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norrizzandpia · 8 months

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She Doesn’t Know Who I Am (LN4)

Summary: Lando’s in New York and no one knows who he is. Especially the girl who asks for his number.

Warnings: nothing really, the vaguest inference to alcohol consumption? If that, man, but lmk if i missed any ofc

Lando was always weary of the United States. From the intrusive people to the crazed, horrific politics, he always tried to stay away. However, once a year, or season, he had an obligation to make an appearance in one of the fifty maniacal states. This year, the region in which would be graced with his chaotic presence was that of New York.

Y/n was the typical college student, ruthless and stupid as she went through her days at NYU. Crazy parties and a lack of sleep filled her days as she struggled to get through her second to last year in school. While part of her hated the way New York operated and how unsafe she felt, there was nothing like the beauty of the city. Her whole life had been spent in a small town where she felt trapped and alone, but in the big city, she felt a part of something, almost as if she was finally contributing to something. What she was contributing to, she didn’t know, but, in her mind, that didn’t really matter.

What did matter, however, was her friends dragging her out of bed and forcing her to go out with them whilst on two hours of sleep.

“I can get bagels literally any day. Please,” She put her hands in prayer as she pleaded with her best friend, “Paige, let me go back to bed.”

Paige looked back at her as if she had grown three heads, “No way. You go back to bed now, you’ll sleep all day and then be screwed up tomorrow. Then, you’ll complain about your sleep schedule being off and get mad at me for not waking you up. This is a much easier Y/n to deal with, thank you very much.”

Her response seemed to shut Y/n up as she hung her head low and trotted behind her brunette friend.

—

The walk to the bagel place had been longer than usual as they ran into George, a homeless man who lived at the end of their street and they had come to love. He had been there since the moment they moved in, coming and going as he moved to different places to sleep. After a few years of becoming friends with him, they learned he was a veteran who came back with severe PTSD, and, in turn, had to deal with tumultuous debts for his tries to stop the depressing spiral. While he had successfully gotten over the painful flashbacks, he never came back from the money he owned, the main reason why he ended up on the streets. The girls had found sympathy for the man and whenever he was there, sitting at the end of their block, they gave him fifty dollars each, whether they were struggling with their own financial burdens or not.

His smile had sent them into the rest of their breakfast with happier attitudes as Y/n’s annoyance for being conscious disappeared. However, they returned for the entire duration they spent waiting in the long line in the cramped, stuffy deli. Nonetheless, once she had scarfed down her bagel sandwich and chugged some water, she found life to be much lighter.

—

Lando, on the other hand, had been wandering around Central Park aimlessly with Max and a few other McLaren PR employees. The group had been out shooting content for both the racing company and his own company, Quadrant. Checking out different sights and throwing middle fingers up when they crossed the Trump building, the two boys found themselves having lots of fun in the country they thought so little of.

“Maybe this shit isn’t that bad?” Max chuckled as they stared at the lake that stretched across the park, a piano sounding lightly behind them from a street performer.

Lando nodded, liking the way no one was recognizing him and he could just be, “Yeah, maybe it’s just the politics that dampens the whole thing.”

—

“I’ll seriously never get over how stunning it is in here,” Y/n whispered as she and Paige strolled through a particularly secluded area of Central Park.

“Mhm, me neither.” Paige smiled as the two girls cherished the moment together.

Y/n turned her head to catch the brunette’s brown eyes, “Ever think about what would have happened if we never met?”

Paige pulled a look, “Absolutely not. That sounds like hell.”

“You’re not wrong.” Y/n laughed, “But, seriously, like, how would we even be surviving right n-”

Her abrupt stop to her sentence had Paige turning to look at the girl. With Y/n’s jaw dropped and cheeks ablaze, she followed her best friend’s eyeline, stumbling upon two boys who looked about the same age as them.

“Wow.” Y/n said aloud as she stared, mesmerized, at the man.

“Which one are you looking at?” Paige tried to decipher.

“Brown curls,” Y/n responded immediately, allowing her best friend to finally hone in on the boy of her friend’s choosing.

Paige smiled softly as she pictured Y/n with the boy standing in front of them, a cute couple they would be.

“He’s cute. Go ask for his number!” Paige said excitedly as she pushed Y/n in the direction of the particularly striking young man.

Y/n instantly paled, “What?! No way! Absolutely not!”

“Why?! Y/n, you literally haven’t dated anyone since freshman year. Come on, you’ll never even see him again if he rejects you. Please? For me, at least?” Paige pleaded, giving her best friend a look that she couldn’t turn away.

Huffing, Y/n began walking away, muttering, “The things I do for you.”

—

Y/n first caught Lando’s eye in his peripheral. The quick flash of y/h/c had him turning around to quickly glance at the newfound presence.

He almost lost his footing at the sight of her.

Black leggings and a sweatshirt never looked so good on someone as she approached him. His eyes were followed by Max, the boy laughing at a Lando who was clearly very taken by the girl coming up to them.

“If she asks to take a picture, I’m going to be so devastated,” Lando whispered as she smiled at them, the sight making him want to melt to the ground and beg her to go out with him.

It dawned on him that he didn’t even know her name yet, but that was a passing thought as she came to stop in front of him.

“Hi,” She stared up at him, clearly nervous, “My friend is forcing me to do this, so don’t think I’m doing this willingly.”

Her next few words Lando was already preparing himself for. Either her sentence could send him into a euphoric orbit or she could crush his dreams by being a fan.

She took a deep breath, Lando smiling at her cute demeanor, before she continued, “I just thought you were really cute and thought that, maybe, I could get your number? My name’s Y/n, by the way.”

Max was quick to jump infront of his lovestruck friend, not trusting the girl’s intentions.

“Sorry, he doesn’t give out his number.” He shot out, Y/n grimacing as she took in the embarrassment.

“Is he a celebrity or something?” She tried to recover with jokes, but it just made the faces of the two boys pale more.

The one that she liked, the one with the soft curls, stepped in front of his friend as he shook his head, “No, no. He’s just overprotective,” He sent his friend a threatening gaze, “I’m Lando and I would love to give you my number.”

Y/n was too caught up in the meaning behind Lando’s look to catch the way he was staring down at her, brown eyes big and round as he shot her a toothy grin. Their eyes met, and she flushed under his stare.

Tucking some hair behind her ear, she quickly got out her phone, “Oh, cool! Here you go.”

Lando’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in his work phone number, not his personal. While he wanted to trust in her cluelessness, he couldn’t be that reckless.

Sliding her phone back to her in a way that allowed for their fingers to brush against each other, Y/n beamed triumphantly, something Lando knew he was going to grow to love.

She stood there for a few moments before nodding her head and beginning her walk back to her friend, “I’ll call you soon. We’ll figure something out.”

Lando nodded eagerly at her, a sign that he liked her just as much as she liked him. When her figure was a dot in the distance, Max turned to him and smacked him on the chest, “What the hell do you think you’re doing!? You can’t just shovel out your number like that! That was way too dangerous, Lando.”

His stern lecture had Lando rolling his eyes, “Max, two things. 1) I gave her my work phone, and 2) I’m willing to bet my seat in McLaren that she has no clue who I am.”

His best friend shifted on his feet as he looked at him, “You really think so?”

Lando nodded, “Yeah. I’ve seen fans try to play it cool, and even then, when they outwardly say they know my favorite flavor of ice cream, I can tell they’re freaking out on the inside. Her nerves seemed more to be the type of just asking a random stranger out rather than meeting her idolized driver.”

Max shook his head, “If you insist.”

—

Paige smiled proudly at her best friend as they began making their way out of the park, “So, what was his name anyway?”

Y/n thought hard for a moment before guessing, “Land? Lanyard? Something like that. I can’t remember. I was too caught up in his biceps to comprehend anything he was saying to me. I just hope he isn’t a murderer.”

NOTE: lmk if you guys want me to make a part 2 to this where they go out on a few dates and a month in or so she finds out or he tells her (something roughly like that)

#f1 imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 x reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris x reader #mclaren #lando norris fanfic #lando norris fluff #lando norris imagines #max fewtrell #new york #big apple #the big city #i love that city

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heyiwrotesomethings · 5 months

Note

I know this is probably a reach to ask but I’d love to see a Giyuu x Male Reader where Shinobu tries to help set them up but Giyuu keeps fumbling please

Fumbled

Giyuu Tomioka x He/Him Reader

A/N: Shinobu for best friend award. Here you go, hope you enjoy it! Word Count: 4,794

“That mission was exceedingly simple, don’t you think, Tomioka-san?” Shinobu flicked the demon blood off of her sword and sheathed it, turning to Giyuu who stood with his back mostly towards her looking as broody as always. “I think you could’ve been just fine on your own, then I could have stayed home. No offense, but I have more important things to do than you do, you understand.”

Giyuu inhaled deeply through his nose and gave Shinobu his famous thousand yard stare, but she was not phased in the slightest, falling in step beside him when he started walking off without her.

“Well, the night is still young and it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve gotten to talk to a brick wall so let’s go eat somewhere in town. I know you never go out, so you have plenty of money to pay for the both of us, right?” Shinobu half teased. She had treated Mitsuri the day before and her wallet was going to be a little light until her next payday. Not that she was ever actually strapped for cash, however.

While they made the trek back into town, Giyuu let Shinobu talk his ear off, sometimes even acknowledging whatever she said with one word answers or grunts of indifference. He wasn’t feeling conversation even more than usual. He had been having trouble sleeping again. Imposter syndrome was a bitch.

And though Shinobu was ribbing him pretty good at present, he was appreciative of her presence. It made it hard for his brain to travel down certain trails of thought that he didn’t want to go down.

“Ooo, I’ve never been here before.”

Giyuu looked up at the building Shinobu stopped in front of and froze. It was an ordinary restaurant for the most part, but they did boast a few western style cuisine for the more adventurous. How did Giyuu know this? It wasn’t from the eye-catching signs, no, he had aimlessly wandered in after a tough mission a few months ago. One of the best meals of his life. So warm and comforting and…

He could not bring himself to go back in there, not after last time.

“Let’s try this place out!”

Shinobu began dragging Giyuu in, but he dug in his heels, making Shinobu turn back to look at him with eyebrows slightly arched. Though he was bigger than her, he often let Shinobu drag him around like a limp doll, so to plant himself now was exceedingly odd and of course Shinobu wasn’t going to let it go.

“What’s this about, Tomioka-san?” Shinobu nudged his foot with hers. “Did you forget how to walk?”

“It’s crowded.” Giyuu argued, saying the first excuse that came to mind.

Shinobu looked back into the open door of the shop, seeing maybe five patrons tops and the soft noise made it even more evident that it was anything but crowded.

“It’s an off meal time, most people don’t eat this late. The only logical explanation for you thinking there are so many people must be that you are so hungry that your vision is blurring. You must be starving, Tomioka-san.” Shinobu pulls him harder, trying to get him to budge, “Come on, Tomioka-san, don’t be so stubborn!”

“We can go to the same place we always go when we’re in this district.”

“You have to start broadening your horizons!” Shinobu countered, not giving up. “Open yourself up to new experiences!”

They stood in front of the restaurant playing tug of war until someone approached them from behind.

“Giyuu! Long time no see!”

Both Shinobu and Giyuu’s heads swiveled to look behind them, finding a young man with a bright smile and a crate full of potatoes in his arms.

“And you even brought a friend, thanks for the business.” He winked, walking past them towards the warm light of the restaurant. He turned back to them slightly to flick his head towards the entryway, motioning for them to follow, “come on in, I’ll take really good care of you.”

“Ohhhh…” Shinobu’s lips spread into a small, impish grin and her eyes danced with mischief as she looked between Giyuu and the doorway the other man had just gone through.

“Don’t.” Giyuu warned, actually managing to deliver the word with a bit of aggression. “Don’t say a word.”

Shinobu put her hands up in mock defense. “My lips are sealed. Let’s go have a nice meal, okay? That kind man is expecting us after all. It would be very rude to turn tail and leave now.”

Giyuu bit his inner cheek and reluctantly followed Shinobu inside. His heart lurched uncomfortably in his chest seeing the other man’s bright smile once he dropped the potato crate off at the kitchen and came back to seat them.

The man rattled off the menu and offered to get them drinks, giving Shinobu his name when she asked.

“He’s nice.” Shinobu commented when (Y/n) walked off to get their drinks. “I think he’d be good for you. At the very least he would balance out your perpetual gloom.”

“You’re reading this all wrong.” Giyuu muttered.

“Mmmm, Nope. I could see you wandering into a restaurant on your own once in a blue moon, but to have come into one often enough that the staff would know your name is no coincidence. Even you can’t get in your own way enough to stay away from someone you really, really like it would seem.” Shinobu teased.

“Just drop it, will you?” Giyuu groaned. “It’s not going to happen.”

“Not with that attitude. Unless you already tested the waters, which I know you didn’t.”

“Can you not make this any worse for me than it already is?”

“Oh please—“

“And here is your tea, fresh and hot!” (Y/n) startled them both with his appearance. “Have you decided on what you’d like to eat?”

“I’d like to try the potato and cabbage croquettes, please.” Shinobu answered.

“Great choice,” (Y/n) nodded and then turned his attention to Giyuu. Shinobu swore she saw his smile get a little bigger as he did, “and salmon daikon for you, Giyuu? I hope you don’t mind, I was so sure you’d ask for it, that I already asked the chef to prepare it for you.”

Shinobu gave Giyuu an intrigued side-eyed glance, which Giyuu did his best to ignore.

“Thank you.” He mumbled in reply, head bowed.

“It’s my pleasure.” (Y/n) grinned, “Glad to have you back after so long. I hope Kochou-san can convince you to come around more often, so we’ll put extra care into those croquettes too of course.” He winked.

“My, thank you!” Shinobu pressed her hands together, “I’ll certainly hold up my end of the bargain if you hold up yours.” Her eyes twinkled, cementing Giyuu’s concern that Shinobu was about to meddle with his non-existent love life yet again.

“Great! I’ll get the order in right away.” (Y/n) weaved around the tables towards the kitchen, periodically turning back so he could glance back at Giyuu. He was looking forward to seeing those gloomy eyes light up when the flavorful salmon the chef was preparing met his taste buds. His heart skipped a beat when Giyuu’s eyes were still trained on him from across the room. When he turned for the last time upon reaching the kitchen. He waved his fingers coyly, before disappearing inside.

“You’ve been holding out on me again, Tomioka-san.” Shinobu teased.

“Drop it, Kochou.” Giyuu warned lucklusterly.

“I think not,” she shook her head, “he seems nice, more than that, he’s definitely interested in you. Ask him out!”

Giyuu inhaled deeply through his nose, “I tried last time I was here, it was a disaster.”

“Of that I am certain, but how did you mess it up this time?” She asked.

“So you can remind me about it every time I see you? No.”

“Fair point, but whatever you did clearly wasn’t as awful as you thought it was because he nearly bumped into three tables to glance back at you just now.”

“He’s probably just marveling at the audacity I have to come back here.” He sank in his seat.

Shinobu sighed, “That is not the face he was making, and you know it. I don’t know how you think you messed it up before, but I’m here now and if I have to hold your hand through this as I already have to do so often, then so be it.”

“Don’t.”

“Yoo-hoo, (Y/n)-san!” Shinobu called once she noticed him come back through the kitchen door. “If you aren’t too busy, you should sit with us, catch up with Tomioka-san.”

“You don’t have t—“ Giyuu was cut short by both (Y/n)’s reply as well as Shinobu stomping none too gently on his toes.

“Sounds great! Just let me take care of these guys first and I’ll be right over.” His voice was brimming with genuine excitement.

“What are you doing?” Giyuu hissed as soon as (Y/n) was preoccupied with the other table.

“Setting you up. Giving you something else to focus on instead of your moping. Come on, it won’t kill you to socialize a bit at least, and I know you could use the practice.”

“What am I doing with you right now? Isn’t that enough?”

“It hardly counts when I have to do ninety-eight percent of the effort in maintaining communication, Tomioka-san. Now look a little more friendly, he’s coming over.”

Giyuu managed a half smile that looked more like a grimace and Shinobu stepped on his foot again.

“You look like a serial killer when you smile like that. Just act like yourself, but also approachable.”

“You’re asking for two very conflicting things.”

Shinobu stepped on his foot again and (Y/n) made it over to their table and took a seat.

“So!” He clapped his hands together, “How have you been doing, Giyuu?”

“Fine.”

Shinobu gave him a sharp smile.

“And… how about you?”

“Been pretty good!” He replied cheerfully. “It can get pretty slow at times though, especially night shift, but I like the night shift.”

“What do you like about it?” Giyuu asked, mildly curious.

“Well,” (Y/n)’s eyes glinted and his smile tugged a little further on one side, “because… when you do come by, it’s only ever been at night and I’d hate to miss you.”

Though his expression remained largely impassive, Giyuu’s heart convulsed and against the negative little voice within his head’s wishes, a little part of him was beginning to think he hadn’t been as awkward the last time he as he thought he was. Maybe he actually did have a chance.

“What a sweet sentiment!” Shinobu spoke up before Giyuu’s dumbfounded silence could get too awkward. “Very charming, isn’t he, Tomioka-san?”

“…sure.”

Giyuu was ready for Shinobu’s foot this time and blocked, but didn’t have time to counter the fist that thwacked his knee and he winced, but fortunately (Y/n) only chuckled at his lackluster response.

“So chill, that’s one of the things that I like about you.” (Y/n) drummed his fingers against the table, seemingly debating for a moment whether or not to ask something, but he bit the bullet and put it out there. “So um, Kochou-san, how long have you and Giyuu known each other?“

“Oh, I’ve suffered through knowing Tomioka-san for some time now. We work together you know, it’s quite tiring. How glad I am that I don’t have to spend anymore time with him than that.” She said, making sure to let (Y/n) know that she and Giyuu weren’t dating in the most unnecessarily harsh way. “In other words, I’m his best friend!” She beamed, sweetly. What a way to cushion the blow.

“Oh, haha, seems like he’s lucky to have you.” (Y/n) chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you need help Giyuu, just blink twice.”

“Thanks.” Giyuu spoke with a trace amount of warmth in his tone.

“Just some friendly ribbing, no one needs to worry.” Shinobu assured, putting her hands up in mock defense. But Giyuu’s foot would day otherwise. “How about you tell us more about yourself, (Y/n)-san.”

Shinobu’s love could be harsh, but she was being one hell of a wingman. She filled the dead air, kept the conversation moving, pointed out similarities between the two and would prompt Giyuu to tell certain stories relating to the topics that were brought up. Things were going very well.

(Y/n) left for a little bit to take care of a couple of tables and retrieve their food from the kitchen, giving Shinobu and Giyuu time to regroup.

“What did I tell you, Tomioka-san? This is all going quite well, hm?” Shinobu grinned.

Giyuu took in a deep breath, than exhaled audibly, nodding his head once“…it is. Surprisingly, it is.”

“Wonderful!” She pats him on the back, “Then I’ll leave the rest to you!”

“Huh?”

“(Y/n)-san can have the croquettes I ordered. I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity to try them again sometime soon. Enjoy the rest of your night, Tomioka-san!”

“Kochou—“

She was gone on a breeze, leaving Giyuu’s hand frozen midair with nothing to grab. Giyuu felt a sense of dread wash over him, his security blanket was gone, he had to get out of here—

“And here we are, salmon daikon and potato cabbage croquettes.” (Y/n) slid the dishes onto the table, smiling, then titled his head to the side when he noticed Shinobu was no longer at the table. “Where did Kochou-san go?”

Giyuu opened his mouth, but he couldn’t seem to get any words out. He was ruining it again. Why did Shinobu have to ditch him? It had been going so well—

“Hey,” (Y/n) put his hand on top of Giyuu’s, making him jolt and meet his warm, concerned eyes, “you okay?”

Giyuu took a couple deep breaths and slowly nodded his head, (Y/n) gave his hand a slight squeeze that made Giyuu’s touch-starved heart quake. For better or for worse, he let go soon after, but then took the seat that had been Shinobu’s beside Giyuu.

“I think I get it. Well, you don’t have to worry about it. I’m not a scary guy, right?” He asked.

Honestly, in this situation, Giyuu would be less scared fighting demons. However, he managed another quick nod. He found his nerves about the situation to be pitiful, but he couldn’t help it. He was also pissed at Shinobu for slipping away to make him handle this on his own. She was such a hypocrite, trying to set him up with someone every so often only for her to slip off to her lab by herself. She was just as romantically challenged as he was, just in a different way. If Giyuu had the courage to flip the tables on Shinobu, he would in a second. That’s probably why she pulled things like this, because she new he wouldn’t know how to begin to give her a taste of her own medicine.

It was a shame, Giyuu really like this guy, but without Shinobu to pick up the slack, it was only a matter of time before (Y/n) realized he was wasting his time.

“Welp, somebody’s gotta eat these. The chef will be disappointed if they go to waste.” (Y/n) took one for himself and offered another to Giyuu. “I know you’re all about the salmon, but wanna try one?”

Giyuu gripped his knee hard, blunt fingernails digging into the tough fabric of his uniform. Despite this, his expression remained cool and seemingly unbothered by anything once he finally uttered a quiet acceptance for the fried ball. He pushed his shallow bowl over, expecting (Y/n) to add it to his meal, but the chopsticks stayed near mouth level and (Y/n) grinned.

“Take a bite then, it’s really good!” He held the chopsticks a little closer to Giyuu’s mouth.

Giyuu didn’t know what to do. Did (Y/n) really want to feed him by hand? Oh gods, he had never prepared for something like this in even his wildest daydreams, what should he do?!

“Don’t worry, my grip is solid. I won’t let it fall apart on you.” (Y/n) assured.

Oh man… he’s too goddamn sweet.

Giyuu felt his body move forward to close the distance of its own accord. That was fine, he appreciated the auto-poorly engaging while his brain’s transmission turned to static. At least, he appreciated it until he realized he had leaned away from the croquette, passing it by to get lean towards (Y/n)’s face, uncomfortably close. He could see every endearing feature, smell the medley of delicious food and an undercurrent of jasmine and sweat from working in the hot restaurant. The space only seemed to be getting hotter to Giyuu the further he leaned in.

He could probably count every eyelash (Y/n) had he was so close now. Close enough he could no longer take in the surprised expression (Y/n) adorned the moment Giyuu passed up the croquette. He was only a breath away from his lips when his hand gripped the opposite edge of the table in a death grip, it startled (Y/n) and a few of the lingering patrons with how sudden and loud the sound was.

Giyuu then used that hand to claw his way back into the metaphorical ledge, regaining the distance he had nearly closed. He saw (Y/n)’s dumbstruck expression and simply couldn’t stay put a moment longer

“I have to go.” He mumbled, quickly throwing a hefty pile of money on the table and hastily making his exit.

“Giyuu, wait! Hey! At least take your salmon! C-come back soon, okay? Don’t be a stranger! I mean it! I swear!” (Y/n) called after him. He had ran to the street as quick as he could, but Giyuu’s mis-matched haori was already disappearing into the distance. “Damn it…” he sighed, his back hit the wall of the building and he slid down to the ground. He looked back in the direction Giyuu had ran in and sighed. “I really hope you come back again… don’t leave me wondering if I’ll ever see you again. At the very least, be safe out there.”

Giyuu berated himself internally when he finally slowed down. He leaned on the trunk of a tree and pounded the side of his fist against it with one hard thud. He could never go back, there was no way. Last time he had thought he made a fool out of himself for brushing away some flour from the other man’s cheek the last time he hand been there, but to go in for a kiss without asking or ever inviting him to somewhere outside of his work was completely inexcusable to Giyuu. He could never recover from that.

If it was up to Giyuu, he’d never return. Fortunately for both men, Shinobu was not going to let it end this way.

Of course she found out about Giyuu’s lapse in judgement. She wanted nothing more than to read him the riot act, not for almost crossing a boundary, but for not crossing it. Did he seriously mot see those puppy eyes that (Y/n) had trained on him? She had all manner of barbs and jabs to aim at the man, but she decided to hold off. It had already damaged Giyuu’s psyche enough forcing the details of what occurred after she left out of him.

It was usually at this point that she’d wash her hands of the matter and start fresh, but she could see how infatuated (Y/n) seemed to be with her gloomy friend and she’d be damned if they didn’t have one good and honest outing. So like any good best friend would, she went back to the restaurant as soon as she could and asked for (Y/n)’s whereabouts. If her advice and mentoring was only going to roll off of Giyuu like water off a duck’s back, then maybe she’d try her luck scheming with the other half of this potential pair. Judging by how relieved (Y/n) was when he saw her, he would be a more than willing participant.

***

Giyuu blinked against the harsh brightness of the sun. The weather did not match his gloom. All he wanted to do was rot away in his home until his next mission, but Shinobu had told him his allotted time for mourning over his interpersonal flub was over.

She had slipped into his estate, yanked off his blankets and forcefully rolled him out of his bed, demanding him to bathe and put on something casual for a day out. All the while she berated him through the bathroom door about his lack of decor.

When he finally emerged from the bathroom, Shinobu scoffed and brushed past him to get a towel to dry his hair more and brush out all the tangles. At that point, Giyuu should have guessed something was up. It’s not like Shinobu was ever that concerned about his appearance normally. As long as he bathed and didn’t look ill, she was usually content, but little did he know today’s activity was more than a simple mental health walk.

He dragged his feet along, following Shinobu through the winding path to a large footbridge, various people milling about and going on about there day, many of which seemed to be couples. Giyuu stopped walking to look down at the clear, shallow water below. Even the fish seemed to be swimming in pairs. Must be nice.

“Today is a nice day, isn’t it, Tomioka-san?” Shinobu asked, poking him in the ribs.

“Hm.” He grunted.

Shinobu rolled her eyes. “You know what would make it even better?”

“Hm.”

“Hey Giyuu...”

Giyuu looked up from the water, his head swiveled quickly to the left. Leaning against the wooden guard rail of the bridge was (Y/n), a small bouquet of flowers in his hands and a sheepish smile on his lips. It felt foreign to Giyuu to see that man without his tenugui and apron. It almost felt like something he wasn’t meant to see and given that the young man was holding flowers, Giyuu didn’t think he wanted to see (Y/n) right now.

Who were those flowers for? Did he have someone special this whole time, or was this a new development? He knew he had no right to be jealous, but that didn’t stop him from developing a bitter taste in his mouth.

(Y/n) stepped forward coming to a stop right beside Giyuu. The Hashira attempted to back away, but Shinobu gripped the back of his kimono, keeping him in place.

“Listen,” (Y/n) started softly, “I wanna be upfront with you. I don’t want to leave any doubt in your mind that, that I want this too. I- I think you’re really cool and when I saw you smile the first time you ate that salmon daikon, I just about melted through the floorboards. Kochou-san and I talked and she told me that you like me too and that your nervous. I totally get it, but if you’d let me take the lead, maybe we could do something together today.” He presented the flowers to Giyuu, “I saw the color scheme of this bouquet and it made me think of you. I hope you like them.”

Giyuu stared blankly at the flowers in the man’s hands. No one had ever given him flowers before. Well, Tsutako had picked wildflowers with him when he was little and Shinobu had gifted him a house plant that immediately died under his care, but those instances were different. This was a baring of one man’s heart to another.

“…You want to do something with me?”

“Tomioka-san,” Shinobu nearly groaned, “of course he does! Now go on, accept the flowers and tell him what you think about them.”

Shinobu had to hold herself back from puppeting Giyuu’s hands around the bouquet. Fortunately, a little nudge seemed to do the trick just fine. Giyuu stumbled forward a little and his hands encased (Y/n)’s their eyes locked and (Y/n) smiled a little wider, causing Giyuu’s hands to squeeze his just a little tighter, seemingly on reflex.

“I… like them a lot. Really, thank you.”

Giyuu didn’t feel like those words were enough. They felt too simple for how much he appreciated the gesture, but (Y/n) seemed to get excited by the response, eagerly transferring the flowers to Giyuu and grasped his hands instead.

“I’m glad.” He said with great sincerity and relief, making Giyuu’s heart swell.

After a couple moments, Shinobu cleared her throat, “Well, I trust I can take my leave now. Unless you’re thinking of running off again, Tomioka-san. So help me, if you flee this kind man again, I will hunt you down and sedate you.” Her tone was playful, but Giyuu didn’t want to test if she was bluffing or not.

Shinobu patted (Y/n) arm as she passed. “Have a good time, and remember what we talked about.”

Along with the advice and scheming Shinobu generously supplied, she made sure that (Y/n) understood that if he hurt Giyuu in any way, sedation would be a wonderful gift in comparison.

“Of course, Kocho-san. Thank you for all of your help.”

With a satisfied nod, Shinobu then went on her way, leaving the men to their own devices.

“So,” (Y/n) cleared his throat, “If you’re hungry, I got a spot set up under that tree by the water over there.”

Giyuu turned his head to see a nice set up away from the bustling activity on the footbridge. It looked like a lot of thought and care went into its construction.

“You didn’t get to eat your salmon last time we were together, so I made sure to pack double.” He dropped one hand to his side and gently pulled Giyuu off of the bridge.

“You didn’t need to go through the trouble.” Giyuu walked beside him, acutely aware of how nice it felt to hold someone’s hand.

“It’s no trouble besides,” he grins, “to see that smile on your face, makes it all worthwhile.”

Giyuu felt warmth spread throughout his body and a small smile curled at his lips. He started walking a little closer to (Y/n) then, becoming a bit braver. Maybe, just maybe, he was truly worthy of this. Could he be selfish and allow himself this one good thing after everything that had happened in his life? Shinobu would probably give him a couple jabs in the ribs if she heard his tentative thoughts, but instead it was (Y/n) pulling him down to the portable picnic table by the flowing water that took him away from his thoughts.

They quietly conversed and ate. Giyuu found himself surprisingly calm this time around. He felt at peace. They sat together and watched the cherry blossoms float down the river. Well, (Y/n) was watching. Giyuu was preoccupied with staring at his companion instead. With a surge of courage, he leaned over and softly kissed the other man’s cheek.

“Thank you.” He murmured, then slowly straightened, only for (Y/n)’s hand to pull him back in from the nape of Giyuu’s neck, their foreheads pressed together.

“I’m having a good time too. Thank you for giving me a chance to do this with you. Do you think… we could meet up more often?” He asked hopefully.

“Yeah.” Giyuu exhaled and nodded, “My duties keep me busy on most nights, but I would like to.”

(Y/n) smiled, though Giyuu couldn’t see it from how close they were, he could see how (Y/n)’s eyes lit up. He soon straightened however, giving Giyuu the full view.

“You let me know when you want to meet up. Any day, any night, rain or shine. Here,” He pulled a piece of paper from his kimono and gave it to Giyuu, “It’s directions to my home. Come by whenever you want. I mean it.”

Giyuu took the paper and gently folded it. He secured it with his own kimono. Once he did that, (Y/n) cleared his throat.

“So you know how you almost kissed me the last time?” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little flustered. “I just have not been able to stop thinking about it and I know this is only our first outing but if you wanted to as well—“

Giyuu leaned forward, meeting the other man’s lips in a chaste, yet somehow, almost bruising kiss.

“Was that alright?” Giyuu mumbled once he pulled back.

(Y/n) grinned, lips buzzing. The kiss was stiff, but he had no doubt Giyuu would get better once he was more comfortable. If he just let himself go like he almost did at the restaurant that night, they would be absolutely golden.

“For our first kiss, it was perfect.” He spoke softly, then leaned in for another.

#demon slayer oneshots #kny oneshots #demon slayer x reader #kny x reader #giyuu x reader #giyu x reader #giyuu tomioka x reader #requests #anonymous

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imtrashraccoon · 3 months

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There was only two possible ideas I had for this one and I wasn't about to write a sparring scene. So, you get this idea instead!

@owl-bones

First Day, Previous Day, & Next Day.

Bad Sansuary: Nightmare - Out Of Bounds

Word Count: 2,365

You opened your eyes to find yourself laying on asphalt and underneath a gray sky. Sitting up, you looked around to find yourself in the middle of the road and surrounded by a thick fog. You stood up and decided to make your way to the sidewalk, just in case a car came through.

The more you looked around, the more uneasy you began to feel. Not only did everything look vaguely familiar, but you also couldn't hear any people or even the usual sounds of a busy city. It was...creepy.

The fog wasn't helping either and it was starting to remind you of a certain horror video game you'd played as a kid. At least it wasn't dark at the moment and there didn't seem to be any zombies wandering around. Still, you couldn't help but keep glancing over your shoulder as you walked around.

It was eerily quiet.

You walked around aimlessly for a while, just waiting for some horrific beast to leap out of the fog and scare you half to death...or maul you. That was the more likely scenario if you were being honest.

It suddenly struck you that there was a reason everything looked familiar. This was the town you grew up in, even if it seemed slightly different than how you remembered. You'd never witnessed fog as thick as this before for one.

Everything looked abandoned though. While the buildings didn't look damaged, there were no lights in any of the windows. Also, the more you walked, the more strange it was that you hadn't found anyone else. It was like they had been spirited away and the area had been reduced to a ghost town.

You walked the streets for a while until your path took you to a very familiar house. It was the very one you'd grown up in and spent much of your life at. Well, that is until you abruptly left at eighteen for where you lived now.

Just like all the other buildings, the lights inside were off and your dad's work van wasn't in the driveway like it nearly always had been. Still, you went to try the front door on the off chance that someone was home.

It was locked of course. You knocked sharply on the door and even rang the bell.

But nobody came...not that you wanted to see any of them anyways.

You decided to go check the back door and if that didn't work, you could always climb up in through your old bedroom window. Your parents likely hadn't noticed the lock had been broken, even after all this time of the room being empty.

You hopped the backyard fence with surprising ease, only to stumble when you landed on the other side. Although, rather then faceplant into the well manicured grass, you...fell through the ground...

Your heart leaped into your throat but you didn't fall very far at least. Instead, you collided with an invisible floor. While your face and body stung where you'd impacted, you appeared to be unharmed.

Well, if you were unaware of it before, you now knew for certain that you were stuck in another dream. You felt silly for not realizing sooner, but your brain was technically asleep, so you decided to give yourself a pass this time.

Looking up, you could see the outlines of the walls of your house and also every other house in the neighborhood. It was surreal, like you were witnessing something no one else had. You'd compared the thick fog to a video game earlier and this only seemed to strengthen the weird connection. It was like you'd accidentally glitched into an out of bounds area or something.

The real issue was that there didn't seem like there was any way back up. You also didn't know if this invisible floor stretched on forever or if it was just here either. You didn't like the idea of falling through another floor if you could help it.

Just as you were starting to wonder if you'd doomed yourself to be stuck here until you eventually woke up, you heard a quiet chuckle from behind you. You quickly turned only to find Nightmare standing a few paces away. He was back to what was likely his usual form with the four tentacles writhing around restlessly behind him.

"We meet again, dear..." he hummed.

"Yeah..." You felt immense relief just seeing him here, which seemed contradictory. He was an all powerful god and he could choose to subject you to all matters of torment at a moment's notice. So why did you look forward to seeing him each night before you fell asleep?

He moved towards you and briefly glanced up at the outlines of structures from the world above. You noticed his grin seemed to stretch wider in what you thought was amusement.

"Well you've certainly gotten yourself into a predicament..."

You crossed your arms and huffed in frustration, "No kidding..."

"Do you need help?"

"That depends, are you offering to?" you asked and slightly narrowed your eyes at him.

You often had weird dreams but this one seemed almost too odd, even for you. While you definitely wouldn't put it past Nightmare to mess with you, he hadn't explicitly been cruel to you yet...at least not that you knew of.

If he noticed your bluntness, he didn't comment on it, instead he offered his hand to you. "I don't mind helping you with something so trivial, my dear," he confirmed.

You took his hand and he pulled you a bit closer, wrapping two of his tentacles securely around your waist and upper back. In the blink of an eye, you were both standing on the sidewalk. It hadn't felt like a teleport though, but maybe that was because this was a dream and not real life?

He slowly released his hold on your body and looked around at the foggy neighborhood. You thought he seemed slightly intrigued if the way he was eyeing the surrounding houses was anything to go by.

"Do you recognize this place?" he asked. "I specifically crafted this dream to be something familiar but I left the details of it up to your own mind."

"Yeah, I do... This is where I grew up and my parents still live here even now," you answered quietly. You started to walk back to the front door and Nightmare trailed behind.

"How is your relationship with them?"

You paused and glanced over at him with a frown. He wore a look that while still intrigued, you could sense something deeper, like he already the answer. So why even bother asking? Was he just toying with you or did he just like making conversation?

"I...haven't talked to either of them in years," you admitted.

He tilted his skull in a questioning way. "May I ask why?"

"Well... They pretty much ignored me except when they absolutely couldn't, like if I had an emergency. Instead, they showered my older sister with everything she could ever want and more. I was useless in comparison to her..."

You paused in front of the door, your hand half raised to turn the knob, but you knew in your soul it was still locked. Why were you even here? What good did coming back do? Was it for closure? They weren't even home, so what did it matter?

You felt Nightmare's clawed hand touch your shoulder and you turned to look at him. His expression seemed as passive as ever, but there also seemed to be the smallest hint of concern in his eyelight.

"You don't need to show me if you don't want to," he said softly.

You took a deep breath before turning the door knob. To your surprise, it was now unlocked and the door opened on its own, thumping softly when it hit the wall.

With some trepidation, you entered and began to look around. Everything seemed to be the same as when you were a child, like you were looking into a time capsule or an old photograph. The furniture was all in the same places, the family portraits still hung in the hallway, and there wasn't even a speck of dust to be seen, just like how your mother liked it.

You felt like you should be happy to see everything like this or at least, feel nostalgic for old memories. You didn't though. The house felt cold and lifeless as if no one had been happy here in a long time.

You took a peek in the kitchen, half expecting to find your mother there making dinner, but she wasn't. The kitchen didn't look like anyone had ever touched it, let alone cooked in it either. You debated checking the fridge to see if there was anything inside, but an intense feeling of dread prevented you from doing so. You couldn't stomach being in here any longer...

So instead, you ventured to the only safe haven you'd really had as a child - your bedroom. The stairs still creaked in the same places you remembered and you reflexively did your best to avoid the loudest ones. You could hear Nightmare's soft footsteps as he followed but interestingly enough, he didn't make the stairs creak like you did.

You opened the door to your bedroom and were instantly struck all at once with the nostalgia you hadn't felt earlier. Everything was the way you'd decorated it back when you were thirteen, even down to the band posters thumb tacked to the walls and the mound of stuffed animals piled on your old dresser. Even some of the romance novels you still owned today were in the secret shoe box in the back of your closet.

You sat down on your bed quietly and glanced up at your ceiling that still had the glow in the dark stars stuck to it. It was funny, this room was essentially a case study of how desperately you'd wanted to grow up and have your own identity, and yet so much of it was still reminiscent of your early childhood. Your sense of style had definitely improved since you'd originally done this, but you still kind of liked the charm in this room. It was...cozy in a way.

While Nightmare had followed you upstairs, he had noticeably left you alone while you contemplated everything. Although, you could see him poking around in your parent's and older sister's rooms. You didn't care if he was snooping or just being curious, but you started to wonder what must be going through his skull right now.

"It kind of sucks living in your sibling's shadow all the time," you muttered offhandedly when he reentered the hallway again.

He stopped in his tracks and you noticed his left socket widened slightly before narrowing as he turned to look at you. When you didn't say anything else, his body seemed to relax and he entered your room quietly. He sat down nearby you at the foot of your bed, looking straight ahead instead of at you.

"It does."

His solemn tone gave you the sense that he knew what you meant somehow. You glanced over at him but quickly looked down at the carpet before he could notice you staring. It seemed like a really personal topic and you didn't want to pry, despite how curious you were now.

"My twin brother was loved by everyone when we were children. I was hated in comparison."

He caught your eye and gave you knowing look. "I can sense your curiosity, dear. I'm a god and I can certainly tell what people around me are feeling." Despite his overall serious demeanor, there was a subtle teasing glint in his cyan eyelight.

"Can I ask what your brother is like?" you asked carefully.

Nightmare hummed before even beginning to answer. "He's the complete opposite of me and the god of positivity. We don't get along obviously... Although, at this point I think we both know it's more because of what happened when we were children than anything else."

You nodded slowly and stared down at your folded hands in your lap. You couldn't pinpoint a definitive event that caused the rift between you and your family like he could. There likely never even was one and as the years stretched on, you just got better at noticing how much they preferred your sister over you.

"We were guardians of a tree that grew magic apples of gold and black. They only liked my brother and the golden apples for positive emotions, despite negative emotions being equally important."

He hesitated for a moment and clenched his fists. "They tricked my brother and lured him away from the tree. When they attacked, I was forced to consume the black apples to defend myself because of how pathetically weak I was..." he growled.

You wanted to reach out and try to comfort him but you could feel his anger radiating off of him in waves. You probably shouldn't touch him without permission anyways. Still, your soul ached just hearing what he had to say and you desperately wanted to empathize with him, even though he had previously told you it was futile.

Nightmare sighed and ran one of his hands over his skull. "I'm sorry, I don't usually tell people any of that," he muttered.

"It's fine, sometimes it helps to talk about the hard things we've been through." With a slight chuckle, you added, "I should probably practice what I preach though..."

It suddenly occurred to you that even without trying to use your Intent, you'd managed to empathize with him like a normal person. He'd willingly told you about something that had really hurt him. You didn't know if that meant anything, but it was kind of nice that he at least felt comfortable enough to talk about that sort of thing around you.

Nightmare hummed in a non-committal way but didn't disagree with you. He sat next to you for a little while longer before you noticed the dream was fading.

You woke up the next morning in your own bedroom with your own decor and possessions.

#badsansuary #raccoons drabbles #undertale #dreamtale #nightmare sans #nightmare #nightmare x reader #reader #female reader #have some empathy dear #oneshot

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a-thousand-lives-lost-for-peace · 2 months

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Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

my gift exchange fic for @finding-comfort-in-rain !! It was awesome looking through your blog and learning about your OC !

Cut for length, 1.5k words

Thanks for hosting @carlosoliveiraa !

---

The night had already grown long, a frigid wind howling through the near-deserted streets of the city, far-off groans of the undead carried on the gusts. Fire danced and weaved along the sides of the streets, worn buildings on the verge of collapse, thick streams of smoke dirtying windows with ash and soot.

It was now little more than a proper ghost town, filled with those no longer amongst the living - nor the dead. Stuck somewhere in between, aimlessly shambling around the streets, glazed white-tinted eyes searching lazily across the concrete roads, leaning forward just slightly - as if their bones wouldn’t support them fully. Blood trailed down their graying skin, exuding a scent of death and decay that was thick in the air - the soldier scrunching his nose in barely-concealed disgust as he jogged beside a barrel. Fire crackled on top of it, and there was no telling just what was inside it, which made him increase his pace just a little.

A shift of the wind, and a thick cloud of gray filtered into his face, obscuring his vision, stinging brown eyes, a subconscious pool of moisture at the edge of his gaze as the soldier passed through the smoke, coughing once, twice.

An arm raised to cover his mouth, rifle held tightly in a gloved hand, the familiar weight of a pistol and a combat knife resting on his belt.

“Carlos. How’s it going down there, find anyone else?”

The familiar voice of Tyrell crackled over his microphone as Carlos paced himself through the city, skirting around fallen debris and bodies of the dead, not even risking getting close to them. They seemed long-gone to the naked eye, but he knew from experience they often just lay in wait, clutching onto a stray leg when stirred.

Awfully smart for something that shouldn’t be.

Once Carlos was clear of the smoke, he slowed his pace, walking along an empty alleyway, pressing a finger to the microphone on his headset. “Nah, this place is dead. Nothing but zombies here, I’m going to move on to the main street now. Think I heard something about people heading down that way. Why, we running out of time?”

The soldier kept his voice strong, loud enough for the microphone to pick his tone up, but still sufficiently quiet enough that nothing hostile lurking would hear him.

Carlos kept walking, waiting for a response, a thick coating of crimson already beginning to dry on his uniform from his earlier encounters, the very bottom of his right combat trouser leg torn and shredded. Thick teeth marks rested just above his ankle, though he had successfully managed to kick away the creature before it had been able to do any lasting damage. A trail of blood still oozed from it, but he didn’t care much for it, knowing he had a job to do, not able to waste a single second.

That fraction of time could mean that another survivor was lost to the horrific outbreak that plagued the city.

The familiar crackle of the radio, and Carlos listened intently, eyes scanning the intersection.

“I’m heading back to the station soon, Mikhail’s antsy as hell and wants us to get going. Check out the main street then get your ass back here.”

“Yeah, got that. I’ll be there soon.”

The click of the radio as Carlos ended his transmission, and the soldier waited a single second more before making his move. Setting off down the path towards the main street, a brown gaze continued to scan his surroundings, careful, cautious. He couldn’t make a mistake, not now, not alone.

Faint, shambling footsteps, a herald of something that shouldn’t be, the line between life and death.

The smell of smoke and decay was still thick in the air, stinging his nostrils, a long breath escaping him. Blood continued to line the streets, never drying through the faint rain that still continued to fall, the ground shining underneath the faint moonlight, and the sparse, unbroken streetlights.

It was still a miracle they even had power still, considering the whole city was near-dead if not dead already, by the looks of things.

Though they probably wouldn’t have it much longer, so he needed to move quicker.

“Whole city’s gone to shit.” Carlos muttered underneath his breath, footsteps falling quick and light on the ground as he paced himself.

One more step, then another. Rounding the corner, Carlos stopped dead in his tracks.

He cursed, taking a step back, his gaze scanning the group of zombies just ahead of him. He’d have to find some other way, he didn’t have the gear to deal with all of these.

A sudden distorted yell from one of the undead, and it turned slowly towards him, a clouded white gaze trained on him. Carlos aimed his rifle and aimed, pressing down on the trigger.

Click.

“Fuck!”

The soldier’s pulse quickened, his heart pounding. No ammunition.

He quickly glanced over the street, his gaze landing on a small alley.

Better than nothing.

Carlos ran towards it, narrowly avoiding a lunge, dipping into the alleyway, slipping through a door inside a chainlink fence, locking it behind him. A rusty lock, but a lock nonetheless. Hopefully it should hold them for a while - or at the least deter them if they didn’t have the capability to unlock it.

He was trapped by walls all around him, save for another door a few feet away. Slinging his rifle on his back, Carlos drew out his pistol, checking the bullets. Seven.

Just might be enough to make it to the station, or to one of their supply drops, where he could pick up more ammunition, grenades, extra gear before he made it to Mikhail and the others.

Muttering underneath his breath, Carlos stood by the door, nudging it open with his shoulder, his hands tight on the weapon. Finger on the trigger, cautious and alert.

The place he stepped into was well-lit, and devoid of blood. He furrowed his brow, apprehensive.

Movement out of the corner of his eye.

Carlos turned sharply, his gaze settling on another figure sitting on top of what seemed to be some kind of safe, watching him.

Brown eyes flicked to the other, and to the ground, where a large bag of items sat, partially hidden behind the counter of what used to have been an old mechanic’s shop - tools still scattered around. Maybe the stranger was hiding out here.

She didn’t seem to be infected. A dark hood covered golden hair, a cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

Carlos lowered his weapon, his gaze glancing from the door at the other end of the mechanic shop to her.

“It’s risky if you stay here. Come on, we need to get you to safety.”

Carlos stayed alert, glancing back to the stranger, who didn’t move a muscle. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m fine where I am.”

The soldier took a breath, furrowing his brow slightly.

“Didn’t you want something?” the stranger questioned.

“What?” Carlos responded, slightly confused.

The stranger repeated herself, a friendly expression on her face.

It was then Carlos noticed the boxes of ammunition behind her - a rifle and a pistol lying on the back counter next to them.

Accompanying them was what looked to be a large rocket launcher.

Enough to hold out for a long while - it was a wonder she had managed to get this much.

Carlos glanced towards the rifle ammunition, his gaze catching on the rocket launcher. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time . . you sure don’t want to come to the station with me? We have a subway ready to leave.”

The stranger followed his gaze, picking up a box of ammunition and studying it for a moment. “I’m sure, and it won’t take long. Plus, I can make my own arrangements.”

“Carlos. Where the hell are you? We need to get moving, and soon.’’

Tyrell’s voice crackled over the radio as Carlos took a breath. The sound of the undead outside did little to soothe his nerves, but he clicked on his own radio. “Yeah, I’m on my way. Found someone, she’s safe for now.’’

Turning back to the stranger, he took a breath, shaking his head slightly. The soldier pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket, dropping them on the counter. “Fine. Just.. take care of yourself.”

The stranger tossed him the pack of rifle ammunition, dropping down from where she sat and lifting the rocket launcher onto the counter in front of him.

“Been doing that for years, not gonna die on you. Don’t worry.”

Carlos reloaded his rifle, pocketing the spare ammunition as he listened to the stranger speak.

A crash sounded just outside, glass shattering and splintering, the sound of a car’s engine dying out as metal crumpled into itself.

His head turned towards the door as a loud guttural yell sounded from somewhere just outside the mechanic store, uttering the name of something he could barely make out.

“Better hurry.” The stranger raised an eyebrow playfully, glancing towards the door.

#resident evil #carlos oliveira #oc: the magpie #aella x carlos #ship: all that is gold does not glitter #mybloodyvalentines24

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raineandsky · 1 year

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#20

The prince decided pretty fast that he despises his father’s taste. The man had been insistent that his son take a protector with him on his journey to the next kingdom over, and assigned the most over the top knight in his guard to do it.

The prince’s first meeting with that knight was four years ago. Now they’re both stuck in a wasteland, wandering aimlessly between ruined cities in the hopes of scavenging some scraps to live off. It’s not the future he’d dreamed of when he imagined his place as a king, but it’s the future he’s stuck with for the foreseeable.

“Night will be falling soon, my liege,” the knight pipes up brightly, and the prince tips his head to give the other man an incredulous grimace. The knight doesn’t even react, well used to the prince’s cold attitude, and presses on regardless. “It would do us good to find shelter soon.”

“Where was that barn we were in the other night? The one with the little hole in the door?”

The knight momentarily glances out over the world they’re walking through. The environment is flattened, with only beige ghosts of the greenery remaining. The place is admittedly a little depressing. “We’re walking away from it, my liege.”

Directions have never been the prince’s strong suit. “We’ll find something this way, then.”

The knight nods shortly, and the prince knows he’s having to hold his tongue to not tease him for his lack of knowledge. Back in the day he’d have asked his father to have the man executed for his insolence, but times have changed. This knight has avidly defended his life on more than one occasion, especially when the world originally ended, and the prince isn’t stupid enough to truly want him gone just yet. It’s just annoying that he has to put up with him for guaranteed survival.

“Why’ve you stuck around?” the prince asks suddenly, and the knight’s brow creases into a confused frown. “You’ve not really been on duty for the past four years.”

“It’s what your father requested of me,” he says almost immediately, the words falling out in a perfectly rehearsed line. It makes sense; it’s what he always says when the prince probes him for a truthful answer.

“I’m pretty sure my father has been dead for four years,” he retorts, and he doesn’t miss the flash of apprehension across the other’s face at his bluntness. “You don’t serve him anymore.”

“And who was the next in line?” The knight gives him a smile, slightly subdued with uncertainty. “I am still serving a king.”

An involuntary laugh bubbles out of the prince. “I don’t think a monarchy has existed since my father fell. I’m about average as you nowadays.”

“I wouldn’t call myself average, my liege. I was the top of my class in training.”

“I know. It’s why you got lumbered with me instead of entering the End War and dying in a blaze of glory.”

The knight grins more freely. “Thank the goddesses for that, huh?”

It’s the prince’s turn to wear a confused frown. “Wouldn’t you rather be–”

“A town!” The knight’s cry cuts straight across him, and he adds it to the tally of things he’d have gotten him seized for back in the good old days. “Down there!”

Sure enough, there’s a small cluster of houses over the brow of the hill they’re standing on. Most of the buildings look intact, with hopefully fewer holes in the roof than last night’s find.

“Good timing,” the prince comments, glancing into the sky and immediately regretting it as his eyes lock with the setting sun. “Please go and check for murderers, dearest knight.”

“Anything for you, my liege,” the knight replies with a playful smile, before turning to continue down the hill alone. The prince watches him go, double checking his surroundings that no bandits want to take advantage of his loneliness.

He knows he’ll never be king like he always dreamed of. He’d be a king of a broken kingdom anyway, only there to rule over ruins and the dead. Four years has been plenty of time to figure out living as a commoner, though he can’t say he doesn’t miss the ease of being a prince. He supposes he was lucky, travelling through the quietest parts of the countryside when his father’s kingdom enacted war with everyone else.

The knight calls back up the hill, his voice drifting incoherently up to the prince, and he starts on his way down to join his protector at the bottom. He even has a knight unwaveringly loyal to a shattered kingdom to look out for him. He still hasn’t figured out why. The knight has always stayed on his side, well into the end of the world, and he tells himself that he will find out the man’s motive for sticking around one way or another. It’s not like there’s anyone else to ask.

#writing #creative writing #writing community #writers on tumblr #writblr #fantasy writing #fantasci writing #< new tag!! we ballin!!!#prince x knight #kinda #if you opened this post from my website. hello #this blog is now linked in my portfolio so standby friends i am going Professional Mode

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obwjam · 9 months

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It's Not Safe For You Here (Stargate Atlantis: Carson Beckett x tiny!reader)

a/n: behold, folks: my very first commission! requested by the wonderful and lovely @blueskimmer! i love how this turned out and i'm very happy i got to put this together for them 💞 i hope you all enjoy!

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You just couldn’t believe your luck.

It usually went something like this: A Wraith ship came zooming out of the ring with that weird glowing light, taking as many people as it felt like. Within minutes, it was gone. It came through every so often, but because the giant village you called home was small, by human standards, the ship’s visits were few and far between. In the last couple of years, you had only seen seven, maybe eight, ring activations.

Of course a ship of unfathomable size descended on your home in the middle of your midnight borrowing trip.

It was pure, unadulterated chaos. People were screaming, dirt was flying, and you couldn’t see a thing. Whenever the Wraith came, you situated yourself in your little bunker until daylight, and this time was no different. You just had to climb down the water well and get to it.

What you didn’t fully realize was that a giant ship meant that there were Wraith on the ground as well as in the air. Debris was flying from every angle as weapons were fired and houses were set ablaze.

All it took was one errant rock to send you tumbling down.

It happened in an instant—so fast that you don’t even remember getting plunked. It was a pebble, really, something that wouldn’t have normally thrown you, but it came flying at such a breakneck speed that it immediately knocked you out, and off your feet.

When you came to, you had to blink away the light that flooded your vision. You groaned and tried to sit up, but immediately fell down when you realized you couldn’t. Your arm was twisted in a way that was not normal. You silently cursed yourself before realizing you had no choice but to get up and run. Things were hitting the ground at a rapid pace, and you had fallen off the well and were out in the open. You couldn’t believe nothing had happened to you while you were passed out.

So for the rest of the night, you stayed hidden behind the cover of grass and leaves. You managed to situate yourself underneath some fallen rock so if anything came tumbling down from above, you would hopefully be safe.

It was torture. You watched as hundreds of villagers dwindled down into a few dozen in a span of hours as the Wraith stunned them and dragged them back to their ship. The thought of getting snatched up by one of those aliens was enough to send you into a panic.

You didn’t realize you had eventually fallen asleep when the noise finally died down, but before you knew it, you were jolted awake by the sound of voices that cut through your ringing ears.

Voices you didn’t recognize.

“Oh, no…” Sheppard said as soon as his eyes fell on the scene before him. They were set to start trade with this planet—in exchange for some medicine, they would receive bountiful crops for the mainland. They certainly didn’t anticipate a culling happening in the week since they had been here.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Rodney cried. “When did this happen?”

“It looks like they were just here,” Ronon observed. “Some of these buildings are still smoldering.”

“Oh dear,” Carson mumbled. It wasn’t often he got to witness the destruction of the Wraith firsthand, and he almost couldn’t believe that just a week ago, this was a bustling village with hundreds of people walking about. Guess he and his medical supplies weren’t needed on this mission anymore.

As the others began to drift off into different parts of the village to investigate, Carson, left with nothing to do, started to aimlessly wander toward the water well in the center of the destroyed town square.

That’s when he saw you.

He gasped to himself, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn’t just hallucinating. Right on the ground, gaping up at him in shock and fear, was a tiny little human.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Truthfully, he was surprised they didn’t encounter more species in Pegasus that weren’t human, but never in a million years would he have anticipated a humanoid creature as small as a mouse. He wasn’t sure if it was just the aftermath of a culling, but a closer look revealed to him how disheveled you were. Your clothes—more like rags—were draped over your figure like loose robes, and your shoes were nothing more than thick, makeshift pieces of cloth. Your hair was unruly at best, and your skin was caked with dirt, scrapes and bruises.

“Oh my god…” he whispered with equal parts concern and amazement. “What… what are you?”

You were shaking so hard you couldn’t stop yourself. Everything in your body hurt like hell, but it didn’t matter. At the absolute worst time possible, you had been spotted. He was wearing a thick vest with what looked like a million little pockets, and he was carrying a giant case that was unlike anything you had ever seen.

In your half-lucid state, you got the bright idea to try and hide from the giant. You managed to get on your feet, but you couldn’t take more than a few steps before your legs turned to jelly and you collapsed. Instinctively, Carson lurched forward, and in the disarray of it all, you shrieked and twisted your body away to brace for anything the giant might do.

At your sudden movement, Carson recoiled. Did he do something wrong? Was he scaring you? That was a stupid question. Of course he was scaring you. The doctor knew he had to help, but he also knew he couldn’t just scoop you up and take you back to Atlantis, no matter how much he wanted to. He had to make sure you weren’t so terrified of him first.

“Hey, hey…” he said gently, trying to mask his own shaking voice. He cringed at how big he felt trying to talk to you, so he slowly crouched down, not missing the way your eyes widened as he got closer. “I’m not going to hurt you, little one. My name’s Carson Beckett, and I’m a doctor. I just want to help.”

You could only stare blankly at this human with an incredibly bizarre accent. You knew he was trying to make you feel better, but a doctor? The ones that poke and prod and touch? Nuh-uh. No way.

“I promise, I won’t hurt you,” Carson said again. He felt like it needed repeating. “It’s not safe for you here. Let me take you back to Atlantis and we can—”

“NO!” you shrieked suddenly, surprising both you and him. You had no idea what Atlantis was, but you knew it couldn’t be good. “N-no, ple-please… I…”

Carson had subconsciously put his hand on his knee to rest, but once he noticed the way your eyes were tracking its every movement, he sheepishly pulled it back.

“Look, I know you must be scared down there. I know I would be if I were in your shoes,” he started. “But you’re in bad shape, dear, and if the Wraith come back again, you’ll be stuck here with nowhere to go.”

Your stomach dropped when he said that. You couldn’t even fathom the Wraith coming back like that again. There’s no way I would survive.

“Let me help you, and you’ll be back on your feet in no time,” he said softly, putting a smile on his face to show he was friendly. “I can take you somewhere safe and fix you all up.”

You instantly shook your head no, and when the doctor cocked his eyebrow, you knew you had to defend yourself.

“I… please, I can’t… I can’t go anywhere with you.”

Carson had to bite his tongue to stop himself from gushing over how cute your tiny voice was. “Why not, love?”

“Because… you’re a human.”

He sniffed an amused laugh before a feeling of unease washed over him. The fact that this little guy needed to distinguish themself as non-human was intriguing.

“What’s so wrong with being human?” he implored.

At that, you clammed up. After years and years of living in secret, you weren’t about to blurt out the borrower code now.

Carson sighed. You were clearly frightened out of your wits, and it didn’t seem like talking would get him very far. Maybe if he could get through to you just how bad your injuries were, you would be more inclined to trust him.

“It’s alright that you don’t want to chit-chat, but as a doctor, I can’t just stand by and let your injuries go untreated! You could be seriously hurt, and I have a responsibility to help you, even if... even if you are just a wee lad who can fit into my pocket!”

You were surprised at his sudden outburst—and amused at being called a “wee lad”—but he was right. You were badly injured, and you didn’t have the means to fix yourself, let alone hunt for food, water and shelter in this state. At this rate, you’d be dead in a week anyway.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself for what you were about to say.

“…Okay.”

Carson perked up. “Okay what?”

“Okay… you can help me.”

A grin grew across the doctor’s face. You clenched your jaw as his hand gently descended palm-up next to you, eagerly awaiting your arrival onto it. You gawked at it in horror—his fingers were taller than your body, and his palm came up to your ankles—but there was no going back now.

Carson’s breath hitched as you dragged yourself onto his palm, tiny hands pressing deep into his skin for support. He was sure that he’d never been more nervous than he was right now—your life was literally in his hands. He stayed surprisingly still, even through your struggle to get your legs moving without being in crippling pain. Your form was so small in his hand, and yet, it was like he has the most important task in the world. He could feel your every little movement, down to your deep breaths and trembles. His heart fluttered with each and every one of them.

Once you were situated, he took a breath. Your eyes were trained on the ground, refusing to look up and deal with just how big he was.

“I’m going to stand up now,” he warned. “Are you ready?”

A tiny, nervous nod. His heart fluttered again.

You had to close your eyes when he stretched out to his full height—you had never changed altitudes so fast before. In a moment of panic, you reached out and grabbed onto the closest thing for support, which happened to be Caron’s thumb. He let out a small Oh!, which just made both of you blush.

Grabbing his medical kit with his free hand, he briskly, yet smoothly, made his way over to a now-empty house to give you some privacy. He pushed away his feelings of unease at the reality of the situation to focus on the task at hand.

Placing his kit on one side of the table, he laid his palm down on the other, his expression soft.

“It’s okay, you’re safe here,” he reassured you, noticing how you nervously eyed the new landscape.

His mouth hung slightly agape as you ambled off his hand, utterly fascinated at something so small moving around. He couldn’t even fathom what this place looked like to you right now.

You watched with wary eyes as he opened his impossibly large case and began to take out tools you had never seen before. He quickly glanced down at you and frowned at your sudden change of expression. He quickly realized just how scary his instruments must look to you.

“Don’t worry,” he stated, “I don’t need to use all of these. I’m mainly looking for… these.” He pulled out some gauze and tape and set them both aside.

“Do you have a name, little one?” he asked suddenly. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised when you didn’t answer. He began snipping off small pieces of gauze. “My team and I came here through the stargate hoping to trade, but…” he trailed off. Not only did he want to forget about the culling, but he especially didn’t want to think about you witnessing it. The thought of being so small during something so destructive made him want to vomit.

He shook off his anxiety and continued. “Can I at least ask how you got so banged up?”

You kept your eyes trained on the dents and scratches of the old wood you sat on. “I fell.”

“Fell?” Carson repeated. You merely nodded. “From where? When? How long had you been on the ground?”

You opened your mouth to respond, but no words came out. Your jaw was quivering at just how many questions this guy was asking. He wanted so much information, and you weren’t even willing to give up your name.

Carson pursed his lips. These were all standard questions he’d ask any patient, but he had to keep reminding himself that you were not just any patient. So he decided to keep his inquiries simple.

“So,” he sighed. “What hurts, love?”

You sniffed a laugh. What didn’t?

Carson saw your expression and gave you a small smile. “Right. Sorry. Stupid question, huh?”

You had to admit, it was fascinating watching him move around. He was snipping off pieces of that… whatever it was… and carefully laying them down. His gaze kept flickering between you and whatever he was doing. He didn’t even hesitate.

“Would you say anything’s broken?” he tried. He was still hoping for a verbal answer, but he settled for the impossibly small nod you gave him. Another heart flutter.

“You’re going to have to give me specifics,” he said with a small laugh. He gave you another look-over and frowned—you were wringing your hands and avoiding eye contact at all costs.

It seemed that he had a little more work to do than normal.

“Hey,” he started, putting the scissors down. He spotted a rickety stool nearby and pulled it over, taking a cautious seat as you gawked up at him. He leaned down, still in awe at how everyday objects simply towered over you. “You’re doing great, dear. I know you don’t want to talk to me, but just being here is very brave of you, you know.”

You looked up with a half-bewildered, half-flattered expression. There was this twinkle in your eyes as you tried to suss out how genuine this human was, and it was like you could see your own fascination mirrored in Carson’s own softly curious gaze.

“I’m serious!” he continued. “God knows if the roles were reversed, I’d probably have passed out by now. It can’t be easy being so… small in a giant world, I imagine.”

You stared at him in amazement. How could he possibly know what it’s like? What kind of giant would even try and empathize? That’s not what humans did in the stories you were told. Giants would snatch you up, stick you in a jar and torture you for fun. This one… this one was the exact opposite.

And that meant something to you.

“Kona.”

At the very sound of your voice, Carson felt his cheeks flush red. You were so adorable it hurt.

“What was that?”

“Kona. My-my name.” You cringed at how helpless you sounded. “You asked me for my name.”

“Kona…” Carson repeated. “What a lovely name.”

Your face went hot. Why did his compliments mean so much to you? You barely knew him.

“…I think my arm might be broken.”

“Oh, dear,” Carson mumbled. “Look, love, the best I can do right now is wrap it up a bit so you don’t aggravate it anymore…. but I’m afraid I can’t do much more unless I take you back to Atlantis.”

A pause.

“I know you don’t trust me, but I think you know as well as I do that it’s just not safe to stay here anymore. You could get hurt even more, or worse.” He gave it a moment for his words to sink in, and he could tell you understood. “Everything is destroyed here. There’s no reason to stay.” Another pause. “Please, Kona.”

Your heart skipped a beat when he said your name. You were a borrower that lived by yourself in a giant village on a strange planet—nobody ever said your name that wasn’t you. But the way this human said it… it had meaning. A purpose. Like he loved the way it sounded and knew how well it fit you.

You had never felt this way before.

“Okay,” you quavered, trying not to sound so scared this time. “I’ll go with you.”

It took Carson only a few minutes to pack up his things. Instead of trying to do it himself, he insisted that you wrap the gauze around your own arm, and he made sure to show you—from a distance, of course—the proper way to do it.

Climbing on his hand the second time was not nearly as petrifying as the first. Gripping his thumb seemed to be the easiest way to hold steady, but Carson didn’t mind. He thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

“This is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I came to this planet with four other people,” he explained as he sauntered out of the house. “And the place we’re going… it’s pretty big, even to me.” He chuckled at the fact that he just said that. “There will be a lot of people there, and you might have to meet quite a few of them. Are you okay with that?”

From his hand, it was like you were seeing this planet in a completely new light. Everything was destroyed here, but at least from this vantage point, it didn’t seem so bad anymore. Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.

“Yeah,” you finally replied after a somber moment. For the first time in a long time, you found yourself smiling as you turned your head around and looked up at Carson. He was beaming right back down at you.

“I think I’m okay with that.”

#fuck yeah stargate g/t you guys!!!!#this entire franchise is so underrated #the potential is literally limitless #thank you again for requesting this :)))))#i could have written an entire novel with this #i also wrote like three different beginnings before settling on this one LOL #the ideas man i'm telling you #obwrites #g/t #giant/tiny #stargate atlantis #stargate

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thedo0zyslider · 3 months

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Explosions Across Lifetime - Chapter 32: A New Sheriff In Town - k Words

Fwhip finally gets to meet the Sheriff, and he's a much different than expected (and maybe a little handsome as well…)

A03

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It takes a few days and a bunch of more building and town expansion, but Fwhip does, eventually, get going towards the mesa. It’s a few days later than he would’ve liked, but goblins were always busy. They probably did most things a few days later normally, so this wasn’t any different. Just more annoying, because Fwhip was more excited about it than doing, like, all the paperwork he had to file before leaving the city yesterday. So much paperwork for all the new buildings, so much…..

It’s about another day or two’s walk to the mesa, not counting the search for the empire; which just happened to be in one of the biggest biomes around. Though hopefully there’s some indication of life, or Fwhip will be really out of luck. It’s not smart to wander the mesa aimlessly for days, and he alo really doesn’t want to.

He thankfully does find those signs of life he was hoping for, in the form of footprints still lingering in the sand. Which means they’re fresh, for the wind to not have blown them all away by now. It means people, and possibly a town, were closer than he thought. Fwhip flicks his tail in excitement, and starts to leave little markers in his wake. Little things like torches so that will be visible, even in the night. And some rocks, things not found in the aboveground of the mesa. So he has a clear path out of here, at least until the new empire can afford to put some roads up. And he won’t fault them if it takes too long, for the goblin personally knows how expensive several feet of road can be to put down, no matter the material you’re making it from.

It does not take Fwhip long to find the town after he finds the footprints, only having to walk for about fifteen minutes more. He knows he’s the news empire when he spots houses, ones made of oak and spruce, sitting atop the clay and surrounded by several large cave openings. Beyond the houses is a large, circular dip in the ground, where Fwhip assumes more of the empire would be. That’s where he would build after all, if this was his biome to own.

The goblin hums, and enters the town slowly and respectfully. He doesn’t want to come off as an intruder as he walks through these houses. Though that doesn't seem hard to do, as most of the town’s residents either seem to be inside or off working somewhere. He isn’t even sure anyone notices him at all for the first few minutes of walking.

After a few minutes of walking around town, and waving to the few people he did see outside (all cow hybrids for the most part, the goblin noted,) Fwhip was directed to where the town's emperor would most likely be residing at this time. He gives a quick thank you to the citizen who told him that, a kind looking woman with a round face, and hurried in the direction she pointed towards.

She says their leader is called the Sheriff, and that he lives down in the fishbowl. Really big building right against one of the walls, so apparently you can’t miss it. So Fwhip, rightly assuming the large hole in the ground is the fishbowl, starts to slowly make his way down the side of it; on one of the makeshift paths he sees carved into the wall. It seems they haven’t finished terraforming this area quite yet.

Fwhip spots the house the woman was talking about rather quickly, the building standing out just like she said it would. He thanks her in his head again for the directions, and quickly dashes across the empty fishbowl area. This part of the empire is again, rather empty, and also very big. He feels less awkward moving hastily down here than he did when more people would watch him. And also somewhat justified by the rather large distance between the wall and his next destination.

He approaches the Sheriff’s house, as the woman from before had called it, slowing his pace as he sees a figure outside. The person is rather tall, with cow ears and a tail just like most of the people here. His blond hair is covered by a cowboy’s hat, something that also seems to be a normal sight in this town. Which stands out quite a lot to the goblin. It’s not everyday you see cow hybrids of cowboys, much less the two of those things together.

The new ruler in the east is…a cowboy. In an old western town. Which shouldn't surprise Fwhip as much as it does, considering the…. everything about the mesa, really. It's not something he’d usually be expecting, but he’d have to get used to it he supposed.

The other seems to be moving some stuff, personal belongings he presumes, inside from somewhere else. Maybe another place he had stayed out before, one further out and closer to his people. They did seem to be newly setting up this area, after all. The man’s ear flicks as Fwhip approaches further, probably hearing the crunch of his boots against the sandy floor below. He turns his head, and sees the goblin leader’s cautious approach. Fwhip makes a friendly face once he’s spotted, hoping he isn’t stepping out of line hy visiting. He has no idea what this guy’s really like, after all. For all the goblin knows, he could be a huge douchebag.

The new emperor returns the welcoming yet cautious smile when their eyes meet, and Fwhip thinks he might’ve just met the living embodiment of the sun itself. His smile is warm, even despite the understandable wariness hiding under them. The hair hidden under his hair looks well taken care of and windswept, and just generally really nice. His eyes are wide and blue, and just looks…. soft. His whole face is defined, yet also soft looking at the same time. Fwhip feels like it’s the cow in him that contributes to the latter. Not that he’s complaining.

Fwhip is honestly a little mesmerized as he finishes approaching the other, and also trying to keep himself from staring. Even if that was harder when they were closer, the goblin now being able to see the man’s features more clearly. (Or maybe he was just weak for stupidly pretty men. That was always an option)

The man was… dashing , he had to admit. Ruggedly handsome in every sense of the phrase. Clearly had some nice muscles hidden under that vest. But Fwhip should learn his name at least, maybe get to know him first, before wondering what the new ruler looks like shirtless.

“Hello there!” The cow man smiles softly at him. His voice has a decently heavy southern accent to it, one that seems to just fit him. Even if some of it sounds (and probably is) slightly faked for appearances in the moment. He has to wonder what his real voice sounds like under it all. “What brings you here?”

“I heard some talk of a new empire in the east, and wanted to drop by for a visit!” Fwhip says, feeling his face mirror the others' expressions just a bit. His tail moves idly behind him, kicking up some sand and throwing small grains of it from side to side. The new emperor watches it curiously for a second, before speaking once again.

“Oh! Are you one of the other emperors!?” The blonde says, his eyes lighting up in recognition. Which made sense, because he’d probably heard about all the other civilizations around here. The newer ones that were just being made, and a bunch of the older ones. The goblin wondered how much the man had been told about his own home down in the caves.

“Yep! King Fwhip of the Goblands! Pleased to make your acquaintance!” Fwhip smiled his widest, probably very toothy grin, reaching out a friendly hand. The other man takes it enthusiastically, giving a really strong handshake in return. (So he does have muscles under that vest after all…)

“Jimmy, Sheriff of Tumble Town at your service!” The blonde tips his hat as he speaks, and Fwhip cannot help but smile, finding the action quite endearing. He likes this guy a lot already, really likes him! He also cannot help but repeat the name over and over again in his head, making sure he never forgets it. It's a name he wouldn’t want to forget, not ever for any reason.

“I like what you’ve done with the place so far!” He compliments, taking a glance around the fishbowl. It;s not as decorated or filled out as the upper parts of the empire, but it still looks nice. He’d clearly taken some time, the redsand that was originally here obviously having been replaced with the normal stuff they were currently standing on. “Really!?” Jimmy sounds a little surprised at the complement, like he doesn't get them much. Or he’s just very humble. Fwhip files both of those possibilities away in his mind for later. “Yep! It’s not often you see an old western town anymore!” He flashes another smile, one that's earnest and probably still a little toothy. Jimmy seems wholly unbothered by the last thing anyways, to Fwhip’s joy. Most non goblins think all the gobliny things about him are weird. Jimmy rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, giving more credit to Fwhip’s theory of him being humble. “Well, I’ve done the best I could, I’m not much of a builder.”

“I beg to differ!” Fwhip protested, his smile falling a bit at the words. The building he’d seen here, including the Sheriff’s house, looked fantastic! There were a few rough edges here and there, as most builds could have, but for the most part this place looked amazing! Jimmy and his people were very skilled builders, and the goblin would hear nothing different!

“You flatter me.” The Sheriff laughs, a light shade of pink starting to dust his cheeks. Deep down, the goblin feels a little proud he was able to get such a reaction. And it was only they’re first meeting as well!

“I did notice that you’re lacking roads,” Fwhip noted, the whole interaction making him feel warm and welcome. So much so that the goblin felt confident enough to do some small self advertising. “My empire sells stone, if you’re ever in need of some for that!”

“Oh, thank you!” Jimmy says, clearly getting a little excited, either about the rocks or visiting Godland. Fwhip isn’t sure, but both of those are good options! Gobland and rocks are both two very exciting things! “I’ll have to drop by and grab some soon!” “Of course!” Fwhip’s tail curled up in delight behind him. Jimmy once again took notice of its movement, and smiled. They were both doing that a lot during this conversation, smiling and grinning. That had to be a good sign indeed.

“We should probably build a road between our two empires, if we’re gonna be trading like that.” Jimmy notes, momentarily stroking his chin. It is then that Fwhip notices that he has a slight amount of blonde stubble lining his lower face. Facial hair really suits him, huh…

“O-oh yeah, we should!” Fwhip finds himself stammering, pleased yet thrown off by the suggestion. (And the beard stubble still) It’s exactly something he would think to do, but you know, great minds think alike and whatnot.“You’re very eager to make alliances already, dear Sheriff.”

“Well I dont wanna start out on bad terms with anyone.” Jimmy explained. His accent had become less fake while they spoke, the heavy southern twang starting to leave it. It became more like his real voice by the minute. Fwhip thinks he likes it a lot more than whatever cowboy front he puts on normally. “And I figure you’re a good ally to have!”

“Why thanks, Sheriff!” The goblin feels his own cheeks flush a little at the compliment, and holds back a small amused sound and Jimmy’s enthusiasm. He’s glad his first impressions have apparently been so good so far. A moment later Jimmy asked a question, his tone sounding more serious than it had before. And it is the first of many times Fwhip will hear this question be asked over their time knowing each other. And everytime it is, the asksers tone will get even more serious (and maybe a bit broken as well, but that is a story for later.) “You respect the law, though, right?” “Of course! Goblins love the law!” Fwhip says, a little curious. He’s honest when he says it, well, as honest as a goblin can be, but he still has to wonder about the seriousness in his new friend's tone. (And yes, they’re friends already, even if they’ve only known each other for like, twenty minutes.)

“Good, good! Just had to make sure!” Jimmy said with yet another smile, the striking seriousness leaving his tone as soon as it had entered it. “As the Sheriff, protecting the law is very important to me!” “It’s good that we have someone doing that then!” Fwhip responded. That must’ve been it then, a strong sense of duty to his job. Nothing more and nothing less. He rather liked that in a man, in fact! A good sense of duty was a great trait to have in goblin society!

“Would you like a tour of Tumble Town, by the way? SInce you’re already here and all.” Jimmy offers, quickly shoving whatever he had been moving before in his house, so he could deal with it at a later time. The goblin tries not to stare at his muscles as he moves a whole, and presumably full chest, inside his front door. (...Dear lord this guy could break him in half….)

“Oooh that would be lovely! And we could discuss road placements as well?” He suggests waiting a quick moment for the Sheriff to finish up his small chore. It is becoming very hard to not stare at his muscles, or just him in general. Fwhip hopes it is just the heat getting to his head, since he’s not used to it.

“Yes! Great idea!” Jimmy says, excitedly walking off his front porch and into the sand below. “Let’s get going with this tour, partner!” He adds, with a tip of his hat, and Fwhip cannot help but laugh loudly as he follows the cow hybrid further into his empire.

They spend the next few hours walking around Tumble Town, and a little bit of the mesa surrounding it as well. Fwhip listens very intently as Jimmy shows him the whole empire so far, all the houses and stores and the mines. He makes sure the blonde knows he is interested and listening at all times. He listens as they walk for what has to be three hours straight, getting a tour of the fishbowl and discussing where future roads could be in and around Tumble Town, even if that mostly depends on where buildings end up being placed.

During the whole tour the two of them find themselves always close physically, bumping into each other so often they stop apologizing for it. It just becomes another part of the tour. Another thing that makes him feel welcome in this town, and safe around the Sheriff. Which is good, considering that's what a Sheriff is supposed to do anyways.

The tour ends around sunset, and he’s pretty sure this guy’s gonna be one of his good problems.

“Thank you for the tour, Sheriff!” Fwhip says, now standing on the outskirts of Tumble Town again, from the same way he entered from. His torches and other markers from earlier were still there, so he wasn’t too worried about finding his way back home, even if half his journey would be made in the dark. It’s a good thing goblins had night vision then. “I’ll have to give you one of Gobland when you come down!”

“No problem!” Jimmy tips his hat again, something he knows makes Fwhip giggle by now. He sounds a little excited when he speaks next, which just makes the goblin more excited. Which in turn makes him feel like a small little dog full of energy. “And I’m looking forward to that tour!”

“I promise you’ll get it! Goblins honor!” He gives a salute, mirroring his hand movement with his tail best he can, for a double salute of sorts. Jimmy makes an amused snort at his theatrics. “I’ll be seeing you around I presume?”

“Yep!” Jimmy confirms, sounding like he’s already making plans five weeks in advance. And Fwhip is doing so as well, to be honest. “Hopefully we can meet again soon!” “Oh I’ll make sure we do!” He promises, ears flicking as he speaks. Jimmy watches that movement too, seeming very fascinated by all his movements. Even though as a cow, he should do similar things with his own ears and tail. “Us goblins are very persistent when we want something!”

“I'll hold you to it!” Jimmy says, starting to wave as the goblin retreats. He would love to stay longer, but darkness is falling fast. He wants to get home before a lot of mobs start to spawn. He was not in the mood to deal with skeletons, not tonight. Not after the great, amazing day he’d just experienced. “Goodbye, Fwhip!”

“Bye-bye, see you later!” Fwhip called over his shoulder, parting with a wide grin on his face, and excitement for the next time they would see each other as he followed his touches and whatnot out of the orange and red biome for the first time.

Out of all the emperors, new and old, Fwhip was going to make sure to keep this one close. No matter what it took.

He didn’t let the things, or the people, that he liked go easily. Especially not ones like the Sheriff.

#explosions acorss lifetimes #ron.fic #jimmy solidarity #ron.writing #empires smp #fwhimmy #fwhip #empiresshipping #empires shipping #the sheriff #goblin fwhip

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skynapple · 1 month

Text

Budding Romance | Ch. 12

Love and Deepspace | Jeremiah x MC / slow-burn / friends-to-lovers

warnings: none

Multi-chapter | A03 link

Beginning | <- Prev | Next ->

"Barriers | Part 1" Building and breaking barriers

For a while, nothing happened. Social media updates, a cordial text message here and there, never a phone call, never too much, never too far. She would stop by the shop with some new dead plant. Not too often. Not too suspicious. He would always try to be the wingman. That's how it was then, and to him nothing should change. He certainly wasn't picking up on her hints to tell him she wasn't really interested in Xavier. She couldn't stop thinking about the dead azaleas in her kitchen, which she had taken great lengths to attempt to revive.

Maybe they're just dead. Maybe there wasn't even anything there worth salvaging.

She still didn't want to be the one pursuing, but feelings often had a mind all their own. Feelings couldn’t be helped.

Be careful. Take it slow. Be careful. Take it slow.

After a long day of work, slightly bruised and wanting to comfort shop, she headed to Philo, only to see that it was closed for the day.

Maybe it's a sign from the universe.

Frustration bubbled within her at her own sailing thoughts, when she knew she could be spending better time elsewhere, doing things that were more productive, or trying to make new friends. At the very least, there was still a video game level she just could not get past. Even so, the desire to comfort shop outweighed her dejection and she decided to walk around the area, angrily telling herself she’d get rid of those azaleas once she got home.

The road nearby lead to a few boutiques and interesting businesses. For a while she wove in and out, browsing aimlessly in search of something that would be worth her trip. It was almost to no avail, when a stationary set caught her eye. It had little flowers on it, with a matching floral pen. It would at least serve some use on her desk at work since she only really had the impersonal office pens to utilize. After exiting the store, she finally realized that she was in a less familiar part of town. While she knew the decent majority of Linkon like the back of her hand, there were areas and streets that she had no particular reason to visit - or memorize the way home to. After some mild efforts, she managed to find the nearest public transit station.

To her luck, after boarding she got distracted reading a new chapter of a comic she loved and missed her exit. She has no choice but to exit and wait for a the next train in the opposite direction.

As she waited, a sudden Beep, beep from her hunter watch spurred her attention.

Metaflux spiked and cold feeling shot through her veins as the screen on her watch indicated a wanderer was nearby, calling for nearby hunters. She tapped to accept and rushed into action, glad to still be in uniform for once, leaving her items under a bench at the station. The marker on her watch showed the wanderer was on top of her, although as she glanced around the station, she saw nothing in the area. The first and proper action was to evacuate people. It was second nature now, like putting on a mask, immediately launching into professionalism as she raised her voice above the busy crowd. These moments her resonate evol came in particular use, utilizing it to grab people’s attention, command them to remain calm, and guide them to safety. When it was clear that it was likely outside, she ran out of the station, pistol raised and ready.

The wanderer was bigger than the ones she was used to seeing sneaking around barriers, such as pumpkin magus. This one stood on two hind legs, snarling ferociously. The shots she took with her pistols had little effect. In fact, it looked excited and raced right toward her. It wasn’t her first time fighting wanderers alone, but it was still nerve wracking against her tired and bruised muscles with how energetic this one seemed.

I can do this.

Just then, the flash of a gleaming sword cut through it, making it stumble down. Her first thought was Xavier! but as the monster fell forward revealing a masked swordsman, she realized this was not someone she knew.

Or... is it?

The man didn’t look at her, completely focused on the wanderer, who, despite the aggressive cut, still wasn't down. The swordsman wore dark clothing, and a mask over his mouth, but to her the resemblance was unmistakable. It was none other than Jeremiah. His elegant movements attacked in a way that she had previously only ever seen one other person do. With a few more swipes and aided by her continued barrage of pistol fire, the wanderer disappeared into shimmering smoke, leaving a glittering protocore behind. Quickly he grabbed it, observed it, viscerally hesitated, then tossed it to her.

“Jeremiah?"

For just a minute, he turned away from her, appearing to be type something on a mobile device. Her watch flickered and the wanderer warning returned to normal, as if nothing were ever there. He turned back, meeting her eyes, sword poised away from her, eyebrows drawn together. Any softness she had grown to recognize was gone, completely cold and serious, an entirely different person. The mask was adjusted and she suddenly had a sense of deja vu, as if she knew he would leave without a word.

Rushing forward in anticipation, she reached her hand out and blurted. "Don't go!" This stopped him, though he glanced around, and then at his device.

“Shh. There are other wanderers nearby."

The abrupt tone was unnerving, though she drew closer still. Although the sound of it confirmed its owner's identity, however seeing this different side of him felt like being introduced to a total stranger. Hunter training had prepared her for the unexpected, to keep her emotions and her actions controlled. Yet, to realize that there was so much –so much– about him that she didn’t know, and be confronted with it in this manner, was almost overwhelming. Although she’d known that from the start that he was no ordinary florist, given Xavier’s sudden introduction without explanation as he had Jeremiah assist her with tools and a disguise. This much though? It terrified her.

“How do you know that?” She asked, taking a shaking breath, trying to be cautious. A feeling of distrust waned in her heart. “My hunter watch just said it was cleared-”

“-The association doesn’t know everything. Yet." He interrupted. "Wanderer activity has picked up at an alarming rate in this area. It’s...unusual. I’m trying to pinpoint the break to report it.” It sounded believable. It also sounded like a believable lie. She wasn’t sure what to think.

Rather than press it, she adjusted a setting on her gun as an excuse to look away. “Ok… what’s your plan?”

He didn’t respond immediately, just stared before he said, “Go home. I can handle this.”

The frustration from the day and the situation caught in her throat, making it hot and vaguely she could taste something metallic on her lip, not realizing she was biting down hard in anger. “This is my assignment. I won’t let you disappear when I'm not looking.” A sharp bolt of determination and assertiveness made her step forward, standing her ground. “I’m the licensed member here. I have an obligation to keep ordinary citizens safe. Like yourself.”

Now he looked at her fully, pulling the mask down, and it was the sternest she had ever seen him look at her. She would have been chilled, if she wasn’t so wasn’t so worried about who he really was, or why he was acting this way.

“On your orders then, ma'am.”

They walked in silence along the barrier on the limits of the city as she used her scanner to search the area. He'd added something to it, said it amplified signals and could better pinpoint direction.

She was trying to focus, but couldn't stop replaying the image of him in her mind, like monster in his own right tearing into the wanderer.

"What's the matter?" She heard him ask beside her.

"You." She said with bitterness. "You come out of nowhere, dressed like this, and nearly take down a wanderer? With a sword?"

"Look, you weren't supposed to see that." His tone was softer than before, but still colder than she wanted it to be.

"I know that. That's what terrifying."

He didn't say anything in reply, so she continued. "I know you said you and Xavier studied together, but for some reason I thought you ended up studying to become an analyst, or something tech related. I didn't think you were actually..." She had so many questions, but she left it at that for now.

Then he said her name, and she had to look at him, face hot with anger, shoulders clenching with emotion she didn't know how to process or what to do with.

In the forrest near the barrier, the sun had long-set leaving gleaming stars above, and gentle wind that rustled everything around them. Disturbed leaves ripped themselves from branches to settle around them. Between them, a dangerous quiet, and in the distance, birds seemed to call warnings to each other.

"I don't know how to make you trust me," He said, pulling down the mask and tucking it away in his belt. "But we're on the same side."

"Anyone can say that." She responded flatly, returning her gaze briefly to her watch, mindful of the fluctuations.

"Then..." A gleam of light in his palm revealed a sword that shimmered like starlight, its unique metal leaving a ringing note that disturbed the setting around them. It looked like Xavier's, but there were notable differences in the intricate design on the hilt. It was no ordinary sword. It certainly was no hunter's sword.

"Hold on to this." He handed it to her, keeping the blade pointed down away from them.

"Why?" She asked as she took it, skeptical, but not missing the opportunity to confiscate his weapon.

"Because I'm defenseless now. If another wanderer appears -as you said before- you'll be the one protecting this ordinary citizen."

"So, your life is in my hands. Got it."

"Something like that."

She scoffed and turned on her heel, not entirely sure what to do with the sword as she walked. It felt clumsy in her hand, and heavier than it looked. It was a delicate weapon, but she knew the level of dedication it required to train with it to master it well. At the hunter academy, she had learned a variety of weapons. A sword wasn't entirely unfamiliar to her. It just so happened that she became an expert marksman and chosen twin pistols as her weapon of choice.

What unnerved her was that Jeremiah could have had an easy explanation, or an easier one considering she already knew of his past as a possible hunter. Yet, he hadn't. She had thought Jeremiah was a terrible liar. He wasn't - not entirely. What else was he hiding?

Before they could resolve the tension and questions between them, a blip in her watch told her wanderer activity had picked up again.

"The break. It's there." He said behind her. There in the digital enhanced mechanism atop the barrier were scratches as if something had been clawing at it. Something big.

"There's no way anything could have escaped from the no-hunt zone." She said, with a little fear in her voice.

"They always think that." He sighed, then pulled a device from the tool hilt in his belt.

He crouched down, removing more tools before glancing up at her. "I had a feeling one of the mechanisms is damaged. I need to repair it." There was no lack of confidence in his tone as continued, "Cover me. When I disable it... they might come."

She made no move to stop him but crossed her arms, displeased. "This... this isn't your job. I need to report this."

Jeremiah scoffed a little, no longer looking at her as his eyes were transfixed on the digital barrier mechanism. "So they could take 5 business days having a meeting about allocating resources to a repair person who might do the job in time? I'm here now. Report it later."

"That's not how it-"

"That's exactly how it works."

Despite the disagreement, he had a point in that he was here and ready to repair it now. With wanderers already slipping by as they'd encountered earlier, she knew it was imperative that it be repaired as soon as possible.

"Fine!" She grumbled, keeping watch on the barrier as he began climbing up the large tower that it was attached to.

The digital mechanism connected for several meters, creating an extra barrier of protection for occasional wanderers escaping the no-hunt zone. However, with a digital field glitching, every time it glitched became an opportunity for one to slip through. The moment Jeremiah began to work on it, the barrier glitched again, before the section in front of them finally shut off with a crackling sound. In slight discomfort, she looked ahead and behind to make sure the rest of the barrier was still all connected. Seeing that it was settled her a little bit. She would only have to watch this area.

It seemed for a long time that nothing happened. He was too high up for her to converse with him any further. Occasionally she would watch him, not able to really see his face from far below. No wanderers came.

Restless, she would pace the margins of the disturbed barrier area. When her watch indicated a call, the sudden break in silence startled her so much that she jumped. It was Jenna. Briefly she explained that the situation earlier was handled, leaving out Jeremiah's involvement, and then explained that the barrier should be investigated, attempting to leave it as vague as possible. When ordered to head home for the day, she answered in the affirmative and hung up.

She returned to the bottom of the thin tower and called up to him, "Hey!" not wanting to use his name.

"Almost done." He returned, and said nothing else, then got her attention again, asking, "Aren't you watching the barrier?"

Irritation coursed through her. "Yes!"

"Something's coming." He called out, making her worry suddenly. Nothing seemed to be on horizon, but he was higher up. "I need a few more minutes."

"Ok." She responded, guns already in her hands.

What came up in front of them was an A-class wanderer, definitely one of the larger ones she'd seen. She could feel a protofield forming around her. She knew better than to enter a protofield by herself, it was a rule for a reason.

Not good.

In a split second of anxiety, she glanced up at Jeremiah. He had asked her to buy him time.

Maybe it'll be fine.

Tightening her grip around her pistols in resolution, she went to step forward into the protofield barrier when his voice bellowed behind her.

"Stop!" He called, leaping from where he was already climbing down from the tower.

"What are you doing?!" She yelled back, beginning to lose the sound of her own voice in the fields fluctuation and winds. "You're supposed to be fixing that!"

Jeremiah held his hand out, now at her side. "My only concern is making sure you're not fighting alone."

With no time to argue, she stepped forward, letting him follow her. It was too late to back down now. She could only hope no more wanderers would slip through while they were in the protofield. She handed him his sword, and refocused her attention on the wanderer.

---

For the next few minutes he fought at her side. It was like before, he had a masterful skill, almost like Xavier. She wondered where in the world he'd learned to fight the way he did.

He didn't know her movements, but he soon fell into quick step with her, calling commands to use her evol that she instinctively understood. She realized she had to instruct very little. He knew the very length and width of her steps. It was almost like they had been fighting side-by-side for a long time already.

The enraged wanderer beat its chest, lifting a large boulder of pure ice to smash at them. He dove in front of her, pressing her to the ground as it shattered within centimeters of them.

"You ok?" He asked frantically, helping her up. The look in his eyes was fierce, but just for a second, she saw a genuine care there that comforted her.

"Yeah." She nodded at him then rose her pistols once more.

"I'm going left-" "I'm going right-"

They said simultaneously. Then he grinned, full toothed and bright and twirled his sword, giving her a two fingered salute.

When the wanderer was finally beaten down, the protofield shimmered out of existence leaving them exactly as they were before at the edge of the barrier. There was no time to celebrate. He left her to collect the protocore and scrambled back up the tower to finish the repair. It took just a few minutes more, as predicted.

"Got it!" He exclaimed when it was accomplished, leaping down in cheer as the barrier flashed to life.

She wanted to hug him, she wanted to cheer with him and celebrate, but she couldn't. Something about the whole day twisted her stomach in knots.

"Is it a good one?" He asked, eyeing the glowing cerulean protocore in her hand.

"You can't have it." She retorted squarely.

He laughed, for the first time seeming more similar to the man she knew before that day. "I didn't want it, but gee thanks for offering." Then his voice softened. "You alright? You're quieter than usual."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She said, teeth clenched, and she didn't mean to say it that way. She didn't mean to sound so bristled, but the emotions in her wanted to spill out, hot tears of anger moistened in her eyes but she would not allow them to spill.

"Are you mad?" He asked, then sighed, shaking his head. "Let me ask you this... Has Xavier ever lead you astray?"

She squinted, wondering what that had to do with anything. "No... He's my partner."

"Ok, well. If I tell you Xavier trusts me, is that going to change anything? We're... working on the same team. I may not be a hunter, but the one thing you can count on is that I'm working on things to help you."

She wanted to yell at him again, tell him he wasn't making sense, tell him that she wanted the truth, she wanted answers. Nothing right to say came to mind. All she could do was clench the protocore in her hand, a reminder of the way he'd fought at her side, protecting her and making sure she wasn't fighting alone.

"Jeremiah, I need you to tell me the truth."

He was quiet then looked off into the distance. "Not here... let's get a drink."

#jeremiah x mc #lnds jeremiah #love and deepspace jeremiah #jeremiah love and deepspace #love and deepspace xavier #lnds fic #l&ds #l&ds jeremiah #l&ds mc #love and deepspace #lnds mc #love and deepspace mc #budding romance #madi writes #the girls are fightinnngggg

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mxlti-fand0m-imaginess · 2 years

Text

New Student // Willa Lykensen

request: could you do Willa from Zombies x female reader (if you’re not comfortable then gn reader), a really cute fic where Willa has a crush for the first time and she’s quite nervous around the reader which is out of character for her, but Addison and Wynter assure her that it’s okay and Willa flirts with reader?

prompts: none!

summary: you’ve just moved to seabrook, and everything has been going great! except for the fact that one of your new “friends” is pretty much ignoring you. what happens when the two of you are tricked into spending time together?

warnings: god used as a curse word?, also a kinda abrupt ending :/

word count: 2k

a/n: gn!reader

Your hands clenched tightly against the straps of your backpack as you looked up at the building in front of you. Seabrook High. It was yet another first day of school for you. After having spent the majority of your life moving from city to city, your parents decided they wanted to move back to their hometown. And while you were excited at first due to the chance of finally having a somewhat normal highschool experience, Seabrook wasn’t anything like you thought it would be.

Before even walking into the building, you looked around in shock at everyone walking beside you. And just when you thought you were finally going to have a normal high school experience. But no, you just had to go to a school that had monsters attending.

Now you were never one to judge. You knew how it felt to be hated for reasons you couldn’t control. But just the thought of having to spend the rest of the year sharing classrooms with zombies, werewolves, and aliens made you a bit uneasy.

Your parents assured you they were all very nice and that you had nothing to be afraid of. And while you believed that none of the other students would ever actually harm you, you still couldn’t shake your anxiety.

But nonetheless, you had to walk inside. It wasn’t like you could just turn around and hide in your room for the rest of the year. People would notice. And it was your senior year, so not graduating didn’t seem like a very pleasant idea.

Taking a deep breath, you started walking into the building. The perfect white walls accented with pink and green filled your view as you took in your new surroundings. A group of cheerleaders walked by, looking as peppy as ever. You could easily tell apart the cliques based on the outfits alone. And looking down at yourself, you realized you didn’t really fit into any of them.

The humans wore pink and blue, looking perfectly well put together. Cheerleaders were all wearing their bright pink and green uniforms. The zombies wore clothes that looked like they were handmade, patches of fabric and uneven stitching catching your eye. The aliens stood out too, all shiny and futuristic looking. And even the werewolves had their own look, purple and brown, with faux fur accenting their looks.

Meanwhile you wore an old band tee and ripped jeans. You stuck out like a sore thumb. A few people looked at you weirdly. None of the stares were mean, rather just curious or confused. You didn’t have a clique, or a group of people like you. No one even looked remotely similar. You felt your anxiety beginning to build up again. Maybe you really weren’t going to find any friends. Maybe there was no common ground between you and anyone else in this town.

You carefully squeezed your way through the crowd of teenagers, occasionally glancing down at the paper in your hand that held both your schedule and your locker number. After wandering through the halls aimlessly, you found the locker that would be yours for the rest of the year. You walked up towards it, and entered the combination on your paper, but the lock wouldn’t budge. You tried again and again, but it still wouldn’t open.

You let out a frustrated huff, punching the locker as you did so.

“Need some help with that?”

You turned around to find a girl, with bright blue hair standing behind you. Her hair was a stark contrast to the green and pink dress she wore. She held both her pom poms in one hand, the other was pointing towards the locked behind you.

“Uhm yeah. I’ve been trying the combination but it just won’t open.”

“Mind hold these?” She extended her pom poms out towards you, her smile never fading

You nodded and grabbed them, moving aside so she could try her luck at opening your locker. Somehow she managed to bust it open on the second try.

“One of the numbers in your combo was wrong. It was a 10, not a 1.” She smiled yet again, grabbing her pom poms back from your hands.

“Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver.”

“Oh, it was nothing. You’re new here, right? I’m Addison!”

“Y/n. Nice to meet you!”

“You too! I guess I’ll see you around.”

And with that she headed off down the hallway, practically bouncing with each step.

“Y/n! Over here!”

Your head turned at the call of your name, and you saw Addison waving you over to the table she was sitting out. You instantly felt relief wash over you knowing that you wouldn’t have to deal with finding a place to eat lunch.

You walked over to her table, and took a seat next to her, not wanting to sit next to someone you didn’t know.

“Hi,” you said as you waved nervously at everyone else sitting at the table.

“Everyone, meet y/n! They’re new here! Y/n this is Zed, Bree, Eliza, Bonzo, Willa, Wyatt, and Wynter,” she said as she pointed towards everyone sitting around you.

They all greeted you, and talked excitedly, happy to have met someone new. All of them except for Willa that is. She kept glancing at you and then looking away, not saying anything and instead focusing on the lunch tray in front of her. No one else seemed to notice her silence, or if they did they didn’t say anything about it. Maybe she was just like this. You didn’t want to say anything or draw attention to it, especially since you had just met. But a small part of you felt a bit sad that she had ignored you.

“What was all that about Willa?” Wynter asked, walking up beside her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Will replied, attempting to brush off Wynter's comments.

“Don’t think you don’t know what you were doing. You barely said anything at lunch! And you’re always chatty!”

“You know I’m not that friendly around new people.”

“Well yeah, but I mean you didn’t say anything at all! You could barely even look at y/n.”

Willa’s eyes widened and she felt her face grow hot at the mention of you. Wynter almost immediately noticed the change in Willa’s demeanor, and managed to put two and two together.

“Wait a minute. Were you ignoring y/n because they make you nervous?” Wynter asked, a teasing smile growing on her face.

“What? No! I don’t get nervous.”

“You are so lying right now!”

“I am not!”

“Mhm, yeah sure. Whatever you say.”

“Addison!” Wynter yelled, speed walking down the hallway to catch up with the cheerleader.

“What?” Addison asked, laughing slightly at the excitement on Wynter’s face.

“I think Willa has a crush on y/n!”

“Wait seriously?” Addison said, a smile beginning to grow on her face.

“Yeah! I mean think about it, why else would Willa just completely ignore them? And whenever I mention their name, Willa gets all squirmy.”

“Oh my gosh! Ok we have to do something!”

“Like what?”

“We have to figure out a way to get them to talk!”

“Ok! But how?”

“I have an idea!” Addison said, smiling even wider.

You tapped your fingers on the table in front of you, attempting to find something to keep you stimulated while you sat in wait. Earlier that day Addison had asked you to meet up with her and some of her friends at the library to study for the biology test coming up at the end of the week. Of course you had accepted, both wanting to spend time with your new friends and desperately wanting to not fail your first test at a new school.

She said she was going to meet you at 3:30, but it was now 3:45 and Addison wasn’t anywhere in sight. None of them were. You were beginning to think maybe you had gotten the time wrong, or maybe everyone else was at some other library even though you were pretty sure this was the only library in Seabrook.

Another ten minutes passed, and you were about to leave when your phone buzzed. You picked it up to see a text from Addison.

Cheer practice is running really late today, I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to make it :(

Hope the study group goes well!

Well that explains where Addison was. But what about everyone else? You waited another five minutes, deciding to stick it out a little longer, just in case they were all running late. When no one else showed up, you decided to head home. Maybe you really were at the wrong place.

Just as you began putting your books back into your bag, someone walked over to the table you were sitting at, placing their bag down beside them. You looked up to see Willa standing in front of you, her signature scowl present on her face. You felt your cheeks heat up at the sight of her. Even if she always seemed grumpy, you still found her absolutely breathtaking.

“Hey Willa. You here for the study group?” you asked, not quite brave enough to meet her eyes.

“Yeah. Where’s everyone else?” Her voice was so monotone that you couldn’t tell if she was angry or not.

“I don’t think they’re coming. I’ve been here for over half an hour, and you’re the first person to show up.”

Willa paused, something that looked like confusion flashing across her face, before returning to her normal, expressionless self.

“Addison told me to get here at four.”

“That’s weird, she told me 3:30.”

Willa’s eyes widened, a look of realization followed by annoyance. She groaned, burying her face into her hands.

“Uhm, you ok?” you asked, confused by her reaction.

“Addison did this on purpose. She wanted us to be alone together. Wynter must’ve told her.”

“Told her what?”

As soon as the words left your mouth, Willa froze. An unreadable expression crossed her face, and you felt nerves building up inside of you, panicking that you had said something wrong.

After almost a minute passed, you tried to ease the ever building tension.

“Did I say something wrong?” you said softly, not wanting to anger Willa any more.

But to your surprise, when she looked up at you her expression softened.

“No. No, you didn’t say anything wrong. Sorry about that. It’s kinda my fault that this happened. You see- god this is so awkward,” she trailed off, bringing her hands up to her face again.

You reached over and gently pulled them away, smiling when your eyes met once more.

“You can tell me if you want. I won’t judge if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just- I like you. Like really like you. And Wynter figured that out. So she probably told Addison who set up this whole fake study group plan to get me to actually talk to you instead of just ignoring you.”

You felt a million butterflies beginning to flow through you as your face lit up at Willa’s confession. Even though you had only known her a few days, you felt this pull towards her. It was unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. And to know that she felt the same way! It was indescribable. You felt like you were floating.

“I really like you too Willa.”

For the first time ever, you saw Willa smile. You could feel your heart racing as you interlocked her hands with yours. Her touch was electric. Everything felt magical. So what if she was a werewolf and you were a human. None of that mattered. Especially not in Seabrook. This was the most freeing town you’ve ever lived in. And you had a really strong feeling that you were going to love it here.

taglist: @rottenstyx

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ink-sinner · 1 year

Text

serenity

— langley x chief

genre : fluff

warnings : none

wordcount : 1,943

summary : you close your eyes, and it’s almost as if you are back in that hazy fog, lost in the feeling of weightlessness. except langley’s fingers are brushing through your hair, the scent of coffee lingers in the air, and you get the feeling that you are grounded next to her, no longer drifting aimlessly in the dark.

You step out into a blank canvas.

The air is cold, and it carries with it a faint scent of petrichor, stirring up a thick halo of fog that sweeps through rain-kissed grass and through the faint rainbow reflections in the falling dew. It ebbs and flows around you, flitting between your fingertips, and dances away when you swat the air in front of you, and for a moment, you find yourself lost in a stranger’s familiar home.

Like this, the world feels hazy, stuck between a dream and the pencil scratches of a childish drawing. It feels surreal, almost; the edges of the buildings fade in and out of existence, swallowed by the rising fog like a sandcastle, and there is a sensation of floating, in the middle of it all. A sense of disconnect from reality.

It’s a nice feeling.

If you close your eyes, you almost feel like you are floating away into the void. Away from the responsibilities and duties and paperwork shoved to you the moment you wake up. It almost feels like breathing, for once. If you stay here and stay still, they will never be able to find you and force you to work ever again.

It’s a nice feeling.

But the work piled on your desk nags at the back of your head, and it brings you back to shore forcefully. You still have two meetings scheduled today, a new batch of reports to check and sign, and a whole slew of other problems that come with trying to cram dozens of sinners into one small place.

Your head already hurts just thinking about it.

Right. You don’t really have time to waste here.

You shake your head, and stumble through the fog, following the path to the library. So early, there is barely anyone in the MBCC, and walking through the fog feels like wandering a ghost town, searching for light. Even the library, normally the hangout for the more introverted sinners, is deathly quiet today. You can almost hear your quiet heartbeats in the silence.

It barely takes a moment to return your books to the shelves. You didn’t really even get to read them yet, but at this point, they’ve been rotting on your table for months. You doubt you’ll ever really get to reading them. Sighing, you pat the cover of the books pitifully.

Well. That’s one task done. A few hundred more to go before the day ends. You smile self-deprecatingly.

The sound of a page flipping stops you in your tracks.

Oh. It turns out you weren’t alone, after all.

You find Langley in a corner nook, tucked in between tall bookshelves and a half-window peeking out from behind a stack of books. The pale fog and the candlelight on her table lights her figure up, and it makes her look like a painter’s muse, arranged immaculately across the sofa with an effortless grace you can only dream of.

Under the dim light of the candle, Langley looks disheveled, casual, a far cry from her usual neat appearance. Her tie is loose, dangling crookedly across her chest, and it highlights the unbuttoned section of her shirt, teasing a hint of skin for the firelight to paint gold upon as she crosses and uncrosses her legs. She looks engrossed in her book.

You . . . should probably go away now. Yeah. You should go before you disturb her. Someone like Langley is bound to sense your presence sooner or later, even if you hide yourself well, and it feels like a shame to ruin her alone time when she is already so rarely relaxed.

You tiptoe away.

“Oh?” Her voice is low, and it trips you on your feet, caught with your heart on your throat. You freeze, but it’s already too late. “You’re not even going to greet your boss, rookie?”

But when you turn around, she is not even looking at you. She lounges back, relaxed as ever, and flips her book to the next page, as if she hasn’t noticed you there at all.

Slowly, you creep out of hiding, and stand in front of her. You bow. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to . . .”

Langley hums.

You try again, “Um, good morning?”

You stand there, awkward, shifting your weight from foot to foot. Langley doesn’t seem to notice your hesitation – except you know this is a façade, and her eyes are not on you, but she is always watching you. The thought makes you flush, and briefly, you wonder if she also knows that this is because of her, too.

She flips the page. The candle flickers on her figure, and you watch the dancing shadows on her exposed collar. She is still not looking at you.

You clear your throat. Shift. You can feel the seconds tick past you like sand in your hands, and the thought of your building paperwork back at your office sends a thrum of pain through your head. Even a second of not working makes you feel like you will never resurface again.

“Langley,” you call out, hesitantly, and she tips her head slightly. The light catches the slender curve of her neck, and paints the shape of her on the wall, all graceful curves, sharp edges, flickering, dancing. “I still have some work to do, so I’ll be going first –”

“Stay with me for a while.”

Finally, Langley raises her eyes, and looks at you.

In the dim, golden light, her eyes are dark. Even the candlelight reflected within her irises can barely light up her inscrutable gaze, and it weighs on you like an anchor against the churning sea. You think you should say something. Her painted lips curl up, and you think you should say something, but you feel as if frozen, because your shaking knees should have given out by now if you weren’t.

That kind of look. You think this is the kind of look a prey last sees. Dangerous and beautiful the way only predators can be. The way only Langley can be. You think you should really get a grip on yourself – that’s your boss, for god’s sake, except you don’t think even god can help you here, really.

Langley raises her brows, and you feel she can really read every thought that passes through your mind. “Well, rookie? Are you going to keep standing there, or are you going to sit down with me?”

Right. Right.

Almost mechanically, you walk towards her seated figure, and take a seat as far away from her as you dare. As close to her as you dare. You don’t really know which one it is.

Langley watches you with a smile. “You can come closer. I don’t bite.”

Somehow, you doubt that. Still, you inch closer obediently, until your arm touches hers. Your skin raises in goose bumps.

She chuckles, tucks a bookmark between the pages of her book, and finally closes it. You barely get a peek at the cover, before Langley rests her chin against her palm, and you are distracted by the way her hair curls around her neck and frames the playful tilt of her lips. You smell the coffee she has been drinking, and you don’t know if it’s from the cup or from her proximity to you.

“Relax, rookie,” she says. “I’m not your boss here.”

Relax, she says. And then her fingers curl around your chin, and coax you to look up, and you really don’t know how you’re supposed to relax. You can barely hold her gaze, and so close, you wonder if she can hear the way your heart pounds in your chest. The scent of coffee you drown in is definitely from her, now.

“You look stressed.” Langley sighs, and her fingers move up to cup your cheek, tracing the skin beneath your eyes. You look away, embarrassed.

You probably look like a mess. You don’t think you’ve slept in a few days. Probably. Your days and nights blur into each other until all that remains are paperwork and the insistent sensation of drowning in thin air, and you haven’t looked at a mirror in forever, but you can’t imagine you look anything near good.

“I’m sorry,” you say, and blink your eyes. A sudden wave of fatigue overcomes you, and Langley’s image before you blurs into two, then back again. You bite your lip to stifle a yawn, hard enough that you can feel the imprint of your teeth through your lips.

Her thumb falls on your lower lip. Your breath catches, but Langley only clicks her tongue in disapproval. You get the urge to grovel for forgiveness, but you don’t even know what you’ve done wrong.

“I told you your health is important, rookie.” And her words sound like she’s scolding you, but her tone is surprisingly gentle. You look back up at her, and you still can’t read her expression, but her hands are gently warm like a fire. You melt into her touch. “Stop overworking yourself. Don’t worry about trivial matters like that.”

There is no disagreeing with Langley. Even soft, her words are firm, and you find yourself nodding despite yourself. You know the moment you step out of here, you are just going back to your office like a good little public servant, and slave away at your paperwork until some other mission requires you to go out again. Or until you pass out and wake up in the medical bay. Whichever one comes first.

Sometimes you wonder where your strong work ethic comes from. You really have no reason to work yourself to death like this, but here you are. Langley only smiles, and pats your head.

Your cheeks warm.

“Good girl,” she says. “All right, stay there until I say otherwise.”

You frown. “But –”

Langley only smiles, and raises her brows. That kind of look a prey last sees. You hush your protest, and Langley pats your head again. You feel silly, but her praise makes you feel bubbly inside.

Bubbly, you pick out the word. No, it feels more like tingly. Nice and warm. It feels like butterflies. It feels like cresting on a warm coast. It feels like being told you’re doing something right, except it’s so much more valuable when it’s coming from her. You can’t really pinpoint a specific word to describe it, but it feels like huddling in your blankets at midnight, watching the faded stars light up with each headlight that passes under your window. Warm, yes. Like dreaming a sweet dream. Or maybe you are just sleepy.

Yes. Probably. The scent of coffee in the air is bewitching, but even the memory of caffeine can barely hold you awake. You yawn again, and distantly, you feel a hand coax you down until your head lands on something soft. You squint your eyes through the sleepiness, and find Langley looking down at you with a soft smile.

Oh. You’re on her lap. You think you should get up, but your body feels too heavy, and she is too soft and warm.

“Go sleep for a while, rookie,” she murmurs. Her fingers scrape against your scalp as she leans back on the chair, and picks up her book again. “Sleep well.”

You close your eyes, and it’s almost as if you are back in that hazy fog, lost in the feeling of weightlessness. Except Langley's fingers are brushing through your hair, the scent of coffee lingers in the air, and you get the feeling that you are grounded next to her, no longer drifting aimlessly in the dark.

#path to nowhere #ptn #langley #langley x reader

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foggylikemyvision · 1 year

Text

𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰.

reader acts as the national(?) jester of inazuma. is disliked widely for their overjoyous personality. similar to hu tao in a sense.

they/them reader.

Oh, to whom they rule.

“I am the jester, my job is to entertain!” They said, running amok around the town. Their feet pitter pattered against the hard stone brick as their cheeks grew a comical swirl of pink. The young person stopped in front of a grand building, looking up at the figure standing upon its roof. They were of above average height, long hair illuminated a radiant purple from the glowing eye of electro resting on the tips of the large building.

“Though it seems that soon enough,” they said, “it too will be my job to reign.” Their smile was gone for a rare second with a dark look in their eyes, before their grin returned and they burst out into a cackling laugh. They bounced on their heels and waved to the figure, watching as their arm reluctantly waved back before hopping back and running away. The jester stuck out their tongue as they wandered about the town aimlessly, the muscle pointy and long, as if inhuman. Slipping through a doorway, they clutched a bucket of water they had placed beside said door. Cracking the door open a smidgen, the childish person set up a classic water bucket prank.

Then they sat and waited. They waited for a few minutes, before getting bored and standing up. The jester walked through a door to the left, snagging a cupcake left on a table. The cake was pillowy and nice. Anyone could tell it was hand-baked from scratch. They thoroughly enjoyed the cupcake, spitting out a small, cylinder.

“Well, now that’s just quite rude!” The person said, chuckling slightly as they dropped it in a cup of water nearby. The water grew to be a sickening green. That giggle grew to a cackle as they left the room, venom dripping from their every breath. They never liked playing by the rules. Though, in a sense, this game had no rules to begin with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

hhman I'm really tired.

fuck I have to tag thissss sdmannif.

alsondunny thing because einesnna tag this with sagau reader is actually the creator that was isekaid at the verryyy beginning so none of the archins knokw abt them

I'm ceryn smart

#reader insert #sagau #genshin sagau #genshin cult #genshin cult au #genshin impact #sagau isekai #genshin x reader #x reader #👻 rot

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qiangweirosa · 15 days

Note

I don't share a lot of fandoms with you, but i do like your writing so I’m going through your fics like a middle aged dad being introduced to his child’s blorbos. I wouldn't be opposed to reading some x readers from you if you wanted to entertain my request in the future, but i also won't push you to write sth you don't want to. If you don't want to do that, then could i humbly ask for some Chie x Yukiko? I love them sm i just want the girlies to get to be silly together without any murders in the background, they deserve that

-★🐶

routine

relationships: yukiko/chie tws: none wc: 617 (its a short drabble, my apologies) extra: ty for the request!! thats so sweet of you, im really glad you like my writing that much. i've never written for persona 4 before despite it being my favorite persona game, so i hope i did these two justice! not beta'd so there might be mistakes

Life in Inaba could be so boring.

It was always the same routine: wake up, go to school, sit through class, hang out around town and go back home. And Chie hated boring routines.

Sure, it wasn’t all that bad. She liked being with her friends at school, even though she sometimes wished Yosuke would never open his mouth again - still, she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed their company. Unfortunately, she didn’t enjoy it enough for boredom to spare her.

Chie kicked the ground with her shoe. Her hands played with her jacket, stuffed in its pockets as she aimlessly walked around town. She didn’t really know where she was heading - honestly, anywhere would’ve been better than doing nothing. She really hated doing nothing.

She had thought about texting Yu to come hang out, but he unfortunately bailed on her to hang out with another one of his countless friends - seriously, how many friends did he have? - so Chie was stuck on her own.

She walked for what seemed like an eternity; she had probably gone all through the town by now. Every now and then she spotted someone she knew, yet nobody seemed to be free enough to quell her boredom. When she finally stopped, she found herself in front of a building; raising her head, she recognized the Amagi Inn at first glance.

…Well, she had considered calling up Yukiko to hang out. She just wasn’t sure if she was working today and didn’t want to bother.

But Yukiko wouldn’t mind if she showed up, right? Of course not!

And with that assurance in mind, Chie walked up to the door and rang the bell. The door was soon opened by one of the Inn’s houseworkers - her eyes lit up in recognition when she saw Chie, and she quickly ushered her in.

Chie was left in the entrance as the house worker rushed to get Yukiko. She awkwardly looked around, waiting patiently - as patiently as Chie could. Still, Yukiko came speed walking soon enough, throwing her arms around Chie’s neck in a tackling hug. Chie stumbled from the sudden force and fell on the ground with a yelp, Yukiko still on top of her.

“Wha- Yukiko, you can’t just jump on me like that!”

Her girlfriend laughed.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was so happy to see you here, I couldn’t stop myself!”

Chie blushed. She couldn’t possibly stay mad when Yukiko said stuff like that, especially with that huge smile on her face. She sighed in defeat, returning the hug until Yukiko decided to get back up.

Yukiko dusted off her clothes before looking back at Chie - her casual clothes, by the way. So she wasn’t working today. She smiled; Chie smiled back, the reaction coming naturally.

“What brings you here today?”

Chie shrugged, her gaze wandering around as she danced on one foot.

“Oh, not much, really… I was bored, and, uh, I guess I just ended up walking here instinctively? What I mean to say is- I wanted to see you.”

She mumbled the last part, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment. Hearing Yukiko giggle only heightened her blush, and she looked away, trying to hide her face from the girl who was currently definitely laughing at “how cute she was”.

“Oh Chie, you’re so cute!”

Knew it.

“Stop it, don’t say that…”

She heard more giggles, before Yukiko approached her and grabbed her arm, effectively pulling her after her.

“Come on, let’s do something together then.”

Yeah, Chie hated the routine that came with living in Inaba. But hanging out with Yukiko could never end up as a routine to her; she always appreciated every moment spent in her company.

#my tumblr requests #persona 4 #persona 4 golden #yukichie #yukiko amagi #chie satonaka #chie x yukiko #chie persona 4 #p4g #p4 #persona #p4 golden #persona 4 yukiko #persona 4 chie #fanfic #fanfiction #-★🐶

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sniperjade · 11 months

Text

Brighton - The Party Town

The first week 8:00pm

The first thing that Harry registered was the sea air. It was unexpected. When he looked around, he appeared to be standing on an ordinary British street and it was not until he swivelled round that he saw the dark choppy sea behind him. From where he stood, he could see that in every direction the night life was bustling. People were going in and out of restaurants and bars, laughing, drinking and carrying on.

It seemed utterly normal. Muggle even. Streetlamps ran up and down the streets. He could hear music blaring from a nightclub down the street. If it weren’t for the couple of wands, he could see here and there he’d almost think he wasn’t anywhere even remotely magical.

Looking aimlessly about, Harry wandered which way he should go when a man walked past talking on what appeared to be a mobile phone.

“Malfoy, why the fuck would you be at Club Revenge? I thought we were meeting in Greece. No. I’m almost there. What are you…?”

He started cursing and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

Malfoy? Malfoy was here. Harry looked the man up and down. He had dark brown hair and a muscular build. Tattoos covered his biceps. They were on stark display as they poked out from underneath the camouflage patterned tank he was wearing. He wore wide-legged cut off pants that looked ridiculous on a man that age. Harry frowned. Everything was slightly wrong here. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but the feeling still lingered.

He followed as the man powered up the pavement toward the club. The pink sign hanging over the door read “Club Revenge”. It was a non-descript building, the walls surrounding it a discoloured yellow. The only thing setting it apart from the Chinese restaurant next door was the bright pink sign. The burly man talked to the bouncer for only the shortest of moments before pushing inside. Harry looked around at the other patrons milling about smoking. It seemed so normal. He sighed and headed inside.

The bouncer held out an arm as he approached. “First time?”

Harry grimaced. “Is it that obvious?”

The man looked Harry up and down. “Well, this is a party town, and you look like you’re going to work.”

Harry glanced down at his clothes. He was wearing a plain white shirt and a simple pair of slacks. The man had a point.

“Ah.” He licked his lips. “Any suggestions?”

The man rolled his eyes and took out his wand. He made surprisingly quick work of the transfiguration. Harry’s slacks changed to a pair of acid wash jeans, full of frayed holes. Then the next minute his white shirt disappeared, replaced by a faded black T-shirt with “The Ramones” printed on it. His shoes had turned into scuffed black Doc Martens.

“Thanks,” Harry said pulling out the shirt a little. “The Ramones?”

“Yep. ‘s a bloody good band, the Ramones.” He grunted.

“Ah yeah,” Harry agreed trying to remember the last time he’d even heard a song by the Ramones.

The man stepped aside, and Harry walked into the club. It was like walking into a wall of noise and colour. Strobe lights pulsed, making the space flash with blue and pink light. People were dancing and drinking and grinding against each other everywhere he looked. The man with the mobile phone was long gone, disappeared into the throng of people.

The music was tugging on Harry’s memories, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. The tunes were all familiar and the words touched on something in the back of his mind. The people were the same. Strange haircuts and even stranger clothes. He had thought he looked ridiculous outside but now that he was here, he realised that this was the norm.

As he moved through to a bar at the back, he saw two things almost at once. The man he had heard on the phone outside was standing still, his fists clutched at his sides, his face dark. He was staring at the second thing Harry had seen, Draco Malfoy, who was leaning against one wall of the club furiously making out with a small black-haired man.

Continued on Ao3:

LCDrarry is finally revealed and this was mine! It was a wonderful fest experience and I was so happy to be involved.

#Drarry #Draco Malfoy #Harry Potter #LCDrarry2023 #BlackMirror #LCDrarry

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kitty-of-mischief · 2 years

Text

....CHIBSY FEELS AGAIN....

(Another drabble for the sexy Scotsman. Chibs is fueling a burning creative passion right now. Not my usual fluff because the night I had while writing this....yeah. Anways, hope ya enjoy let me know because I kinda want to continue this and eventually have a title)

tags: @vulgar-display-of-escapism @anishnaabwekwe35 @darklydeliciousdesires @withmyteeth

Warning: Mentions of injury, violence, verbal abuse, swearing, etc.

Sweat beads along her forehead, the sun beaming down on her in the middle of the day, Katherine allows her feet to drag her down the sidewalks of Charming. Her hometown had never really changed around her but there was a lingering world she had recently discovered. SamCro. A rough and rowdy bunch when there's a party involved but none the less more human than most of the impractical assholes she had been brought up to know. She lifts her eyes towards the endless blue of the sky, wishing for a cloud to show up over the sun. With a grunt, she pulls off the red and black plaid shirt and ties it around her waist, adjusting her tank top a bit as she aimlessly keeps wandering the town streets. She found her eyes landing across the street at the scene through the gates of the Teller-Morrow garage and SamCro clubhouse.

A few days prior she had to bring her car in for a tune up and knew they had some of the best mechanics in town. Nothing but business exchanges happened but what unfolded as she got out of the car, she only wished she could change the past now.

"Hopefully they can find the problem since no one else could." She sighed as she turned her car off and was approached by a Sasquatch of a man at her window.

"Hello there, car trouble?" He asked as he knelt to her level. "Yes, I don't know what's going on and I came here for a second opinion because the guy I'm dating thinks he knows everything but..." She snorted a bit while turning her head away.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll get Chibs right now to check it out. You can pull over there by the garage." He patted the door and straightened back up to walk into the garage as she pulled over to a close parking space near the entrance of the garage.

"Hey Chibs! There's a girl out here with a car and an unexplained problem. Think you can check it out?" Sasquatch man asked the other gentleman in the garage.

"Aye, wher's it?" He walked to the entrance and leaned on the doorframe, looking out to see the green Camry sitting nearby and the girl exiting the car to pop the hood like she knew what she was doing despite asking for help. He cleaned his hands a bit with his grease rag before tossing it to the side and walking over to the car. She came around from the hood and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the man approaching her who she assumed was Chibs. She stared a bit longer than she meant and looked back under the hood as he got closer. "Car trouble, lass?"

"Y-Yes." She cleared her throat a bit. "It's been running a little weird since the guy...the guy I'm dating uh...he thinks he knows everything about cars." She cursed herself mentally to pull herself together. The salt and pepper hair atop his head dropped a little over his dreamy chocolate eyes, a sweet smile made his dimples pop with the scars that intrigued her more than usual, build apparent that he could hold his own if given the opportunity but her eyes kept going back to his as he observed her with his own eyes.

"Ah'll giver a once over yeah?" He stepped around her with a smirk to himself. "Ye can sit inside if ye wan. Opie, take tha lass inside to cool off!"

"Yes, sir." Opie, aka Sasquatch man as she thought him to be, walked over to her and she realized just how tall he was and couldn't help but giggle mentally at the height difference.

"Thank you for the help." She flashed a smile over at him under the hood of her car while walking away to go cool off.

Chibs leaned up and watched her walking off and talking with Opie, feeling a stirring inside he hadn't felt in a while. Not a lusty feeling like the crow eaters give him around the clubhouse but a deep connection beneath her baby blue eyes. With a smile to himself, he went back to his task at hand with her car. Kat had been introduced to the guys as she sat at the bar with Queen Crow herself, Gemma Teller. Everyone had always made them out to have a scary and awful reputation but here she was finding out they were no different than anyone she knew in her life. She met a couple of young prospects, Juice and Half Sack, a gentle old man Piney who is Opie's dad, a few of the girls and VP son of Gemma Teller, Jax Teller. As their conversations were carrying on around the car, the clubhouse door opens to Chibs wiping his hands and sweating a little bit as he walks over in his grey work shirt, jeans and boots. 'What a man' She thought as her eyes seemed to light up at his presence.

"Lass, ah'm certain yer datin' a dafty dunderheid." He chuckled as he took the empty stool next to her at the bar

"Well I knew that but please continue." She turned her seat towards him. "What's the damage?”

"Aye, he put shite on backwards on there. Havnae seen someone do as awful a job before." He leaned on the bar and asked one of the prospects for a drink. "Mair concerned fer ye safety in it."

"What? No way. He said he bought brand new parts with MY money I gave him for it." She looked aghast and then sat back in the seat. "He's been lying for my money again...."

"Leave it here, sugar. We'll show ya how real men fix things." Chibs smirked as he took a swig of his drink.

"Thank you. I'll pay whatever is needed to fix things and get it done right." She sighs while pulling her purse up on her arm, "And thanks for the kind hospitality." "Wher' ye goin?" Chibs asked her as she got down off the stool.

"Gotta head home before he starts to think I'm cheating on him..." Her eyes flash a pain that he recognized all too well as she headed out the door while dialing on her cell.

"Can we invite her back here?" Juice asked which made them all laugh. "What? I think pretty girls should be allowed here is all." "She's welcome anytime if she's able to get away." Gemma throws in, "Might want to keep an eye on her."

Kat sighed as her boyfriend, Jason rolled up in his hunk of metal he called a truck. She groaned a bit while going around to get in but her eyes caught sight of two figures standing at the doorway of the clubhouse. She kept a straight face but inwardly she smiled as she saw Chibs watching with Jax as she rode off with her boyfriend.

"So you went from me to someone else to fix your problems?" Her boyfriend spat towards her.

"Don't fucking say a word, I told you I got it fixed you dumb bitch but you just didn't trust me."

"They fucking said the parts were taped together! There was nothing new on that hunk of junk you made my fucking car into!" Kat argued back and knew she'd regret opening her mouth as soon as the back of his hand made contact to her face. She whimpered slightly as she held her face and leaned her head on the window while he continued his verbal assault.

"That fucking attitude is going to be the death of you." He stated as he pulled up into the drive of her house. "Get the fuck in the house." He shut the truck off and waited as she felt she couldn't get out of there quick enough to bolt into her house. ~ Presently, she still stood across from Teller-Morrow, uncertain if she should even go check on the status of her car because he could have seen her out without his permission. She was wearing a tank top and denim shorts which Jason would flip if he saw her looking like that and would put more bruises on her so she would have to physically be covered up. As she saw the garage open up one of the big doors however, an overwhelming sense of safety flooded through her veins. All the boys she had met and a few new ones she didn't recognize were standing around. She gripped her crossbody strap a little tighter before checking the way and darting across the street.

"Should have gotten her number brother, can't have the car sit here. Juice, you think we could look her up by her license plate?" An older gentleman said as the looked at the car sitting in the spot where Chibs worked on it.

"I could....or yall could turn around." Juice was smiling and looking away from them towards the gates. They all followed his gaze and turned around, seeing the mysterious girl they hadn't even gotten a name from back in their parking lot.

Chibs felt a pitter-pat skip in his heart, a growing grin on his face. She looked like an angel to him with her flipflops, denim shorts, black spaghetti strap tank top and red and black plaid shirt hanging on her hips. She raised her sunglasses on her head to keep her streams of copper curls out of her face. A smile had just slowly spread on her face as well until a revving engine sounded behind her and she whipped around just in time for the vehicle to knock her a few feet ahead into the asphalt.

"SHIT!" The guys muttered as they all dropped things in hand and ran over to her aide. The smug shit eating grin on the guy in the truck's face was enough to warrant both Opie and Jax tearing him out of the vehicle while Chibs knelt beside the girl.

"Lass? Lass ye alright?" She groaned in response which made him smile. "Lean on ol Chibs, I'll help ya up."

"Feels like I got hit by a truck." She said while looking up at him which the guys tried to hold back a laugh. He got her to stand up but she still needed support and she leaned against him.

"Get away from my woman!" The asshole yelled as Jax and Opie were restraining the male from the truck. "That bitch deserved it!"

"Oi, fuck." Chibs motioned for Jax who let Opie restrain him and Jax took to holding Kat up for the moment. Chibs approached the guy in Opie's hold and grabbed him by the chest and Opie let go as Chibs dragged him up, throwing him against his truck and then going over and holding him by the throat. "Ye don't treat a lady with class like that." He gripped his hair and turned his head towards Kat which she looked away in fear. "See tha?"

"What you old fuck?" He spat.

"She cannae look at ye." Chibs lifted his head and smashed it against the truck, "Ye tried to feckin murder her with ye vehicle. Ah catcha round here gain, Ah'll break ya in hauf. Get yer feckin arse outta here!" Chibs tossed him to the ground and backed away from him to help Kat inside but Jason lunged over at him and tried to pull her off of him, making her fall to the ground at Chib's feet.

Chibs looked at her, raised his head with a lethal smirk and turned, clocking the guy in the face and sending him into the side of his truck. The punch alone knocked him cold but the truck made sure he stayed that way. "Jackie boy, you and Ope handle this ya?" Chibs knelt once more to help Kat up from the ground and helped her into the clubhouse to get her patched up.

Once inside he carried her over to one of the sofas to set her down before going to retrieve the SamCro first aid kit. Her eyes wandered a little over the decor around the clubhouse but her head was getting heavier and she laid it on the couch for a moment. "Keep ya head up lass." Chibs voice startled her a bit as he rounded the corner and joined her on the couch. "Don't need ya sleepin' yet, just hang in there." "I don't even care if I fall asleep and don't wake up for a couple of days. The reprecussion I'm going to get from him is going to put me in the ground." She felt tears forming but tried her hardest to keep them in. "Nah." Chibs said while lightly patting the gash on her forehead. "He touch ya and Ah'll keel the clarty feck." She couldn't fight the smile getting through her pain as he spoke and her cheeks flushed lightly. "Thank you, Chibs." She softly smiled as he finished up. "How can I ever repay you?" "Keep bringing that sweet looking arse of yers around here and I'm sure we can figure out a few things." He smirks while waggling his brows at her which got her to laugh a bit while looking up at him. Softly she reached up and grabbed his collar, pulling him to her face and pressing her lips to his and pulling away to look at him. "Really naw?" "Well it's a start to how I want to thank you." She smirked as he slid his hands behind her and pulled her over onto his lap making her laugh. "C'mere luffie." He rubs his hands along her sides and back, "I took the liberty of paying fer yer car to be fixed proper and planned to ask ye out when ye came back. Wha’s yer name?" "Katherine but you can call me Kat. Already taking care of me and knew I'd be back?" She rested her arms over his shoulders, her fingers brushing lightly through his soft strands of hair. "How could I stay away?"

The clubhouse door opened with everyone coming in to join them and she buried her face in his shoulder as they started to whistle and catcall at them. Chibs laughed as he rested his arms around her waist.

"That cursed Scottish charm." Juice muttered which made them all tease him a bit. "Yes, that cursed Scottish everything." Kat said with a beaming smile as Chibs hugged her to him. "Making me feel like a giddy school girl." "I can make ye feel sumthin better." He whispered near her ear which made a mischievous grin spread on her lips.

#chibs telford #defensive chibs #i need chibsy feels #soa #fanfiction

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transskywardsword · 10 months

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Dungeon Crawl - Bramble and the gang transverse an underground water temple in hopes of breaking a curse

okayyyyy i finally finished this. i'd make it longer, but im worried abt hitting tumblr's character limit so this is what yall get haha. enjoy a bramble-centric fic, some world-building for nes loz/aol's world, and a cameo from out favorite original princess! NOTE: wilds is from after totk (which i technically havent finished, hence why i haven't updated his character sheet oops) so there are some mentions of game mechanic spoilers but no story spoilers. also, he is completely mute and uses the slate as a text to speech device. i hope yall enjoy!

[image description: a digital artwork of Bramble, a Link from the loz au Heroes Gate. They are a young teen with mousy brown hair, light brown skin, and a broad large nose. They wear a pinkish purple fur shoulder cloak over their dark green tunic and orange sleeves. In the first drawing, they stand against a gloomy dark blue background, shoulders hunched as they protect a lit red candle that illuminates them in its glow. End description]

Moving out of any of the other heroes’ Hyrules and into Bramble’s home was always jarring for Twilight. There was almost a feeling of whiplash as the green and blues of their eras transformed into the ash and dust of Bramble’s; though he would never say it to Bramble, Twilight hated visiting their era. The group had hoped for a breather after their last stop in Mini’s world. The battle they spent slicing down the magically charged followers of Ganon hoping to free Vaati had proven to be unusually difficult, and everyone had been looking forwards to Grandpa Smithy’s soft beds and the bakery in Mini’s Castle Town. Instead, as soon as the last creature had fallen, the world around them froze and the brilliant blinding blue of a Time Gate flickered open before them. So, with much grumbling and groaning, the twelve walked through the Gate, trading the green lush forests and picturesque towns of Mini’s Hyrule for the decay and destruction of Bramble’s.

Lana hadn’t gifted them with an objective this time around, and her constant vagueness was going to give Twilight a permanent twitch. It would be bad enough wandering aimlessly for days in a good Hyrule, like Quartet’s or Spirit’s, but ages on foot in the crumbling wasteland that was Bramble’s Hyrule sounded truly miserable. The group seemed to agree with Twilight, though none of them would say it out of respect for Bramble’s feelings. Somehow, despite the destruction, the teen loved the place. It was mind-boggling, but while the group stepped around puddles of toxic water and tried to avoid breathing in too much dust, Bramble walked with spring in their step, whistling brightly. Bramble led them along the winding riverside, occasionally giving a stern reminder to watch for river Zora, and promised they knew the perfect place to stay that was less than a few hours of brisk walking. Bramble never used a map; they never seemed to need to, moving as if the jagged riverside was as familiar to them as their own home. Though, if Bramble’s jumbled stories about their childhood were to be believed, then the outdoors of their crumbling Hyrule had served as home for them.

Twilight quickly worked out that Bramble wasn't taking them to a cave or protected campsite like they usually did, but to the towering, if worn, castle that sat on the horizon. North Castle. It always struck Twilight as a little odd that they all had a Hyrule Castle—even Waker, though his sat beneath the waves—but Bramble didn’t. Twilight once asked why, and Bramble’s face had gone dark and sad, the way it did anytime the reality of Ganon’s destruction was discussed.

“It was deemed beyond saving,” Bramble had said. “Besides, the North Castle is nice! Especially now that Zelda I is awake to help with reconstruction.”

Hue and Legend had exchanged that Look of theirs, and the group adjusted. North Castle replaced Hyrule Castle in their vocabulary, and the old castle was added to the growing list of things Ganon had irreparably destroyed in the young teen’s home.

It had been weeks since the chosen had been in Bramble’s Hyrule, and even more since they all had last visited the castle, and Bramble practically vibrated with excitement. There weren’t many guards in North Castle and no servants—the government of Hyrule was still small and unstable, and there were more pressing matters than ladies in waiting. Bramble’s heroics had inspired a new wave of knights, but they paled in comparison to the numbers—and, frankly, skill—of the knights in Twilight’s Castle Town. No, these men weren’t soldiers, just farmers and wanders inspired by a teenager with a magic sword, now willing to put down their lives to rebuild what a century without a Triforce had destroyed. It was a noble effort, Twilight would give them that, even though it seemed rather pitiful compared to the might of the other standing armies in many of the group’s times.

North Castle was far from the grand spiral towers of the rest of their Hyrule Castles, instead just a haphazard pile of stone in a shape that spoke of an echo of splendor. Twilight had no doubt that the North Castle had been beautiful once—now, all that was left was a dingy stone structure stuffed with civilians searching for refuge.

It was a tight squeeze as they moved past the main gates and into the controlled chaos of the courtyard. North Castle was the last place to hold against Ganon and his armies, and it was the heart of rebuilding efforts. Refugees watched the heroes with wide, mistrusting eyes as they passed; Twilight had learned early on that trust was not something easily given in Bramble’s Hyrule, and that paranoia was what it took to keep you alive. Twilight and the others had been to the North Castle at least twice now, and still, Hyrule’s people looked at them with distrust. Or, at least, they looked at most of the group with distrust: each person smiled when Bramble passed, and Bramble seemed to know each one’s name, shaking hands and kissing cheeks and ruffling children's hair. Finally, the crowd thinned as they left the courtyard and moved deeper into the castle, and Bramble led them through winding halls up to a large door. The library.

The North Castle’s library might have once been a thing of beauty—the door’s design was weathered but clearly ornate, and even though the tapestries were muted with soot and the carpet was moth eaten, they cared an echo of grace. Bramble had been beyond excited to show the library to the group the first time they visited the castle, boasting that it was the largest library in all of Hyrule, and the sight of it had broken Twilight’s heart. It was tiny, the books damaged and worn, and it had clearly been ransacked once or twice and was still recovering from the violence. But Bramble was proud of it, and if it made the kid happy to pretend to be impressed by it then darn it, Twilight would lie until his face turned blue.

A middle-aged woman dressed in pale pink ruffles with a simple circlet on her brunette curls stood at a table, the top of it covered in unfurled scrolls, and a man in simple but high-quality clothing stood beside her, saying something about fertilizer and branching out past Hyrule’s border. Her eyes flickered to the door as soon as it opened. Twilight was big enough to admit that he squirmed a little under her gaze; Queen Zelda II of Hyrule was a deeply intimidating woman and reminded Twilight greatly of his own Zelda. They shared the same stern dark eyes and the same determination to protect their people, no matter the personal cost. She held up her hand, cutting off the noble mid-sentence.

“Thank you, Sir Ruben. That will be all.”

The man—Ruben— huffed but complied, pushing past them, and as soon as the door slammed behind the heroes Zelda II’s demeanor melted into something sweet and soft.

“Link!” She cried, rushing to Bramble’s side. She kissed their cheeks and Bramble flushed. Zelda II took their face in her hands and tilted it up, pressing her forehead to theirs.

“It’s been too long, friend.” There was a moment of softness between the two of them before the Queen pulled back. “Zelda and I have been worried sick— but never mind that. How long can you stay this time? I’ll prepare a suite for your companions. I’ve finally gotten enough bedding together, and each one of you can have a mattress of your own.”

‘And isn’t that an idea?’ Twilight thought as Zelda II beamed at Bramble, allowing the smallest amount of bitterness to creep in. ‘A castle where having a pillow to yourself is a luxury.’

"We can find our own place to stay—" Bramble began to say, but Zelda II waved off their complaint.

"Nonsense. Stay, all of you. A friend of Link's is a friend of Hyrule. Come, come, I've a favor I've been waiting to ask you."

She pushed aside scrolls of something resembling trade routes from the table.

"I'm afraid I don't have enough chairs..."

"We can stand, your Majesty," Sky said with a gentle smile. "We've suffered worse than swore feet."

Zelda II's eyes softened at that, and she reached out to touch his arm.

"I'd rather you didn't suffer at all." She said solemnly, then cleared her throat, smoothing out the pink folds of her dress. The color seemed childish for a woman of her age, but she wore it well. "Link, I have a quest, should you accept it."

She unrolled one scroll, exposing the first map of Bramble's Hyrule Twilight had ever seen. Bramble had always traveled from memory, their impeccable sense of direction leading the chosen heroes well, and seeing a map now left Twilight to marvel at just how big Bramble's Hyrule was—and just how devastating losing the Triforce must be for such a massive country to be so decimated. Hue mentioned Lorule often, and how the loss of their Triforce was catastrophic for their country, but this, this was proof Twilight could see with his own eyes. For a power given by the Gods, the Triforce could destroy just as much as it could bless.

“I’ve been trying to find a way to renew some of Hyrule’s failing natural resources,” Zelda II said, smoothing out the map. “There are so many things Ganon destroyed… infrastructure, agriculture…” She blew a tuft of hair out of her face. “We’ve been looking to establish trade with the land beyond Death Mountain. They have a vast coastline filled with Zora and the Zora allowed me to speak with their Queen. She believes the violence from the river Zora comes from toxicity in the water. Should we purify the water…”

“The Zora stop trying to kill people.” Bramble said, running a finger across a squiggling line of river on the map. “So how do I purify the water?”

“There is a temple we recently unearthed: the Hall of Waters. It was one of the first temples taken over by Ganon, almost a century ago, and it had all but faded into myth. Now, we know for sure that it is far from that, and from the recognizance we have been able to do, we have discovered it houses a mighty curse. I believe that the curse is what is affecting our water. Break the curse, fix the water.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Bramble said, and the queen gave them a soft smile.

“I knew you would help.”

“For this kingdom?” Somehow, despite their hunched frame and soft voice, Bramble seemed ten feet tall. “Anything.”

---

The hike to the Halls of Water was a long one. Nestled deep in the marshes of northeastern Hyrule, the air surrounding the Hall was thick and humid, and smelled positively foul. There were no plants in the marsh; anything the shallow water touched fizzled away, the toxins in the water acidic enough to eat through wood and stone. Still, Bramble was in high spirits.

“Can you imagine?” They said, jumping over a puddle, “Clean water! Zora just as peaceful as all of yours! This could mean so much—irrigation for agriculture, shipping routes over rivers, heck, safe drinking water!”

Hue grinned and ruffled their hair. “If anyone can break that curse, it’s you, kiddo.” Bramble ducked out from under his hand, biting back a smile.

Stepping carefully around puddles and standing water, the heroes came up to what had once been a waterfall. There was the occasional sluggish trickle of water over the edge of the cliff, but most of the waterfall had long since dried up—and there, hidden amongst the stones of the cliff, was an entrance. Someone had tried to barricade it shut with the rocks from the waterfall, but others, likely the recognizance Zelda II mentioned, had managed to pry them away. Spirit leaned their head in, squinting into the darkness.

“I can hear water,” He said, “and movement. Not much else though.”

“Well,” Quartet said, clapping the teen on the shoulder. “No time like the present!” Spirit yelped as he pushed him through the doorway.

“Quartet!” Sky hissed and Quartet snickered. “There could have been a drop! We don’t know what we’re walking into. Caution, please.”

‘Come on, we’re wasting daylight.’ Era signed. He tugged on Quartet’s collar, yanking him towards the temple door. The group trickled in after them, candles and lanterns at the ready. Wilds lit up his Sheikah slate and held it high to illuminate the entrance room.

It was steep, the stones slick with erosion, and sure enough, Twilight could hear running water somewhere in the dark. Waker whistled as he took in the room around them. The entrance might have been small and cracked, but the main hall was magnificent. The ceiling was domed and towered above them, so high that none of their lights reached the top. The ground was a smashed mosaic, the tile telling some sort of story involving Zora and smooth gems. It was almost impossible to make out, but beautiful nonetheless. At the edge of the room were three doors, each one massive enough to take up an entire story of a house, maybe two. Sky cleared his voice.

“You know the drill,” he said, the usual softness in his voice melting away into what Mini had lovingly dubbed the ‘serious leader tone’. “Groups of four. Hue, Mini, and Spirit with me. Era, Quartet, Legend, with Waker—”

“And Wilds, Mask, and Bramble with me.” Twilight said. He hooked his lantern to his belt and turned to Bramble. “Ready?”

Bramble nodded.

“Who’s taking the head?” They asked. “You, right?”

Twilight smiled.

“You, obviously. This is your Hyrule; you know it better than us.”

Bramble blanched. “Me? I couldn’t possibly—”

Sky clapped Bramble on the shoulder and gave them a simple smile. “Have faith. You’re the Hero of Hyrule. You’ve got this.”

Bramble swallowed then hesitantly nodded. “Okay. Okay.”

“Meet back in an hour!” Sky called as he drew the Master Sword, its holy light illuminating his face. He shoved open the door closest to him, and with a small wave from Mini, the three heroes disappeared after him.

“Don’t die,” Waker called over his shoulder to Bramble as he pulled open his door, and Twilight gave one last look at Lana’s chosen before pulling open his own door.

---

The Hall of Waters was beautiful in an eerie, quiet sort of way. Bramble kept an ear open for the call of monsters, but so far, the hall had been silent save for the splash of their feet trudging through the shallow water that flooded the hallways. Wilds held his slate up to the walls, soaking in the murals and mosaics that lined them and taking occasional photos. It was pitch black, but between the lantern, Bramble’s red candle, and the brightbloom seed Mask had cheekily tangled in Wilds’ hair, visibility was comfortable.

“It tells a story,” Wilds’ slate chirped, the robotic, feminine voice echoing through the still air. Bramble would never not be amazed by the text-to-speech function that allowed Wilds to have a voice without needing to rely on his voice or signs. “There’s the river Zora, and the ocean Zora—and a stone? It looks like they are giving each other something, and this smooth stone is the center of it all.”

“Hue mentioned a smooth stone he retrieved for the Zora during his first adventure,” Bramble said. Twilight nodded, and Bramble hoisted their candle higher for a better look. The mosaic was brittle with age, but the colors were protected from the sun, allowing the stones to glitter brightly when brought into the light.

A woman with blue skin, flared fins, and a wide, crested forehead stood, covered in fine jewels—an ocean Zora, and a high-ranking one at that. She was flanked by an entourage of blue Zora, also ocean, and in her hands was a smooth, beautifully carved golden stone. In front of her, kneeling at her feet, was a strange, humanoid creature made of green and red scales. Fire fell from its lips as it tried to kiss her feet. Inscription in gold circles the scene, and Wilds snapped a picture.

“Don’t recognize the language.” He said, “I might be able to get the slate to translate it but… Is it anything you’ve seen before?” He turned to Bramble and Bramble scrunched their face as they tried to make it out.

Reading was hard enough for Bramble as it was, but this looping handwriting and erosion mixed with the old fashioned spelling and strange dialect to create something truly impossible for them to puzzle out. It was their Hylian, but old, far too old. If Legend or Hue were here, they could probably translate it, but Bramble was still practicing his own local dialect, let alone Gods knew how many centuries old ones. They turned to Wilds, flushing.

“I can’t…”

Wilds smiled, his teeth ghostly in the gloom. Wilds was comfortable in the dark in a way none of them were, and Bramble had a feeling he was helping light up the room out of kindness, not necessity. They didn’t know if Wilds could see in the dark, but he certainly moved like he could, like the dark was a second skin. Not at home in the blackness, but not an outsider either. Bramble thought it might have something to do with the chasms that littered Wilds’ home, but they had never asked. Wilds had made it very clear those were not to be messed with, and Bramble respected the Champion’s words.

Wilds hand glowed with a pale, eerie green as he clicked photos of the inscriptions. The slate chirped as it began translating it, and Wilds bit his lip, tapping in words.

“There’s something about a Queen from the Ocean—Rulet? Erulte? It’s hard to make out the name—and she came to ‘the Baren Place’ to give her Gift to the ‘Unenlightened’.

Wilds stepped forwards to take another picture. In this one, the ocean Zora were tearing away the fire breathing creature, wresting it away from the Queen, but she raises an elegant hand. She knelt to the creature’s level and cupped it’s face—then offered it the stone.

“The Unenlightened were creatures of the same blood, but unblessed with Nayru’s wisdom. With the golden smooth stone gifted by Lord Jabu Jabu, the Queen gifted them with the wisdom of Enlightened creatures.”

The Unenlighted swallowed the stone in one vicious gulp, and sapphires and lapis lazuli glowed in the dim light as they circled around the creature. It rose to its feet, and instead of a monster stood a river Zora.

“Upon feasting on the Queen’s smooth stone, the Unenlightened became like Zora and swore to forever protect the ocean Zora’s gift. That’s it.’

Bramble reached out and touched the golden pearl that represented the smooth stone as it sat in the river Zora’s belly. “The first ever river Zora…”

Twilight snorted. “Hey Wilds, your sexy shark friend came out of that? Guess I’otta give Godly evolution quite the round of applause.”

Wilds smacked him on the arm.

“What!? I’m just sayin’, moving from that to seven feet with abs is impressive!”

Mask scrunched his nose. “Twilight, that’s disgusting. I don’t want to think about the shark like that,” he signed.

“Like what?”

“Guys—” Bramble said, finger resting on the stone.

“Like—like—You know what I mean!”

Twilight laughed, the bright, merry sound echoing off the watery walls.

“Oh no, am I offending your delicate sensibilities?”

“Guys--!”

“I thought—”

Bramble slapped a hand over Twilight’s mouth. “Look.”

Where the stone had been was a golden ball of light. It slowly grew, leaking into the stones of the mural until the entire river Zora was aglow.

“Quench my hunger.” It rumbled. “Fill my belly.”

The four heroes glanced at each other.

“We should circle back,” Twilight said. “Find the others, then return as a group. Safety—and wisdom—in numbers.”

Twilight was right. Safety, and wisdom, in numbers. But…

“Feed my belly.” The wall began to shake as the river Zora crumbled, leaving a gaping hole in the wall where it used to be. The golden light moved back into the chasm exposed by the crumbling wall, and black tendrils sped from the hole across the water around their ankles like dark eels. The swelled, growing, forming towering creatures of black. They had the head of a squid, with dozens of tentacles tipped with razor-sharp, jagged barbs, dripping something purple and viscous that hissed when it hit the water. The creatures screamed. Two, no four, no 7—8? It was hard to tell. The squid creatures blended in perfectly with the dark, and in a second Twilight was prone, smacking into the far wall, lantern fizzling out. Wilds spun and yelped as a tentacle swiped at him, ripping out a chunk of hair—and putting out the brightbloom. Leaving just Bramble’s candle.

“Get another brightbloom!” Mask shouted in Wilds’ general direction as he drew the Great Fairy Sword, hoping its pale glow might help illuminate the gloom. There was a grunt from Wilds and Mask swore.

“What do you mean you ran out?”

Wilds grunted again, hands more focused on his sword and shield and less on his digital voice.

“You can yell later,” Twilight said as he pulled himself to his feet. Darkness had quickly begun to swallow the room—no more lantern, no more brightblooms, and the light on Wilds’ slate had gone dim. The only light left was Bramble’s red candle. There was no way they could fight these things—in the light, yes, the four of them could certainly take them, but with just the light of a Bramble’s lucky candle, they couldn’t even see how many monsters there were.

“We need to fall back,” Bramble said as they dove to their left, a tentacle barely missing where their left arm had been. The candle flickered dangerously; somewhere north of them, Mask let out a frustrated hiss, then a sound of triumph, followed by a squeal from a squid as a blind swing landed.

“We can take them,” Twilight said. At the edge of the candlelight, he hacked at a vague, sharp shape in the dark.

“Not in the dark we can’t. Come on, Twi, we can come back with the others, but there is no way we walk out of this fight triumphant.”

“Bramble is right,” Mask called from... somewhere. “I’d rather not get sliced to death by calamari today.”

Twilight lunged to the left, spinning at a vague shadow and swore when he struck the wall, missing the tentacle completely. His lip twitched in that strange, doggish way that signaled frustration, but nodded, his face gaunt in the candle light. Suddenly, there was a yelp further in the room.

“Wilds!” Twilight yelled, spinning around, and squinting into the dark. “Status report?”

There was a rough sound of acknowledgement, and heavy breathing, and after groping through the gloom, dodging invisible limbs, Twilight found him. He passed Wilds over to Hyrule, who could feel the heat and wetness of blood.

“Fuck.” Bramble said, feeling for the wound. Wilds groaned.

“Watch the language, kid,” Twilight said, only be yanked to the floor by Mask. A tentacle whipped across where Twilight’s gut had just been.

“Where’s the door?” Mask grit out, Great Fairy Sword humming in his hands.

“Somewhere back there,” Twilight replied. “Maybe a few hundred yards.”

“Back where?”

“Back—no, not there, back there!”

“Shut up!” Bramble hissed, and the three heroes looked at him with wide eyes.

“I don’t know if we can make it back there in the dark, but there is a gaping hole right there. I say we take it.”

“Bramble—”

“We don’t exactly have a lot of time, Twi. You put me in charge. I say we take the hole.”

Twilight’s mouth opened and closed, before looking to Wilds and Mask for help. Mask shrugged.

“You did put them in charge.”

“Fuck you.”

Wilds snorted, and Bramble swung his arm over their shoulder.

“You good?” They asked softly, and Wilds nodded against their neck. His breath was hot and Bramble could smell blood, sharp and tangy, but he wasn’t dead weight, which was a good sign. “Then let’s get out of here.”

Dodging enemies they couldn’t see, the four of them ducked down into the chasm and promptly fell, fell, fell until a pool of water swallowed them up.

The water was freezing. Bramble gasped as it sucked all the air from their lungs, and for a moment they simply flailed, before two strong arms wrapped around their middle and yanked them back up above the water’s surface. Bramble coughed, and two glowing, slit-pupil eyes stared down at him. Bramble gave Mask a half-hearted smile, and he nodded, Zora body thrumming with unworldly magic.

“My—my candle!”

Mask held it out and Bramble let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

When Mask smiled, the teeth in his Zora mouth were sharp and plentiful as a shark’s. Bramble knew magic well, especially transformation magic, and Mask’s Zora mask always felt cold and sharp, beating softly, like a fading heart, and carried the same tug at one’s gut as the ocean’s riptide did. Bramble longed to try it on, if only to see how the transformation felt, to compare it to their own magical shifting, to take note of how switching from one body to the other felt when your bones were shifting and scales were growing as opposed to limbs shrinking and wings poking their way out of ones’ skin. But Mask was painfully protective over his masks, and even more so of his full transformation mask—trying one on, even for science, would never be allowed.

“Do you see the others?”

As a Zora, Mask had the best eyesight out of all of them. He nodded and pointed to somewhere in the dark.

“Shore.” His voice was raspy, unsuited for air, “Take you, get others.”

Bramble nodded, and Mask scooped him up, moving quickly through the still waters to the far end of the room, where the glowing light hovered, exposing a rocky shore. Bramble pulled themselves up and with a flick of flint against their sword lit the candle.

Mask returned with Wilds first. In the dim light, Bramble could better see the gash that ran from under his left armpit to his sternum, jagged and torn. The leather straps and armor of his Champion’s leathers had protected most of his vitals, but blood still seeped down his chest.

Bramble winced in sympathy. Ow.

“Do you have any elixirs in the slate?” They asked, and Wilds moved to grab the slate and hissed as the movement pulled at his pectoral. A new round of blood bubbled up from the gash and again Wilds tried to grab at the slate on his hip, hands shaking.

“Here,” Bramble took the slate from him and held it up to where Wilds slowly, moving as little as he could, began to type.

“Think I have one fairy tonic. Meant to make more. Got distracted.”

Bramble nodded, continuing to hold the slate as Wilds magicked—scienced?—out a tonic. He took a deep swig, and the tenson in his face faded some.

“1-10?”

Wilds held out a 5.

“Real answer?”

Wilds made a face, before finally holding up a 6 and a half. Bramble nodded. Not good in the slightest but could be worse.

“You’re not using that sword arm,” Twilight said behind them. Bramble jumped, whirling around to where a sopping wet Twilight stood with his arms crossed. “I don’t want you moving it until we know if the gash damaged any tendons in your shoulder.”

Wilds made a choked nose, yanking his point finger away from his chest in a rough one handed ‘but’.

“No buts.”

Wilds scowled, snatching the slate from Bramble and stomping out a rebuttal, “You’re not the boss of me!”

“Don’t make me pull rank.”

“Bramble is the boss, and he hasn’t said I cant fight.” Wilds said, as if his arm wasn’t shaking. Mask snorted.

“I think you should be on defense.” Bramble said softly, gently taking the slate from him and hooking it to his side. “Twi’s right, until we can get a better look at that shoulder, you’re benched.”

Wilds glared but didn’t complain further. Mask, mask removed, cleared his throat. Before him, lit dimly by the glowing light, was a giant statue. It resembled the river Zora from before, but towered far, far taller, its scales covered in moss and algae. Its mouth was open, water pouring from between its wide spread teeth and into a basin at its feet. Bramble leaned down and touched the water. It thrummed with magic, and something rough and bumpy was at the base of the basin. They gestured for their candle, and Wilds handed it to them. It was hard to make out, but it seemed to be some kind of trap door. Something round and heavy covered them, possibly metallic. Hypothetically, they might be able to open it, but between the metal and the water, it would be too difficult. They needed to turn the water off somehow and raise the bars.

“I feel a trapdoor. I think there's bars over it—I can't really tell, but it's definitely heavy and there's no way we could lift it with the water flowing, “Bramble said.

“Well, Twilight said,” then I guess we have to find a way to turn the water off. And I’ll bet you five rupees once we get that water those bars come off too.”

“Basic dungeon crawl one-oh-one,” Mask said, and Twilight laughed.

“Dungeon crawl 101.”

Wilds made a face. Bramble knew the teen hated dungeon crawls, found them out of his depth. After all, he spent more time in his shrines than he ever did a proper dungeon. Bramble bumped his shoulder. There was a flicker as Twilight tried to relight his lantern. The wick caught for a moment before going out.

“Well shit. Looks like the oil leaked out in the fall. So we’re down to the candle.”

Bramble nodded, cupping a hand around the flame. It was warm and cheerful, promising light and safety. Bramble could perfectly remember the dungeon they found it in. The Demon, as they’d taken to calling it once they saw the demonic face the rooms made, had been carved under the Fairy Fountain of a Great Fairy long since died—three bosses and countless puzzles waited inside the graveyard of a Great Fairy, all in pitch blackness. The promise of the final Triforce piece spurred Bramble on, but once their blue candle finally melted into nothing, they were left to wander in the nothingness, trying to fight monsters they couldn’t see until—until he’d bombed the right wall on accident, desperate for a way to escape a room of goriya, and found it. The red candle. Their saving grace. If not for the item, they would have died down in the Demon, and the Princesses would be been damned. Their lucky candle.

“You held onto that even after that drop?” Twilight commented, and Bramble quickly shielded the flame as water dripped from the ceiling onto their head.

"What's so special about a candle anyways?" Twilight asked.

"It's... it's lucky."

"Just lucky?"

Bramble shifted their weight, using their body to shield the flame from the dripping waters. "Yeah. Just lucky."

The group took in the cavern to the best of their ability, limited to the glow of the red candle. They’d found themselves on the shore of an underwater lake, the walls lined with more mosaics, and the water crystal clear, exposing elegant architecture just below the surface. Still, only Mask and Twilight had the means to breath underwater, and Bramble wasn’t fond of the idea of them splitting up.

“We hug the walls and circle around,” they said, and Twilight nodded.

“After you.”

They moved slowly, Wilds panting growing ever louder, and Bramble debated handing him their candle, if only to give the Champion something to do. The teen hated feeling helpless, useless, and Bramble imagined right now he was feeling both.

Wilds grunted, and the other three turned to him. He pointed at the far wall, where water fell from a passage high on the wall, forming a small, slow waterfall. Twilight nodded.

“Do you have your Zora armor on you?” Bramble asked Wilds, who rolled his eyes and nodded exaggeratedly.

“We could have you grab each of us and bringing us up one by one, and then continue the search up there.”

“Can you lift others?” Twilight asked, and Wilds bit his lip.

“I’ll wear it, I’m closest in size.” Mask said. Wilds nodded, bringing his fingertips down from his chin.

‘Thank you.’

“Whatever,” Mask said, but there was a smile in his voice. With a bit of shuffling between the two, Mask had pulled the Zora armor over his tunic, and wrapped an arm around Bramble.

“Ready?” He asked, and Bramble nodded.

“Ready.”

Going up a waterfall felt almost like flying and almost like drowning, and it confused Bramble’s lungs and guts every time. They gasped as they hit air, spilling onto the ground of the passageway.

“Be back,” Mask said over his shoulder before dropping down below, and Bramble flashed him a thumbs up. Slowly, they pulled themselves to their feet and relit their candle. Before them was a floor of moving spikes, shuddering in and out of the ground and walls in a staccato, only a few seconds of bare ground visible before metal stabbed up. Bramble took in the sight, counting the beat of the spikes. On the far side of the room was a switch. Well, at least it was a simple enough puzzle. Get across the room without being impaled and hit the switch. Easy.

“Too far for my clawshot,” Twilight said behind them. Bramble did not jump, thank you very much. It wasn’t their fault if the man was as quiet and stealthy as the wolf under his skin.

“Hookshot too,” Mask echoed.

“I could find something to throw across and use Recall, but that’s a long throw, even for Ultrahand.” Wilds said, slowly typing into his slate. He looked pale in the candlelight, and Bramble had a growing suspicion that the wound across his chest was worse than he was letting on. They’d make sure the Champion stocked on a thousand and one potions and elixirs after this.

“I could Jump.” They said, and Mask let out a surprised laugh.

“Kid, it’ll take more than a run and a jump to clear that.”

“I can do it. Trust me.”

“Wait—”

But Bramble was already going. They sprinted forwards and squeezed their eyes shut, digging deep, deep , deeper for that tingly warmth inside their stomach they associated with magic. They sunk a hand into the ball of power and pulled, pushing it into their thighs and heels, then jumped.

They soared. It took just two jumps to clear the room, taking a split second to land half way through, balancing on the tip of a spike before being off again. In a blink, the switch was in their hand, then on the ground as they tugged down. Nothing, except the spikes disappearing.

Mask whistles. “Damn, kid, you should have mentioned that ages ago.”

Bramble flushed and shrugged. “Didn’t come up.”

“What else can you do?”

“Well, uh. You know. Stuff.?” They said, shifting under Mask’s gaze. They didn’t like talking about themselves.

“Wait! I think the water on the statue stopped. I can see the doorway—no more bars either.” Wilds called. “Great job, Bramble!”

Bramble made their way over to the teen and looked over the edge of the entrance.

It took a little maneuvering and a bit of fumbling with paragliders, but eventually, the heroes found themselves back at the gates. The light from before stopped hovering, spun twice, and sped down below, through the entrance. Now that the water was gone and the bars open, they found themselves with another problem.

“There’s no way we can get through that,” Twilight swore, gesturing to the absolutely tiny doorway, but Mask shook his head.

“Bramble could.”

“Me?” Bramble squeaked.

“You’re the smallest out of us.”

“But I…” Bramble swallowed. Mask was right. They were the only one who would fit.

“You can do this,” Twilight said, clapping a hand on their shoulder. Bramble nodded.

“Right. Yeah. Of course, I can.”

They took a shuffle step forwards before sitting on the edge and scooting forward, grip on their candle painfully tight. One breath, two, then they pushed off the edge into the dark and wet, leaving their friends behind.

It was a tight squeeze into the entrance, and once they got in, they immediately took the candle and relit it. The light was cheerful, lighting up a room of skeletons. Bramble took in a sharp breath through their teeth. Bones. Bones, bones, bones, as far as the eye could see. All Zora. They must have been guarding the temple when… Bramble shivered as moved past as fast as possible, eyes firmly in front of them. Find a door, or a switch, or something, and get back out to their friends. Easy. No problem.

The magical light sped in front of them and Bramble gave up trying to figure out where they were or where they were going, following it instead. It seemed to… like that? It bobbed and weaved in from of them, almost dancing, until they came to a dead end. Bramble leaned forward, fingers almost brushing the light.

“What do you need to show me?” They whispered, and the light inched back into the wall. Huh. Bombable, maybe? They felt along the wall. The stone here was newer than the rest of the temple, and the grout was poor quality. With a bit of elbow work maybe they could… yep. Out popped out brick, then two, until soon with some extensive shoving and kicking, a Bramble-sized gap in the wall had been made, exposing a light so bright that Bramble’s eyes burned. Sunlight drifted down from the glass ceiling, reflecting onto a shining pool lined with gold and silver. And there, in the center, was the same statue as the pitch dark room, but immensely tall, the place in its belly where the fake stone had been empty.

It has said to feed it.

That’s why the Zora were acting like this, wasn’t it? They had lost their stone, and were back to hostile, unintelligent monsters instead of proper Zora. Bramble crept closer.

“Where did your stone go?” They said, running their hands over the jewels. “Who took it from you?”

Drip

The hairs on the back of Bramble’s neck stood up. The dripping continued, and slowly, slowly, they turned. Something had risen out of the water, a story tall thing with inky black skin not unlike an eel and dozens of tentacles. Its teeth stretched on and on, longer than Bramble’s forearm, and it squealed as it flung its head back, one wide eye rolling, before flashing a barbed tongue.

The curse. It had to be.

Bramble drew their sword.

The boss lunged forward, tongue whipping wildly, and sent a trio of tentacles down with a screech right on Bramble’s head, sending them scrambling to the left. Fuck—they hadn’t expected something so big to move so quickly. It circled him, letting out taunting flicks of its tongue, eye locked on and filled with feral hate. Bramble locked their sights onto the boss, sword hand itching. The boss hovered above the ground, just out of reach. Damn it, they needed a way to bring it down.

The boss let loose a flurry of flame from it’s octopus beak like mouth and Bramble swore, rolling to the side to the red hot spray. They could feel the heat of the fire just above their head, and smell burnt hair. Bramble waited for it to flick out more tentacles, drifting lower and lower as it lashed out, broke into a sprint.

They sprung onto the spongy, slick back of a tentacle, balancing on the thin material, and moved as quickly and carefully as they could to the creature’s face. With a leap, they were on the boss’ head, and with another, their sword was plunged into the boss eye.

The boss screeched and clawed at Bramble’s legs, His trousers shredded easily under the barbed suckers sizzled, and with a jerk at their leg the boss sent Bramble tumbling to the ground, sword still sunk deep in its eye.

Crud, crud—

Bramble rolled out of the way as the boss lunged at them, sending a spray of fire that Bramble only barely dodged. Their tunic did little to keep out the heat of the magical flame, and Bramble hissed as the air grew too hot, searing exposed flesh.

The boss raised its tentacles again, and Bramble never wanted their hands on their sword hilt so badly. The creature screamed, sucking in water and fire alike, and Bramble groped desperately in their bag for their bombs.It was a better idea than nothing and, saying as their sword was stuck in the very thing they were trying to kill, they were very close to nothing. Bramble let the bomb fly, watched as it was sucked into the swirling air, and detonated.

Boom!

The boss staggered back and slunk down half in the water, trying to recoup itself, and Bramble seized his chance. They jerked forwards and grabbed hold of the hilt of the magic sword. They drew the weapon halfway out before plunging it back in and twisting, over and over. The boss howled, wrapping a sharp suckered tentacle around their leg, and Bramble grit their teeth against the sharp pain of barbs cutting through fabric and into flesh. The sword went in and twisted, over and over, black-purple blood splattering across Bramble’s face and chest.

The boss’ screams became gurgles as its eye swelled and, fucking finally, the eye exploded into a shower of gore, the creature going slack below them. Soon it was just a husk on the floor, breaking apart and melting into the waters like an oil stain on white linens. Bramble sighed and sunk to the floor, leg pulsing.

There, where the creature’s eye had been a stone, smooth as a baby’s cheek and gold as the Sun. Bramble took it with reverent fingers. It hummed against their skin, and they turned to the statue.

“Here,” they whispered. “Please, give us clean water. Please.”

They fitted the golden smooth stone into the statue’s empty stomach and it rumbled in thanks. The air was filled with a sweet, fresh scent, and then Bramble’s skin was warm and tingling as magic wrapped around them, breaking them down to their very atoms to magick them back outside.

“Wait!” They called, “My friends, they’re still down here!”

"I shall see them returned to you, Hero of Hyrule", the statue said, voice like rocks tumbling down snow. "You have my thanks. My belly is full."

Bramble felt the magic hugging them tight, tight, tighter, and then the world was gold as the Hall of Waters sent them back to the outside world where they belonged.

#heroes gate #hg bramble #zelda au #loz au

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