weight as she rests her face against his shoulder and finally finds her voice. “Thank you.”

He takes her with him when he rolls onto his side, arms wrapped tight around her waist and nose buried in her messy braid. “Just...trying to do the right thing, I guess. For once.”

She pulls back at his words, then leans forward and slowly presses her lips to his flushed cheek, just missing the corner of his mouth. She lets them linger for a beat longer than necessary before leaning back -not too far, just enough- and looking him in the eye. “Thank you, Jesse.”

He usually hates being called by his first name (she found that out pretty quickly into their friendship, “never call me Jesse” being one of the first things he ever said to her) but he just looks at her with a soft, endearing smile on his face as he leans back onto the bed, once again bringing her with him. “Promise me something, Sail?”

She glances up at him from his shoulder and meets his eyes. “Yeah?”

His fingers tuck an escaped red curl behind her ear. “Just...be you. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.”

She wishes it were that easy, that she could just step inside her mind and flip a switch and she could stop all those thoughts that’ve plagued her for years but it’s not. It’s gonna take time -time and a lot of patience and maybe even a miracle- but damn it, she’s gonna give it her all, not just for herself but for him and the rest of the pogues, too, the best friends she's ever had, so she nods and settles back down at his side. “I’ll try my best, J.”

“I know you will.”

"Sail, you're the best swimmer out of all of us. Think you can dive down there and check it out?"

The redhead peers over the edge of the HMS Pogue and into the water, where the murky shape of the sunken Grady-White sits thirty feet down on the bottom of the marsh, then nods at the rest of the pogues, an excited grin on her face.

"No problem," She answers John B, hopping up onto the very tip of the boat's bow with practiced ease before diving headfirst into the water to JJ's yell of "diver down!" It's dirtier than usual because of the hurricane but she doesn't let that stop her as she swims down and down until she reaches the top of the boat and pulls herself the rest of the way onto the deck, carefully scanning the area for...fuck. Honestly, she's got absolutely no clue what she's looking for but she assumes she'll know when she sees it.

'It' turns out to be a motel key, resting all alone on the floor by the steering wheel and she quickly reaches out to snatch it, sliding the silver key ring around her finger securely. When she pushes off toward the surface, she leaves the ghostly Grady-White behind with more questions than answers.

The rest of her friends are lined up in a row along the boat's railing, all staring at her with near identical expressions of anticipation as she breaks through the water and holds the key aloft with a triumphant smile.

"The Summer Winds Motel called, they want their key back!"

A little later that evening, Sailor would really regret finding that damn key but right now, she's having a great time dancing at the Boneyard with Kiara at the traditional post-hurricane kegger, second refill of beer in hand, spiked with Fireball from the flask tucked in her back pocket. To her, dancing's a lot like surfing -steady feet, swiveling hips, snapping shoulders- and she thinks that might be the reason she's so bad at it, anticipating the fluidity of water instead of the solidness of dry land. Or it could be that she just doesn't have rhythm when she's a little buzzed. That works, too.

"Ow, Sail!" Kiara winces as the redhead steps on her foot again, rolling her eyes fondly when she throws her head back with a loud, tipsy giggle.

"My bad, Kie!" She twirls in the sand, hair dancing around her shoulders like fire, and finds herself spinning right into a herd of dancing tourons, all too drunk to care that she's spilling her beer all over their feet. Large, olive-skinned hands grab her waist to spin her again and she laughs, smiling over her shoulder at a cute dark-haired touron as he slides one palm over to settle against the bare skin of her lower back. She pushes one hand on his shoulder with just enough resistance that he doesn't get too close into her personal space as he leans in to speak in a low Southern drawl, brown eyes turned a pretty bronze in the glow of the nearby bonfire.

"This probably isn't the best thing to say to a beautiful girl but you kind of dance like a giraffe."

Sailor bursts out laughing at that. "Hey, I think giraffes are very elegant creatures so I'll take that as a compliment!"

The boy grins and she smiles, too, letting him take her free hand and pull her into the throng of dancing bodies. He's almost as bad a dancer as she is but he's fun to talk to and together they gleefully show off their worst moves until their feet hurt -she's lost count of how many times she stepped on his toes- and her solo cup is empty. "Come on," She says and this time, she's the one to grab his hand and lead him over to the closest keg, where John B's dishing out beer with an expert flourish.

"'Sup, Sail," He lifts his chin in greeting as he fills her cup, smirking when she immediately pulls out her flask and adds a long pour of Fireball on top. "Who's your friend?"

"JB, this is Adam, he's visiting from Tennessee. Adam, meet John B, one of my best friends and a total moron," She makes quick introductions, smiling into her drink as he scowls and playfully sprays some beer at her feet before filling another cup and holding it out to the other boy with a jab at her expense.

"Be careful around her, man. She's a handful."

The touron accepts the drink with a shrug and a quick wink in her direction. "Good thing I happen to like 'em a little crazy."

Ugh. More than a little miffed at that, she rolls her eyes and takes a long sip of beer to hide her annoyance when Adam laughs and slings his arm around her shoulders. Calling her a giraffe was actually kind of cute in a very weird, endearing way but he instantly lost whatever points he had with her the second that 'c' word came out of his pretty mouth. She glances around the Boneyard while the boys start talking about surfing (she scoffs to herself, what does a farm kid from Tennessee know about that?), scanning the crowd for the rest of her friends and a chance to ditch him. Kiara's sitting on a big piece of driftwood, chatting up a stunning, deeply tan girl with glossy black hair -she waves when their eyes meet and shoots Sailor a cheeky grin before returning to her conversation- while the ever awkward Pope seems to be stuck in the middle of one of his rambles about autopsies as he stands around the fire, the willowy blonde beside him looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. She'd deliberately lost track of JJ a while ago, after she watched him getting a little too close to a tiny brunette, his hand low on her back as she passed him a drink and ran her fingers up his bare arm, coaxing that killer smile of his onto his face (that girl may have gotten his smile but Sailor got his eyes and they watched her until she pointedly turned away).

Honestly, she's a bit -okay, a lot- peeved. Here she is, thinking that they're the closest they've ever been before (they've always been close, ever since that day in sixth grade, but this is a whole different kind of close), and just when she feels like she may finally be ready to admit some things, some feelings, he's off doing who knows what with another girl; to be fair, she's off with another guy that she'd, until a minute ago, fully planned on kissing, but that's only because of him! Him and some weird need she has to keep him looking at her, to make him jealous -she shakes her head and takes another swig of her whiskey-spiked beer. Nope, nope, not gonna think about that.

Poor Pope looks like he's really struggling so Sailor pushes all thoughts of her blond best friend from her mind and goes to rescue him, ducking out from under Adam's sweaty arm and walking away without a backwards glance, ignoring the confusion in his voice as he calls her name. She pushes through the crowd to her friend and steps right in front of the girl he's trying to talk to, grabbing his hand with her free one.

"Come dance with me?"

The smile of pure relief that breaks out over his face makes her own widen as he lets her pull him back through the mass of bodies to a less-crowded part of the make-shift dance floor, the tension bleeding out of his hunched shoulders with every step.

"You're an angel, Sailor."

She laughs and wraps her arm around his shoulders, leading him in a carefree twirl across the cool sand. "Tell me something I don't know."

Like a leaf caught up in a whirlwind, he's helpless to resist her infectious joy as they dance, grinning like fools and poking fun at each other; for a while, the redhead tries to forget about stupid, clueless boys and focuses on Pope who, while still a clueless boy, doesn't expect anything from her but pure, unconditional friendship that she's all too willing to give (although she did have a teensy little crush on him when they first became friends, she got over it pretty fast the second he started talking about the bodily functions of dead bodies in explicit detail). She shares her drink with him, giggling at the way his face morphs from curiosity to disgust to delight at the taste of her cinnamon beer concoction and lets him down the rest while she drinks straight from the flask that she pulls from her back pocket.

"You've got a shadow." Pope says, slightly nodding his chin over her shoulder and she takes his hand again, slowly spinning herself under his arm to take a quick glance, rolling her eyes when she spots Adam staring at her from the edge of the crowd. "You know him?"

"Unfortunately. Thought he was cute, then he called me crazy." She tucks the whiskey away with a shrug at her friend's sympathetic wince, then steps closer to him and raises a conspiratorial eyebrow. "Wanna help me tell him to take a long walk off a short cliff?"

"Uh-"

"I think I can help with that," A familiar voice cuts off Pope's reply as JJ suddenly appears at her side, slipping his hand into her back pocket to spin her right into the circle of his arms before he plucks the flask from the other and takes a big sip in one smooth kinda sexy move. "Straight Fireball? Damn, Sail."

The redhead carefully schools her features into a blank mask but her body has other ideas, one hand instantly settling on his chest like it's second nature and her face flushing from more than just the alcohol as she casually replies, "You know I like things a little spicy." Completely aware of the way he's watching her every move, she snatches the whiskey back and downs the little bit that's left, trying and failing to ignore the thrill that shoots through her at those bright blue eyes of his darkening when her tongue darts out to lick her lips. Pope rolls his eyes at them both before muttering a quick 'see ya' and hastily melting back into the crowd.

"So, who're we telling to fuck off?" His voice is just a little strained and she feels her cool facade start to crack as she scowls, subtly tilts her head toward where Adam's still staring at her with an expression that looks like he ate a sour lemon. JJ spins her around to take a very conspicuous peek and her mouth curls into a grin, mask breaking completely when he shoots the touron a glare that screams 'try me, I dare you'; the heat from his hand still in her pocket burns as he leans in until his forehead rests on hers. "Let's give him a show."

Sailor hums and pretends to mull it over even as she coyly snakes her arms around his neck and pulls him closer, the harder panes of his body sliding almost sinfully against her softer curves as they sway together, "I don't know, you looked pretty cozy with that other girl earlier..." Is it kind of petty to bring it up? Yes, yes it is, but she can't resist toying with him like he did to her, just as she can't help the breathless gasp that escapes her lips when his fingers press hard into the toned flesh of her ass through her shorts.

"Why, Flynn, are you jealous?"

"Please, I saw that glare you gave him. If anyone's jealous, it's you, Maybank." She fires back while carding both hands through his hair and the pure gratification she feels at his slight shiver is nothing short of euphoric. Out of the corner of her eye, she barely takes notice of the frown Adam sends their way before he turns and stalks off toward the other side of the beach; honestly, she's so caught up in JJ and everything about him -the slow swing of his hips, the hands burning hot against the strip of her back exposed by her crop top, the darkened look in those ocean eyes- that she'd completely forgotten about the touron she danced with earlier in an effort to forget the boy she's dancing with now. She should've known it wouldn't have worked: Sailor could never forget JJ, no matter how hard she tries. He's like a permanent mark on her, a tattoo inked in gold, a beautiful, wonderous scar that she never wants to fade away.

"Seems like we scared him off so I don't have to worry about that anymore." His flushed face is so close she can feel his breath on her lips as he speaks and her eyes quickly flick down to his mouth on their own accord.

"And what about me?" She asks, twirling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, heart beating fast in anticipation as he smirks wickedly at the way her own face turns cherry red.

"Sail, babe, you don't have to worry about a damn thing."

All one of them has to do is tilt their head and everything will fall into place and she can once again know what it's like to kiss him-

"Let it go, Topper!" A sudden, annoyed shout breaks the two apart before they can close that final distance (Sailor's not sure who would've made the first move and she's both relieved and disappointed they won't get to find out), turning away from each other in tandem toward the gathering mass of bodies chanting 'fight, fight!' at the shoreline.

"JB, he's not worth it!" At the sound of Kiara's voice, they take off running across the sand and shove their way to the front of the crowd just in time to see Topper Thornton in all his frat boy glory get absolutely slammed with a hard punch to the jaw, courtesy of John B. The kook barely hits the ground before he's back on his feet and lunging forward to tackle him into the water, landing a hit of his own square in the eye.

"What the hell happened?" Sailor grabs Kiara's elbow and the dark haired girl looks at her with wide eyes as the boys continue to roll around, exchanging brutal blows while a stunned Pope watches from her other side.

"I don't even know, they just started wailing on each other!"

JJ stands silent to Sailor's right, jaw clenched and hands curled into fists as he stares at the brawl and she reaches over to wrap her fingers around his wrist, thumb calmly running circles on his skin.

"Top, seriously! Stop it!" Sarah Cameron stands in the sand just before the crashing waves, yelling furiously at her boyfriend and throwing her arms in the air when he ignores her. "What is wrong with you?"

The moment Topper lands three punches in a row on John B's battered face, Sailor decides she's seen enough. She rushes forward without thinking to grab the blond boy's arm, pulling as hard as she can in an attempt to get him off her friend and barely has time to register what's happening when the fist he was aiming at John B suddenly swings at her. It connects solidly with her left cheek and makes her stumble back, her hand flying to her throbbing face before she goes down hard onto her butt in the surf.

"What the fuck, Thornton?"

"Did you just punch a girl?"

"Ohhhh shit!"

A cacophony of voices yells from the shore as the kook boy stares down at her, momentarily stunned when he realizes who exactly he hit, and it gives John B an opening to wrestle him back into the water and land a solid punch right to his nose. Everything happens so fast after that that the redhead, still reeling in a wide-eyed daze, has a little trouble keeping up. First, Kiara and Pope splash through the waves to her side, kneeling down to help her to her feet with their arms around her waist. Second, Topper gains the upper hand and straight up tries to drown John B, holding his head under the water while Sarah screams at him to stop. And third, JJ -reckless, bold, protective JJ- pulls out that damn stolen gun, effectively bringing the whole mess to a grinding halt when he stalks forward and presses the barrel to the side of Topper's head.

"Your move, broski." He threatens and the beach is so quiet everyone can hear the click of the safety being switched off. The kook slowly raises his hands in the air and John B emerges from the water, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees with a horrible wet cough.

It's all too much for Sailor's poor tipsy self to take. The world spins beneath her feet as her head starts to pound and her shaking fingers fail to find purchase on Kiara's and Pope's shoulders.

"Guys, I don't feel so good," She manages to whisper and their looks of concern (the former) and panic (the latter) are the last thing she sees before her legs give out and everything goes black.

The first thing she registers is the pain that radiates from the left side of her face, her whole head throbbing with every beat of her heart and the sound of loud whispering right by her ear isn't helping at all.

"That's the best you can do, J? Seriously?"

"The power's out! I can't exactly pull ice out of my ass, Kie."

Something semi-cold gently rests against her cheek and she audibly sighs at the little bit of relief she feels, her hand sluggishly rising to hold it a little closer as she mumbles, "I wouldn't want your ass ice anyway." At least she tries to: her mouth feels like it's full of cotton and she's pretty sure the only thing that comes out is unintelligible gibberish.

Sailor opens her eyes and finds herself lying on her back on the sleeper sofa at the Chateau, a passed out John B to her right. Pope sits on the edge of the mattress by his side, holding a beer bottle to his friend's black eye and he sends her a relieved smile when he notices she's awake.

"There she is," JJ says from her other side and she turns to face him, not at all surprised to find him already looking at her, and the unabashed concern in his eyes sends a golden warmth through her whole body. Her fingers slip down the hand that's still holding the bottle to her cheek so she can run her thumb over the delicate bones in his wrist in a silent thank you.

A different, softer hand rests on her knee and she tears her gaze away from his face to smile at Kiara as she says, "Good to see you're okay, Sail."

The redhead sinks back into the pillow in embarrassment and covers her eyes with her free hand. God, she really passed out, didn't she? She passed out after taking one lousy punch to the face by a fucking kook, no less. How completely mortifying. She swallows thickly and sounds like a chain smoker when she says, "I'm so sorry, guys. I'm a total idiot."

The other three conscious pogues start protesting all at once -apparently there's many, many, different ways to say she's not an idiot- and the resulting volume of their combined voices is enough to make her headache even worse. She sits up and scoots back until she's propped against the couch and sets the now warm beer on the side table before massaging both of her temples.

"Will you please shut up, I can feel my brain beating in my skull."

For a second, there's wonderful, blissful silence and then:

"Holy shit, thank you," A groggy voice says to her right and she turns to watch a bleary-eyed John B claw his way back to consciousness. "You guys are fucking loud."

"He lives!" JJ shouts, ignoring the four glares sent his way and reaching over to clap his hand against the brunet boy's shoulder. "Welcome back, dude."

"Ugh," He suddenly rolls onto his stomach -Pope deftly catching the bottle when it nearly falls from the bed- and his muffled voice floats out from the pillow he shoves his head under like an ostrich in the sand. "Knock me back out."

"Aww, poor baby." Sailor gives his back a sympathetic pat and chuckles softly when he blindly feels around for her arm, pushing it away with another deep groan and a 'fuck off, Sail' that lacks any type of venom.

"Okay, now that you're both kind of conscious, let's agree that neither of you will ever fucking do that again. Got it?" Kiara addresses John B and Sailor as she stands from the bed and crosses her arms, fixing the latter with a piercing look that makes her feel like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar; she opens her mouth to defend herself but before she can say anything, Kiara turns her furious gaze to JJ and points an accusing finger at his face. "And you! What the hell were you thinking pulling that damn gun out, huh?"

"Jesus Christ, Kie!" He suddenly rockets to his feet and throws his hands in the air. "Sail got socked in the face and JB was getting fucking drowned, I wasn't really thinking much at all!”

The dark haired girl can't seemed to think of a response to that and looks away, staring at the floor with her jaw clenched as Pope, ever the mediator, rises to his feet, too, and rounds the bed to step between them placatingly.

"Let's just drop it for tonight, okay? They need to rest." He says, nodding toward the two still on the bed before wrapping his hand around Kiara's elbow and turning her toward the front door. She immediately pulls her arm from his grasp but still nods in agreement, the hard look in her eyes softening when she glances at her injured friends.

"Yeah, okay." She says and glances down at her watch, wincing when she catches sight of the time. "My parents'll kill me if I'm not home soon, anyway."

"Come on, I'll take you guys home." JJ says with a conciliatory look in her direction as Pope tosses him the Volkswagen's keys from his pocket and when she nods back, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, Sailor knows that all is forgiven, at least for now.

"Are you sure you're good to drive?" She asks and immediately rolls her eyes at his sarcastic reply of "Yes, Mom," and the obnoxious wink he shoots her.

The trio leaves after a quick round of goodbyes and John B waits until he hears the sound of his van driving away before finally emerging from under the pillow and rolling onto his back.

"Sensing the immediate danger has passed, the ostrich cautiously pulls its head out from the sand..." She says in her best David Attenborough impression, laughing when he tosses the pillow at her head with an amused grin.

"Ha ha. I was trying to avoid getting a Kie lecture," He explains, running both hands down his face with a heavy sigh. "It feels like my head's gonna explode."

"You and me both, dude." She carefully probes at her swollen cheek and is more than a little surprised to feel the beginnings of a scab forming near her eye. She knew Topper landed a solid punch but she didn't realize how solid that hit was until now as she catches sight of the tiny bit of drying blood left behind on her fingertips.

"That looks like it hurts. You okay?" John B asks and she looks up from wiping her hand clean on her shorts, stiff from dried saltwater, with a wrinkle of her freckled nose.

"I'm alright. How about you? No offense but your eye looks like shit."

"I'll live." He answers with a shrug as he pulls himself upright on the mattress and leans his head against the back of the couch. "Thanks, by the way."

"For what?"

He sluggishly turns his head to look Sailor in the eye and shrugs again. "For trying to help me out. Sorry I got you punched."

She smirks and reaches over to give his hand a brief, friendly squeeze as she replies, "It's not your fault I got myself punched. I'm sorry your ass almost drowned."

He snorts at that and she's relieved to hear it, knowing that he can still joke around and he's not, like, completely traumatized or something. Poor guy's already got enough to deal with without adding a mental breakdown to the list. She swings her legs over the edge of the mattress and slowly stands before taking a tentative step forward; when her knees hold and she doesn't fall flat on her face, she makes her way to his side and holds both hands out to him with a small, lighthearted smile.

"Yeah, you're delirious. Near death experiences do that to you." She says, helping him to his feet and, after looping his arm over her shoulders and sliding hers around his waist, the two teenagers carefully shuffle down the hall in the dim light of the emergency lantern on the kitchen table to his room, where she unceremoniously dumps him onto his bed. "Sleep it off. And for the love of God, please change. You smell terrible."

She goes to leave as he laughs again, tugging his shirt off and tossing it into the growing pile of clothes near the closet before saying, "Hey, Sailor?"

The redhead pauses with one foot in the hall and leans against the doorframe. "Yeah?"

"You know you're a badass, right?"

She laughs and sends him a wink but her heart is oh so light as she turns and heads to the spare room, calling back over her shoulder, "Nice to see someone acknowledge it. Now go to bed!"

The sound of the Chateau's front door opening and closing startles Sailor awake and she blinks heavily, wondering when exactly she'd fallen asleep. Last thing she remembers she was staring out at the fireflies through the open window as she steadily ran her hand down the length of Binx's back and their ethereal glow, combined with the breeze dancing around her shoulders, must've pulled her right under. Down the hall, she hears a loud thump, followed by JJ cursing as he runs into something and she giggles to herself, rolling onto her side to face the hall. He appears in the darkened doorway a minute later, rubbing his knee with a scowl on his face and she laughs louder at his quiet, venomous hiss of "fuck that fucking chair."

"Rude. It's not the chair's fault you always run into it." She teases and he shoots her a flat, unamused look before turning to glance down the hall toward John B's room, his fingers holding tight to the door frame.

"He's okay, you know. Told him to get some sleep." His head swings to face her when she speaks with soft words and even in the dark, she can see the way his tense shoulders slowly relax and his hand loosens, falling back to his side as he nods, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"And you?" He asks, his eyes never wavering from hers as he kicks his boots off and pulls his shirt over his head; the sight of his messy hair and the muscles in his arms make it a little hard for Sailor to breathe, the gentle wind she once thought of as cool now doing nothing to help calm her flushed skin when she scoots over in bed to give him room to lie down next to her. Binx looks as disgruntled as a cat can look as he loses his comfy spot and jumps down from the bed, only to immediately leap onto the windowsill and stretch out.

"What about me?"

JJ rolls over to face her, reaching one hand up to cup her injured face and runs his calloused thumb under the cut on her cheekbone. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, she shifts closer and lays her head on his outstretched arm, covering his hand with her own and effortlessly fitting her fingers into the spaces between his. "I'm fine. Even better, now."

He leans forward to rest his forehead against hers. "Good, 'cause I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

When those pesky butterflies come raging back with a vengeance, she realizes she's fighting a battle she hopes to lose.

The sound of a conversation in the kitchen, low voices drifting through the closed door of the guest room wakes Sailor early the next morning. Sunlight filters in through the windows and she squeezes one eye shut against the painful brightness, the other still squished into JJ's shoulder. His arm is a welcome weight slung over her hip and his deep, even breaths are soft against her forehead as he sleeps on, dead to the voices down the hall. With the corner of her mouth turned up in a small smile, she smooths his fine blond hair away from his face and runs her fingers along his jawline before carefully sliding out from under his arm and quietly heading toward the kitchen.

Pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, she rounds the corner and stops short when she catches sight of the person standing by the table, her cheerful 'good morning' getting stuck on her tongue; she was expecting Pope and Kiara, not the goddamn sheriff! Shooting John B a wide-eyed look that makes him shake his head (what the fuck did that even mean?!), the redhead forces a smile and hastily offers her a wave.

"Uh, good morning, Sheriff. Sorry to interrupt, just, uh, grabbing some water."

She just nods in acknowledgement before turning her attention back to the brunet boy and Sailor breathes an inaudible sigh of relief. Holy shit, is that woman scary. She heads to the sink and keeps one ear on the conversation as she quickly fills a glass with water and pops two aspirin, the headache from last night made even worse by the addition of a whiskey hangover.

"I didn't realize you had company, John B. Wild night?" The sheriff asks and Sailor meets her friend's eyes again, her anxiety rising when she sees his thinly veiled panic. Her back to Peterkin, she silently implores him to say something, anything -hell, she even tries to subtly mime surfing with her hands to help him out- but he stays silent, so she gathers her courage, plasters a smile on her face, and twirls to face her.

"Busy day, actually. We went surfing all day after cleaning up the yard." She says, jerking her thumb toward the heap of broken branches piled by the fire pit visible through the living room window; when the sheriff turns to look, she quickly elbows John B in the side, ignoring his huff of surprise as she nods her head in her direction.

"Yeah, surfing! All day." He blurts out, sending Sailor a lukewarm glare when she quickly mouths 'what the fuck was that?' before they both straighten up and spin back to the older woman just as she turns to face them again.

"Right." Peterkin hums and arches one eyebrow as she glances back and forth between the two teenagers. "Now tell me, how'd you both get those bruises? They look pretty painful."

"Oh, this?" Sailor asks, pointing at her cheek with a casual shrug, "I tried to hang ten and bit it pretty hard. My board caught me right in the face."

Peterkin looks at her for a beat longer than normal and the redhead does her best to keep her expression neutral as her palms start to sweat. "Surfing, really? Thought you were pretty experienced in that department."

John B adds, offering some much needed back up, "Even the pros wipe out every once in awhile, you know?" He crosses his arms and leans back against the counter. "My board got me good, too."

"Yeah, it just was not our day," She says with a nervous chuckle, refilling her water and slowly starting to back out of the kitchen, pretending she doesn't see the dismayed look her friend sends her way; her anxiety can't take another second of the sheriff's piercing gaze and she needs to get away fast, lest she start recounting every single second of their activities both legal and not so legal- from yesterday in explicit detail. "And I'm still pretty tired so I'm just gonna go back to bed for a bit. Nice talking to you, Sheriff."

After disappearing around the corner before either of them can reply, she creeps down the hallway, keeping her footfalls as light as she can, and she's so focused on trying to listen in on what Peterkin's saying that she runs smack into JJ, standing in the doorway of the spare room. His arm instantly darts out to wrap around her waist and pull her close, keeping her from falling right on her butt as he says, "There you are-"

"Shhh!" Sailor hisses quietly, covering his mouth with her hand, "The damn sheriff is here!"

He mumbles something into her palm but she she holds a finger to her lips, pushing him back into the room and softly closing the door behind them before pressing her ear against it and dropping her hand from his face. He mirrors her position with a question clear as day in his wide eyes, 'what the fuck?', arm still looped around her lower back.

"She's grilling him about yesterday," She says simply, then turns her attention back to the faint voices floating through the door. The duo listens in silence, trying and failing to discern what's being said until they hear the sound of the sheriff's boots on the front porch and her squad car tires crunching through the gravel as she drives away and they exchange a worried look. JJ had it right: what the fuck, indeed.

"Holy shit, guys," John B's voice suddenly says from the hallway. The door opens before they have time to back away and it sends them sprawling to the floor in a twisted pile of limbs; the brunet boy -who'd usually find something like that hilarious- barely reacts to their position and sends them both a tense frown, his next words dropping like a damn anchor in the marsh.

"We need to go check out that Grady-White again, and fast."

Sailor groans and lets her head fall back onto the floor with a thunk. "Here we go."

let me know what you think! fun fact: ostriches actually do put their heads in the sand, but it's not because they sense danger. female ostriches bury their eggs to keep them safe from predators and they'll occasionally stick their head into the sand to check on them and give 'em a lil turn 😊

taglist ❤: @sinkbeneathwaves @jiaraendgame @hmsjiara @maysbanks @alexa-playafricabytoto @sunflowerbecca @obxlife @obx-adventures @sexualparkour @coltonparayyko @miawantsapuppy

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insfiringyou · 4 years

Text

BTS - Home Again (J-Hope x Nana)

Hoseok and Nana spend an evening together following his discharge from the military, reflecting on the events a week prior at a group dinner and on their love for one another.

This fic is set about a week later after ‘A Reunion’, where Jeong-Sun (Suga’s girlfriend) is introduced to the whole group for the first time. There are mentions of events relevant to the fic that may not make sense if you haven’t read it. Mentions also of Young-Soon, Min-Seo and Jeong-Sun within.

Contains: Fluff and brief mentions of sex.

You can find out more about our headcanon universe and ongoing storyline here and more about our headcanon girlfriends here.

To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM / Jin / Suga / J-Hope / Jimin / V / Jungkook & our full masterlist can be found here

Content below the cut

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Hoseok turned the key and silenced the engine. Despite her insistence that she would only be a few minutes, it had been several, and he wondered what kind of errand his girlfriend had suddenly had to do in this part of town. He had thought at first that she had mixed up her class’ assignments, before remembering that her bag was sat in the backseat and had been noticeably lighter than usual. She had asked him to come up to the third floor without explanation; his worry vanishing at once when Nana’s distinct, squeaky laugh echoed from down the hall along with one that was soft and familiar.

“Hi, Hoseok.” Young-Soon regarded him warmly as he approached, her bare face glowing with amusement. Her dark hair was tied in a messy braid over one shoulder, and she clutched her loose cardigan to her waist. She had clearly been enjoying a day off, looking vastly more comfortable in her casual home attire than she had a week earlier at the restaurant. The chemical smell of lemon cleaning products drifted from the open door of her apartment.

“Oh, I didn’t realise you lived here! Wow, there’s a lot of stairs.”

“I’m sorry, the elevator is usually out of order…” She smiled, eyes flickering mischievously back to the taller woman.

“She was just telling me about how they caught some teenagers jamming the doors yesterday.” Nana grinned, squeezing her boyfriend’s fingers as they curled automatically around her own.

“Yeah. Apparently it’s a hot make-out spot.” She smirked. “I could hear the boy’s mother yelling at him from across the building when the engineer finally managed to open them. I don’t think she approves of his girlfriend very much.”

“Kids always find a way around their parent’s rules…” Nana sighed knowingly. “It’s usually better to just let them lose interest on their own.”

“Much less fun that way, though.” Young-soon grinned, and Nana giggled in response. Hoseok smiled, a little nonplussed, at the two. The conversation had clearly lost him, though it was apparent now why she had been taking so long.

“Anyway, I have them here …are you sure you can manage?”

She nodded in response, her auburn curls springing forward as she reached for the smaller of the two boxes, resting it against her hip. “Can you take the other one?”

“What is it?” Hoseok eyed it with suspicion, the weight surprising him as he picked it up. “Where’s JK?” He asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“He pulled a muscle. He’s sleeping it off.”

“How did he do that?”

She apparently didn’t hear, but met the other woman’s eyes with an impish look that said otherwise. A pink blush had crept up on her cheeks; Nana returned her shy smile, hoping that she hadn’t been a nuisance in dropping by unannounced.

She pressed on. “Are you sure you don’t want anything for them? I feel kind of bad just taking them without paying you.”

“I’ve been trying to get rid of them for ages.” Young-soon answered dismissively, toying with the end of her braid. “There’s only so many times you can give your friends a candle for their birthday or Christmas before it becomes embarrassing.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it. We’re going to head off now.”

“Bye Young-Soon! Take care of Jungkook.”

“Of course. See you later.”

“Please be careful,” Nana pleaded, shutting the front door awkwardly behind herself. There was a soft tinkle as she dropped her keys into the dish on the console table beside her.

“I’m trying.” He steadied himself, edging a little more cautiously through the narrow hall, having almost tripped over an umbrella. She nudged it aside with her foot, knowing he was likely to trip over it again later. He had to duck to avoid the overhanging leaves above his head. “Your tree got so big.”

“It’s a Yucca. I’ve been meaning to trim him down a little bit but it seems a shame. He’s got beautiful leaves.”

“It’s a he?” Hoseok asked with amusement as he edged into the kitchen and set the box with a relieved sigh on the nearest, slightly rickety chair.

“Don’t worry. You don’t need to be jealous.”

Nana set her own box down and opened it up, searching through the meticulously bubble wrapped contents, extricating a large glass jar filled with pink fragrant wax. She uncapped the lid with a satisfying pop, inhaling the sweet scent of peony. Hoseok frowned slightly in bemusement; he wondered whether the recent stormy weather had been causing power cuts in her neighbourhood too. “What are you going to do with these?”

“Plant them.” Nana replied dryly, capping it once again. “There should be some space under the sink.”

“Are you sure? It seems full to me.”

“I’ve been meaning to make some jam…” She muttered in weak explanation, eyeing the open cabinet.

“There’s enough jars here for the entire of Seoul.” He teased, lips curling with incredulity.

“Don’t exaggerate Hobi, it’s not that many.” She said softly, getting to her knees as she started to rearrange the haphazardly stacked glass. Hoseok leant back against the table, equally impressed and surprised that she had somehow been able to fit the contents of the smaller box in the space. It seemed she had admitted defeat on the larger, pushing the chair more snugly against the table.

“Maybe I should make some for Young-Soon, since she gave me all these.” Nana mused,tucking her hair back behind her ears. It’d been years since she’d made jam, but she thought she could remember how. Her father had a habit of buying too much fruit from the market back in Gwangju, which they’d have to find creative ways to use. “And maybe Min-Seo might like some…she mentioned she’s been craving sweet things.”

“I think she’d like that. I just can’t believe they’re going to be parents.”

“Me neither. I can tell they’ll be great though. ”The younger woman had looked both overjoyed and embarrassed following the announcement shortly after dessert. Her voice had wavered slightly as she looked to her husband, Jin’s own expression soft with pride as he finished the sentence she had been struggling to say. Nana had hugged them both as they left for their taxi, Min-Seo thanking her with a shy, but delighted smile as she drew away from the sharp edge of her collar bone.

She flicked on the kettle, selecting a few empty marmalade jars as she began to stack them on the side. “I thought so ever since their wedding.”

Hoseok’s eyes followed her lovingly as she moved about, searching for a clean tea towel. “Did you like Jeong-Sun?”

“She seems really nice. It’s good to see Yoongi with someone.” Nana smiled, pouring boiling water in each jar before drying them thoroughly and laying them upside down on the draining board. The couple had visited the older member’s apartment a few times together prior to his enlistment, and it had always struck her how eerily empty and un-lived in it had felt. Bachelor life hadn’t seemed to suit Yoongi, and she hoped sincerely that he was happier now. “Do you think I should make some for her too?”

Hoseok cocked his head. “Will there be enough?”

“As long as it doesn’t burn.” She confirmed, eyeing up the various cartons of purple and scarlet berries in the fridge. “I only have enough fruit and sugar for four at most…”

“Can I help you make it?” Her boyfriend was already hovering closely behind her as she chopped up strawberries and plopped them into the pan. She twisted the hob to a low temperature, handing him a wooden spoon, caressing his hand deliberately as she did so.

“You can stir, if you like.”

Hoseok was attentive as the concoction reduced slowly to a lumpy, burgundy pool, allowing Nana to edge around him to find ribbon and attach labels. Her heart swelled unexpectedly in the comfortable silence between them, wondering what kind of good deed she had committed in her past life to have found him. The past week since his discharge had been a blur of overslept alarms, tangled curls and forgotten suppers. It’d all passed in a frantic haze, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the simple happiness she felt now in just knowing he was close by.

Tenderly, she snaked her arms around him, resting her cheek into the crook of his neck as he stirred. His cologne reminded her of lemongrass and potted herbs after the rain, his body slender and long to match her own. He shifted against her, his lips tugging into a smile as he reciprocated, pressing his cheek against hers. The absence of his hair tickling her skin still felt strange.

“I really missed having you around, Hoseok.” Nana whispered quietly, her voice tinged with emotion. He gently entwined his fingers around her own with his free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“It was really hard…” he admitted, and she knew that he too was thinking about how much he had missed her. Their moments of bliss when he was able to visit had always seemed far too brief. Already short, they had been cut even shorter by her commitments at work, leaving a sunken, aching feeling in her chest whenever he had to leave.

“I realised how much I love you. “ She continued. “And that I want to be with you for as long as I can.”

His eyes found hers, and she wasn’t surprised to see them wet at the corners. “Me too, Nana.”

They both turned into each other, their lips coming together. He sank into her touch as she ran a hand to his shoulder and lovingly brushed the prickly patch of hair behind his ear. His breath was warm and inviting, their kiss unbroken as both hands grasped desperately at her waist. The forgotten jam bubbled slowly, and Nana felt for the knob on the stove, awkwardly twisting it as the sickly sweet smell of it boiled up.

“Oh, shit..” Hoseok whispered, remembering the saucepan as he pulled back slightly, giving it a token stir once more.

She grinned, her face hot as she moved it to the back burner. “I think it’s done, anyway.”

“Phew.” He exhaled in obvious relief. He pulled her close once again, their hips pressed together, and she could feel that he was already hard beneath his sweatpants.

“Hoseok...” Nana breathed. “Take me to bed.”

***

Thank you for reading. To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM / Jin / Suga / J-Hope / Jimin / V / Jungkook

& Our full masterlist can be found here

You can support us by buying admins a coffee here (if you wish). :)

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handmaidensofnaboo · 5 years

Photo

“Ultimately, it is very apparent this novel was noticeably, lovingly, and carefully crafted by a Prequel fan, a Padmé fan, a Handmaiden fan... Queen's Shadow is a fitting tribute.”

❦

Queen's Shadow had a somewhat impossible task for me as a handmaiden “super fan,” a potentially “tough critic,” so I commend E.K. Johnston for willingly providing me with an early copy to share my thoughts on it with you all... I was nervous about how Queen's Shadow would turn out to be honest, but EKJ was up to the task...

I'll preface this review by saying Handmaidens were my first real community engagement in fandom. My older sister and I joined the Royal Handmaiden Society on TheForce.Net boards back around 2001 when I was about 14. The RHS was the reason I went to my first convention (Celebration II) and although the group isn't as present online as it once was (please follow @royalhandmaidensociety), I made life long friends and it forever shaped and changed me. It was an overwhelmingly positive fandom experience at a very impressionable age and for that I'm forever thankful... So for those of us who have such deep roots to this, who have, for the past 20 years, analyzed the handmaidens’ every micro expression, every costume, and have carved out our own understanding of them (from what little information that would could find), this book might be a bit "complicated " to process.   At least it was for me.

With the announcement of Queen's Shadow, I was of course initially ecstatic, validated even, that they/we were being seen and heard, finally!! Yet mixed feelings slowly sunk in too. Despite us RHSers long lamenting the lack of content—handmaidens unjustly being overlooked in both Star Wars official media and for a long time in mainstream fandom—it also became this amazing small community space for each of us to freely imagine and play in. It’s been a kind of safe haven I've come to greatly appreciate. With a book featuring them... That could all potentially change. This fandom could change. I found myself wondering a few weeks ago, "Will I even like these girls? Will I love these new versions of Eiraté, Rabé, Sabé...” Something I've previously never had to consider. My fictional friends were about to be exposed on a larger than ever level, and reshaped, officially, forever. I was worried.  

I knew I had to go into this book open minded, no way could EKJ take each one of our different headcanons and fantasies and appease us all in one ultimate text—but to my surprise, there were certainly select striking scenes, moments, I had while reading, where (for me) she did accomplish just that.   After both the prologue and the first chapter in particular (which were centered around my favorite Handmaidens, from TPM), I had to put the book down for a while because I was so overwhelmed in the best kind of way. It truly was so close to capturing what I have wanted all these years that I just wanted to bask in it. Maybe that sounds silly but even simply one chapter filled with handmaidens, is an overwhelming amount of content for us to receive, let alone an ENTIRE book. This little fandom is just so used to excavating for scraps. I reread the beginning of the book again the next day, out of pure enjoyment, before I continued on.  

The unbelievable news, the great news... Something I can't believe even is real... Is that Queen's Shadow starts with handmaidens and ends with handmaidens, and there are handmaidens in… NEARLY? Every. Single. Chapter. I really never thought I'd never see the day. I’m stunned. Yes, they are different then I imagine them, but I'm happy to see them, I still like them, just the same. And Padmé, who has also been sorely ignored, unappreciated, and underutilized within general Star Wars media/merchandise, is also finally getting the spotlight she deeply deserves.

❦

Queen's Shadow is woven like an intricate tapestry threading together Padmé's stories throughout the entire prequel trilogy (especially the first two films), and highlights some of my favorite stylistic and thematic choices within them. Similar to the prequels (especially TPM) it reminded me of a period drama, with it's more formal dialogue, richly detailed costumes, ceremonies and politics, and admittedly a more contemplative pace than the swashbuckling fairy tales of the OT (but still engaging in it's own way). Also like the prequels, you get that occasional ominous foreboding, that sense of pieces being moved behind the curtains by shadowy figures, of unclear motivations by supposed "allies," of tragic destinies being spun—but still find yourself swept away by moments of hope and idealism, despite it all. There is a particularly heartbreaking yet beautiful finale moment of this book with her that was so fitting to George Lucas' vision of Star Wars, it was, as he once said, "like poetry—it rhymes." Anytime something can capture that Lucas approach to storytelling, I am thankful to be reminded of why I loved Star Wars in the first place. (Especially in the Disney era years when I've felt a bit "post break up" about the franchise, to be honest.)

Queen's Shadow is foremost about Padmé's work, shifting and hardening herself into her new role as senator. It does justice to the themes and qualities that originally enchanted and inspired me about her: fulfilling her duty to her people, her compassion for vulnerable communities, and fighting for what's right—through language, through political and inner power, strategy, and unexpected partnerships. And as always, Padmé is luminous.

There is one cause in particular she is advocating for that is notably poignant in its connections to TPM. I was incredibly pleased it was there, relieved even. It was so important and needed for her character. It enriches the choices she makes in the later films. And it is just one of a number of political themes in the book that are timeless and ever relevant, but wasn't inserted into the story in a heavy-handed way. I love that the main audience for this book (young girls), will get these meaty concepts presented to them through our beloved political heroine and the diversely talented women supporting her. While we do see the various skills and character moments of Padmé and her handmaidens, I admit (and this is just my first read impressions) they all still did feel somewhat at a distance for me. I personally would've liked to have dug deeper into their personalities. I'm not sure how to properly articulate it, but I just felt a bit left "wanting more"—for more walls to come down, to have gotten further into their inner thoughts... But I think it's partly the challenge of the large number of characters, the book’s YA length, and a personal preference of writing style. Which, in EKJ’s defense, does compliment these particular characters, who have long had these kind of untouchable, unknowable presences, these masks over them (and she does address that). I think as I reread it, my feelings on may improve as I retain all the subtleties better. But if they remain elusive, that gives us room to fill it out with our own head canons, which is something many of us all ~clearly~ enjoy! It is part of their appeal, part of why we first loved them after all.  It's also important to note the impressive attention to various Star Wars lore that is entwined throughout Queen's Shadow, from remnant gems of "Legends" handmaiden lore (and even RHS in jokes), to architectural details found in Battlefront II, to various appearances by Clone Wars characters... And many more I’m sure I’ve missed. Yet thankfully I can't recall any of it is done in a way that comes off as showy, elitist, or hard to follow (if for example, you're like me and admittedly haven't watched hardly any of the Clone Wars). Additionally, here and there, there were some scenes or lines that didn't quite hit the mark for me personally, one minor set of changes from "Legends" handmaiden ages irked me a bit (we had so little to cling to ok! lol), frustration at already established lore (such as Panaka and Clovis, which EKJ can’t help), and other things that were simply just creative choices of the author (which of course happens for me with almost every Star Wars spin-off).   

Regarding the last point, that was the only other occurrence where I put the book willingly down, this time because I needed to get some space—to process something I decidedly didn't like. It was about midway through the book regarding a particular minor storyline. I don't want to spoil, but I will say it involved a new character that, for me, was taking up too much room in a book that already had plenty of amazing characters I wanted to spend more time with. I just felt he wasn’t exactly needed, or that others easily could've substituted his place and it would've been more meaningful to the lore. These critiques are relatively minor however, and most of them are easy to move beyond, especially when I consider the bigger picture, and the majority of scenes, quotable lines, and pivotal interactions in Queen's Shadow that do seamlessly work. Those more than make up for the handful of things I struggled with.   Ultimately, it is very apparent this novel was noticeably, lovingly, and carefully crafted by a Prequel fan, a Padmé fan, a Handmaiden fan. For this I'm deeply thankful, because it's easy to imagine if it wasn't—How poorly or sloppily Padmé could've been mischaracterized or the possible omission and/or confusion regarding the handmaidens… The latter of which BOTH the revered Dave Filoni and Timothy Zahn are woefully guilty of, (full offense). It hits me sometimes how so much damage could've been done were this in less capable, less attentive hands, with an author that would've cared less. EKJ clearly cared a lot. Minor issues aside, that's really what mattered most to me, at the root of it. So I'm very glad.

  The more open minded you go in, the more you will enjoy Queen's Shadow, and (I say this for myself, as much as for anyone else who can relate) we can still make space for and enjoy our old head canons alongside to the new lore, or even mesh them together... I admittedly struggled a few times, but I definitely enjoyed reading it overall, particularly all the scenes on Naboo (and another planet that will go unnamed for now)...   If you love Padmé, the handmaidens, Naboo culture, prequel politics—this book is a must read. The more time that passes, and as I reflect back, the more I feel that Queen's Shadow is a fitting tribute to Padmé and our handmaidens, let alone the prequel era itself. Queen's Shadow will be comfortably situated on my bookshelf beside our other established classics: Queen Amidala's Journal and Queen's Amulet, and I’m looking forward to revisiting it again when the audiobook comes out (holy heck we're finally gonna hear almost all the handmaiden names pronounced??! Have we been saying them "correct" all these years?? Stay tuned lmao...) I'll probably be posting my spoiler thoughts on Queen's Shadow after the book's release on March 5, 2019. Pre-orders are available online, though I really recommend purchasing it at your local independent book store if you can, and/or requesting your local libraries get a copy! Please share your own pictures/thoughts/reviews on here, twitter, instagram etc. and tag it. We gotta encourage Disney to give us more, because this book definitively ends with an invitation for a sequel or spin off of some sort, and I, a bit desperately, want it!! The more we can support Queen's Shadow with the language Disney knows best ($$ and exposure) the better chance of future Padmé and handmaiden content, and they deserve it!! All of it—books, comics, Disney+ streaming miniseries, video games—Give them the legacy Rogue Squadron got. It's their time.  

Again, thank you so much E.K. Johnston for creating this beautiful book, and going out of your way to provide me a copy. I'll always treasure that moment when I got that surprise package in the mail, a book nearly 20 years in the waiting. I was 12 years old again, that snowy day on my porch.

  Can't wait to read everyone's thoughts. MTFBWY. ✨✨✨

Thank you for reading,

@handmaidensofnaboo

❦

♕ Pre Order Queen's Shadow

♕ Purchase Queen’s Shadow at your local independent bookstore

♕ Follow author E.K. Johnston: website | twitter | instagram | tumblr

♕ Follow cover artist Tara C. Philips: website | twitter | instagram | tumblr

#queen's shadow #ek johnston #padme amidala #handmaidens #naboo royal handmaidens #VERY minor?? barely any ~ spoilers~#um ps the background silk in this is from the inside of my original battlemaiden gown my sis made for me for celebration ii <333 #this is long im sorry #guys idk why yall write i feel sick to my stomach posting this and i edited it so many times all week aslfjaskfj #idk how yall can do this for large audiences #lmaooo

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momma-mogai-sphinx · 5 years

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hi! i’m a 15 y/o lesbian who’s really struggling with her identity. my dad and siblings both disagree with the idea of gay marriage and i feel pretty rejected. i keep wondering if i’m just faking my sexuality for attention, even though i know i’m not. i feel weird and abnormal, and worst of all, my friends think it’s trendy and funny to be apart of the lgbtqia community when it comes with a lot of struggles. could i possibly get some positivity or kind words? or a way to feel better? ty. 💞

I have a few things I could share, actually…

I definitely understand how it is you might be feeling right now, so let me tell you—as someone who grew up in quite the inhospitable home, in a wildly homophobic town, who continues to live happily in said town despite all the odds—it can get better.

I know that can be hard to believe sometimes. I know there are things in your life which are far out of your control; systems that you might not understand, but which have a powerful effect, not only on how much you’re allowed to do and say before your identity is called into question, but also on the very course and structure of life itself. I know it can be suffocating and feel like there’s no escape. I know following the axiom “work hard and have good morals” to a t will never be enough to grant you your personhood in the face of blind bigotry.

But let me tell you why holding on is worth it.

It can be exhausting to be endlessly scrutinized by “normal” society. A single slip up could have you mercilessly questioned on the basis of whichever marginalized identity they decide is going to be society’s downfall today (one that could be and often is largely irrelevant to whatever situation led you to such a discussion to begin with). One false move might see you kicked to the curb (or worse) by your so-called “allies,” your friends and family when they deem you too low in the social hierarchy to risk their image. When you try to argue for or against something, they will see you as nothing more than your marginalized identity, see you as a spokesperson for others who share this identity. And they will use this not only as a way to dismiss you as foolish and “backwards,” but as a means to bully and harass you into complete silence.

It can be frustrating to be erased. When you find a character in a work of fiction that you see a lot of yourself in and headcanon them as sharing an identity with you, they’ll ask, “Why does everything have to be about you?” “Why do you have to make it political?” “Quit sexualizing them, they’re a child!” They ignore the fact that your group has gotten next to no representation in the past (and that you can’t influence the text just by having a headcanon); they fail to see the problem in politicizing someone else’s identity when they’re just trying to be; while they get to flaunt their sexuality around and have it catered to wherever they go, you can’t even mention the fact that you’re of a marginalized orientation without being demonized for it. And when you try to bring any of these things up and discuss how and why they should be changed to give people of all marginalized orientations and gender identities a fair share of the “privilege?” They say, “You have marriage equality and can identify as whatever gender you claim to be. What more could you possibly want? Why are you asking for all these special privileges?”

And, because of all of this, it can be infuriating to be right. It can be maddening to know that, no matter where you go, there will be people with their “hot takes,” prepared to tell you (or, rather, other bigots who already share their opinion of you) why your identity is “a phase”; why it’s sinful or perverse; or even why it can be reasonably commodified for the consumption of another group that doesn’t understand your struggle one bit (and largely doesn’t care to). And their audience will nod along, taking notes on how to “debate” those nasty SJWs and secretly feeling validated in their sheer contempt for those fellow human beings who don’t fit their preconceived notions of what is good and natural. They’ll be told that, when you speak up and point out how there are many examples of people happily identifying as non-straight and/or non-cis for most of their lives (and that it really shouldn’t matter to them whether or not some teen they’ve never met is questioning their identity), they can make leaps in logic to show how “gay marriage is just a ploy to destroy the family and western ideals! We have to stamp the gay out of these kids before they get indoctrinated!” and then show you some bunk statistics about cis people who detransitioned or something (something that really doesn’t matter, given the fact that plenty of trans people are much happier living as their actual gender). When you explain that they shouldn’t be using their religion to justify hatred of an entire group of people, and that calling someone’s identity sinful isn’t much of an argument since you (likely) don’t share the same principles of morality, they’ll gaslight you and say you’re against freedom of speech and freedom of religion (ignoring how such notions have historically been used to enact physical violence against groups whose very existence they disagree with, without ever asking, “Who’s silencing whom?”). When you try to explain how homosexuality is perfectly normal and the existence of trans and nonbinary people is just a side effect of building a complex society that puts value in both emphasizing personal identity and categorizing patterns… When you try to explain why consuming queer media without having at least a semblance of understanding of queer struggles… When you try to explain why all of this can make being queer dreadful at times–not because of anything inherently wrong with us, but because of the way society alienates, silences, and enables violence toward us–and that our “pride” comes from a place of resistance against it all and not because being queer is “cool” and fun… They will not listen.

But there is relief. From all of this.

There is solace in knowledge, comfort in history. When you find yourself in times of despair; when you wonder whether or not it’s worth it pressing onward, knowing how much suffering there is to come…

Remember where you are. You are a young branch atop an oak tree that is both vast and timeless. The tree needs you to survive. As you stretch your wanting leaves toward sun, you may forget that, far below you, there are roots, ever-boring their way deeper into the earth. For as long as this tree has tasted the sunlight, it has been anchoring itself into the soils of time. The roots refuse to be forgotten. When the sun feels like a lifetime away, remember the roots. Remember where you came from.

You come from fire, an untamable flood. You’re descended of wild spirits, unrelenting.

Their Excellence is in you.

Before you is a legacy of roaring lions. After you? That’s for you to decide.

Let your exhaustion be a name. When society tries to dictate who you’re allowed to be, be uncompromising. Refuse to be silent about who you really are.

Let your frustration be a voice. Make art, make music. Tell your story. Refuse to have your struggles erased.

As fury entwines itself with passion, you will become unbreakable as you are unsilenceable.

Emboldened. Empassioned. Empowered.

And when you tire, come to the fountain of knowledge and drink. Know their names, know their stories. Know your roots.

Know Marsha P. Johnson.

Know Silvia Rivera.

Know Harvey Milk.

Know Gilbert Baker.

Know Karl Heinrich Ulrichs.

Know Michael Dillon.

Know Lili Elbe.

Know Lucy Hicks Anderson.

Know Christine Jorgensen.

Know Bayard Rustin.

Know Magnus Hirschfeld.

Know Simon Nkoli.

Know Ifti Nasim.

Know Jason Jones.

Know Barbara Gittings.

Know Audre Lorde.

Know Angelica Ross.

Know Emil Wilbekin.

Know Frida Kahlo.

Know Nancy Cárdenas.

Know Your History. Know how Far we’ve Come.

And, look. No one expects you to be passionate at every stage of the game. You don’t have to be the paradigm of the perfect activist every second of the day. You’re allowed to just be exhausted and need a break to recharge. You’re allowed to just be frustrated when people treat you like you’re a representative of the entire LGBTQ community and expect you to know everything about our history and be able to recite all of our “policies.” Never forget that just being you is powerful enough.

Hell, you’re even allowed to feel sometimes that it’s hopeless and wonder if there’s even a point to all this work we’ve done if bigotry still prevails. But what’s important to understand is that is that how you feel and what is true—while both very real and very important to your lived experience and absolutely worth taking seriously—are not one in the same. You may feel that there is no purpose in continuing on with what seems to be a never-ending fight; but know that there is a community, all around you. There are ears to listen, hearts to sympathize, words to encourage, and hands to guide. It may get dark, may become hard to see the way forward. But it’s okay to cry out into the darkness and watch it illuminate with love and compassion and understanding. We are here.

There’s a GSA at the school at which I work, and one thing I always try to tell the students who attend about is (what I like to call) “The Breath of Absolute Clarity.” Unlearning the lies we’ve been taught from birth and learning ourselves is a long and arduous process, one that may take even a lifetime. But in every story I’ve ever heard about a queer person accepting themselves (including my own), there is always described this moment; this one instance (or perhaps several) of perfect understanding of oneself. For some, it can be a spiritual experience, tied to their religious beliefs. For others, it can be seen as a moment of self-actualization—where the turmoil of human existence ceases its chaotic chorus, if only for a second, leaving nothing but the sound of a beating heart. Whenever and wherever this moment comes to you, whatever you see, however it must happen… You will know. In this moment, you will know, beyond any feasible shadow of a doubt, Who You Are.

This moment will not last. It is not unquestionable. You may forget it in your darkest times. But if you really try to hold onto it, it will come back to you. Like a towering tsunami, it will invade your senses so completely, you will know as intimately and as viscerally as the human mind can comprehend anything what it is to be unapologetically you.

This moment is not the be-all-end-all of understanding yourself, but it is a start. It’s the moment where questioning and certainty are no longer mutually exclusive; where not having all the answers doesn’t equate to a dizzying network of what-ifs; where you understand just being is enough. Maybe you’ll wake up one morning, years in the future, and your partner will be laying in bed next to you, and you’ll think to yourself, “They know me.” And in a single breath, you will feel absolute clarity.

So, with all of that said, I hope your takeaway here can be this:

You are more than the lies and the misunderstandings about your identity.

More than a cog in a monstrous machine.

More than the exhaustion and frustration you feel in the face of unyielding bigotry.

More than the questions you have about yourself.

More than even the history and the legacies that precede you.

You are a human being

You are not broken

You are not worthless

You are not a disappointment just for being you.

But above all this, the one thing I want you to know is that

***TL;DR***

You Are Not Alone.

Just keep holding on. Things can change if you just keep holding on.

#thanks for coming to my ted talk #sorry this took so long to answer #i had my husband proofread it like seven times #trigger warning #homophobia tw #transphobia tw #advice #answered #anon #long post

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cait-el · 6 years

Text

Keith Analysis - Season 3

Pre S1E1 + Introduction / Season One / Season Two / Season Three / Season Four / Season Five

I highly recommend reading the rest of the posts in this series to get the most out of this! But here’s my take on Keith’s role in VLD Season three!

Season Three

Boy oh boy, does S3e1 have a lot to unpack. Let’s start at the very end of S2/ the beginning of S3 where we see Keith up in arms about the fact that Shiro is gone. By this point, I’ve already established that Shiro is as close to an actual family that Keith’s got, so of course he’s upset. Also, this upset of normal is just another nail in the coffin that is Keith’s sense of safety. He was finally feeling like he had a place on Voltron, then the whole half-Galra thing happened, and that was sort of solved in Allura’s apology, but with losing Shiro, Keith is losing his own sense of validity. Season 3 will be about re-establishing that in his own way, without Shiro there to back him. It’s a huge opportunity for character growth.

Brief Lance Note

Another really good scene in S3e1 is during the fight on Planet Puig with Lance, Hunk, and the Blade of Marmora. Firstly, we have Lance starting to feel the pressure of being the face of a team that’s falling apart at the seams. He’s supposed to be the glue of Voltron or the light-spirited one that keeps things happy. Now that Voltron can’t really form, he’s starting to feel that pressure now more than ever.

We also have discrimination against the Blade for being Galra, which is understandable, but demonstrative of systematic racism/oppression. No wonder Keith feels so lost; he’s literally at the center of all of that!

Back to Keith

This is the instance that I referenced at the very beginning of this whole thing where Keith says that he won’t give up on Shiro because Shiro was one of the only people that never gave up on him. I think that startles the other paladins a little bit because they’re finally realizing that Keith isn’t just some “lone wolf” who’s full of shit. Yes, he can be volatile, but he’s really hurting now, which is demonstrated when he blows up at the diplomacy dinner.

The most important part about Keith’s outburst is what happens afterwards – this will draw on a little bit of Lance’s development as well, so bear with me. At the very end of the episode, we have Keith staring at the black lion, with the other paladins standing awkwardly in the background. They all look to Lance, who is the first to step forward and tell Keith it’s alright to be hurting.

Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Coran jump in with their own anecdotes about how they feel about suggesting to replace someone who seems irreplaceable, but it’s Lance tying everything together that makes Keith take a deep breath and decide that he’s being irrational. This is the first in a long arc in season three that establishes Lance and Keith’s relationship in a way that goes beyond just a romantic ship. I’m going to return to what I talked about in season one with Keith having a borderline crush on Lance, which I still stand by. In season one, it was all fun and games. In season two, Keith had a lot of his own stuff to worry about with the Blade, but he had Shiro to talk to about it, both the Galra stuff and the Lance stuff, so it didn’t seem as overwhelming.

Now that Shiro’s gone, Keith is looking for something to fill the rapidly growing void that’s sucking away his sense of validation and trust, and he’ll find it in Lance, but most importantly, in himself, and I’ll prove that with my analysis of the rest of S3.

And just for fun, here are my two cents on Lotor’s introduction

Lotor is one of my favorite characters for a few different reasons that are established in this episode. Firstly, he’s crafty. He had Ezor watch Throk, and then used that to call him out in front of the whole crowd. He’s the embodiment of the honest and martyr-like villain (which will play into his romance line with Allura later, but that’s not for a while) in that he preaches that what he does will be good for the universe because it fosters loyalty rather than fear. Secondly, he’s charismatic as all fuck. He’s the villain that says “okay, I’m going to write down everything I’m about to do on a piece of paper and give it to you. You’ll know my entire plan. Will that stop me from completing it? You can bet the fuck not.” And he’s right. Even I believed him! When I first watched it, I was like “yeah, okay, this guy could actually be a good king.”

And then, the kicker, he gives all this confidence to Throk, and then demotes him to the farthest reaches of the empire under the impression that he just got this huge promotion. That’s savage. Lotor is so good at what he does. I’m thrilled to see what he does next for the sheer cleverness of it.

Back to Keith/Lance – I’m just going to start referring to them jointly for now because here’s where they start to become super intertwined

Man, S3 literally has so much in the way of character development that I’m only on the second episode and I already have so much to say. Let’s start with the discussion of who should pilot the black lion while in the lounge of the Castle. Pidge points out that everyone has their “thing,” and she calls Lance the goofball, which he doesn’t take well to (remember S2e10). He calls himself a ninja sharpshooter, to which Keith responds with “is that a joke?” Honestly he probably shouldn’t have poked the dragon, but I do believe he meant it in a good way. His eyes were nice and he was smiling. Lance was just feeling particularly insecure at that moment. Payback for S1e6 when Lance totally invalidated Keith’s tiny advance. Ugh, boys.

Anyways, Lance says that he would never follow Keith as a leader in retaliation, which sparks an argument and triggers Keith to say “that’s just what Shiro wanted.” This puts Keith in kind of a tough spot; it’s not that he’s against piloting the black lion, he just doesn’t want to 1) undermine Shiro, who is his idol, and 2) he’s afraid he can’t be what everyone needs him to be – he can hardly be what he needs for himself. This is reflected in the moment where he actually enters the black lion. While everyone else was thinking of themselves (except Lance, but I’ll get to that in a second), what caused the lion to awaken for Keith was Keith saying (about Shiro) “I can’t lead them like you.” This is the beginning of Keith learning to respect himself outside of what others project on to him.

However, he still doesn’t want to accept it. This is where Lance comes in. Lance literally tried so hard to be the one to take up responsibility of the black lion, but not for himself. This becomes apparent when he yields to Keith. Everyone is appalled at Keith’s objection to the lion even though it chose him, except Lance. Lance steps up, puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder, and tells Keith he can do it. And Keith actually listens. This shows that Keith responds well to respect; he just doesn’t have a lot of it for himself yet.

When Keith actually goes to fly the lion for the first time, he does so by saying “this one’s for you, Shiro.” This hearkens back to the idea of Keith being a self-imposed martyr – he justifies doing things for himself through the lens of doing things for others. This will be the season that subverts that, though, which I will discuss once I get to the end of the episode.

Now back to Lance for a moment. Blue shuts him out (quick interlude for some cute headcanon: Lance has referred to his lion as male in the past, but in order to get Blue to open up, he hits on the lion like he would presumably hit on a girl, as he is so famous for. Does this provide evidence that Lance is bi? Maybe if you squint and tilt your head to one side. It’s something to think about anyways). Then, which lion calls to him? Red, of course! Lance being Keith’s right hand is really elevating their relationship – it plays perfectly into all of their other interactions. They’re a messy team, but a team all the same, and they each need the other to properly function.

Also, something that starts in this episode and will continue through S5 is Lance’s reflection of Alfor and Altean values. Keith is a reflection of Galran values; this has already been made abundantly clear. We’re just setting up another parallel between the two and further entwining their paths in some way. Also, more of Lance’s insecurities show when he’s actually considering that he may not even have a contribution to the team as he originally thought, that he might just be “the goofball.” This starts to show a self confidence issue that is far from being resolved. He’ll definitely need a little help with that one. Luckily, he’s just starting to form a relationship with a little emo boy who is legitimately built out of insecurities and MCR. It’s beautiful. One last thing about Lance in S3E2 is that he says at the end “sometimes what you want is not necessarily what you get,” and I think this is starting to reference his shift in viewing Allura as an object for romance to a friend and true teammate, which is something we’ll see more of in S4 and 5.

And finally, Keith grows a lot during that battle, especially towards the end when he makes that terrible decision and rockets off to track Lotor without consulting the team. But here’s the thing about that scene: Keith made that decision of his own accord and not because he was trying to emulate Shiro. His whole arc in S3 is learning how to accept himself as a valid leader, and this is just the beginning of that. While I want to whack him over the head with a stick for putting everyone else in danger, at least he’s trying.

And now, a word on Lotor in S3E2

Lotor, you mother fucker. First, he says “mercy has never been the way of the galra…until now.” Again with the craftiness! And his whole role in S3E2 was just to gather intel on Voltron by using their need to protect to draw them out and force them to work as a team. What he doesn’t realize, though, is in forcing the paladins to make up for their shortcomings, he’s acting as a foil to the whole team. Without being pressed by Lotor, Allura and Lance would have never figured out that they needed to pilot different lions. This is the beginning to a long storyline of Lotor and Voltron working together that doesn’t actually get played out until S5.

Back to Keith/Lance

S3E3 takes us to the first real instance of the new team of paladins working under Keith’s leadership, and it’s pretty much a mess from the beginning. What I appreciate about this episode is that it further develops the bond between Lance and Keith as a team and as people, starting with Lance’s immediate opposition to entering Thaeserix (the gas planet that fucks up everyone’s sensors.) We have Keith barreling through and getting everyone lost until Allura finally can’t keep up and gets separated. Everyone’s freaking out, and Lance is the one to tell Keith they need to go back, and he finally does. As demonstrated before, Keith listens to Lance before he listens to the others. This shows that Keith has some measure of respect for Lance.

They rescue Allura, but Keith is still all hot for battle and continues forward, getting the team separated even further until it’s just him and Lance. This is the first time where Keith actually admits that he messed up, and he hits a low point for a second. He voices his concern to Lance, who responds perfectly, saying “yeah, you fucked up. But hey, we’ll fix it together.” This is what inspires Keith to keep going, and the team can eventually form Voltron because Keith is actually starting to think like a leader, and not just because of the leader Shiro was. He’s starting to become his own leader. He couldn’t have done it without Lance.

My favorite part is the cute line at the end where everyone is ragging on Lance for being dumb (not true btw, Lance is very intelligent and kind, he just has some self confidence issues, so shame on the other paladins for taking advantage of that), and Keith says “I’m glad we’re all making fun of Lance, but we have a job to do,” or something along those lines. It’s the look in Keith’s eyes that gets me; he’s teasing Lance, but not in the same way as the others. He’s really grateful to have the blue paladin there for support. It’s a different type of support than he’s received in the past; from Shiro it was support of an upper, someone he idolizes and thus tries to emulate. From Lance, it’s support from an equal, so it’s an even stronger sense of self-validation, which is something that Keith really needs at this point.

A quick note: in the episode where they enter the alternate reality and find Sven and Slav, Keith all of the sudden has the black bayard and Lance has the red bayard. When did that happen? That seemed to come out of nowhere, but I think it’s an important thing to note, especially when we get to some of the symbolism in terms of the past paladins at the end of this season. This episode also has good evidence of Keith stepping into the leadership role, which he will continue to develop over the next few episodes. I’m also glad that Keith was able to find Shiro, but as I’ll discuss in the next few paragraphs, I think he senses that something is not quite right.

The Symbolism of 6

I’m about to discuss S3E6, but begore I get into that, I’d like to talk a little bit about the symbolism of the number six as it relates to Keith and Lance’s relationship. Coran says pretty early on that he’s ordered the paladins by height, most notably calling Pidge “number five.” He doesn’t ever refer to the other paladins by these number names, but that implies that they all have a number (and they all have pretty distinguishing heights). Shiro is the tallest and the leader; he’s number one. Lance is the next tallest; he’s number two. Then comes Hunk, then Keith. Keith is number four. What’s four plus two? Six.

I already talked at length about the importance of S1E6 to Keith and Lance, with this being the first instance where Keith realizes he may have feelings for Lance (the “I cradled you in my arms!” moment). In season two, the distinction isn’t quite as obvious, but we see Lance questioning Keith running off with Allura. Granted, this is probably canonically related to Lance’s “crush” on Allura (which I’ll discuss a little more come season four and five), but the fact that he’s asking if the two of them are together and he’s so bent up about Keith doing anything with Allura could be in reference to his conflicted rivalry feelings towards Keith in the first place. He probably doesn’t realize it, but he’s just as annoyed at the idea of Keith being with someone as he is at the idea of Allura being with someone (hint: he’s bi /like meeeee!/).

Anyways, now we have S3E6, which has, in my opinion, one of the most important Klance scenes so far (save maybe the pool scene, but that was just too too cute so does it really count?).

Season Three, Episode Six

We open from Lance’s POV as he’s acting sniper for the rest of the team. He’s about to take someone out when Keith rushes in with some sword badassery (“Hey, Keith! I had that guy!”). He keeps the scope on Keith for a little while, then watches Allura do some crazy stunts with her whip, to be met with “Well, that was awesome!” Similar to what I was talking about back in S2E6, this is a neat parallel drawn between Lance’s feelings for both the red paladin and the pink paladin. This, in conjunction with the sheer symbolism of colors (red/blue/pink), practically seeps with Lance being bisexual.

Anyways, now that we have Shiro back, this episode throws a wrench into the leadership dynamic that Keith has built for himself. Throwback to season two where everything was going fine until he found out about his Galra blood, this is another instance of regression for Keith. He spent all that time building up his confidence and leadership skills, only to now butt heads with Shiro. Actually, he doesn’t even really butt heads; he yields. He completely yields the black lion to Shiro. Coincidentally, Shiro can’t use the black lion right away, and I think that might have something to do with the whole Clone Shiro arc (which I honestly still don’t understand completely, so I’m going to keep my theorizing about that to a minimum). It’s a complete back swing to his seeing himself as an invalid leader (“they need you, you know” – Keith is once again isolating himself from the other paladins in favor of doing what he thinks is right for the team and placing himself at a disadvantage).

This is interesting when we get to the major Klance scene, and I’m pretty sure you know where I’m going with this: Lance voicing his concern to Keith. Initiall, Keith is surprised at Lance’s advance, but he’s very accepting of it. It’s an interesting side to keith’s character that we haven’t necessarily seen yet. He’s soft and kind of flustered at the whole thing, which is sO cute.

Lance, on the other hand, is being so brave by voicing these concerns in the first place. We’ve seen multiple occasions of him wanting to be on team Voltron (for glory, for recognition, for the universe, etc – we saw this when he tried to pilot the black lion), but he’s willing to give all of it up if it’s what’s best for the team. Remind you of anyone? Yes, Keith!

Keith is appalled by this and instantly shuts it down, telling Lance not to worry about who pilots what. I think he’s surprised that Lance trusts him so much, but that trust gives Keith confidence. As we’ve seen, Keith responds to trust very well, even enough to make a joke (leave the math to Pidge + a bonus Klance smile). I also believe that he’s telling Lance these things just as much to comfort him as it is to comfort himself; he cares about Lance, and he doesn’t want him to leave. We see that in Keith’s initially reaction (“What are you talking about?!”). Another important line in this scene is Lance’s “this isn’t a participation game. This is war and you want you best soldiers on the front line.” Judging from Keith’s reaction, Keith honestly believes that Lance is one of their best warriors; he values Lance’s place on the team and wouldn’t think of jeopardizing that for a second. Overall, this scene was great. It had Lance’s vulnerability, and it’s the first time another member of the team has recognized that and actively comforted him for it. This will be important to remember once Keith leaves and Lance doesn’t have anyone to talk to about it anymore.

Also, when the Paladins are fighting Lotor’s generals, Keith is blindsided by Acxa, but then he is saved by a good shot from Lance and a reassuring “I’ve got you, buddy!” They really have bonded trust-wise. If romance does come out of this, it will definitely be a slow burn, built on a strong bond of vulnerability and trust. And the smile Keith gives Lance after that interaction! I headcanon that at this point he’s over his initial crush and is instead seeing Lance as a real person and teammate that he cares for deeply. Lance’s faith in him is a beacon of strength and light in a particularly dark time. And Keith switching hands with the bayard? That’s some cool shit. He just keeps getting better and better.

Side note for Keith and Acxa: I’ve seen the theories where they are siblings, but I don’t know if I buy it. We know virtually nothing about Acxa’s past except that she somehow got trapped in the stomach of a weblum for who knows how long until Keith rescued her. It’s just not enough for me to see them as related. If ANYTHING, they could be half siblings since we don’t know anything about Krolia yet either except that she’s a deep cover agent for the Blade. This versus the literal ten pages I’ve written on Klance thus far.

Okay, now back to Keith’s leadership conflict. It’s especially apparent when he starts arguing with Shiro about taking out Lotor on the recon mission. He shows off some of his old colors by wanting to run off on his own, but then listens when the team tells him to stick together. What’s important, though, is that Keith doesn’t completely give in to Shiro. In choosing between taking out Lotor’s ship and taking out the cargo ship, Keith makes a snap choice, against Shiro’s wishes, that targets both. He’s a good leader, and he’s making good decisions. The rest of the team just invalidates that, bringing back the doubt that has brought him so much trouble in the past, which we see in Keith and Shiro’s exchange at the end of the episode.

Final note on season three: past parallels

In the last episode of the season, we get some back story on Alfor and Zarkon’s relationship as well as some of the other past paladins. There’s the potential to see Alfor and Zarkon as a parallel to Shiro and Keith, but there’s also the potential to see it as a note on Lance and Keith, seeing as Lance is showing Altean traits vs Keith’s Galran traits. I’m about to try to debunk that with my own theory: there was also a scene in that episode where Alfor, in the red lion, saved Blades, the pilot of the blue lion. The connections between red and blue just keep being dredged up. There are red and blue stars in the astral plane. Red and blue are everywhere. Keith and Lance are literally written in the stars.

#klance #keith #lance #voltron #ace speaks #i worked hard on this please love me #opinion

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