#I wish we had more in common but it’s difficult to talk to them

[temis-de-leon]

MC with a selfish best friend

MC mourning the loss of a long toxic friendship with the help of the brothers.

Characters: demon brothers and fem!MC (written as platonic, but could be read as romantic)

Masterlist

CW: continued discussion about weight gain and weight loss, eating as a coping mechanism, obssesive and manipulative behaviour, emotional blackmail, a glimpse of animal neglect, a tiny nod at suicide, MC trying to hide her feelings, anxiety, TLC from the brothers

A/N: kind of self insert because I'm writing my own experience, so this isn't the most relatable MC. Still, I hope you enjoy it! Remember I'm not a native english speaker, so there might be some grammar mistakes.

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Back then, not that long ago, MC was completely sure she wouldn’t go any further in life. She was stuck in college, in her family and her friend group. There was a dynamic she could work through and, although it could be better, she wasn’t one to complain.

It was a flooded basement with filthy water, but at least it lacked rats.

She just needed some time to start working on herself. Go to therapy, lose some weight maybe? Start cooking again and stop wasting money on fast food. She did use to enjoy spending time in the kitchen and experimenting, after all, but the only things she cooked during her last months in the human realm were mugcakes and pasta. Not necessarily nutritious, but easy to make.

Thank god she had her best friend.

Her companion in the basement, the one with the flashlight.

MC wished she let her hold her hand too.

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“She’s overthinking again. Not good”

“Look who’s talking”

“Hey! It was just a joke!”

“Should we talk to her?”

“Maybe when she comes back, else we’ll give her a heart attack”

“Yeah, Lucifer would kill us”

“Oh, so now we’re doing this for Lucifer?”

“Don’t be selfish, Mammon”

“Who ya calling selfish?”

“Ugh”

MC listened carefully, softly smiling at Beel and Levi’s voices drowning Mammon’s in an almost silent screaming match.

She couldn’t see them from her position, her upper body completely sprawled over the armrest and her line of sight lost in the ashes of the chimney. The fire cracked, threatening to die in front of her, but it was difficult to get up when her body weighted so much. She was tired and hungry and nauseous and even the idea of sitting straight sent bile to her mouth.

Then someone walked into the common room, shushing harshly and getting the other brothers to cease their fighting. Whoever it was, probably Lucifer or Satan, must have thought she was asleep.

So MC closed her eyes, hiding her face in the crook of her arm and basking in the comfortable silence. She could hear them still; the shuffle of cards, a plastic wrapper, buttons and joysticks.

The newcomer got close to her, covering her body with a blanket and sitting at her feet before opening a book. There was enough space in the couch for at least two more people, but MC still curled up, trying to make more room for him. She stopped in her tracks when he grabbed her ankle in a gentle grip, a gesture that brought some warmth where her pants didn’t reach.

Would someone add another log for the fire? Everyone seemed too comfortable to move.

At least the blanket was thick. Pure hellish wool or something, because every animal in the Devildom was just a bigger scarier version of those in the human realm. It was also, however, softer than any type of textile she could’ve ever find back home, so the creature could spit fire for all she cared.

Suddenly, the brother caressing her ankle tightened his grip for a short moment, demanding her attention. When MC opened her eyes, she found Satan smiling at her with no one else in the room. She must’ve fallen asleep after all.

“Dinner is ready”

He let her stretch, unconsciously comparing her to a cat when she arched her back and cracked every possible bone in her body. Satan wondered if that ever hurt, but MC seemed to enjoy it very much whenever she had the occasion to do so, like when they came home from classes after a long day or when they bought groceries for the whole week and Beel. 

“Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Not for a while, no”

“Is that so? Something troubling you, MC? Anything I can help with?”

“I don’t know”

She sounded sincere, but Satan didn’t buy it. Only a month had passed since MC came back to the Devildom, looking a bit more tired than when she left at the end of the first year of the program, and she’d acted ecstatic when she learnt she would be living with them again.

He was sure the problem relied in her human phone, something she didn’t have last year and Diavolo had kindly allowed her to keep.

All of his brothers, even the eldest, were greatly impressed when MC showed them how she unlocked the device with her fingerprints, as well as the human versions of Devilgram, Deviltube and Akuzon. That was a fun day, but time passed and soon the phone became an inconvenience. Someone at the other side of the line was taking their beloved human’s time, leaving her exhausted in the aftermath of their conversations and, if Satan vision’s was correct, teary eyed.

That would not continue. Not on his watch.

“We’ll look into it in another moment. Right now, let’s go with the others. Aren’t you hungry?”

“God, yes!”

They both chuckled and he forced his thoughts away. They could wait for the time being.

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Beel didn’t judge her, but she didn’t feel as happy as she thought she would whenever they sneaked in the kitchen at the late hours of the night.

Opening the fridge door with slow movements, trying not to make noise while taking plates or bowls and eating in silence between giggles and short whispers brought a sort of familiarity. And Beel never judged MC. Why would he? He ate even more than her. He’d keep going long after she was finished, full enough to want to puke everything, and MC would feel a wicked satisfaction knowing that no matter how much she ate, there was someone that would eat much more.

Those nights she’d go to bed feeling sick and greasy, too regretful and high on sugar to be tired. Then, by morning, she’d force herself to eat breakfast and go on with her day just to get whatever sense of normality she could reach.

Although, lately, things had been slightly different.

They still got together at night and filled their mouths to the brim, but Beel was adamant about MC going to the gym with him when the morning came, before everyone was out of bed. Of course she’d said no since the beginning, but he kept insisting, saying she didn’t have to exercise if she didn’t want to.

MC still said no.

Then Asmodeus put his input.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, hon’, but you aren’t getting your 8 hours of sleep and you’re adding calories during the night. That’s horrible for your skin!”

And had it been her mother saying that, MC would’ve lashed out, rejecting opinions she’d been hearing for years over and over and over again, but this was Asmo. The Avatar of Lust. The most beautiful demon in the entire Devildom. MC guessed she wasn’t being fair to her mother, who also loved her and hated seeing her so sick and tired all the time, when it was Asmo she couldn’t ignore.

“I get anxious when I go to bed” she finally confessed.

MC could feel Satan’s eyes on her, but he stayed silent.

“Spend the night with me” intervened Belphie with an honest smile, a muted worry in his eyes “I could make you so tired you wouldn’t want to get out of bed”

“No way!”

Everyone looked at Mammon and several sighs filled the room. The demon, although deeply blushing, kept talking with an overbearing smugness.

“If someone’s gonna sleep with her, it’s gonna be me! Don’t worry MC, the Great Mammon will chase the nightmares away!”

“I think sleeping with you would give her nightmares, actually”

Mammon turned to Levi, ready to swing at his brother, but MC talked before the fight started.

“It’s not nightmares, Mams, I just feel anxious. You know, like, I can’t stop thinking”

“About what?”

She looked at Satan, who was staring at her with a calculating glance, surely remembering what she told him days before when she fell asleep on the couch.

“I don’t know… Everything, I guess”

All of them stayed silent, ignoring what they were previously doing. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, but MC wished someone said anything.

Of course, Mammon spoke first.

“Well, that’s a lot”

“No shit, you moron”

Levi finally got smacked and the rest of them went back to do their own thing, letting MC’s lack of sleep behind. A part of her wanted to keep the conversation going, but she felt too embarrassed when she tried to open her mouth again, especially having Satan looking at her like a hawk.

You don't want me to stare at you? I want to. What's the problem?

She achieved to ignore him in the end.

That night she stayed in her room, pacing, chewing her sweatshirt’s aglet while humming that Phineas and Ferb’s song and turning her headphone’s volume to the maximum with a different music threatening to deteriorate her hearing.

Anything to distract herself and not go to the kitchen.

Finally, hours after bidding the brothers goodnight, MC threw herself on the bed. Her feet were aching, its footprints surely engraved in the carpet, and she forgot to take her headphones off, making the position uncomfortable, but the important thing was that she didn’t have the need to eat anymore.

However, Beel still knocked her door at dawn.

MC stared at him when she opened, bleary-eyed and mouth as dry as cotton, the hem of her pyjama pants so high they looked like pantaloons. He, on the other hand, was completely awake and seemed ready to conquer the day.

“Before you say anything, I’m not going to the gym today”

There was a heavy silence for a couple of seconds.

“Then why did you wake me up? We have classes tomorrow”

Beel stared at her with a worried expression.

“We don’t. It’s Saturday”

“Ah”

She could’ve sleep longer? MC wished she was mad at him, but his puppy stare was hypnotizing.

“I want to go for a walk today. And I want you to come with me”

He lowered his gaze for a moment, biting his cheek while waiting for an answer. MC turned around and looked at the window, still unable to decipher what time it was by looking at the sky.

There were a few things MC missed from the human realm. The sun was one of them.

“We could go to the park, feed some birds and then have breakfast somewhere else. I swear I won’t eat the seeds this time"

She chuckled, rolling her eyes when he smiled back. Then she looked down at the rolled pants and her bare legs.

“Is it cold?”

“I don’t think so, but you can borrow my jacket”

MC sighed and rubbed her eyes, waiting until the white spots disappeared before walking towards her closet. She wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again, she knew that.

“Let me change and then we’re going. But you owe me one, Beel!”

His smile was too wide for him to answer.

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Breakfast with Beel ended up lasting three whole hours, which was understandable, and they spent the whole time talking about nothing and almost everything, both of them clearly avoiding the subject of her sleeping habits.

MC really did want to talk about it, but then again, what did she want to talk about exactly? She had trouble falling asleep, yes, and she’d gone back to eating her feelings, but she couldn’t point out the reason. Her nights were filled with paranoia, making her revaluate every piece of interaction she’d had since she got back home from the Devildom months ago. Did she spoke correctly? Did people understand that she was just studying abroad and not begging for attention?

She hoped her best friend dropped those accusations. MC would never stoop so low. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes.

“Don’t you want anything else?”

MC looked at Beel and the stack of plates surrounding him at the table, mugs and cardboard boxes stained with chocolate, whipped cream and frosting. Her side of the booth was much cleaner, but when she lowered her gaze the only thing she could think of were mugcakes and pasta and the taste of bile in her mouth at the sight of her bloated stomach.

“No, I’m fine”

She knew he loved her. She knew she could talk to him and he would listen and maybe even hold her hand, but the small restaurant was already filled with demons and witches and whatnot and MC knew she’d only be able to sob the moment she’d open her mouth, so she stayed quiet.

Beel nodded, going back to his food with a strange calmness. Maybe he was close to being full?

But no, it wasn’t that.

MC gasped when she felt his foot weakly tapping hers before going under it to support its weight. A small comfort, like the prelude of a long awaited hug.

He didn’t know how much she appreciated it.

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Winter had already reached the Devildom the day MC opened her closet and stared at her clothes. No matter what she chose, everything was at least a size bigger.

She guessed finally going to the gym with Beel did have some payoff.

“Is something wrong, MC?”

Asmo turned the lights of her bathroom off, walking where she was silently standing while staring at the discarded clothes around her.

“You don’t feel like dressing up today? We can stay home and do some self-care if you want”

MC turned around to look at him with gratitude. She knew how much he wanted to go shopping, especially with her. Finals ended just the day before and everyone had been so occupied they’d barely seen each other outside classes and meal times.

“Don’t worry, it’s not that. It’s just that… everything feels wrong. I think I lost weight”

He chuckled at her revelation, hugging her waist and kissing her cheek between giggles.

“You’re taking care of yourself, silly! Whatever are you doing with Beel in the gym, I wonder…?”

She laughed and lightly hit his arm, showing no ill intent, and Asmo smiled in response, not bothering to hide his lewd expression.

“Don’t be nasty!”

 “Oh, I’m just joking! But you know what this means, right? We get to renew your whole closet!”

MC turned around again, perfectly knowing that she could either spent her monthly allowance on clothes or start thinking on how she could rock the oversize streetwear style.

She sighed, trying to hide her smile with no success before speaking again. Asmo’s eyes were stuck on her.

“Very well, then” she wasn’t finish talking yet when the demon clapped his hands and jumped in excitement “I’ll trust your criteria”

He gasped and hit her arm in return.

“As you should!”

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“So… how do I look?”

Mammon whistled, clapping and signalling her to turn around in response. Once she did a little twirl, he clapped even harder, not stopping even when she blushed in embarrassment and ran towards him to stop his overly excited appreciation.

“You look mighty fine, MC!”

“Stop!”

“Has anyone ever told you how hot you look?”

“Stop!!”

They were both laughing, her chasing him all around his room with burning cheeks and a gigantic smile.

The shopping bags waited patiently at the door, half of them already empty with a pile of clothes folded on the couch. Mammon had insisted on a private catwalk the moment he learnt she’d gone shopping with Asmo, his offense completely gone barely half an hour after starting the show in his room.

Every time she changed in his opened closet he’d cover his eyes with his hands and every time she came out with a new outfit he’d scream praises like a madman.

MC wasn’t used to this level of compliments and he sure was making it hard to stay calm.

“C’mon, go change again!”

“You’re acting insane right now, Mams”

She was smiling like crazy and her cheeks were hurting, but she didn’t want it to stop. When was the last time someone had been this hyped over her looking pretty? She couldn’t remember.

Then her phone rang.

MC stopped smiling when she saw the name on the screen.

She thought about answering and spoiling a nice evening because of a sour one-sided conversation. Was it worth it? Sure her friend could wait a couple more hours, right? She’d survived without MC the whole year she spent at the Devildom uncommunicated, after all.

“Is it The Unnameable?”

MC stared at her phone for one more second before turning around to look at Mammon, who was kneeling on the couch with his arms crossed over the backrest, eyes peeking with curiosity and another feeling she couldn’t identify.

“The Unname… Robdemor??”

He nodded, blushing and looking away.

“Yeah. You know, like, her name brings bad luck or some shit”

“She doesn’t bring bad luck”

MC didn’t sound as convincing as she wanted to and Mammon’s incredulity proved her point.

“Don’t be stupid, MC”

The pot calling the kettle back, she wanted to say, but no words came to her mouth. She was being stupid, wasn’t she? Everyone at the house already knew what to expect whenever her phone ringed or vibrated and they always did their best to distract her so she could leave the damn thing behind. She suspected Belphie even turned it off at one point.

Staring at her feet, trying to voice her feelings, MC talked again.  

“She just… needs me sometimes”

“Sometimes??”

Mammon got up, going around the couch to reach her. He looked flabbergasted, eyes opened wide and a myriad of words stuck in his throat.

The phone stopped ringing, but soon a flood of messages interrupted the silence to call for her attention instead. When she looked back at Mammon, he had frustration in his eyes.

She decided then she couldn’t bear to see him like this, so serious and reasonable. Was it too late to go back to chasing each other, laughing while trying new clothes? She’d been capable of keeping her feelings to herself since she could remember, but Mammon wouldn’t let her do that and she feared the moment the rest of the brothers decided enough was enough too.

God, she needed to talk, but not right now. Talking would make it real and she still wasn’t strong enough for the whole situation to be real.

In a matter of seconds her eyes were watering and she felt as if her throat had thorns stuck in her flesh, but before she could do anything about it there were arms wrapping around her. MC wasted no time hugging Mammon back, trying her hardest not to spoil any tears. The tags in the back of her new shirt poked her skin, making her squirm and get even closer to Mammon’s body.

He was rocking her side to side while petting her hair and there was no doubt he’d deny the whole ordeal happening afterwards, but she let herself enjoy the feeling anyways. It was nice being taken care of.

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It was the first time MC had gone to bed so early since before college. Her eyelids felt heavy and the bed was soft and comfortable, at least three blankets shielding her from the cold outside that froze her window and sunk her room in darkness.

But she couldn’t stop staring at her phone.

She’d turned the vibration off days ago, but that didn’t stop the notifications from showing up on the lock screen and, although she could also take care of that, MC still wanted to be able to read the messages without needing to open the app.

Her best friend talked about everything, good or bad. Mostly bad. How she thought her boyfriend was cheating on her, even when she was the one cheating on him, how much she was eating because there was no one to stop her, how tired she was to even clean her cat’s litter box. She’d say if MC were there everything would be so much better, she wouldn’t feel so lonely.

She didn’t ask about MC once.

“You’re thinking so hard it’s giving me a headache”

MC’s body violently jerked at Belphie’s voice.

He’d entered the room in silence, closing the door and approaching her bed without making any noise. Seeing her freaking out made him snicker, but he was too tired to fully laugh and simply laid down next to her.

“Jesus, Belphie”

“No, just me”

“Ha ha ha”

Her sarcasm didn’t affect him in the slightest. MC watched as he closed his eyes and offered his hand to held hers in a firm grasp, probably not wanting to let her go during the night.

“Turn that damn thing off” he growled against the pillow when a new message showed up.

“I’ve seen you sleep on the ground before; you can’t complain about some light”

“Watch me”

She thought he was just joking, challenging her like a small child would, but Belphie managed to surprise her when he rolled over her body, grabbed the phone and threw it to the other side of the room.

“Belphie!”

He shushed, sealing her lips under his hand before hugging her body with all four limbs, trapping her under the covers.

MC could’ve complained and hit him until he let her go to retrieve the phone, but that would’ve meant pissing him off and staring at the screen for another hour or until her friend decided it was time to show some interest in MC’s life.

…

Whoa.

…

So that’s what it was.

That simple, uh?

MC waited for something to happen at her epiphany. Nausea, panic, heavy breathing. Instead, she felt an overpowering sense of relief. Her heartbeat evened and the frown she didn’t know she had in her forehead disappeared.

No headache, no memories. For once, no nothing.

“You’re not dying, aren’t you?”

Belphie’s head rose, looking at her with suspicion, but her eyes were stuck in the ceiling.

“Why? Would you feel guilty?

He stood over her then, pouting and frowning, and MC had to stop herself from laughing.

“Okay, you know what? I already said I was sorry. You can’t hold that against me for the rest of your life”

“I will as long as I can get something out of it”

“You’re evil”

“Said the demon”

His head fell face first on the pillow with a thud and if she didn’t know him any better, she’d be worried about him suffocating to death during the night.

“Why did you ask that, tho?” MC finally talked.

“Your heart stopped for a second” he shrugged and mumbled, his hold on her hand stronger than before.

“Oh… Well… Don’t worry. I’m okay”

“Are you sure?”

No, not really, but she didn’t want to talk about it in that moment. Maybe another time, when her speech wasn’t slurred due to sleep and she could organize her thoughts with a clear mind.

She hummed as an answer before speaking one last time.

“Goodnight, Belphie”

“Sweet dreams, MC”

He’d make sure of that.

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MC had been quiet for a while. Not out of sadness nor ire, but something much more private. Something that left her pensive and still, staring into nothing with a serious expression. She laughed and talked with the brothers and, from what he heard, she enjoyed going to the gym with Beel, but Lucifer knew there was another factor escaping his reach.

Whatever it was, it changed MC for the better, so he was happy.

Even when the strangest ideas crossed her mind.

“I think I’m going to cut my hair”

He looked at her, clicking his tongue in disapproval when he saw her sitting sideways in one of the chairs with her feet resting in the other. She had a book resting in her lap. How long had she been looking at him and not reading?

“May I ask why?”

“I need a change”

Lucifer stared, taking his glasses off before crossing his arms over the document he was previously reading. MC got up and walked, zigzagging her way towards his desk as if she was drunk, but she looked as hopeful as ever.

“Did something happen?”

She nodded, ignoring his question right after.

“One of these days I’m just gonna… grab a glass of wine, go to the bathroom and bam! Haircut”

He raised an eyebrow, trying to hide a smile at her words. He hadn’t seen her so playful in months and the sudden change felt like a breath of fresh air.

“Do you even like wine, MC?”

“That’s not the point”

“And you shouldn’t use scissors while drunk, especially near your head” he ignored her “If it’s money you’re worried about, I can pay for a good hairdresser”

She laughed and shook her head, partially sitting on the desk. They stayed silent for a few seconds and Lucifer let himself observe her, how she bit her bottom lip deep in thought and how her fingers intertwined with a certain force. She was probably hurting herself at that point.

“I just really need a change”

He could tell there was more she wanted to say, but that seemed to be enough for the moment. The silence afterwards felt full with comfort.

“That’s fine”

MC nodded and sent him a small smile before going back to the chair, this time sitting with her knees stuck to her chest, but before he could put his glasses on to continue his work, she spoke again.

“Here’s what we’re going to do: I cut my hair in the bathroom and then you take me to the hairdresser to style it. Sounds good?”

“Are you going to drink while using the scissors?”

“I’m not a child, Lucifer”

“Might as well”

“Hey!”

“Just joking” he laughed, but MC could tell there was some seriousness behind his smile.

“I drink wine, I cut my hair and you check I don’t stab myself on accident, how about that?”

Lucifer pondered about it, envisioning himself behind her and watching over her reflection in the mirror, a bottle of wine in the countertop and another of Demonus waiting for them in the music room. She’d be the one to clean the aftermath, that bit was obvious, but something told him she wouldn’t really care about that.

The more he thought about it, the less strength he had to fight it. She could’ve asked Asmodeus or Mammon, but she asked him. MC wanted him to be with her during her progress, as stupid as the method was.

“Sounds like a plan to me, MC”

Her smile at his words was worth millions.

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It wasn’t until several hours had passed that MC wondered if Levi invited her to his room with a hidden motive in mind.

The anime came out less than a day ago and she’d never even seen an ad about it, but he’d thoroughly claimed it was made for her.

And she could see why he would say that, honestly.

Sure, no ancient dying star granted her any mystical powers that allowed her to soar the skies or wear an alarmingly short sparkly dress; and she didn’t have an animal sidekick or a romantic interest that only appeared at night for some reason. She didn’t have an arch nemesis either, but she did have the closest thing.

MC was the selfish one, apparently, because how could she? How could MC have the audacity to ignore her best friend’s messages in her desperate times of need? Her boyfriend broke up with her because he discovered the cheating and no one was there to remind her of feeding the cat, neither to monitor her diet nor to fix the consequences of her bad decisions. She was in the lowest point of her life and MC dared to lose weight and spend time with her new friends? Outrageous!

MC unlocked her phone and stared in silence at the new text and voice messages, as well as some missed calls.

You disappoint me, MC.

After all I did for you?

I’ll die and it’ll be your fault.

I’ll die and I’ll make sure you’re the one to discover my body.

You’ll never be able to forget about me then.

You’re disgusting.

MC stared at the screen, not knowing if she should laugh or cry about it. In the end she chuckled and forced down the sting in her throat.

The TV in front of her suddenly turned into a kaleidoscope and she squinted as the heroine jumped from platform to platform, blasting her wand and singing spells. If she understood correctly, the cheery character was fighting her way through the first big boss of the season, her friends close behind her.

She could feel Levi’s eyes on her, no doubt studying her reactions to see if she liked the anime as much as he did.

“Hey, Henry!”

MC turned to look at him and smiled brightly at his rosy cheeks. She expected him to explain some hidden lore or the meaning behind the soundtrack, but he surprised her with his next words.

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t told you yet, but your hair looks so cool!”

“Oh!” she widely opened her eyes in appreciation, showing her teeth in a beaming smile right after “Thanks, Levi!”

“You look… eh… upgraded. Well, no, not upgraded. Erm…” he avoided her gaze for the next few seconds before pausing the anime, letting the room go back to silence. MC kept quiet, trying not to laugh at his awkwardness so he wouldn’t misunderstand the situation.

“You look really pretty, MC. Even better than her”

Levi nodded at the TV and MC stared at the heroine, the pause conveniently showing her winning pose. Big sparkly eyes winking at her and a knowing smile occupying half of her face, as if she was approving Levi’s affirmation.

MC felt the need to cry right then and there, but she held it in.

Her phone lighted up one last time before she grabbed it and turned it off in anger. She had a couple of seconds before the screen permanently went back to black, letting her read the last message.

Who do you think you are? How could you do this to me?

MC seethed. She knew who she was, even if she was still learning. Her hands itched and she forced herself not to throw the phone on the ground with all her strength. She still needed it to talk to other friends and relatives, after all.

After an entire minute filled with tense silence, MC spoke, suddenly meek and shy.

 “Hey Lev…”

“MC?”

He was staring her with caring eyes, unsure of what to do or what to say.

Fortunately, for the first time in a long while, MC knew what she needed to do. For herself and no one else.

“Would you help me change my phone number?”

She could write down the numbers of those she cared about the most and send a message asking them not to share hers without her permission.

Take care of her arch nemesis without destroying the entire world. Accept the help of people who showed joy at her improvement. Buy new clothes, change her style, cut her hair.

God, walking without that heavy weight on her shoulders would be difficult and painful, but she’d rather die before letting her ex best friend destroy her will and power one last time.

She laughed with a choke and Levi gasped her name.

She was crying.

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@ourfinalisation

#obey me #obey me! shall we date? #om! shall we date #om! swd #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me asmodeus #obey me beel #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphie #obey me belphegor #obey me writing #obey me x reader #obey me x female reader #obey me hurt/comfort #obey me angst #obey me fluff

[scottishmushroom]

Bildad the Shuhite - Cobbler, Obstetrician, and Liar.

Bildaddy does more than craft footwear and assist birthing people. He’s also a weaver of untruths. Let’s explore them, shall we?

#1:

Of course as the audience, we know from watching Crowley throughout the last 6,000 years there’s some shame and self loathing when it comes to his identity as a demon. He is a fallen angel, therefore a demon unworthy of forgiveness. So to hear him phrase this as he does, comes off to me a little bitter. On the exterior his delivery may be one of stating a fact (he is technically a demon), but his inner conflict of being cast from Heaven but still wishing good in the world is a painful reminder of his loneliness.

But a step further, we also know as the audience that he is in fact lying to Aziraphale (and Hell) in this scene. Not about having permission to destroy everything Job owns, we know that’s true. But when he turns around and blows up the goats and sarcastically quips, “Seems legit to meeee” he is in fact lying. The goats are fine, and it wasn’t legit at all.

#2:

Crowley sets Job’s house on fire, and Aziraphale, just short of clutching her pearls says, “But… you said you wouldn’t.” This is followed by the very first time we hear Crowley say “I’m a demon. I lied.” We then get a very scrumptiously assertive Aziraphale standing his ground and insisting the children are safe, and Crowley is not going to harm them. Crowley is being challenged here by an angel, again. An angel. They’ve had limited encounters up to this point since his fall, and here he is being forced by the opposition to question where he truly stands. By backing down and saving the children, he’s not just going against Hell’s orders but also appeasing an angel. Crowley really cares what Aziraphale thinks of him. I’ve already written a meta that talks about this that you can find here: https://www.tumblr.com/scottishmushroom/730259715377020928/gif-credit-dancingcrowley-i-think-by-now-we-can

#3:

This one is like a stab to the heart. He says it so gently, so soft. On one hand, there’s that shame again. Regret and sadness at his identity as a demon, the inability to embrace who he is. The other aspect of it is about protecting Aziraphale. During the cellar scene, if you’re not too distracted with the sight of Aziraphale going absolutely rabid on that ox, Crowley denies that it is lonely going along with Hell as far as he can. By then, he is well aware that Aziraphale and him have that in common when it comes to their respective home offices. He doubts Hell’s decisions, and knows Aziraphale doubts Heaven’s/God’s. But he recognizes that Aziraphale is going to have a much more difficult time with coping with this realization. He lied about it not being lonely to protect him. To soften the blow he knew was eventually coming. To gently ease him into this new reality.

His soft delivery of “I’m a demon. I lied” here is a kindness. This is the true beginning of them on this path together of figuring out how to do their jobs even when it conflicts with their personal beliefs/morals. And also the beginning of neither one of them truly being alone. They may not recognize it just yet, but they have each other now. A group of the two of them.

My favorite thing about Crowley as a liar is when he does lie, it’s either a redirection to hide the truth (that he’s actually doing GOOD instead of evil), or to protect Aziraphale. Which makes it all the more heartbreaking that he always pairs his identity as a liar to his identity as a demon. True demons that lie, do so to cause harm. He lies to protect. He’s not a true demon. Just an angel that sauntered vaguely downwards.

#good omens #good omens 2 #aziraphale #crowley #aziraphale x crowley #aziracrow #aziraphale good omens #go2 #ineffable husbands #crowley good omens #ineffable idiots #bildaddy #bildad the shuhite #good omens meta #good omens bildad

[pumpkinbxtch]

“la gata bajo la lluvia” blurb

—leo valdez x mortal!reader

summary: you met leo by chance, you didn't think he would get into your bones that way but you knew it couldn't last.

warnings: sexual insinuations, language, angst.

a/n: ok, i hope you can forgive me bc i was kind of laughing while wrote this for my mexican ass just showing off. this took me just the morning after i listened this song.

“mi suerte ya estaba echada, ya lo sé...”

(my fate was already sealed, I know it... )

Demigods used to have something in common with their divine parents; children often forget that there's a current reality out there and tend to abandon it because their lives depend on something else all too often. One of those many things can be people.

Leo never meant to hurt you, but the mark on your heart had already been made.

“lo nuestro solo fué casualidad... ”

(ours was just a coincidence...)

You remember when he came in totally soaked from the rain outside, the bell tinkled, and he ran towards you. You thought the worst, that he was crazy, drunk, or that you were sitting in his favorite spot in that diner. But he stopped, his mouth slightly open, giving you the impression that he wanted something.

"He's handsome, I wish he wanted me," you thought instead.

— The sauce, pass it to me — he said, pointing to the Tabasco sauce bottle. "Wow, a Tabasco sauce thief," you thought. You looked at him more closely, noticing his greasy shirt, a multitool belt that seemed to be empty. "He must have had a rough day," you assumed, and rolled the bottle towards him. You wouldn't give trouble to a guy with that appearance, no matter how handsome he seemed to you.

He caught it right at the edge of your table.

— I owe you one — he said, and ran off. "Things that happen," you said to yourself, thinking you wouldn't see him again.

“La misma hora, el mismo boulevard”

(Same time, same boulevard...)

You loved the fries there; they were great, nothing better than enjoying them after work. The weather was still terrible. And the bell announced a new customer. As you were eating a piece of steak, you denied in your thoughts, "who goes out to eat with this rain?"

— hey — you raised your gaze and struggled not to choke on your food. The guy from last time! Soaked by the rain like last time, but his shirt was clean and his curls tangled by the moisture. "He's handsome," you thought again.

You lost track of how much time you spent talking and flirting with each other. Leo was funny, intelligent, and stupidly handsome. "God, I have to stop thinking about this or I don't know what I'll do."

What you ended up doing was finishing with him in a bathroom stall at the diner; it was already night, and the place was very sparsely populated. The moans echoed, and the small taps against metal reverberated as you twisted against each other's touch. Leo had his fingers roaming under your shirt while kissing your neck effusively, leaving a trail of wet kisses and nibbles that would have to be covered with makeup. He pressed you against the stall, and your hands desperately sought something better to do than clenching every time he kissed a perfect spot, which was difficult because he had been at it for half an hour. Your fingertips played with the buckle of his belt, and you felt the smile he formed against your lips.

— So that's where we were heading— he murmured in your ear with a raspy voice; a kiss on the collarbone made you tighten your grip on the metal piece.

That time it was in that place; the other times were in your apartment. The hours passed with you entwined with each other, giving each other the warmth that the weather outside couldn't provide while Leo whispered sweet things to you. You prayed it would never end, but you knew it wasn't possible; "how it begins, it ends," you thought.

You walked on the wet street. You covered your damp hair from the air to avoid catching a cold with the hood of your hoodie. Your hands brushed during the walk, and you tried to hook your pinky with his, you succeeded but Leo didn't make any gesture that pleased you, no other than the usual one. That uncomfortable smile with tired eyes.

That night would end, you knew it.

He wouldn't explain why, you knew it.

You wouldn't see him again, and you knew it.

Shit, you knew it.

“Tú te vas y yo me quedo aquí...”

(you leave and i stay here)

You let go of his finger; he didn't try to stop it.

Stopped walking, and he leaned in to give you a kiss.

— see you — he murmured before pressing his lips on yours as he had done hundreds of times before.

You nodded and gave him another small kiss. You heard that phrase for a whole month, but tonight seemed different.

He walked away, leaving you there, and you never dared to ask why he always headed towards the same rooftop of an abandoned house with the Tabasco sauce bottle in his hand. He held onto that sauce tighter than he ever held you to keep you from leaving or to stay a little longer. Before he entered that house, you turned around and walked straight home.

The drops falling from your wet hair mingled with the drizzle that started, and then those drops of water mixed with your tears.

“lloverá y ya no seré tuya, seré la gata bajo la lluvia...”

(It will rain, and I won't be yours anymore, I'll be the cat in the rain...)

#leo valdez #leo valdez x reader #leo valdez x you #leo valdez x y/n #pjo hoo toa #heroes of olympus #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians

[vioartemis]

Admiring from afar

(Tara Carpenter x fem! reader)

Summary: Just me trying a new concept, you'll have to read to know what it is 👀 a/n: I'm not dead, just had a strong writers block (which is still here), here's a little thing :)) Warnings: light angst (?) (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

You were not supposed to meet, not supposed to ever talk to each other, let alone falling in love with each other. But here you were, seeing each other in secret, deeply in love.

You knew it was wrong. You knew you shouldn't feel that way, that it wasn't 'normal'. That's what everyone would say if they knew.

But you couldn't help it; she was so perfect.

Before meeting her, you had seen her a few times with her sister and her friends, and were already simping for her. She was so pretty, with her cute freckles and her big brown eyes...

You wanted to meet her, get to know her, give her a hug, knowing what she went through. You were tired of admiring from afar.

For a long time, you thought it wasn't possible; the barrier between you was too difficult to bypass.

Until one day you found something. Something that might work.

You were determined to try and succeed.

The first times you tried, you failed miserably. Something always ruined everything. After a couple of fail, you started to think you would never be able to actually meet her.

You decided to try one more time, just one more.

And this time, it worked. You were so nervous when her gaze met yours. And also a bit confused.

But the moment was magical. Like a dream.

You were getting along so well; way better than what you imagined. You had a lot in common, the same humor, and felt really comfortable with each other.

You both agreed you needed to meet again, as often as possible; You were already addicted to each other.

It had been months since you met now, or at least that's what it felt like. You couldn't wait for the night to come so you could see her again. She had become your world, your light.

You wished you could tell your friends and family about her; about how happy she made you. But they wouldn't understand. None of them would.

As soon as you saw her, she was running into your arms, before her soft lips met yours.

"I missed you so much..." she whispered once she had pulled away

"I missed you too... I'm sorry I couldn't make it last night..."

She shook her head at your apology.

"It's okay, don't apologize. We have plenty of time now"

She took your hand with one of these smiles that made you melt, and pulled you towards a blanket on the floor.

"I thought a picnic would be romantic... What do you think?"

"I love it, Tara. Thank you"

You didn't really know if you thanked her for the picnic, or just for being here, with you, and for all that she did for you.

After a while of eating, cuddling, and enjoying each other's company, you said:

"I want to stay here forever, with you..."

"Me too, Y/n... me too... But we both know we can't..."

"I know, I... I'm just... ... What if you find someone else...? Someone with who you can be all the time, someone that you wouldn't be forced to keep a secret, someone-"

"Hey hey...! Stop, please. I don't want anyone else, okay?"

"... what about Chad?"

She frowned, confused by your question.

"Chad? I don't care about him, you know it baby..."

You don't say anything to that, not sure you should tell her.

"Y/n, are you saying that Chad and I...?"

You looked away and nodded slightly, your stomach twisting at the thought.

She grabbed your face and made you look at her.

"It won't happen. Not after meeting you. You're the only one for me, I couldn't dream of someone better. You're perfect, you understand me, I understand you... We're meant to be, Y/n... I'm convinced we are"

"Even if we're from different worlds...?"

She nodded.

"Even if we are from different worlds"

She pulled you in for a soft, yet passionate kiss, whispering sweet nothings to you after pulling away.

Both of your watches suddenly rang, letting you know it's time to say goodbye.

"I don't want to go back, Tara..."

"Me neither, but we have to..."

She kissed you one more time.

"If you miss me, you know what to do... I'll do it too, because I always miss you" she chuckled slightly, trying to lighten up your mood

You cracked a little smile at her comment.

"I love you" you whispered in her ear as you hugged her, closing your eyes

"I love you too"

When you opened your eyes, your room was lightened by some sunrays filtering through your curtains.

You stayed still for a few minutes, laying in your bed, reviewing your meeting with Tara in your head. You couldn't hold back a few tears that rolled down your cheeks.

You already missed her...

You sat up on your bed and lifted your pillow to grab the sheet of paper hidden under it. You looked at it, reading the few lines written on it, before putting it in the drawer of your bedside table.

You would need it tonight too.

You took a moment to think about everything, about how you met Tara in the first place, especially.

The excitement when you saw her, the confusion as you noticed you were not where you were supposed to be, the shock as you understood what happened...

It did not go as you expected, that's for sure.

I mean... How could you have imagined that she would shift for you too?

#scream #scream 6 #tara carpenter #tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter x fem reader

[marymary-diva17]

The outcast twins (6)

loak, sister reader and Jake + others

Uturu had been given to the sully family and company, after the long travel they took to get to the reef clans. Even due they had been accepted by other clan, that happiness had been added to their difficult lives but that still didn't beat the pain most of them had been feeling. Now it was time to adapted to the new home and lifestyle that had been given to them, they can still hold dear to what they know it was time to move on a bit.

Jake " thank you for the breakfast honey"

lo'ak " yes it was wonderful sis"

y/n " thank you o thought a good meal will do us well when we are here"

Jake " you are right ... okay kids are we going to have this talk I'm going to need you all to do your best, when we are living her pull the weight you can" the twins had nodded their heads to Jake words he soon signed with relief.

Jake " today we started the journey of getting use to our new home, and I know you kids will do well here"

twins " thanks dad"

Jake " good now let eat this wonderful meal your sister has made for us" the kids had ate the breakfast and soon helped clean up the mess and make their beds as well.

???? " do you think they are awake and had breakfast it will be rude, if we interrupt them"

???? " well maybe we should ask them"

????? " I don't know they are new here and I don't wish to rush them into anything"

????? " fine I will go hello" you had stepped into the common area and soon saw, tonowari kids staring there.

tsireya " good morning we came to get you and your brother for the lessons"

y/n " oh yes good morning lo'ak tsireya and her brothers are here"

lo'ak " hey"

tsireya " hello it good to see you all after yesterday if we are fine we can start our lessons now"

y/n " yes we are good dad we are going to our lesson"

Jake " hello children"

kids " hello toruk makto"

Jake " you can call me Jake sully or Jake I don't need that title right now"

tsireya " yes we will remember that"

tonowari " hello my children"

sayoa " hello baba we came to get the twins for their lessons with us"

tonowari " good I came here to collect Jake sully for his lessons, and to speak more about these humans"

Jake " yes sir"

lo'ak " bye dad we will see you later"

Jake " good have a good time children" the twins soon walked off with the four teens heading towards the water, they soon reached a dock.

tsireya " come on lets go for a swim" the four teens had dove into the water leaving the twins up there, as you and lo'ak looked at each other.

lo'ak " come on let have some fun sis don't be a chicken" lo'ak soon dove into the water not before yelling, you stood there shaking your head.

y/n "hahah" you soon giggled and dove into the water after the others, when you open your eyes you saw the beauty of all the sea creatures and everything else. You soon felt someone tap your shoulder you had turned around and saw, it was sayoa he waved you over and pointed to the rest of group.

y/n " ......." you had been swimming with the group looking at everything, but soon it become hard to breathe and the twins are running out of oxygen.

lo'ak " ......" lo'ak and pointed up to the surface and the twins soon swam to the surface.

aonung " what wrong with them cant they swim"

rotxo " I don't know maybe they need a break"

sayoa " be nice brother they are still getting use to everything"

tsireya " yes be nice they don't need us pressure them into anything" the twins had looked down to see tsireya waving towards them, the twins had soon swam a bit more but had struggled with breathing again. This time they had been followed to the surface by the four teens.

tsireya " is everything okay"

lo'ak " we are having a hard time keeping up"

y/n " we also don't understand what you are saying"

sayoa " oh"

rotxo " we didn't know but you two are doing well"

y/n " thank you"

aonung " in time you two will get the way right"

tsireya " don't worry we can teach you two"

lo'ak " thank you"

aonung " now come on lets try something else" the group had soon moved on from swimming and soon, went towards a different place.

aonung " these are IIu if you are going to live here you have to learn to ride"

y/n " oh okay"

sayoa " here I can help you over here"

y/n " thank you" you had swam towards Sayoa as some IIu were swimming around, one had came to you making you smile and giggle.

sayoa " she seems to like you already"

y/n " well I like her as well" after some while of getting use to the new creatures, the twins had been given the chance to ride on the IIus.

aonung" this will be fun to watch" aonung had invited some of his friends over to watched the whole situation.

rotxo " brother be nice"

sayoa " yes you wouldn't lie father and mother to hear out, what you have been saying and doing"

y/n " it okay it not our forts time in these time of situation"

lo'ak " so should I go first or you"

y/n " last time we got a creature to bond with you had went first, I can do it"

lo'ak " okay I believe in you" you had nodded your head as you soon grabbed hold of the Iiu saddle, and calmed down as you are getting ready to either do well or fail.

y/n " come on girl lets show them what we can do I trust you" the IIu soon dove underwater with you and started moving through the water, and you are doing good taking the lesson well. Everyone was looking and you had waved towards them, as the IIu soon went to the surface.

lo'ak " heck yeah that my sister sully rule"

y/n " thank you"

tsireya " that was amazing y/n you have done an amazing job"

y/n " thank you"

lo'ak " so what do you have to say now aonung"

aonung " that was good for a girl from the forest"

sayoa " you did well y/n don't pay my brother any attention"

rotxo " yes you did well for someone who just started out, it seems like you have a talent"

y/n " thank you"

sayoa " well lo'ak it your turn now"

lo'ak " well lets get this on with" Lo'ak and his IIu are doing well and seem to be moving faster then you and your iIu, doing some tricks underwater as well. He soon came back to the surface as he looked at the group.

aonung " wow that was good"

lo'ak " that dude but we are still not that good you all can do, more then me and my sister"

aonung " yeah that is true we are amazing" the group started laughing as aonung and his buddies acted all high, and mighty at the moment.

tsireya " I think it will be good to get you all some new clothes, that represent the clan and it will be good as well"

lo'ak " sure sis"

y/n " I love a makeover and hey we can still keep these clothes as well"

tsireya " good now come with us" the four teen had taken the twins seamstress and tailors of the clan"

seamstress " umm what will be perfect for the young lady ... yes these will be perfect for you"

y/n " umm thank you"

Tsireya " these are the ones you will wear on daily basis while, the other are for ceremonial purposes"

y/n " oh okay thank you once again" the seam trees had nodded her head, you had went home with tsireya as you changed your clothes.

y/n " how do I look"

tsireya " you look beautiful y/n"

y/n " thank you"

lo'ak " I think the girls are here at the house ... wow sis you look amazing"

y/n " thank you"

sayoa " yes you look amazing dont you agree brothers"

rotxo and aonung " yes"

y/n " thank you all now brother why don't you get changed" lo'ak ahd walked into his room and soon changed his clothes and came out, t show everyone.

y/n " wow nice look brother you look like a brand new navi"

tsireya " yes the clothes look good on you lo'ak you and your sister are looking more metekayain now"

sayoa " yes I have to agree with my sister"

rotxo and aonung " us as well"

tsireya " hey it seems like we can end lessons for today"

y/n " oh cool will you guys like to stay here for a bit"

tsireya " sure maybe you can tell us about these things in your home and, what your life was like in the forest if you wish to ask"

lo'ak " that sounds like a fair deal lets do that"

y/n " we can tell you whatever questions you have for us" the four teens had sat down on the mats on the home with the twins, as they started telling them some of the Information about the stuff around here.

aonung " wait so your parents had disowned you two and other kids named spider, along with the other adults"

lo'ak " yes what our father said was true"

rotxo " how can someone disown their kids and mates like it nothing"

y/n " it seems like some of the clan didn't like the idea our grandmother hated the idea but she tshaik, and she couldn't up and leave the clan like that"

tsireya " that so sad just because you two are different"

lo'ak " ot okay it might sound sad to hear this but we became use to their behavior toward us"

sayoa " shame on them all for how they treat you it not fair"

tsireya " sayoa"

sayoa " I'm sorry but the great mother will not like this she didn't, teach her children to act like this"

y/n " it okay sayoa sayoa had nodded his head it seems like the four teens didn't like what had happen to the sully family and their friends.

tsireya " well I hope the ocean and reef are able to help your family and clan heal, for what has happened and come to new beginning"

y/n " thank you"

rotxo " I hope we can meet this spider he sounds very amazing and so do you siblings"

y/n " yes they are all amazing but I hope one day to see our siblings again"

sayoa " I hope you get to see them again"

????? " you have done well Jake sully today I enjoyed speaking with your friends"

Jake " thank you"

tonowari " oh kids you are all here"

Jake " hey kids"

the kids " hello"

tonowari " how was lessons today kids"

tsireya " good baba the twins had been able to learn very well"

Jake " that what I love to hear"

tonowari " yes you children seem to be doing well like you"

sayoa " yes and after a while tsireya suggested given them so new clothes to fit in"

lo'ak " we even got some of you dad as well"

Jake " thanks kid"

tonowari " it seems like you and your family are adapting well ... come on kdis your mother will be getting dinner stared and will love to here, how everything had gone"

kids " yes sir"

tsireya " goodbye lo'ak and y/n"

twins " bye"

sayoa " yes goodbye y/n and loa'k ... y/n you did good today"

y/n " thank you" tonowari and his kids had soon left leaving the family alone, you had soon turned around to see your father and brother looking at you smiling.

lo'ak " you did goof today y/n"

Jake " thank you" the seem to be teasing you as you stood there blushing bright red, of embarrassment.

y/n " enough come on let brainstorm dinner"

Jake " yes sweetie"

lo'ak " this is funny I can't wait to tell spider" you rolled your eyes at lo'ak and helped the family make dinner, for the evening and have a good family conversation. It seems like everyone had a good day getting a feel of their new home, they even had time to talk with everyone else as well. There had been some thoughts on calling everyone at home, but there was no one answering once again.

#avatar #atwow #avatar 2 #avatar x reader #avatar the way of water #avatar x y/n #sully family x reader #jake sully x daughter!reader #neytiri x daughter!reader #lo'ak x sister!reader #avatar way of water #kiri x sister!reader #tuk x sister!reader #neteyam x sister!reader #sully family #sully kids #sully siblings #sully reader #avatar 2009 #avatar 2022 #atwow fanfiction #atwow loak #atwow neteyam #avatar twow #james cameron avatar #atwow x reader #atwow x you #atwow x y/n #navi x reader #avatar x fem reader

[storiesbysoup]

Infatuated.

ramattra x human!reader. 1.6k word count. notes: the words "hunky ravager" are some of my favorite that I've ever written. MASTERLIST.

SYNOPSIS: Two omnics walk into a humans shop: one walks out with a new finger, the other walks with an infatuation with a human.

The war on omnics was one you wished would end much sooner than it was going to. Being human in this world was no longer simple -- that had lost it sense of safety many years ago. Anxiety and fear danced in every humans heart while outside their homes and the same for omnics.

Like many other children within the world, you had lost your parents to the war. You grew up with others around the area, not minding the fact that the concept of parents was one none of you truly understood. It was what happened when you grew up orphans -- you didn’t get the perk of parents.

It didn’t matter though -- you were now an adult, living on your own as a shopkeeper. Life was much more difficult than when you were young but you managed, opting to simply work as much as you could. It was stressful but you made a livable wage so you chose to not complain. 

You made it apparent through signs and somewhat hidden messages that you didn’t turn away any customer unless you had reason. Omnics, humans, and any other living creature was allowed in your shop as long as their was no malicious intent behind them. 

Today was just like any other day, you were cleaning up after the last customer had left. Spray bottle and rag in hand, you wiped down the counter one last time before walking up to the front door to flip the sign that said ‘OPEN!’ to it’s other side.

Before you could even grasp it, the door swung open. Two omnics stood before you, a smaller one leaning onto a larger one. You didn’t recognize the build of the smaller omnic, but the larger was one that remained in your mind since childhood. A Ravager, one of types built for war. 

You built your lip nervously, questioning of they were here to take you away. It wasn’t the first time omnics had come to try and take you away, but you digressed. “Can... I help you?” Cautious was the best way to play this since you didn’t know what their intentions were.

“Brother, are you sure we can trust one of them?”

The Ravager omnics emphasis made you frown. What hatred did he hold against you? All you were was a simple shopkeeper. 

“Believe me, brother. Some humans are better than others.” The smaller omnic -- was he supposed to be a monk? -- tilted his head to look at his ‘brother. You shrugged it off; their culture was different from yours. Perhaps that was normal for omnics.

“We have heard that you carry omnic parts -- I’m missing a piece of my finger, here.” 

The monk omnic used his other hands to point towards the missing finger on his other hand. Your brow curved at the missing metallic joint -- you were sure that you had extras laying around somewhere. A simple nod beckoned the two inside. A Ravager and a monk omnics inside a simple shop like yours could cause trouble for the duo. 

As you led them into the back, you questioned why they were here. Why did they come to your shop specifically rather than an actual omnic repair worker? A question that would forever haunt you as you continued to dig through small boxes.

“So... do you two have names or are you just known by your builds?” What you could guess to be a dark laugh came from the Ravager as he looked down to you. The monk omnic spoke up first, placing a hand on the Ravagers shoulder. “I am Zenyatta and this is Ramattra. He is simply cautious of humans, do not mind him.” 

Ramattra turned his head away sighing, wishing his brother would stop talking for a moment. You didn’t know if omnics could get embarrassed, or if they could blush, but you supposed that if they could Ramattra would be stark-red right about now. 

You turned, digging through a box of small omnic pieces. Zenyatta was missing a finger joint -- the tip of his finger, specifically. A common thing that would happen was this exact situation, minus the monk and Ravager. 

A giggle filled the silence between the three of you as you continued to dig through boxes. “So, do you just casually walk around like the world’s biggest robo-asshole or are you actually like a giant sweetheart?” Ramattra simply stared at you, supposedly glaring.

“Sorry, that was rude. You’re a big, hunky Ravager that could potentially rip me apart at any mom- fuck!”

You groaned, pulling your hand out of the box. Quickly spinning the box around you read the writing on the side of it:

OMNIC PARTS: FACIAL BITS

You could have sworn that you put the box of hands and finger pieces in this area of the shop, but you guessed not. With another groan, you glanced up to Ramattra. “Hey, hunky, can you come with me? I need to reach a box on the top shelf and it’s kinda heavy.”

Ramattra turned his head, looking down at you as he motion with one of his hands for you to lead the way. You wiped your hands on your pants as you walked to the proper back of the store. The sound of Ramattra’s heavy metal footsteps clunked behind you as the two of you walked to the back.

His head slowly glanced around as you lead him towards the heavy boxes. You swore you’d moved the box back into the main room but simply shrugged it off. With a soft grumble, you drug the ladder over and propped it up against the wall. Before you could even step foot on the ladder, Rammatra lifted up and grazed his fingers against he boxes. 

You hadn’t even realized that he was tall enough to reach the top shelf without any help. Awkwardly, you watched as he went through each boxes sloppily written on the sides. “Is it this one?” His low voice interrupted your thoughts as you nodded, your voice quiet compared to his. 

“Yeah, if you can just lower it I can grab one of the pieces.”

He hummed, taking the box down and leaning himself over so you could reach into it. A small smile trailed itself onto your face as you looked through the finger bits. With a soft gasp, you grabbed the closest copy of what Zenyatta’s other fingers appeared to be. 

Ramattra’s gaze seemed to be focused on you solely, which caused you minor anxiety but you pushed past it. It wasn’t until he spoke up that you even actually noticed. 

“Do you enjoy this? Working as a repairman for the beings your kind has grown hatred for throughout the last decade?”

“I like helping. Whether that’s omnics or humans -- I don’t care. I just like helping others get what they need.”

He watched you carefully, questioning if you were honest. It was unusual to him, humans being kind. Gut instinct told him you lying, that you were simply like other humans, but he knew: you were different.

His cold hand grazed on top of your warm human one; something you supposed was a sweet gesture of sorts from him. You took your other hand out, placing it on top of his with a soft smile.

Never in your life did you expect to be working with an omnic that despised humans, but here you were. The both of you were unsure of what was happening, but you quickly shook yourself out of it. He must have been getting uncomfortable, and you wouldn't blame him. A human was getting to see the less destructive side of him; he surely did not appreciate it.

"Welp!" You pulled your hands back, clasping them together with the finger between your palms. "Let's go get this attached to Zenyatta so you two don't have to hang around here much longer." He wanted to pull you back, to tell you that he'd rather stand here and just stare at you.

Meanwhile, you were already walking out of the storage and holding your hands out for Zenyatta. The monk put his hand in yours, allowing you to quietly reconnect the finger piece. A few moments later, you stood back with a grin. "All patched up!"

Zenyatta knew something was up with the both of you just by the way you two awkwardly stood near each other, but he chose to ignore it for the most part. He stood, nodding to Ramattra. "Thank you. I will most certainly be returning for any other missing pieces."

You laughed, waving him off with a warm look. "I'll be here! Now, you two better hurry out before night falls. This place gets weird." The two omnics glanced between each other, a silent conversation befalling them before Ramattra hummed.

"Be safe."

With that, the duo left your shop. You let out a soft breath as you cleaned up, officially closing the shop for the night. The storage room seemed a lot more interesting now, even with the omnic brothers gone.

Ramattra could not stop thinking of you since he left. Something about you made his mind focused on you. Zenyatta had kept the thought in his mind, watching Ramattra for a moment before speaking up.

"You seem to be interested in that human." "Quiet yourself with those lies." "I only speak the truth, brother."

Ramattra sighed, continuing to deny the fact that he was infatuated with you. He had to go back sometime -- you were the only thing on his mind at this point.

written by storiesbysoup© 2023. I do not condone anyone translating my works and/or stealing them.

#ramattra x reader #overwatch 2 #ow2 #ow2 x reader #ramattra #ow2 fanfic #ramattra fanfic

[lovepersevering13]

Now could you elaborate on Michael's autism

Alright it’s Michael’s turn!

I want to preface this part the same as before: I’m not a psychiatrist, this isn’t how autism is experienced by everyone and let me know if anything is incorrect :) oh also I’m a little bit more educated on how Autism is shown in girls so this one is a bit of a mess.

Ok so for Michael I kinda had to think for a bit about some like concrete evidence because I didn’t have anything annotated for him like Tori but I think I’ve come up with a pretty compelling argument (also I thought I’d let you know that as I was doing this I started to realise Michael may have ADHD but I don’t really go into that too much).

Firstly:

Alice Oseman herself supports this headcanon so…. Anhahahahajaja omg I can’t explain how happy this makes me! Anyway, let’s get into what I found in Solitaire!

1. Masking

- “Do you get angry a lot?” I say.

“I’m always angry,” he says.” Solitaire, Page 213

Ok we know Michael generally is a very upbeat, positive person on the outside but as we get to know him we learn he’s only barely happier than Tori. When I think about this covering up of his anger with overly positive emotions it is clear to that he is masking (Suppressing Autistic traits). Pessimism is a common m trait of Autism and the way I see it, Michael is overcompensating for this by acting super happy all the time to cover it up.

2. Deficit in social understanding

- “Do you remember when he tried to get everyone to do a flash mob for the Year 11 prank?” says Nick. “And in the end he just did it by himself on the lunch tables?” Nick Nelson, Solitaire, Page 39.

This quote when Nick and Charlie are talking about Michael shows and extreme lack of care about social consequences.

- “Michael Holden has swooped into the restaurant.” Solitaire, page 46

Ok so this quote and the entire scene on pages 46/47 where Michael shows up unannounced because he wants to ask Tori something displays extreme impulsivity and impulsivity is a common Autistic trait. He also didn’t care about the lack of social etiquette displayed by crashing a hangout he wasn’t invited to.

- “Michael is helping himself to our leftover starters” Solitaire, Page 48

Again, lack of social awareness because you aren’t really supposed to crash someone else’s dinner and just start eating their food.

- “He races inside and, without bothering to let me leave or shut the door, he lifts the toilet seat and starts to pee.” Solitaire, (I forgot the page)

LACK OF SOCIAL ETTIQUITE. DUDE.

- “He’s the strangest person I’ve ever met.” Solitaire, Page 62

- “I know Nick and I said he’s weird - and he is weird -“ Charlie Spring, Solitaire, Page 177

- “He looks sort of out of place everywhere.” Solitaire, (I lost the page)

People with Autism are often described as being “strange,” “weird,” or “peculiar,” because they are different from their peers which can make them stand out and struggle to fit in.

- “I, er, didn’t get on too well with the people there. Not the teachers, not the students…” Michael Holden, Solitaire, Page 148

Because of the fact that people with Autism struggle with social understanding it can be very difficult to make friends and get along with other people.

- “I’ve never been good enough,” he says. “I get so stressed out, I don’t make friends - God, I can’t make friends.” His eyes glaze over. “Sometimes I just wish I were a normal human being. But I can’t. I’m not. No matter how hard I try.” Michael Holden, Solitiare, Page 376

Yeah, this quote hurts my heart. So many people with Autism feel as though they don’t fit in and that they aren’t normal. When you don’t have a diagnosis it can be especially difficult because you don’t know why. You know there’s something different about you, you know other people are doing and feeling things you aren’t and you know you’re doing and feeling things other people aren’t, but you don’t know why. It can be super isolating.

3. Challenging Authority Figures

- “…having that argument with Mr Yates during his mock exams!” Either Nick or Charlie, Solitaire, Page 40

- “I swore at Kent.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, Page 269

It’s very common for people with Autism to challenge authority figures. Generally this is because they often naturally assume equanimity and don’t understand why some people should get more respect then others if they aren’t seemingly deserving of it. This stems from having a heightened sense of justice and empathy.

4. Autism and Sexualtiy

- “I guess you could say I’m not too fussy about gender.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, (I forgot the page)

We know Michael’s canonically Pan and as we’ve previously discussed (read Tori’s part for more info) Autism and the LGBTQ+ community are heavily intertwined. I tried to look into Autism’s correlation to Pansexuality but couldn’t find anything specific.

I also wanted to add in a little fact about how Neurodivergent people tend to gravitate towards eachother and queer people tend to do the same so Michael and Tori makes a lot of sense.

5. Special Interests/HyperFixations

Ok so, Michael gets pretty into Solitiare. Right from the start he’s obsessed. Taking photos of the posts, insisting they go to the meet up. I’d probably say it’s a hyperfixation.

And DISNEY. Holy heck Michael loves Disney… and if you haven’t caught on already, yeah imma say it’s a special interest.

- “He gasps and grabs a third DVD, leaps across the room to the flat-screen and switches it on. “We’re watching beauty and the beast,” he says.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, Page 115

I mean look at how excited he gets over ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

6. School

- “Seriously. I haven’t gotten above a C grade in any subject since Year 8.”

“It seems almost impossible for someone like Michael to be unintelligent. People like Michael - people who get stuff done - they’re always smart. Always.” Solitaire, Page 188

- “When it comes to exams… I generally don’t write what they want me to write. I’m not very good at, well, sorting out all the stuff in my head.“

“I just don’t know what the examiners want to hear. I don’t know whether I just forget things, or maybe I don’t know how I’m supposed to explain it. I just don’t know.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, Page 118

- “Because I hate school!” This is quite loud. He starts to shake his head.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, (I forgot the page)

A lot of people with Autism struggle with school and like Tori points out, it’s not because they’re not smart, Michael is smart. It’s just that the education system isn’t fitted to benefit Neurodivergent children. So many things affect Autism in schools. The dreadful sensory environment, lack of control over what they can and can’t do and the difficult social pressures.

7. Emotional dysregulation

- “He clenches his fist and he snarls. He actually snarls at me.

“Maybe you are a manically depressed psychopath.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, Page 163

Emotional Dysregulation is the inability to control the intensity and expression of emotions. This is common in people with Autism and can result in overly intense emotions and lashing out. I think this is something that heavily impacts both Tori and Michael and results in a lot of their arguments. The aforementioned quote is just one example of how quickly and dramatically their arguments blow up due to this.

- “His face contorts into a kind of scrunched-up snarl, his fists curl, his skin drains of colour, and he storms past the man and tramps over to the benches. He reaches a row of lockers and looks into them, blankly, chest visibly expanding and contracting. With an almost terrifying malice, he throws a crazed punch at the lockers, wailing a subdued howl of rage. Turning, he hurls a kick at a pile of racing helmets, scattering them about the floor. He clutches his hair, as if trying to pull it out.” Solitaire, Page 211

Oh there is just so much to cover here. So this is a prime example of an Autistic meltdown. Autistic meltdowns can be caused by overwhelming emotions (In this situation that is Michael loosing his race) and result in an outburst which can include crying, screaming (“howl of rage”), aggression (punching the lockers and kicking the helmets) and self injurious behaviours (Pulling his hair). It’s probably worth mentioning that a few of the outbursts he has towards teachers that I mentioned earlier are probably also meltdowns.

8. Stimming

- “Michael starts whistling.” Solitaire, page 198

Whistling is a form of stimming, this particular quote is from when they are in Truham looking for Charlie, considering Michael’s disdain for Truham I can imagine it was a slightly stressful environment to be back in which would validly result in a need for stimming. I actually couldn’t find any other examples of stimming except possibly the hair pulling that was mentioned in the last quote.

9. Pattern Recognition

So pattern recognition is the autistic brains increased ability to recognise patterns and in Solitaire Michael is the first person to put together the fact that all of Solitaire’s pranks were related to Tori. I really can’t be bothered to find the quote where they talk about those

10. Safe foods

I think that Tea is probably a safe food for Michael because he is often mentioned to have a mug of Tea in his hands. (But I’m not British so maybe this is like normal? How much tea do British people actually drink?)

1. Miscellaneous Quotes

- Since when did you acquire a body temperature” Solitaire, page 112

I know it’s probably supposed to be related to figure skating but struggling with temperature regulation is very common amongst people with Autism.

- “Most of the time at school I can’t even decide what pen to use.” Michael Holden, Solitaire, page 149

Indecisiveness is very common amoungst people with Autism

Alright that’s a wrap on Michael Holden. I’m thinking of doing a conjoined part for Charlie and Oliver if anyone would be interested in reading that :)

Some of the resources I used:

https://livingautism.com/decision-making-problems-adults-asd/

Thermal Perceptual Thresholds are typical in Autism Spectrum Disorder but ...

https://sparkforautism.org/discover_article/managing-emotions/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7430467/

https://neuroclastic.com/autism-and-responding-to-authority/?amp

#michael holden #Michael Holden Solitaire #tori and michael #tori spring #autistic Michael Holden #autistic tori spring #autism coded #autism coding #autism headcanons #autistic Headcanons #alice oseman solitaire #Alice Oseman #solitaire book #heartstopper season 3 #heartstopper book #heartstopper netflix #heartstopper #nick and charlie

[viburnt]

Heyyy loved your Izuku story, made me want to request one with the prompt "How could I do that to him/her?" Maybe someone is flirting with adult Izuku but he already has a partner and is very loyal OR maybe having an interview where the host makes a joke/insinuation he should go and take advantage that he is famous to meet many more people

Whatever you prefer 💖thank you

I hope I managed to convey the feelings you expected, Anon! Have some loyal dog Izuku *smooch* Also Pro-hero!Izuku is a smart crowd pleaser, he knows how to play his cards and outsmart malicious people. Also you didn't specify any gender so I went with gender neutral.

-Viburnt

𝐈𝐳𝐮𝐤𝐮 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚 || 𝐓.𝐕 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬

— Welcome, everyone! Today, we're here with Japan's latest big shot and number one pro-hero, Deku! We are so excited that you were able to have some time for us, darling.— The model serving as a hostess said, her body language exaggerated, and her outfit provocative to gauge higher ratings for the show.

Izuku hadn't really planned to participate in the program, but after you convinced him to do so, he agreed; you'd always supported his career, so you encouraged him to engage with his fans often.

Izuku just wished it had been with a less slimy host, feeling uncomfortable with the frequent lascivious looks the model would throw at him.

—Thank you for having me.— The man said with his classic charming smile. —It's a pleasure to be here with you guys.

—Say, Deku, you've become quite an icon lately. Your popularity is almost as high as mine!— The woman joked, eliciting a slight laugh from the live public. —Have you grown used to being a groundbreaker?

Midoriya bashfully looked at her, feeling her eyes checking him out from head to toe as she spoke.

—Well, the hero life is a difficult path, I have to admit that.— He started, trying to formulate an answer that would suffice. —But it's something I love, and I'm trying to be the best at it.

The model nodded in understanding, allowing her hand to roam to the muscles of his arm.

—Absolutely! We are very alike in that aspect, you know?— She commented, giving a slight squeeze to his biceps. It was getting on Izuku's nerves. —It wouldn't be too far-fetched to be together as a couple.— He heard her say with a wink, the audience having mixed reactions to her blatant flirting.

—Don't you think we'd make a picture-perfect power couple?

Midoriya felt disgust towards the hostess, feeling overwhelmed by her constant indecency. "Talk about basking in reflected glory," he thought, wishing he could get away from her.

—Haha, well, I appreciate your interest, but I'm afraid I'm not available.— He answered with an unfaltering grin; even if it hadn't been long since he had first debuted as a pro-hero, he'd learnt a thing or two about managing his looks while facing the public eye.

The model pouted, pressing the matter even more.

— Just think of the headlines! We could be an 'it' couple.— She added to her desperate attempt to convince him. —Besides, wouldn't you prefer to change your old partner for a brand new model? You'd be the envy of your colleagues.

The public awkwardly laughed at the hostess' behavior. It was funny the first time, they'd guessed, but after a while, it just felt uncomfortable– Even they could sense the uneasiness in Izuku through his charismatic facade.

—How could I do that to them?— Midoriya answered, shaking his head. —I love my partner; they are the best. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

A loud wave of clapping and cheering soared after his answer, moved by the vulnerability and sweetness behind those words. Izuku swore he'd heard a man scream "I love you" at him.

—Hey, baby, if you are watching the show like you promised, wait for me for dinner.— Izuku said to one of the cameras, referring to you as he took his leave from the scene.

For a few weeks, the whole interview fiasco had spread on every social media platform, but every single post had one thing in common: they all agreed that Izuku was loyal to you.

#my hero academia #bnha #izuku midoriya x reader #midoriya izuku #izuku midoriya #deku bnha #deku x reader #anon #bnha ask

[amhrosina]

Matt Reacting to Your Parents Being Mean to You (Matt Murdock x gn!Reader) Headcanons

MASTERLIST // TAG LIST REQUEST FORM

A/N: This is the second part of a requested headcanon by nonnie! I'll link Frank's to this one. I hope you enjoy!

My request are open, but please be patient! I have gotten an overwhelming amount of requests recently, so I'm working through them as fast as I can without burning myself out. I'm also in the middle of planning a long, full length Frank x Vigilante!Reader fic!

Frank Castle's Headcanon

Summary: Matt comforts you after he overhears your parents being cruel to you.

(Warnings: sexist comments from your parents, ableism towards matt, soft!matt, mentions of matt letting the devil out (so like, mentions of violence i guess?), matt being an absolute doll, reader is matt's world, you know the drill)

You have Matt, and subsequently the Devil, wrapped around your little finger.  

Any time he’s ever stumbled upon you crying, he’s always demanded to know who hurt you so he could do his absolute worst to them. 

Matt was always comforting and gentle, wrapping you in his arms and kissing your hair.  

Once night overtook the city, though, the Devil would come untethered, unleashing his rage on whoever thought they could get away with hurting you. 

This was difficult, however, when your parents were the ones bringing tears to your pretty face. 

Matt would never let the Devil fulfill his revenge fantasy, though some nights he wishes he could, like tonight. 

He stands in the doorway of the apartment you share, cane clenched between white knuckles.  

He could hear you sobbing in the bedroom – overheard it from three blocks away and rushed home, vowing to make whoever caused you this pain pay with their blood. 

He stops short when he overhears your parents on the phone. 

Your parents had always been old-fashioned, so when you moved in with Matt before marriage, you knew they would see it as catastrophic. 

“I can’t believe you would do this. This goes against everything we raised you to be. Where is your obedience? Your decorum? Do you have no respect for yourself? Are you nothing more than a common whore?” 

Matt feels the metal of his cane bending beyond its capabilities, finally snapping between his hands. Shards of metal embed themselves in his hands, but his focus is elsewhere. He could feel the Devil clawing its way through his chest, begging to be released.  

“Dad, please. Matt’s a good man. He helps people every day. He’s a-” 

“I can’t see how a blind man could be capable of helping anyone, let alone you.” 

“Stop. You can insult me all you want, but don’t insult him. He’s a good man.” 

Your phone hitting the wall and shattering is what breaks Matt out of his stupor.  

He hastens to the bedroom, knocking softly on the door before opening it. 

Your hunched, sobbing form sitting on the edge of the bed knocks the wind out of him. His heart breaks as the salt from your tears hits his tongue. 

“Please tell me you didn’t hear that.” 

“Petal...are you okay? I’m so sorry. You deserve so much better than that.” 

Matt kneels in front of you, removing his glasses. 

You fall into his arms. To his credit, he seems to be expecting this. His breathing doesn’t even change when your body collides with his. 

Matt runs his hands up and down your back in a soothing motion, letting you cry into his chest for as long as you need to.  

“They’re so mean. They wouldn’t last one day in your shoes, yet they constantly belittle you for a disability that you can’t help. They act like it’s a weakness, and like you’re not worthy of love because of it.” 

“If I got upset every time someone tried to make my blindness a weakness, I’d be eternally angry. It doesn’t bother me, I promise. What bothers me is the way they talk to you. You deserve the world, petal. I’m so sorry they can’t see that.” 

Matt carries you to your bed, crawling into the sheets next to you. 

He leaves gentle, caressing kisses all over your face, making you giggle. 

“Ah, there it is.”  

Matt’s content sigh has your heart aching with love for him. He accepts you, shitty parents and all, and you spend the night enveloped in his arms, cherishing his warmth and love. 

End Note: I hope you liked it! I don't think y'all understand just how much I love Matt Murdock. I would do ANYTHING for this man. Thank you for requesting, nonnie!

Tag List:

@alexxavicry @hallecarey1 @km-ffluv @xleiaorgana @mukbee @soft-emo-enby @purple-amaranthe @kokoterainonago666 @blackwidownat2814 @minervadashwood @emiemiemiii @h4rrys

#matt murdock #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x you #matt murdock x y/n #matt murdock headcanons #matt murdock headcanon #matt murdock imagine #matt murdock fanfiction #matt murdock fluff #matt murdock is a soft!boy #gender neutral reader #marvel #daredevil netflix #daredevil #daredevil imagine #daredevil x reader #daredevil x you #daredevil x y/n #daredevil headcanons #daredevil headcanon #marvel daredevil #charlie cox #requested #amhrosina

[swallowerofdharma]

Yashiro’s Cruel God part two

Intermission: romanticizing trauma or Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.

Most people looking at someone like Yashiro would feel deeply sorry and they would make a wish for him to find something or someone good in life. But when we start talking about healing we forget or we don’t know what trauma is. Manga can actually help us understand much better in what terms trauma really works: the word we use in several european languages comes from the Greek word for wound τραῦμα. I don’t have the same linguistics insights for the Japanese words - it would be great to have that insight if someone can provide it - but I have access to visual representations, because a number of mangaka associated traumatic events/memories with physical injuries, and the very severe ones with a lost limb, a lost eye. I have talked about this briefly here. The earliest in life or the most severe or prolonged or repeated traumatic events or experiences - the deeper the injury is registered, written in the brain. In the case of a lost limb, there isn’t much healing to do, that part of the body is forever changed, but there are other things to do: relearning how to do things in different ways according to the changes and forgetting about what you could do before or what other people can do with their limbs intact and fully functioning. Of course you can get a prosthetic, an aid, you work around the injured parts. But they ache, they give you phantom pain, they don’t grow back, and the healing is only possible in the parts that are left. Thinking about trauma like this is how we don’t romanticize it. I really think that Yoneda-san is intentionally making a point to show how difficult this process of adaptation is and also how common is for the people around Yashiro to not fully understand or care or know what can be done and what can’t be done. Only Yashiro knows himself that well, can properly determine his boundaries. First he went through a long phase of trial and error and he progressively learned to regulate his impulses quite successfully I must say, because we see that he was alone, lacking guidance, and he did end up naked in an alley, but at least he was sober and drug free. That is when Misumi came in and, although he had also his selfish motives and interests, he cared enough and offered Yashiro some guidance and most importantly conditions so that Yashiro needed to learn how to restrain himself and only indulge his sex drive more safely and more intentionally, setting new rules and adapting to a life full of other responsibilities and commitments. Remember that the premise here isn’t to assign blame or make moral judgments or excuses, but to understand how these characters grew, matured or changed or how they developed their expectations and interpretations of the world around them.

There were areas where Yashiro, as a full formed adult, still refused to be challenged, mostly because he had adapted and learned how to be self reliant, but unfortunately also because he interiorized an image of himself as someone unlovable, as a consequence of his parents’ behavior and later his unrequited feelings for Kageyama. Yashiro can absolutely find love. He fell in love twice, other people have fallen in love with him before, he doesn’t want to hurt others, he generally cares, he has gained much better social skills than those he had as a teenager, he is still an eccentric but not unreasonable or crazy. The problem is that he doesn’t know how to accept romantic love because he doesn’t recognize the feelings of being loved. The new experience is confusing, disorienting and scary, nauseating, because he lacks points of reference. He can’t go back to a foundation in love, an original self that is pure and secure and healthy, because his parents didn’t help him build it or deliberately destroyed and reshaped it with fear. Romanticism poses love as a good, natural, inevitable human thing, implies an ideal world where everyone has that pure healthy self and if pain and hardship are inevitable in life and each person is wounded, they must get to heal normally or simply by reaching back and restoring that pure and secure and healthy self as much as possible. If it was parental love/care and responsibility to offer the best condition for the self to be that way, then it will be the love/passion and commitment of a romantic partner to help healing the inevitability wounded self later in life.

I don’t think it was pure coincidence that in the same chapter you have these two different scenes not far from each other. Doumeki has been left behind and he is reminiscing about the events that brought him to this point. I am still focusing on Yashiro now, so that I haven’t properly talked about Doumeki, who has his own wounds within him, but as I mentioned last time, Doumeki experienced betrayal, especially regarding his father, after he already had a foundation in a family with a sufficient amount of care. Even if his parents weren’t especially doting or his experience was so much at odds with his sister’s experience inside the same family, he still developed normally, if not very reserved or able to express himself only through controlled physical aggression at kendo practice. We see in this memory another element, Doumeki playing normally with other boys and having fun. When the chapter goes on showing Yashiro in a flashback, we see him spying on Kurobane’s nephew on Misumi’s order. But we also see him as this uncomfortable nineteen years old who is an outsider and feels like one when confronted with normal children playing normal games.

I’d really like to write a proper analysis of the confrontation between Yashiro and Doumeki in the car in chapter 32, because I think that conversation is a very good example of two people coming from completely different places and confronting each other without reaching a solution that would work for both of them, because of lack of understanding and the extreme difficulty to communicate. We see very well here how the dynamics older/younger and realist/romantic play out. Scenes like these, where they talk, get to know each other, they are there and they were frequent even.

For now, I just want to underline another example of Yashiro looking at children with a foundation in love/safety from the outside and having to wrangle with that feeling of alienation. How can he take part in that same world as these people, how can he be part of the same world Doumeki lives in? Since he is going to meet Hirata and he doesn’t know what might happen there, his only choice is to leave Doumeki behind, but since he doesn’t obey anymore, Yashiro has to push him away and, if necessary, intentionally hurt him. Doumeki tries different strategies to stay, and Yashiro seems to relent on occasions, but when the time comes, he takes the gun and shoots.

Again a long post, and I don’t know how much I have accomplished with this. Between phone calls and my cat giving me the stinky eye because I am two minutes late to feed her, although I had mentally prepared to tackle the part about Doumeki, I recon I am going to leave this part as it is and continue the analysis later. Hope you don’t mind, I am not great at planning things out. So this is again to be continued…

#saezuru tori wa habatakanai #saezuru analysis #yashiro #doumeki chikara #manga analysis #yoneda kou #eri reads saezuru #of course I have a cat

[intotheseas]

lore expansion, fuck yeah

I've really been enjoying expanding on Ancient Magic lore (and straight up making some of it up myself lol) through my fic. I generally disliked the Keeper storyline and felt the concept had so much wasted potential. If anyone's interested, here's a scene from the latest chapter talking about it a little. Read here on AO3 or under the stars.

Fig nodded and conjured a few chairs. “Sit, sit! We have much to discuss.” He gathered the errant papers littering his desk and shuffled them into a stack. “Miriam’s research on Ancient Magic was far more extensive than I predicted. I’ve only had the chance to read through a small portion. However, I have some information I think you’ll find helpful, Vera.” 

She leaned forward. “What have you learned? Does it relate to the maps you sent me over break?”

“Indeed it does! Miriam’s research spoke more of the hotspots. She described them as ‘honing spots’ of sorts. They seem to be places where people who wield Ancient Magic can visit to gain mastery over their power.” 

He rested his elbows on the desk. “I'll provide some background, first. According to her notes, Ancient Magic was more common hundreds of years ago. Mind, it wasn’t something everyone could wield. But it wasn’t a once-in-a-century phenomenon like it seems to be today.” 

“In fact, all of Hogwarts’ founders possessed the ability to wield this type of magic. As for why this isn’t common knowledge, well, knowledge itself only lasts as long as the records detailing it. The founders lived centuries upon centuries ago. Any records left are either decrepit and difficult to access, or beyond restoring.” 

Fig took a long drink from his tea. “But it gets even more interesting. As I said, what we now call Ancient Magic was not common, but not rare, either. It is thought that over time, magic has evolved to exchange raw power for stability. Ancient Magic is, simply put, a less refined yet stronger version of what we possess today. What we have now is far easier to use, but relatively weaker. Though,” he said, “still nothing to look down on, of course!”

Vera, Sebastian, and Ominis stared with wide eyes, digesting the new information. Vera spoke first. “So…these hotspots you’ve mentioned were used by people even a thousand years ago?” 

Fig nodded, a proud gleam in his eye. “Astute as ever, Vera. Those who possessed Ancient Magic had to put great effort into mastering it - this was no easy task. Now, I’m afraid I don’t have much information for you beyond that. All I’ve found relating to them is…well, Miriam’s translation was a bit confusing here, but they exist to teach lessons. By sitting at these spots past wielders would learn how to control their magic better.” 

“Since your manifestation of Ancient Magic is volatile at the best of times, visiting the hotspots is at least worth a shot. They may help you manage your power better. And as grave as this sounds, I fear we face great danger ahead. This is a lot to put on the shoulders of a witch barely of age. But I fear the uptick in poacher activity you’ve described is only the surface of something far larger.” He sighed, worry settling into the lines in his face. “And I wish I could do more to help you. But I will continue to go through Miriam’s research as I have time.” 

Next chapter up tomorrow, where Vera and co will find what the first hotspot has in store for them!

#hogwarts legacy fanfiction #ancient magic #hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt #hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy ominis #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt x mc #ominis gaunt x reader #hogwarts legacy fandom #hogwarts legacy sebastian

[covenantofthedeep]

small talk; you are in love ☆

feat. | childe, thoma! summary | gradually getting more comfy w them a/n | plsplspls rb :] i hope this was close to what you wanted anon!! pls enjoy!

childe |

childe's used to stunning people into silence, but you've been nothing but silence since you met. one of your common friends had suggested that you two would be really good friends--maybe even more? you had agreed to meet with childe, solely because you figured, what could go wrong?

your first date (or... meet, perhaps) is perfect, except for the fact that you say about twenty words to him in total. he frets about it later; was he really so awful?

the second date, at a coffee shop, is marginally better, where you had tried to force yourself out of your shyness and ended up word vomiting about your feelings on straight black coffee. and then you realized he was holding a cup of black coffee, and you had wished for a giant sinkhole to swallow you up.

the third date, you're absolutely determined to make it enjoyable for both you and him. you ask him if he wants to see a movie you really like, and he agrees, wondering if you'll open up to him this time. (he's completely smitten with you, as much as he's embarrassed to admit.)

after the movie, stepping out into the blinding bright lights, you immediately start chattering. "oh, did you like the music? i swear i got goosebumps! i love movie theater popcorn so much, what about you? what's your favorite candy? honestly, i'm a little hungry, do you want to grab dinner or something? what did you think about the scene where...." you trail off, embarrassed, when childe laughs.

"that's most you've ever said to me," he marvels, winking at you.

and so you continue, dropping your thoughts about anything and everything, and, for once, childe is completely silent, and he honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

thoma |

you've had feelings for thoma since you first saw him at the kamisato estate. you were really close with ayaka at the time, and had seen him nearly every day. unfortunately, you always froze up when he approached, going completely silent.

ayaka had noticed this, and tried to push you two together, despite your protests that haven't you noticed that i can't say anything around him?

and so you wind up having a picnic together, and you have never been more nervous.

unbeknownst to you, thoma had been fascinated with you too--he liked the way that you laughed completely freely with ayaka behind her door, and how you snorted when you laughed. his aim for your picnic-date was to make you laugh like that, although, it appeared, it would be a little difficult.

it's a perfect day, with a spread of foods that would usually have you digging in, but today, you're so incredibly on edge that you've managed to spill the entire pot of tea and upend the tray of katsu sandwiches. quietly cursing under your breath and dabbing in vain at the stain of tea, you wonder why you had gone along with ayaka.

and then he beams at you, and you remember.

"here," he says, ever the gentleman, "leave that alone. it's fine, we can just cover it up with the sangayaki." he shifts the sangayaki onto the stain. "see? it's perfectly fine."

you shake your head at him and smile, reaching for an egg roll, when suddenly, the ridiculousness of it all shocks you, and you drop the egg roll and laugh. then you start wheezing, and snorting, and thoma looks so utterly befuddled that it gets you going again. a minute later, he joins in, holding onto his taiyaki with one hand.

he drops it into his lap, the chocolate spilling out onto his pant leg, and you realize, laughing at him, perhaps all you needed with him was a little push in the right direction.

#pspspsp do u get the song do u get it do u get it #thoma x reader #thoma genshin impact #childe x reader #childe genshin impact #tartaglia x reader #tartaglia #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #genshin imagines #thoma fluff #childe fluff #also sorry i think both of those were ooc. but um #i need to write more #this was totally honestly ass

[lingering-42-long]

Plsssss

Request: Alejandro x F/Reader.

Idea: the reader is a newcomer who recently joined the Vaqueros, she has difficulties with Spanish and spends more time alone, but Alejandro stays close to her and the two begin to have a relationship in secret.

La carta

Alejandro Vargas x female reader

Thank you so much for this request Anon! The story is short, but sweet. Spanish is rather difficult for many people, including myself (switched to Swedish). Enjoy!

Spanish was translated by using google translate. Somethings may be incorrect.

I wasn’t feeling this story, but it was in my WIPs and I needed to get it out.

Warnings: none, slight angst

When you first arrived at the base, you didn’t know what to expect. Obviously, you knew that a lot of Spanish was spoken. Coming from an area of your own hometown. In the states, where Spanish isn’t as spoken quite heavily as it is here, you were not as familiar with the dialect or the lingo. On some days, it was rather trickier than others, depending on who was speaking it could very between understanding common simple phrases to something more complex. This often lead you to get very frustrated. None of the people who you were talking to but at yourself. Oh sure you had the apps on your phone to help do what you can to translate the words that were being said and you also did lessons as well to help, but it didn’t seem like there was any improvement.

People told you that going to a country would help you understand the language better, but it only seems to cause more chaos than anything else. Sometimes it was just better to sit in your own room as soon as a job is done and to try to converse with everyone at the mess hall.

Alejandro had watched your behavior from the moment you arrived on base to help out too now. He was also very perceptive on you seeing that you were doing your best to engage yourself in whatever conversation was going on. But he also saw the struggle that you were having with connecting with the other soldiers. Some of the soldiers had also taken up the liking at light teasing on your behalf, knowing that you couldn’t understand the language. Whenever Alejandro heard this immediately put an end to it, which made them shut up immediately.

It was one of those particular days where you were sitting by yourself, enjoying your meal, while a small group of other soldiers were sitting a table away, gossiping about you. Alejandro usually likes to mingle with his own crew so walking around he noticed a small group before approaching them and giving them a hard look. “ so tell me why are we picking on her again?”

As soon as he spoke, they immediately shut up and looked down at their half eaten food. “ Sorry Sir it won’t happen again.”

“It better not and if I catch you doing it again there will be consequences”

Alejandro hated seeing people be brutal to one another, especially on his team. He picked the very best of the best and he was not about ready to have his own crew tarnish the name with another group. You had volunteered to come in to help. He decided to move over to where you were, and to sit down from you. “ I hope the special forces have been treating you well.” he looked at you.

“Oh, yes, sir! They’ve been, for the most part, decent. Still having a hard time understanding everyone though.” You gave a nervous chuckle as you continued on poking at your food, not knowing what to do in the presence of the commander. “ yes, that must be rather difficult…. If you wish I could potentially help you with some of the lingo around I understand that it can be rather difficult.” he smiled at her.

“ I would really appreciate it, sir but you don’t have to spend your time wasting it on me. Honestly, I can figure it out on my own.”

“Nonsense! You would not be wasting my time maybe after lunch you can head to my office and I can give you some documents to look over and you can do your best to decipher them” Alejandro wanted to help this new recruit. It felt odd for you. You were so used to doing things without the need our help with the commanding officer. You’re always told to do and to figure things out by yourself as that builds character. This new approach of somebody helping you was unique.

“Then sir, I will be more than happy to see you after lunch” you smile as he got up to continue his rounds.

“ good! See you around two?”

“yes, sir.” You nodded.

“ all right then, enjoy your meal” and once again, Alejandro carried on with talking with the other staff and soldiers.

It was around two when you finally were able to make it to his office. He brushed off any invisible dirt that was on your uniform before knocking on the door.

“Come in” his voice muffled from the wall.

You open the door and stepped into his office. It was a clean space with a large wooden desk with the Mexican flag pinned to the wall. A few small trophies and medals hung on their placards but overall it was pretty scarce. Not much to give away than any other desk or office that was on base. The name plaque was the only real thing that separated him from the others, with the golden letters spelling Colonel Alejandro Vargas.

You sat down on the chair across from him and waited for him to speak. Alejandro was reading some papers before handing them to her. “Can you read this?” He asked, allowing her to see what was written.

You shook your head, “no sir, I see a few words I’m familiar with but full sentences.”

He hummed “Ok then, let’s start with the basics… Hola, como estas?” He asked.

You smiled “that means hello, how are you.”

“¡Muy bien!” He smiled “now when you want to respond, you can say, Estoy bien, witch means I am good. Or Estoy mal, witch means I am bad witch can be used for in place of not feeling good.”

“Ok.” You took mental note.

As it to begin building a closer and closer, with Alejandro, helping her with her Spanish, practicing at least two hours a day, the two begin to develop a very close relationship. There was talk amongst the other staff about how close the two were, but most were pretty much shut up by Rudy. He was the only one who knew how close the colonel was attached to this new girl.

You were sitting in your dorm. You knew where the relationship was going. You had a suspicion for a while, that Alejandro was potentially showing.

Sighing, she got up and walked to the mess hall. A place, especially during this night would allow her to think. Most people were asleep, so it was quiet. Just as she was sitting down, a figure appeared. “Hola mi querida ¿Despierta tan tarde?” The figure, by now was recognized as Alejandro, asked as he was making his nightly rounds from his office to his own quarters. “Oh- sorry sir you startled me.”

“My dear… you know you don’t need to call me that.”

“I know…” you sighed “someone is going to catch us… this is getting dangerous Ale”

Without second thought, Alejandro hugged her. “My love, I won’t let them find out.”

“It takes one word… then it’s over for both of us.” Tears formed on your eyes.

Alejandro gently kissed her and cupped her cheek. “Trust me, my dove”

“I do but… I worry.” You sighed.

“ Listen just go to bed everything will be all right” he continued on rocking her in his arms.

After a few minutes of them, just being together, she separated yourself “good night Alejandro”

“Good night mi corazón” he responded sweetly as he let her go.

You made your way back to your bedroom. There was a plan in mind. You couldn’t be here you couldn’t risk hurting both of you and Alejandro’s reputation. You had given Rudy a letter to give to Alejandro in the morning.

In the morning, Rudy delivered the letter to his friend and Colonel. Alejandra open the letter, and it read: “ To my Love, i’m so sorry to do this. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn’t know how I know this is going to break your heart and our trust but I feel like this is the best option. I got called to work in another division. I know this is very painful for both of us just as our relationship was starting…. But because I love you so much I didn’t want you to suffer. Our relationship was very risky and I didn’t want us to suffer from it. I love you so much Ale… please remember that. Love, (y/n)”

Alejandro closed the letter and stared outside. Love was hard, he knew that… he wished he had done things differently, maybe then she would have stayed. Maybe he could find her, but for now he needed to be by himself.

#alejandro x reader #alejandro mw2 #alejandro vargas #alejandro cod #cod x reader #x reader #slight angst #cod x you

[fantasy-relax]

Inefable plan

Part 2.

Warning: Misscarriage.

Bela Dimitrescu x g!p reader

This is what happen when you don't follow the plan.

"You do all this because you love, right? You are in love with me!"

You should know this would happen, poor Daniela was heartbroken, lonely and needy, she wanted a relationship like her fairytales, of course she will hang on the only good interaction outside of her family, you.

"Lady Daniela, I-I" hope was in her face, her cheeks red smiling shyly "I-I"

You could lie and pretend, Daniela was pretty and both of you have some much in common, you could play along with her fantasy for three years. But it feel so damn wrong and the last thing you wanted was to trick her like that.

"Lady Daniela I'm sorry but I don't love you like that" you could see the moment her heart broke " I think of you as my.."

Dear friend?

No. Not exactly.

"I think I love you as I will had loved my sibling if I could had one"

You birth was one difficult, after you there were other pregnancies that never passed the second month, the relationship between your parents sour more for that. Your father wanted to keep trying for the perfect child and your mother was tired and hurt.

You don't remember if they even sleep in the room after the third try, you do remember the screaming of that night when your mother's dress was stained with blood and her face with tears.

Your mom was good company but sometimes more than you will ever admit to her you wished you have a sister or a brother to play, to fight, to care for, to be little less lonely but you knew better than ask.

In your time together in the library you see her not as the delusional, childish aggressive third daughter but as Daniela a playful, creative and adorable girl. That loved her family like you loved yours.

They were killers, they were mutants but they were family.

You glance at the clock in the wall you have other duties to attend.

"Can we talk more when Friday comes? I need to go lady Daniela I have more work to"

She let you go easily, at least she wasn't sad actually she seemed more thoughtful than anything.

Working around you try to make sense of your feelings and actions to towards the dimitrescu house.

Did they ripped other families apart? Yes, but the contract was clear, there wasn't fine letter everything was in the open:

The ladies of the house will carry any punishment that they think adequate in case of any broken rule.

While the punishment is dependent of the affected rule could be any of the following:

-Withholding food or payment.

-Whipping.

-Dismemberment

-Torture

-Death

There is no misunderstanding, obey the rules, work hard and everything is fine.

Now that you are thinking the rules more broken were five particularly:

-Be respectful to the ladies.

-Don't steal.

-Not slacking.

-Not enter into the forbidden sections.

-The windows must be always closed.

Calling the ladies monsters, bitches, freaks was something common between maids. The stupid ones that do it in the open end punished. This is fair.

The castle is full of luxury, even the maid quarters are better state than any of the houses in the village. Because this some try to smuggle some paintings, jewelry or anything of value to sell outside. They are punished when they're found out. This is fair.

The castle had a lot of rooms, almost every one of them were big. This was one of the reasons for what lady dimitrescu needed a lot of (wo)manpower. But some maids will leave their responsibilities to the others that will have to work harder to complete the assigned tasks. They were deal with by the other maids or given to the ladies. This was fair.

There were rooms that only the head maid or certain maids were permitted to be. Others were completely banned from entering. Woman in search of things to sell will enter just to be killed by the ladies or whatever is in the other side. This was fair.

Most of the windows were barricaded. You had to admit that rule was weird, yes it was cold but it was only for a few months in winter and some stray days in the year. But if lady dimitrescu wanted every window closed then every window must be closed is her damn castle after all. This was fair.

Woman signs the contract, woman broke the rules accorded in the contract woman is punished according to the contract. This was fair.

People keep coming knowing that death was hiding in the corner. Out of necessity, out of greed, out of freedom. By choice.

Now the question is: Why only few were capable of surviving the three years?

The head maid was one older woman, the head cook and her helpers too, the Carpenter, the stable manager, the blacksmith. They had been here for a long time, longer than three years.

Curiosity was always your best asset.

And your doom...

Well, you will just ask them the questions that you need and that will be all.

Yes, a good plan.

#resident evil village #daniela dimitrescu #My work

[in-the-shadow-of-the-blog]

In the Shadow of a Proposal

Summary: Sebastian has a very important question to ask MC. He has the perfect occasion planned, but will the dangers of the woods spoil his careful planning? (Sebastian Sallow x f!MC)

Rating: PG

Warnings: A very anxious (and lovesick?) boyfriend, and some spiders.

Word count: 2.5k

A/N: I was supposed to be working on something else, but this just sort of happened. More Hufflepuff MC because I can’t help myself.

—

It had to be perfect.

Sebastian agonized over the plan for days, obsessing over the smallest detail. If he was going to do this, he wanted to do it right. Born into a family of upper class muggles, MC must have expectations for something like this. Sebastian would meet them. Exceed them.

He would be worthy of her. He would prove it.

The ring was easy. Tucked away in a chest among the remaining memories of his parents, its sparkle eager to see the light of day. But the location, the timing, the manner… these needed consideration.

What was the right way to ask the most amazing person in the world to spend the rest of their life with you?

“Sebastian?” MC’s voice cut through the thick fog of his mind. He felt as if he was waking from a dream when he looked at her. “Exams are over. We’re supposed to be celebrating. What’s bothering you?”

Stretched out beside her by the black lake, the afternoon sun warming his face, he would normally be half asleep. But he couldn’t relax, not yet.

Not until he asked.

Not until she answered.

“Just thinking about some things.” It was an evasive answer, but the only one he could give.

She reached out, fingers brushing the hair at his forehead. A smile pulled at her lips. “I can practically see that mind of yours at work. Do you want to talk about it?”

He glanced at her, eyes soft and concerned, and couldn’t help but smile in return. “Not yet.”

“All right,” MC said softly. Her soothing touch left his head as she settled beside him, pillowing her head on Sebastian’s chest.

The pages of her book rustled in the breeze coming off the lake. It was one of her muggle novels she enjoyed so much. MC had elected an afternoon free from school books, now that their final exams at Hogwarts were complete. “Enjoying your book?”

“Oh yes, it’s the best part. The hero has overcome all his flaws and asks the heroine to marry him.”

He tried to keep his tone light. “And what does she say?”

“Having overcome her own flaws, she says yes, of course.”

Sebastian’s chest tightened. What on earth would he do if MC said no?

—

Tonight was the night. Sebastian anticipated clear skies, which was important since they would be outside. MC loved exploring the highlands, so that’s what they would do. A quiet spot among the trees, just the two of them. An evening picnic of butterbeer and pumpkin pasties, her favorites. As the sun set, he would take her hands, look her in the eye, and ask his question. When she said yes - Merlin, please let her say yes - he would give her the ring, glinting in the fading sunlight. Then he would kiss her until they were both dizzy, laughing their way back to school, arm in arm.

Perfect.

He found MC with Poppy, talking quietly as they cared for the creatures outside Professor Howin’s classroom. They fell silent as he approached, calling her name.

“Sebastian.” She wore a smile when she saw him. Sebastian thought this particular smile was one she saved only for him, but maybe that was wishful thinking. “Do you need something?”

“I was hoping to persuade you to walk with me this evening. Thought we could spend a little time away from the castle.”

“I think you’ve convinced me,” she said playfully.

Sebastian laughed. “Didn’t know it would be so difficult. I’ll meet you outside your common room?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

He didn’t realize he was afraid that tonight, of all nights, would be the night she was busy, until he was walking away. The sigh of relief that escaped his lips was heavy, and he chided himself for his nerves. That was the easy part.

When Sebastian was out of earshot, Poppy turned to MC, anxiously tugging on her sleeve. “Have you talked to him about it yet?”

MC shook her head. “He’s been so distracted since our exams, there hasn’t been the right moment. We’ve barely spoken about our plans after Hogwarts.”

“Is he still thinking about the curse breaker position?” Poppy asked.

“He hasn’t said otherwise. And I know he wants to leverage anything he can learn there that might help him break Anne’s curse.”

Poppy nodded. “Then you should tell him. That walk sounds like a perfect opportunity. And if anything he says changes your mind, you can tell me. I’ll understand.”

MC squeezed Poppy’s hand. “You’re a true friend for saying that, Poppy. But I’m not worried. He’ll understand, I’m sure of it.”

“I’ll wait up for you. Tell me everything when you get back to the dorm.”

—

Resisting the urge to pace, Sebastian waited at the top of the stairs outside the Hufflepuff common room. He leaned against the wall, effecting the air of nonchalance he usually displayed so easily.

Their walk from the castle’s southern exit was peaceful, and Sebastian felt his nerves settle down. The feel of her fingers twined with his, the sound of her voice as they chatted about whatever came to mind; there was nothing like MC’s presence to put him at ease.

She waited until they were a few minutes into their journey to speak, her question catching Sebastian off guard. “Are you still thinking about taking the job at the ministry?”

“I am.” When she was silent, he continued. “Why do you ask?”

“I’ve been thinking about what I want to do now that school is over. You know how I’ve been agonizing over it. But I’ve been talking with Poppy, and we have an idea.”

“Oh? What are you two scheming?” Sebastian asked playfully.

“We want to start a kind of organization for the rehabilitation of magical creatures. Caring for creatures that were injured or trafficked and don’t have access to proper care or environments.”

“Why do I feel like this project mostly comprises the two of you hunting poachers and rescuing beasts?”

MC cleared her throat. “Probably because you are very astute, Sebastian.” This earned a laugh from the Slytherin. “It won’t be very different from what we’ve been doing around the Highlands. But if we branch out, it will mean a lot of traveling.”

There it was, the reason she had been hesitant to commit to joining forces with Poppy, concerned what Sebastian might think. How would he feel about her being away so much? Would it affect their relationship? Where would she go if they weren’t traveling? MC had nowhere to go outside Hogwarts.

“I’m keeping a home in Feldcroft, no matter where the ministry sends me. It’s where I grew up, and I want to be there if Anne ever comes back.” Sebastian looked over at her. “As long as I’m here, you’ll always have a home to come back to, MC.”

Her cheeks flushed at the sincerity in his words. “Thank you, Sebastian.”

“Who knows? Maybe in between breaking curses, I can tag along. ”

A noise in the woods to the right stopped them in their tracks. “Did you hear that?” MC asked, drawing her wand.

Sebastian’s was already in his hand, his other gently tugging MC behind him. They peered into the trees, but before they could make out what stared back, it leaped out in a scatter of leaves. MC and Sebastian jumped away from the hissing Thornback spider as it bore down on them.

“Incendio!” MC’s jet of flame hit the spider squarely, sending it screeching. MC turned to Sebastian, a pleased grin on her face. “Not so bad.”

“I think you spoke too soon, my little badger,” said Sebastian, scanning the surrounding area. Several more Thornbacks surrounded them, creeping up from all sides. “No match for the best dueling partners in Hogwarts, right?”

MC’s voice wavered. “Right.” She swallowed and raised her wand. With a swift movement, she blasted two of the spiders away, then turned to the next closest while Sebastian sent out a fire spell of his own.

A second spell died on his lips as a string of webbing slammed into his back. The force of it knocked him to his knees, and the web itself pulled him down into a tangled mess on the ground. Sebastian’s fingers scrabbled where he could reach, searching for his lost wand. He just felt the handle of it when a force started pulling him backward in a net of webs.

“Sebastian!” MC cried, flinging spells at the remaining spiders. She bolted after the fleeing Thornback, following Sebastian’s frustrated shouts.

Luckily, the web-covered lair of the Thornbacks was not far off the road. Nestled in a shallow cave beneath the overhang of a cliff, the spiders’ webby home stretched over the rock and into the surrounding trees. One of these trees was where Sebastian now found himself, quite stuck and without his wand.

Sebastian pawed at the web that surrounded him, but couldn’t free himself. He was staring down the bared fangs of the hissing Thornback, resigning himself to a very nasty bite (if he was lucky). It reared back to strike when MC’s voice rang out through the air.

“Confringo!” The spell - he still remembered the day he taught it to her in the Undercroft - transformed the mess of sticky webbing into a burst of heat. The spiders fled as their lair became uninhabitable, and a well-timed freezing charm kept the damage to the forest in check.

He felt his fingers bring wrapped around the grip of his wand as MC cleared the rest of the webbing, finally freeing him. She held out a hand, hauling him to his feet. “Are you all right?” Breathless, she fussed over him, checking him for injuring and righting his disheveled clothes.

She was still looking at him, waiting for an answer, but Sebastian found himself lost in her eyes. They still sparkled with the excitement of taking out a whole nest of spiders single-handedly, and all he could do was smile at how impressed he was by her. Clever, powerful, vibrant; all those traits that made her exceptional brought a brightness to her eyes that made him weak. Merlin’s Beard, he loved her so much it hurt, and he especially loved her when she looked at him like that.

Yes, thanks to you. Those were the words Sebastian meant to say. Yet when he forced his voice through his lips, the words that escaped were thus: “MC, marry me.”

She blinked those bright eyes at him, wide with surprise. “What?”

He ran a hand through his hair, a pained expression crossing his face. “This isn’t how I wanted to do this, but I can’t wait a second longer to ask you. MC, will you be my wife?”

“Sebastian…” MC’s heart raced. She wasn’t expecting that question. She certainly wasn’t expecting how it made her feel to hear it. Sebastian wanted to marry her?

His face fell as she wavered, trying to find the right words to say what she felt.

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes, Sebastian Sallow, I will marry you.”

He had never smiled the way he smiled now, Sebastian was sure of it. He pulled MC close, arms wrapping around her in a hug so tight that it took her breath away. She could feel his breath against her ear as he whispered, “I love you, MC.”

“And I love you, Sebastian.”

He released her from the embrace, only to grab her hand, still smiling. “Come with me. I don’t want to do this here.”

He led her out of the trees, further down their original path until they came to a stop at Sebastian’s intended destination. There were fewer trees on this hill, and the evening sun cast a warm glow over them as they caught their breath.

“Did you do this?” MC asked, looking down at the blanket spread out on the ground.

“Can’t put anything past you,” he said with a smirk. “Come sit with me.”

As MC settled beside him, Sebastian fished in his pocket for the ring. For a brief, panicky moment, he wondered if it might have fallen out during the fight with the spiders. But it was there, still tucked in its box, safe and sound.

MC wasn’t looking at him, instead staring out at the view the hill afforded. “I was just thinking something.” MC trailed off, and Sebastian waited for her to find the words. “You said I’ll always have a home as long as you’re in Feldcroft, but Sebastian… you are my home.”

It was his turn to blush at the weight of her words. “Then you better promise to always come back to me.”

“Always,” MC whispered. Cradling her hand in his own, Sebastian slipped the ring over her finger.

MC turned her hand, watching the green stones catch the light, the silver band reflecting the yellows and pinks of the sunset. “Sebastian, this is beautiful.”

His smile was a mix of reverence and sadness. “It was my mother’s. My father gave it to her when he proposed.”

Tears pricked at MC’s eyes. “I will treasure it.”

He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know it couldn’t be in better hands.”

She leaned against him, snuggling into the press of his chest against her back as his arms settled around her waist. “You said this wasn’t how you planned to ask me.”

“It was supposed to be perfect.”

“What does that mean?”

“There weren’t supposed to be insects, for a start.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Spiders aren’t insects.”

Sebastian’s look matched hers. “Don’t you start.”

“Tell me the rest,” said MC. “Everything you said you planned.”

So he did, recounting all the perfect moments he had devised for them to share through the evening. He pointed out that they could still have the pumpkin juice and the pasties; he had them stashed in a basket by the tree. MC was smiling as he finished painting the picture he had conjured so carefully in his mind.

“It sounds like something out of a novel. It would have been lovely, of course.”

“But?” Sebastian prompted, sensing there was something more she wanted to add.

“But I love it when you are yourself with me, Sebastian. I loved how authentic you were when you said it.”

He tightened his grip on her. “I just wanted it to be as special as you are to me.”

“Is this what you’ve been so nervous about this week?”

“Yes.”

She cupped his face, thumb tracing the line of his cheekbone. “Why?”

“What if you said no?” It felt strange to voice the question, the one that had haunted him for so long, out loud.

“That would have been a terrible end to the story.” MC looked up into his eyes. “And our story isn’t over yet.”

—

Masterlist

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #hogwarts legacy fic #sebastian sallow x mc

[foundtherightwords]

The Firebird - Chapter 6

Pairing: Prince Paul (Catherine the Great) x OFC, Fairytale AU

Summary: When Paul, a spoiled young prince, spots a strange bird in the forest near his palace, he impulsively chases after it, hoping to both escape from and prove himself to his disapproving mother. Thus he is plunged into an exhilarating adventure across a magical realm populated by enchanted princesses, dangerous monsters, and powerful wizards, an adventure that may change him more than he can ever imagine.

Chapter warning: none

Chapter word count: 3.4k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5

Chapter 6 - The Tsar's Quest

At close quarters, Tsar Afron's castle was as sumptuous as it was from afar. Though it was constructed of wood like the rest of the town, the carvings were a lot more intricate, draping like lace along the roofs, running down columns and banisters, surrounding windows and doors like decorations on a marzipan cake, and painted so they stood out against the rich brown log walls and shone even in the twilight. Every roof peak was topped with a gilded weathervane or an ornament in the shape of a horse. The inside was even more resplendent, with walls and ceilings painted in the brightest shades or covered in the richest tapestries, all illuminated by the light from hundreds of gold chandeliers. And everywhere was the image of horses, in every configuration and pose, carved into the wood or painted in gold. Paul, used as he was to the splendor of the palaces of Saint Petersburg, had to remember to close his mouth lest he drooled at all this opulence and looked even more like a fool than he already did.

Not that he had much of a chance to take it in. After Zhara's demonstration on the pasture, the soldiers wasted no time bringing them to Tsar Afron, and now he had to scurry to keep up with their long strides down the many corridors of the castle. To make things worse, the soldiers had been too frightened to rebind Zhara's hands, but had neglected to untie him, so he was forced to march with his hands behind his back like a common criminal. He didn't dare complain. He could feel Zhara's anger coming off her like a heat wave, and he was afraid that wave would burn him to a crisp on the spot if he so much as opened his mouth.

He had been a fool, he knew. Yes, he could try to blame Zhara for not trying harder to warn him, or even blame the horse for moving toward him first, but at the end of the day, he was the one that had decided to steal the horse. He was the one that had gotten them into this mess. Somehow, in this strange land with its strange, bewildering rules, Paul was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore his own fault.

The commander stopped in front of a door covered in so much carving and gilding that it hurt Paul's eyes, and instructed them to wait. Zhara seemed to have simmered down a little, so Paul cleared his throat and turned to her, hoping to get back into her good graces with something he'd never uttered—an apology. "Listen, I'm—"

"No, you listen," she interrupted, a finger pressed into his chest, hot enough to burn through his shirt. "Once we are in front of the tsar, do not speak. Do not make a sound. I don't want to hear so much as a peep from you. I shall handle the talking, and if you still wish to see your precious Rus' again, you shall follow my lead. Do you understand?"

Paul was quite certain his shirt was starting to smoke and scorch. There was nothing else he could do but nod. At that moment, the door opened, and they were ushered into the throne room. It was more magnificent than the rest of the castle combined, all crimson walls painted with gold vines, gilded window frames, and, on a raised platform, framed by a red velvet tapestry, stood a pure gold throne flanked by two gold horses, where Tsar Afron was seated.

For all the equine imagery around the castle, Paul had expected the tsar to be something of a Tartar, but the man he saw was rather weedy and colorless, with pale skin, thin hair of an indeterminate shade, a downturned mouth that gave him the look of a sulky child, and eyes that were watery blue under one light and gray under another. Those eyes squinted inquisitively as Paul and Zhara were led into the room. Zhara dropped a curtsey. Paul, following her lead, sketched an awkward bow.

"Lady Zhara," Afron said in a wheezing voice. "Forgive me this rather unfortunate welcome, but I was told that you were a fugitive..."

"No, my lord, it is I that must beg forgiveness," Zhara said. "What you heard is not true"—and here she gave a brief summary of the story she'd told Paul and of their goal to find Baba Yaga. "We were on our way to ask for your help," she continued, "but my—companion here was worried that the horse would not take to us and decided to introduce himself." That was a rather clever way of explaining their presence in the pasture without admitting that they had been trying to steal the horse. "It was an honest mistake. We never meant to disrespect you."

Afron let out a deep sigh. "I, too, have heard disturbing reports from Arthania that match your story," he said. "Had you come to me first, I would have done my utmost to help you put an end to your brother's reign of terror." Paul could feel Zhara's glare boring a hole into the side of his head, and he hung his head in shame.

"But," the tsar continued, "the truth of the matter is, you did disrespect me, by entering my land and putting your hand on my most valuable property without permission. These trespasses ought to be severely punished."

Paul wanted to shout, The horse touched me first!, but he remembered Zhara's warning and kept his mouth shut.

"However, out of respect for your late honorable father, I shall excuse you, if you perform a certain service for me." The tsar said this in an oily voice that reminded Paul of the way the soldiers had leered at Zhara, causing him to bristle. Well, if Afron insisted on behaving the same way as his men, then Paul would have to speak up, regardless of Zhara's wrath. He would allow no one to talk to a lady that way.

Zhara asked warily, "And what service would that be, my lord?"

"Bring me back Tsarevna Elena the Fair."

Afron's request didn't come as a complete surprise to Paul. It was how it happened in the tale. The question was, did it happen this way because it was in the tale, or because he, knowing the tale, had inadvertently caused it to happen...? It hurt his head to think about it, so Paul stopped thinking about it.

Zhara frowned. "Tsarevna Elena of Bryansk, you mean?"

"Do you know of any other tsarevna of the same name?" Afron replied, his eyes turning dreamy as he looked at a spot somewhere in the distance. "For so long I have loved her with my whole body and soul, but her mother, Tsarina Kostroma, is proud and rejects my suit. The Horse with the Golden Mane will be yours, if you can bring me Elena's hand in marriage."

The lustful look on the tsar's face made Paul feel quite sick, and he saw Zhara's lips curl in barely concealed distaste. Then she set her mouth in a resigned line. "As you wish, my lord," she said, inclining her head. "If you would be so kind as to provide us with some supplies, we shall be on our way presently."

"Presently?" Afron said, surprised. Paul glanced at Zhara in dismay. It had been several long days, and he was rather hoping for some rest and proper food. Well, he supposed he should have thought of that before deciding to steal the horse.

"Time is of the essence, my lord," Zhara said. "We cannot delay."

"Very well," Afron said. "I shall have my servants prepare for your trip."

He clapped, and a string of servants appeared to replace the soldiers in leading Paul and Zhara out. Once they were safely away, Paul held Zhara back, out of the servants' earshot.

"What's the rush?" he asked. "I would've liked to sleep in a bed for one night at least."

"You don't deserve to sleep in a bed," she hissed, not looking at him. "You deserve to rot in Afron's dungeon!"

"Fine, leave me here then! I'm done trailing after you!"

"Perhaps I should."

She sounded rather serious, which made Paul stop short in his track. He hadn't considered the possibility that she might really leave him, and it filled him with trepidation. She was the only one who knew he was a stranger in this world; what would happen if he angered a leshy or a rusalka or one of the many strange creatures that roamed this land and she wasn't there to warn or shield him?

"You're not going to, are you?" he said plaintively. "I know I should have listened to you..."

She turned and examined his sheepish face for a moment or two, her eyes softening.

"Well, I guess someone ought to keep an eye on you," she said. Paul gave her an uncertain smile, which, strangely enough, seemed to fluster her. "Just so you wouldn't wander around trying to be a hero!" she snapped, before turning and following the servants down the corridor.

Despite Zhara's refusal to stay the night, Afron still insisted on treating them as honored guests. Paul soon found himself luxuriating in a hot bath in the tsar's personal bathhouse. It was heavenly, except for a startling moment when he again caught a glimpse of another green-skinned creature covered in birch leaves, but it quickly disappeared. He then had his shoulder wound redressed with some sort of herbal poultice and was given a new suit of clothes in the old style, before Peter the Great introduced European fashion to Russia, made of the finest fabric and beautifully embroidered. His own clothes were cleaned, and even his wig was carefully brushed and set aside for him. Paul hesitated to put it back on—it did not go with the old-fashioned clothes, making him look like the Fool of his mother's court—but he felt naked without it, so he wore it anyway.

"Wow" was all Zhara uttered when he rejoined her outside the dining room. The bath seemed to have lifted her mood. She had changed into nicer clothes as well—a snow-white chemise, a red sarafan embroidered in gold, a gold headdress studded with pearls and rubies, and a string of coral beads around her slender neck. But for all the regal air they gave her, her sarcastic, impish grin remained the same.

"Stop it," Paul said sullenly, tugging at the upstanding collar of his shirt. "I look like an imbecile."

"No, you look like you would fit right in with the Lukomorians," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Even with that ridiculous wig." Her teasing only made Paul scowl and ram the wig more tightly onto his head, out of contrariness.

They entered the dining room and sat down to a scrumptious supper. It was nothing like the feasts that Paul was used to in his mother's court—the food was simpler and heartier—but the taste was incomparable. He was so busy stuffing his face that it took him a while to notice Afron was asking him something. He looked up, bewildered.

"I say, are you a knight at the court of the late Tsar Artyom?" the tsar said.

Paul gave Zhara a panicked look, not knowing how to answer.

"No," she smoothly interjected. "He's—a court jester."

"A court jester!" Afron exclaimed, looking rather offended at having to share his table with a fool. Paul, too, stared daggers at Zhara and opened his mouth to protest. She gave his leg a swift kick under the table.

"Yes, my father's favorite," she said. "And he has been most loyal and attentive to me since my flight from Arthania, so I thank you, my lord, for rewarding him with your kindness and generosity."

Afron's thunderous expression dissipated, and once more, Paul had to reluctantly admit that Zhara's quick wit had saved them.

"That explains his outlandish dress and manners then," Afron said. "But, my lady, will you be safe traveling with a jester as your only companion? I am quite worried for your safety."

Though clearly not worried enough to offer your soldiers as protection, Paul noted.

"Oh no, I trust him with my life," Zhara was quick to say. Paul glanced at her to see if she was speaking in earnest or not, but her face was turned toward the tsar, and her side profile gave nothing away. He looked down again, feeling rather hollow. It was likely that she said that simply to avoid raising Afron's suspicion.

After supper, Zhara insisted on departing right away. Afron saw them to the castle's front door, where their mounts and supplies were waiting. Upon seeing the animals, Paul almost shouted out in indignation and had to bite his tongue to keep quiet. Zhara, who seemed to see nothing wrong with them, curtseyed to Afron, thanked him, and promised to return soon with Elena the Fair's hand in marriage. They then mounted the animals and rode out of the fortress, under the light of a full moon.

It was only when they had gone far enough that Paul made his displeasure known.

"Donkeys!" he exclaimed. "I bet he has a stable full of horses, and he gave us two donkeys! What a miserly little—"

"Donkeys are perfectly good animals," Zhara said calmly. "Besides, horses are no good for us where we're going."

That sounded ominous. "Why? Where are we going?"

"There." She nodded toward the mountain range in the distance. "Perun's Crown." Paul had only given it a passing glance that afternoon, and now, his stomach dropped to see how far it spread out, a veritable wall of silver and crystal under the moonlight, stretching as far as the eyes could see, with peaks so high they were lost in the clouds, and so steep they were like knives cutting through the night sky.

"Elena the Fair lives up those mountains?" Paul asked, his voice coming out squeakier than he'd intended.

"No, don't be silly. Her kingdom is behind those mountains. But the quickest way is to go through them. And these donkeys are experts in crossing mountains. So stop your complaining and keep up."

***

It took them three days to reach the mountains. By the second day, Paul realized that Zhara had been right about the donkeys. The ground was becoming rougher, with almost no discernible path, yet the donkeys picked their way through the rocks as surefooted as walking through a level field.

Though Zhara still took care to hide under Paul's cloak during the day, they met very few people on their way. During the first two days, they traveled with some convoys of merchants, but one by one, these convoys all turned right as they neared the mountains and followed the river instead, and they were on their own.

"It may be easier traveling along the river, but for us, it is safer this way," Zhara said when they stopped on the second night by a rock outcrop, the mountains looming above them like some giant, ancient god. "We don't want to draw more attention to ourselves than we already have." She had changed out of her finery and was back into a coarse linen chemise and dark blue sarafan.

"Do you think your brother is tracking you?" Paul asked.

"I don't know. He may use the victims he has transformed into animals, like poor Alyosha, but that takes a lot of strength from him, so he is going to focus on protecting his death. He knows he only has to bide his time; I shall have to confront him sooner or later." She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them close to her body, her eyes fixed on their fire. "Besides, I wasn't just talking about me." She nodded at Paul meaningfully. "I didn't wish to stay at Tsar Afron's castle for longer than necessary because I didn't want him to start asking about you."

That reminded Paul of a question that had been bothering him for some time. "About that—how come you know I'm from Rus, but others don't?"

"Those of us with magic in our blood can always tell," she replied. "I don't know how to explain it—we simply know. Be thankful that the rest of Lukomorye do not have such ability."

"Is that... bad?"

"Anything from Rus' is a great curiosity here. If they knew who you are, they would descend on you like a pack of wolves. How would you like to be paraded around like some exotic creature, to be ogled at?" She smiled at Paul's horrified look. "I suppose it would be the same if I ended up in your world."

"It might be worse," he said. "You might be burned as a witch, even though that practice had been outlawed for a century now." Now it was his turn to grin at her.

Zhara laid her head on her knees and regarded him with interest. "What is it like, your world?" she asked.

Paul thought about it for a while. "It's—like here, but different," he said lamely. He did not know how to put into words the otherworldly feeling that constantly coursed through him ever since he set foot in this land. "The trees, the mountains, the river, even the people... they're all similar, but back in my world, they're more—dull, solid, while here, there is this air about them... I can't describe it. It's the same with how you can tell me from a Lukomorian, I suppose. It's—"

"—magic?" Zhara prompted.

It wasn't quite what he had in mind, but it would have to do. "Yes, magic," he agreed. A strange little smile flitted across Zhara's face. She said nothing more and went back to watching the flames.     

They arrived at the foot of the mountains on the third day. There was a stone-built shelter there, and Paul and Zhara found themselves in the company of an old man, who said his name was Simeon, and that he was placed there to aid travelers in their crossing. He gave the donkeys some hay and stoked the fire to make tea, while Zhara opened the supplies Afron had given them and shared their food with him.

"It's been months, nay, close to a year, since I had anyone passing through," Simeon said, biting into a hunk of cheese with relish. "They all follow the river these days. Even large groups avoid the mountains. It's odd that you two would take this route..."

"My mother lives in Bryansk," Zhara said. "She is very sick, and I must go to her as soon as possible." This was the story she and Paul had agreed on, should they meet another traveler.

"Well, you're traveling light, so I suppose you don't have much to worry about—except for those two donkeys—" The old man considered their packs and clothes with the eye of an expert.

"Worry about what?" Paul asked.

"Who, my lad, worry about who," Simeon corrected him. "Nightingale the Robber. You have heard of him, yes?"

Paul wracked his brain for the old stories. "The one with the deadly whistle?" he asked.

"The very one. He has staked out these mountains as his own. His nest is on Perun's Peak, and he perches there, whistling down mountain passes, blowing men and animals against the rock. Many merchants have had their entire stock of goods and their animals taken, so now they just avoid these mountains altogether. And even then, those that stray a little too close to them may still be in danger."

Paul looked at Zhara and met her worried returning glance.

"Perhaps we should—" he began, but she shook her head.

"No," she said firmly. "It's going to take months to go around, and who knows what my—what might have happened to my mother by then." She glared at Paul briefly, giving him a silent warning to say no more.

Later, after Zhara had settled down on the narrow bed in a corner of the hut, Simeon clapped Paul on the shoulder. "Listen to your missus, my lad," the old man said. Paul's cheeks flamed. Though he and Zhara had agreed to pose as husband and wife, the idea still made him feel oddly shy. "I know you're worried about Nightingale, but trust me, having a wife and a mother-in-law angry with you is worse," Simeon continued in a friendly tone. "Why do you think I stay out here in this stone hut even when there's no traveler?" Chuckling, the old man climbed on the stove to sleep, leaving Paul to make himself comfortable by the fire.

Chapter 7

Taglist: @ali-r3n

#prince paul #tsarevich paul #catherine the great #prince paul fic #prince paul x ofc #joseph quinn #joseph quinn fic