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starryblueeyesandstarryblueskies · 4 days

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The Princess and The Pogue | J. M.

Pairing: JJ Maybank x reader

Summary: Your daughter comes home from school telling you about a local OBX fairytale. It turns out it’s about you and your husband.

Listen to But Daddy I Love Him for full experience

Requested by @idontevenknowbsblog

A/N: This turned out way longer and more angsty than I had anticipated but I’m a sucker for the angst. I just can’t help it. I’m sorry this took me a million years to finish!

As I am an adult, all characters I write for are written as adults. Any minor characters will be aged up to the general range of their actor’s age.

Warnings: allusions to domestic abuse, controlling parents, forced engagement, so much fucking angst, only kinda proofread

Word Count: 3.5k

Your daughter’s tiny feet press against the back of your seat as you head home after picking her up from school.

“Mia, stop kicking,” You laugh, “Mommy’s trying to drive.”

“Sorry, Mommy.” Your daughter giggles. “I’m just so happy today!”

“I’m so glad you're happy, Baby.” You smile at the five year old in the rearview mirror. “What did you do at school today?”

“We got to draw all our shapes today and we sang the alphabet song a bunch of times!”

“Ooh sounds like a fun day.”

She claps excitedly. “Oh and Kylie’s older sister told us a fairytale at recess!”

“A fairytale? Very cool. What was it about?”

“Did you know a princess used to live here? A long time ago. She ran away with a pogue because her evil king father wouldn’t let them be together.”

Your eyes widen at her words, a small smile forming on your face as she tells the story that takes you back to what seems like a lifetime ago.

“Mom, I’m headed out,” you yelled through the foyer.

“Ok, hun.” Your mom poked her head over the stairwell. “Just don’t stay out too late. We have that business lunch with the Cameron’s tomorrow and it’s very important that you be there.”

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” you promise, “besides I’m just going to hang out with Sarah.”

“We just love that you and Ward Cameron’s daughter are friends. It looks so good for your father’s business for the families to be close. Especially with you set to inherit the company someday.”

With Ward Cameron being the biggest real estate developer in the Outer Banks and your dad owning the biggest construction company, the two men worked closely on most of their deals. They were also the closest thing to friends that either of the men had. The two richest men in the island made for a powerful team.

“Glad I can help you keep up appearances,” you muttered under your breath.

“What was that, hun?”

“Always happy to help the family.” You gave your mother a forced smile and made your escape, slipping outside and into Sarah’s waiting car.

“Ready to go see your man?” She grins at you and you return the gesture.

“God, yes.“

You hadn’t expected to fall in love with JJ Maybank. Considering the very different lives the two of you led it was surprising the two of you ever even crossed paths, but that was one of the perks of being Sarah’s friend. When she fell in love with John B and got involved with the pogues she dragged you along with her.

It wasn’t like you had anything against the pogues. In fact, you had admired them from afar your whole life. Their freedom and adventures were something you envied, forever stuck in your kook bubble. You didn’t have a choice but to follow the plan your parents had created for you.

JJ, on the other hand, hated kooks with a passion. He had a hard enough time with Sarah joining the group and when she brought you in, arguably the even bigger kook princess with the even bigger kook king of a father, he vowed to himself he would never accept you. After all, you represented everything he hated, the life he always dreamed of but would never attain.

He would sneer and call you “princess”, his voice dripping with disdain, doing everything in his power to piss you off, but you didn’t mind. You loved his passion and the way he would do anything to protect the people he cared about. You ignored his insults, treating him just as well as you would anyone else.

Before he knew it, your soft words and beaming smile had softened JJ. He began to actually look forward to your presence in the group, feeling sad when you couldn’t get away from your parents to spend time with them. Then, one day the two of you were the only ones to show up to a pogue hang out. You ended up spending hours just talking and getting to know each other. The rest was history and you had been together from that day forward.

Unfortunately, you knew that your parents would never let you spend time around a pogue, let alone be in a relationship with one. So, like Sarah and John B, you and JJ had to keep your relationship hidden. Thanks to the help of the pogues, the two of you had been successfully seeing each other behind your parents’ backs for over a year.

“I’ll be back to pick you up at 8:00,” Sarah reminds you. She pulls up to the little cove where you and JJ liked to meet. “We only have a couple of hours tonight because of that lunch tomorrow. Don’t want our families to get suspicious.”

You nod. “Got it. I’ll see you then.” You slip out of her car. “Tell John B I said hi.”

“Will do.”

She pulls away as you make your way around the rocks hiding the entrance to your spot.

“Hi, princess.” Your boyfriend grins at you in the orange light of the sunset, pulling you into a hug.

“JJ,” You breathe him in, soaking up the comfort he gives you. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, baby. Four days without you is four days too much.” JJ leads you over to the blanket on the sand, sitting back so you can settle between his legs.

“I know. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t get away much this week. My parents are going crazy about this lunch tomorrow.”

“Aren’t they always crazy?” JJ jokes, poking your side. You squirm a little bit, trying to escape his prodding.

“I mean, yeah. They’re just extra crazy this week.” You settle further into his chest, JJ giving up his attack in exchange for wrapping his arms securely around you. He nuzzles his head into the side of your neck. “But, it’s okay because at least we have right now.”

“How long do we have until Sarah comes back to pick you up?”

You let out a sigh. “Two hours.”

“That’s it? Damn.”

“I’m sorry, J.” You look back apologetically, but he just shakes his head.

“Hey, don’t apologize. We just have to make the most of the time we have, like usual. It won’t be like this forever.”

“Right.” You give him a small smile, turning back to face the sunset before he can see the doubt in your eyes. You hoped JJ was right, but you had no idea how things would ever change.

As expected, your time together flew by too quickly and before you knew it Sarah was back to take you home.

JJ was reluctant to let you out of his embrace. “We’re still on for tomorrow night, right? After you finish up with all your kook business?”

“Of course, baby. I wouldn’t miss it.” You give him one last goodbye kiss, distracting him long enough to slip out from his arms. He pouts, but lets you go, knowing if it was your choice you would never leave.

You stare numbly at the wall, unable to will yourself to move from your position balled up on the bed. You aren’t sure how long you've been laying there looking at nothing. You didn’t feel anything, having cried out all your tears hours ago. A buzzing sounds from the other side of the room, your phone going off once again, but you don’t pick it up. It’s probably Sarah calling again to see if you’re okay after what happened at lunch. You’re not.

Having sat in silence for so long, you jump when you hear a rattling at your window. It takes you a minute to clamber over to the window with the lights out in your room. You hadn’t realized how dark it had become outside.

You peek out warily, trying to determine the source of the noise. “Shit.” You mumble under your breath as you realize JJ is perched in the tree closest to your room.

You unlatch the door so he can climb inside, turning away from him quickly. You’re thankful for the darkness in that moment as you scramble to make yourself look presentable, flattening your hair and wiping at your face. You pull down the sleeves of the massive sweatshirt you’re wearing, one you stole from JJ months ago, making sure you are completely covered.

“JJ, what are you doing here,” you whisper, “What if someone sees you?”

“I was worried about you. You were supposed to meet me hours ago, remember?” He sounds frustrated.

“Shit. I’m sorry. I totally forgot.” You run your hand down your face stressed. “I didn’t mean to stand you up.”

“You forgot? Y/N, I’ve been calling and texting for hours.” JJ moves closer, but you step back. “I thought something bad had happened.”

He takes another step back. Again you back away, trying to keep him from seeing your face. Brows furrowed, JJ moves towards you again. This time you can’t move away fast enough, bumping your dresser as you try to get away.

“Woah, wait.” JJ takes your face in gentle hands. “Have you been crying?”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” You try to pull away, but he doesn’t let you off that easily.

“Baby, what’s going on? Is it something I did?” The worry in his eyes brings a fresh wave of tears to your eyes. You shake your head, willing them not to fall.

“No, no. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Something with Sarah?” You shake your head again.

“Your parents?” That stills you. “It is your parents. What is it? Did something happen at lunch?”

You don’t answer.

“Talk to me, baby. I can’t make it better if I don’t know what’s wrong.” JJ’s voice is so sincere and his touch so soft. He really thinks he’ll be able to fix whatever the problem is.

You gather your strength and gently pull away from him, not wanting to see the look in his eyes when you tell him.

“My father and Ward Cameron have decided that it is in the best interest of their respective businesses for our families to be officially joined.”

“What on earth does that mean?”

You feel like you're going to be sick, but you force the words out anyway. “I am set to be married to Rafe Cameron.” You keep your eyes on the floor, waiting for JJ’s response. He stays silent.

“I had no idea they had this planned until my parent’s announced it at lunch.”

“What do you mean you’re marrying Rafe Cameron?” He tries to keep his voice calm. But you can hear the venom behind his words anyway. “You can’t just marry Rafe.”

“I don’t have a choice, JJ. They practically signed my ownership papers over to Rafe right there.”

JJ is pacing your room now, hands constantly running through his hair. “He can’t just do that. You’re an adult, Y/N. Tell him no.”

“I can’t tell him no JJ.” He stops in front of you, the look on his face half shock half anger.

“What are you talking about? You can’t just tell me that your father is marrying you off to Rafe and not even try to fight him on it.” You turn from his intense gaze, unable to handle it any longer.

‘Y/N-” JJ reaches for your arm to turn you around and you flinch back hissing in pain. Your sleeve rides up, revealing a number of dark bruises.

“I tried talking him out of it, JJ. He made it clear saying no wasn’t an option.”

JJ seethes, body tense with anger. “He hurt you.” It’s not a question which is just as well because you have no response.

“I’m gonna kill him.” He growls.

You lay your palms flat against his chest. “No, you’re not. We can’t make this situation any worse than it already is.”

“He can’t just get away with this!” JJ’s voice rises with his anger and you shush him quickly, looking back at your door.

“Please, Y/N.” His voice cracks on your name. “Things can’t just end like this.”

The pain in his words breaks your heart. You let the tears fall freely, unable to hold back the emotion any longer.

“I’m so sorry, JJ.” He cradles your face in his hands like he did at the beginning of the night. “There’s nothing either of us can do to change this.” JJ brushes his thumbs against your cheeks, brushing at the tears. “You should go.”

“No, Y/N.” He has tears running down his face too. “I can’t leave you like this.”

“Please, JJ. You have to go before something wakes him up. I don’t know what he’ll do if he finds you here.”

JJ’s eyes flit down to your wrists, taking in the bruises once more before he nods slowly. He won’t be the reason your father hurts you again. You lips press against his slowly, both of you pouring all the love you have for each other into the kiss.

“I love you,” you whisper against his lips.

“I love you, too. Always.”

With those last words, he slips back out your window, closing it quietly behind him. You watch as he climbs back down the tree and crosses the property. As he finally fades out of blue, you sink down to your floor, your knees unable to hold the weight of your body as it’s wracked with sobs.

You don’t leave your room for days. All you can do is lay in your bed and cry, mourning the loss of the man you love and the life you had planned.

If it was up to you, you would never leave that room. Unfortunately, your parents have other plans. They parade you and Rafe all over town, making sure everyone on the island knows the two of you are “madly in love” and engaged to be married in the spring. The whole pageantry of it makes you sick.

The cherry on top of the whole ordeal is the engagement party that you parents planned for the weekend. They rented out the whole club and invited every kook on the island. You’re pretty sure it’s your own personal hell.

Sarah pins one last curl to your head. “Done. You look beautiful.”

You give her a small smile that didn’t reach your eyes. “Thanks, Sarah.” You were dressed in a white sundress that your mother had bought for the party and Sarah had done your hair and makeup to perfection. The whole look was stunning, but you just feel like a trophy being shown off.

Sarah gives you a sympathetic look. “You ready for this?”

“No. But I have to be.”

It takes everything in you to keep a smile pasted on your face as Rafe takes your hand and leads you out to the throng of people. Everyone smiles and hugs you, offering their congratulations. You do your best to seem gracious and excited, but all you feel is emptiness and the faces move before you in a blur.

You make it two hours into the party before you can’t take it any longer. The panic that has been creeping up your throat all night takes hold and you have to break away. You excuse yourself from Rafe, claiming a need to run to the bathroom. He gives you a harsh look and makes you promise to hurry back, but ultimately lets you go.

You hurry away from prying eyes, not letting yourself break until you get inside. Chest heaving, you gulp down air like you’ve just run a marathon. One of your hands is pressed against your chest, the other braced against the walls to hold you up as you stumble towards the bathroom.

Before you can make it more than a few feet an arm catches you around the waist, pulling you into an alcove you had never noticed. You stumble back, trying to pull yourself together, not wanting whoever grabbed you to see your harried state.

“Hey, hey. It’s just me.”

Familiar hands rub up and down your arms, grounding you. You look up to see the blue eyes that you love so much.

“JJ,” you whisper, breaths still coming fast and hard.

“It’s okay, baby. Just breathe.”

JJ holds you close as you will your body to calm, feeling safe for the first time all night.

“What are you doing here?”

“I had to see you, talk to you.”

You sigh, looking at him with sad eyes. “As happy as I am that you’re here, you have to go. If anyone sees you. My father, or Rafe-”

“What if you didn’t have to worry about them anymore?”

“JJ, we’ve been over this. I can’t break this engageme-”

“What if we just left? You and me. Right now.” His eyes bore into yours, willing you to see the possibility.

You can’t act like you haven’t had the same thought yourself, but you just didn’t see how it would be possible. “How would that work, JJ? My father controls my whole life. My money, my future, everything.”

“You don’t need anything he has to give you, Y/N.” His voice is pleading.

“JJ…”

“We can figure it out. You have a degree, I have experience. We’ll get jobs. We’ll make it work.” He reaches a hand into his pocket. “I know I can’t give you a life like this-”

“I don’t want a life like this.”

“-but I will do everything in my power to give you a good life, to make you happy.” He holds up a simple, beautiful band of silver. “Will you marry me?”

You stare up at him with wide eyes. “Are you serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. Say you’ll marry me. We can leave right now. I have a plan to get us off the island. Your parents won’t know until it’s too late. Just say yes, please.”

“Yes, yes.” You nod vigorously. “I’ll marry you.”

You rip off the gaudy ring currently on your hand and JJ replaces it with the silver band. He kisses you so deeply you think you see stars.

“I love you, JJ Maybank,” you whisper when you part.

“I love you too, Y/N Y/L/N, so much.”

You could stay in that moment forever, but you both know you don’t have time to waste. JJ begins to pull you to a side exit, but you stop him. There’s one last thing you have to do before you leave.

You find a piece of paper, scribbling out a few quick words and titling to your father.

Have fun explaining to the Cameron’s that your daughter ran off with a pogue

Y/N Y/L/N

You set the folded paper on the center table, placing Rafe’s ring next to it.

“Ready to get off this island?”

You grab JJ’s hand. “God, yes.”

JJ was right, the two of you figured it out. You both found jobs on the mainland and created a happy life for yourselves. You and JJ got married a few months after you ran off and Mia came along a few years later.

You had kept in touch with the pogues of course and they let you know when your father and Ward Cameron’s businesses had come crashing down, forcing the two men off the island. They had no power anymore, so eight years later you decided to move back to your home. People had gossiped at first, but they moved on to the next big thing when they realized that neither you nor JJ cared what they had to say. You wanted to be in the place where you grew up and fell in love, and you wanted Mia to be surrounded by the friends that you called your family.

Mia was just about bouncing in her seat by the time you got home. You hurried to get her out of her carseat so she could rush inside and see her dad. Friday’s were always her favorite because JJ got off work early and was already home by the time you brought her back from school.

She pulled you along by the hand as she continued on about her fairytale. “The evil king disappeared and they lived happily ever after.”

JJ scooped Mia up as the two of you entered the house, making the little girl squeal in delight.

“Daddy!”

“Who lived happily ever after, Mia-mine?” She giggled as he burrowed his face in her little belly.

“The princess and the pogue!”

JJ’s eyes met yours over Mia, giving you an intrigued look.

“Kylie’s older sister told her a fairytale at lunch about a couple that used to live on the island.” You tell him with a knowing grin.

“A fairytale? That’s awesome, baby.” JJ lowers Mia back down to her feet. “Hey, why don’t you go wash up and Mommy and I will make you a snack.”

“Okay, Daddy!” The little girl runs off happily.

You make your way to the kitchen, JJ coming up behind you and snaking his arms around your waist. “So the princess and the pogue, huh?” He smirks as you turn to face him.

“Who knew we’d become an OBX fairytale?” You reply.

“It makes sense. It doesn’t get much more ‘happily ever after’ than this. Right, princess?”

You give him a gentle kiss. “Right, pogue.”

Writing Masterlist

#jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank fic #jj maybank angst #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank x y/n #obx x reader #obx fic #obx fanfiction #obx #outer banks #outer banks x reader #outer banks fanfiction #outer banks fic #stars writes #starryblueeyesandstarryblueskies

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ofallthingsnasty · 3 months

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Pretty please could you do F, H, N, or Y for crocodile one day! I’m curious on your thoughts about him and I love when you talk about him 😭 my new obsession is the pug who he hates but tolerates just for you, so sweet 🥺

Yandere Alphabet letters a, i and q for crocodile hdsjahj anon I'm glad you like my rambles because they are so much fun to write 💕💕 regarding the little dog - don't be fooled, it's 50% him wanting to see you happy and 50% having even more leverage over you 🤭 mean man...

tw.yandere, violence, minors dni

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Uh oh, you might want to reconsider doing that. You call it fighting back, he calls it being an ungrateful, whiny little brat and it pisses him off. There are few things that make his blood boil when it comes to you, and being defiant and insulting him is one of them. Does he know that you’re here against your will? Sure. Does he care? No. You see, he views himself as some sort of provider - he’s giving you a life a million times better than your old one. You’re cared for, well-fed, nicely dressed, don’t have to work - really, your only job is to play house when he’s around (which he isn’t all that often, busy as he is). He doesn't even expect you to fuck him for it, he just wants someone to come home to, who will let him rest his head on their lap and caress it. (Of course, he oh-so-graciously ignores the gigantic power imbalance between the two of you when it suits him, especially when it comes to the bedroom. But generally speaking, I think he can be rather mellow compared to others, can even be reasoned with to a certain extent. Just be good for him.)

He thinks he’s being more than generous, more than fair - for the position you're in. A lesser pirate would have killed you by now, he tells you, would have gotten a new toy already. No, no - he is here to stay, he wants to see you thrive, even.And if you throw it all in his face, spit at him, dare to fight him - oh, what he’ll feel will be beyond good and evil. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, darling.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Okay, good news first: When it comes to Crocodile, I’d argue that the worst experience is really limited to just one. I’ve talked about him physically lashing out at you in a moment of rage and in the weeks that have passed that thought kind of stuck with me. At his core, this man doesn't want to hurt you (deeply). Manipulating you with visual threats and possibilities is one thing, but genuinely injuring you to make you bend to his will? Not really his style. Yes, he does corporal punishments - but only because they’re so effective and can be done so quickly. (A classic action - réaction, if you will.) So, what exactly is that nebulous worst experience? It’s him either using his Devil Fruit powers or his hook on you. To even get to that point, he’d have to be beyond angry with you. It’s probably something that happens early on while you’re not yet acquainted with your new role and you dare to insult him, try to escape - maybe you spiral, his temper simply cooks over and- Trust me, he’ll never do it again. It’ll leave permanent physical damage. But it’ll also traumatize you into submission, which is the only good thing to come out of this, at least to him. You’ll both regret it. And you’ll both learn from it.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

Spankings. Lots of them. It’s quick, efficient, shows you who is in charge, makes you sit a little straighter, makes you sweeter - he isn’t beyond mind games in general but when it comes to punishments, a quick correction is just more convenient. Manipulation and the likes are the long con, the work he puts in to undermine your self-esteem, to make you doubt your own feelings for your captor. But the spankings are the here and now, the thing that keeps the cat from sharpening its claws on the sofa.

You’ll learn to associate that telltale-look of tired disappointment with a sigh and over my knee, darling. He’ll ask what you’ve done wrong, will make you count, will leave you feeling so small, like an unruly child and not a fully grown adult - it’s a great way to keep you edge, to never let you forget who is in charge here, no matter how much time passes and in how many gifts he showers you.

And if it’s really dire - you get the belt.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

I always waver on this one. We know from the story that he isn’t afraid of planning, slowly building, waiting - Operation Utopia was a goddamn mammoth and he has the patience to wait on you for years and years to make it perfect - but. Doesn’t he deserve something soft? Someone to come home to? And what good is all that plotting and lying in wait and watching if he could have had you by that point already?He definitely won’t go ‘alright, that one’s spouse-shaped, put them in the bag’ when he sees you for the first time but he won’t wait too long for you either. Just long enough to gain sufficient intel, to get to know you a little better, to make your disappearance as smooth and seamless as possible. I’m not trying to sound harsh, but not only does he not want to wait too long - there are also other, more important things to do? He can’t spend months upon months learning about you inch by inch, he has an Ancient Weapon to seize and a country to overthrow. You can’t be mad at him when he pulls the plug at a certain moment and simply takes what he wants. It’s really only logical.

#omg that was waaaaay too much fun. thank you for indulging me!! kiss for you... 💕#tw.yandere #/crocodile #/one piece #yandere one piece #crocodile x reader

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idoodlestuffsometimes · 3 months

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I initially wanted my take to be accompanied by a funny haha drawing, but I am too busy rn and the brainrot is too strong.

For a long time I tried to understand WHAT makes your version of Belos far scarier than he is in the show. It was so weird but it added to the angsty atmosphere perfectly, making the situation seem more hopeless.

But! Now I have a theory. (Little disclamer: I describe the reasoning through purely subjective lenses and how I came to understand the character from the original show.)

Your Belos is far scarier because he hadn't lost anything. Caleb is right there! Alive and "well". There is no buttons to push to trigger any emotional human response. Your Belos has no tragedy that would be painful enough to make him in any way irrational.

Even the grimwalkers are created with cold calculated reason in mind. They are not the irrational impulse to get his dead brother back. Philip just can't have any possible attachement to the blond boys. He doesn't see them as the extension of Caleb and therefore cant care less if they betray him or not. Pure manipulation of the tool.

Philip wasn't alone for 4 hundred years. He had the "fellow human" by his side the whole time. And that human is also the reason for the whole ordeal. So your Philip would care less about other humans, because he doesnt have this longing for the connection. Cross him? Bam! No mercy, even if you are human.

The same goes with his relation to the human realm. Your Belos wouldnt give a shit that the world has changed. Caleb is with him and that would is enough. Again, no buttons to push!

My mind is a mess, but I hope my points are understantable.

You think my boy is scarier than canon?

[IMAGE ID: Belos looking smug, saying, "You flatter me..." /End ID]

Ah! Meta discussion in my inbox! I LOVE getting to see how people react to the stuff I make and why. It's half the fun, honestly :) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

For my own part, I would say the tragedy that makes him irrational is his prejudiced upbringing and his stubborn adherance to it no matter what. He was taught to never question or reconsider. The beliefs he absorbed are always, always right, and those who disagree are always wrong or misled or evil.

Even when it's a fellow human. Even when it's Caleb.

What compels me about writing my version of Belos is that he's a version of the character who wants to have his cake and eat it too. Caleb is alive. Caleb is "bewitched." In his beliefs, it would be kinder to kill him. To save his soul. To return him to God.

He doesn't. Perhaps he's more hopeful than he is in canon. Perhaps he's more selfish. Perhaps he just got lucky in a fight that was never intended to end in Caleb's death.

Either way, this is a version of Belos who refuses to take the quick and "merciful" way out. He wants to adhere to his beliefs and keep his brother at the same time, even when it means that Caleb must suffer.

#brother's keeper au #doodlereply #doodle art

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ziminy · 7 months

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Nightshift pt. 1

Having them as roommates was a problem

Tags: mdni, college au, f!reader , explicit language, inexperienced reader, size difference, Gojo being the rich fuck that he is, they toy with you the way they want, evil Geto, fingering, thigh fucking, both Geto and Gojo are playboys (cuz I want so) , idk I'll add it later if I missed something

Author's note: bro, I started writing this thinking it would be a small ff. I was giggling and kicking my feet and then I woke up 10k words in and I was like, nahh, gotta make this into a series. So enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it😘

6120 words(I thought there were more)

Masterlist part 2

Gojo Satoru had all kind of connections. He basically knew everyone in the campus at this point, the campus you shared and many others. And who could blame him? People liked him. It wouldn't be surprising if someone goes at him for anything. That's how he wakes up in someone else business most of the time, it all starts with a small favor, and then he finds out its not that small as he thought it would be. And yet he still does it again and again. He's an idiot, isn't he?

Who could blame him. No one was in their right minds anymore these days. But an idiot will always remain an idiot. And so, he woke up helping someone again. A friend you happen to have in common came to him, asking if he knows any place available to stay at. And the idiot went around asking about it, only to find up things about you. Like what kind of person you are, how people viewed you, how you got in the situation of moving out. You were a quiet person, or that's what some people said. Other said how it was so fun to have you around. You were non problematic, or hat's how he liked to see it. You were a peaceful person who just happened to be in an unfortunate situation.

He would usually say no, but he met you in person. You looked tired, and small compared to him, you looked like you bearly got any sleep these days. He lives in a big house, doesn't he? It's not like he needs new people in there, the quietness was enough for him. He also clearly don't need any money from you especially. If you can't afford sleep, would you be able to afford a place to stay in?

And somehow you woke up moving into his house. After a lot of talking about it with him, just making sure you heard what you heard right you finally made a decision. Sure, he doesn't seems bad, so why not accepting.

Everything was so peaceful at first. He said he won't be there most of the times. Him and the unexpected housemate you found there were out almost all day. And when they were back everyone seems to be so careful around each other. No one makes fast moves and it seems that you adapted to that life there rather quick. Everything was like a dream, or that what it seemed like. Until you heard a rather nasty rumor about your so called housemates. Animals in heat, that's how you can call them without saying a bad word.

You can't see it. You just can't see it. Your roommates were two regular guys. Sure, one was ridiculously rich, but he was fine. Maybe a little childish. And the other guy was just so down on earth. That guy was softer than your damn pillow. The way he talks was definitely telling you that the rumors are fake. Defamation. This got to be defamation. I mean, no matter how much you think about it you can't see these guys as some fuckers who are.. Well.. Doing what the name says. Fucks.

But you couldn't help but listen to those false allegations. The nights they weren't home they were supposed to be partying somewhere until they leave with a girl. You never saw anyone bringing anything home. So where were they? Do they like spending times in hotels instead of their own house? And that's when you find out they almost never brings girls home because they go to ladies houses.

Everything you heard was true. It's an unwritten rule that they don't like to see strangers on their beds. So that means they spend the night there? No, they always come back no matter what. Fooling in someone else bed was alright, but staying the night was a no no. All those rumors made you think. What was so special about them? And so, you started to observe them whenever you could. It was like an small experiment in your head, it meant literally nothing more. It made you think about the situation. Were they really not as you see it?

Without even realizing you got out the room at the same time they were at home. When they were in the kitchen, you happen to be there, nothing happened that just a few words exchanged , small talk. However, it was bothering them.

They really don't understand why you're looking like that at them. No, they're actually full aware of the look in your eyes. It's was something they saw so many times, yet it was more. It wasn't just horniness, it wasn't that lust they're so familiar with. It was curiosity. You don't even have to say a word because it was clearly written on your face. Yet they don't want to admit that it was just something innocent. Both of them agreed mentally that you want them. It wasn't sure which one but it was clearly you wanted something from one of them. They were the horny ones. Your eyes studying them so openly, no thoughts behind it, no shame. They were indeed animals in heat, because they just couldn't keep it to themselves. And just like always, they were willing to give you whatever you want. That if you finally say something, do a move yourself. Not just looking and that's it.

"Y/N." you moved your eyes on who ever was calling your name, none other than your landlord. "Did something happened?" to him it seemed like you had something to say but you were to shy to say it. He was more than happy to give you a little push, help you to finally say something.

"Mno..?" he gulped, you looked right into his eyes. The looks you kept giving earlier wasn't helping either. He only heard stuff about how you were shy and you didn't go much out. Your friends don't even remember the last time you went on a date, that if you ever went on a date. "Ohh." you're reaction made both of them move their eyes straight on you. You finally was going to say it? "I apologize." you laughed. "I heard something and I wanted to see it myself." you had a sweet smile on you face, it really didn't look like you were undressing them in your mind. You were curious. And if you have the answers right in front of you, wouldn't you want to know what is actually happening?

"Rumors?" the dark haired guy sat down at the table you were sitting with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Mhhmm." you nodded.

"Are you that interested in what other people say?" you shook your head.

"Not at all." you got up from your chair. "Sorry for making you concerned." and so, you went to your room. You can't figure out what's in their head, and they can't figure what's in yours. There were a lot of rumors about them, most of them being true, but you could never know. You haven't heard anything about your name yet, so maybe people don't even know you live there to begin with. Which is good. The last thing you want is someone disturbing your peace.

What you should have put in calculation was the two demons outside your door. Gojo only let you stay because he was interested in you, the other guy just started to feel a little curious. When they tried to show that they know you're watching, you did nothing more than continue to watch them further. You would look them right in the eyes like you did nothing shameless. And the answer you gave them was so vague that they're now asking for more. It's not like they disliked you there next to them, just looking at them and doing nothing more. It's that it made their imagination go wild.

You bearly went out if it wasn't for school. And up until not so long ago you wouldn't even get out the room when they were home. It was so quiet in there that they forgot about you. That until you got in that kitchen, you're steps were so carefully placed on the floor, the way you would walk around the table and sit at a spot they would have never guessed it was yours in the first place. It became like a routine to see you there in the morning, since that was the time of the day where they would be at home. Oh, but now you stopped. When they're awake you're sleeping safe and sound. Maybe they should have let you do your thing. Of course they would have answered whatever question you might had, but what they don't know is the thoughts you were thinking of. The way you would just smile like you didn't thought about what the hell they were doing when they were out.

You were just curious. And you're happy they finally said something, so that way you could stop looking for whatever you were looking. They're not happy tho. It's been a week since they didn't seen you even breathing around them. Everyone was tired. That's why they started coming home earlier. Which turned into an unfortunate event.

Stressed, everyone was stressed. And you became even stressed when you woke up in the middle of the night hearing noises. Was someone in pain? Did someone needed help? Then you woke up and realizing what is actually happening. The sounds you heard weren't from pain, they were moans, and bed moving. They weren't your moans, they didn't sounded like male moans. It was definitely a woman. You sighed as you went back to sleep, ready to complain about it tomorrow to your housemates.

You were so eager to complain about what happened. The moment you got in the kitchen you sat down next to the dark haired guy. "Suguru, have you heard that last night?" you sighed, yet you were thrilled to continue complaining. "Honestly, can't the neighbors chill?" you wanted to hear him agreeing with you, yet he didn't.

"It wasn't the neighbors." huh? Now you were confused.

"What do you mean?" you both looked at the person who just entered the kitchen. You looked at the guy next to you with big eyes when you realized what actually happened, you stood there bamboozled. He only nodded, like he could read you mind. He knew exactly what you were thinking of. "No way.." a hand was placed over your mouth to show how shocked you were. "I'm sorry! I didn't know!" you exclaimed as you ran from there to your room. So those rumors were true? But you could have never guessed. I mean, weren't they in some kind of mafia or something? Why else would they be out all the times if they weren't working? But didn't people said they don't get girls home? Then was that his girlfriend? What about all those shameful things you thought of? You have to apologize to his girl.

The next morning you got out your room and shyly went into the kitchen. Moving carefully and biting your lower lip, you sat down next to your landlord at the big table that was placed in the kitchen. You looked at him, then at your hands while you kept playing with your fingers. The other guy looked amused. He could only guess why you're acting like that, but he probably knows exactly what you wanted to say. The white haired guy keep moving his eyes from his phone to you. Was this a deja vu? Or perhaps not. This feels like it happened before yet so different at the same time. You looked only at him, you sat next to him, and the other guy seems to find it funny. Clearly, something happened that he's not aware of. He's a little angry now. How can he be left out? Especially when you don't even do much besides coming into the kitchen for a few minutes then run away from there. "Something happened?" this was definitely a deja vu. The same thing, same words, yet it felt so different.

"I'm sorry.." so something did happened? What could be so bad that you got to act like this? You weren't in this situation when you got caught for staring at them shamefully.

"Huh?"

"I know it wasn't my business.. I should have probably shut up.. But please listen to me first." the guy that was sitting not so far from you was laughing his ass off. This was pure gold, comedy in its purest form. He couldn't stop you even if he wanted to. After all, you had to find things out yourself, and he didn't plan to give you any information. "I really didn't know. I wouldn't had said anything if I knew she was your girlfriend." now that was a twist that made even the hyena stop laughing. Now everyone was interested in what happened.

"What do you mean by my girlfriend?" your landlord was mad that someone is out there pretending to be his girlfriend. He might change girlfriends frequently, but at the moment he was single. So who would dare to present themselves as his girl?

"I heard that you don't get girls home unless it's someone important." never in their life have they bought someone home since you moved in there.

"I didn't bring anyone in here?" everyone was confused. No one didn't know what to say.

"The other day you came back with someone, right? I just wanted to apologize because I didn't know it was you. I thought it was the neighbors." the dark haired guy started to laugh again, this time not even trying to hide it. You got up from you seat and went to the door as fast as you could. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I just want it to say it in case of anything." and so, you disappeared from their eyes once again. Whatever you heard about them it was clearly bullshit in their eyes. You need to stop listening to whatever people had to say, they could answer to whatever question you had. Yet you never ask for anything.

A game of cats and mouse started. It was clearly who were the evil minds that came with the plan and who was the clueless victim. One day when you were at school, they happen to be there to switch everything in the house. Whatever you thought you knew was, now was in a complete another place. It was pitiful to watch them work so eagerly on this. It was hard to watch them being idiots, yet not even a second they stopped to think about it. All they had to do now was for you to come back.

It took you two days to finally see that something is wrong. In these two days they almost died of impatience because of how slow you were. Yet look at you, refusing to give up. You searched everywhere in the kitchen cabinets for whatever you were looking, only to see with the corner of your eye that it was placed somewhere were you clearly couldn't reach at. You took a chair and tried to get it yourself. You don't need help from those fuckers after all. Why would you need it when they made your life so complicated.

"Need help?" the knight in shining armor was too late unfortunately, yet that didn't stopped Gojo from being a fucker.

"Not at all." he came next to you, took whatever was in your hands and put it back up, just to take it and handle it to you.

"Here you go." you sighed. But your misfortune continue to grow when the other idiot came in.

"You're stuck there? Is it too high for you?" the dark haired guy tone was like it was making fun of you. He picked you up and put you down. "There there, no need to thank me." all you did was to sigh.

"I don't need this anymore. Can you put it back?" you handed whatever you had in your hands back to them.

"You got the wrong thing? This happens if you try to reach high places alone." the moment they turned their heads away from you was the way you disappeared from there. Oh, but it was hell the next few days. Nothing was in their right places and it turned you crazy. You gave up. If that's what they wanted to hear then they win. Just like always, you finally showed up in that kitchen. You sat at another chair, choosing a different one from your usual one. Head and hands on the table as you waited for them to appear there. You were about to call it defeat when you felt asleep. It was morning after all, at this time you would usually sleep. Heck, even the bed under you was sleeping. If you were pulling out the white flag, now they were the ones doing it. Seeing you there once again made them realize their mistake.

They apologized ,not to you physically but mentally. You did nothing more than just being curious. Who wouldn't be? Some rich guy let you stay in his house when you needed a place to stay. He didn't ask for anything, the rent was even lowered to half the price it was to the previous place you lived at. And even after all those rumors you heard, you didn't had to see any of their dates inside the house. It was nice living there, they tried to make an effort somehow to not disturb you. And so you did to them. But maybe they didn't thought about it in the end. Sure, it was childish, but wouldn't you do the same if you were in their shoes? Just like you, they have questions. They also want answers. Sure, their methods might be a little out of pocket, but try to think the way they do. They're too proud, you'll never see them asking for anything. They'll make you ask for it and then act nonchalant about it. Can't you see they're some big fucks? They're fuckers and they're proud. They're literally dickheads.

The strategy changed. They'll get you out that room in other ways. That's when you started to wake up with all kind of food and sweets. They'll get home and the first thing to do is to go to your room to announce what they got. It made you instantly get out the bed and follow them. They played dirty all the time. They did it in such a way that when you hear the front door you instantly get out the bed and sprint to who ever came back. Big smile on your face and knowing absolutely nothing about whatever scheme they might plan next.

"I didn't got anything today." Suguru's words made you lose your smile instantly. "Satoru might come with something tho." and that made your smile to come back.

"Can I stay with you until he comes back?" his smile seems so innocent. It made him look innocent. That old fox isn't playing according to the books. No, in fact he'll get off the right path just to get to what he wants faster. He knew exactly that your so called landlord wouldn't come back home tonight. Yet he's not going to say shit.

"Of course." and so, you ended up with him on the big couch that was in the living room, watching some movie that was playing on some random channel on tv. It would be such a big lie if he says whatever he was after was just friendship. Is he trying hard? Maybe. But he wants to look like you're the one worked up about it. He wants to look like he just happened to be there and that's it. And oh man he got what he want. By the end of that movie you two ended up in your room. His hands moved so fast to get your clothes off the moment that door was closed. The big windows gave so much light that he could see very clearly where your bed was at.

"Suguru.." you whined his name so sweet and softly. It took all the control he haves to not jump on you in that exact moment, not like he wasn't all over you. If he knew that he could have got to this point sooner from a movie and some takeaways he would have got through this a long time ago. You sat at the edge of the bed, looking at him taking his clothes off and just jumping back on you.

"Have you done this before?" he was placed in between your legs ,one of his hands placed on your thigh as the other was on the bed right next to you keeping him from not putting all his weight on you. You nodded your head slowly.

"But it's been a while so be gentle with me." animal in heat describes him the best. It looked like a big bad wolf was on top of its prey. If you still can walk tomorrow then that means he did a bad job. But your sweet words made him realize that's too soon. How can he get in your bed again if he scares you now?

"Alright." the hand he had on your thigh moved in between your legs. You were so wet after that little make out session you had on the couch. It should be a crime to leave you alone when you clearly need his help. He's only playing the bigger person so he won't fuck everything right now, so let him believe in his delusions.

Two of his fingers were inside you, moving them in and out of you for a few moments just to see how far he can go. And then he started to curl them, making you instantly squirm. Did the other guy you fucked not do a good job? Maybe that's why you had almost non existent experience in this. Maybe you were left disappointed. Aren't you lucky? He likes to hear only good reviews about himself. Oh, but he hopes you heard about his services. If you're so interested in what other people says then you should definitely listen to the people that ended in the same bed as him. "I know you like it, but stop moving so much." he stopped his hand movement for a moment to let you breathe. He's lying. He likes the way you're squirming and trembling at everything he does.

"You're so mean." you whined. If that was mean then he doesn't know how to call whatever he's usually doing. He likes it rough. He likes to see tears in the eyes of who ever he's fucking. He likes to relieve his stress in questionable ways.

"Am I?" he had this diabolical smirk on his face. Evil was too little to say. He looked like he let his demons out of leash. His face got closer to yours, whispering sweet nothings in your ear as he started to move his hand again. He'd go as deep as he can, discovering all kind of places, touching you here and there just to see you melt. "Come on, look at me, don't close your eyes." he'll rub your clit for time to time, just to remind you about it. It was mostly to see your expressions, and to remind you how mean he can be. If you said he is then he is, no? This was him just being the fucker he is. Toying with you just to show you how he can make you feel. And to remind you that if he gives, then he also can take away all these new overwhelming feelings. Beg for him. That's what he wants to hear from you after all. Cries and begs.

And you were falling all for it. The way you would cry his name was like good news to his ears, a melody that's he's so happy to hear. His fingers are always making sure to touch all the good places. But at some point it was too much, you felt like you were going over the edge, your vision completely disappearing when you came all over his hand. And he still kept toying with you. "Please-" you gasped. "No more.." you were so dumb for him that he couldn't help but want to over stimulate you, play with you until you're begging for more.

"You can take it, can't you?" it was an obvious no from you. It was the first time you felt this overwhelming, you clearly needed a break to calm down.

"Kiss me." you wanted to feel more than just his evil scheme. A kiss would go so good after that torture. But he stopped the moment you said those words. He just wanted to show you whos in charge of this, because he clearly didn't liked how comfortable you got with him. You didn't seemed to look mad at him for not fulfill your request, no, in fact you only sighed relived. Finally you were free from his cursed hands. He pressed your legs together and put them on his shoulder. You weren't ready for the big thing. You bearly can take his thick fingers, just looking at his cock made you almost pass out. "I don't think I'm ready for that.." you gulped, you only hoped to hear something about how you could do it if you wanted to or any words of encouragement.

"I know you can't." he said as his hand traveled to your pussy, collecting some of your juices to rub it on his cock along with his precum. "The moment I'll get inside that pussy of yours I'll make sure you won't be able to walk for days." he said as he slips his cock in between your thighs. He expected to get more than this in return, because in his head he deserves more than he gives, at least in that situation. But he's not that horny yet to forget about his morals. So this is enough for the moment, because he knows that in the future you'll be able to give him so much more than now.

He hated those eyes of yours. The way you would look so innocent, curious. Ughh. It just made him want to ruin you. Just look at the way you look at him right now. Big eyes, just as curious as always, yet he can see it more playful. It made him think that you're not taking him seriously. "Does it feel good?" he kept moving his hips back and forth, rubbing his cock on your skin. It felt so soft and warm. Your whole body was warm no matter where he puts his hands on you. He couldn't give you an answer, not because he couldn't, it was more because he didn't want to. Why don't you figure it out yourself? All he can do was to grunt, hopping you'll get the message.

His grip on your thighs was so tight that it might leave a bruise. He felt like your going to run away the moment you get a chance to. So all he can do was to grab you as close as he can. Keeping your legs in place as he moves his hips. What was first a slow pace now turned into fast and desperate thrusts. He couldn't keep his head straight, he couldn't think anymore the moment he felt like hes getting closer and closer to that sweet release he kept chasing after. He wanted to hear something from you, it was too quiet. Yet he can't ask for it, because his ego is just not letting him.

He'll eat you up. The moment he would get inside that pussy of yours he'll make sure the whole neighborhood would hear his name. "I'd fuck that mouth of yours right now if I could." he let his thoughts out. He couldn't think of a single peaceful or good word to say to you. And you didn't said anything about it and took whatever he had to say. You watched him the whole time. You can clearly see that something is wrong with him. His face, his actions are showing so. "Fuuuck." he was so so so close. He had so many things to say yet he didn't said shit because it just didn't felt like it was the right time. You weren't in the same situation as him, you weren't going through the same rollercoaster of emotions. He really wanted to flip you over, fuck you from behind as he'd just call you a slut, or any names to degradate you. You could take it, can't you? You could take this load right here right now and thanks him for it at the end, won't you? Lost in his thoughts, he finally came all over your belly. Still moving his hips just to get everything all out.

What a night, huh. He felt into the bed right next to you, tired, and just wanting to get some sleep. Wasn't it surprising tho? He just changed one time the way he's going at it and now he feels like he ran a marathon. And you had the audacity to look at him with those big eyes again. Looking so sweetly and ready to take him for real this time. "You'll sleep here tonight?"

"Who knows." he would do like always, he knew the answer yet he couldn't say that he was ready to leave in this instance your room to go back to his. He waited for you to fall asleep before he finally retreated to his bedroom.

He could only imagine how you'll react tomorrow when you can't see him. He thought you'll stay in your room just like always. But no, the next day you were in that kitchen, sitting next to him so shyly. It was like you were back to the beginning. You didn't want anything more from him than just ask if everything is alright between you too. Just to make sure everything stays the way it was before. But you can't really say anything since your landlord is also there. And this makes you feel so guilty.

"Ehh. You really done it, didn't you." the white haired guy said something. That scared you, your heart almost left your body. Does he knows? Were you in trouble? "Don't worry, Y/N. Whatever happened he probably doesn't even remembers about it." the dark haired guy only smiled like he didn't know why you were acting like that. Since his friend was so clueless maybe he could tease you about it a little.

"Hmm? What have I done?" you could see your soul leaving your body. All you wanted to do is to make sure that nothing will change after last night. But this was too much. You were on the verge of crying.

"L- let's talk about it later!" you ran from there like always. How long would it last until you'll say something? He won't say a word until you do the first step. Why? Because he liked to see you cry. He didn't thought that he would bully you, but you clearly deserve it for playing with his head.

Imagine his surprise to see you the next day in the kitchen again. If he would be the first to come out his room, now he would make sure to come as late as possible. You could go to his room and say whatever you had to say, yet you didn't. You would go in that damn kitchen all the time to have any interactions in there. Was that small talk enough for you? Didn't you wanted more? Because if you would come to his room he promise to reward you for your courage and give you a little bit of himself. You could even choose what you wanted from him. He would be glad to hear what you had to say. That if you stop going into that kitchen and just be straight forward. In his eyes you were a coward. Yet he loved toying you the way he wants.

You sat next to him again. This time more determined than before. You took out your phone and typed a simple question in your notepad.

'Can I ask you something?' you showed him your phone screen.

He acted like he didn't see it.

'I really want to ask you something.'

Still he acted like he didn't see anything.

This was pure madness. This was getting on your nerves. You stepped on his foot to get his attention. He gasped as he looked in shock at you. The nerves. The audacity. You point to your phone again yet he keeps acting like he doesn't see anything. He even turned his face away.

"Just talk already." Gojo only rolled his eyes. "What happened anyway?"

Geto looked at you. He didn't planned on saying anything unless you said it. He just wanted to fuck with you after all. Nothing more besides getting on your nevers. You wanted to say it so bad. The words wouldn't come out your mouth when so many eyes were on you. It didn't matter if it were only them. You can't say it. So you did the only thing you had left. Retreat. At least for the moment. You got out of there and stormed in your room. Next time it's either a win or nothing at all. You swear to get an end to this and then you can live peacefully and go on with your life.

The next day you waited on the hallway for that stubborn man to come out his room. It was a long wait, yet you stayed by his door until he finally came out. "Are we good. Yes or no?" you went straight to the point. All these days of playing around made you sick of this.

"Why don't you come in so we could talk about it?" he wanted you in his room, he would have you there.

"I just want to know that nothing changed."

"What do you mean by that?" this damn wolf.

"Like. We're the same as before, right? I just want to make sure nothing changed." he had that dumb smile on his face and he kept acting like he doesn't know shit.

"Come in and lets talk." this was making you so mad. He didn't wanted to talk when you tried before but now hes willing to talk about it? He grabbed your hand and dragged you in his room, pushing you against the door as soon as he closed it. Hands in your shirt going up as his lips touched yours. Here was your reward for taking such a big step.

"You said talk." you gasped for air.

"This is also a form of talking." his cold hands made you squirm. The way he's moving his hands up and down against your skin. He wanted to go all the way up to your breasts until you heard a someone knocking on the door.

"It's me. Just wanted to make sure you two are alright." this was clearly a way to get out of there before this situation gets worse.

"Ah yes. We're fine." a hand grabbed your arm, stopping you from going further away. That damn fox just can't let you go yet.

"Can I know what happened?" you tried to not panic, but you just couldn't. Your mind was still on whatever happened earlier.

"We watched a movie and we argued about it." it was far from the truth. But you'll just go with what Geto said. You can't think of a better excuse.

"Huh?" your landlord raised and eyebrow.

"It was a good movie. Right, Y/N?" the way this man haves to drag you through mud and hell before you could have a break. He knew he couldn't do anything, yet he still kept trying only to make you anxious.

You gulped. "Indeed." you can't even find your words.

"So we can go like how it was before then." this evil man said it like you weren't the one that kept trying to make sure everything is alright.

"I should put a parental lock on that tv." your landlord only sighed and turned around going back to the kitchen. You ran from there in your room. Only wanting a break from this madness.

I wanted to post this sooner, but I also wanted to finish a few more parts first. Well, I'm just glad I got to finish this at least.

#gojo satoru #gojo satoru smut #gojo smut #gojo x reader #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen smut #geto x reader #geto smut #geto suguru #geto suguru smut

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rainsoughtflowers · 1 year

Note

*evil laughter in the distance* so you want requests, huh? I got you one.

part two of wavering hatred, short story and I don't remember if reader is fem or gn but I don't mind lol. karma and y/n resume their talk in the cave korosensei pushed his fave couples into. and what yn does is half of a confession, basically just asking him desperately as to why he makes them feel like that. karma is taken aback, doesn't even answer the fucker. so the episode keeps going normally as much as tension can be considered normal and the helping Irina-sensei happens blah blah blah. night falls on the island and yn is very much restless. not able to sleep they go on a walk and as they are walking in the dark hallway they pick up their eyes only to meet karma's surprised ones how romantic. they end up at the beach side by side resolving the tension sweetly with karma not being a teasing asshole for once, or so you'd bc he ends up trying to make up the lost time with a sweet long kiss make out sesh time

don't know if the last one counts as NSFW for you so if it does feel free to skip it obviously. this is the vague image of what I'd like to see but if you deem any changes necessary to suit your style then so be it, you are the writer after all. take your time and if you don't like it I have many more scenarios in store so dw :)

have fun writing!!

baited breaths

tw/cw - kissing lmao, a little bit of cursing.

a/n - hihihihi REALLY sorry this took forever but i was suddenly in a karma akabane mood :D

this work is multiple parts. part one.

it didn’t take long for you to recover from whatever sickness was forced upon you. your slumber had been interrupted by the loud sounds of blades slicing the air, and after groggily opening your eyes and sitting upright you recognized it to belong to a helicopter. your head throbbed due to the sounds and motions, and yet you still found yourself searching among the crowd. scanning for a shade of red still bright inside your mind.

you felt an emotion close to relief when karma akabane emerged, appearing unscathed and wearing his infamous smirk. gold scanned the crowd, and you mentally cursed the skipping of your heart when they rested on you. you pulled at the sheets covering the lower portion of your body, wringing your hands through the fabric to busy yourself as the contact never broke. something unexplainable passed over his features, your mind still foggy with sleep and the fever still burning your skin. but just as quick as the male was there he was disappearing, and your own thoughts drifted when you were handed a supplement supposed to cure you of your illness. you laid down, forced to close your eyes for more hours of slumber.

the next time you saw karma was early afternoon the following day, when you finally awoke feeling much better than before. it appeared most of the students slept past the early hours of the morning, though it was definitely much needed after the event filled night previously experienced.

you found karma on the floor, body leaned back and his arms supporting his weight. his head was lifted towards the sky, eyes closed as his red strands of hair billowed in the wind. he looked so…peaceful. not a trace of mockery or amusement on his features. one would barely be able to tell that the boy was actually the epitome of trickery.

it was almost like he knew you had arrived, eyes fluttering open to rest on your face. a smile curled his lips, and all peace was gone from his expression the moment he tilted his head and spoke.

“were you staring at me?” he teased, your cheeks flaring red in response to his question. because you were, but you'd never admit to such a thing in front of him, especially after the events from the night before. your mind still refused to recall the warmth that lingered on your fingertips and the embarrassing revelation you'd made about your feelings towards your classmate. unfortunately, it hadn't been the poison. you did find yourself attracted to him, as infuriating as his personality was.

you released a huff, sitting down beside him while folding your arms across your chest, “as if! i was just surprised.”

“by how attractive i am?” karma's smile was devilish, and you refused to meet the gold in his eyes as you released another frustrated breath.

“about how deceiving you are. if only all the girls swooning for you knew how horrible your personality actually is.”

everything about karma's hurt expression was fake, “such harsh words coming from someone who is only alive because i saved them.”

“that was a group effort. don’t go taking all the credit.”

“sorry, what was that?" karma cupped a hand over his ear, leaning in closer, "i was recalling how you called me smart and cool while on your deathbed.”

embarrassment flooded its way through your body, “that’s not-!”

your next words were interrupted by koro sensei’s entrance, and you’re forced to simply glare at the teen before giving your attention to your teacher. he was no longer trapped in the little small ball he had secured himself within during your last assassination attempt, back to wearing his tacky floral patterned shirt. the yellow octopus grinned, nerves stirring in your stomach when he spread his tentacles and proudly announced your next class activity.

a test of courage.

nagisa repeated the creature's words, confusion laced within his tone. if even possible, koro sensei’s smile widened, his tentacles reaching up to stretch the limbs, “yes! what better activity for a midsummer night?”

“you just want to have fun.” karma sang, his own smirk widening.

the red head’s accusation resulted in a lecture by your teacher, his voice dripping with irritation as he spoke about the loss of his vacation after being stuck in a ball. you couldn’t help but giggle at the reminder, hiding your laugh behind your hand.

still, his rant seemed to lift the spirits of your peers, talking excitedly among themselves about the upcoming activity and what might occur during it. you weren't sure what to think, hesitant about the idea of possibly encountering ghosts or something so frightening you'd embarrass yourself in front of your classmates. well, embarrass yourself in front of karma. you'd never hear the end of it.

speaking of the male, you found your eyes drifting to his face, trying to gauge his reaction to the proposed activity. of course, just as you expected, karma's eyes were bright with delight, perhaps amused by the prospect of getting to see whatever tricks your teacher decided to pull during the so called test. he was probably also excited to hear the screams that would eventually erupt from everyone's throats.

you glanced away, praying that this test of courage wouldn’t take place where karma would be able to make fun of you.

your stomach twisted itself into knots, and you couldn't differentiate between the nerves you felt entering the dark cave or the butterflies that arrived the moment karma began walking by your side.

of course. you should've known that the moment koro sensei proposed the test of courage, he hadn't intended to see which students were the bravest in the class. he was playing cupid. and for some stupid, horrible, confusing reason, he thought you and karma were a match.

the air in the cave was humid, making your skin feel sticky with sweat the deeper you went. it was also dark, and it didn't help that karma was the only one with a flashlight, forcing you to stick closely by his side. his skin was warm each time it brushed against your own, and you forced yourself to keep your eyes straight ahead to hide the red steadily scorching your cheeks.

it was quiet for the first couple of minutes, the only sounds being the water dripping from spikes in the ceiling and your own steady footsteps. you're surprised, since you had been anticipating karma's teasing remarks about how scared you looked. your eyes kept darting nervously around the enclosed area and your fingers never seemed to stop shaking. but he remained quiet, and one look at his expression showed...nothing. karma akabane appeared impassive.

"you look like you're having fun." you joked, trying to lighten the mood. even if karma was not reminding you of your current state, that was more scary than your endless bickering. you were relieved when karma glanced at you and twitched the corner of his mouth up into a smile.

he shrugged, facing forward once more, "it’s actually boring in here."

"why?"

"no one to watch scream."

you rolled your eyes at his response, "of course you'd say that."

karma glanced at you once more, opening his mouth to say something, but he's interrupted by the flicker of blue fire and the sound of an Okinawa shamisen.

you both turned at the sound, karma passing the flashlight over the walls until finding the source. you jumped, scooting yourself closer to the boy beside you when koro sensei appeared like a ghost from the shadows.

"this is a blood-drenched cave of tragedy...where Ryukyu royalty, defeated in battle, met a violent end." his voice echoed in the cave, his words ringing in your ears even after the light went out and he disappeared.

your fingers curled themselves in the fabric of karma's shirt, nervously glancing around the cave. you knew something scary was supposed to pop up sometime during the ‘test’, but you hadn’t anticipated it being your teacher. and what was with the creepy music and costume? chills traveled down your spine, but you could find no further sign of the yellow octopus. you released a breath, glancing up to meet unsuspecting eyes.

there were no words in the dictionary you could use to describe what you felt in that moment. karma's eyes were clear, almost like water, and they tipped over and spilled gold down your form with each second that passed. as you stared, bathing yourself within the pools, your heartbeat quickened within your chest, the sound so loud within your ears you feared he could hear it. his own expression was hard to place, but you caught the surprise that flickered across it when your noses found themselves only mere inches apart. the butterflies returned, fluttering in your stomach and you swallowed thickly to compose yourself.

"kar-"

"you must stay together."

a scream is released from your throat, your body clinging onto karma's when koro sensei appeared right behind you. but just as quick as your teacher was there he was gone, leaving only the echoes of his voice bouncing off of the walls.

leave it to koro sensei to ruin a perfectly good moment.

you released the breath you’d been holding, registering your current position when you felt karma's muscles tense beneath your hands. hastily you pulled yourself away, refusing to meet his eyes as you grabbed the flashlight he had dropped and began to walk further into the cave.

"we should get out of here." you mumbled quickly, not daring to look back to check if he was following after you. your cheeks burned along with your shame, hating how foolishly you'd clung to his form. how pathetic was that? if karma didn't have an excuse to make fun of you before, he definitely did now. you could already picture the horrible smile on his face and the teasing tone of his voice.

"back then, what were you trying to say?"

your steps faltered, and you quickly turned around in confusion, "what?"

"when you were sick,” karma began, taking one step closer. your eyes followed the movement, before taking in the serious expression on his face, “you said you had something important to tell me."

you recalled the delirious words uttered the previous night, feeling your cheeks warm at the thought. you had been so close to confessing to him. confessing. in all honesty, you had hoped karma would forget about it, but perhaps his thoughtful expressions rooted from that unfinished conversation, "ah, that,” you shook your head, waving off his curiosity, "forget it. it was nothing."

"so you're a coward." karma declared.

you glared at him, hating how you knew he was provoking you for a reaction, and you still fell into his trap, "i'm not a coward."

"really?” the male stepped closer, and his eyes were the definition of mockery when they met your own, “your actions say otherwise."

"god, you are really infuriating,” you laughed, muttering bitterly beneath your breath, “i must be stupid to fall in love with you."

karma suddenly grows quiet, and when the irritation disappeared you finally registered what had been said. your eyes widened, expression mirroring the boy before you.

“oh my god.” you mumbled, putting your hands over your lips, “oh my god. i can’t believe i just said that.” how could you be so stupid? confessing your feelings? and on accident, too? you began pacing, your heart racing within your chest as you tried to think of what to do to salvage the situation. but there was no fixing it. karma knew, and the sight of his frozen state made you even more anxious, “well don’t just stand there, say something!”

but he doesn’t. the red head stays rooted to his spot, the only indication of emotion being his widened eyes and parted lips. you feel the dread stir in your stomach the longer you are forced to listen to the echoes of falling water and koro sensei’s words further down the cave. after several moments of karma’s continued silence you let out a frustrated breath. well, you got your answer then.

this time you really do turn around and walk off, refusing to look back. you would not cry. you would not. and you would not care about the fact that his footsteps never quite reached your ears.

karma probably thought of your infatuation as a joke.

that could be the only explanation for his current actions. as soon as you both emerged from the dark cave and met the eyes of all your classmates he began the teasing, talking about how carelessly you had thrown yourself upon him and the shrill scream you had let out. his words made you fume with anger, glaring at the redhead as he continued without an ounce of shame. why did he have to be such an asshole? where was the boy that was worried about you the night before? you began to laugh at yourself. you really were a fool for liking him.

everyone's attention is quickly diverted, however, when miss irina emerged from the cave with her hands tightened around karasuma's arm. sly, mischievious smiles formed on your classmates faces, and it's almost laughable how quickly they scrambled together to form a plan. you had no choice but to forget about your previous anger and join the scheming when rio pulled you into the small circle formed.

they began by provoking the poor woman into giving them answers, poking fun at her lack of experience and the obvious crush she had on the man. although she denied it at first, she eventually gave in, and you found the averted eyes and dusted cheeks to be cute on her usually pissed off expression. the other students seemed to think so, too, and they eagerly assured the blonde woman that the perfect love stage would be set for the two of them.

koro sensei led the quick debrief of what the plan would be, holding up a small whiteboard and wearing square rimmed glasses. the first part of the plan was to change her outfit, their reasoning being that karasuma wasn't into the revealing clothing she normally wore. yet, even after switching out her clothes for a white frilly dress, somehow she made it appear far more provocative than it actually was.

they tried coming up with the man's ideal type, only to realize that the 'woman' he was interested in was actually a military potential. okuda suggested cooking for him, but it was quickly scratched when karasuma only seemed to eat fast food. dejection quickly crossed over everyone's faces when they realized their stoic teacher was probably the problem and not miss irina’s attitude.

koro sensei was quick to lighten the mood, however, instructing the girls to help miss irina with her appearance and the boys with setting up a romantic dinner. you almost scoffed at the thought, for you couldn't imagine karma being romantic, let alone creating the atmosphere for your dear plan. you quickly turned away and joined the rest of the group when you felt his eyes lingering on your form.

the plan was simple. take up nearly every seat inside the building to force the two teachers outside for dinner. the rest was up to them.

rio and yada do an amazing job forcing karasuma outside when the time came around, bodies splayed across the seats as mischief gleamed in their eyes. they teased the older man, suggesting that he find a place to sit elsewhere despite there being none. when karasuma looked around and spotted every table occupied he sighed, heading towards the door without another word. the moment he left the building you all scrambled up from your seats, finding several hiding spots outside to eavesdrop.

you found yourself behind a bush, staring intently at the scene before you. it really was romantic. the sky was a beautiful painting of purples, reds, oranges and yellows, the waves crashing against the shore creating a beautiful sound. miss irina looked lovely in her new outfit, her face glowing with the golden shades of the sun cast across her skin, and her blue eyes sparkled when karasuma sat down beside her.

for a majority of the dinner it was quiet, the two adults eating at their own respective paces. you began to worry that your plan was a fail, and that your oblivious teacher would fail to realize he had been set up for a date. but just as the setting sun was getting ready to disappear beneath the horizon he spoke, and you all leaned in closer in hopes to hear what was being said.

your ears couldn’t pick up on anything, but you saw miss irina frown, karasuma looking at her with a confused glance. she remained silent for a moment, before she reached up, cut the tie holding her hair together and asked him a question. she received no response, a small smile turning her lips as she got up from her seat and walked over to his own. you released a soft gasp when she picked up the napkin, kissed it, and then pressed it to his lips.

she walked away, glancing back briefly to utter the words in her heart. and then she turned around, and you stared dejectedly at her form getting closer and closer to your hiding spots. that was the end.

you lowered your gaze, tightening your fingers around the fabric of your pants. despite the woman’s bitchy attitude, you admired miss irina. she had been brave, despite her date going no where. you knew what it was like to like someone who would never see you the same way.

you don't join the other students who get up and scold the woman, silently listening from afar to their raised voices and teasing remarks. instead your eyes drifted towards the piercing gold behind a palm tree, catching karma akabane's intense stare. well, at least he had the decency to cease his own teasing. he didn't smile at you, nor could you find a trace of mischief or amusement hidden in the pools of gold. instead the boy appeared to be thinking. over what? how rude his actions had been? the confession you had carelessly uttered?

you got up and walked away. you found that you didn't want to find out.

you couldn't sleep.

no matter how much you tossed and turned to change into a more comfortable position your mind refused to quiet down, annoying you greatly. it had been hours since you and the rest of the students turned in for the night, and hours since you struggled to slip into a dream. you didn’t know what was wrong. maybe it was the nerves prickling your skin, itching and clawing with great intensity. or maybe it was the reoccurring thoughts spinning endlessly in your mind, remaining even after you put on music to drown it out.

when your body refused to sleep yet again you groaned, tearing the blanket away from your body and slipping on your shoes. if you couldn't sleep, then you'd walk. maybe the exhaustion would finally let you rest.

you wandered quietly through the dark hallways, watching the shadows dance across the walls and the pale moonlight slipping through the windowpanes. it remained utterly quiet during the time of night, though you could hear the faint sound of crashing waves and billowing trees. it was calming, and you found yourself turning a corner to slip outside to the beach.

your movements faltered when you almost ran into another body, stepping back with surprise. who was also awake during the middle of the night? you squinted through the dark, trying to decipher the facial features and the frame of their body. your heart dropped to your stomach when you recognized the apple red hair and intense golden eyes.

you avoided the boy’s gaze, brushing past him without another word. you weren’t in the mood to talk, especially to him. you just wanted peace and quiet. a moment to think. you were so adamant about your decision that the only reason you paused was when he spoke up, voice carrying quietly through the night.

"gonna ignore me? i thought you were in love with me or something."

karma’s words strike an anger in your body so intense you couldn’t help but turn around and yell at him, not caring that frustrated tears gathered in the corner’s of your eyes, "you're a jerk, you know that?”

you released an aggravated breath, quickly turning back around to rush outside. why did he have to be so confusing? one moment he’s kind, taking care of you while on the brink of death. and then the next? it’s like karma completely disregarded his previous actions, returning to his annoying, old self. had you imagined that night? the careful way he had led you to your bed and the ghost of his fingers holding onto your own? and you, why did you still like him, teasing and all?

you plopped down onto the sand, bringing your knees to your chest as you set your gaze onto the waves pushing and pulling against the shore. you ignored the footsteps that trickled behind you, pausing just behind your figure. you refused to look. you refused to play his game. you thought you were making that clear, but karma just can’t seem to leave you alone, huh?

“why did you follow me?” you muttered. why do any of this?

“what you said in the cave, it must be true then?” karma asked from behind you. you couldn’t see his face, but you thought you heard the slightest hint of genuinity laced in his tone.

you looked back, annoyed, “of course it’s true! you think i would lie about that?”

“i know it’s hard to resist me,” karma smirked, head tilted. you hated how cute he looked by the catlike actions, and how the faltering of his smile and furrowed brows made your breath catch in your throat, “but why?”

why did you like karma? he was arrogant, annoying, and most of all horrible. he may be attractive, but that didn’t make up for the hundreds of times he aggravated you beyond belief. in reality, you shouldn’t.

and yet, there was that other part of him, the one that he rarely ever showed. the vulnerable side of karma akabane that he only seemed to reveal with you.

you glanced down, threading your fingers through the sand and watching the grains slip through your fingers. you took a moment to breathe deeply and formulate the correct words, “you…you’re kind, even if you don’t want to admit to it. you helped me when i was sick and you let me stick close to you in the test of courage. and yeah you’re also a jackass but…i guess i like that, too.”

karma doesn’t speak behind you, and something prompts you to turn around and look at him. the sight surprised you, for karma’s ears are red. really red.

“are you blushing?” you asked, a hint of a smile tracing your lips. it widened when karma’s face grows the same color as the tip of his ears.

“i’m not!” he defended, glaring at you. the sight made you laugh. you never knew karma could get so embarrassed.

“yes you are!” you insisted, unable to help yourself with the thought that ghosted near the surface of your mind, “oh my god. don’t tell me you have a crush on me, too.”

“and if i did?”

karma refused to look at you, gold pinned to the ground as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. he was fidgeting, face growing redder by the minute, and suddenly it began to make sense.

“oh.” you mumbled quietly, heart racing within your chest at the realization.

he took a seat beside you, continuing to glare at the sand by his feet. you waited, patiently, for the male to form whatever words he needed onto the tip of his tongue, “i tease you because i like you.”

you blinked, letting the words sink in. it made sense in a way. karma was definitely the type to torment the person he had feelings for. you found yourself scooting closer to his body, “why didn’t you just say so in the beginning?”

he released a huff, “it’s embarrassing.”

“embarrassing to like me?”

“to admit to it,” you saw his fingers dig into the sand, his glare growing more intense, “i’m not good at feelings.”

you continued to stare at him, fondness flickering like a flame within your chest. karma liked you. he liked you. and even though he was embarrassed beyond belief, he was telling you anyways.

you grinned, getting up and throwing your arms around the male. he released a grunt at the sudden weight of your body on his own, his face turning red once more as you nuzzled your face into the crook of his shoulder, “who knew you could be so cute, karma!”

“shut up.” he mumbled quietly, averting his gaze. but you felt a hand come up and return your embrace, light and hesitant resting on your back.

you squeezed tighter, taking in the warmth of his body and the sweet scent of strawberries lingering on his skin. the whole moment felt surreal, and you weren’t sure what to do with yourself now that you knew the red head’s true feelings.

you pulled away slowly, drinking in the rich gold of his eyes and the pale moonlight glowing upon his face. he was beautiful. and karma, he stared at you with such raw emotion you felt your breath get taken away with the breeze that passed through the night. his eyes flickered down, resting on your lips, and you smiled when his embarrassment told you everything he had thought upon making contact.

well, if karma was too shy to kiss you, you supposed you’d have to do it yourself.

the boy didn’t have time to react when your fingers rested on his cheek and you leaned forward, pressing your lips gently against his own. you felt the way karma’s whole body tensed, surprised, before he eased into the motion of your mouth on his. a small laugh broke through at his initial shock, pulling back slightly to let the sound break through. only, it was your turn to be surprised when he leaned forward and returned the affection with newfound eagerness.

you found that you could’ve kissed karma all night, relishing in the way his fingers wove themselves through your hair and the clumsy motion of his lips as they searched for your own. you weren’t surprised by his inexperience, it was your first kiss as well, but despite the uncertainty it was easy to find a steady rhythm you both liked. your own hands rested on the back of his neck, soothing the skin there and teasing the ends of his hair. karma seemed to like the ministrations when he released a pleased hum, the sound tickling your skin. yes, you could’ve kissed him forever under the delicate light of the moon and the dance of waves across the shore. you could’ve stayed in that moment for eternity, holding your breath for just one more second of his touch.

menu. strawberry rhubarb meringue tartlets..

#gender neutral reader #gn!reader #fluff #assassination classroom #karma akabane #karma akabane fluff #karma akabane assassination classroom #assassination classroom karma akabane #karma x reader #karma x you #karma x y/n #karma/reader #karma/you #karma akabane x you #karma akabane x reader #karma akabane x y/n #karma akabane/reader #karma akabane/you

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tacticalhimbo · 10 days

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Ave, @bruderup ! I'm your comrade for this year's Celebradiation exchange, hosted by the amazing team at @falloutfandomeventhub !

I had.. so much fun. With your prompt! A rare-pair with a fascinating dynamic that can go so many different ways??? Yes please! That said, I really do hope you enjoy this piece <3

Also, let me know if you’d like a more permanent copy of this, too! I’m always happy to provide a PDF version of the writings I do :3

He had always been a good soldier. Arguably, a good man.

So it was then, when the Courier had delivered the news that Curtis was the one giving away key security intel, Colonel Hsu felt a gaping abyss settle into his gut. A conflict arose from it, grabbing at his heart and his mind, balancing them within its evil hands like the scales of judgment. Part of him knew he had a duty to the Republic; apprehension and punishment was the only “right” approach to the matter. Their forces were stretched thin as it was, and the last thing they needed was a grand schism. The other part of him, though, knew there had to be something more. Something that swayed Curtis to turn his back on his compatriots and find himself within the Legion’s iron grasp.

Or perhaps, despite that dawning realization, there was a part of him that was a good man. A good soldier. Someone who could be swayed back into doing the right thing and amending this error before the word spread beyond his control. It was that justification that he held onto. What drove him to save face, to the best of his ability. Lips pursed together as weary eyes trailed toward the door, staring past the Courier as if they were not there before him.

“Curtis? He’s been in the NCR long before our conflict with the Legion. There’s just no way… I hope you’re mistaken, but somehow I don’t think so. It’d explain a lot.” He paused, standing from his seat and adjusting the finer details of his uniform. When he continued, his voice was ever more exhausted. Defeated.

“This is much worse than anyone expected. You’ve done everything that was asked of you, and you have my personal thanks for this. I’ll… have Curtis taken into custody. If he lets himself be taken alive, that is. I’ll take things from here. You, uh—Lieutenant Boyd might be willing to get an extra hand in interrogating the Legion prisoner. She’s upstairs, on the other side of the building.”

As soon as he was alone again, the Colonel let out a bated breath. It shuddered, nearly choking him as the weight of everything crashed down on him. His mind swirled as he found himself marching toward the Captain’s office, scribbled plans clenched in his own iron fist. Yet when he appeared in the doorway, he seemed composed. Calm. What he had to be, with so many eyes on him.

“Captain Curtis, I hope you’re not busy?”

There was something off. Ron knew it. James hardly spoke to him so punctly. Especially behind closed doors, made apparent by the soft thud as the Colonel further ensured their privacy. Moreover, it was rare that he approached him. For the Colonel to seek him out…

He, too, braved face. Turned and offered a polite nod as blue eyes scanned his form. Caught the way the other’s bore into him. “Of course not… sir. Is there something you need?”

“What I need is an explanation. I believe these,” he held up the crumpled paper, making it a point to straighten it out best he could and reveal the plans to the officer, “are yours?”

The cracks began to form, just as crinkles on the paper were smoothed to reveal hastily sketched schematics. Slanted, written notes about the monorail’s schedule followed by the guard rotations for the week. Brows knitted together as muscles wound taut, posture straightening. The other simply stood steadfast, only his gaze softening as he stepped to place the paper down on the officer’s desk.

“I—”

“There’s an explanation, I know.” James’ voice was lowered. Focused. “And it had better be a good one. I don’t… This isn’t something that can be brushed under the bed. Even talking to you now puts my ass on the line. So what I want—need you to do, is to tell me why, Ron. Why the Legion? If it were House, or one of the casino mafias, I could try to understand it. But this?” He quieted, voice beginning to shake as it was muted to a whisper.

The Captain couldn’t help the way his heart weighed within his chest. The way it’d sunk into his gut, quickly swallowed by the churning acidic whirlpools. Being caught was one thing; enough to turn his stomach and make his blood run cold. But to see James in such a state? To see him barely keeping professional composure as he begged him to explain himself? It made him properly sick. Brought the bile to the back of his throat, and forced him to swallow it down as now-chapped lips parted.

“… Before I swore myself under the Republic’s banner, I was Legion. Born under Caesar. I’ll spare the details, but my being here was no coincidence. Before the Legion began challenging the NCR, Caesar needed eyes on the situation. I was, at the time, placed within Bravo Company. The officer at the time would… meet his end, and that is when I took over and caught the eye of General Oliver. I was transferred here, and it gave me that vantage that I’d needed to launch Racket.”

There was just too much information. The fact that everything had been a lie. Everything. Curtis’ allegiance to the Republic. The backstory he’d weaved and spun about facing Legion atrocity, when he had likely been the ones seeing them out. The death of Bravo Company’s commanding officer, details obscured by the tears that’d coated his jacket as he’d helped deliver the news to his partner at the time. Did that mean, then, that their love was a lie? That he was just another pawn in the operation? As much as he wanted to confront it, the Colonel knew he needed more information first.

“Racket? You mean the monorail explosion? … It’s supposed to be a distraction, isn’t it?” James stepped closer, bringing Ronald to step back in a vain attempt to keep the distance.

“… Yes.”

“For. What.” Another step forward, another mirrored backward. The room felt miniscule; constricting. The Captain was, almost literally, backed into the corner. A caged animal with two options:

Fight or surrender. Maintain his allegiance to the Legion and lose everything he has built in his time beneath the Bear’s banner… or give in. Recognize that he’d found something better. That there was a life worth living outside of the torch-lit encampments. That there was a life, and not ceaseless scrapping for survival. Pallid eyes peered past the Colonel’s scrutinizing gaze toward the door. Awaiting… something. Anything. A sign.

Then he felt a gloved hand grasp at his shoulder. Felt it command his attention. Fingers dug into the fabric of his uniform, a vain attempt at clawing at the muscle that lay beneath. Nails tearing into tendon, ripping apart at everything it’d grabbed until nothing remained. An intimidation tactic. A loose cannon waiting for the opportunity to fire.

“For what, Ron?” Spoken softer, despite his posturing. Desperate to reach the man he’d grown to know. The man that he prayed was still in there.

The Captain sighed, shoulders slumping under the weight of the other’s touch. “… An attack on the Strip, orchestrated by the Omertas while Caesar’s forces took the Dam. It’s a waste—Your courier friend took Nero and Big Sal out of the picture already. They may still have a stockpile of weapons, but I’m not certain where the new leadership stands.”

Nothing felt any clearer, and it’d only raised more questions. More avenues for the Republic’s forces to be split down whilst the Legion fixated theirs at the Dam. He’d have to bring this up with the top brass; attempt to launch an investigation into the Omertas in a way that doesn’t breach the contractual obligations the Republic has with House. He’d simply make a note of it for now; put a pin in the task of asking Ronald to testify.

“I see. This information will be… useful.” A pause, hand lingering on his companion’s shoulder before slowly withdrawing, pulling with him the temptation to send a firm fist forward and put an end to things as they stood. That would get them… nowhere. Make the situation worse, despite how much the urge coursed through his veins. He simply clenched and unclenched his fist, then shook his head.

“Professionalism aside, where does this information leave us?”

Curiosity. The subtle tilt of his head. “Us?”

A sadness reflected in the Colonel’s deep eyes. One that, should the Captain dig deep enough, was thrust forth by unbridled rage. “You know what I mean.”

Of course he did. It was no secret what he had meant in the line of questioning. Their little… affair had been something they had built up for quite the time. Practically ever since the Captain had been transferred to Camp McCarran. It started out innocently enough; as innocent as two commanding officers sneaking away into the abandoned wings of the airport terminal could be, that is. Something casual—their own form of stress relief—blossomed into something much more serious. Much more connected. And, it would be a lie to say that it didn’t sting a little thinking of how it’d become so entrapped in the web of lies Curtis had spun throughout his career.

He paused, almost unable to meet the gaze of the Colonel. A low sigh fell from his pressed lips, releasing the heat of his own tension. The urge to claw his way out of the room, damned be the consequence. Cowardly, as it were, he didn’t want to die. No—that wasn’t it. He didn’t want to kill James Hsu. His James. And so he spoke, voice leveled as he cautiously untangled his thoughts.

“I have… learned things, being here. Things that do not change my view of the Republic’s beliefs. No, the NCR will continue to do nothing more than bolster its presence on the Strip. Hinder the land with its standing.” His voice grew firmer, though he paused. This ideological debate was not the focus of their conversation. “But there is something beyond that. Something that you, and you alone, have shown me. I do not see you as an adversary, James.”

The closest thing to a confession—an affirmation—that the Colonel would receive. And, perhaps naively, it would have to do. It would be enough for him in this moment. He took a breath and stepped back, checking the door once more. Ensuring it was still shut, ensuring that the approaching footsteps continued past. Only when they were distant, near silent, and only then, did he speak again.

“If what you say is true, then you have to make this right. It is your duty to bury this,” he slides the schematics onto the nearby table, hesitating before abandoning them. Entrusting them back to their designer. “I… trust you have a plan for such a contingency.”

“Of course.” He spared the details. Figured that James would wish to stay in the dark, which did put a bit of a damper on his own mood.

The plan was straightforward, though it would be easier if there were an additional set of hands on the matter. Sneaking the plans and some loose junk into Davey Crenshaw’s footlocker would be fair game; hardly anybody lingered in the barracks long enough to notice. No, the hard part—and the most exciting, to Curtis—was the disposing of the Private. The two had an amicable enough relationship that he was certain he’d be able to lure him away from suspecting eyes. That said, there could also be a creative spin to put on it. A twist leaning into the youth’s knack for theatrics and pranks. One way or another, blood would be spilled, and they’d have a mole to serve to upper brass. He shrugged the idea off, though was unable to hide the spark in his eyes that had tipped James off.

The latter simply shook his head and sighed. “Whatever it is, just make sure it’s done… right. We cannot risk—”

The Captain stepped forward, finally secure in taking the initiative once more. He closed the gap considerably, leaving less than an arm’s length between the two. Left little room for the Colonel’s startled breath to escape him. Who’d cornered who, now?

Ron grinned, allowing muscles to relax as the other’s briefly grew taut. He oozed the same confidence that’d carried him so far. Carried him through his ranks, and into the arms of his compatriot; carried him to press his lips against James’. To grab at his arm and hold him in place as he’d sealed their deal. When he withdrew, he left the conversation with one last note of interest. One last prod at the Bear’s jaw.

“I know. Your secret is safe with me, amicus.”

#txt #my fics #fallout new vegas #fallout #colonel hsu #captain curtis #colonel hsu x captain curtis #celebradiation24

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alicedusstuff · 11 months

Text

LIKE THE SUN AND THE MOON

I just felt in the mood to write something silly. Therefore... There you go. A little news without purpose. I literally googled the text I had written into French. I am not so good as to make a whole text in this language; Let's not be crazy.

_ENGLISH PART_

That It had been a while since Macaque and Wukong had started in a silent argument. It wasn't much really; Everyone just stayed in their corner, trying their best to ignore the presence of the other to win this ridiculous new war. Macaque could have just left, and left no news for days; But he had decided that to stay where Wukong could see that he was angry would be more fun. So, he sulked at the foot of the stone monkey's house, trying to focus his gaze on MK so as not to meet the eyes of Wukong. For Wukong; it was simpler; or at least, MK would have thought that That would be the case. The stone monkey was busy training him After all. But against all odds, Wukong's eyes did not cease to naturally seek to land on the Macaque form before turning away at the time he had assured that the latter was still there. The action was all the more frustrating because the king had No harm in beating his student when his attention was not clearly not fully focused on him. MK left the suffocating situation unfold, until he can no longer do it. He pushed Wukong away from him with his staff; and slammed it violently on the ground to have the attention of his two mentors.

-When are you two going to make peace? I thought that You were cool after we finished everything with the Lady Bone Demon.

Wukong and Macaque exchanged a look that MK intercepted all on end; before the two monkeys decided to avoid the look at the other. MK vibrated on the spot because of anger; but tried to act as an adult; and took a deep breath. -OK. Very well. I don't want to see you until you have not solved your problem of the day. -Kid, wait! Mk did not wait for the monkey king. He left immediately. after his words. If he did not take drastic measures; he knew that the two monkeys were just going to keep the tension rises until it explodes. It was better pierce the abscess immediately. The monkey king turned to Macaque, frowning. He then leaned over, hands on hips, before blaming the Shadow monkey for the departure of his student. Macaque raised the eyes to the sky. He was in no mood to listen to nonsense of Wukong. Yet, his body froze on its own, his hair became bristled, ready to fight with the one who assaulted him verbally; and he scolded back. After which, Wukong grumbled about frustration, at this time running out of repartee. He decided to return home, and passed Macaque, angry. Macaque let him. He didn't think it was a Good idea to follow the Sage right now. Still MK's warning came back to his mind. Would the kid be really able to refuse to see him for an argument with Wukong? Macaque didn't want to know how sincere MK was in his words. So, he reluctantly followed Wukong, and sat on the sofa, opposite Wukong. Both had ceased to meet dispute. Nothing had been said; but the cold of earlier had warmed up. That didn't stop their problem from being solved. Of course contrary; He would certainly remain there for an eternity. He was much deeper than any evil. They do not could never fix it. "at least, not until Wukong watches over him." Macaque's pupils landed on Wukong at this thought. And he thought again about why they were arguing in the first place. Macaque wondered why Wukong had abandoned him. He wondered as to why the monkey king had killed him; and; it is by knowing the answer he looked up at the television. Wukong caught the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and carried his attention on Macaque a few seconds before diverting the look. He too was thinking of reconciling with Macaque. But it does not just couldn't. He would never accept it. All had gone well between them in recent months; and Wukong had thought that he and Macaque could have become friends again; but he had Macaque had to tell him that he wanted to be one with Wukong again. The request had taken him by surprise. Then, fear and panic had turned into anger; and an argument broke out. Wukong couldn't stand it. How could he ever Remake one with his oldest friend? How Macaque dared wish to leave him alone again? In itself; Both entities had separated for so long that it's been a eternity that Wukong had forgotten that Macaque was only a part of him. They had lived so long as two beings. apart; always with opposing opinions; that the monkey king had Forgot where the shadow monkey came from. Wukong clenched his fists, remembering tohe words of Macaque when he came to ask her to do one again. The monkey of The shadow had claimed to be tired of always looking for him for end up getting hurt. He had shouted at Wukong that he didn't want to not dying; but that he also did not want to continue their strange relationship. So, he had asked to disappear from the The simplest way he knows. By forming only one with Wukong again. Macaque and Wukong were the moon and the sun; light and shadow; inseparable partners; and both sides of the same coin. "Two bodies for one spirit" once said the Emperor of jade. Wukong turned his attention to the screen when the Main character to start shooting someone. Then finding the plot of the film boring, he focused his attention on Macaque. -Am I more uninteresting than the movie? Wukong startled when the reflection of his own copper gaze stared at him. Macaque slammed his foot on his to get him out of his stupor. -As if... Bouda Wukong in returning the kicks to Macaque. They had fun getting kick your feet for a while until you finally stop, satisfied with the way they had ended their argument without having to explain yourself to the other. Wukong smiled. There is no had no one who understood it better than Macaque. There was no No one who attracted him more than the jet fur monkey. How could he ever allow her to let him go? -We should warn MK that we have made peace. -Flemme to go on look for.

-And if we order noodles?

Macaque mouse at the Wukong's proposal, and agreed.

-It is you who Pay.

#lmk shadowpeach #lmk macaque #lmk wukong #lmk fanfiction #just a draft #just wrote this

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yuezhong · 1 year

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Cottagecore

a/n: can you believe this has been sitting in my drafts since last year. Anyway, without further ado I present to you my own take on the cottagecore aesthetic featuring Eula,Albedo,Kaeya,Zhongli and Kazuha!!

Addendum: Dedicating Kaeya,Albedo and Kazuha's parts to my dearest friends <3. Starfell, my dear/p thank you so much for helping me manage my genshin account during my period of absence (due to finals). We have known each other for quite a while now and I have come to treasure our friendship a lot, thank you for everything you've done for me up until now. It's my turn to return the favour <3.

Rei, I have come to know you for quite some time now as well, thank you for being a good friend and joining in on me and Starfell's shenanigans in our server haha.

Almond gege!! Though it's been a while since we last talked via dms it's still a lot of fun when I get to talk to you!! I adore your writing style and enjoy interacting with you in general :3 I genuinely cherish you as a friend and am hoping for the best for our friendship!!

And now I'm done expressing my gratitude and platonic lovemail, happy reading!!

warnings: none

notes:© all rights belong to yuezhong. Eula Lawrence, Albedo Kreideprinz, Kaeya Alberich, Zhongli and Kaedehara Kazuha belong to Hoyoverse. Please do not plagiarize or copy any of my works and upload them anywhere. Reblog if you enjoyed! It helps a lot <3. Taglist form is still closed as of now.

☆ EULA LAWRENCE

Born into a life of wealth and luxury, EULA never had to worry about the woes of being in poverty nor fret over being unable to place food on her plate.

Despite indulging in the multitudinal privileges of a silver spoon, she longs for freedom. She yearns to dance shoeless amongst large, open prairies beyond her comfortable, but stuffy abode. She yearns to run through the village streets, arms linked with friends while laughing heartily without a care in the world.

Because surely, she was meant for more than just practised smiles, business negotiations, and the inevitable arranged marriage with another influential industrial partner to expand her family’s power?

Yearning leads to wanting, wanting leads to acting on one’s desires. Eula embodies this by her recent absences in her lessons; opting to go on introspective strolls in the nearby woodland to recollect her thoughts.

When tutors came knocking on the door of Lord and Lady Lawrence to file yet another complaint of their eldest’s disappearance, the owners of the manor could only release twin huffs of exhausted exasperation; for they knew there was nothing they could do about their daughter’s one-track mind on her quests for freedom, though they were transient.

The unpredictability of what life had to offer was daunting, yet oh-so wondrous at the same time. Chancing upon you was one of the latter.

It was just one step of absent-mindedness, an innocent meeting of eyes.

Your congregation with her was fairytale-esque, whimsical with a touch of something reminiscent of a past love story. Perhaps you two were soulmates of a crueller past?; Bound once more by fate’s merciful hand.

Whatever the circumstances that led to the two of you currently curling into the other’s embrace could not change one thing though: Her family would never approve of the blooming feelings between you two. This you know well.

After all, why would they give their blessings entailing their daughter’s happiness to an outcast like you? Much less a witch. You are branded a sinner for your practices in sorcery, a cesspool of evil (or that was what most thought).

But in Eula’s eyes, she saw none of that sort.

You are her safe haven, the fields of elysium where she can frolic blissfully all day long. And to secure the safety of it, she will brave every snowstorm, cut through biting frost thrown against both of you by the rest of the world.

☆ALBEDO KREIDEPRINZ

As the sole medical practitioner in his village, ALBEDO is exalted for his role.

He takes pride in his line of work; but never exudes hubris for his achievements. Ever the humble worker, he tends to all with kindness: welcoming them with open arms entwined with generosity.

Other than his amicable presence, his intellect is another one of the driving forces that gravitates people towards him.

Scholars and members of academia alike sing praises for his sincere manner of speech, his efficacy in carrying out tasks. Cordial words bring the gist of topics in his medical presentations to life; holding candle light to Minerva’s clever hand in weaving embroidered tales. Yet his diligence keeps him on the right path, never straying from his destination. Patients recount his gentleness in treating their ailments, not once uttering words of ill-intent about their pains or the lengthy periods of time needed to guide them to full-recovery.

Not born a social butterfly, Albedo instead opts to sit in the shade of his veranda⎯⎯ a structure of respite within the large expanse of the garden surrounding his cottage. He’d sit cross-legged with a book in hand on one of the chairs⎯⎯wrought carefully of fine mahogany as he savoured his favourite blend of tea languidly.

It is only when he hears your voice does his ears perk up (figuratively). Carefully, he slots his bookmark between the pages to mark the passage he stopped on prior to your arrival.

“Albedo!”

He could feel the corners of his lips quirk up faintly at the sound of your voice as you jog towards him. Ah, what a lovely day to spend it outside.

☆ KAEYA ALBERICH

“The word trouble and KAEYA go hand in hand.” These are the whispers of superficial neighbours that often reach your ears.

As his playmate who has seen him through thick and thin since young, you dismiss their hollow words easily. There is certainly more depth to Kaeya than it meets the eye; the many layered undertones of his character and complex past are two of the few clandestine things he entrusts you with.

As the son of your village’s chief, it is not uncommon to find him out and about. This could be the direct link to the so-called “trouble” he causes, which is in reality just people’s misinterpretations of his intentions; and on top of that he somehow always manages to find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

His unintentional penchant for attracting misfortune has left even his close ones baffled. And so, you take it upon yourself to rectify or at least mitigate this inborn unfortunate trait of his.

“Kaeya!”

A few soft taps against the glass window of the wooden hut where he shares residence with his father snaps him out of the dazed trance he somehow managed to fall into. Kaeya shifts his gaze to the source of your suppressed cry, grey eye glinting with a fondness only reserved for you and you alone.

Gingerly, he presses both palms onto the cool, flat surface of both panes. Then after he has made sure you backed away completely from the window, he exerts a little more pressure onto the panes.

“Hi.” His familiar, half-crescent smile greets you.

“Hi.” Reciprocating with a grin, you rummage through the burlap sack, sifting through the various items stored away inside which were not visible to Kaeya’s wandering eye.

“It’s an amulet, to keep you out of trouble.” You smile, cupping the said object in your hand with practised caution before placing it into his.

Cooing a flirtatious “thank you, darling~ I will be sure to return the favour.” directly into your ear, Kaeya leans forward to press a kiss onto your cheek. He only chuckled at your attempts to hide your flustered state as he slipped off into the sableness of the night, guided by Luna's mellow rays.

☆ZHONGLI

Toiling away at his crops diligently, ZHONGLI pauses to wipe the sweat away from his brows with the back of his hand.

“Ah,hello.” He smiles warmly, tipping his straw hat in jest at you. Chuckling at the sound of your laugh at his little gesticulation, he beckons you into his cottage with a courteous hand.

What awaits you inside are two earthen cups (moulded by his clever hand on his potter’s wheel) of lukewarm tea 𑁋 lavender, he informs. Ever the gentleman, Zhongli pulls your chair out for you as you set your things down by the door.

An hour of idle chit-chat and degusting his wonderful tea later, he noticed your furrowed brows were directed at something outside one of the windows. Following your line of sight, he instantly knew why as soon as he set his eyes on a cluster of cumulonimbus clouds gathering in the sky.

“Would you like to stay over?” He proffered.

A timid “yes please, apologies for the intrusion.” draws the smile you love so much from his lips.

☆ KAEDEHARA KAZUHA

As a wanderer, KAZUHA has acclimated to the various perks and quirks of life on the-go. Whether it be finding lodgings in peculiar places or the capricious storms Inazuma brings.

Occasionally though, he would take a break from his nomadic lifestyle and settle down in small villages or suburban towns bustling with life for as long as he feels like it.

That was how he was going to spend the rest of his life 𑁋 as a drifter, free as the winds captured by the sails of his raft he always relied upon to take him to new places; or so he thought.

A fond smile replaces his once neutral countenance as Kazuha gazes at the band of his ring resting snugly around his fourth finger. It has been a year since he became wedded to you and settled down for good. Yet, it still feels like a dream to him.

Kazuha’s mind couldn’t help but navigate its way back to the day before his promise of devoting himself to you as his bandaged fingers traced over the ring’s cool surface. You and him met by mere happenstance, it was as if fate had woven this indeterminate path for him and you were the one who lifted the mist that veiled it.

Your magnanimity is something he will be eternally grateful for. Had you not offered to share your cottage with him when it was peak tourist season, he would have been homeless.

Ah, your profession of your feelings to him is another one of the memories he holds dear in his repertoire.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” If you had been any softer, the words that slipped from your lips would have been whisked away by the tranquil night breeze.

His eyes fluttered shut in content. Kazuha nodded in assent.

“Indeed. I would be delighted to watch it together with you for as long as we shall live.”

You are half his soul, his north star and his inspiration for the poetry he waxes.

➵❁Taglist: @almond-adeptus @scribs-dibs @s4egusas @lilikags @thesapphirecake

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dirtytransmasc · 1 year

Note

¡ANGST WARNING! TW: Surgery, torture, body modification, experimentation

Thinking about spider’s time with the RDA made me realise that it would have been so much worse with his adaptions.

All these scientists are chomping at the bit to understand what happened to spider. Unlike Max and Norm, who take samples and examine Spider to help him and ensure he’s safe and healthy, the RDA scientists just want to further their own research. So they don’t use any anaesthetics or numbing agents, they don’t care for the boys discomfort or pain, everything they do that causes his suffering (intentional or not) is a chance to gather more data or study his habits more. Most would call this unethical, but this is the RDA - ‘Unethical’ is the only word a higher up needs to hear before they start thinking about all the money they are going to make.

What’s worse? Spider still gets adaptions. He gets tougher skin to prevent scalpels from cutting into him, his brain develops more connections and neurones in an effort to resist the damage caused by the Brain Scanner, his body heals faster to prevent his organs from getting even more hurt from the experiments from the night before. But this doesn’t stop the scientists. They keep going. The push the limits of his adaptions and keep testing the new ones that develop. They just don’t stop.

The only time they do stop is when Quaritch pulls Spider out, before he dies or worse. Though he can’t connect with his son as much, since there is nothing really resembling his father in spider’s appearance, Quaritch does recognise something - his son is nothing more than an object to the RDA, same as him. He cannot stand by and see someone be cut into day in and day out, treated as some freak of nature. Quaritch is a pile of extraterrestrial meat and bones resurrected with a computer file, he knows what it feels like to be an unholy abomination in the eyes of the scientists.

Years later, when the RDA is finally and completely burned to the ground and nobody is left to carry on their crusade, someone will find documents and files about the ‘research’ done against Spider and will find so much more than what anybody knew. Children forcefully changed, using Spider’s DNA, to further the RDAs needs, to be guinea pigs and the future for humanity. It’s a surprise to everyone and a reminder of the tremendous evils that were brought upon innocent children, who never asked for war and an unkind thing upon themselves. It is a miracle that they have survived this long, Eywa’s mercy and love keeping them living until they could be brought back to The People. Now they can heal and grow knowing that they will never be hurt again and will be loved by caring people. The RDA may be evil incarnate, but the Great Mother’s love will forever persist for the sake of these children.

—

I had this thought in my head for a week or so now, but I got busy with my job and university and I didn’t know how to right this down in a way that did it justice, if that makes sense. First time writing down angst or anything that might need a Trigger Warning, so I deeply apologise if it either not needed or if my headcanon got way too dark

first off, no need to apologize; I read and write body horror and angst for fun, you're safe around here my friend, stick around, get comfortable, cause I love your mind.

second off, this was great.

the RDA being horifically cruel, Eywas previous blessing turning into somewhat of a curse, keeping spider alive throughout the torture, allowing him to be used to create more and more science experiments to be tortured.

then imagining quaritch doing everything he can to get spider out, but they keep blocking him, keep getting in his way, keep making cheap deals that he has to take to keep spider alive; all the way he's being tortured, having to watch his son be used like some animal, for experiments for some sick sadists who got off on his boys, his baby.

its a sick and twisted cycle, never-ending, and filled with pain and suffering.

#the angst #its beautiful #spider socorro #miles socorro #miles spider socorro #quaritch #miles quaritch #avatar the way of water #avatar 2

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kadytimberfox · 5 months

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Kady's Expanse (Re)Watch Blog

Episode 1.01 - "Dulcinea" (Pilot)

And here we go for my...fourth time I've watched this episode I think? It's a really wonderful pilot that does so much work with introducing you to the world, our cast of characters, and setting up the threads of the main plot and does it all perfectly in a very tight 45 minutes. It reminds me a lot of Deep Space Nine's pilot "The Emissary" which is similarly a masterclass in tight storytelling and how to properly kick off a new series.

And speaking of kicking off a new series, hey! I'm watching this show that I absolutely adore again and I'm going to take the time to spout my thoughts about it on the internet because that seems like a fun idea! I really enjoy thinking about media critically but I've never taken the time to write down my thoughts before. It's a style of writing I've always wanted to try so where better to do that than a Tumblr blog? I'll try to keep these Brief and Not Boring but no guarantees on either. Especially on this one. It's the pilot, after all.

I also want to keep this as light on spoilers as possible; again though, no guarantees. Also if you haven't seen this show yet just go fucking watch it it's so good.

Later in this post is a description of torture that happens in the episode. I marked it with a TW and formatted the text to make it distinct from the rest of the post.

With that out of the way, there's nothing left to do except pick apart this pilot!

---------------------------------------

Summary

We kick off with a bang (and then some more banging) as we see a young woman named "Julie" fight her way out of a locked compartment, explore the darkened hallways of her Completely Fucked Spaceship, and watch her friends get eaten alive by some evil blue space goop. Surely none of that will be important later.

Cut to the adventures of hard-boiled Belter detective Joe Miller and his new Earthling partner Dimitri Havelock. They're private cops for an Earth corporation who theoretically maintain order on Ceres Station in the Asteroid Belt, the biggest shithole this side of pretty much anywhere. They go to a murder scene and do basically nothing, antagonize and then arrest people minding their own business at a bar, and take a bribe to half-ass a health inspection. Y'know, classic cop stuff.

Back at the precinct, Miller gets an off-the-books job from his boss to find one Juliette Andromeda Mao, daughter of megacorp magnate Jules-Pierre Mao and coincidentally the spitting image of "Julie" from our opening scene. Apparently, her pro-Belter activism is starting to piss off dear old dad and they want her to come home before she embarrasses the family any further.

In the middle of his investigation, he finds out that those air filters he "inspected" earlier crapped out and poisoned some children. Instead of taking accountability for not doing his job, he decides to throw the sleazy air filter guy into an airlock and only lets him out after he promises not to fuck it up next time. And also to pay Miller double. I'll let it slide though because Sleazy Air Filter Guy is an asshole.

Back on Earth, United Nations Undersecretary Chrisjen Avasarala shows up for about five minutes in this episode. The only thing she does is torture a guy. End scene.

Meanwhile, the good ship Canterbury is on its way to Ceres with a big haul of space ice that the station needs to turn into water. Second Officer James Holden gets immediately promoted, much to his dismay, because his previous boss Mike Ehrmantraut went insane from being out in space too long.

Mystery strikes when the gang gets a weird distress signal from a ship called the Scopuli. Captain McDowell, probably having watched enough Star Trek episodes to know that this can't be anything good, decides to ignore it. Holden just can't stop himself from doing a good thing, though, and secretly reports the signal, officially making the Canterbury Legally Obligated™ to investigate.

He picks his away team (unknowingly also picking the people he's going to spend the rest of this show with) and takes a shuttle to investigate the drifting Scopuli, where they find everything shut down except for the beacon that brought them here. "Pirate bait", or so it seems.

Suddenly, McDowell advises the away team that a very scary ship has appeared out of nowhere and that they need to get the hell out of there. The gang gets back on the shuttle just in time for the mystery ship to fire not just regular torpedoes, but nuclear torpedoes at them. The torpedoes close to zero...and then continue streaking towards the Canterbury.

Holden tells McDowell to eject the space ice to form a protective barrier, but he refuses, apparently willing to die rather than lose his payday. The payday (and everything else aboard) is lost anyway, however, as the Canterbury erupts into the most beautiful supernova I've ever seen.

"She's gone. They nuked her. She's gone."

-----------------------------------

My thoughts

So this is where I actually have to do the analysis thing. Since the beginning of this show is split into three primary subplots that all deal with a different piece of the Julie puzzle (a narrative device that I fucking love, by the way), I'll divide things up by talking about each one individually because that just makes sense.

Before I do that though, I just want to briefly say that that opening scene with Julie on the Scopuli is just the perfect opening to this show. It immediately gives us a very brief glimpse inside the puzzle box that our main cast is going to spend all of this season (and most of this show) trying to open. It's quick, it's tense, it's completely terrifying, and it's unforgettable if you've seen it.

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Miller on Ceres:

And we follow up that perfect opening scene with a perfect choice for which of these three main threads to start with. The thing that's great about dividing up the characters like this is that each of them only has a piece of what's going on with Julie and the Scopuli, but no one has the full picture. Miller, though, gets the most information off the bat and is the only person in the main cast who's looking for Julie specifically, so it's only natural that we should start with him.

His story is also the inspiration for the title of this episode, "Dulcinea". For those of you who aren't big Don Quixote fans, it's a reference to Quixote's fantasy lover that he invents because he styles himself as a knight and, of course, every knight needs his damsel. He describes her in excruciating detail; she's royalty in a far-off land who is the epitome of feminine beauty, the ideal of Womanhood Incarnate--or his vision of it at least.

And the deeper Miller goes in his investigation, the more quixotic he gets with his idea of who Julie is. He's never met or spoken to Julie, but as he unravels her activities prior to departing on the Scopuli, he becomes increasingly obsessed with her, imagining what kind of a person she must be, picking apart every little detail and transposing it onto his vision of what her life must be like. I'm sure he would call it "being a good detective", but it's much more than that to him.

Throughout Miller's jaunt around town with Havelock, they banter back and forth, and through their conversations, we get a great sense of their personalities. Whereas Miller is the grizzled veteran who's had his morality thoroughly beaten out of him, Havelock is a by-the-book rookie cop who seems genuinely interested in learning about Belters, if only so that he can police them more effectively.

It's a very tried-and-true buddy cop pairing, but it works really well here. Havelock gets to be our audience surrogate for this story as we learn more about how Ceres and Belters operate.

This thread has the biggest worldbuilding burden out of the three and it pulls it off so well. We get so much about life in the Belt, the politics of the Solar System, the Outer Planets Alliance, or OPA (who will definitely be showing up later), and the logistics of maintaining a huge population of humans on a space station. And none of it feels clunky or awkward in the slightest. It's exactly the style of worldbuilding I loved in "The Emissary" from Deep Space Nine.

Ceres itself also has huge DS9 vibes, and not in a good way. The set design team did such a good job making this place look old, weathered, and completely falling apart. Except, of course, for the nice apartment buildings where the cops, off-worlders, and everyone else rich enough to ignore the seedy underbelly get to live.

There are a ton of fantastic, evocative lines in this arc, but I think my favorite is Miller's deadpan proclamation that "There are no laws on Ceres, just cops." A perfect summary of everything we see on screen about how power is wielded in this place.

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Chrisjen on Earth:

This is the shortest thread where the least happens, but it will grow into one of my favorites. We don't get too much additional insight into what's going on, but we do get two important things: 1) Chrisjen Avasarala is a stone-cold bitch who thinks the OPA are terrorists, and 2) the OPA are apparently trying to get their hands on illegal stealth technology, which doesn't help with the whole "terrorism" thing.

This links up to both Miller's and Holden's subplots: we know about the OPA from Miller, and the ship that eventually blows up the Cant was using Martian stealth tech. Of course, since Holden and crew have no idea about the OPA, they immediately start thinking that Mars is out to get them, which will continue to play into the story going forward.

!-- TW: DESCRIPTION OF TORTURE --!

Also important to note is that Chrisjen is getting this information through the most brutal torture I've seen on TV in a long time: forcing a Belter whose body can't handle Earth's gravity to stand for hours on end by holding him up with hooks under his arms. After Chrisjen goes on and on about his "weak Belter lungs and brittle Belter bones", she coldly turns around and tells them to hold him up for another 10 hours. "If he survives, call me."

!-- TW ENDS --!

Fucking ghoulish, and definitely not a good look for Madam Undersecretary's first appearance. You're gonna have to trust me now when I say that she becomes one of my favorite characters in the main cast. This is about as bad as she gets, but she continues being manipulative and cold-blooded for most of this show. That's just who she is. To me, it's part of what makes this subplot of scheming at the UN so engaging.

We'll be seeing a lot more of Chrisjen going forward, and she'll get much better. At the very least, she will stop torturing this guy. But only because someone will tell her not to.

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Holden on the Canterbury:

If Miller's story shows us life in the Belt and Chrisjen's shows us the politics of the Solar System, Holden's thread is all about life onboard a spaceship, which is important because we're going to be spending a lot of time on spaceships. This is also the part of the episode that has the most CG and honestly it holds up really really well. I know it's less than a decade old and they probably got a lot of money for the pilot but still! It looks great!

I'll drop a brief shoutout here as well for the ship designs in this show. They knocked it out of the goddamn park with the Cant's design: it's a big, boxy, dull gray, ugly thing that looks designed to haul ice and do literally nothing else. Everything is so practical and, above all else, plausible. They look like humans from the near future built them and that's the highest compliment I can give them.

There are shades of the first act of "Alien" here as we are essentially dropped into the Cant in the middle of its mission and get to see the camaraderie and hierarchy between all the members of the crew. We also get to know more about Holden, and immediately he begins showing us his defining character trait: he wields a lot of authority and respect, but he hates being in charge.

We see this in the very first scene onboard the Cant when one of the ice haulers, Paj, gets his arm severed while working outside the ship. He seems completely unfazed by this, though, since the company will send him a prosthetic and he's been working for them long enough to get a really good one.

Not only does this happen often enough that the company just buys prosthetics as a cost of doing business, there are literally tiers of coverage depending on years of service. What an optimistic future this is turning out to be.

Paj pleads with Holden to make sure the company doesn't send him a "used" arm (a frightening thought), to which Holden replies with something that he will continue to say, in so many words, over and over: "I'm just another clock-puncher like you." Holden knows he has authority on the Cant, but all he wants to be is a clock-puncher, which he makes very clear to pretty much everyone he talks to, including Captain McDowell when he essentially forces the XO job onto him.

Later on, we get our first glimpse at Holden's other primary personality trait, that being that he is The Main Character and therefore the most kind-hearted soul that can exist in this cold, selfish world. He logs the distress signal they received from the Scopuli, thereby ensuring that they'll have to divert from Ceres (and lose their on-time bonus) in order to investigate.

He shares this privately with Chief Engineer Naomi Nagata before the shuttle mission, to which her only reply is to tell him to keep that to himself. Fair play, considering she was just talking about how she wanted to strangle the little fucking do-gooder before she realized it was her new XO. Excuse me, Acting XO.

Before the shuttle launch, we're briefly introduced to the rest of the away team: the aforementioned Naomi; her mechanic Amos Burton, whose defining character trait is doing whatever Naomi tells him to do; ship's pilot Alex Kamal, who we previously saw being an annoying blabbermouth on the Cant; and Med-Tech Shed Garvey, who sewed up Paj's arm and wants everyone to know that he does not want to be here. Yes, his first name really is Shed.

Most of this part of the episode is setting up what'll happen next so we don't get a lot of time with any of these guys, but we'll have time for some great character work in the coming episodes.

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And that said, what a great setup for what comes next! Nearly all of the people we just got to know on the Cant are vaporized by a mysterious ship, there's a cloud of space debris hurtling toward Holden's little shuttle, and we have a hell of a puzzle box to dig into. Did Mars blow up the Cant? Did the OPA? Why would either of them want to? What does it all have to do with Julie and the Scopuli? And what the hell was that fucking space goo??

Despite covering so much ground in this pilot, The Expanse makes it very clear that we've barely scratched the surface. And even though I've already seen this whole show and know where it's going, it took everything I had to not hit the "next episode" button.

I will be doing that very soon though because I had a blast writing this up and I definitely want to keep doing it! Apologies that this one ran so long -- I assumed I was going to write a lot with this being the first episode and everything but I had so many thoughts that didn't make it into this post. I'm sure I'll be refining the format as we go along as well.

If you read all the way to here, I'm genuinely flattered and I hope you have a wonderful day.

~ Kady <3

#the expanse #media analysis #sci fi #kady's expanse rewatch blog #<- whenever I write more of these they'll be in this tag #tw torture #torture mention #random tags of things I didn't mention:#fucking LOVE this show's intro sequence. absolutely fantastic and I loved hearing it again #the little bird that only has to flap its wings a little bit because of the low gravity!!!#I love Miller's absolutely rancid vibes with his ex-partner-girlfriend

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